Chapter 5: From White Bark to Wontons

Six corpses lay there with faces tinged blue, but their deaths were peaceful, carrying an eerie calmness.

Song Luyuan took the lead, striding over the bodies to reach Song Xian’s side.

He saw Song Xian’s gaze unfocused, his mind wandering, and waved a hand before his eyes.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Song Jimin hurried over and noticed Song Xian’s face was unusually pale.

He touched his forehead—icy cold.

“Father’s body is so cold, he’s frozen! Bring the Fire Torch, I’ll gather some firewood.”

Bai Ge was still shocked by the deaths of Liu Da and the other Red Sleeve Pavilion experts.

Hearing Song Jimin’s call, she snapped back to reality and quickly brought over the Fire Torch.

“Brother Song, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Song Xian finally came to, sniffling and complaining about the ginger fruit,

“It’s so spicy my mouth’s numb.”

The three of them, seeing Song Xian was conscious and coherent, finally relaxed.

“What happened here?”

Song Luyuan recognized Liu Da—a top twenty Jianghu expert, notorious for his lustfulness, recently hired with a hefty sum by the Red Sleeve Pavilion as a bodyguard.

This man mixed in all sorts of circles, had plenty of scoundrel friends, and those around him must’ve been formidable fighters.

Damn, they’re tough—killing at a speed even he couldn’t match!

“How did so many people suddenly die?”

Song Hancheng asked as he placed a hand on Song Xian’s back, carefully watching his expression and emotional changes up close.

“I didn’t kill them.”

Song Xian told each of them to kiss the bark of the White Tree before explaining what had happened.

Song Luyuan, Song Jimin, and Bai Ge exchanged puzzled looks:

“???”

Why did he want them to suddenly kiss a tree!?

What kind of strange request was this!?

Song Hancheng frowned, looking even more worried at Song Xian.

Bai Ge immediately blushed and cupped her face,

“I’m a beautiful young girl; kissing tree bark is really unseemly.”

“Forget it, you pretending to be a Spider Spirit last night was much less elegant,”

Song Luyuan teased, recalling Bai Ge’s clumsy ghost act crawling around.

“You’d die if you kept quiet!”

Bai Ge shot a glare at Song Luyuan, annoyed.

What a fine, resolute young man, always with something to say.

Song Xian corrected,

“Uh, not exactly kissing—more like licking.”

Song Luyuan, Song Jimin, and Bai Ge:

“…”

“The proper name of this White Tree is the ‘Blankhead Tree’. What you see as ‘White Tree Leaves’ aren’t actually leaves, but flowers shaped like leaves. When a person inhales its pollen, their mind soon goes blank, and they fall into unconsciousness. The antidote is the sticky sap secreted by the bark.”

After hearing Song Xian’s explanation, Bai Ge dashed over, immediately hugging the tree trunk and licking.

Haha, later on, all that’s left to lick is what she leaves behind!

Song Luyuan and Song Jimin froze for a moment but quickly followed suit—lick, lick, lick.

On the way back, Song Xian carefully explained the entire situation.

Song Jimin sighed,

“So Liu Da and the others fell unconscious from inhaling Blankhead Tree pollen, then were frozen to death by the sudden Cold Mist in the forest.”

Song Xian nodded.

Indeed, the Cold Mist caused their body temperatures to drop rapidly, leading to fatal hypothermia.

“Luckily, I’d seen the White Tree while gathering mushrooms and remembered it. And thanks to the ginger fruit for protecting me; when the Cold Mist came, it kept me warm and helped me survive.”

Suddenly, Bai Ge knelt and kowtowed to Song Xian,

“Brother Song, please accept my bow! From now on, you’re my true elder brother!”

When Bai Ge looked up again, her eyes held not just gratitude but reverence akin to worship.

She’d prayed to gods and Buddhas before with no results.

She’d been down and out, with no divine help.

But Song Xian had saved her again and again.

So Brother Song was her True God!

As tears welled in Bai Ge’s eyes, expressing her thanks, Song Luyuan interrupted with several sharp

“Hey hey hey” to spoil the mood.

“What elder brother? You want to take advantage of us?”

Song Xian was their father; if Bai Ge called him elder brother, wouldn’t she be their aunt?

If she got that privilege, how could he face his Jianghu brothers?

He, Song Luyuan, nicknamed “Master of the Sword,” only allowed himself one humiliation—that was recognizing Song Xian as their father.

Nobody else was allowed to even think about it!

Bai Ge snorted disdainfully,

“What’s it to you? Whether I do or don’t depends on Brother Song.”

She immediately smiled warmly and gently asked Song Xian if he was willing.

“Huh?”

Song Xian was still caught off guard.

“Father, you can’t agree! Minmin doesn’t want such a fierce aunt.” Song Jimin tugged on Song Xian’s sleeve, whining as he swayed.”

“Father promised to take care of us brothers wholeheartedly.”

Song Jimin emphasized “wholeheartedly” with extra weight.

Song Xian chuckled and hugged Song Jimin, pinching his adorable cheeks,

“Alright, we’ll all listen to Minmin.”

Bai Ge thought: Damn, kids and their whining—no chance for me, total defeat!

The four returned to the Big Lotus Tree and divided the work.

Song Xian handled the mushrooms, Bai Ge wove straw mats, and Song Luyuan and Song Jimin teamed up to build the Shelter.

Song Luyuan took the chance to tease Song Jimin,

“Minmin?”

Song Jimin was busy fixing Big Lotus leaves atop the Shelter and didn’t look up.

“Just two words of whining to solve the problem, yet you have to act like you’re going to fight. Brainless brute!”

Song Luyuan stretched his neck defiantly,

“So what if I fight? I’m good at it; anyone who disagrees gets a beating. Why use brains?”

“What if it’s more than one person? What if someone ambushes you?”

Song Jimin looked down at him and tapped his head.

“If you learn to be clever, you’ll be unbeatable.”

Song Luyuan snorted, ready to retort but found no words.

Among the three brothers, he was the dullest; even his younger brother, six years his junior, thought he was stupid.

Frustrated, Song Luyuan pounded a bamboo pole planted in the ground; the thick pole shattered under one blow, the already stable Shelter nearly collapsing.

From above came a sigh from Song Jimin.

Song Luyuan seemed to hear the mockery in it:

“See, I said you’re a brainless brute, impulsive as ever—and you proved it!”

He truly had lost his temper.

Why was he so dumb, so unwise, with such a bad temper he couldn’t control?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, his fingers whitening on the hammer handle.

“Wow, Second Brother, you’re amazing! Such strength—one hammer and you smashed that thick bamboo!”

Song Xian came over, fascinated, poking the broken bamboo pieces on the ground.

“I was worried about all these roots making digging hard, but with you as our strongman, these problems are solved!”

Song Xian pointed toward the edge of the forest at the Yumu.

“That wood is excellent—won’t crack or warp. It’s perfect for building houses and furniture. When we build our home, this important task will be yours.”

Song Luyuan, glowing from the praise, nodded dazedly.

“My good second son, truly capable!”

“Your hands are like divine hands.”

“A home is only a home with a house, and building that house depends on you. Without you, the family would fall apart.”

Song Luyuan’s anger faded with each compliment, even coloring his cheeks red.

Father was right—he had his own unique strengths!

He might be weaker in some ways, but others were weaker than him in others.

No need to be sensitive and angry over such things.

With this realization, Song Luyuan suddenly felt motivated.

After quickly setting up two Shelters, he excitedly grabbed his axe to chop down the Yumu Song Xian mentioned.

One tree after another, he became hooked and didn’t feel tired at all.

Before nightfall, Song Hancheng returned, leading a mule loaded with supplies.

He brought back blankets, clothes, flour, eggs, and a basket half-full of river fish.

Song Jimin immediately ran to greet his eldest brother and chattered excitedly about the day’s events to Song Hancheng.

Hearing that Song Xian had outwitted Liu Da and the others alone, Song Hancheng was somewhat surprised, glancing toward Song Xian carrying the bamboo basket.

Song Jimin happily held up the fish basket, shouting to Song Xian,

“Father, fish! I love fish the most!”

Song Xian smiled, patting Song Jimin’s head,

“I dug some shepherd’s purse and still have plenty of mushrooms left. Tonight we’ll have shepherd’s purse and egg wontons with fish balls, plus rabbit stew with mushrooms.”

The rabbit was caught by Song Luyuan while chopping wood.

His powerful swings had collapsed the rabbit’s home, and the plump wild hare ran right out, only to be caught.

“Sounds delicious—I’m already drooling!”

Song Jimin smacked his lips, eagerly anticipating dinner.

While lighting the fire, Song Hancheng came to help.

Song Xian asked with some concern,

“You brought so much—did you borrow a lot of money? Who’s the friend? Did they make things difficult when you asked?”

“Just over ten coins, easy to borrow. Father, don’t worry. But what you all faced today was scary,”

Song Hancheng glanced deeper into the woods.

Song Xian scratched his head,

“Ahahaha, it’s nothing—just lucky.”

“That’s not luck, Father, that’s your strength!”

Song Luyuan enthusiastically praised,

“Big Brother, did you know Father knows nearly all the plants and trees here, and used that knowledge to outwit and defeat enemies? He’s amazing—better than me!”

“That’s impressive,”

Song Hancheng smiled faintly.

After just one trip out, the second brother’s attitude toward Song Xian had changed drastically.

As dusk fell, everyone gathered around the fire to eat.

Each had a bowl of steaming shepherd’s purse and fish ball wontons, the aroma so enticing that everyone focused on eating silently, only the sounds of sipping soup breaking the quiet.

The fish balls made from river fish were incredibly delicious.

Before, they’d just boiled whole fish with salt—good but fishy, and the tiny bones were a nuisance.

Now, with the spicy ginger fruit and preserved mustard seed seasoning, the fish balls were not only free of fishiness but also boneless, simmered in wonton soup that was wonderfully fresh.

How could such delicious food exist?

It felt like everything they’d eaten before wasn’t really food—just pig slop.

After dinner, Bai Ge volunteered to wash the dishes and pots.

Song Xian was a bit tired and went to rest in the Shelter.

Song Hancheng called Song Luyuan aside; the two disappeared somewhere and didn’t return until midnight.

The next day, Song Xian yawned as he came out of the Shelter.

Song Hancheng was loading iron pots, Clay Jars, and other equipment onto the mule.

Seeing Song Xian, he said frankly,

“It’s not safe here anymore. Pack up; we’re leaving soon.”

“Why? We just set up the Shelter yesterday.”

Bai Ge poked her head out from the Shelter, looking very puzzled.