The weather was growing warmer, and the snow on the ground was gradually melting, revealing scattered patches of dull green. The air outside was still quite chilly, but wearing fur coats had become a little stifling. Alos and Mishaer wore snow lion fur coats as capes while practicing small joint-locking techniques against each other in the clearing. The two carefree children giggled and played around, paying no attention to Chen Jinyang, who stood nearby with his brows and eyes scrunched up in anger.
Chen Jinyang was completely at a loss when it came to the two little ones. Alos believed he would become a powerful spellcaster. He could already move small objects from a distance, conjure a few little torches around himself, and make an object shine as brightly as a torch. Mishaer was terribly envious. Every time, she had Alos light up her beloved helmet, then paraded around with her bright, shining "treasure." But Alos had some painful memories and lingering trauma where his little sister's helmet was concerned.
Once, Alos had shown off his ability to move small objects from a distance and bragged to the little girl about how powerful he would become. He had grand ambitions of one day "punching dragons and kicking demigods." His boastful claims grew more and more outrageous, until Mishaer—no longer the quiet, well-behaved girl she had once been, but now mischievous and sly—couldn't take his smugness any longer. She shouted at him:
"I don't believe you! You're making it up!"
"I'm not making it up! I'll show you!" Alos couldn't stand having anyone doubt his abilities as a "great spellcaster of the future," especially Mishaer. He had to prove himself to his little sister. His eyes darted around, searching for a suitable prop, until they settled on Mishaer's head—or, more precisely, the Horn of Kor she was wearing. Alos knew that although the Horn of Kor looked fairly large, it was light as a feather and barely weighed anything in his hands. He rubbed his hands together and grinned at the little girl. "Mishaer, let me borrow your helmet!"
"No! You can't use my 'Princess Knight Crown'!" Who knew why the little girl had given the great Horn of Kor such a tacky name. "What if you break it?"
"That whatever-it's-called Crown of yours is so sturdy. How could I break it?!"
"It's the 'Princess Knight Crown'!" the little girl interrupted to correct him.
"Fine, the 'Princess Knight Crown'! Maybe you're just afraid to lend it to me. You're scared I really can cast spells!" The somewhat "sneaky" Alos even resorted to goading her.
The innocent little girl ultimately fell for his crude trick. She handed over her beloved "crown" with a huff, then watched anxiously as Alos placed it on the ground, afraid the performer might damage it in the slightest.
Facing the Horn of Kor on the ground, Alos declared loudly, "Behold the spectacular performance of Alos, the great spellcaster of the future!" He fell silent and focused on his target, holding out one hand toward the helmet. He gave a small, empty-handed tug and lifted his hand. "Rise!" The little boy stared in confusion. The Horn of Kor lay perfectly still on the ground. He had failed!
Impossible! Why wasn't it moving? Alos tried twice more, his heart pounding, but failed both times. He could only cast four little spells a day. He had already used one earlier, and now he had used three more, exhausting his daily allowance. The boy stared at his hands in dismay and muttered in disbelief, "How could this happen? That's impossible! I succeeded once this morning!"
Mishaer had been just as nervous, but now she let out a sigh of relief. With a triumphant look, she picked up the Horn of Kor and held it in both hands. As she put it on her head, she teased the loser, "Alos! Your bragging finally backfired! Ha ha! Alos is a big braggart! A braggart!" The little boy, his face burning red, covered it with his hands and ran away. Over the next few days, Alos discovered that he could still move other ordinary little objects, whether they were heavier or lighter than the Horn of Kor. But whenever he tried to move that hateful helmet, he failed. How could the proud little fellow bear his sister's mockery? Alos even tried to excuse himself by claiming it might be a magical item.
This time, the little girl completely believed the "King of Braggarts"—or perhaps she simply hoped her "treasure" was a real artifact. Compared with Chen Jinyang's formidable strength, she, too, preferred the great spellcaster her little brother described: mysterious, elegant, learned, and powerful. So the two children, whose hearts were already set on something else, were no longer very interested in Chen Jinyang's martial arts. You couldn't force a melon to be sweet. Chen Jinyang knew what was going through the little ones' minds, so he stopped pressing them. Aside from teaching them a few tricks for breaking free from holds, he simply asked the two little mischief-makers to get stronger.
Chen Jinyang had no time to worry about the two little ones treating their training like a game. He was currently fretting over another problem facing the family. That's right—they had run out of food! After today, they would have nothing left to eat. In the past, the food stored in the cellar, together with the game Chen Jinyang hunted, would have been more than enough to last through the whole winter. But Chen Jinyang had forgotten that as his kung fu improved, so did his appetite. He now ate several times as much as William had before him, and there was also Phinia, the giantess, whose appetite was nearly as large as his. Hunting now would hardly yield anything. The long winter, lasting five months, had nearly wiped out the animals in the forest. Even the once-abundant Snow Pearl Chickens had become a rare sight, let alone other animals. Still, before the next winter arrived, their numbers would recover and the forest would once again teem with life.
Phinia had slipped off somewhere early that morning. Since resolving the question of whether she would stay or leave, the giantess had gradually let go of her former reserve and caution, showing instead her wild, domineering side as a crazy girl. Chen Jinyang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He wanted to try his luck hunting in the forest, but he didn't feel safe leaving the two little ones home alone. In the end, he steeled himself. "A living person can't be stumped by a little thing like this!" He called to the children, "Alos! Mishaer! Stop playing! Come on, we're going hunting in the forest." At once, the two little ones abandoned their game and cheered as they ran to the cellar to gather what they needed.
The forest at winter's end and spring's beginning was indeed terribly quiet and desolate. For miles, they barely saw a single animal. Alos and Mishaer trudged over the damp, rotting leaves, following uneasily behind Chen Jinyang. Chen Jinyang gazed at the lifeless forest and sighed helplessly. He had begun to give up hope that they would catch anything today.
"William! It's so scary here! Where are we going? Are we going to the river to play like last time? I'm a little scared. Can we please not go?" the little girl asked in a trembling voice, clutching Chen Jinyang's left hand.
At her words, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Chen Jinyang. That's right—the river! There were fish in it. How had he not thought of that? He excitedly picked Mishaer up and said, "Don't worry, Mishaer! You don't have to be afraid with your big brother here!" He called to Alos, who was also a little scared, then hurried toward the river near the old, abandoned adventurers' camp. The stream where they had picnicked before the first snowfall was too shallow; after a whole winter, few fish were likely to have survived there. Only the deeper river might still hold enough life.
After nearly an hour on the road, Chen Jinyang finally brought the tired and hungry children to a stretch of the river relatively close to the village. A thick layer of ice still covered the entire surface. Chen Jinyang found a suitable spot on the ice and used his iron sword to cut a hole about a foot across. He chopped down a few branches from the oil pines nearby and tied them into a bundle. He lit it with Palm Flame and handed it to Alos to keep burning over the hole in the ice.
"Will that really catch fish? No way!" The two little ones thought Chen Jinyang was being a little stupid. This seemed utterly ridiculous.
Chen Jinyang gave them a mysterious smile and didn't answer their questions. The fish, trapped beneath the thick, cold ice all winter, soon noticed the warm opening. They swished their stiff bodies and gradually drew closer, until at last they couldn't resist leaping through the warm "passage." After a while, the impatient children noticed bubbles and splashes beginning to appear in the hole. Clumsy fish started gathering there. They jumped up and down in excitement and cried out in astonishment, "Fish! There are fish! Hurry, catch them!"
Chen Jinyang, however, seemed unmoved and made no attempt to act. Instead, he directed Alos to swing the torch upward again and again. Then, to the astonishment of Alos and Phinia, the fish began leaping out of the hole one after another. Chen Jinyang held a wooden spear and skewered the fish as they landed on the ice, flinging them onto the riverbank. The two little ones watched the plentiful catch and screamed with excitement.
Chen Jinyang was busy spearing fish when he suddenly felt the ice beneath his feet shudder. Sensing something was wrong, his heart tightened. He shouted urgently to the little ones, who were playing near the hole in the ice, "Get to shore! Something's not right here!" The children, caught up in their excitement, didn't understand and stared at him blankly. But Chen Jinyang didn't hesitate. In just a few strides, he reached them, grabbed Alos and Mishaer, and hurled them toward the riverbank. Then he suddenly saw the opening in the ice darken beneath his feet. Two rows of snowy-white, razor-sharp fangs burst through the ice and snapped at his legs. Chen Jinyang planted both feet against the oncoming teeth and kicked hard. His attacker's momentum slowed at once, and he used the force to leap toward the bank. At the same time, he jabbed his spear repeatedly into the unbroken ice, propelling himself forward.
The attacker, having failed to land a blow, pursued Chen Jinyang relentlessly, leaping up again and again to bite at him. The foot-thick ice behind him collapsed in pieces. As Chen Jinyang neared the bank, his momentum finally ran out. He dropped, drawing up his legs to dodge the attacker's strike. With a sudden kip-up, he sprang to his feet and spread both hands, catching the cold, slippery body of the pursuer as it flew over his head. He jerked his shoulder and flung it onto the bank. Then Chen Jinyang stamped hard and fast, caught the monster he had tossed ashore, and hurled it into the nearby woods. Chen Jinyang stood where he was, utterly spent, mist rising from his body. His frantic escape across the river—and especially that final shoulder throw, catch, and toss—had nearly exhausted him. Unable to catch his breath, he was on the verge of collapsing. Since arriving in this world, this was the first time Chen Jinyang had faced such danger, the first time he had come so close to death. If he hadn't reacted without hesitation and moved quickly when he sensed something was wrong, then even a second or two more would have meant the end for all three siblings.
After catching his breath, Chen Jinyang looked back in lingering fear at the river's completely shattered ice. Only then did he have a chance to examine the attacking monster. It had the head of a crocodile and the body of a fish, with a mouth full of half-foot-long, razor-sharp doglike teeth. Its scales were each as large as a child's palm. Its nearly eight-foot-long body had a brown head, a black back, and a white belly. Its tail slapped against the ground with a series of thuds, sending it leaping more than four feet into the air. Its strength was astonishing. In the water, ten Chen Jinyangs wouldn't have stood a chance against it. But now, like a tiger fallen among the plains, it had lost its former might and could only meet a violent end, its body soon to fill someone else's belly.
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