Chapter Five: "Far Too Immoral..."

Chapter Five: "This Is So Unconscionable..."

Heading north from Wildfire Town, the land gradually leveled out. Vast stretches of forest dominated most of the northern Wildfire Plains. There were no mountains to speak of; at most, one would encounter a few low hills—little more than earthen slopes—but these gentle rises often stretched for several miles, as if the heavens themselves had set up one barricade after another across the plains.

Xia Ya Leiming pressed on, traversing ridge after ridge. His skills, honed since childhood in the mountains and forests, were coming into their own—his speed among the wooded hills and underbrush surpassed even that on open roads. He moved low to the ground, agile and swift as a mountain lynx, darting through the trees. As he ran, his body twisted with practiced grace, dodging branches that jabbed from either side. His feet landed on thick beds of fallen leaves, making only the faintest rustle with every step.

In truth, Xia Ya Leiming was deliberately slowing his pace; he had to conserve his strength, knowing his rations were meager. That chunk of black rye bread, no matter how frugally eaten, would last him only two days at most.

Fortunately, by dusk, he managed to root out a nest of long-snouted beasts in the woods.

These creatures were among the few common animals on the Wildfire Plains, roughly dog-sized, fond of burrowing in the earth, which left their sleek fur glossy, their limbs short and movements sluggish. Their snouts were flat and narrow, tipped with a sharp point, perfect for probing into insect holes in the dirt for eggs.

This particular long-snouted beast was unlucky enough to cross Xia Ya Leiming’s path. With practiced hands, he fashioned a slipknot, fished the creature out of its den, and turned it into supper.

The meat was tough and reeked of earth, with a musty, unpleasant tang. Yet for penniless Xia Ya Leiming, to have a mouthful of meat on a cold night was a rare luxury.

He’d considered hunting bigger game—a deer, perhaps, would be tastier—but he knew he needed to conserve his energy and not go after large beasts unnecessarily.

His luck took a turn for the better around noon on the second day.

In the woods, Xia Ya Leiming stumbled upon a hapless pasture deer whose antlers had become tangled in a bramble patch. The poor creature had struggled for some time and was now thoroughly stuck.

With a whoop of delight, Xia Ya Leiming rushed over—not to kill it, but to pull out his rope, fashion two loops, and carefully secure them around the deer’s antlers and neck, freeing it from the thorns.

The moment it was freed, the deer tried to bolt in terror, but Xia Ya Leiming, seizing his chance, swung himself onto its back, gripping the rope as if riding a horse. Clearly, this wasn’t his first time at such a stunt—he guided the deer with practiced tugs until the creature finally submitted. Using his makeshift “reins,” he directed the animal through the woods, clinging to its neck.

The deer carried him for a good part of the morning. By midday, Xia Ya Leiming finally took pity on the exhausted beast. Still, he jabbed his fire fork into its flank to draw a little deer blood, then smeared the wound with herbs gathered from the forest before letting the animal go.

A few gulps of warm deer blood sent a wave of heat coursing through his belly, quickly spreading through his body and warding off the chill.

Judging his direction, Xia Ya Leiming was certain he’d traveled more than two hundred miles north of Wildfire Town—though his course was slightly northwest instead of due north.

He could go no further. Any farther and he’d be close to dwarf territory—a place he had no intention of venturing, lest he court death.

Heading east was no better; that way lay barren wilderness, home to the goblins—those ground rats were even more troublesome than the dwarves.

The wily old merchant from Black Street had told him that the lion beast should be roaming somewhere in these woods—perhaps a bit further west.

It was time to make some preparations.

Crouching low, Xia Ya Leiming searched the forest until he came upon a small swamp, where he found several croaking, black mud frogs. These creatures, much like toads, bore a liquid sac on their backs.

Foolish little things, they barely moved, squatting by the swamp day and night, croaking incessantly, so oblivious that even when caught, they hardly reacted.

With a sharp stick, Xia Ya Leiming extracted some of the frog’s sac fluid—mildly toxic, but enough to numb the senses. Most seasoned hunters knew of it; many used it as a painkiller for wounds.

He then found a tall pine, gathered dozens of dried, hard needles, and selected a slim branch, stripping out the inner wood without damaging the bark. His hands worked deftly and skillfully, every movement precise and gentle—a skill owed to the old man who had taught him axe work. “If you spend your days carving patterns on tofu with a twenty-pound axe, after a few years, you’ll have hands as skilled as mine.”

Using rolled bark as a blowpipe, he dipped the pine needles in the frog’s toxin, fashioning a set of darts.

He even smeared some of the frog toxin on the tips of his fire fork and axe blade. Tying his pant legs with rope, he began patrolling the woods.

He hadn’t gone more than the time it takes for a meal before a rustle in the forest ahead caught his ear. Instantly alert, Xia Ya Leiming’s eyes lit up. Could my luck really be this good?

He hefted his axe, crept forward, fire fork in his other hand, ready to hurl it like a spear if needed.

One had to remember: lion beasts could be ferocious.

He was about ten paces from the thicket when a faint scent of blood reached his nose. Hesitating briefly, he quickly snatched up a stone from the ground and hurled it hard into the brush.

Thud!

The stone struck, followed by a muffled grunt—a sound thick with pain, scarcely intelligible, but definitely human.

A person?

Startled, Xia Ya Leiming strode over and parted the shrubs with his fire fork.

Behind the thicket lay a man, curled into a ball in fine leather robes, clutching his head with both hands. Blood streamed from a scalp wound, seeping between his filthy fingers.

Clearly, this was the handiwork of the stone he’d just thrown…

Xia Ya Leiming let out a breath and snapped, glaring at the man on the ground, “Hey, pal! Don’t you know you could scare a man to death sneaking around like that? Lucky for you I didn’t throw my fork, or you’d be a goner right now!”

The man whimpered, clutching his head, muttering something about “it hurts.”

Xia Ya Leiming snorted and approached. “Of course it hurts—what do you expect when you hit your head on a rock? Are you out of your mind, hiding in the bushes? I nearly took you for a monster... You almost got me to kill a man, you know that?!”

Just then, his eye caught the man’s left leg—

A round steel trap clamped tightly to his calf! The iron jaws, lined with sharp teeth, had bitten deep, tearing through his thick boots and leaving a gory mess; a pool of blood had already formed on the ground.

Clearly, some hunter had set the trap, and this poor wretch had stumbled into it.

Xia Ya Leiming was stunned by the scene.

Well... Hitting a man with a stone was bad enough, but to do it to someone already badly injured—this really was unconscionable...

Even Xia Ya Leiming felt a pang of guilt. He rushed over, helped the poor soul upright, and, straining with effort, pried open the trap.

At last, with a scream of agony, the man was freed. Xia Ya Leiming supported him, dragging him back a few steps.

But no sooner had he escaped than the fellow began to struggle wildly, pushing Xia Ya Leiming away, shouting hoarsely, “Let me go! I’d rather die than go back with you!”

Xia Ya Leiming was caught off guard and thrown aside. The man, summoning strength from who knows where, hopped off in a desperate bid for escape.

He’d only gone two steps when Xia Ya Leiming called after him, “Hey, wait a minute—”

“Get away! I’ll never go back!”

“No, I mean—” Xia Ya Leiming hadn’t finished when a shrill, agonized scream rang out, punctuated by the snap of an iron spring.

Misfortune indeed: the poor man had stepped right back into the same trap—but this time, with his right leg...

[Be good, vote for the story!]
(Announcement: Today is Sunday, and there will be three chapters—two regular updates plus one bonus chapter tonight to climb the rankings. Night owls, please come support in the evening!
Next chapter will be released before 6 p.m.!)