Xie Ling’s silhouette paused briefly. She didn’t turn around, nor did she rebuke him. She just silently entered her tent.
That day, Xie Zhuo stood outside the tent for longer than usual.
After leaving, he went to the ice lake and repeatedly murmured, “Mother, Mother…”
He would tell me, “Flower, she is my mother.”
I didn’t know how to respond to Xie Zhuo, so I just let my petals dance in the wind.
The next day, Xie Zhuo went to find Xie Ling again. This time, when he saw her, he softly called her Mother.
Xie Ling ignored him, as if she hadn’t heard.
On the third day, Xie Zhuo followed behind her and said, “Mother, the flower is still withering even in water.”
Xie Ling glanced at him with annoyance and said, “Get lost!”
On the fourth day, Xie Zhuo still went and said more words.
The fifth day…
My last petal fell. Even with water, I was still a rootless flower.
My spirit floated out from the completely withered summer flower. I looked at Xie Zhuo holding the vase. He lowered his head, thinking about something. After a long time, he still carried the vase out of the tent, and I floated out with him.
As usual, he wandered around looking for Xie Ling.
But today, Xie Ling has never returned.
So Xie Zhuo walked to the tent where Xie Ling returned every day. He looked at the tent, as if guessing whether he had come out late and Xie Ling had already gone back.
He pondered for a long time, as if making some sort of determination. Holding the vase, swaying his fluffy big tail, he walked toward the tent.
With my spirit form, I could only watch him from the side.
Xie Zhuo lifted the door curtain. The tent was simply furnished with a table, chairs, a charcoal stove, a kettle, and a bed. On the bed lay a boy just reaching adolescence—Zhu Lian.
He coughed twice and peeked out from under the covers.
“Mother…” He only called these two words, then stopped.
He saw Xie Zhuo.
Of course, Xie Zhuo saw him too.
The two children had similar facial features. They silently faced each other.
Xie Zhuo noticed the books beside Zhu Lian and the low stool beside the bed that seemed to have been sat on recently.
Zhu Lian’s gaze moved from Xie Zhuo’s ears to his tail.
I guess at this moment, one was thinking about companionship, one about power, each with their own envy and unattainable desires.
Zhu Lian’s hands clenched at his side. He knew who stood before him: “Xie Zhuo…”
And Xie Zhuo also seemed to realize who the person before him was. He saw the brush and ink on the table beside the bed and asked Zhu Lian, “How is my name written? Did Mother teach you?”
Zhu Lian raised his hand and threw the book from the bedside at Xie Zhuo’s face.
The book came flying, but Xie Zhuo just stood there holding the vase, not blocking it. The spine of the book hit Xie Zhuo right in the eye. I don’t know how much it hurt, but I saw Xie Zhuo raise one hand to cover his right eye.
“Get out!” Zhu Lian shouted in anger.
At that moment, urgent footsteps came from outside. Xie Ling almost burst in!
Seeing the situation in the tent, her face immediately turned dark. She grabbed Xie Zhuo’s arm, the very one he was using to cover his eye. The curved angle of his arm made it convenient for Xie Ling to pull him.
Xie Ling directly dragged Xie Zhuo out and threw him aside.
The big tail helped Xie Zhuo find his balance. He didn’t fall, but had some difficulty keeping one eye closed as he looked at Xie Ling.
Xie Ling seemed to be in a towering rage. She looked at Xie Zhuo as if completely infuriated, but strangely, she didn’t say a single word to him. Instead, she turned and headed toward the ice lake.
The surrounding Snow Wolf Tribe people heard the commotion, and some gathered around. Tribe members discussed, “A’Yu seems to be heading toward the direction where the Chieftain is in seclusion…”
“The Evil God’s spirit is in the Chieftain’s body. Will A’Yu be safe going like this?”
“A’Yu knows her limits. This Xie Zhuo really shouldn’t be allowed to wander around.”
“What if he hurt Zhu Lian…”
The surrounding words swirled like a vortex, carrying malice and surging forth.
I only wish I had a pair of hands to cover Xie Zhuo’s ears.
But Xie Zhuo didn’t seem greatly affected. He just rubbed his eye, and once recovered, he followed in the direction Xie Ling had left, despite all the harsh words.
I chased after them too, faster than Xie Zhuo this time. I found Xie Ling first.
As other Snow Wolf Tribe members had said, in the darkest corner of the forest by the ice lake, she was shouting at a black shrine-like wooden cabin, “Imprison Xie Zhuo! Lock him up!”
From the black cabin, there was no response.
In her rage, Xie Ling stepped forward to enter the cabin, but the moment she set foot forward, she was repelled by an invisible force.
Xie Ling fell to the ground. A deep male voice came from the cabin: “Your mission is to offer to the Evil God’s vessel. Or, today you will become food for the Evil God.”
Either offer to Xie Zhuo, or become nourishment for the Evil God today.