Volume 2Â â Chapter 1Â Xue Yu Forest
Underneath the sun and twinkling stars,
Iâm able to see clearly so long as I have you.
Opening my eyes, I touch the light,
Without you, Iâd rather rest for eternity than of wake.
As long as I can see you,
I can traverse through the world.
Looking up at you, I canât help,
But to breathe you in and exhale air,
This way, I can maintain my life.
I left my Motherâs body just to find you,
Without you, I donât want myself.
I want to mature and die in your embrace,
This is my chosen fate. Xue Yu Country is located at the very northern-most part of the world. All year, itâs weather is bitter cold. Despite the fact that Xue Yu Country has the most land within the three countries, itâs economy wasnât prosperous. By comparison, Xue Yu Country was the lowest of the three countries. However, the other two countries didnât dare to wage war against Xue Yu Country mainly due to the fact that their weather was harsh and Xue Yu country had trained a formidable army! They were able to trek across the country, resist the cold, and could be said to be invincible; they were well-known within the three countries. Xue Yuâs Emperor is called Dezhao and he had succeeded the throne thirty years prior, he could be considered to be a wise ruler. Emperor Dezhao has five sons and seven daughters. Following the ancient system, the crown prince was already set, he was the eldest prince. The difference between Xue Yu and the other two countries was that Xue Yu had a national teacher. The national teacher was so noble that they were even exempt from kowtowing. Xue Yu believed in the Snow God and the national teacher was able to communicate with the Snow God and convey itâs wishes. Thus, even if Xue Yu lacks an emperor, it must not lack a national teacher!
Xue Yu Forest was located in the countryâs most remote corner. Due to how frigid the climate was, traces of people were few and far between in the area. At the foot of the mountain, there were only ten or so households. Each of the families relied on hunting in the forest to sustain themselves. From here, the nearest town, Luoshui, took at least one day and night to reach. The ten or so families here would save a portion of the prey they hunted and each month, they would all set off to Luoshui to sell the animal fur and obtain daily products.
Within the dense forest, the Snow Tree sported lush, green leaves as it thrived in the bitter cold environment. Little bits of snow rested on the treeâs branches, but they were unable to bend the treeâs straight branches and bark. Perhaps, the meaning of life was the same as this; unbending and tenacious, daring and struggling against fateâ only then would oneâs own life be oneâs own. The more suffering there is, the stronger one must be, because the only person who can defeat you is yourself.
This was a snow-covered world, but it was still a beautiful world thatâs full of energy and life. Suddenly, a white tiger appeared, tearing through the forest. Behind it, it brought along a frosty wind and scattered snow. Soon after, urgent footsteps and the sound of breathing emerged as a male soon appeared. His voice was rough and unsatisfied as he said, âI donât believe that I, Tie lao san [1], canât catch that big fellow! When I finally catch up to it, I must properly teach that fellow a lesson!â
All around, taunting laughter was heard and it seemed to be directed to the person calling themselves Tie lao san.
âIâm telling you Lao san, donât come here to boast about yourself! Last time didnât you say the same about that wild boar? In the end, Xue gongzi had to act else you wouldâve been eaten by the wild boar!â
âHa ha ha, thatâs right ah. Lao san, this time that white tiger is much more difficult than the wild boar!â
Ten or so men appeared in the forest wearing humble, winter clothes made mostly of animal skins. The male leading the group appeared to be about forty years old. He sported a large beard that rested on his honest but wild face. At present, he wore a look of dissatisfaction as he looked at everyone around him; it was obvious that he was Tie lao san.
âNaturally I canât compare to Xue gongzi, but compared to you guys, Iâm the leader!â He wasnât boasting, before Xue gongzi appeared, it was he who knew where the beasts roamed and how to set up traps and trap them. But, Xue gongzi seemed to know much more than he did, leaving him, Tie lao san, feeling inferior. The two Xue gongziâs martial arts were exceptional, when they went hunting, it looked as if they were performing a dance. This was the first time he had seen someone so celestial looking, so naturally, he was happy to give up his title as King of Hunting to them.
âOkay, stop talking nonsense. That white tiger has already gotten so far away, do you want to catch it or not ah!â
The ten or so people ran forward. Tie lao san took out the bow and arrow stored on his back and drew the bow, aiming it at the white figure in the distance. That was a rarely seen white tiger whose fur was bright white and even whiter than the snow on the ground. Tie lao san let go of the bow and shot his black arrow directly at the white tigerâs thigh. âPu chiâ sounded out in the forest as his arrow sunk into the skin. The white tiger howled out in pain and anger, but it still hung on and limped forward.
âTie lao san, youâre as good as ever ah! Your arrow skills are still so awesome!â Everyone surrounded him and praised his skills. Hardly modest, Tie lao san received all their praising words and proudly stated, âNaturally, who doesnât know of my, Tie lao sanâs, arrow skills?â
Then the group rushed forward. The white tiger was injured, so it was unlikely that it would be able to run far. Luckily, the white tiger they met today was young, otherwise, they wouldnât be able to succeed so easily. White tigers were quick and resourceful, making them a difficult catch. However, their fur was beautiful and even with a thousand gold coins, it would be difficult to buy some. If they were able to catch that white tiger, it would be enough for these few hunting familiesâ to have food for the next month.
With a cheer, the traveling hunters quickened their pace and followed along the bloody trail of footprints. At the edge of the forest, they saw the white tigerâs figure. However, the few people didnât dare to step forward and disrupt the scene in front of them.
A male wearing white clothes was currently squatting down and nimbly binding the white tigerâs wound with his slender fingers. His head was tilted down as he focused on the task, making it impossible for the group to clearly see his face. His long hair was bound up and draped over his shoulder. It looked like an inky waterfall in the distance, that was both blurred and beautiful. On the outer corner of his eye, there was a tear birthmark, that looked like it was on the verge of collapsing, which added to his charm. Standing nearby was a male wearing purple clothes. He was silently watching as the white clothed man bound up the tiger. His eyes were pitch-black and a faintly discernible smile hung on his face.
âWe want this.â The clear, cold voice cut through the frigid air and the white clothed male lifted his head. Exposed on his face was the same expression as the male standing nearby, except his felt looked more like that of a relaxed lotus. He lifted his slender finger and pointed at the left side of the forest, slowly saying, âThat, is for you.â
Everyone looked over at where he was pointing and saw an immense, already dying, black bear! The black bear was easily three times the size of the white tiger! On the snowy floor, there was traces of blood everywhere, but there were few traces of a fight. Everyone shared looks of dismay at the shocking new advancement. Only Tie lao san was bold and walked closer to take a look. Nearing the black bear, he saw that itâs mouth was unceasingly spitting out mouthfuls of blood, as if it had been slapped to death by someone!
âWhat, is it not enough?â The purple clothed manâs seductive voice rang out, but it was laced with coldness and carried no emotion.
Of course it was enough, how could a young, white tiger measure up to a majestic black bear?! They were obviously the one getting the upper hand in this situation. Tie lao san hurriedly nodded his head, âItâs enough, in fact, if Xue gongzi wishes to have the bear, you can have it as well.â
His words were sincere. After the two Xue gongzi arrived, they had helped them with catching prey, making their lives many times easier. Not only that, the two Xue gongziâs were also experts in the healing arts. Whenever someone got hurt in the woods, it was always the Xue gongziâs who cured them. Each of the hunting families regarded these two Xue gongziâs with respect and fear. Although they were very kind, they were still quite cold and hard to get close to. By comparison, it was still Yi Yi that was good. She was beautiful and kind, and would even teach the children to read and write, free of charge. They were common people, where did they have the money to send their children to private schools ah? In their entire lifetime, they hadnât even seen pen or paper. However, for their children to have this opportunity, they were extremely grateful.
âXue gongzi, nighttime is approaching, letâs all head home now.â Tie lao san looked around before summoning the courage to open his mouth.
However, the two beautiful maleâs were disinclined to pay attention to him. The white clothed male carried the white tiger and together with the purple clothed male, they both turned around and walked away, leaving only their backs to be seen.
Embarrassed, Tie lao san scratched his head, but didnât pay much more attention to it. He was a simple person in the first place, so his heart didnât feel much toward their indifference. He felt that as such a simple person, he wasnât very worthy to speak to such celestial creatures. So, the ten or so hunting families split up into two rows and carried the black bear on their shoulders, heading outside of the forest.
[1] Lao san â Iâm assuming itâs his ârankâ in the family, ex. Heâs the third (san (ä¸) means three) child/son & Tie is the surname or name