Chapter Seventeen: Black Gale,
On the southern slope of the Great Blue Mountain, those digging wild vegetables fled desperately toward the village. The southern slope was not a flat meadow, but scattered with trees—trees that, in years of famine, had provided bark for villagers to stave off hunger, but now stood as obstacles on the road to escape.
The muffled roar unique to wild beasts echoed from the woods, followed by the crashing sounds of a giant beast barreling through the trees.
The One-Eyed Black Wind had arrived!
Compared to the neighboring Li Family Village, the residents of Elm Bay Village—who had received a warning—were clearly the lucky ones.
Everyone digging wild vegetables maintained the utmost vigilance, so the moment the One-Eyed Black Wind appeared, it was spotted early. Most of those gathering were women and children. Women, at least, were adults, but the children could not run fast!
“Something’s wrong! Three girls didn’t escape!”
The news reached the village, and Miao Xiaoyu felt secretly relieved—she had a husband, so she and her sisters never worried about food or drink and did not need to dig for wild vegetables. Naturally, they avoided danger.
But when she instinctively searched for the six little ones, two were missing!
“Ruochang, Ruoyi, and Xiaohua went to dig earthworms together. They said brother-in-law needed them for raising chickens,” the youngest, Miao Xiaofang, clung to her eldest sister and softly delivered a shocking answer.
Miao Xiaoyu felt the world spin. Ruochang, Ruoyi, and Xiaohua—weren’t those the three girls?
“Stay at home and don’t go anywhere! Watch over your sisters!”
Only time for a hurried command, Zhao Hengyi grabbed his crossbow and rushed out of the village!
As he sprinted, the legends of the One-Eyed Black Wind surged in Zhao Hengyi’s mind—cunning, ferocious, powerful, the undisputed king of the mountain forest! The bounty on its head at the magistrate’s office was higher than for any notorious bandit!
He gripped the crossbow tightly, as if only the cold metal could sustain his last hope in this moment.
“Brother-in-law, tell me another story!”
“Brother-in-law, I picked some sour dates for you!”
“My brother-in-law is the best!”
“With brother-in-law around, Ruoyi will never be bullied again!”
Ruochang, Ruoyi, brother-in-law is here, please let nothing happen to you!
In the village, people frantically banged on anything that could make noise, hoping the clamor would keep the One-Eyed Black Wind away. The hunting party and old soldiers all seized crossbows and knives, rushing out of their homes.
The three girls left on the mountain were beyond saving; now all they could do was drive the One-Eyed Black Wind back into the Great Blue Mountain, preventing it from harming more people.
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Perhaps only Zhao Hengyi still held hope.
There were cries—Ruochang and Ruoyi! Amid the beast’s muffled roars and the crashing of trees, children’s sobs could be heard!
That flicker of hope in Zhao Hengyi’s heart, like a spark, burned ever brighter.
“Hengyi, don’t leave the village!”
“Master, don’t run any farther!”
“The One-Eyed Black Wind is vicious—do you want to die?”
Even the hunting party and veteran soldiers, when faced with the infamous One-Eyed Black Wind, dared only hope it would not charge into the village.
The three girls who failed to escape had climbed a tree, but it was not thick enough to withstand the constant battering and pawing of the beast below.
Each time the gigantic black bear stood upright and crashed its forelimbs against the trunk, the girls clinging to the branches trembled like leaves in a storm, seemingly ready to fall at any moment!
There was no hope—rushing over now, even with a crossbow, would only mean another wasted life.
Zhao Hengyi, truly a fool… Foolish Hengyi!
Those two Miao family girls hiding in the tree weren’t even his real sisters—why risk so much for them?
And Miao Xiaoyu, cursed as she was—if not for Hengyi’s reckless determination to save her sisters, would he have ended up in such peril?
Those guarding the village entrance fell silent. Then two more figures dashed out!
Wang Dahu and Wang Erhu!
“Ah, what a miserable affair!” Wu Lao Liu slapped his own forehead hard, lowered his head, and prepared to run out as well.
“Stop right there! Master, that’s the One-Eyed Black Wind—you can’t throw your life away!”
Sixth Aunt kept her eyes on her husband; seeing him about to leave the village, she quickly grabbed him.
“Let go! The master mustn’t die!”
Staring dazedly at her husband’s running figure, Sixth Aunt felt a wave of confusion—yes, the master mustn’t die!
The three girls huddled in the branches, crying miserably. Each time the black bear struck the tree, the girls shrieked in terror.
Zhao Hengyi’s feet flew—he felt he had never run so fast in his life!
Running, he shouted loudly, trying to lure the One-Eyed Black Wind away from beneath the tree.
But the beast was clever—it ignored him, as if knowing that knocking down the three girls above would inevitably draw more rescuers!
“Master, climb the tree!”
---
Wang Dahu’s voice rang out from behind, instantly calming Zhao Hengyi’s frantic mind.
Of course—shouting was useless; if the One-Eyed Black Wind came over, a single crossbow could never kill it, and he himself would likely be smashed to death with a single blow.
Zhao Hengyi estimated the distance and quickly climbed a large tree to the right of the One-Eyed Black Wind.
Fresh prey passed right beside the beast, but the massive creature—shoulder height nearly two meters—remained unmoved, stubbornly battering the trunk of the girls’ tree.
Wang Dahu, Wang Erhu, and Wu Lao Liu followed closely, each climbing a tree.
Zhao Hengyi gulped for air, his lungs burning, throat dry, tears stinging his eyes.
He nocked the crossbow, aimed, prepared to fire… Something was off!
When the four adults arrived and climbed the trees, the black bear’s glossy black fur shimmered in the sunlight, but it stopped battering the girls’ tree.
It panted heavily, the stench rising even to the branches—Zhao Hengyi could smell it clearly. For a moment, he could not guess what the bear was planning.
Thunk!
Wang Dahu, perched in the treetop, was the first to pull the trigger. The bolt shot out!
The one-eyed bear, seemingly unimpaired, tilted its head slightly and dodged the sure-hit arrow!
Wang Dahu had aimed for the beast’s remaining eye!
Thunk!
As if synchronized with his brother, Wang Erhu fired a half-breath later.
The arrow whistled by, tearing off one of the One-Eyed Black Wind’s ears!
Roar!
The beast’s mighty cry erupted, shaking the entire forest!
It was enormous—standing upright, the One-Eyed Black Wind looked so imposing, one could believe it was some ancient monster from primordial times.
Clang!
A sudden metallic clash rang out—Zhao Hengyi, seizing the moment when the bear stood tall and roared, fired a bolt into its open mouth. The shot broke a fang, nothing more.
Such rotten luck!
The broken fang infuriated the One-Eyed Black Wind. It abandoned the other three challengers and charged straight toward Zhao Hengyi’s tree.
Only when the beast thundered up close did Zhao Hengyi realize in shock—the black bear could climb trees!