Chapter 3

Returning to Old Crow Ridge, the sky was already filled with stars.

Wei Shizheng brewed a pot of salt tea, poured it into a wooden bowl, and sipped it slowly. The tea leaves were from a brick of tea bought in Xinyang Town, large leaves mixed with many twigs. He was used to this bitter, inferior tea, and other teas just didn’t satisfy him.

He leaned against a rock, going over everything Deng Zhang had said during the day, from beginning to end. It didn’t seem like a trap. The old bear in Black Pine Valley, though ferocious, could be dealt with if the Xiandu Sect disciples took action. They had a good chance.

Deng Zhang was vague, only mentioning that the Xiandu Sect was a branch of Kunlun, specializing in sword cultivation. His nephew had practiced under the Xiandu Sect for ten years, and dealing with a mere beast was no problem. Wei Shizheng didn’t ask much more. They agreed to meet in Xinyang Town a month later to head to Black Pine Valley and hunt the golden-backed bear.

Before that, Wei Shizheng decided to visit Black Pine Valley first.

Having made up his mind, he extinguished the fire, crawled into the cave where he was staying, wrapped himself in a fur, and fell asleep without a dream.

The next morning, Wei Shizheng, covered in morning dew, climbed up Old Crow Ridge and came to a thick white-barked pine tree. He curled his thumb and index finger, put them in his mouth, and whistled loudly twice. In a moment, the blue wolf ran from the forest to the tree, yawning at him.

Wei Shizheng pointed in the direction of Black Pine Valley and made a gesture of reconnaissance. The blue wolf was confused for a moment, then its eyes turned fierce, baring its teeth and snarling, looking quite excited. Wei Shizheng patted its head and muttered, "The chance for revenge has come. Let’s scout first, then act next time."

This time, the blue wolf didn’t turn its head. Its parents had been killed by the golden-backed bear, and without the help of this male human, going to Black Pine Valley would be a death sentence.

The blue wolf led the way, and Wei Shizheng followed closely behind, heading to Black Pine Valley. The mountain path was rugged and difficult to navigate, and in the steepest sections, they had to use their hands and feet. The blue wolf frequently stopped, waiting with impatience and disdain in its eyes. By noon, Wei Shizheng followed the sound to a stream, which meandered down the mountain and disappeared into the undergrowth. He found a shady spot by the stream, drank a few mouthfuls of the clear, sweet water, and felt thoroughly refreshed.

A few mountains away from Black Pine Valley, Wei Shizheng, fearing he might alert the old bear, didn’t start a fire. He took a roasted wild boar leg from his backpack, tore off strips of the dry, cold meat, dipped them in coarse salt, and chewed them with effort. The blue wolf ran into the bushes, caught a fat mountain chicken, and devoured it ravenously.

After a brief rest, Wei Shizheng continued on his journey. By dusk, with the moon high in the trees, he reached the outskirts of Black Pine Valley.

Wei Shizheng climbed up a high cliff and cautiously peered out. The moonlight was like water, casting a hazy light on the dense black pine forest. In the middle of the forest was a clearing, with a large blue stone half-buried in the ground. Around it, a dozen or so thick, sturdy black pines grew sparsely, their bark damaged and their branches and leaves half-withered. The ground was littered with broken tree stumps. A fat old bear sat on the stone, looking up at the crescent moon, its mouth opening and closing, breathing deeply, and swallowing the moonlight with effort. A strip of golden fur on its back shimmered brilliantly.

The blue wolf stared intently at the murderer of its parents, baring its white, sharp teeth, holding back its growls, and breathing heavily.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but with each breath, the old bear seemed to swell slightly. Wei Shizheng thought, "Remarkable, it’s truly a demon that has achieved spiritual refinement, capable of absorbing the essence of the sun and moon!"

A few dense clouds drifted by, and the moonlight faded. The old bear jumped off the blue stone, staggering like a drunk, bumping into the black pines, causing the trunks to hum and branches and needles to fall like rain. Wei Shizheng noticed that each time the old bear hit a tree, it was at the same spot on its back, the end of the golden fur.

After a while, the old bear, like a deflated bag, exhaled a long, white stream of breath, its body shrinking. Exhausted, it left the black pine forest and returned to its den by the rock, falling asleep.

Wei Shizheng watched the old bear for about ten days, noticing its regular routine. It usually went out to forage in the morning, returned to its den in the afternoon to rest, wandered around the forest at night to scratch itself, and when the moon was high and the moonlight was at its peak, it climbed onto the blue stone to absorb the essence, hitting the tree with its back, always ending up exhausted.

The old bear’s body was as hard as iron, and even when it was deeply asleep, arrows and hunting spears couldn’t harm it. But for the disciples of the Xiandu Sect, this was an opportunity.

Wei Shizheng made his plans and was about to leave Black Pine Valley when the blue wolf bit his sleeve, shook its head, and signaled to wait. Wei Shizheng was puzzled, but the blue wolf was always perceptive, and there must be a reason for its actions. Since there was still plenty of time before the agreed date, he decided to wait a few more days.

At dawn, the old bear left Black Pine Valley to forage in the distant forest. The blue wolf growled softly twice, suddenly mustered its courage, and darted out, leaping through the cliffs, crossing the pine forest, and heading straight for the bear’s den.

Knowing the old bear wouldn’t return immediately, Wei Shizheng was still a bit worried.

After about half an hour, the blue wolf returned to the cliff, carrying a piece of tattered animal skin in its mouth, black and foul-smelling, unbearable to look at. It placed the skin at Wei Shizheng’s feet, its chest and belly heaving, panting heavily, and wagging its tail like a dog, extremely excited.

The stolen item from the bear’s den emitted a pungent odor. Wei Shizheng stretched out his arm, picked up the skin, and forced himself to look at it despite the nausea. The skin was drawn with several strange human figures: one crouching on the ground, mouth wide open to the full moon; the second naked from the waist up, back hitting a tree, with a straight line drawn along the spine; the third, thin and shriveled, exhaling a stream of breath. Wei Shizheng’s heart skipped a beat; this was clearly the old bear’s method of absorbing the moon’s essence.

The blue wolf’s breathing steadied, it rubbed against his calf, and ran off quickly. Wei Shizheng, without further thought, tucked the skin into his chest and hurried after it. The man and the wolf quickly disappeared into the dense forest.