Leaving the Forest

Huo Yuhao stayed in the tree for an hour, watching the Shadow Demon Tiger finish eating and leave. After making sure it had gone far away and that the surroundings were safe, Huo Yuhao climbed down. She walked over to the Gale Wolf's corpse. It had been eaten until almost nothing remained, but luckily its hide had not been completely torn to shreds. Huo Yuhao found a fairly sharp stone and skinned the wolf. After stowing the hide, she quickly left.

Huo Yuhao knew the smell of blood would sooner or later attract other creatures, so she had to leave quickly. But she also knew the blood on the wolf hide would make it easier for her to be exposed in the forest. She had brought it mainly to give herself some protection; wearing only a grass skirt left her far too vulnerable in the forest.

Huo Yuhao could only leave as quickly as possible. The appearance of Soul Beasts in this forest meant it was no longer safe to spend the night here. On top of that, after the Shadow Demon Tiger's hunt, the surrounding Soul Beasts had probably fled to avoid it. Now was the best time to leave.

Huo Yuhao paid less attention to watching her surroundings and sprinted at full speed toward the forest's edge. After two hours of running, she felt as if her throat were full of blood. Her chest heaved violently as she gulped in air. Along the way, she encountered some animals, but luckily they were only herbivores and posed no danger. Even so, Huo Yuhao kept her distance to avoid provoking them.

At last, hard work paid off, and Huo Yuhao reached the edge of the forest. The way out lay less than a hundred meters ahead. She stopped to catch her breath and check for any movement nearby, then quickly set off running out of the forest again.

Only after Huo Yuhao had left the forest and reached an open plain did she dare stop and rest. The strenuous exercise had left her parched and drenched in sweat. At that moment, Huo Yuhao seemed to have returned to the way "he" had looked after Zhou Yi punished him with a hundred laps during his first class at Shrek Academy-except now she was alone.

As time passed, the sun slowly sank toward the west. Once Huo Yuhao had recovered, she headed onward. The open terrain gave her a clear view, and after walking for another two hours, she spotted a village in the distance.

The village was small. From afar, it looked as if it had only a few houses. Since being reborn, Huo Yuhao had eaten wild fruit only twice. She had also run for a long time without replenishing her fluids. Now that she could see the village, she was like a fish that had found water. She rallied and hurried toward it.

Today, as usual, I went to make dinner before the sun set. Candles were a bit of a luxury for the people of Fu'an Village. Calling this place a village was generous; only eight elderly people lived here. It was remote, and life here seemed to stretch out as far as the eye could see. Some of the village's young people had gone out to seek their fortunes, while others had moved with their whole families to town. Those left behind were all lonely old folk. As for why it was called Fu'an Village, that was just to give it a lucky name. There was a forest east of the village, where fierce beasts often appeared. To the west, there was a stream, and mountains surrounded the area. The only way to reach town was to head west for a week. No wonder nobody stayed here.

I went outside to gather some firewood for dinner. I had just put it in the stove when Big Yellow started barking furiously outside the yard. "Stop barking! What's going on?" I went into the yard, about to stop Big Yellow and make him behave, when I heard a young, tired voice. "Granny, could you give me a bowl of water?" Only then did I notice someone outside the yard's fence.

I looked up and saw a child standing outside, wearing a wolf hide over her shoulders and a grass skirt around her waist. I turned and brought out a bowl of water from the inner room, then handed it to her. "Thank you, Granny." When I came closer, I got a good look at the child: white hair, blue eyes, and snow-white skin. Though her face was covered in grime, I could still tell she was a pretty child.

"Gulp, gulp." Huo Yuhao drank the bowl of water in a few moments. "Thank you, Granny." After finishing, she returned the bowl and thanked me again.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Child, what happened to you? Where are your parents?"

Hearing the familiar Star Luo accent from the old woman before her, Huo Yuhao lowered her head and calmly said, "My mother is gone."

At this, the old woman didn't ask any further. She only looked down at the child before her. She was barefoot and had no clothes on, only a grass skirt and a wolf hide. That wasn't how the well-to-do dressed; even ordinary families fleeing hardship wouldn't dress like this. But the child's skin was so fair that she didn't look like a farmer or a hunter either. The old woman couldn't figure out Huo Yuhao's identity, but seeing her alone in this state, she couldn't bear to leave her without help.

"Child, what's your name, and how old are you? Did you come here looking for someone?"

"Huo Yuhao. I'm five. I'm not looking for anyone; I just wanted to ask for a bowl of water." "Gurgle, gurgle." She hadn't eaten proper food for a long time, and she had done a tremendous amount of exercise. After drinking a bowl of water, Huo Yuhao's stomach began to growl.

The old woman merely smiled at this. "It's all right. It'll be dark soon, and it's not safe for you to be outside alone. Stay here tonight. I was just about to make dinner, so we can eat together in a little while."

"But I don't have any money. Could I trade this wolf hide for it?" Huo Yuhao hurriedly took off the hide, wanting to show it to the old woman.

"No need. Just help me carry some firewood and prepare dinner." As she spoke, the old woman opened the gate in the fence.

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao quickly thanked her and went to fetch the firewood. Dinner was simple: coarse-grain steamed buns with pickled vegetables and a pot of wild vegetable soup. Since Huo Yuhao had come, the old woman made a little extra today.

After washing her hands, Huo Yuhao picked up a steamed bun and began to eat. The bun was coarse, and she needed to drink soup with it, or it would easily catch in her throat. Even so, Huo Yuhao ate as if she couldn't get it down fast enough. Seeing how quickly she was eating, the old woman filled a bowl with soup and handed it to her. "Slow down, or you'll choke."

With her cheeks puffed out, Huo Yuhao thanked the old woman indistinctly through a mouthful of food.

"All right, all right. It's just one meal, and it's nothing special. Yuhao, after dinner I'll heat some water for you to bathe."

Huo Yuhao nodded and lowered her head to keep eating.

The village was quiet at night, with neither the clamor of the city nor the dangers lurking in the forest. Huo Yuhao sat in a wooden tub, the steam warming her face and bringing a rosy flush to her cheeks. It had only been two days since she was reborn, and she still hadn't come to terms with it. Looking at her body now, Huo Yuhao fell into thought. She didn't know why she had been able to become human again, but she could only keep moving forward.

When Huo Yuhao came out after bathing, she saw Granny coming out of the room with a set of clothes in her hands. "Hurry inside, Yuhao. Put these on for now. They may be a bit big, but they're better than wearing a grass skirt."

"Thank you, Granny." Holding the clothes in her hands, Huo Yuhao couldn't help feeling warmth in her heart.

"You child, ever since you met me, you've been thanking me for this and that. You don't have to. It's nothing."

"No, it isn't. You took me in and gave me food. You've already been so kind to me."

"All right, all right, I know. Hurry inside, so you don't catch cold."

"Okay." Huo Yuhao hurried inside and put on the clothes. They were a little big, but better than wearing a grass skirt.

That night, Huo Yuhao lay in bed. With no danger forcing her to stay on guard as she had in the forest, and exhausted from the day, she fell into a deep sleep.