If it weren't for the strong opposition from his friend's parents, he might have been eaten by wolves while still in swaddling clothes.
The couple wasn't afraid of the gossip in the village, such as the vicious rumors that Amumuzhen would bring them bad luck and that they would never be able to have children. They treated Amumuzhen like their own child, raising him from infancy to the young man he is now, and the family is very happy together.
Amumuzhen was always very grateful to the two kind uncles and aunts who raised him, so after he became sensible, he did his best to help them with housework, hunting in the mountains, spring planting, autumn harvesting and winter storage...
"It's good that you're back." The man's eyes narrowed as he looked at the white stone ruler, less than a meter long, in Amumu's hand. His gaze towards Amumu changed.
"You went to the top of the sacred mountain today?"
"Hmm, how did you know? Uncle Jike, I know you've been keeping my mother's story from me. Now that I'm all grown up, can you tell me who my father is? Why don't the people in the village, even my grandparents, want me?" Amumu turned to look at the uncle who had raised him for over ten years, sitting next to him.
“Muzhen, there are some things you'd better not know, because I don't know where to begin. The matter is very strange, and the villagers are very superstitious about it; even your grandparents are afraid to tell you. So it's better you don't know,” Jike Awang said.
“Fine, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. I’m sure someone in this village will tell me eventually, don’t you think?” Amumu didn’t force her uncle, but simply said it in a calm tone.
"Mujin, what are you going to do?" Jike Awang sensed that Amumuzhen's tone was somewhat unfriendly.
"I just want to know who my father is? Why didn't he want me and my mother? I just want to ask him why!" Amumu said very calmly.
“Sigh… Muzhen, there are some things that are better left unknown. If you really knew, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle it!” Jike Awang said.
“Uncle Awang, I have suffered all kinds of contempt and bullying in this village. If it weren’t for you raising me, I might be dead in some corner by now. I have nothing left but you. Is there anything I can’t bear?”
"Okay, you're all grown up now, and there are some things you should know. I'm very worried about you the way you are!"
"Why? I feel better now than ever before!"
"Do you know whose thing this is in your hand?" Jike Awang pointed to the jade ruler in Amumuzhen's hand.
"I found this on the top of the sacred mountain, whose else could it be?"
“This is something your father left behind, saying that one day you would need it. I didn’t believe it at first, but I never thought it would actually end up in your hands,” Jike Awang sighed.
"What? This thing belongs to my father?" Amumuzhen suddenly stood up from the ground, looking at Jike Awang in disbelief. Then he looked at the Thousand-Jun Ruler in his hand. After shrinking it to such a small size, this stone platform had a terrifying weight of 1,500 jin! So it was no exaggeration for Amumuzhen to call the jade ruler in his hand the Thousand-Jun Ruler.
"Yes, back then I was just like little A-Guang now, always following your mother around. Your mother loved me very much, and she would give me all the fruit she picked from the sacred mountain every time."
Back then, I felt that my sister Zhuoya was the most beautiful sister in the world. To be honest, I had already fallen in love with her, but she only saw me as her little tagalong, a naughty little girl who loved to cry and act spoiled. As Jike Awang said this, his eyes softened, and he fell into memories...
Jike Awang was only about fourteen years old at that time. He often went out and played wildly with his sister Zhuoya, who was also Amumuzhen's mother. They would secretly go into the sacred mountain to pick wild fruits, poke bees, trap rabbits, catch squirrels, etc.
I still remember how Zhuoya and I were chased by a group of wild monkeys, and how Zhuoya carried me as we ran.
One day, Zhuoya and he secretly went up the sacred mountain to raid a snow eagle's nest on a cliff. Zhuoya was very excited and hid in the grass not far away. After the two snow eagles left, Zhuoya climbed up the cliff very lightly and slowly approached the snow eagle's nest.
Sister Zhuoya arrived at the pine tree where the snow sculpture had built its nest, then climbed up the tree and quickly stuffed the three eggs inside into her pocket, ready to leave.
Suddenly, a hiss rang out from the sky, and two snow eagles reappeared above Zhuo Ya's head! Zhuo Ya stood by the snow eagles' nest, drew her machete from her waist, and prepared to fight the two snow eagles circling above her head at any moment.
At this moment, Xiao Awang could only hide in the grass and watch with great concern as his sister Zhuoya fought with the two snow eagles!
"Pfft!" A snow eagle swooped down, extending its pair of extremely sharp claws to attack Sister Zhuoya. Sister Zhuoya remained calm and stood on a pine branch, waiting for the swooping snow eagle to come down. She was prepared to grab the snow eagle's claws with one hand and then use her machete to chop off its head!
Just as Sister Zhuoya was concentrating on dealing with the snow sculptors in front of her, another snow sculptor silently appeared behind her!
"Sister Zhuoya, behind you!" Little Awang, hiding in the bushes, shouted in fright to Sister Zhuoya.
Sister Zhuoya quickly squatted down, and a pair of sharp eagle claws slashed across her back!
Zhuoya staggered, her linen clothes torn in countless places by sharp claws, and her fair and flawless back was scratched by the snow eagle that attacked her!
"Sister Zhuoya, are you alright?" Little Awang, hiding in the bushes, looked at Sister Zhuoya with great concern. Sister Zhuoya smiled slightly at Little Awang, indicating that she was fine.
Immediately afterward, one of the two snow eagles harassed Sister Zhuoya from the front, while the other took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. Sister Zhuoya was now in grave danger and in a very sorry state, while the two snow eagles became more and more courageous in the fight. Sister Zhuoya was now in an extremely dangerous situation.
Seeing his sister Zhuoya trapped in a tree by two snow eagles, Xiao Awang stopped hiding and ran out of the bushes. He picked up stones and clods of dirt from the ground, crying and calling out to his sister Zhuoya, while throwing stones and clods of dirt at the two snow eagles in the sky, wishing he could knock down the two hairy beasts that had hurt his sister Zhuoya.
"Little rascal, hide quickly, it's dangerous!" Sister Zhuoya shouted as she saw Xiao Awang running out. Xiao Awang, who was usually very obedient to Sister Zhuoya, did not listen this time. He kept crying and calling for Sister Zhuoya, while picking up stones and mud from the ground and throwing them at the snow sculptures in the sky. He even spat at the two snow sculptures...
The two snow eagles completely ignored the little one shouting below, and mainly attacked the despicable egg thief near their nest.
Before long, Zhuoya's body was covered in wounds, and her breathing became rapid. The intense pain was becoming unbearable for her.
"Sister Zhuoya, let's not keep the eggs, let's give them back!" Seeing that Sister Zhuoya was exhausted, Xiao Awang was very anxious. He didn't have the strength to climb up the cliff to help Sister Zhuoya, and he was very worried.
Sister Zhuoya took out an egg the size of an adult's fist from her pocket, then slowly lifted it up and began to descend step by step towards the pine tree.
The two snow eagles in mid-air saw that the despicable egg thief was holding their baby and dared not approach. They could only circle above Zhuoya's head and let out a series of hisses, as if warning the despicable egg thief to put down their baby!
Finally, they made it down the cliff without any real danger. Sister Zhuoya held up the egg and came to Little Awang, preparing to slowly retreat back to the village with him. However, unexpectedly, a pack of wolves from not far away smelled the blood on Sister Zhuoya and then lay in ambush in the grass, slowly approaching Sister Zhuoya and Little Awang!
"Sister Zhuoya, I'm scared!" Little Awang hid behind Sister Zhuoya, looking at the shocking scars on her back, and whispered with tears in his eyes.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here!" Sister Zhuoya turned around and smiled at her little follower, but the hand holding the machete had already begun to tremble...
"Woo..." The mountain wolf stared intently at Sister Zhuoya and Little Awang from a short distance away, while the snow eagle above them was also preparing to snatch back the egg from Sister Zhuoya's hand! Sister Zhuoya and Little Awang were suddenly in a desperate situation.
The wolves were already very close to Zhuo Ya and her companion. If it weren't for the machete in Zhuo Ya's hand that made the wolves hesitate, they would have pounced on them long ago!
Little Awang trembled in fear as Zhuoya shielded him, unaware that three mountain wolves had quietly approached from behind, preparing to attack Zhuoya!
With a low growl, the three wolves leaped up and lunged at Zhuo Ya's neck and legs! Just as Zhuo Ya looked back, the wolves in front swarmed forward! The snow eagles overhead also took advantage of the chaos!
Just at this critical moment, countless arrows suddenly struck the mountain wolves that had pounced on Sister Zhuoya, hitting them with a single blow!
Looking at the two snow eagles falling from the sky in front of her, and the dying mountain wolves around her, Sister Zhuoya felt like she was dreaming. She never expected that what she thought was a certain death situation would suddenly turn out to be a life-saving one!
Sister Zhuoya used a machete to chop off the head of the mountain wolf in front of her, which was also on the verge of death. Then, looking at the arrow deeply embedded in the wolf's head, she searched around for the person who had saved her and Xiao Awang's lives.
A young man dressed in a tiger-skin felt robe, carrying a deerskin quiver on his back, with his hair tied in a Lingdao bun, walked towards Zhuo Ya and her companion step by step with a smile.
"Are you two alright?" The handsome and ethereal-looking young man asked, looking at Sister Zhuoya and the trembling little Awang.
"It's alright! Thank you for saving us. Can we take all of these prey with us?" Sister Zhuoya asked directly, looking at the wolf carcasses scattered everywhere and the two snow eagles.
"Sure, but you'll have to trade your three eggs for them!" the boy said with a smile.
"Okay!" Sister Zhuoya readily agreed, taking out three snow sculpture eggs from her pocket and handing them to the mysterious young man she didn't know, who had saved her and her little tagalong's lives.
"Alright, my name is Amu Chongxi. May I ask your name, young lady?" the mysterious young man asked.
"Sister Zhuoya, thank you for saving us. We are very poor and have nothing to repay you with, so thank you is all we can say!" Sister Zhuoya said to the very handsome young man with a face full of shame.
"Don't be so polite. I've been tracking these wolves for a long time, but they're too cunning. They always manage to escape. I never thought that by using you as bait here today, I could finally wipe them all out. It's like getting rid of a scourge for the people," the young man said, waving his hand casually.
“It’s nothing to you, but to us you are our savior. If you don’t mind our poverty, you can come to our village with us. I’ll cook you something delicious to thank you. Besides, I’m already injured, and I can’t carry all this prey by myself with this little kid,” Sister Zhuoya said, while looking at Amu Chongxi’s face.
Knowing that Sister Zhuoya was injured, Amu Chongyi tied the prey with ropes and hung them on his chest without saying a word. Ignoring Sister Zhuoya's shyness and refusal, he carried her on his back and started to descend the mountain. Behind them, Little Awang looked at this big brother Amu with admiration, but seeing this very brave boy carrying his Sister Zhuoya on his back, and seeing the shyness and sweetness that Sister Zhuoya had never shown before, Little Awang felt jealous for the first time...
"Sister Zhuoya, where have you been gallivanting off to again? You're so badly injured. Who is this boy? How come he came back with you?"
The villagers watched as a very handsome and strong young man carried Sister Zhuoya on his back. Sister Zhuoya, seeing so many people in the village looking at her, lay on Amu Chongxi's back, not daring to look up, afraid that others would see her cheeks burning like fire...
Led by Xiao Awang, Amu Chongxi carried Zhuoya all the way to her house, followed by a group of onlookers.
"Sister Zhuoya, who is this? Why did you make her carry you back?" Zhuoya's mother looked at Amu Chongyi. The young man was handsome and dashing. No wonder her daughter looked down on the ugly and unsightly people in her village. However, the two of them were not married yet, and they were not even engaged. Besides, she knew nothing about the young man's family situation. This would have a bad influence on Zhuoya and her family.
After all, his daughter wasn't engaged yet, and he was afraid of gossip saying that his daughter was immoral.
“Auntie, I’m Zhuoya’s friend. We went hunting in the mountains together, but we were surrounded by a pack of wolves. We managed to fight them off, but Zhuoya was injured and couldn’t walk, so I carried her back,” Amu Chongyi explained with a smile.
"Young man, where do you live? We've never seen you before," Zhuoya's mother asked, looking at Amu Chongyi.
“Oh, I’m from a village on the other side of Mount Kailash, so you rarely see me!” Amu Chongyi replied.
"The other side of Mount Shen? I seem to remember there aren't any villages there, right?" Zhuo Ya's father asked with some doubt.
“Our village is quite small, and we’re afraid of being attacked by wild animals in the mountains, so our village is very secluded!” Amu Chongxi explained.
"So that's how it is. Young man, hurry up, come on, put Sister Zhuoya on the bed. Let me see how badly she's injured." Sister Zhuoya's mother led the way, and then Amu Chongyi carried Sister Zhuoya into her boudoir...
"Thank you, Chongyi. I need to clean Zhuoya's wound now. You can go out for a bit." Zhuoya's mother smiled and said as she looked at Amu Chongyi standing there.
"Okay, I'll be right out!" Amu Chongyi scratched his head, then went out and gently closed the door behind him...
"Girl, tell me honestly, do you like him?" The mother asked, looking at her daughter's expression as she cleaned Zhuoya's wounds.
"Mom, what are you saying? We're just friends, not what you think," Zhuoya said, her face as red as an apple, looking very cute.
“If you like someone, you like them; if you don’t like someone, you don’t like them. Since you don’t like him, I’ll kick him out when I go out later,” the mother said while applying medicine to Zhuoya.
"Isn't this a bit much? He saved my life and Xiao Awang's life, carried me down the mountain, and brought so much prey with him..." Zhuoya's voice trailed off.
"Young man, want a puff?" Zhuo Ya's father sat on a stool, holding a pipe made of bamboo tube in his hands. He inserted a bunch of tobacco leaves into the pipe in front of him, then took a deep drag. The smoke would be filtered through the water in the bamboo tube and then inhaled into his lungs...
"Thank you, Uncle, but I don't know how," Amu Chongxi politely declined.
"Where did you and Sister Zhuoya meet? How long have you known each other?" Sister Zhuoya's father took a puff of his water pipe, then slowly exhaled, looking at Amu Chongxi, whose face was obscured by his own smoke.
“We met in the mountains. Once, I sprained my ankle and couldn’t walk. Luckily, I met Xiao Awang and Sister Zhuoya. They helped me home. To thank them, I wanted to hunt some wild game. It was cold, so many animals didn’t come out. I was chasing a pack of wolves when I saw Sister Zhuoya and the others surrounded by wolves. So, I joined them to kill these harmful beasts!” Amu Chongyi said.
"This crazy girl is always out running wild, she doesn't act like a girl at all. By the way, how are your parents? Do you have any siblings?"
“My parents are in very good health. My father even goes hunting in the deep mountains and forests from time to time!” Amu Chongyi said.
"Your bow and arrows are quite nice. Did you make them yourself?"
“No, my father made it for me. This tiger skin was made by my mother after my father killed a white-browed tiger with piercing eyes in the deep mountains last year. This quiver was also made by my mother,” Amu Chongxi said.
"Your parents are something else!" Zhuoya's father looked at Amu Chongyi's attire; most people wouldn't be able to afford anything like it.
“We have these everywhere, every household has these kinds of felt,” Amu Chongxi said very modestly.
"Young man, thank you for saving our Zhuoya. Wait a moment, we'll cook for you right away. Honey, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and skin these wolves. I need wolf meat to entertain Chongxi. Zhuoya, what are you doing hiding in the room? Come out and keep Chongxi company." Zhuoya's mother started making arrangements after coming out of Zhuoya's room.
"Hehe, Auntie, don't be shy, just make something simple," Amu Chongyi said with a smile.
"You are Zhuoya's savior, we can't be careless," Zhuoya's mother said, and went straight to the kitchen to start preparing...
"Uncle, let me help you!" Amu Chongyi saw Zhuoya's father come out of the house with a skinning knife in his hand and quickly went to greet him.
"Forget it, don't get your clothes dirty," said Zhuoya's father.
“It’s alright, I do this at home all the time,” Amu Chongxi took the skinning knife from Zhuoya’s father, then hung a wolf on a wooden stake. With practiced skill, he skinned a wolf in less than half an hour, then laid it flat on Zhuoya’s woodpile to dry, and started skinning the second one…
Zhuoya's father took a liking to Amu Chongyi from the bottom of his heart when he saw this quick and efficient young man. He assisted Amu Chongyi from behind, and before long, the skins of all seven or eight wolves were peeled off.
Zhuoya stared blankly as Amu Chongyi and her father bustled about. If her mother hadn't patted her on the back, startling her, and given her mother's teasing look, she would have touched her burning cheeks and gone back to her room...
"Hahaha... It's time to eat, everyone. Don't be shy. These prey were hunted by Sister Zhuoya and her friend Amu Chongyi. There's so much, everyone can eat as much as they want, don't hold back!" Sister Zhuoya's father said to everyone while holding a glass of his homemade fruit wine at the table.
Because the village was small, Zhuoya's parents invited all the villagers over. Each family contributed a little food, and together they managed to fill more than a dozen tables. Everyone was happy and gathered to see the young man named Amu Chongyi, whose village beauty had finally been snatched away...
"Come, come, Chongxi, this is our village chief, this is our clan chief, and this..." Zhuoya's father, holding his wine bowl, pulled Amu Chongxi along and began to introduce the elders of his village to Amu Chongxi...
"Sister Zhuoya, you are so lucky to have found such a handsome and perfect man."
"Exactly, exactly, they have everything you could want, I'm so envious."
"Sister Zhuoya, could you ask around in their village if there are any other guys as handsome as him? Could you introduce me to someone?"
"Yes, yes, me too."
A group of girls surrounded Sister Zhuoya, chattering excitedly, hoping that Zhuoya would play matchmaker.
"We're not engaged yet. Besides, I don't even know if he likes me," Zhuoya thought, her heart filled with a mix of sweetness and trepidation. What if this Amu Chongyi didn't like her? She didn't know how this whole farce would end.
"Sister Zhuoya, are you telling the truth?" A group of girls asked with shining eyes.
"Yes, that's right," Sister Zhuoya nodded.
A group of girls suddenly left Sister Zhuoya and, like a swarm of butterflies, rushed towards Amu Chongyi. One girl called him "Brother Chongyi" on one side and another called him "Brother Chongyi" on the other, which was very sweet.
Suddenly surrounded by a swarm of girls, Amu Chongxi looked at Zhuoya, who was standing in the distance, and smiled as she dealt with them while also answering the questions from the clan elders.
"What are you thinking? Aren't you afraid that the person you like will be snatched away by these other women?" Zhuo Ya's mother asked from behind her daughter.
"I'm not even sure if they'll like me. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part," Zhuoya said, then left the banquet alone and went back to her room...
The banquet didn't end until nightfall. Zhuoya's father was so drunk that he was unconscious and had to be helped to bed by Amu Chongyi and several young men from the village.
Sister Zhuoya and her mother were busy cleaning up the mess left behind by the banquet...
Seeing Zhuoya busy with various tasks, Amu Chongyi also came to Zhuoya and helped her tidy up.
"No need, you've had a long day. Why don't you sit down and rest? We'll take care of these things ourselves," Sister Zhuoya said with a smile to Amu Chongyi.
“You’re injured, you can’t overexert yourself. Go and rest, I’ll help you,” Amu Chongyi said. Without waiting for Zhuoya’s consent, he picked her up and gently placed her on a chair.
Zhuoya looked at Amu Chongyi, who was busy with her mother, with a blush on her face. Her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten wild honey.
"Chongyi, tell me now, what do you think of our Zhuoya?" Zhuoya's mother asked with a smile.
"Mom, what are you saying?" Zhuo Ya's heart was pounding, as if a little deer was jumping around inside her, making her mouth dry and extremely embarrassed and annoyed.
"Hehe, Auntie, Sister Zhuoya is very beautiful, and I like her very much, but..." Amu Chongxi looked at Sister Zhuoya, who was full of expectations, and hesitated to speak.
"No need to say anything, I already know. It's getting late, you should go back quickly, otherwise your parents will be worried about you." Hearing Amu Chongyi's words, Zhuoya's face darkened, and she walked back to her room very dejectedly...
"Chongyi, Zhuoya is right. It's getting late. You should go back. I can tidy up here," Zhuoya's mother smiled, preparing for Amu Chongyi to leave.
"Auntie, why won't you let me finish? What I mean is, Sister Zhuoya is so beautiful, and I'm all alone, without parents. I'm afraid Sister Zhuoya will suffer if she's with me, and I'm afraid you'll look down on me. That's why I lied to you. I don't even know who my parents are. I grew up with my grandmother, but she passed away two years ago."
So now I'm all alone. I'm afraid that Sister Zhuoya will suffer if she's with me. I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of her. And..." Amu Chongxi's eyes dimmed, and mist rose in them.
"I'm not afraid! As long as you like me and don't bully me, I'm willing to be with you!" Sister Zhuoya pushed open the door to her house with a "bang" and came out to look at Amu Chongxi and said.
“But…”, Amu Chongxi looked at Zhuoya’s serious expression, hesitated, and didn’t know what to say.
“I thought it was a big deal. Since you’re all alone at home now, and we only have Zhuoya as a child, you can live with us. We can treat you like our own son!” Zhuoya’s mother said.
Jike Awang's eyes were filled with sadness. His former goddess had become someone else's wife. He watched as his Zhuoya and Amu Chongyi were deeply in love, and then Zhuoya became pregnant with Amu Muzhen.
However, the mysterious Amu Chongyi suddenly disappeared just as Zhuoya was about to give birth. Zhuoya and her parents asked the villagers to search for him everywhere, but they still couldn't find him.
At that moment, Jike Awang hated Amu Chongyi so much that if he found Amu Chongyi, the first thing he would do was slap him twice.
As Jike Awang climbed the sacred mountain, he knew all of Zhuoya and Amu Chongyi's secrets. When Jike Awang reached the top of the sacred mountain, exhausted and panting, the scene before him startled him so much that he fell to the ground with a thud.
All that could be seen was Amu Chongxi placing his beloved wife, Zhuoya, on a three-meter-long altar. Zhuoya looked at Amu Chongxi, a familiar yet strange figure before her, with great pain and terror. He was the man she deeply loved and the husband she unconditionally trusted.
"Sister Zhuoya, please bear with it. Once our child is born, I will take you away from here." Amu Chongxi arranged various sacrificial offerings around the three-meter-long stone platform, then gently held Zhuoya's hand with one hand and stroked her forehead with the other.
"Amu Chongyi! You madman, what are you doing? Sister Zhuoya is about to give birth and needs a midwife's help, not to come to this freezing mountaintop, do you know that?" Jike Awang, his eyes red, looked at the madman and prepared to rush over and kick Amu Chongyi.
However, as soon as he approached the edge of the ritual, he was blocked by a transparent barrier and could not get in at all!
Amu Chongyi looked at Jike Awang outside, smiled at him, and then began to very gently touch Zhuoya's protruding belly.
Amu Chongqi's hands emitted a very soft white light. Zhuoya's face, which had been filled with pain and fear, slowly returned to normal, and she looked at Amu Chongqi with a smile.
A baby's cry broke the tranquility of the mountaintop. Amu Chongxi pulled a baby out from under Zhuoya and happily handed it to her. Zhuoya looked at her child with great satisfaction...
As Jike Awang watched the heartwarming scene inside, tears welled up in his eyes without him even realizing it.
But not long after, Amu Chongxi said something to Zhuoya, and Zhuoya's originally warm smile turned into confusion, then into horror. Then, looking at the child in her arms, she looked at Amu Chongxi with great anger and pain.
It wasn't until Amu Chongqi snatched the child from Zhuoya's hands that he, ignoring Zhuoya's cries, carried the child outside the sacrificial site and knelt down on the ground, holding Jike Awang, who was wrapped in his own tiger-skin felt.
Jike Awang was so startled by Amu Chongyi's action that he jumped to the side and looked at Amu Chongyi in bewilderment.
“We can’t take this child with us now, so I’m begging you to raise him for me. This child will bring you endless wealth and honor. Awang, I am the mountain god of this sacred mountain you speak of. From the moment you came to this mountain, I fell deeply in love with Sister Zhuoya. But our child cannot exist in my world. I can only choose one: Sister Zhuoya or the child. So I choose Sister Zhuoya. Please, please raise this child for me,” Amu Chongyi knelt on the ground, holding the child, looking at Jike Awang with pleading eyes.
Inside the altar, Sister Zhuoya desperately pounded on the transparent barrier, heartbroken as she watched her child being sent away by Amu Chongyi, crying her heart out...
Seeing his sister Zhuoya crying so heartbreakingly, the hot-blooded Jike Awang felt a deep hatred for the man in front of him, but what could he do?
If Amu Chongyi attacked him, he wouldn't be able to get down this mountain. Jike Awang looked at his sister Zhuoya with resentment and helplessness, then carried the child down the mountain...
Jike Awang held the child and watched as Amu Chongyi and his sister Zhuoya stood on the three-meter-long stone platform, emitting a very dazzling light. When he opened his eyes again, there were only the very messy sacrificial offerings, the three-meter-long stone platform, the cries of the baby, and the howling mountain wind on the mountaintop...
"After I brought you back, I entrusted you to your maternal grandparents to raise. I also take care of you from time to time because I received payment from your father, so I have to fulfill my responsibilities."
You were about five years old when your maternal grandparents suddenly died at the same time! We don't know what happened. On the mountaintop where your parents disappeared, when we found you, you were sitting on a three-meter-long stone platform. Next to you were the two mutilated bodies of your maternal grandparents, as if they had been torn apart by wild animals. But you were sitting on the three-meter-long stone platform, completely unharmed. Some timid people in the village were so frightened by this scene that they wet themselves. That's why there were all sorts of very bad rumors about you in the village.
After your maternal grandparents passed away, I took you into my home. Because of this, I severed ties with my parents, as they felt you were an unlucky person who would bring us misfortune and disaster.
You basically know what happened after that. Your aunt also had a hard life, otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to marry her. To be honest, at the beginning, I was worried all the time, afraid that I would suddenly die like your grandparents. But seeing that you have grown up and that our family has not suffered any disasters, I have slowly put my mind at ease. Jike Awang smiled at Amumuzhen.
But what Jike Awang didn't know was that for many years, ever since his grandparents died, he had been having recurring dreams of fighting with a group of faceless people. These people were always trying to cause trouble for Jike Awang's family, and he always managed to drive them away...
"I want to go out and see the world with you!" Amumuzhen saw that Jike Awang had changed a lot since he left after more than half a year. She didn't want to stay in this small mountain village for the rest of her life. Besides, she now had very strong abilities and was sure that she could make a name for herself if she went out.
“You’re still so young. Even if you go out to find a job, no one will dare to hire you. You should stay at home and wait until you turn eighteen the year after next. Then I’ll take you to town to get your ID card, and then you can go out to find a job like me,” Jike Awang explained.
"No! If I don't leave now, the whole village will suffer the same fate as my grandparents! Because I can already sense their presence!" Amumu said solemnly.
"What? You mean to say that people from your father's level of world are coming here?!" Jike Awang stood up abruptly, looking at Amumujin with a horrified expression.
“Don’t be too scared. Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. They’ve all come looking for me. Once I leave this place, they’ll leave with me, and the whole village will be safe!” Amumu comforted him.
"You... then... what should we do now? Can you defeat them?" Jike Awang asked in a terrified tone.
“They have only vaguely sensed my location, but haven’t taken any action yet. Maybe next year, maybe right now, I don’t know. So I can’t stay here any longer. For everyone’s safety, I have to leave!” Amumu looked at Jike Awang with a serious expression.
"This is a temporary house I found for you in town. You can stay here for now. When I come back next year, we'll go out together." Jike Awang felt like the sky was falling when he heard Amumuzhen's words. He quickly made an excuse to his wife and children and then took Amumuzhen to town. By the time the two arrived in town, it was already very late. Jike Awang led Amumuzhen to a two-story house, opened the door, and let Amumuzhen stay there.
"Aren't you going back to be with your wife and kids? What are you doing here looking for me again?"
"No, I brought my nephew here to stay for a few days. He'll come with us for the Chinese New Year."
"Didn't you say that no one but you and I could live in this house? You said it was our love nest, what? Now you're planning to call your nephew over to watch over me, afraid I'll cheat on you when you're not around?"
“That’s really not what I meant. I brought him here because he did something reckless in our village, and people are looking for him to take revenge, so I brought him here to lay low for a while.”
"Jike Awang, do you think I'd believe your nonsense?"
"Really, I'm going back tomorrow. You can stay here and take care of him for a couple of days. Just bear with it. When we make some money next year, we'll buy a house in another city and leave this godforsaken, poor place for good. Then it will just be you, me, and our child."
"What about that haggard old woman in your small mountain village? She gave birth to your son. You can't bear to abandon her, can you?"
"I'll handle this later, hehe, I've really missed you so much these past few days..."
"Mmm... Ahh... You rascal... You always bully me... Tell me how much you miss me..."
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