Chapter Four: The Discovery of Supernatural Powers

He Zhi Xing, battered and weary, dragged his wounded body back to the wall outside that family's house. In his current state, he dared not enter; covered in wounds and stained with blood, he feared his grandfather would scold him to death if he saw him like this. He didn't know how to face his grandfather, nor how to explain the injuries all over his body.

He hid in the dark corner by the courtyard wall in front of the house. Every movement pulled at his wounds, causing sharp pain. He bit his lip and groaned softly, curling up tiredly against the wall. Exhaustion weighed him down, and he had no desire to move. He thought, if only he had a sheet or a cloak—he'd gladly trade a few years of his life for such comfort. But reality is always cruel; there was no one and nothing to help him. And so, in misery, he leaned against the wall, enduring this agonizing night.

He endured the pain for nearly half an hour, drifting in and out of sleep, when suddenly a strange energy surged into his body through the wound on his inner thigh. It was a peculiar sensation—both tingling and cool, indescribably soothing.

Unconsciously, he reached out and touched his thigh, feeling something there. It was the sandalwood carving of the beautiful woman that the eccentric old man had given him. He always kept it in his trouser pocket; it was small enough not to interfere with anything he did, and whenever he had a moment, he would take it out to admire.

He wondered: What was helping him? Was something tending to his wounds? Could it be the wooden beauty at work? That seemed far-fetched. Or maybe, after absorbing the blood from his injuries, the carving had mutated somehow? He couldn't make sense of it, so he simply stopped trying. Besides, he was too weak to care, and whatever it was, the sensation was rather pleasant.

Several hours passed like this, and He Zhi Xing did not know that there was another who had not slept that night—his grandfather. The old man had been awake the whole night, coming out of his room several times to peer through the gates, hoping to see his grandson return. Each time, he saw nothing. In someone else’s house, he dared not be too presumptuous, so he did not open the door to check.

At dawn, his grandfather finally opened the main gate and saw He Zhi Xing lying by the wall. “Ah, little Zhi, why are you here? You didn’t come home last night—so you slept here?” Then, noticing the wounds and blood on him, the old man cried out, “Grandson, what happened to you? How did you get hurt?”

With that, his grandfather hurried over to help him up. He Zhi Xing stood, dusted himself off, and, trying to appear nonchalant, said, “Grandpa, I’m fine. Last night I ran into some old classmates who were being robbed. I helped chase the robber off and came back late, so I didn’t want to disturb our hosts. I just rested here for a bit. See? I’m all right…”

He carefully turned around a few times to show his grandfather, managing a smile despite the pain. He didn’t want his grandfather to worry too much. Seeing that he was basically unharmed, the old man said, “You—don’t try to be a hero next time, understand? Come, let me help you inside to wash up…”

After a simple wash and breakfast, his grandfather hired a tractor to take them back to their hometown at Golden Rooster Ridge. Over the next few days, He Zhi Xing quietly recuperated at home.

During his recovery, his grandfather gathered medicinal herbs from the mountain—dog spine fern, holly leaves, and sprouting herbs. As he pounded the herbs, He Zhi Xing tried holding the carved beauty in his hand. He felt a faint current of energy flow from his palm into his body, though it wasn’t very distinct. When the mashed herbs were applied to his wounds, the sensation grew stronger, as if he were drawing out the very essence of the plants or some vital force. The coolness seeped in, and the nurturing energy warmed and soothed him from within.

He discovered a good method: following the set of breathing exercises the eccentric old man had taught him, he quietly meditated and cultivated his energy, embracing the way of nature and forgetting himself entirely.