Morning light fell across the hoe, the curled edge of its iron blade gleaming dully beneath the sun. Chen Wuya leaned the handle against the wall, his palm still smeared with mud he had not washed off last night, the raw marks rubbed into his fingertips faintly burning. He had only just straightened up when hurried footsteps came from the mountain path in the distance.
The man stumbled as he ran, the soles of his straw sandals nearly split through, several tears slashed across his trouser legs by brambles, blood seeping from his knees. He crashed headlong into the courtyard, too out of breath to form a full sentence. He only raised a hand to point at the door, then at his own mouth, forcing out a few words from his throat. "Help... help!"
Bai Zhi emerged from the house carrying half a bowl of water. She did not rush to offer it to him. Instead, she stood three paces away and quietly studied the newcomer. Seeing someone answer the door, the man finally could not hold himself up any longer. He dropped onto the stone steps, bracing both hands against the ground as he gulped in air.
"Who are you?" Chen Wuya asked. His voice was low, and he did not step forward.
"Willow Creek Village..." The man finally caught his breath and looked up at them. "My name is Li Stone. Something... happened in the village."
He spoke with a thick mountain accent, his words blurred, but his gaze neither shifted nor faltered. His face was dusty, and there was an abrasion at his temple, as though he had fallen while crossing the mountains through the night.
"What happened?" Bai Zhi handed him the water.
The man snatched it and gulped down a mouthful, only to choke. Coughing,