Returning from the spring hunt, the people of Third Peak brought back countless kills, their spirits soaring. That night, Third Peak blazed with lights, the fragrance of meat and wine drifting through the air as they celebrated the beginning of spring.
With spring came melting ice and snow, and life returned to the earth. Full of hopes and wishes for the future, the year began its cycle anew.
The game was skinned, washed, and set on racks. Bonfires licked the meat, hot fat dripping with a sizzle. Even the snowflakes dissolved into nothing in midair as they fell. Third Peak's ten thousand disciples had all gathered back together, and joy and harmony filled the mountain from foot to summit.
Most of the other peaks were much the same. Spring Hunting Day was an important occasion throughout the Northern Plains.
Chen Jianli and his wife sat at one table, their faces wreathed in smiles as they warmly welcomed everyone, delighted. Unlike previous years, the disciples of Chen Jianduan's Thirteenth Peak had also come to Third Peak, bringing the two sides closer together. Chen Jianduan had brought Chen Qi with him, while Mu Bai and Chen Shichong sat at the same table.
"Brother Mu Bai, at next year's hunt, I'm afraid you'll be sharing a table with Little Qi, leaving me all on my lonely own."
Chen Shichong spoke to Mu Bai, but his smiling eyes rested on Chen Qi. His stare made the young girl blush, and she could not help retorting.
"If you've taken a fancy to some family's daughter, Cousin, why not tell Uncle and Aunt right now? Why drag Brother Mu Bai into it?"
"Oh my, you're not even married yet, and already you're speaking up for your husband?" Chen Shichong laughed freely, then sighed with feeling. "Brother