Chapter Three: A Twist of Fate

She had no idea how much time had passed before the forest finally quieted. Just as Gu Weiyu was about to emerge from beneath the rock wall, her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the corpses of the giant serpent and the toad outside. Why had these two beasts fought so ferociously to the death? Was there truly some rare treasure or miraculous herb to be found here?

Cautiously, she poked her head out from under the rock. Though all seemed quiet now, hidden dangers might still lurk. Yet she was unwilling to leave empty-handed, afraid of missing out on a stroke of fortune if some priceless treasure really were present.

She hesitated for a moment, then recalled the old trick of testing the path ahead with a thrown stone. She picked one up from the ground and tossed it toward the clearing. After a long moment with no sound or movement in response, she finally stood up and crept out from behind the rock.

The forest around her was utterly changed, the ground torn and battered. Not far away, the huge bodies of the serpent and the toad lay sprawled and motionless. Yet she still dared not approach rashly. She picked up another stone and threw it at the body of the nearer serpent.

The stone struck with a dull thud, but the serpent did not stir. Once smooth and vibrant, its scales had been corroded and pitted by the toad’s venom, rendering it a ghastly sight. Still, her heart could not settle. She threw another stone at the toad lying not far from the serpent.

The toad, struck by misfortune in the chaos of battle, must have been felled by a blow from the great snake’s tail—its skull was split open, grayish, sticky matter oozing out. When the stone struck, its gills contracted spasmodically, spraying several jets of thick, black, fetid liquid.

The sight sent a chill down Gu Weiyu’s spine. Had she walked straight over just now, caught by that venom, her fate would surely have been worse than the serpent’s. She threw several more stones just to be sure, and only when both beasts remained utterly still did she begin to feel safe.

With the threat of the two monsters gone, her curiosity and greed surged anew. She told herself she would just take a quick look and then leave.

She skirted around the corpses, following the traces of their violent struggle deeper into the woods. To her surprise, she discovered that, while most of the area had been ravaged by the battle, one spot by a pool remained untouched, pristine as before.

Gu Weiyu’s instincts told her whatever wonder she sought must lie by that water. She found herself edging closer.

In the center of the pool, a single lotus grew quietly, swaying gracefully with the breeze.

This lotus bore nine leaves, and between them, a single violet blossom bloomed in the center, radiant as the moon among the stars.

At the sight of the purple lotus, Gu Weiyu knew at once this was no ordinary plant. The serpent and the toad must have fought to the death over it. After a moment’s hesitation, she stepped to the pool’s edge.

The water was warm to the touch—this was a hot spring! She waded in, pulled up the lotus by its roots, and hurried back the way she had come.

As she passed the corpses of the serpent and the toad, she could not help but feel a pang of regret. She had heard that beast flesh could be a great tonic, and she berated herself for being so small and weak, unable to carry even a portion away.

Reluctantly, she left the two carcasses behind. She had gone only a few steps when the anxious voices of her clansmen reached her from afar, calling her name. “Ayü? Ayü, where are you?”

Delighted, Gu Weiyu shouted back, “Here! I’m here!”

At the sound of her voice, three men clad in animal hides quickly appeared before her. “Ayü, did you fall down?”

Gu Weiyu was covered in dirt, her hair tangled and matted with grass, twigs, and sand. Her hide shirt was torn, and her arms and legs bore several scrapes.

“Uncle Agen, up ahead two beasts fought to the death…” She pointed toward the scene.

“Fought to the death?” Uncle Agen was surprised. Exchanging glances with the other two, curiosity sparked in their eyes. “Ayü, you and Awu wait here. Alu and I will go take a look.”

Gu Weiyu nodded obediently and stood with Uncle Awu while the others went ahead. She staggered to a nearby rock and sat down, suddenly realizing how utterly exhausted she was.

Uncle Awu handed her a bamboo tube. “Ayü, want some water?”

Her throat parched, she gulped down several mouthfuls before feeling revived.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Agen and Alu returned—one carrying the serpent’s carcass, the other hauling the toad’s. Their faces glowed with excitement. Both serpent and toad could be used as medicine—surely, this meant a windfall for the clan. “Ayü, you’re truly our tribe’s lucky star! Come, let’s head back to the village together!”

As they left the forest, they met other hunters and herbalists from the tribe. At the sight of the two giant beasts, cheers and laughter broke out anew.

Back in the village, Ayü made a point of accompanying Uncle Agen to see the chief, who was meeting with the tribe’s shaman, Mu. She recounted everything she had seen in the forest.

“Wait—little girl, you said you dug up something by the pool?” Mu, who had been sitting calmly on a stone bench, widened her eyes in astonishment when she heard of the many-leaved lotus. Something in her heart leapt to her lips.

Gu Weiyu took the lotus from her basket. Mu sprang up so abruptly that her stone stool rolled away beneath her. “This… is this a Nine-leaf Lotus?”

Nine-leaf Lotus? Gu Weiyu had no idea how precious this was, and looked on in confusion as Mu pulled a thick tome from thin air, flipping quickly to a certain page.

Gu Weiyu could not read the words, but the illustration beside them was unmistakable—it was exactly the same as the plant in her hands.

“It really is a Nine-leaf Lotus!” The chief came over, face alight with joy. “This is a spirit herb!”

“Indeed!” Mu, still unable to hide her excitement, put the book away. Only then did Gu Weiyu notice the book vanish directly from Mu’s hands, and realized that neither the magical book nor the talk of spirit herbs seemed to surprise anyone else in the stone house. Everything was turning her world upside down.

She had thought she’d come to a primitive tribe, even dreaming of leading them to prosperity. But now she saw this world held far more strangeness than she had imagined.

“Ayü, the Nine-leaf Lotus is an exceedingly rare spirit herb, with miraculous and mysterious effects—its value is beyond measure! You have rendered great service to the tribe!” The chief beamed at her, ruffling her hair with pride.

Gu Weiyu looked up at him, eyes shining with hope. “Grandpa Chief, about my father…”

Mu interjected gently, “Little Ayü, it will be hard for your father to recover completely. But now that we have the Nine-leaf Lotus, we can go to the county city to buy healing pills to help strengthen him. He may not be able to hunt like before, but at least he won’t be confined to bed.”

“My great-grandfather used to say, there are countless miraculous medicines in this world—some can bring the dead back to life or restore flesh to bone. Surely, there must be a herb that can restore lost limbs. If, in the future, you are fortunate enough…”

At the mention of a medicine that could restore lost limbs, Gu Weiyu heard nothing else. “Sister Shaman, is what you say really true?”