Chapter 1: Tribute

He scrutinized her carefully, finding her truly filthy, and with a face full of disgust, he pulled away: "You now dwell in the eastern corner of the mountain, accompanied by the wild wolves of the sky, thus I bestow upon you the surname Zuo and the name Canglang." He casually tossed her to the guards: "Stay with those children; if you survive, you may remain."

Seeking help from humans is futile; it is better to seek the divine. Thus, the entire village decided to offer sacrifices to the mountain god

The village chief summoned everyone for a meeting, stating that a calamity had befallen them, which must be the result of unjust actions by the people, provoking the mountain god. The villagers were already terrified; although this place is near the capital of the Great Yan Kingdom, the court had long been preoccupied with its own affairs. If they were to wait for the officials to intervene, it was feared that the people in the village would have perished long ago

She followed the one-eyed black wolf deeper into the mountains

To the south of the village lies Nanshan, where there is a temple dedicated to the mountain deity. Beside the temple, there is a strange pit that appears bottomless. A foul wind emanates from within, and no one has ever dared to descend to uncover its mysteries. The villagers have passed down tales from their ancestors that this pit connects to the underworld.

The white girl tilted her head and asked, "What happens when someone dies?" No one spoke. Someone lifted her father and placed him into the dug pit. The white girl walked over to her mother and asked softly, "Mother, if we bury father so deep, how will he come out when he wakes up?"

She sharpened the branches into spears and crafted a bow from cow horns and tendons. She learned to make traps for catching animals, prying open the snares set by other hunters to see what secrets they held

She picked mushrooms that had been eaten by small animals and fruits that had been bitten by insects. The one-eyed black wolf lived in the nearby stone cave, surrounded by lush wild roses and daylilies reaching up to the sky

It is truly enjoyable in the mountains, free from household chores, free from washing and mending, and without a mother who cries all day. She played for a whole day, and soon the sky darkened.

She cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face: "Mother, if my father hadn't died, he surely wouldn't have exchanged me for a couple of silver coins, would he?" The woman held her head in her hands, weeping bitterly. She no longer spoke; death is truly a terrible thing, once it occurs, it is gone forever, never to return.

The village chief and the people in the * picture * were discussing something in the mountain god temple, while the villagers occasionally knelt in worship and whispered prayers. Then someone mentioned two baskets, and the white girl felt a sudden darkness before she could even call out, as she was thrown into the cave.

The mother, who had been weeping quietly, suddenly embraced her and cried out loud. It was unclear how long she cried; her mother pulled her back as they walked away. She turned back to glance at the already filled grave, still in a state of confusion.

During the sacrificial rites for the mountain deity, it is sufficient to simply place the three offerings and five grains in the temple and throw the young boys and girls into the cave to express one's intentions. However, who would willingly use their own children for such sacrifices? The crowd remained silent for a long time, and the village chief, standing a bit higher, looked at the villagers and said: "Whichever family's child is chosen, a subsidy of one tael of silver will be provided"

"What is this?" In his hand was a fluffy ball, and although his expression was one of disdain, his voice was extremely pleasant. At such a close distance, she could see his soft, lightweight black clothing, made of a material unlike any she had ever seen before, adorned with exquisite dark patterns that seemed to flow with light and shadow, the dark patterns resembling flowing light and floating shadows. She wrinkled her nose, catching a whiff of a delightful fragrance

"What is that thing?" He raised his hand and pointed, and dozens of people around looked over, seeing a lush cluster of flowering vines. The crowd pressed closer, and she hid in the stone cave, as someone exclaimed: "Wolf! There is a wolf!"

The white-haired girl walked over to her father, who was wrapped in a straw mat, and gently pushed him with her small hand, but he did not wake up. She raised her little face and looked at her mother beside her, asking in a soft voice: "Mother, why hasn't Father woken up yet?"

When she learned to use traps to hunt wild boars, there were already seven or eight wolves around her. They were black, light brown, dark gray, and mixed with various colors. Some had followed her because they discovered she had food, while others were too young and had lost their mothers, whom she fed and cared for.

Her mother cried so much that she could not speak, and someone beside her told her: "Your father has died"

The mountains are truly enjoyable. She once ate poisonous mushrooms and suffered from severe vomiting and diarrhea, nearly dying in the process. She encountered a tiger, which clawed a piece of flesh from her leg, and she crouched in a tree for a day and a night, too afraid to move, bleeding all the while. She also encountered a snake, which frightened her so much that she cried out loudly, losing her voice for several days.

In the mountains, there are no years passing, yet time continues to flow. The number of prey she hunted increased, and the one-eyed wolf was the first to notice, often sneaking into her den to drag away her skinned prey. She became furious, pointing at its nose and cursing loudly, and it would respond with whimpers of protest. Gradually, she began to understand some meanings, such as warning, intimidation, retreat, and summoning companions

These creatures will drive the prey into her traps made of cloth, and then she will skin them, taking what she needs. They begin to feed

The fierce one-eyed wolf ultimately drove away the pack of wolves that had come to steal its food. Perhaps having had its fill, it paid her no further attention and instead dragged the corpse of a wild wolf, leaving this place and heading deeper into the mountains. She felt no fear; she merely glanced at the solitary mountain temple. From here, she could vaguely see that village below. She sniffled—my father is dead, you married for your own sake and no longer want me, I hate you, I will no longer pay you any mind

The young girl held her mother's hand, standing in the middle of the crowd, completely unaware of what was happening. Nearby, a child played with a stick, and she hid beside her mother, playing hide and seek with her friends. After a while, her mother took her home, where she stood in a daze for a long time, changed her into new clothes, re-styled her hair, and tied it with a red ribbon. She nestled into her mother's embrace and said, "Mother, when I grow up, I will honor you."

The guards have already repelled the pack of wolves and brought her to the water's edge for a thorough washing

Her mother held her, tears streaming down like rain

However, the boy did not move; from his collar, a colorful head poked out, hissing and spitting out a letter.

She drew the bow and carefully listened to the footsteps outside. However, there was no sound of footsteps, and suddenly a bright light shone before her, startling her. She saw a face that was beautiful to the point of being exquisite. The arrow in her hand had already been released, but the person caught it with a hand, brushed aside the flowering vines, and lifted her up with two fingers.

The boy did not answer her, his body initially convulsing violently, but gradually he became completely still. Her mouth was full of blood, and she finally managed to bite through the rope between his hands, pushing him with satisfaction: "Hey, you can move now!"

A group of dozens of people, each carrying a bow and arrow slung diagonally across their backs, dressed in light white armor, with their steeds being exceptionally fine yellow steeds. She was hidden among the wild rose vines, surrounded by a sea of daylilies and blooming wild roses, where amidst the green grass and flowers, a person was attempting to lasso a wild horse.

The woman covered her face with both hands, her shoulders shaking, refusing to lift her head. She twisted like a worm: "You lied to me, I hate you!" Her mother cried even harder, while the man supporting her struck her head forcefully: "Be honest!"

Is this person ... ... the mountain god

The villagers often come to offer sacrifices, and the wild beasts in the mountains are well aware that there is often food in this cave. When the black wolf dragged her out of the cave, it happened to encounter another pack of wild wolves

Rolling down the path, the boy in front struggled desperately, but the sound only came from his throat. The white girl forcefully spat out the cloth ball from her mouth, lowered her head, and desperately bit at the rope between the boy's hands. Something cold was moving within the boy's body. She asked in a childish voice, "Hey? What is this thing here..."

The white girl struggled desperately, but her strength was negligible. Several villagers bound her with ropes, stuffed her mouth with cloth, and carried her away in a basket to the mountain god's temple. In another basket, a little boy from the same village was also tied up in a twisted manner. The white girl tried to speak to him with muffled sounds, but he continued to cry and did not look at her at all

The crows on the tree all rolled their eyes

With his garments fluttering, he resembled the shadow of a devil under the moonlit night, moving through the books like a swift wind. The wild horses neighed long and loud, startling the wolf pack, as he raised his head and gazed this way

Tears from her mother fell into her hair, cold and icy. The door was kicked open with a bang, and the village chief burst in, pulling her from her mother's embrace and hoisting her over his shoulder, turning the world upside down. She flailed her arms and legs, shouting loudly: "Mother! Mother!"

On this day, she hunted down an adult tiger and was in the process of skinning it when a shameless wolf, already well-fed, approached stealthily to eat the meat. Suddenly, the sound of urgent hoofbeats echoed through the mountains, and she emitted a low, growling sound, causing all the wolves to hide in the dense grass

At that time, the wild roses bloomed vigorously, and the daylilies stretched endlessly, their flowers and leaves reaching the sky. He stood beside the gently flowing stream, resembling a silver chain, wiping his hands with a silk cloth. His fingers were long and smooth, exuding a warmth that was dizzying. She lowered her head and saw a tall and slender figure clearly reflected in the water, rippling in circles with the water's surface.

The nights in the mountains are truly frightening, as even the sound of the wind sweeping through the leaves can be heard. She is afraid of the night; the light of day brings a sense of safety.

When the black wolf dragged her out of the cave, it bit her foot. Yet, she did not feel any pain. She simply sat dazed at the cave entrance, staring at the "big black dog" that had appeared out of nowhere.

The one-eyed wolf is both fierce and wicked, often baring its teeth and growling at her. She merely thinks that this black dog is very fierce, no wonder its owner abandoned it. But I am not fierce; my mother has abandoned me as well. She curls up in the stone cave nearby, with the dog guarding the house, refusing to leave even in death

Before dawn, the young girl woke up from her dream. Rubbing her eyes, she saw several villagers pushing the door open, rolling her father, who was "sleeping" in bed, in a straw mat. Her mother was quietly weeping, and she jumped out of bed to stand beside her mother. The villagers carried her father outside, and not far from there, they began to dig a pit at the foot of the mountain by the village entrance

She rescued those trapped in the mountains, including ginseng gatherers and hunters, guiding them out of the mountains. She took away knives, swords, bows, and other weapons from the dead. Every time she saw a corpse, she felt unhappy. Death is indeed a lonely thing, silently decaying into dust, devoid of thought and voice thereafter

There is someone nearby who is uncertain: "A child? Or a monkey?" It seems to be a child.

This is yet another year of disaster, as more and more people in the village are afflicted with a strange illness, characterized by coughing, fever, and blood in their phlegm. Soon, they will succumb to the illness and be buried in the ground or reduced to a pile of ashes.

As dusk fell into the forest, she stood among the trees, surrounded by darkness and silence. ... No, there was a sound, the hissing, the patterned, icy creatures that crawled into her companions' clothes. ... She clasped her hands over her head, screaming in horror, weeping profusely

As soon as she returned home, Granny Yang from the village came to visit. The white girl sat on the threshold, only hearing Granny Yang speaking softly to her mother, vaguely mentioning, "In such a year of disaster, how can a woman with a child and no surplus grain survive..." "With your looks, it wouldn't be difficult to remarry, but having a child is ultimately a troublesome matter..."

However, she has been hunting continuously, and the number of wolves around her has been increasing. She needs sufficient food. The wolves have also begun to get accustomed to following her, keeping a safe distance, preferring to lie far away in the grass, with only their ears occasionally perked up and turning.

The one-eyed black wolf fought fiercely with the pack of wolves. She seemed to suddenly awaken, gnawing through the ropes, picking up the villagers' carrying pole for offerings, swinging it around haphazardly, and shouting loudly: "Hey, you bunch of guys, what kind of heroes are you for bullying the few with the many? Oh no, what kind of good dogs are you?!"

She is just over five years old, only half understanding, but she still has a vague sense of what is happening. So when Granny Yang left, she ran to her mother and grabbed the hem of her dress: "Mother, please don't send me away, next year I will learn to hunt with the adults, and in the future, I will take care of you"

She opened her mouth wide, wanting to scream but unable to make a sound. In the boundless darkness, that thing moved coldly and slickly within the boy's body, devouring his entire being!