Chapter 14

Sai and his two cronies, after failing to steal, were chased around by over twenty fierce children from the cave, scurrying with their heads down in panic.

Almost everyone living near the foot of the mountain saw this astonishing scene that afternoon. After all, it was usually Sai who, along with Ye and Zhan, bullied other children. Moreover, the children in the cave rarely acted as a united group; they mostly acted alone, and most of them had been beaten by Sai and his gang. No one expected the children in the cave to be so united, with over twenty of them surrounding and chasing Sai and his two companions, beating them until they looked like pig heads. If not for their parents coming to rescue them, they would have been beaten even worse.

This incident refreshed the perception of the people living near the foot of the mountain about the children in the cave. It turned out that these children could unite and stand together against outsiders. Those with ulterior motives, upon seeing this, decided to hide their thoughts for the time being.

Fighting was nothing; the children of the tribe were not afraid, and the adults didn't take it seriously. However, being attacked by over twenty people was a different matter, even for children. Who would be foolish enough to invite trouble?

After clearing out Sai, Shaoxuan called back the group of irritable children to the cave. After the chase and beating, the pent-up frustration in their hearts should have been somewhat released, so it was time to get back to work.

Some children in the cave saw Shaoxuan trading fish for animal skins and came over with fish, asking Shaoxuan to help them make the trade. The children appointed as group leaders by Shaoxuan were still somewhat intelligent. They themselves were unwilling to interact with the tribe, so they asked Shaoxuan to help them.

In the memories of some children, they vaguely remembered being taught that there were two things to prepare for winter: food and fur. The former would prevent them from starving to death, and the latter would ensure they didn't freeze to death. Even with the fur distributed by the tribe, every winter, some children would fall ill due to the weather and die before they could be treated, unable to survive the harsh winter. For those who had lived in the cave for a few years, the memory of winter made them fear, as they were always hungry and slept poorly, often waking up cold, and people around them would die. Therefore, after securing food, they were willing to trade some of it for fur.

With the first one, the second, third, and fourth came to Shaoxuan.

Shaoxuan recorded on the stone wall how many fish each group had contributed, and would distribute the animal skins according to the records after the trade.

While he was recording, a person walked into the cave.

The children in the cave fell silent upon seeing the person, then quickly gathered in groups of five, watching the person standing at the cave entrance warily.

Shaoxuan recognized the person, a child from the cave named Mor. Mor's father was an excellent warrior, but he died in a hunting accident when Mor was very young. Afterward, Mor's mother remarried, and according to the tribe's rules, Mor had to go with her. However, the newly formed family had more than one child, and conflicts inevitably arose, leading to frequent fights.

Mor's original name was just "Er," and his father was called "Mo." Later, Mor combined the two names to form his new name.

Mor entered the cave with a stone knife almost as long as he was, scanning the room and sniffing the air. He looked up in confusion and saw the long, sharp-toothed fish hanging above, staring at him with dark red eyes.

Mor jumped back a step, drew his stone knife, and tensed up.

At the same time, the others, mistaking Mor's actions as an attempt to steal the fish, stood up with their tools, watching Mor warily.

What? Trying to steal the fish?!!

Although they had lived in the same cave, since Shaoxuan divided them into groups of five, the children considered anyone outside their group as an outsider and a potential threat.

"Alright, put down your knives and sticks... and the one with the stone behind your back, don't think I can't see it! Put it down!" Shaoxuan shouted at the children in the cave, then walked to Mor and pointed at the fish above, "They're dead."

Mor frowned, examined the fish closely, and, confirming they were indeed dead and not a threat, slowly put away his knife. Holding such a large knife for a long time was tiring. After putting away the knife, Mor looked around.

Seeing this, Shaoxuan guessed he was looking for Ku and said, "Ku went to the mountain waist and won't return for winter. Uncle Ge asked me to take charge here."

Mor nodded, not saying anything. To him, it didn't matter who was in charge of the cave, but the changes in the cave made him uncomfortable. With his knife on his back, Mor continued into the cave. Unlike before, when he returned after being away for a while, the cave was usually filled with children lying around, and no one cared whether he left or returned. Now, however, everyone was watching him, and wherever he went, they followed with their eyes, clearly rejecting his presence.

While Mor was puzzled by the sudden change in the cave, the other children were also thinking. Usually not very bright, they were now thinking clearly.

One more person meant less food to share. Everyone thought about it and felt... reluctant. They all glanced at Shaoxuan, waiting for him to make a decision.

Shaoxuan had heard from Ku that Mor's father left him many good things, including the stone knife Mor used. Compared to the other children in the cave, Mor could be considered a "rich second generation." However, this "rich second generation" was somewhat unconventional, preferring to return to the cave periodically instead of enjoying a better life. Sometimes, his mother, who had remarried, would coax him back to the mountain, but after a while, he would return to the cave.

Perhaps it was due to fights with the other children in his new family, or for other reasons, no one asked, and Mor never spoke about it. He was silent and taciturn, only nodding or shaking his head, or resorting to action. The children in the cave only knew one thing about him: he was very good at fighting, and no one, including Ku, who had gone to the mountain waist, had ever beaten him. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the children in the cave would not try to steal from Mor, as those who did were often injured by him.

"Mor, are you staying in the cave for winter?" Shaoxuan asked.

Mor nodded.

"Alright, there were twenty-five people in the cave before, and I divided them into five groups. Now that you're back, we'll..."

The other children in the cave immediately tensed up, staring at Shaoxuan with wide eyes, and some even shook their heads vigorously, as if afraid Shaoxuan wouldn't see them.

"Then join our group," Shaoxuan said.

The other four groups of children immediately relaxed, their tense expressions fading, and some even showed relief. The two oldest children in Shaoxuan's group, however, were clearly unhappy but didn't oppose Shaoxuan's decision. They turned back to continue weaving grass ropes, giving Mor a hard stare.

Mor didn't seem to care about the others' obvious rejection. At least, Shaoxuan couldn't see any resistance on his face, and he remained as silent as before.

That night, some children were already asleep, while others, worried about whether they would catch fish the next day, were distractedly weaving grass ropes, making a mess of it, and getting frustrated, even biting the ropes in anger, which made Shaoxuan anxious. What good would biting the ropes do if they were woven so poorly?

The fire near the cave entrance was still burning, and the curtain at the entrance was not fully closed. The firelight was clearly visible from the darkness outside, and the night swallows flying around would avoid the areas where the firelight shone, watching from a distance.

Mor walked to the cave entrance, placed his large knife aside, and drew two short knives from his waist, one in each hand, holding them in reverse grip. He couldn't yet conceal his presence like a totem warrior, so the night swallows flying in the night sky noticed him as soon as he stepped out of the cave.

Shaoxuan sat by the fire, close to the cave entrance, and could see the sky outside.

There were two crescent moons in the sky, yes, two.

When Shaoxuan first saw the moons in the night sky, he realized this was a world far different from the one he knew, a new world where the rules and experiences he had mastered might not apply.

In this season, the two moons moved in opposite directions, and the crescent moons provided little light to the night, making it much darker than a few days ago.

The night grew darker, and when the two moons completely disappeared, winter would officially begin.

Shaoxuan's gaze fell on Mor outside the cave. From his stance and the way he held his knives, Shaoxuan knew he was an experienced fighter. While the other children in the cave were still sleeping, Mor had already started practicing with his knife, even though his father was no longer around, someone still taught him.

Holding the short knives, Mor stood quietly, seemingly lost in thought, but Shaoxuan knew he was waiting for prey.

In the darkness, night swallows flitted around the stone cave, their silhouettes barely visible, leaving only faint sounds.

There were many night swallows outside the cave, but they hesitated due to the firelight from the cave, with only a few daring to approach.

A sharp, rapid sound caught Shaoxuan's attention. A night swallow was approaching!

Mor moved, slashing to the left with his knife in a swift, decisive motion.

Clang!

He missed.

The blade struck the cave wall, producing a brief, blinding spark.

The night swallow that had attacked had already flown away, but Mor's arm now had a half-palm-long wound.

The wound was caused by the night swallow's beak, which was like a sharp spade. However, the night swallow's attack angle had changed due to Mor's knife, so the wound on Mor's arm was not deep. If the night swallow had hit him directly, it would have torn a chunk of flesh from his arm.

A good hunter not only knows how to hide but also how to endure. Mor showed no sign of pain, not even a wince, and his grip on the knife remained steady. He didn't treat the wound, letting the blood flow freely.

The night swallows flying in the darkness seemed to sense the blood in the air and began to grow restless.

Shaoxuan could hear the increasing number of night swallows flying rapidly in the air.

Compared to the other children in the cave, Mor was extremely dedicated. When Ku was still in the cave, he found it incomprehensible that Mor would practice with night swallows, which the other children saw as a suicidal behavior. After Mor left the cave, Ku had grumbled about why he would choose to live in such a poor place and fight so hard.

Cesar, agitated by the night swallows outside, was calmed by Shaoxuan, who then stood up to take him deeper into the cave.

However, after taking a few steps, Shaoxuan stopped. He heard a sharp, buzzing sound.

At first, Shaoxuan thought it was an illusion, then he wondered if it was tinnitus caused by overthinking or other reasons. But the sound grew louder, as if the object producing it was rapidly approaching.

Clang!

Another sound of the knife striking the cave wall. At the same time, the sharp, buzzing sound abruptly stopped.

Shaoxuan looked over.

Mor held his knife, which had pierced through the body of a night swallow. The night swallow flapped its wings twice and then fell still, blood flowing down the grayish-white blade.

The night swallows in the sky changed direction, flying farther away, circling in the distance.

Mor swung the knife, flinging the dead night swallow into the cave, where it landed next to his large knife. He then continued to wait for the next prey.

Cesar bared his teeth at the dead night swallow, eager to bite it, while Shaoxuan stared at the night swallow's sharp, spade-like beak, deep in thought.

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Extra chapter on Sunday.

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