Chapter Thirty: Returning to the Mountain Stronghold at Night

The paper crane soared into the sky, reaching the heights above Mount Wen in an instant. Gu Weiyu sat astride the crane, gazing down at Mount Wen below. Only then did she realize that, without noticing, she had ventured into the boundary between the inner ring and the outer regions of the mountain. A shiver ran through her—thankfully, she hadn’t been unfortunate enough to encounter any second-tier demon beasts of the inner ring. If she had, she might truly have ended up as Grand Ancestor had warned, a meal for those savage creatures.

This lesson struck her deeply. In her heart, she resolved never to underestimate any demon beast again. No matter how weak or foolish a demon beast might appear, should you truly look down on it, you might be the one to suffer. Suppressing her scattered thoughts, Gu Weiyu withdrew her gaze and guided the paper crane slowly toward the direction of Greenhill Village.

Tonight, she planned to return to Greenhill Village to rest and, while there, visit her father, mother, and her little brother, Pebble. Mount Wen wasn’t far from Greenhill Village; within a quarter of an hour, Gu Weiyu spotted the cluster of houses nestled among the mountains.

By then, dusk had fallen, and shadows blurred the sky. Riding the paper crane, Gu Weiyu arrived unnoticed by the villagers. She did not enter the village directly but took advantage of the twilight to land on a hillside outside the settlement. Dismounting, she forced herself to walk into the nearby woods.

She was in a sorry state—apart from the barely visible wounds on her face, her whole body was covered with cuts and bruises. Her clothing had been reduced to tatters during her escape, stained with blood and grime. First, she cast a cleansing spell upon herself, then pulled a clean set of clothes from her storage ring and changed. She redid her hair, and only then did she lift her head in a smile and walk toward the village as if nothing had happened.

Before she even reached the gates, Falcon, a warrior on guard atop the tall wall, spotted her. He called out, “Yu, you’re back! Go on home and get some rest!”

Gu Weiyu looked up and replied, “Alright, Uncle Falcon. Is it your turn on duty today?”

“Who else could it be? It’s getting late—hurry on home,” Falcon responded with a hearty laugh.

“Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Falcon!” Gu Weiyu entered the village from outside the wall.

Dinner time had already passed. Clusters of villagers were sitting outside their homes, chatting in the evening air. Seeing Gu Weiyu return, they greeted her warmly. Hearing the commotion, Gu Yun and Lady Qin, her parents, came out of their house before she even arrived.

Especially little Pebble, who ran the fastest of all. Like a wild colt freed from its tether, he rushed out and, upon seeing his beloved big sister, flung himself forward.

Unfortunately, Pebble was destined for disappointment this time. He didn’t land in the expected embrace. Confused, he looked up to see his sister right in front of him, and his joy returned. He reached out for her hand, exclaiming, “Sister, you’re back! Pebble missed you so much!”

Gu Weiyu had deftly sidestepped his tackle—she was covered in injuries, and if Pebble, unaware of her wounds, had thrown himself at her, she would have been in agony. She gripped his little hand tightly and led him home. “Big sister missed you too, Pebble. Have you been good while I was gone?”

“Very good!” Pebble replied crisply, his head held high, chest thrust out, and his words clear. “Pebble helped father and mother with chores and didn’t get into any trouble…”

Gu Weiyu listened quietly, nodding and praising him from time to time. “You’re such a good boy, Pebble! Amazing!”

Gu Yun and Lady Qin stood at the doorway, watching their children approach, and the family of four entered the house together.

Lady Qin had already noticed her daughter’s odd behavior. Normally, Yu doted on Pebble, but today she had avoided him. And she always returned at dawn, yet now it was already dark. The smile faded from Lady Qin’s face as worry set in—could Yu have encountered trouble at the clan estate?

“Yu, what’s wrong?” Lady Qin’s suspicion only grew when she caught sight of the marks on her daughter’s face.

Gu Weiyu looked up and met her mother’s worried gaze, feeling a surge of warmth. “Mother, I’m fine. I just got a little hurt while doing a task.”

Her daughter was hurt? Lady Qin was immediately anxious. “Come inside so I can take a look!”

Gu Weiyu hesitated—her wounds were mostly superficial, though they looked alarming. If her mother saw them and started crying, she’d have a headache on her hands. “Mother, I’ve already treated them. Really, it’s nothing.”

“Yu, don’t be shy. I gave birth to you, after all. Come in, let me see.” Without another word, she pulled Gu Weiyu inside.

When she finally saw the shocking wounds on her daughter, Lady Qin’s heart ached, but she held back her tears, knowing Yu wouldn’t want to see her cry. With a choked voice, she said, “Yu, take out your medicine. I’ll apply it again.”

“Mother, it’s really nothing.” Gu Weiyu handed her a porcelain bottle. It just hurt a little; she could endure it.

Lady Qin said no more, carefully tending to her daughter’s injuries. “All done. Are you hungry?”

Gu Weiyu nodded. She hadn’t eaten yet and was starving. “Mother, I have rabbit meat and pheasant.”

With that, she pulled out a gusty rabbit and a clutch of rainbow-feathered pheasants from her storage ring.

Looking at the pile of pheasants on the floor, Lady Qin hesitated but couldn’t help asking, “Yu, did you take out an entire nest of these pheasants?”

Gu Weiyu gave a sheepish laugh. Her mother had a sharp eye. She hadn’t gotten every single one, but she’d come close—it was more than she’d ever expected. She squatted down, sorting through nearly twenty pheasants, and managed to find eight perfect rainbow tail feathers. Adding the nine she’d already collected, she’d more than completed her task of gathering rainbow pheasant tail feathers!

The thought of not having to fight any more pheasants tomorrow made her wounds feel instantly less painful.

Gu Yun was called into the house by Lady Qin. Seeing the pile of game, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work without a word. Gu Weiyu hurried to help him.

Pebble, excited, clamored to help as well. “Rabbit! Let me carry the rabbit!”

Gu Yun’s butchering skills were seasoned and swift; in moments, the gusty rabbit was skinned perfectly. Gu Weiyu looked on with stars in her eyes. “Father, you’re amazing! Teach me how to do that!”

“Father, you’re amazing! Teach me too!” echoed Pebble, mimicking her.

With great patience, Gu Yun explained the knack to skinning a rabbit. Under his guidance, Gu Weiyu soon got the hang of it.

Looking at the neat stack of nine rabbit pelts, she suddenly found her first attempt unbearably ugly. “Father, take this one to the county to sell.”

“Aren’t you supposed to turn in the pelts?” Gu Yun asked, puzzled.

“This one is too ugly. I’ll catch another rabbit tomorrow.” The more she looked at it, the more it offended her eyes.

Gu Yun couldn’t help but chuckle. “It was your first try, after all…”

“I don’t want it! I don’t want it!” She couldn’t stand such an ugly pelt—what a black mark on her record!

“Dinner’s ready!” Lady Qin’s voice called from the house. The rabbit and pheasants were all cleaned and prepared; the family stood and went inside for their meal.