In the ancient world, there were few people and many animals.
At that time, people had just gathered from all directions. Their claws were not as sharp as those of tigers and wolves, and their skins were not as thick as those of bears. They could not catch up with deer when running, and could not swim as fast as fish.
During the day, people gathered some oak chestnuts and dug some roots to make a living; at night, they huddled on the ground, between rocks and withered grass.
The ground is the path of animals. The deep caves are occupied by black bears, the cracks in the rocks are guarded by poisonous snakes, and pairs of eyes in the forest, green and yellow, are bright all night long.
As soon as a person closes his eyes, a brother is dragged away; as soon as he falls asleep, dew soaks into the back, and the cold air penetrates along the seams of the bones.
The people in the tribe live less and less every night.
There was a silent young man in the clan named You Chao. He watched his younger brother being carried into the darkness by a jackal in his sleep, and he also watched his grandmother become cold all over after an autumn rain and never wake up again.
He didn't dare to sleep. He hugged his knees and sat by the dying fire, listening to the wind.
That night, there was a very light sound in the wind, like a dead leaf spinning on the ground.
"Poor thing, you're shaking again."
You Chao Looking through the firelight, I saw only a Gu. The Gu was shaped like a withered yellow leaf. It had no branches to rely on and no roots to fall on. It could only roll around in the wind and could not stop.
"What kind of Gu are you?"
We are no strangers to Gu worm and You Chao.
Since the ancestors of Pangu, strong men who can conclude contracts with Gu worm have gradually emerged among humans.
"My name is Lili." The poison like dead leaves swirled in the wind, "Wherever I fall, people will not sleep well, get up, and run away. I have been with you people for a long, long time. Every one of you has my scent on your body."
You Chao asked, "To what night should we escape so that we can sleep peacefully?"
Wandering Gu drifted further and further away, and the voice was scattered in the wind. "The earth is the land of beasts, the holes are the holes of snakes, the water is the water of fish, and the sky is the sky of birds. Man, although the heaven and earth are huge, there is not even an inch left for you to sleep peacefully. You were born to walk, and wherever you go is where you go."
You Chao hugged his knees tightly.
He looked at the shivering tribesmen on the ground, at the eyes that refused to close in the dark forest, and for the first time he asked himself in his heart: Why can't people even sleep until dawn?
You Chao refused to believe this fate. He began to walk in the mountain forest to see how other living creatures survived the night.
He saw rats, digging deep holes, and the holes are the rats' support; he saw fishes, diving into deep water, and the water was the fish's support; he saw snails, carrying heavy shells, and the shells were the support of the snails; he saw swallows, flying back to their nests under the eaves one by one in the dusk, and the nests were the swallows' support.
Everything has a support, except human beings, who sleep naked and wake up naked, empty, with nothing.
He sat down by the stream and stared at the water in a daze.
There was a dead vine in the water, tightly wrapped around a broken branch. Even after several flash floods, it did not break away.
On the vine, there is a Gu lying.
"You Gu, why are you clinging to a dead branch and refusing to let go?"
The Gu's voice was old and shaped like a withered vine. "My name is Pingyi. Look at the vines that are full of the stream. The ones that floated along the current have been washed away to unknown places. The ones that are willing to hug the stones and wrap around the roots of the trees have all stayed. I am the vine that refuses to let go."
You Chao's heart moved. "Reliance Gu, are you saying that if a person wants to survive, he must find something to cling to?"
Reliance Gu said slowly, "Human, open your eyes and look at the world. Only when the wind is in the valley can it vibrate, in the sky can the clouds float, in the presence of claws can the beasts dare to hunt, and in the rivers and lakes can fish dare to swim. No one can stand in this world in a vacuum. Deer have fast hooves, turtles have hard armor, that's what they rely on. You humans, the claws and teeth are not as good as beasts, the fur is not as good as birds, but you don't want to rely on anything, how can you live?"
You Chao was stunned. "Then... what should people rely on? The earth belongs to beasts, the water belongs to fish, the holes belong to snakes, and the trees belong to birds. What else can I rely on?"
Reliance Gu said, "I can only tell you one thing. A person must first be willing to admit that he has nothing to rely on before he can find the thing to rely on. If you always think that you can carry the world with your bare hands, you will never find it in your life."
After that, the withered vine loosened up and Reliance Gu was swept away by the stream and disappeared without a trace, leaving only the broken branch sinking and floating on the shore.
You Chao waded into the water, picked up the broken branch, and held it in the palm of his hand all night.
You Chao began to look for that "something to rely on".
He imitated a rat to dig a hole, and dug a shallow hole, allowing rainwater to pour in; and dug a deep hole, disturbing the snakes in the soil. He imitated a bear to fight for a hole, and was almost crushed by a palm. He led his tribe to build a stone wall, but a strong wind caused the wall to collapse, crushing the people.
He tried again and again, but failed again and again. The tribesmen began to shake their heads.
"People have been sleeping on the ground for generations. Why do you think you can change it?"
That night, the wolves came down the mountain.
You Chao was forced under a huge tree where several people were hugging each other, with green eyes behind him and a straight trunk in front of him. He had no way to retreat, so he hugged the tree trunk in a panic and climbed up.
The bark of the tree scratched the palms of his hands, and he did not dare to stop. He climbed to the highest branch in one breath and curled up into a ball, shaking like leaves in the wind.
The wolf circled under the tree all night, scratching the bark with its claws, but could not reach him. Only at dawn did it disperse angrily.
Just when he was shaking the most, a voice above his head laughed softly.
"Look, you climbed up."
You Chao looked up and saw a Gu, shaped like a gecko, clinging to the trunk of the tree, moving up and down freely.
"What kind of Gu are you?"
"My name is Deng Gao." The gecko-like Gu said, "Human, you can't run away from a wolf or fight a bear on the ground. But once you get up a tree, the wolf can only look up at you from under the tree. Tonight, this tree is your support."
You Chao lowered his head in confusion. The pair of bright eyes at his feet became so far away and so small for the first time.
He murmured, "But I can't curl up on a branch all my life. If the wind gets stronger, I will fall down; if the rain gets stronger, I will get soaked all over."
Climbing Gu said, "The earth is the land of beasts, but if you look up, whose is the high place? Birds fly in the sky, and their nests are built on the branches. All beasts can't climb up, and insects and snakes can't reach them. Man, there is no way for you to survive in the inch of soil under your feet. Only when you raise your head can you see it."
You Chao followed its words and slowly raised his head.
The morning fog is spreading layer by layer, and the tree crowns all over the mountains and plains are stacked on top of each other, like an undulating, green cloud, spreading to the horizon.
Only then did he realize that he had been looking for a way out on the ground with his head down, but he had never raised his head properly once.
You Chao lived in the tree for several days. He picked fruits when he was hungry and hugged the branches when he was cold. No wild beast could hurt him at all at night.
But one branch cannot sleep the whole clan. He wants to find such a high place for every clan member.
He sat on the highest branch every day and watched the birds.
He saw a pair of orioles, picking up twigs and soft grass in their mouths, and twirling around among the branches. The thick branches were used as the base, the twigs were braided into rings, and the soft grass was used to fill the gaps. After a few days, they formed a nest as big as the mouth of a bowl. The nest was covered with feathers. When the wind blew, it swayed slightly, but it was stable and could not fall off.
He watched it all spring.
He wanted to follow the instructions. When the branches came into his hands, they fell apart; the soft grass was wrapped around them and loosened. He unknitted and unknitted, and his fingers were scratched and bloody.