The night had been long, and the moon did not wish to leave the sky to the sun willingly, so it resisted with all its might until it was finally forced to descend.
And thus, a new radiant day began.
The rays of the sun spread to caress the grasses and the plants, assisting them in producing what they needed to feed themselves for this day.
And all the plants rejoiced with the caress of the sun—except for the red ones, for they seemed as though life had been drained from them.
Gloomy, sad, unable to carry out their duty. These were the traits of those plants upon which a young man had just awakened from his sleep.
He clasped his hands together and stretched them upwards above his head, loosening his body, and then released his breath.
"A new day… let us see what I will achieve today!"
The place around him was not filled with tall trees, but with grasses and small plants, making the ground soft and suitable for sleep.
Zhang Yu rolled to his side and extended his hand toward his pillow, which in truth was nothing but an old bag.
He had found this bag inside the forest after walking about a little, and it was strange, for unlike other bags, food did not lose its taste when stored in it.
And he did not have many possessions anyway, only a pile of stones he had sharpened to use for hunting, a sword that was nothing out of the ordinary, and some food.
While he was checking his things, Zhang Yu noticed a strange odor. It was a mixture of rusted iron and mold. He grabbed his clothes to verify the source.
"Could it be that the stench of rotten blood has clung to my clothes?"
"Ah! I forgot that I slept in the same place where I slaughtered that deer!"
"Damn it, even the bag has absorbed this foul odor now."
Zhang Yu raised his head with a sigh, then walked toward the pond and filled his hands with water to wash his face.
He took off his clothes, and then removed his tools and food from the bag, intending to wash them all.
Since he did not have spare clothes, that meant he would either remain naked for a while or wear back the clothes filled with stench.
Naturally, Zhang Yu chose the first option, for he was alone here and had no need to concern himself about it.
And his hair had long become messy, so this was also a good opportunity to wash both his hair and his body.
He untied the band that held his hair and placed it on the ground beside him, then stepped into the pond, and after all that he had been through, the feeling of water and the relaxation it gave was overwhelming.
He noticed that his hair had become longer, reaching below his shoulders, and his muscles had become more defined. Perhaps that was from what he went through, or perhaps from Wu Chi, but Zhang Yu did not care for the reason, only that his body seemed admirable.
After bathing, he tied his hair back, wrapped a piece of cloth around his waist to serve as underwear, and then washed his clothes and his bag.
And since there was nowhere to hang them, he spread them upon a tree nearby.
Having nothing else to do, Zhang Yu walked around in search of something to eat.
After walking for a while, he found some fruits, and joy filled him as he walked, for such moments were rare for him.
Rustle… rustle!
Zhang Yu's expression changed instantly, and he froze where he was.
"Someone is here? Damn it, I lowered my guard!"
But this time he said nothing aloud; his eyes turned sharp as he threw a fruit toward the source of the sound.
"…Hmm?"
"Ah! Fruit!"
Zhang Yu froze where he was, his eyes widened, his face turned pale, and a wave of emotions surged within his very bones.
"Haah?" was the last thing Zhang Yu thought before the fruit slipped from his hand.
From between the plants a small shadow appeared, crawling to gather the fruits.
"There are so many… yay! Mother will be happy when—huh?"
The shadow froze where it was.
Their eyes met.
The shadow instantly panicked and hid behind the tall grasses, peeking with one eye, like a cat in fear.
And Zhang Yu could distinguish the features of that shadow: it was a small girl.
And her voice reached his ears like a gentle breeze, yet it carried with it pain deep within his chest, drawing him back into a whirlpool of memories he wished never to remember.
"Yu'er…?!" A whisper escaped Zhang Yu's lips.
"No… it is only the voice that is similar, there is a difference."
"Then… what should I do?"
"Should I stay here and protect her if danger comes… or follow her to her home?"
"Or should I run away so that I do not see her again?"
"I… I do not know…"
Zhang Yu almost chose the last option, but the girl spoke then, breaking the silence with a trembling voice:
"U-uncle… Xiao'er will give you the fruits, so please, do not eat me!"
Bam!
Zhang Yu's emotions exploded and his blood surged within his veins, his heart pounded strongly, and escape was no longer an option, for even if his mind refused, his body had already decided—it would not leave.
The little girl, seeing no response, stepped back in fear.
"Ah!"
Her voice shook Zhang Yu awake. He looked at her and saw that she had tripped over some stones, and the fruits fell from her hands.
Warmth appeared in his eyes as he thought, What am I doing…? Leave this child alone here? Am I still human at all?
He stepped closer, and the girl shivered with every step he took.
Unable to bear it, she closed her eyes tightly, clenched her small fists, and shouted with all her might:
"Waaaaaah! My meat is not tasty, don't eat me! I am still a child!"
Zhang Yu froze in place, astonished, his eyes wide, and suddenly he burst out laughing, laughing in a manner so strange, carrying with it years of suffocated pain.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
"You are a funny little one! Do not worry, this uncle will not eat you. Rather, he will help you gather fruits, and he will protect you from the beasts in this place!"
The girl opened her eyes and looked at his face closely.
His features seemed gloomy.
His eyes were gray with shadows beneath them, telling of exhaustion and sleeplessness.
His brows were black and sharp but messy.
And his smile was dreadful, as though something was wrong.
Sadness filled her heart, tears almost appearing in her eyes, but she forced a small smile and said softly:
"That is wonderful! Xiao'er will surprise Grandma with the fruits I bring with your help!"
"Mother said she will make a huge fruit cake today, hehe! Uncle, come eat with me!"
Zhang Yu did not realize it, but his features, his face, and his tone of voice had all returned to normal.
With a cheerful voice, he replied:
"Of course I will come. I will just wait for my clothes to dry and put them back on, and before that I will help you gather all the fruits you wish!"
Her expression changed, she raised her small hands to cover her face in embarrassment, then approached with a sad voice:
"Huh? Uncle, you… you have clothes?"
"I thought you had none… mmh! Xiao'er is sad…"
"Hmm? Why sad?"
"Because I wanted to ask Mother to sew you new clothes as a surprise, hehe."
When Zhang Yu looked into her innocent eyes, he saw another figure overlapping hers, as though she and his sister had become one.
And though he knew it was nothing but an illusion, he wished it were reality.
"Do not worry, I will sew clothes myself. But I will borrow the fabric and needles from your mother, so you can say that you gifted them to me!"
"Really…? That is wonderful, hehe!!"
"Xiao'er will gift Uncle clothes, hehe!!"
Her leaps and her joyful movements brought warmth to Zhang Yu's heart, and his smile was this time genuine, as though he was regaining his strength.
"So come on! Let us gather all the fruits we can!"
---
The sun observed from afar, delighted to see the creatures thriving under its light.
Undoubtedly, the sunlight was one of the pillars of life. Without it, none of the living manifestations of this world would exist.
It was now midday, and at last, Zhang Yu noticed a small girl walking joyfully toward an almost open area, speaking happily. Behind her followed a young man, holding a number of fruits in his hands.
She looked at him and laughed. Then she said, "Uncle Zhang, Uncle Zhang, did you wash your clothes here?"
"Yes, I hung my clothes on the branch of that tree, do you not see it?" Zhang Yu pointed toward a tree near the pond.
"Ah! So Uncle really had clothes!"
Zhang Yu's expression changed; he was somewhat surprised.
"Huh?! You did not believe me then?! You… naughty girl!"
The small girl turned toward Zhang Yu, sticking out her tongue and making a teasing face.
"No! I never believed you, Uncle, hehe!"
A warm smile spread across his face; apparently, he was happy to meet her, even if he did not show it outwardly.
He approached the tree, retrieved his clothes, and put them on. In just a few seconds, he was ready to depart.
"Good. The bag and clothes are now clean. I will accompany the girl to her family and then leave quietly," Zhang Yu thought, placing the last fruit he had reserved for himself back into the bag.
"Little Xiao, let Uncle accompany you now!" Zhang Yu called out to the girl.
"Okay then! This time Grandma and Mother will truly be surprised!"
"Uncle, follow me. The village is not far from here; I guess the sun will set while we are still there!"
---
After a whole day of feeding some of the living creatures and supervising them, it was finally time for the sun to nourish the other side.
With a sweep across the enchanting horizon, it had turned pale.
The plants danced with the wind, bidding farewell to the sun that rose for them every day tirelessly.
In a field of tall, wide grasses, even the small insects were truly enjoying themselves.
And what increased their joy and relaxation was the melody that seeped between the plants, causing nearby flowers to bloom and challenging the birds with their chirping.
"Uncle, this sunset is so beautiful… I've always wanted to see it with someone else!"
It was the voice of a human girl, yet it carried warmth that was inexplicable.
The source of the voice was the little girl, standing beside a teenager.
The girl was small, barely reaching above the teenager's stomach next to her.
Suddenly, the teenager turned his head. His face was strange; he did not share the girl's emotions. It seemed as if he could explode at any moment!
"Sunset, huh… yes, a beautiful sunset. But what will I do with a sunset while I am lost in the forest?!" Zhang Yu thought, his teeth clenched.
"Xiao… Xiao'er… didn't you say we would reach the village by sunset?!! Then why are we in the middle of a field I've never seen before?!" Zhang Yu shouted in annoyance, bending to grab the girl's shoulder.
"Haah!"
The girl leapt in fear for a moment, then regained her composure.
She shifted her left leg slightly inward, raised her forearms to her chest, touched her fingers together, and said nervously,
"Umm… Uncle… if I told you the village ran away from here… would you believe me?"
Zhang Yu looked deeply into the mischievous girl's eyes, then exhaled and patted her head.
"I will believe everything you say, Xiao'er. So let us search for the runaway village together."
The girl stepped back two steps, then with a leap and her hands raised, she shouted with excitement,
"Yaaay! Uncle is the best! Let's search for the runaway village, hahaha!"
The smile refused to leave Zhang Yu's face whenever it came to this girl, and it was a good feeling, so he did not resist it.
Suddenly, Zhang Yu's smile faded, replaced by an empty expression. His face tensed, veins in his head bulging, when he heard the little girl say,
"Hehe, Uncle, I fell into my trap!! The village is to our right, a few thousand steps and we'll arrive!"
But Zhang Yu did not listen to her; he was lost in his thoughts.
The girl felt a cold sweat along her back as she noticed Zhang Yu's fingernails nearly peeling the skin from his hand.
"Child… a child! A child capable of tricking me!!! Damn it! I cannot accept this!!"
Her eyelids twitched involuntarily, and her small hand shook.
"Umm… Uncle… are you okay…?"
Zhang Yu took a few steps back, then turned his head to suppress his anger.
"You dared to deceive me, and I followed you willingly; how do you expect me not to be angry?"
"Since the village is close, as you say, then go to it and do not care—"
"Huh?"
Two small arms, like branches, wrapped around his back, and he felt a warm softness entering him.
"What are you doing?" Zhang Yu asked, bewildered, unable to act against a child.
But all he received was the sound of a little girl crying.
Zhang Yu closed his eyes and relaxed his body. Words no longer held value in this moment; in the end, silence was the strongest speech.
"She did not lie, Xiao'er… to trick Uncle!"
"Xiao'er already knows a faster route to the village, but she is very alone there!"
"Xiao'er just wanted to spend more time with Uncle—heh—"
For Zhang Yu, her words were not merely letters leaving her mouth; they were a sword against his neck. Since she embraced him, he felt cold sweat along his back and neck.
His heart trembled and raced. He did not want to show his weakness to her; this only added sorrow to her sorrow.
But his body reacted one way, while his mind worked another entirely!
"Was I about to leave this girl to be eaten?"
"Huh?"
"Then how am I different from that… that monster?!"
"I… I am foolish, stupid, dumb, I know… I know… but I cannot leave her!"
"How will I face her now? Damn you, Zhang Yu!!"
"Enough!!!!!"
Drip!
Drip!
The little girl, immersed in crying, did not notice the droplets falling on the grass, but Zhang Yu did and felt them.
"The pain brings me back to my senses again, haah, I pierced my tongue… hahahaha damn! How crazy I am!"
After a few moments, Zhang Yu tried to speak, but the words did not come out naturally. At least, of every three words, he mispronounced two.
"Xiao'er, no need for these matters anymore. I understand your wishes, and I will fulfill them."
"But… you would not want to disturb your mother and grandmother, right? Let us return now, and tomorrow I promise to spend the whole day with you!"
At last, the little girl let go of Zhang Yu's back, then reached out her hand, letting her tears flow, and said hoarsely,
"R-Really, Uncle…?"
"Yes, that is a promise!" Zhang Yu extended his hand toward her, and she grasped it, and together they walked.
After some time, Zhang Yu saw the small, fragile houses from a distance.
In his own village, the villagers had large homes, wide fields, and sufficient food, needing little except to pay ongoing taxes.
But here, the villagers were much poorer. Some houses were already dilapidated, patched up with wood, stones, and mud.
Zhang Yu was slightly surprised, then looked at the girl and wanted to ask her.
But he was shocked as she froze, staring at him.
"Huh? Are you looking at my chest?"
Suddenly, while he was wondering, a stream of blood erupted and leapt from his mouth!
Zhang Yu went pale, as if his soul had drifted away. There were no features or color left.
He trembled slightly as he lowered his head, only to be pierced by a spear on the right side of his chest!
He wanted to express his shock, but he lost connection with his senses and his muscles.
He staggered for a moment before his legs gave out, and he fell to the ground.
"I… am I… dead?"