Chapter 4

Mingyun got up after a short nap. The cock cawed, ushering in the coming day. She ran laps around the village for an hour and met an old man carrying a basket on the way, trying to fetch fruits from a tall tree using a long stick. She lightly gave the tree a kick, adjusting her strength, and lots of fruits fell, making the old man smile from ear to ear.

"Young lady, I haven't seen you around. Are you someone's relatives paying our village a visit?" The old man filled his basket to the brim. Seeing him having difficulty lifting the basket, Mingyun took it from him and asked where he lived.

"My name is Mingyun. I'm going to the capital. I met Uncle Liu on the way, and Aunt Zhang let me stay in her house for a night." She responded and happily chatted with the old man until she brought up the matter of the animals in the forest. "Grandpa, is anyone living on hunting in this village?"

"My grandson Xiao Hei is our strongest hunter here. Speaking of him, he went deep in the forest a while ago. Let me tell you, our Xiao Hei was taught martial arts by a master who passed by the village a long time ago. He can always bring prey home, letting our family have meat every day." The old man wanted to introduce Mingyun to her grandson after getting well with her. He felt she was very suitable for Xiao Hei.

Her eyes went straight. She remembered the carcasses she left. She decided to wait. Instead of warning the village herself, Xiao Hei's words may better persuade them.

"Mingyun, Breakfast is ready." Uncle Liu saw her with their neighbor and called out.

"Old Lu, Good Morning. Did Xiao Hei set off already? Uncle Liu asked, wanting to buy some meat for their couple.

Old Lu nodded and beckoned Uncle Liu, who was quite curious about Mingyun's identity.

"She's not my relative. I just met Mingyun at the foot of the mountain. Old Lu, you should've seen her easily carry our Red mane, pull our cart for several kilometers, and crush the huge boulders with bare strength." Uncle Liu's eyes gleamed with excitement when he shared yesterday's events with Old Lu.

Mingyun nodded.

Boisterous laughter came from the old man as he waved his hands, indicating his disbelief. "You're already at that age, and you still babble jokes." Our Xiao Hei can't do those things, so how can a frail young lady do it? Uncle Liu must be too tired from peddling yesterday.

"I'm not telling a lie, Old Lu! Mingyun really did those things."

Mingyun nodded again.

"Alright, Alright, eat breakfast first!" Auntie Zhang interrupted the two's bickering and pulled Mingyun away from them.

"Auntie Zhang, I'll deliver the fruits first." Mingyun never refuses food. Having tasted gruel every day, her taste buds were craving something different, and Aunt Zhang's cooking was really good, making her appetite wet.

Old Lu and Uncle Liu had stopped their arguments by the time the two arrived at their respective houses.

"Mingyun should visit Grandpa Lu sometimes. I'll tell you stories." Old Lu smiled and waved his hands to her.

"Grandpa Lu, take care." Mingyun bowed and returned his goodbye.

On the table of the couple's home, a richer variety of dishes than last night were laid out. Each looked very delicious and smelled mouth-watering. Mingyun couldn't' wait to dig in after Aunt Zhang finished praying.

"Mingyun, do you have any money for fare?" Aunt Zhang remembered her worries and asked.

Uncle Liu also looked over, anticipating her reply.

"Money? Master didn't give me copper coins. How much does one need to get to the capital?" Mingyun put down her chopsticks. It takes more than three hundred li to reach the capital; with such a long distance, the money needed must cost quite a fortune.

"What is a copper coin? You only need to pay in yuan currency, and the total expenses depend on the type of transportation you want." Aunt Zhang was startled by her words. The image of her Master became much more mysterious in her mind. Copper coins sounded so ancient.

"I heard from those young people working in the big city that taking a train is the cheapest. The services of taxis are quite expensive, but they can save you some time. You can also take buses, but they are more costly than the train." Uncle Lie explained what he picked up from selling vegetables to nearby villages. He was used to Mingyun's unusual way of speaking and wasn't bothered at all. In his eyes, she was someone isolated from the world.

"But I don't have any yuan at all. Do those people accept pulling their carts in return?" Her lovely face turned serious.

The two looked at each other and laughed. "Those people don't accept such things. They only accept yuan. The transactions in the big city need yuan currency." Aunt Zhang patted her head. She couldn't have a child, and being with Mingyun somehow fulfilled her wish. Her adorable, naive expression made her look like a little deer. Zhang Ma pinched her soft cheeks and sighed in sadness. "I really wanted Mingyun to stay."

"Don't worry, Auntie Zhang, after I finish my business, I'll visit your home for a meal. Auntie really cooks deliciously."

Zhang Ma pecked her cheeks for her praise: "Alright, I'll wait for your return. Lao Liu, take care of Mingyun on the road." She then eyed Uncle Liu with warning.

"Don't worry about her. She's much stronger than me." Uncle Liu resumed eating and replied in between. He really wasn't worried at all. Mingyun already showed her prowess, and instead of taking care of her, he is the one who needs care. "Mingyun, quickly finish your meal. We need to catch the rural buses."

Zhang Ma was quite dissatisfied with her husband's nonchalance and scolded him in her heart.

Mingyun grabbed a dumpling and took a bite.

Suddenly, there was a tremor, and the three quickly went under the table. Mingyun picked up the plate of dumplings and continued eating.

The tremor continued for few minutes.

"Lao Liu, is that an earthquake?" Zhang Ma pulled Mingyun near her.

"I don't know. Let me check." Uncle Liu crawled slowly after making sure there were no more movements.

He crept up to the window and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw a bloody man limping about a hundred meters away. He took a few more looks and recognized the man as Xiao Hei, Old Lu's grandson.

"Honey, It's Xiao Hei. Xiao Hei is injured. Call Old Lu!" After saying it, he quickly went out and ran to Xiao Hei to help.

Auntie Zhang was also shocked and obeyed Uncle Liu. She went out before ordering Mingyun to stay as the situation was unclear.

At the same time, Mingyun picked up an iron scent that was getting stronger. She took a sniff again and concluded it was blood. She chewed the dumpling in her mouth immediately and hurriedly went after the couple while carrying her plate of unfinished buns.

Outside, she saw the man called Xiao Hei being carried inside. Mingyun eavesdropped outside, quite curious about what happened.

"Xiao Hei, why are you like this? Why are you bleeding heavily? Where did you get these wounds? Didn't you promise not to go deep in the forest?" Xiao Hei's mother cried after seeing Xiao He's state. His body was full of bruises and a large open wound, where even the bone could be seen on his back. It kept bleeding. It's a miracle how he managed to endure going home, but it won't take long for him to become a corpse if they don't do anything.

"We need to take him to the Village Doctor." Lao Liu was much calmer than Xiao Hei's mother and Old Lu and urged the two of them. "Honey, get the cart ready. We don't have too much time." He then turned to Zhang Ma, who pressed the wound with clothes in order to prevent excessive bleeding.

"Alright." Zhang Ma let Uncle Liu take over.

"Don't." A painful groan escaped Xiao Hei's lips. "You need to escape; they're coming." Xiao Hei managed to squeeze out a sentence before fainting completely.

"Xiao Hei, don't scare your Grandpa Lu. Lao Liu quickly carries him. I'm afraid he can't wait." Grandpa Lu's eyes were red as he touched and scanned Xiao Hei's terrible injuries. His heart ached.

The four people didn't pay attention to Xiao Hei's warning and spared their attention to his injuries; only Mingyun took it seriously. She tapped her feet and soundlessly landed on top of Grandpa Lu's roof.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She released her senses in all directions.

Tiny speckles of energy invaded and passed through solid objects everywhere. The invisible phenomenon continued until it came into contact with a scaly creature as high as a three-story building swallowing the boar carcasses. The creature made a hissing sound as if sensing someone spying.

Mingyun quickly opened her eyes and gazed in a certain direction. Her heart palpitated. The situation was much more dangerous than she thought.