Dusk.
A group of people appeared on the village path, their baskets full.
"Hey, hey, hey! They're back!"
"It's true! It's Chen Li and his men!"
The idlers, old men, and aunties waiting at the village entrance all started shouting.
Soon.
A crowd gathered at the village entrance again, even larger this time!
Many men in their thirties, busy making a living, also showed up.
Chen Li threw the Lin Lu deer from his shoulder onto the ground with a THUD.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The brothers behind him also threw down their game.
Pheasants, roe deer, fat rabbits, wild goats...
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Chen Li burst into loud laughter.
The group of brothers behind him were also laughing joyfully, their manner full of bravado.
"Heavens! That's so much!"
"How much meat is that!"
"Real skill! That's some serious skill!"
"Chen Li would definitely be the best Clan Leader!"
"Right, Chen Li for Clan Leader..."
"..."
Feeling the envious gazes and hearing the flattery from the people around him, Chen Li couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning up.
Soon.
They were swamped by the crowd.
People pleading for favors... begging for food... trying to borrow grain... asking to be taught skills...
What a bustling scene it was.
...
The atmosphere in the village began to change.
News of the struggle for the Clan Leader position had already spread throughout the entire village.
And the news that Chen Li and his men had brought back food spread along with it.
"Hey, did you hear? Chen Li and the others are handing out meat at the village entrance..."
"Of course I've heard. My family even got two taels of it."
"If he can keep this up, then I'll support Chen Li. I'm convinced."
"Yeah, what do you think Chen Nuo and Chen Yong will do?"
"Who knows? Anyway, we'll follow whoever is most capable. That's what the grand-uncle said."
"..."
At Chen Nuo's house.
His mother and Sister La looked as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.
Chen Nuo: "Mother, what is it?"
"Son, what are you going to do? Chen Li and his men yesterday..."
Chen Nuo frowned, looked at the piece of black wood in the room, and said, "Mother, I need some time."
"Oh, oh, of course."
His mother seemed to feel she was disturbing her son's thoughts and quickly fell silent.
...
「Two more days passed.」
Chen Li and his men's venture grew more and more prosperous.
Meanwhile, Chen Nuo remained at home, spending his days eating, training, and observing the black wood.
His mother and Sister La didn't say much either, but the gossip about Chen Nuo circulating in the village often caused the two of them to argue with some of the gossiping old women.
"What about it! Chen Li is so capable. How can that sickly weakling of yours compare to him? And he wants to be Clan Leader? He should take a piss and look at his own reflection!"
"Fuck your mother! You old hag, if your eyes are blind, get a new pair! Don't stand here spouting nonsense! Is my husband someone you can just badmouth? You want to go to the county town for treatment in the future, don't you?!" At this moment, Sister La's fiery nature was on full display.
"So what if Chen Li is capable? Is that *your* accomplishment? Who the hell do you think you are? Does he even know you? What does it have to do with you? My husband is different! He can read, he can heal, he's handsome, and he's capable—he's not a bit worse than him!"
"You! You! You!"
The woman was so angry she was speechless.
However, as time went on, the gossip in the village did indeed grow more and more severe.
This was mainly because Chen Nuo really hadn't made a single move!
...
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
In the courtyard, Chen Nuo, who was practicing some movements to coordinate with his Breathing Technique, stopped and looked toward the gate.
The next moment, a voice called out, "Brother Nuo! Open up! It's me!"
The corner of Chen Nuo's mouth twitched. He walked over and unlatched the gate.
The visitor was none other than Chen Yong.
However, there were actually a few other people following behind him.
Chen Nuo glanced over them, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"Come in."
The group of people stood in the courtyard.
Chen Nuo and Chen Yong were at the center.
"Brother Nuo, uh, shouldn't we be making a move too?" Chen Yong said, scratching his head.
"We can't let that guy Chen Li hog all the limelight."
Seeing that Chen Yong had started the conversation, the four or five people beside him also began to chatter.
"That's right, Brother Nuo! With Brother Yong here, we're not afraid of Chen Li and his men. As long as you give the word, Brother Yong will lead us out. The amount of game we could bring back in a day definitely wouldn't be any less than theirs!"
"Brother Nuo, we'll all listen to you!"
"..."
Chen Nuo looked at the eager expressions on their faces and smiled.
But inwardly, he felt a growing chill.
'These few people were ones who had been close to me and Chen Yong in the past. But at the same time, their relationship with Chen Li's group wasn't bad either. Not only them, but even some of Chen Li's men had been on good terms with me.'
'This is how it is in a rural community; no one is definitively on any one person's side.'
'Someone like Chen Yong is an exception. His complete trust is due to his unique personality and some things that had happened when we were children.'
'But these other guys... they're probably after Chen Yong's brute strength.'
'But without my say-so, Chen Yong won't make a move. That's why they've come to persuade me. In reality, are they truly loyal to me? Heh.'
Chen Nuo's expression hardened. He glanced at Chen Yong. Chen Yong froze for a moment, then years of unspoken understanding kicked in.
"All right, all right. Go on, get out of here."
Chen Yong's demeanor changed instantly as he began to shoo the men away.
"Hey, wait! Why?"
"Chen Yong! Brother Nuo hasn't even said anything yet!"
"..."
The men were forcefully driven out by Chen Yong.
Then, Chen Yong walked back.
Seeing Chen Nuo's expressionless face, Chen Yong suddenly looked flustered. "Uh, um, Bro, I was wrong. I'm sorry."
"What were you wrong about?"
"Huh?"
'Seriously, how am I supposed to know...'
"...Sigh. I give up."
Chen Nuo shook his head and patted Chen Yong's shoulder. "Yongzi, be more careful in the future. They don't mean you harm, but they do want to use you. Think more before you act, and if you can't figure it out, just ask me. Understand?"
"Oh," Chen Yong said, scratching his head.
Looking at Chen Yong and considering his family situation, Chen Nuo decided to say a few more words to put his aunt's mind at ease and not make things difficult for Chen Yong.
"As for making a move, don't be anxious."
"Chen Li and his men have been hunting extensively these past two days, so there probably aren't many animals left in the outer areas. If he wants to keep getting a haul, he'll have to go into the inner forest. The danger there is much higher, so he might not be able to get such a good harvest. In the end, hunting can't feed this many people. To feed more people, you ultimately have to rely on farming."
'Either way, I'm not going to take that risk. After all, I have no experience hunting. Even though my Nourishing Body practice is getting better, I'm still not strong enough to fight a wild boar. Even with Chen Yong protecting me, the chances of an accident are still high. It's better to be cautious. There's no rush anyway. There's still time.'
"But we've harvested very little grain these past two years."
"I have my own way. No matter what happens, we won't starve."
"Oh, then I'll head back." Chen Yong didn't question Chen Nuo's intentions in the slightest.
"Mmm, go on."
Looking at Chen Yong's large but gaunt frame, Chen Nuo hesitated for a moment. "Yongzi, wait."
Chen Nuo handed him some mushrooms that he had already picked.
Seeing the confusion in Chen Yong's eyes, Chen Nuo instructed, "These are only for you to eat. Build up your strength. And don't use the Breathing Technique, or else the more you practice, the hungrier you'll get."
"Oh."
'It all felt a little convoluted, but whatever. All that mattered was listening to Brother Nuo.'
Clutching the mushrooms, Chen Yong went home.
Watching Chen Yong leave, Chen Nuo immediately turned back and returned to his room, looking at the oyster mushrooms on the black wood, from which he had already taken five harvests.
The rhizome of the oyster mushrooms underneath was growing thicker and thicker.
Chen Nuo smiled, walked back outside, and continued to practice his Breathing Technique and some simple forms.
On the table next to the black wood lay an oyster mushroom that had been "dissected." Within its stalk was a white, slightly viscous, semi-powdery substance...