Chapter 28: Awakening

“Dad!”

Zhao Chun charged forward like a small cannonball and hugged Zhao Mengcheng tightly around the waist.

“Daddy.” Zhao Xin’s movements were a moment slower. She ran so fast that she tripped and fell, but she didn’t cry out in pain. She scrambled up and threw her arms around Zhao Mengcheng’s leg.

Auntie Wang’s eyes were red. “Amitabha, thank goodness you’re alright. You’ve scared these two children half to death.”

Zhao Mengcheng was still holding his son and couldn’t free his hands, so he could only let them cling to him.

Zhao Chun sniffled hard to keep himself from crying, but Zhao Xin couldn’t help herself and had already started dropping golden beans¹.

Zhao Mengcheng comforted them. “Daddy is fine, don’t worry.”

He looked at the concerned faces around him with gratitude. “Thank you for worrying about us. The children and I are all fine.”

The Old Village Chief laughed with relief. “It’s good that you’re fine, it’s good that you’re fine. Quickly, let Old Liu check your pulses. Don’t let yourselves catch a chill.”

Their racing hearts could finally settle. No one could have imagined that Zhao Mengcheng would survive such a disaster. It was truly a great blessing.

Everyone made way for the father and sons to sit in the best spot. Doctor Liu hurriedly stepped forward to check their pulses, but as he did, he frowned in surprise.

“Strange.”

Auntie Wang asked anxiously, “What is it? Did he catch a cold? Quickly, have a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the chill.”

Doctor Liu replied quickly, “Mengcheng’s body is fine. Drinking a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the chill is a good idea regardless. However, the child has suffered a fright and needs to rest well. I’ll go out later to look for some herbs. If I can find enough, I’ll brew him a bowl of calming tea.”

What he found strange was that when he had checked Zhao Mengcheng’s pulse six months ago, his body had been severely depleted, almost at death’s door.

At that time, Doctor Liu couldn’t even write a prescription. He could only tell the Zhao family to go to the city to find a doctor. He had felt in his heart that Zhao Mengcheng wouldn’t be able to hold on and would soon follow Liu Yunniang in death.

As it turned out, in just half a year, Zhao Mengcheng’s pulse was strong and powerful, even healthier than his son, Liu Lei.

Not only Zhao Mengcheng, but even the habitually frail and sickly Zhao Mao’s health had improved significantly. The weakness he had carried since the womb was almost entirely cured.

Doctor Liu thought about how the Zhao family was wealthy now and how Zhao Mengcheng was willing to spend on food and drink. Perhaps that was how he had restored his health, so he suppressed the doubts in his heart.

He felt lucky that the father and sons had been in such good health, otherwise, they never would have survived today’s ordeal.

“That’s good then. Why do you have to speak so hesitantly? I almost thought something was wrong.” Auntie Wang breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to bring over the ginger soup.

After a warm bowl of ginger soup, Zhao Mengcheng felt a spicy warmth spread through his body and let out a long breath.

“What about A-Mao? Should we just pour it down his throat?” Auntie Wang asked, looking at the bowl with some worry.

Zhao Mengcheng picked the child up, pinched his chin to pour a bowl of soup down his throat, then stripped him bare and wiped him dry.

“Cough, cough.” Zhao Mao was choked awake.

“Second brother is awake!” Zhao Chun shouted in surprise.

Zhao Mengcheng’s gaze sharpened as it landed on Zhao Mao’s face.

Zhao Mao’s mind wasn’t clear yet. The first thing he saw was the three heads of his father and siblings. He subconsciously blinked his eyes. “What happened to me?”

“You were stolen by a bad guy and thrown into the river! You almost died! Luckily, Dad jumped in to save you.”

Zhao Chun was still terrified when he thought about what had just happened. He subconsciously gripped his father’s arm tighter. “A-Mao, it’s lucky you’re so resilient, otherwise we would never have seen you again.”

Zhao Mao climbed up in a daze. “I was stolen?”

The others in the Mountain Cave also found it strange. “We must have been too tired yesterday. We all slept so soundly that this dog of a man found an opening.”

At the thought that Monkey Face had actually sneaked in to steal a child while everyone was sleeping, the villagers were filled with deep hatred.

“Don’t you remember?” Zhao Mengcheng asked, looking at him.

Unlike the villagers, Zhao Mengcheng knew in his heart that Zhao Mao hadn’t been stolen. Instead, he had walked out of the Mountain Cave on his own. He had walked out voluntarily and headed toward the mountaintop.

Along the way, there were only Zhao Mao’s own footprints and marks. Monkey Face had never even come near the Mountain Cave.

Zhao Mao shook his head in confusion and patted his head with some distress. “Wasn’t I sleeping next to Dad? How could I have been stolen? I don’t remember anything.”

In a daze, he seemed to dream that he had run to the top of the mountain.

Zhao Mao felt that it must have been a dream. Otherwise, how could he have ended up at the mountaintop when he had been sleeping perfectly fine next to his father?

Vaguely, Zhao Mao tucked this secret into the depths of his heart, not even telling his father.

Zhao Mengcheng touched the child’s head. “If you don’t remember, then forget it. Go over there and dry your hair by the fire.”

Zhao Mao then realized he had been stripped naked. He somewhat embarrassedly covered his little sparrow and crouched by the fire without moving.

Auntie Wang even teased him. “So young and already knows how to be shy. Grandma even changed your diapers when you were little.”

Zhao Mao’s small face turned bright red, and he lowered his head without saying a word.

Zhao Chun leaned against him, not showing the slightest bit of consideration for his younger brother’s thin skin. He said, “You were sleeping way too deeply. You didn’t even know you were being stolen. From now on, don’t sleep next to Dad. Sleep next to me. If you move even an inch, I’ll definitely know.”

Zhao Mao was speechless. With how heavily his older brother slept, how could he be relied upon?

Zhao Chun sighed like a little adult. “I was really scared today. It’s all thanks to Dad. Our dad is truly amazing.”

“Second brother, why are you covering yourself? Dad told you to dry off completely.” Zhao Xin popped her head over.

Zhao Mao turned his body away. “Don’t come over here.”

“Why can’t I come over?” Zhao Xin asked.

Zhao Mao turned completely red. “You’re a girl, have you no shame? Go away and don’t look at me.”

Zhao Xin huffed twice. “I won’t look then. I don’t even care.”

“These three children are truly amusing.”

Auntie Wang had seen enough of the children’s antics and looked back at Zhao Mengcheng. “Why don’t you take off your clothes and dry them too? It must be miserable to stay so wet.”

Zhao Mengcheng naturally felt too embarrassed. There were other families’ wives and daughters in the Mountain Cave, so he only took off his outer coat and sat by the fire.

Zhao Chun and Zhao Xin were truly terrified this time, following him every step of the way.

The men who had gone out of the Mountain Cave to search for them had all taken off their clothes by now. Some were sitting bare-chested, loudly discussing the rescue by the White Dragon.

Liu Bingkun had the loudest voice. “It’s true! There were more than a dozen of us who saw it with our own eyes, how could we be wrong? It was a White Dragon descending from the heavens that saved Brother Mengcheng and brought them to the shore.”

Wang Ming nodded in agreement from the side. “It was indeed a White Dragon. It was hundreds of meters long, with dragon horns. I even saw the whiskers at the corners of it’s mouth.”

The Old Village Chief was skeptical and asked tentatively, “Can there really be a true dragon in this world?”

Liu Bingkun immediately retorted, “Dad, you don’t even believe your own son? Why would I lie to you? Besides, if it wasn’t for the White Dragon saving them, how could Brother Mengcheng have survived?”

“With such high water outside, who else but a White Dragon could have saved both their lives?”

The Old Village Chief clicked his tongue. “If I had known, I should have gone along. This is a true dragon manifesting its spirit.”

“Forget it. With those old arms and legs of yours, you wouldn’t have seen the divine dragon; you would have just tripped and fallen halfway there,” Liu Bingkun teased.

The Old Village Chief was so angry he reached for his tobacco pipe to hit him.

The villagers who hadn’t seen the White Dragon were greatly amazed and leaned in to listen. Liu Bingkun told the story over and over again, adding his own embellishments each time until it became more and more exaggerated.

Liu Fengshou leaned in to ask, “Mengcheng, were you two really saved by a White Dragon?”

What could Zhao Mengcheng say? He could only play it off. “I was dizzy and disoriented at the time, so I don’t remember clearly.”

Liu Bingkun was unhappy with that. “Uncle Fengshou, do you still not trust me? Why would I lie to you? Besides, even if I were lying, would all dozen of us lie together? What good would that do us?”

“That divine dragon was hundreds of meters long. We saw it with our own eyes, we definitely didn’t see it wrong.”

Zhao Mengcheng’s mouth twitched. It was just over ten meters a moment ago, and now it was hundreds of meters. In a few days, it would probably become a hundred thousand miles long.

No one felt anything was wrong. A divine dragon should be that large. They all praised the event. Those who had seen it felt great pride, while those who hadn’t regretted it deeply, wishing they had followed along to catch a glimpse and soak in the divine dragon’s aura.

Even Wang Ming said, “What we saw with our own eyes cannot be faked.”

He was a famously honest man. As soon as he spoke, those who had originally thought Liu Bingkun was telling tall tales became uncertain and began to believe.

“This White Dragon is a divine being. Now that they have appeared in our Qingshan Village, perhaps our village is destined to produce a great figure.” As the Old Village Chief spoke, he looked toward Zhao Mengcheng and his sons, wondering if this great figure would be the father or one of the sons.

Whether it was the father or a son, they would ultimately be of the Zhao family.

The Old Village Chief sighed in his heart. Why didn’t the divine dragon take a liking to those of them named Liu? Fortunately, although Zhao Mengcheng was named Zhao, he was still a person of Qingshan Village.

Seeing they were getting more and more carried away, Zhao Mengcheng coughed and changed the subject. “Where is that beast?”

“Hanging in the back.”

Zhao Mengcheng walked over and was startled by what he saw.

Monkey Face had been beaten into a pincushion. His entire body was covered in dense scars, looking as if he had been through a mountain of knives and a sea of fire.

Seeing Zhao Mengcheng return alive, Monkey Face’s eyes widened in terror and he struggled incessantly.

Zhao Chun ran over, picked up a branch from the ground, and whipped him several times. “Dad, I’m getting revenge for you and Second Brother.”

Zhao Xin followed his example, puffing out her cheeks and gritting her teeth as she whipped him viciously.

Zhao Mengcheng finally knew where all those scars had come from. A closer look revealed that the two children lacked strength. While it looked gruesome, the wounds were actually all superficial.

“Wait a moment, Dad has something to ask him.”

The Old Village Chief walked over, his face also full of worry. “Now that you’re safe, how do you think we should handle him?”

“Beat him half to death first! He dared to come to our village to steal children. Even if we kill him, we shouldn’t have to pay with our lives,” Wang Ming said resentfully.

The Old Village Chief knew it wasn’t that simple. This man was from Shanghe Town and had ties to the Wan Family. What if they actually killed him? Would his family let it go? Even if he was in the wrong, the villagers wouldn’t come out ahead if a life was lost.

Since Zhao Mengcheng was alive, the Old Village Chief’s previous drive to seek justice had dissipated.

“Let me ask him first.”

Zhao Mengcheng pulled out the smelly sock. “Who sent you?”

Monkey Face’s expression was twisted. “You’re actually alive? How could you not be dead?”

“I’m alive, which means your end is near,” Zhao Mengcheng said coldly.

Monkey Face blustered, “You don’t dare kill me! Once I recover, I’ll be just as much of a man as before.”

Zhao Mengcheng sneered. “First, you kidnapped my son. Then, after being discovered, you tried to kill us to silence us, nearly costing us our lives. Lord Huang is most wise; he will never let you go unpunished.”

“The evidence is conclusive. According to the laws of the Great Zhou, kidnapping commoners can be punished by hanging or beheading. Your entire family will be branded² and sentenced to hard labor.”

Monkey Face shuddered in fear.

Wang Ming and Liu Bingkun shouted along, “We can all testify! We’ll have the County Magistrate chop his head off in the vegetable market.”

Zhao Mengcheng’s gaze was icy. “We won’t beat you to death. But the sky has cleared, and the floodwaters will soon recede. That will be the day you die.”

Monkey Face finally felt fear, his whole body trembling.

“Don’t you damn well try to scare me! I wasn’t raised to be afraid. I’m one of the Wan Family’s people. Even the County Magistrate wouldn’t dare touch me lightly.”

Zhao Mengcheng scoffed. “Is that so? Was kidnapping a young child done on the Wan Family’s orders then?”

Monkey Face realized his mistake and sneered, “Don’t think you can trick me into talking.”

Zhao Mengcheng shrugged indifferently. “It doesn’t matter whether they did or not. The County Magistrate indeed wouldn’t want to cross the Wan Family, but what are you? Just a mad dog kept by them. Do you really think they’ll stick their necks out for you?”

“If I were you, I’d be thinking hard about how to clear my name. Otherwise, not only will you die, but you’ll drag your whole family down with you.”

Without waiting for Monkey Face to say more, Zhao Mengcheng stuffed the smelly sock back in.

Panic filled Monkey Face’s eyes, but no matter how he struggled, the villagers felt no sympathy, only a sense of relief.

“Pah! He’s getting off easy,” Zhao Chun spat at him.

Zhao Mengcheng smiled and patted his small head. “He will pay for what he’s done.”

Not just Monkey Face; he wouldn’t let the people behind him off either.

Zhao Mengcheng narrowed his eyes, suddenly recalling a memory briefly mentioned in the book.

The three Zhao siblings were the biggest villainous cannon fodder in the book. The eldest was a brave warrior, and the second was peerlessly wise; they were obstacles the protagonist had to overcome to rise.

The reason these three obscure siblings from a small mountain village entered the chaotic fray originated from a deal made by the Wan Family.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the Wan Family was currently trafficking children, training boys to be death soldiers³ and using girls as bribes or spies.

Not all of these children were sold voluntarily.

“Dad, I’ll protect my brother and sister from now on so you don’t have to work so hard,” Zhao Chun said, tugging at his hand.

Zhao Mengcheng snapped out of it and smiled, pinching the boy’s nose. “As long as I’m here, there’s no need for that yet.”

Hearing this, Zhao Chun lowered his head and fell silent.

Zhao Mengcheng sighed and leaned down to ask, “Were you terrified today?”

Zhao Chun’s eyes were still red. He stiffened his neck and said, “I wasn’t scared. I knew Dad would be fine.”

He didn’t dare mention the despair and panic he felt earlier. When he heard his father and second brother had fallen into the river, he could do nothing but hold his sister and cry.

At that moment, a massive longing erupted in Zhao Chun’s heart.

He wanted to grow up, to practice martial arts, to become powerful, and to stand in front of his father and siblings so they wouldn’t be harmed.

“I just think he’s getting off too easy. I wish I could beat him to death,” Zhao Chun said.

Zhao Mengcheng pressed his forehead against the boy’s. “A lowly person like him isn’t worth dirtying your hands over. Let him live a few more days. During this time, he’ll be consumed by fear and suffer every moment.”

Zhao Chun nodded vigorously.

Zhao Mao ran back after drying his hair, finally feeling comfortable again after putting on a fresh set of clothes.

“Is he the one who stole me?” Zhao Mao frowned as he looked, but he had no memory of it.

“It’s him! He’s so bad!” Zhao Xin said, giving him another lash with a tree branch.

Zhao Mao pointed. “You should hit him here. Hitting this spot hurts a lot but won’t kill him.”

Zhao Xin listened and adjusted her aim, specifically picking the most painful spots.

Zhao Mengcheng simply pulled all three children to his side to stop them from tormenting Monkey Face further. “The rain has stopped. The flood will recede soon, and then we can go home.”

“Really? That’s great! I want to go home so much!” Zhao Xin cheered.

Not just her; all the villagers who had taken refuge on the mountain wanted to go back. They were worried about their belongings and were anxious to return immediately.

The Old Village Chief knew everyone was anxious, so he sent people to keep an eye on the water level.

By now, Zhao Mengcheng was no longer in a hurry. He even had the mood to teach the three children to read, writing three names on the ground.

“Your names come from the same couplet: ‘Chun and Xuan flourish together; Tang and Di share their fragrance⁴.'”

Zhao Mao leaned against him and said, “I know! It means the Chun tree and the Xuan grass are both lush, representing the hope that parents live long and healthy lives.”

“Mao is so smart. That’s exactly what it means.” The original owner had given them these names with beautiful hopes for his children. Unfortunately, fate was cruel; these three children lost their parents early and lived lives of displacement, ending in tragedy.

Zhao Mao said happily, “Our names are the most beautiful in the village, and they have the best meanings. Dad, teach me more.”

Zhao Mengcheng laughed. “Next year, Dad will send you to school. You’ll learn much more then.”

Seeing his father and brother chatting so comfortably, Zhao Chun suddenly spoke up. “Dad, I don’t want to go to school.”

Zhao Mengcheng was a bit surprised. They had already agreed to find a school for the two boys next spring.

“Why?” he asked, not rushing to refuse.

Zhao Chun said, “I want to practice martial arts and become very powerful. If I meet someone like that again, I can knock them down with one punch.”

“Besides, I’m not as smart as my brother. When you teach us, he learns everything instantly. It takes me forever to remember anything, even slower than Xin’er. I don’t think I’m cut out for studying.”

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t think studying was the only path, but after a moment’s thought, he said, “Even if you don’t want to go to school, you must at least learn to read and write. Otherwise, you’ll be easily cheated in the future.”

“But I…” Zhao Chun said anxiously.

Zhao Mengcheng added, “But since you want to learn martial arts, I can think of a way. You just have to be sure. Practicing martial arts might be even harder than studying.”

“I’ve made up my mind. I’m not afraid of how hard or tiring it is,” Zhao Chun promised solemnly.

Zhao Mengcheng began to think seriously. His own abilities relied on his Mental Power tentacles and couldn’t be replicated. If Zhao Chun wanted to learn martial arts, he would need to find a proper master.

Zhao Xin looked at her eldest brother, then her second brother, and bit her finger. “Then what should I learn?”

“Xin’er can start by learning to read. When you’re a bit older, we’ll see what you like,” Zhao Mengcheng smiled.

Zhao Xin asked curiously, “Can I learn whatever I like?”

Zhao Mengcheng stroked her hair. “Of course.”

A small seed was planted in Zhao Xin’s heart. She tilted her head, trying hard to think about what she liked. She liked eating and new clothes, but most of all, she liked her dad and her brothers.

The flood came quickly and left just as fast.

Less than three days after the rain stopped, the person watching the water level returned. “Village Chief, I saw that the village has emerged!”

Now, no one could stay still. Although they had only been on the mountain for a few days, the constant worry was unbearable.

The Old Village Chief looked at Zhao Mengcheng. “Do you think it will rain again? Will the water level rise back up?”

Zhao Mengcheng shook his head. “After such a massive downpour, it’s unlikely to continue.”

The Old Village Chief made an immediate decision. “Then we go down the mountain. The sooner we get home, the sooner we can be at peace.”

The villagers cheered and began packing their belongings to head home.

“I hope my family’s grain is okay.”

“The quilts must be soaked. Luckily they’ll still be usable once they dry out. As long as the grain is fine, it’s okay.”

“I just hope the house hasn’t collapsed. Otherwise, what will we do this winter?”

The villagers excitedly packed their things and moved out family by family. Finally, only the suspended Monkey Face remained.

“What about him?” Monkey Face had been hanging for two days. Even with the smelly sock removed, he no longer had the strength to curse.

“Take him down the mountain. We’ll send him to the magistrate’s office today to avoid any further trouble,” Zhao Mengcheng said, reaching for the rope.

Monkey Face wanted to run, but he had no strength left. He was dragged along like a dead pig.

Halfway down, the Old Village Chief suddenly remembered Zhao Wencheng’s family.

He looked around, still worried, and called his son over. “Go take a look at the mountain peak. If they’re still there, let them know.”

Liu Bingkun was extremely reluctant. “The mountaintop won’t get flooded anyway. That family is clever; they’ll come down on their own once the rain stops.”

The Old Village Chief scolded him, “We’re all from the same village. At least go and give them a word.”

Liu Bingkun had no choice but to start heading up the mountain, though he couldn’t stop grumbling to himself. “They didn’t say a word to the village when they left early. They clearly don’t see us as their own people.”

At the thought of Zhao Wencheng’s family sneaking away and intentionally hiding it from the villagers, Liu Bingkun felt nothing but disdain.

On the mountaintop, Zhao Wencheng also sensed something was wrong. They had been up there for five or six days, yet not a single person had come up.

He wondered, “Where did everyone go? They couldn’t have all been swept away by the flood, could they?”

Looking down from the peak was even more terrifying. When the rain was heavy, the foot of the mountain was a vast expanse of water, looking as if everything had been submerged.

Their family was the only one on the peak. Although it looked safe, he still felt an underlying sense of dread.

“We should have informed the Village Chief before coming up,” Zhao Wencheng couldn’t help but say.

“Dad, even if you went to tell him, would the Village Chief even listen to you? He only listens to Zhao Mengcheng.”

Hearing this, Zhao Wencheng’s face darkened. “Forget it. It’s their fate.”

Zhao Xiaohua chewed on some dry rations and said heartlessly, “Who cares where they went? It’s more spacious for us if they don’t come.”

In her heart, she wished the four men of the Zhao family would be swept away by the flood, so she wouldn’t have to worry about Zhao Xin competing with her for the position of Empress.

As for the life or death of the other villagers, what did that have to do with her? Zhao Xiaohua even felt she deserved great credit. If she hadn’t leaked some information to prompt an early autumn harvest, half the village would have starved to death this winter!

For a moment, Zhao Wencheng thought he heard a voice from the mountainside. “Hey, listen. Is someone calling for A-Mao?”

Zhao Dasao rolled over impatiently, and Zhao Xiaohua added, “Dad, if you’re bored, fix the tent. It’s leaking inside. If I get sick and they don’t want me anymore, I won’t be able to become the Empress.”

Zhao Wencheng’s face soured, and he didn’t bring it up again. He wanted to head down as soon as the rain stopped.

But Zhao Xiaohua stopped him. “It’s too early. Wait three more days before going down. The water will have receded by then.”

Zhao Wencheng stood at the peak, looked at the vast flood below, and agreed.

Once the sun came out, the three of them were even more comfortable on the mountaintop. With food and drink and no more rain, they were quite at ease.

Zhao Xiaohua was smug. If she hadn’t reminded them, how could her family have claimed such a good spot? In her previous life, when they followed the main group up, they could only occupy a cramped, miserable little corner.

With nothing to do, Zhao Xiaohua even felt like weaving a flower wreath, wearing it on her head with a delighted expression.

While Zhao Dasao cooked, Zhao Wencheng had nothing to do but lie in the tent and sleep.

None of them noticed that a massive boulder on the peak, loosened by the washing rain, was slowly sliding. With a thunderous crash, it collapsed and came rolling down.

Liu Bingkun, reluctant and dragging his feet as he climbed, had just reached the top when he heard a loud boom followed by a girl’s scream.

Translator’s Notes