Chapter 6, The Assassin

The "Hugun" is a unique hairstyle of the Basha men, characterized by shaving most of the hair around the head while leaving a topknot at the center. In the eyes of the Basha people, hair is the lifeline of their ancestors and should not be easily tampered with. From the moment a boy is born, he is not allowed to wash or comb his hair casually, let alone cut it. Every boy must undergo a coming-of-age ceremony between the ages of 7 and 15. On the day of the ceremony, the boy invites several peers of similar age to go up the mountain to hunt birds, catch loaches in the fields, and fish in the streams. Afterwards, the friends gather at the boy's home to drink, with the dishes consisting of the birds and fish they have caught, cooked over an open fire. Then, a shaman from the clan uses a sickle to shave the boy's head, styling it into the "Hugun." However, this ceremony cannot be held on the boy's birthday, as the Basha people believe that shaving one's head on their birthday is inauspicious.

Yilong dashed down from the stilted building, running down the mountain in one breath

The head was quickly shaved. Father went back to smoke. Mother styled his hair into a bun. A Jin squatted down, picking up the fallen hair strands one by one, saying as he collected them: "Hair should not be carelessly discarded; if it is lost, Brother A Long's soul will scatter. Once the soul scatters, Brother A Long will become foolish. We must pick it up and burn it in the stove, so Brother A Long's soul will not scatter..." We must pick it up and burn it in the stove, so Brother A Long's soul will not scatter..."

The employer informed him that the prey would take the train from Yujiang to Liaocheng at 10:05. The employer seemed to know everything; those who know everything are terrifying, more so than wolves, tigers, and leopards.

After securing the household staff, Father gave Yilong a firearm and a protective amulet

At that time, A Jin was only twelve years old, a delicate girl. A Jin leaned out from the beautiful stilted house and said: "Brother A Long, my parents have gone to the fields to harvest the glutinous rice ears, you can go back first, I will go to your house in a little while!"

Father said: "From now on, A Long will be a man. No matter where you go, you must remember that you are a descendant of the Great Emperor Chi You. Also remember, this amulet is a spiritual object left by our ancestors; your life may be lost, but the amulet must not be lost"

A Jin! A Jin!" Yi Long was extremely excited

Yilong shouted breathlessly: "Ajin! Come out! My father is going to give me a household stick..."

Deep-set eyes, prominent cheekbones, Yilong takes pride in his unique appearance. He is a descendant of the great Chiyou, a true Basha Miao person. Indeed, he has been away from the Basha Miao village for a very long time. So long that he cannot recall the appearance of Moon Mountain. ... He misses Basha, misses Moon Mountain, misses the rows of lusheng, misses the clusters of bonfires ... . ... Basha, how he longs to return to Basha, to that homeland that haunts his dreams. He misses Basha, misses Moon Mountain, misses the rows of lusheng, misses the clusters of bonfires ... . ... Basha, how he longs to return to Basha, to that homeland that haunts his dreams. There are his father and mother, and the elderly grandmother. Thinking of his father and mother, thinking of his grandmother, his heart aches inexplicably. However, he cannot go back, cannot return to his Basha, cannot return to his Moon Mountain. It is a kind of helplessness, a profound helplessness that penetrates to the bone. Having left Basha, he feels like a kite, recklessly drifting in an unfamiliar sky ... but he cannot go back, cannot return to his Basha, cannot return to his Moon Mountain. It is a kind of helplessness, a profound helplessness that penetrates to the bone. Having left Basha, he feels like a kite, recklessly drifting in an unfamiliar sky ... . A gust of wind, a shower of rain, even a branch of a dead tree. ... Any kind of accident could sever the thread that connects him to Basha, leading him to an irretrievable fate. Countless days and nights, countless prayers. Praying for the protection of his ancestor, the great Emperor Chiyou, for his grandmother, for his parents, for his beloved Yangasha.

Yi Long calmly followed Shen Mo and Xia Xiaowei, placing the black safe made of special materials containing a Sig Sauer pistol onto the security inspection conveyor belt. The security system showed no abnormal reactions, and he successfully passed through. At the other end of the conveyor belt, Yi Long picked up the safe and blended into the crowd of waiting passengers

Yes, child, every descendant of Chiyou will possess a gun of their own upon reaching adulthood. With a gun in hand, courage is present

September 16 at 9:00 AM. Yujiang Railway Station

Now, he must cooperate with his employer and follow others' arrangements. Because he needs the money in that scoundrel's hands. He can give up his life, but he cannot give up that money. In the name of Chiyou, he swears that he is not a person who is obsessed with money. But now, he would rather exchange his life for that sum of money. Therefore, he has no choice but to accept the employer's new task: he will wait for new prey to enter his sight

Yilong walked briskly across the square in front of the station, the warm sunlight shining on his dark face. At present, all his documents had been changed to another name: Shi Quan. For him, a name was merely a symbol; he used it infrequently, while others used it more often, and it did not matter what it was called.

Yilong sat on the stone stool beside his father, resting his chin on his hands, imagining what he would look like after he had set up a tent.

At this moment, Mother also came out of the stilt house holding a duck egg. Upon seeing the duck egg in A Jin's hand, Mother smiled and said, "Our A Long is so fortunate, he gets to eat two duck eggs when we are making the bamboo sticks."

Then, can I just call A Jin over?" Yi Long stammered

Yilong sat on a stone stool eating a duck egg. His father squatted beside him smoking a water pipe, the long bamboo tube making a gurgling sound. His mother and A Jin stood next to him watching. On the stilted building, there were also a pair of loving eyes observing everything below, that was his grandmother. At that moment, Yilong felt that the duck egg was the most delicious delicacy in the world, and he was the happiest person in the world.

Brother A Long, I have cooked duck eggs for you, and they are still warm! Look!" A Jin held up a cloth in front of Yi Long, carefully opening it to reveal a freshly boiled duck egg. "Boys can injure their vitality when they practice martial arts, so you need to eat duck eggs to replenish it.

"Father, after I have registered my household, can I have my own gun now?"

After purchasing his train ticket, Yilong did not rush to enter the waiting hall. He sat on a leisure chair on the high steps outside the waiting hall, casually observing the street scene. He glanced at his watch; it was still early for the prey to appear. Habitually, he touched the red string around his neck and gently took out his amulet from the collar, the adorable black tadpole. Whenever he felt troubled, he always liked to do this. Seeing this heirloom, he would recall the afternoon of the day after his thirteenth birthday.

I want to call all my friends over!" Yi Long looked up at his father with a raised face

At 9:30, when the large clock at Yujiang Railway Station chimed loudly, the prey appeared—Shen Mo and Xia Xiaowei emerged in the square, dragging two suitcases.

"Has Akin not come?" Father asked without raising his head

Child, you must remember that whether a man has grown up is his own matter and does not need to be performed for others to see. Father had a serious expression on his face

Ajin's stilt house is located at the foot of the mountain, and there are even more stilt houses of other families in the village situated below Ajin's house. Yilong's stilt house is the tallest in the entire village, standing alone on the mountainside.

"You must come!" Yi Long said with a hint of displeasure

Yilong is an assassin. For his Akin—his Yangasha—he became a killer. As a descendant of the last remaining tribe of gunmen in China, although he always carried a gun, he had never considered becoming an assassin before killing that bastard Yibao. After killing Yibao, he suddenly realized that taking a life was actually quite easy, even easier than shooting a wild rabbit or a mountain chicken. It was far less terrifying than he had imagined. After killing Yibao, he suddenly felt that killing a person was indeed very easy, even easier than shooting a wild rabbit or a mountain chicken. It was far less frightening than he had thought.

Yilong walked to the ticket counter

Father patted Yilong's head and said: "Alang, today I will give you a household stick!"

For his beloved woman Akin, he must become a killer; he needs enough money. Moreover, he does not want to spend the rest of his life in a deep prison for killing Yibao, or even be executed. No, absolutely not! Imprisonment and death are not options for him. Not for himself, but for Akin. He is a man, a descendant of Chiyou; imprisonment and death mean nothing to him. However, he cannot abandon Akin. If he goes to prison or dies, the poor Akin will be thrown out of the hospital. He is a man, a descendant of Chiyou; imprisonment and death mean nothing to him. However, he cannot abandon Akin. If he goes to prison or dies, the poor Akin will be thrown out of the hospital

The sun was shining brightly that day, and Xiao Yilong and his father stood in their stilt house.

Your mother is cooking duck eggs for you; once you have eaten the duck eggs, we will begin. Your father raised the sickle above his head to check if the blade was sharp enough.

"Brother A Long, Brother A Long!" A Jin's voice was clear and sweet as she ran while calling out.

She will be here shortly. Yi Long's voice was as soft as a mosquito.

Only then did Yilong turn around and walk back to his home. In front of the stilt house, his father was sharpening the curved sickle.

In the distance, on the flat land, freshly harvested ears of glutinous rice hang on rows of tall drying racks, forming a golden expanse that reaches into the sky, magnificent and splendid

Only the employer can help himself. Not only does the tortoise grandson have the ability to free himself from prison, but he also promises to give himself a considerable sum of money. He has made up his mind that once he receives that money and saves A Jin's life, he will return to Ba Sha. He will go back and let the incessant flow of the Du Liu River wash away his sins

A Jin smiled sweetly and said, "Rest assured! I will definitely go."

Zahu Gun! Yilong jumped up happily, leaping and exclaiming: "Oh, I want to get the Zahu Gun! I want to get the Zahu Gun!"

Father nodded

After finishing the duck egg, Yilong's father put down his pipe, picked up the sickle, and scraped it on the ground a couple of times, which is called gathering the earth's energy. He then rubbed it on himself a couple of times, which is called gathering human energy. Next, he held Yilong's head with one hand while wielding the sickle up and down with the other. Strands of hair fell down, and the blade of the sickle glided closely against Yilong's scalp, creating a tingling and pleasant sensation.

"Aaron, it's time to eat the duck eggs!" Mother called out, elongating her voice.