Chapter 13: Fury

“Dad!” Pi Hou cried out, rushing from the village. He threw himself forward, hugging one of Shi Shoushan’s arms, tears streaming down his face. “What happened? Who hurt you like this?”

His mother also arrived, tearfully clutching Shi Shoushan’s other hand, standing by his side and weeping softly.

“Stop crying. It’s just an arrow wound. I’ve been scratched by beasts while hunting before. A little blood is nothing,” Shi Shoushan said with a stern look, trying to stop their tears. He was a tough man.

His upper body was covered in blood. An iron arrow had pierced through his protective steel armor, penetrating his right lung and exiting his back. The one-meter-thirty-long arrow shaft gleamed coldly with a metallic sheen, stained with blood, and was shocking to behold.

“Don’t cry, Big Sister and Little Nephew. Brother Shoushan is not in life-threatening danger. He’ll recover quickly and become as strong as a bull with some time,” Shi Feijiao reassured them.

Such a wound was indeed severe. Even though Shi Shoushan was strong, he could not afford to be careless, or he might end up with serious health issues like chronic weakness or asthma.

Fortunately, Shi Linhu and the others had temporarily treated his wound, crushing old mountain herbs and applying them, while also feeding him medicinal powder brewed from fierce beast’s true blood by the clan elders.

“Don’t cry. It’s good that he came back alive,” Clan Leader Shi Yunfeng said, stepping forward and swiftly pulling out the iron arrow. Blood spurted from the wound immediately. His movements were quick; his palm glowed with a flash, the symbol shining like stars, and he rapidly suppressed the bleeding. The blood flow quickly stopped, and the wound began to close.

Shi Yunfeng took out a jade jar from his bosom, poured out two fragrant purple pills, crushed one and applied it to the wound, while the other was given to Shi Shoushan to swallow.

Shi Shoushan was carried back home, and a large crowd of villagers—men, women, and children—gathered to visit him, bringing various nourishing herbs and dried meat. The scene was bustling and lively, showing the villagers' simple and warm-hearted nature.

“Uncle will recover soon,” Little Shihou also showed his concern, bringing a basket of his favorite red berries.

“What exactly happened?” In the Clan Leader’s courtyard, important figures gathered, with Shi Yunfeng frowning and asking.

“Clan Leader, it was indeed the people from Bei Village who caused trouble. They crossed into our territory, stole the six-legged camel that Shoushan shot, and were ruthless. If Shoushan hadn’t dodged in time, he might have been killed by a single arrow through the heart,” Shi Linhu said through gritted teeth.

The crowd’s expressions changed. This was a deadly assault.

“Their actions are so ruthless, completely disrespectful. Even though the two villages are miles apart and rarely meet, we all live in the same mountain range and should have some mutual respect. It wasn’t like this before,” one of the elders sighed.

Shi Feijiao added, “The attacker was a kid, about fourteen or fifteen years old, looking quite handsome with fair skin. But he was truly vicious, shooting at Shoushan as if he were a wild beast, with no trace of emotion in his eyes, which was chilling.”

The people of Shi Village were immediately enraged and surged forward, but the other side was equally unyielding. Dozens of people quickly gathered, showing strong resistance.

Had it not been for a wild Suanni (a mythical beast) going berserk deep in the mountains, causing the mountains to shake and rocks to tumble, both sides would have been at risk of a severe bloody conflict.

“Why are they so aggressive? Do they think they are so powerful that they can disregard our feelings? Otherwise, why would they be so bullying?” Some of the elders were also angry. In the mountains, strong young men were very important to a village, and it was infuriating to see the other side so recklessly violent.

Someone added, “That kid is no simple character. He gave off a very bad impression, as if facing an adult Pixiu (a mythological creature), powerful, fierce, and cold.”

“So, Bei Village has produced an exceptional youth. It seems their clan has grown much stronger and more ambitious,” the Clan Leader said softly, squinting towards the direction of Bei Village.

He then turned to Shi Linhu and the others, saying, “We do not seek trouble, but we are not afraid of it either. Be cautious in the future. If they continue to push their luck, don’t hesitate to act.”

“I understand,” Shi Linhu nodded.

Over the next half-month, people from Bei Village frequently crossed the border and even dug many beast pits in the area, leading Shi Village’s people to almost fall into them and be pierced by sharp iron spears.

This nearly resulted in a bloody battle, but at the last moment, the people from Bei Village retreated.

“They’re so madly hunting beasts. Even if their population has increased, it shouldn’t be like this. Something must have happened in their village,” Clan Leader Shi Yunfeng speculated.

After several conflicts, the people from Bei Village had somewhat restrained themselves. However, the people of Shi Village remained uneasy and sent scouts at night. They heard alarming roaring sounds from the village, which was quite frightening.

“Let’s not worry about it for now. As long as they don’t go too far, it’s better not to escalate to a bloodbath. Life in this mountain range is not easy for anyone,” one elder advised.

Thus, everything returned to tranquility.

A few days later, Shi Village had good fortune with a bountiful hunt. They encountered a pile of carcasses left from a beast riot in the mountains, where powerful beasts had fought, affecting dozens of miles of forest and causing many animals to suffer.

In the deep mountains, ancient creatures occasionally fought and killed each other, potentially causing terrible disasters. Fortunately, it did not affect the village this time.

“Clan Leader, we’ve already found eight of the giant dragon-horned elephants, and there are also several snow-white moon rhinos and many other large beasts. If we turn them into dried meat, it will be enough for our village for a long time.”

Shi Linhu brought back part of the spoils and assembled more people to transport the remaining beasts.

“Good, good, good,” the elders were very pleased.

Most of the villagers set out together to assist in the mountains.

“Wow, so many giant beasts! We should go too. We’ll definitely gather a lot of precious blood,” a group of children shouted excitedly.

In recent years, seeing Little Shihou’s growing influence, the children were eager and no longer resisted the medicinal baths. They eagerly cooperated in the copper cauldrons for purification. Now, learning that a large batch of precious blood was coming, they were naturally thrilled.

“I’m going too. Dapeng, Xiao Qing, Zi Yun, wait for me in the village and be good,” Little Shihou said, preparing to join them.

However, as the large crowd of men, women, and children had just traveled halfway, they saw Shi Feijiao covered in blood, fleeing with a group of villagers, looking disheveled and pitiful.

“What happened to Feijiao?” Shi Linhu asked loudly.

“Brother Hu, it’s Bei Village again. They ambushed us and stole all the remaining prey,” Shi Feijiao said through gritted teeth.

“What? This is too much. Have we tolerated this, thinking our good temper is weakness?” Shi Linhu roared.

The people of Shi Village were furious. After being bullied repeatedly, even a clay figure would show some fire.

“Did any of our brothers lose their lives?”

“No, but several suffered severe injuries. Spleens and other organs were pierced by iron arrows. We don’t know if there will be lasting damage.”

“What? Such vicious attacks? We’ll fight back!”

The villagers were immediately outraged. Being repeatedly oppressed made even the most patient people angry.

“That kid, about fourteen or fifteen years old, is extremely cruel. He fired those arrows. If not for an elder from their village shaking his head, he would have killed even more of us,” the father of Er Meng said, covered in blood.

“Just a kid who hasn’t even grown all his hair yet. How powerful can he be? Are you really letting him bully you?” A lame man from the village who had come to help voiced his dissatisfaction.

“We’re not afraid, but they are many more than us—several times more,” came the reply.

“That kid is very strong. Though he looks fair and handsome, his mind is vicious and cruel. Don’t underestimate him. Several of our brothers had three layers of fine steel armor on their chests, and he pierced right through them. Only Hu Ge and I can manage this,” Shi Feijiao added.

“We must get back what belongs to us. We can’t let this go,” every villager’s anger surged, their insides boiling with rage.

A large group of people set out, charging deep into the mountains. This time, Bei Village had gone too far, surpassing the limits of what could be tolerated.

“Uncle Fu, you’re injured too. You’ll be fine soon, don’t worry,” Little Shihou said, looking at Shi Fu, who was covered in blood and usually collected berries for him. Clenching his little fist, he offered some words of comfort before running to catch up with the advancing group.