156 Breaking through the Barrier (2/2)
”I am back.”
Dragging the dead body of the blue sheep, carrying a heavy bag and leading two lambs, Ning Que returned to the shabby hunting lodge between trees.
A little girl ran out to greet him. She was around the age of four or five with a dark complexion, wearing hide clothes.
The hunting lodge was very shabby with dim light, and the Old Hunter sitting beside the copper brazier put down the tobacco rod, looked emotionlessly at Ning Que, and spat a thick glob of sputum on the ground before asking, ”How about the harvest today?”
”Good.” Ning Que replied.
The Old Hunter's face was full of wrinkles, from which you could never expect any hint of love or kindness, but only greed and cold.
”Let's eat.”
The Old Hunter grabbed a piece of meat to eat and felt something was wrong with the taste, so he shouted in abuse, ”You wicked thing! I told you to put less salt! Salt is so expensive! Who gave you the money? How wicked you are! Feeding you is just wasting my money. I will raise you for another two years, and then sell you to prostitutes to get some money!”
With her head lowered, the little girl was full of panic. Ning Que also lowered his head, looking at the sweet watery potato porridge, where his eyesight was reflected. From his eyes, one could see star-like flames burning.
He had listened to this kind of scolding for years. He had endured this treatment where the Old Hunter ate meat, while he and Sangsang couldn't even drink the leftover broth for many years. He thought he had become accustomed to it, yet it seemed that he could no longer continue to endure it.
Little Sangsang held the porridge bowl with her two little hands, her thin arm somewhat trembling, and suddenly she began to cough.
Ning Que stretched out his hand to hold the bowl for her.
The Old Hunter drank some spirit, and said on top of the wine, ”You are sensible. If the bowl had broken, just see how I would have dealt with her.”
Taking a glimpse at the bowl filled with meat in front of the Old Hunter, Ning Que stood up towards him and persuaded sincerely, ”Grandpa, Sangsang was ill again last night. How about giving her a piece of meat?”
The Old Hunter slapped Ning Que's head, glared at him, and cursed, ”Prey is for you to eat? It is used to change for money and salt! You think I treat you badly, then go away! If you can seize a tiger and use the tiger bones to pay back the money I used to raise you for these years, then I'll let you go! I spent a great price on that steel trap, yet you are so useless!”
Ning Que retreated without a word.
After drinking, the Old Hunter went out to see the prey that Ning Que brought back today.
A moment later, he indignantly came in with a whip, then began whipping Ning Que, scolding, ”You prodigal son! I have taught you many times! Big prey should be slaughtered back here! Who told you to kill it outside?”
Ning Que's face was full of bloodstains, yet he neither avoided nor evaded, because he was clear that it was meaningless to do so. He just lowered his head and explained, ”That blue sheep was too heavy, I couldn't drag it back if I didn't kill it first. Anyway, I was careful when killing it, and you can still get the whole skin off of it.”
”You can't drag it back? Then what's the use of you?”
The Old Hunter furiously beat him, growling, ”You only know the skin, but the blood is also able to earn money! You bastard!”
”Bastard!”
The Old Hunter walked out of the hunting lodge in a rage.
Ning Que looked at Sangsang, who was holding the porridge bowl with her lowered head, and wiped away the blood from his face. Then he smiled at her, saying, ”That's good. Do not try to block the whip for me, or else that old thing will beat me even more energetically. ”
Holding that big bowl, Sangsang vigorously nodded her head.
”Wicked girl! Go and get ready the bath water!”
The disgruntled abuse of the Old Hunter came from outside the lodge. No one knew what had aroused all his resentment.
Sangsang looked up nervously at Ning Que.
Ning Que was busy eating the meat that the Old Hunter forgot to hide. Then, after a moment of silence, he nodded.
…
…
The inside and the outside of the vast Min Mountain were totally different worlds.
Outside the mountain, it had already become the fifth year of Tianqi era of the Tang Empire, while for those living inside the mountain, the days were merely monotonous repetitions day after day. As for the Old Hunter who had retained Ning Que and Sangsang, he finally found a way of killing time in this monotonous world—whipping, abusing and the like.
That year, Ning Que was already a lad of about ten.
That year, Sangsang was five.
…
…
Sangsang was pouring hot water into the bucket, which was immediately shrouded by hot vapor.
The naked Old Hunter in the bucket looked at her and scolded, ”Damn you! You're so dirty, go and wash yourself.”
Sangsang nodded, and then walked out of the room. Later she dragged herself back after picking up the basin of hot water from Ning Que.
The hot water was boiling, and was scaldingly hot.
Sangsang stepped onto the bench, pouring it over the Old Hunter from his head to his feet.
An extremely miserable cry sounded inside the room.
The old hunter ran out, naked, with blisters all over his body. He squinted, for his eyesight was blurred, as he crazily waved the hunting knife in his hand, cursing out the most vicious words he knew.
Bang! A crisp and loud sound of two metal clamps hitting each other was heard, after which the Old Hunter flopped over, uttering an even more mournful scream.
His right leg was caught in the stainless-steel beast trap used to hunt tigers and was half-broken.
Ning Que and Sangsang came over, looking at the Old Hunter lying in a pool of his own blood.
Even in such a situation, the Old Hunter still retained the ruthlessness of the mountain people, staring at Ning Que and scolding him even though he was dying, ”You little git! You ungrateful thing! Damn you!”
”Well, we have paid you back for all these years, and now it's time for revenge.”
Ning Que drew the hunting knife out from behind him, looking at the slouched flesh of the Old Hunter as well as the bloody root of his thigh, and then said, ”I could have endured you for two more days, yet you didn't give me the chance.”
”If you had not promised to sell Sangsang to prostitutes, we would not have killed you.”
”If you had not gone to take a bath, we couldn't have killed you.”
Ning Que looked at him and, after a long moment of silence, he continued, ”In fact, just now... if you had allowed Sangsang to eat the meat, maybe we would not have killed you. We just planned to sneak away.”
The Old Hunter heavily gasped, looking at him blankly.
Then Ning Que clenched the hunting knife and firmly chopped it down.
The head of the Old Hunter fell down.
After a while, Ning Que walked out of the hunting lodge, the boxwood bow and the quiver on his back, the hunting knife on his waist slightly swinging.
Sangsang followed him, holding the worn big black umbrella.
”If you are tired, then climb onto my back.”
Then the two disappeared into the vast Min Mountain.
…
…
Night had come, the thick mist in the mountain behind the Academy was as smooth and thick as milk.
Ning Que stood on the stone steps, with his head lowered. After a long period of silence, he slowly raised his hands.
He clenched his hand to make a hollow fist, as if he was holding an invisible knife.
The night wind was wuthering around the mountain path.
He slightly tilted and suddenly cut down, which broke through the night as well as the fog on the mountain path.
After the cut, another step appeared.
Total silence was found in the thick mist around the peak.
Then a voice of compassion sounded, ”I do not know what kind of suffering Ning Que has experienced in his life, nor did he mention it in the old library. How could the mountain path be... so difficult for him?”
”The Mountain Path stretches endlessly ahead, where all previous painful memories are changed into reality to block those who climb. If they can overcome them easily, it will be easier to climb up. But if not, and thus wanting to retreat, then the top will never be reached.”
The words from Second Brother were gradually heard. It was only now that they could find the slightest tint of respect and seriousness in his voice.
”Both of the two climbers today are interesting, especially Ning Que.”
”Those painful memories in the depths of his heart, although I do not know what they really are, are things that he actually doesn't want to forget, and does not even feel regretful for. To see through them is moreover unnecessary in his heart. Facing the darkest corner at the bottom of his heart, as well as those painful experiences, he still chose the same path he did years before.”
”If he cannot see through them, then how can he keep his heart unchanged over the years?”
”Since he doesn't want to see through them, then he can just break through them.”
”He wants to break the mountain path.”