The Bloodied Return

The sky darkened little by little.

Chen Huan had already put her book away.

Liu-shi was heating water in the kitchen.

Chen Mo sat in the courtyard, shaving down a strip of bamboo.

The bamboo knife slid across the strip with a faint scraping sound.

Crack.

Then another.

He glanced toward the west side of the village.

Still no one.

"Mom."

"Hmm?"

"When Dad goes gathering herbs, what's the latest he usually comes back?"

Liu-shi answered from the kitchen:

"If he's only on the lower slopes, he's usually back by afternoon."

Chen Mo said nothing more.

He shaved another layer off the bamboo strip in his hand.

Chen Huan sat on the threshold, swinging her feet back and forth.

"Brother."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Dad got lost?"

"He's walked those paths more times than he can count."

"Right."

Chen Huan thought for a moment.

"Then maybe the rabbits are too hard to catch?"

Chen Mo looked at her.

"You're still thinking about rabbits?"

"Dad promised me."

"We'll talk about it when he gets back."

The sky grew darker and darker.

Threads of cooking smoke rose from the village.

Every household began preparing dinner.

Someone next door called their child home.

Footsteps in the street gradually grew more frequent.

Chen Mo stood up.

"I'm going to take a look at the village entrance."

Liu-shi came out of the kitchen.

"Don't go."

"I'll just look."

"Didn't your dad tell you to wait at home?"

"I won't go into the mountains."

Liu-shi thought for a moment.

"Only to the village entrance."

"Don't go west."

"I know."

Chen Mo had just reached the gate.

A rush of footsteps suddenly came from the distance.

Heavy footsteps.

Not the steps of someone walking normally.

Chen Mo stopped.

The sound drew closer and closer.

Shuffling.

Hurried.

A few gasping breaths broke through between the steps.

He whipped his head around.

"Dad?"

No one answered.

Outside the courtyard gate, a figure stumbled in.

Chen Mo's expression changed instantly.

"Dad!"

Chen Shan had one hand clamped tight over his shoulder.

His clothes were covered in mud.

Thorns had torn several gashes in his trouser legs.

The cloth over his shoulder was soaked through with blood.

He had barely stepped through the gate when his body swayed.

Chen Mo rushed over and caught him.

"Dad!"

Chen Shan leaned against his son, breathing hard.

"Don't... don't hold me up..."

"Look at you! Why are you even saying that?"

Liu-shi had already rushed out.

At the sight of Chen Shan, her face drained of color.

"What happened?"

"Get him inside first!"

Chen Mo and Liu-shi helped Chen Shan into the house together.

Chen Huan stood to one side, too frightened to move.

"Brother..."

"Don't be scared."

Chen Mo nudged her back.

"Go heat some water."

"Okay..."

Chen Huan seemed to come back to herself and hurried into the kitchen.

They helped Chen Shan to the edge of the bed.

The moment he sat down, his body slumped sideways.

Chen Mo quickly steadied him.

"Dad!"

"I'm fine..."

Chen Shan gritted his teeth.

"The wound's just a little deep."

At that, Liu-shi burst into tears.

"You're hurt this badly, and you still say you're fine!"

She hurried to fetch clean strips of cloth.

Chen Mo tore open the clothes over his father's shoulder.

The wound came into view.

A slanting gash ran from his shoulder down to his upper arm.

Along its edges were several places where something hard had torn the flesh.

Chen Mo's face darkened.

"What did this?"

Chen Shan drew several ragged breaths.

"Something pounced on me."

"What was it?"

Chen Shan did not answer.

He closed his eyes, as though trying to catch his breath.

Chen Mo pressed a strip of cloth against the wound.

"Dad."

"Hmm."

"What was it, exactly?"

Chen Shan opened his eyes.

Fear still lingered in them.

"I didn't go any deeper."

"I know."

"It was right by the Old Elm Tree."

"I was just outside the Old Elm Tree."

Chen Mo's hands paused.

"And then?"

Chen Shan licked his cracked lips.

"I crouched down to dig up some herbs."

"I was only halfway through."

"The bushes behind me suddenly rustled."

"I thought it was a rabbit."

He caught his breath.

"Before I could stand up, the thing charged out."

Chen Mo asked:

"Did you get a good look at it?"

"No."

"What did it look like?"

"I can't say."

"How big was it?"

Chen Shan frowned, trying to remember.

"Bigger than a wolf."

"But it didn't look like one."

"It was fast."

"When it leaped at me, all I saw was a gray-black blur."

Chen Mo did not interrupt.

Chen Shan went on:

"I rolled to the side."

"One swipe of its claws grazed my shoulder."

"I blocked with my knife."

He looked down at his waist.

The hunting knife was still there.

But a piece had broken off its blade.

Chen Mo unfastened the knife.

"This is..."

"I struck it with the knife then."

Chen Shan pointed at the blade.

"I don't know if I hurt it."

"The blade caught its foreleg."

"The knife jammed."

"I yanked it back with all my strength."

"It took a step back."

Chen Shan's fingers trembled slightly.

"I just ran."

"What about the herbs?"

"I left them."

"The basket?"

"Threw it away."

"You didn't look back?"

"No."

Chen Shan shook his head.

"I wouldn't have dared."

After he said that, he seemed to remember something else.

"It didn't chase me right away."

Chen Mo looked at him.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"I ran a long way, then glanced back."

"It was standing at the edge of the slope."

"Just standing there."

Chen Shan's breathing grew heavier.

"It kept watching me."

No one in the room spoke.

Liu-shi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"What happened next?"

"I kept running."

"I didn't dare stop until I was near the village."

Chen Mo looked down at the hunting knife.

A little something had dried black on the blade.

A small patch of fur also clung beside a chip in its edge.

He reached out to touch it.

Chen Shan immediately said:

"Don't."

Chen Mo stopped.

"Why?"

"That thing..."

Chen Shan frowned.

"Just don't touch it yet."

Chen Mo studied the patch of fur.

It was small.

Smaller than his palm.

The hair was short and iron-gray.

A few tiny fragments were caught among it.

They looked like scales.

But the fur was unlike that of any animal he had seen before.

Chen Shan's voice was hoarse.

"I didn't mean to bring it back."

"When it lunged at me, I swung the knife wildly."

"This piece got caught on the blade."

"I didn't notice while I was fleeing."

"I only found it when I reached the village entrance."

Chen Mo looked at his father.

"Dad."

"Mm?"

"Are you sure you didn't go deep into the mountains?"

Chen Shan suddenly grew agitated.

"I didn't!"

His raised voice strained his shoulder, and blood seeped from the wound again.

Liu-shi hurried to hold him still.

"Don't move!"

Chen Shan took a moment to steady himself.

"I really didn't go in."

"I was somewhere I could still see the village."

"I could even see our roof."

"That thing charged out from the edge of the slope."

He looked at Chen Mo.

"I didn't go any farther in."

"I really didn't."

Chen Mo asked no more questions.

"I believe you."

Only then did Chen Shan breathe a sigh of relief.

Chen Mo stood.

"Mom, stay with Dad."

"Where are you going?"

"To the Blue Martial Arts Hall."

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"It's already dark outside."

"I'm going to find the hall master and Instructor Li."

Chen Mo snatched up his outer robe.

"They need to know about this."

Liu-shi wanted to stop him.

"But..."

"Mom, I'll be back soon."

With that, he rushed out through the courtyard gate.

The streetlamps in Qinghe Town had just been lit.

Chen Mo ran the whole way.

He ran fast.

His shoes struck the bluestone road in a rapid succession of footsteps.

People turned to look as he passed.

"Isn't that Chen Mo from the Blue Martial Arts Hall?"

"What's he running for?"

Chen Mo did not stop.

He ran all the way to the entrance of the Blue Martial Arts Hall.

The disciple on gate duty was about to close the doors. When he saw Chen Mo rushing over, he quickly held them open.

"Chen Mo?"

"Where's the hall master?"

"He's gone back to the inner courtyard."

"Sorry for the trouble, but could you get him?"

"What happened?"

"My dad's hurt."

The disciple froze.

"Chen Shan?"

"Yes."

"How badly?"

"Badly."

Chen Mo was panting.

"Something from the mountains hurt him."

The gatekeeper's expression changed at once.

"Wait here."

He turned and ran inside.

Before long, Instructor Li came out first.

"What happened?"

Chen Mo hurried up to him.

"My dad went to gather herbs on the shallow slope west of the village today."

"And then?"

"Something attacked him."

Instructor Li stopped in his tracks.

"Where?"

"Three li west of the village."

"Which part?"

"Near the Old Elm Tree."

Instructor Li's brow furrowed slightly.

"The Old Elm Tree?"

"Yes."

"Did he go into the mountains?"

"No."

Chen Mo quickly added:

"He was still outside, where he could see the village."

Instructor Li looked at him.

"How bad is the wound?"

"There's a deep gash on his shoulder."

"Can he still speak?"

"Yes."

Instructor Li nodded.

"Wait here."

He turned and went into the inner courtyard.

Not long after, the hall master came out too.

He was still wearing his usual long robe.

"Let's go."

Chen Mo immediately led the way.

By the time the three of them reached the Chen home, Chen Shan had drunk some water.

When he saw the hall master and Instructor Li come in, he instinctively tried to sit up.

"Don't move."

The hall master went to the bedside.

"How's the wound?"

"Could be worse."

Instructor Li examined the injury.

"It needs stitches."

"Couldn't you find a doctor in the village?"

"We've already sent someone for one," Liu-shi said quickly.

The hall master nodded.

"Okay."

His gaze fell on the table.

The hunting knife lay there.

Its blade was chipped.

Beside it lay a small piece of torn hide.

The hall master walked over.

"Is this what the thing that attacked you left behind?"

Chen Shan nodded.

"It should be."

Instructor Li walked over as well.

He did not reach out directly.

He merely bent over and studied it for a while.

Lamplight shone down from above.

The iron-gray short hairs on the piece of hide stood out clearly, one by one.

Between the hair roots were several tiny, hard, thin scales.

Instructor Li's gaze paused for an instant.

The hall master reached out and gently pinched up the piece of hide with two fingers.

He turned it over.

Then he looked at it again.

A faint fishy odor drifted from it.

The hall master said nothing.

Instructor Li said nothing either.

Their gazes met.

It lasted only a brief moment.

The hall master placed the hide back on the table.

"Put it away for now."

Chen Mo asked:

"Hall master."

"Hmm?"

"What exactly is this?"

The hall master glanced at him.

"It's hard to say for now."

"Then my father..."

"Your father did the right thing today."

The hall master looked toward Chen Shan.

"He didn't give chase."

Chen Shan gave a bitter smile.

"How could I have dared to chase it?"

The hall master nodded.

"Rest and recover properly these next few days."

"Don't go into the mountains again."

Chen Shan hummed in response.

Instructor Li glanced once more at the piece of hide.

"Don't show this to anyone else for now."

Chen Mo sensed something.

"Is it strange?"

Instructor Li did not answer.

He simply wrapped the piece of hide in cloth.

"Put it away safely for now."

"We'll take another look at it later."

Chen Mo nodded.

The two men did not stay long at the Chen residence.

As the hall master was leaving, he took a small pouch of silver from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

Liu-shi hurriedly pushed it back.

"Hall master, this..."

"Take it."

"But..."

"Use it to treat Chen Shan's injuries first."

After saying that, the hall master turned around.

Instructor Li followed behind him.

After leaving the courtyard gate, neither of them spoke right away.

Inside the house, Chen Mo stared at the closed door.

He did not know what the hall master and Instructor Li had seen.

Nor did he know what sort of creature that piece of hide had come from.

He only knew that his father was lying in bed now.

And the hunting knife that had served them for many years had been chipped.

The night grew deeper and deeper.

After the physician finished treating Chen Shan's wounds, he gave them a few more instructions.

Once the medicine fees and consultation fee had been tallied one by one,

Liu-shi sat by the table, counting on her fingers for a long time.

Chen Mo stood beside her without saying a word.

Chen Huan sat at the foot of the bed.

She had barely spoken since earlier.

Only after everyone in the house had fallen asleep did she gently tug at Chen Mo's sleeve.

"Big brother."

"Hmm?"

"There's something I want to tell you."

Chen Mo lowered his head.

"Go ahead."

Chen Huan bit her lip.

"I'm not going to the private school anymore."

Chen Mo froze for a moment.

"Why?"

"Father needs medicine."

"If I don't go, we can save the money."

"We can use the money we save to treat Father's injuries."

Chen Mo looked at her.

"Who told you that?"

"I thought of it myself."

"Does Mother know?"

"Not yet."

Chen Huan lowered her head.

"Big brother, I can stop studying."

"I can learn to read at home, too."

"Father used to say that it was enough if I could recognize my own name."

Chen Mo crouched down.

"Chen Huan."

"Hmm?"

"Keep studying."

"But..."

"No buts."

Chen Mo looked at her.

"I'll find a way to handle Father's medicine."

"But there's no money at home."

"I know."

"Then what will we do?"

Chen Mo fell silent for a moment.

"I'll go earn some."

"Don't you still have to practice martial arts at the hall?"

"I can find a way while practicing."

"Really?"

"Really."

Chen Huan's eyes reddened.

"Don't lie to me."

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"You said last time that you hadn't secretly eaten my candy."

Chen Mo was taken aback.

"That was different."

Chen Huan finally smiled a little.

"Anyway, you can't lie to me."

"Fine."

Chen Mo reached out and rubbed her head.

"Go to sleep."

"What about Father?"

"Father will get better, too."

"Really?"

"Really."

Chen Huan nodded.

She took two steps, then turned back.

"Big brother."

"What is it?"

"I'll study hard from now on."

"Mm."

"I won't waste money."

"Mm."

"Then I'm going to sleep."

"Go on."

Chen Huan returned to the room.

Chen Mo sat beside the bed.

Chen Shan had already fallen asleep.

His breathing was steadier than before.

The candlelight on the table swayed gently.

Chen Mo rose and picked up the outer garment his father had taken off.

The clothes had already dried.

A long tear split the cuff.

Dark-red bloodstains still remained on it.

He folded the garment neatly.

When his fingers touched the tear, they paused.

The wind outside swept past the old locust tree.

Its shadow fell across the window paper.

Once.

Then again.

Chen Mo stood beside the bed without saying a word.