Chapter Two: The Battle Between Two Beasts

Outside Green Mountain Village, the verdant peaks layered one upon another, shrouded in drifting mist. A clear brook meandered around the village, gliding downward along the mountainside. Mist lingered between the hills, and the stone houses of the village loomed in and out of sight amidst the haze.

Upon a hill above the brook, a little girl was climbing, a bamboo basket strapped to her back, panting softly as she made her way upward.

From time to time, the child would stop, her eyes bright with curiosity, as she leaned close to examine a particular clump of grass.

She was no more than five years old, her features lively and spirited—this was Gu Weiyu, out gathering medicinal herbs to help support her family.

It was a curious thing: she always seemed able to spot herbs quickly among the undergrowth and trees. Sometimes, she could even sense which plants pulsed with greater vitality—and those were always the most valuable.

Last winter, Green Mountain Village had suffered a midnight attack by a pack of wolves. Several strong men had died, and her father, Gu Yun, had been gravely wounded by the beasts. Though he was lucky to survive, his health had since declined; now he lay abed every day, forced to drink bitter medicine.

Moreover, his left arm had been bitten off at the elbow. Even if his body recovered, he would never again be able to hunt as before.

After awakening to the loss of his arm, Gu Yun had fallen into a spell of despondency. But his nature was open and optimistic, and in time he emerged from that shadow, accepting his body’s ruin.

Because of this, the burdens of the household fell entirely upon Madam Qin. Fortunately, since Gu Yun was injured defending the village from the wolves, and with no other adult men left in their family, the clan provided a monthly allowance. But it was meager—barely enough to stave off hunger, with nothing left for anything else.

Neighbors, grateful for Gu Yun’s sacrifice, sometimes brought food and lent a hand, but it was little more than a drop in the ocean.

Having heard that collecting herbs could earn money, Gu Weiyu had begun joining the village’s foraging and hunting parties, while her mother stayed home to care for her father and little Shitou.

At first, Madam Qin did not trust her daughter to go out and didn’t believe she could actually help supplement their income.

But Gu Weiyu insisted she would be careful, and since the herbs grew on the hills just beside the village, Madam Qin reluctantly agreed.

It turned out that Gu Weiyu was born for this work. Any herb she’d seen once, she could remember perfectly; luck always seemed to be on her side, and the money from selling her harvest truly eased her family’s dire straits.

Seeing this, Madam Qin no longer stopped her, but never failed to remind her: above all, be careful when gathering herbs.

Today, Gu Weiyu’s luck was particularly good. In just an hour, she had filled half her basket with herbs. Excitement bubbled in her chest as she lost herself in the work, digging and foraging until, without realizing it, she had wandered deep into the forest.

Suddenly, a rustling came from the undergrowth. Weiyu stopped in her tracks.

Just as she hesitated, debating whether to go on, a flat, elongated head emerged from the grass, its slender tongue flickering with a hiss—it was a huge, brilliantly colored serpent, its body as thick as her own arm!

Seeing such a massive, venomous snake, Gu Weiyu was frozen with terror, unable to move.

The snake crept toward her, its upturned triangular eyes glinting with cold light. She could clearly see the fork of its tongue and the strange patterns on its scales.

At that tense moment, a giant toad suddenly leapt out of the thick grass, bounding away to the other side.

The serpent, noticing the toad, halted three steps from Weiyu, then swiftly twisted its body and slithered after its new quarry. Its long tail brushed across her forehead, making her collapse onto the ground in fright.

Once the serpent was gone, Gu Weiyu exhaled in relief. Looking around at the dense foliage, she realized she could no longer see any sign of the other villagers—she had wandered into the heart of the forest.

She scolded herself for her carelessness. This time, she had escaped unharmed, but next time, she might not be so lucky!

Determined to leave this dangerous place, she caught a glimpse of something fiery red hidden in the grass out of the corner of her eye.

Taking two steps forward, she parted the grass and found a jade-green plant studded with a dozen small, scarlet fruits, their surface scattered with tiny gray-black spots. Her heart leaped with excitement.

She recognized this herb—it was very similar to the wild hawthorn she’d seen in her previous life, but here it was called Redberry, a rare and valuable medicinal plant. She remembered someone in the clan had once found one and sold it for enough silver to buy her father a ten-day supply of medicine!

All other thoughts forgotten, she crouched down, drew out her small digging tool, and set to work.

She first loosened the soil carefully around the herb, then dug down along the pit she’d made to reach the roots.

The sun climbed higher overhead, and soon Gu Weiyu was drenched in sweat, too focused to wipe her brow. She dug with all her might, and at last succeeded in freeing the plant from the earth.

Holding the herb in her hands, she was overwhelmed with pride—her mother would surely praise her again!

She placed the plant gently in her basket and began making her way out of the forest, still scanning the undergrowth anxiously in case she missed anything.

Just then, chaos erupted. From deep within the woods came a series of crashing, tumultuous sounds, as if something enormous was thrashing about—enough to make the bravest heart quail.

Gu Weiyu hurried her steps, but she was little and her legs were short; in the tangled, weed-choked forest, the idea of a quick escape was nothing but a dream.

Hearing the sounds drawing ever closer, regret washed over her—she should have left sooner!

But it was too late for regrets now.

Glancing back, she saw the serpent’s tail lashing the undergrowth, the toad’s long tongue whipping out. Thick tree trunks and grasses were snapped in two, even boulders smashed to pieces and scattered everywhere.

Seeing no hope of escape, she quickly found a rocky outcrop to hide behind, crouching down and holding herself perfectly still.

Through the gaps in the leaves, she watched as the giant serpent and the toad rolled together in a furious battle, leaving ruin in their wake. They were evenly matched—she wondered, what compelled them to fight so desperately? Was there some rare treasure nearby?

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she saw black venom shoot like arrows from the swellings on the toad’s back—ten or more streams, two of which struck the serpent’s eyes with uncanny precision.

The poison sizzled as it struck, and the serpent writhed in agony, thrashing wildly through the grass.

Its massive tail whipped about, sending rocks and branches flying toward Weiyu. She covered her head with her hands, resigned to her fate.

Countless stones pelted her body, and branches whipped past with force…