C12 Humanity

As the sun dipped below the horizon, a long shadow stretched out beside a crystal-clear stream. Its owner, Lee Cha, was laboriously dragging a branch still attached to leaves, trudging through the brittle, yellow grass.

After several hours, Lee Cha finally arrived at the end of the forest stream, which, just as he had anticipated, flowed into a small river more than ten meters wide. The sparser vegetation here made his journey easier.

Carrying the tiger's skin, which weighed a hefty 30 to 40 kilograms, would have been exhausting, so he cleverly laid it across the leaves on the branch and dragged it behind him. A few wild wolves trailed not far behind.

"Brother Wolf, are you guarding me, or do you see me as your leader?" Lee Cha would glance back at the wolves and murmur to himself. Truth be told, having predators on his tail was unsettling.

As darkness enveloped the landscape, Lee Cha kindled a fire in a clearing and set up a grill over the flames, roasting a large chunk of meat from the tiger's hind leg. He was curious about the taste of tiger meat, its reputation suggesting it wouldn't disappoint.

After half an hour, the meat, lean and dark, looked tough. He let it cool for a moment, took a bite, and nearly spat it out. It was tough and slightly sour... a letdown, to say the least.

Despite his hesitation, hunger won out, and he forced down a few bites. After a day's trek, he was famished, and fishing wasn't an option this late.

Unexpectedly, the brown-black wolf approached and dropped a white, fluffy object before him. "For me?" Lee Cha exclaimed in surprise. The alpha wolf gave him a look, then lay back down nearby.

Lee Cha picked up the gift—a wild rabbit, weighing a good three or four kilograms. Soon, the enticing aroma of roasting rabbit filled the air, and Lee Cha's stomach growled in anticipation as he eyed the succulent, golden-brown meat.

Now this is what I call food! With a look of disgust, he tossed aside the tiger meat and devoted himself to tending to the roasted rabbit.

After some time, he reconsidered, picked up the discarded tiger meat, and approached the alpha wolf. The wolf stood at attention, tail wagging eagerly.

Lee Cha laid the meat before the wolf and said, “Brother Wolf, this tiger meat is for you. Not sure if it’s to your taste... but don’t get too fond of it. Otherwise, you’ll end up hungry and lose many of your pack.”

The alpha wolf cocked its head, eyeing him curiously, then grabbed the meat and vanished into the night.

That night, Lee Cha slept deeply, more restfully than he had in three days.

The next morning, he awoke to the heat, wrapped snugly in the tiger skin. His nose felt stiff, and when he rubbed it, to his surprise, he found blood clots. Damn, a nosebleed? He was incredulous. Could that tiny bite of tiger meat last night have really stoked his inner fire that much?

It was a shame about all that tiger meat and bone, well over three hundred pounds of it. If he ate just a bite a day, would he become a virile legend? Could it even trigger an evolution?

Breakfast was the remaining rabbit leg from the night before. The cold weather had preserved its taste. After warming it up, he polished it off in a few bites and resumed his journey.

The wolf pack watched him from a short distance. As he set off, they followed.

“Don’t you have food to hunt?” Lee Cha called out suddenly.

The wolves looked at him, heads tilted, eyes filled with confusion.

“Forget the tiger meat,” he told them.

Several hours later, Lee Cha crested a low hill and nearly leapt for joy.

Several kilometers away, a wisp of smoke rose into the sky, shimmering with a rainbow glow in the sunlight.

Gripping the tiger skin, Lee Cha broke into a sprint, but soon halted. This was an Alien World, after all, and he had yet to learn whether its rulers were even human.

If he charged in without thinking and encountered an ape-man or a creature like a bull-headed horse, he might be mistaken for a monster and captured. Caution was the wiser choice.

He surveyed the area and made his way toward a densely vegetated spot.

A few steps in, he abruptly spun around.

Over a dozen wild wolves stood on a low hill, their gaze fixed on him.

He waved to the pack and called out, "Brother Wolf, I appreciate your watchfulness. Return to your home. If destiny wills it, our paths will cross again!"

This time, the wolves didn't pursue him. Instead, they tilted their heads back and filled the air with their haunting howls.

Lee Cha watched them intently for several seconds, as if committing their image to memory, before resolutely walking away.

"We are different, wolf and man, each with our own paths and ambitions. May you find peace..."

...

Approaching the source of the smoke, Lee Cha concealed the tiger skin. He examined the sharp fish spear in his hand, mulling over it briefly before hiding it among some weeds. After straightening his clothes, he pressed on.

He peeked out from behind a clump of weeds as tall as a man.

Before him stood a mud house with walls of fresh, brown-yellow clay that seemed newly applied.

The roof was neatly thatched with reeds, and the front yard was encircled by dry bamboo, brambles, and branches. Smoke wafted from the chimney of the small mud house.

Through the fence gaps, Lee Cha could just make out movement in the yard and the faint murmur of voices.

He edged closer, listening.

"Did you hear that? Sounded like a wolf howling."

"A wolf howl? Good heavens, what if the wolves come here?"

"Fear not. My Six Directions Stick Technique isn't for show. If one comes, I'll take on one. If two, then both."

"You're tough, I'll give you that. But even the strongest can be overwhelmed. The wolf packs deep in the mountains are no trifling matter. My father once..."

It was clear now that the voices belonged to humans, and this place might well be Huaxia within the Alien World.

What should he say when he met them? Claim amnesia? Too cliché. Better to say he'd come through a portal from another realm.

Perhaps he could claim he was kidnapped by mountain bandits? Yes, those tigers and wolves, aren't they just the thieves of the forest?

If they inquired about my origins... Assuming this truly is Huaxia from an alien world, I could just invent a place name, preferably from the southern province I know well.

After pondering for a while, Lee Cha was about to speak when a dog's bark erupted from the courtyard.

The conversation between the man and woman ceased abruptly, followed by a flurry of clattering sounds, like someone searching through belongings.

Startled, Lee Cha called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

The dog barked even more enthusiastically.

Shortly after, the wooden gate in the fence creaked open, and a head peeked out, scanning left and right before settling on Lee Cha.

Two seconds passed before the figure emerged and closed the gate behind him—a man in his thirties.

His face was rough with stubble, his eyes bloodshot, and his long, parched hair was tied atop his head. He was dressed in a coarse gray tunic and trousers, his feet shod in straw sandals that exposed a big toe.

Lee Cha's first impression was of a rugged, intriguingly unique man.

Approaching the man, Lee Cha halted abruptly.

The man stood at least 1.9 meters tall, with broad shoulders, and most notably, he wielded a rounded wooden stick, exuding a formidable presence.

Lee Cha stood his ground and greeted, "Hello there, brother."

The man, as if jolted awake, returned the greeting with a fist salute, "What brings you here, brother?"

Hmm? Such formal speech—had he actually crossed over to ancient Huaxia?

Lee Cha quickly mimicked the gesture, "Brother, I lost my way in the wild. It took me two days to find this homestead. My apologies for the intrusion."

The man's face lit up with understanding and he laughed robustly, "A visitor is a guest. Why not come in for a drink of water?"

Lee Cha feigned modesty, "Oh, I couldn't possibly impose."

The man dismissed the concern with a wave, "No need for formalities, brother. After two days on foot, you must be parched. We all face hardships when we're on the road, don't we?"

Lee Cha said, "I appreciate the help, big brother."

The burly man swung open the wooden door and gestured with an outstretched hand, "After you."

With a smile, Lee Cha stepped through the doorway, though inwardly he was on high alert, wary of being lured into a trap.

Or worse, stumbling upon one of those infamous black inns, where he might be drugged and turned into human meat buns...

A scrawny yellow dog, tethered by a rope, darted towards him, sniffing intently before retreating a few steps to fix him with a steady gaze.

The front yard, paved with yellow clay, seemed surprisingly spacious at first glance.

To the left, a bamboo rack held bedding out to dry, the covers bleached nearly white from use. To the right, there was a well.

By the well stood a woman with a slight bulge to her belly, apparently just finished with her laundry, judging by the wooden basin beside her.

She appeared to be in her thirties, with plain features, her hair neatly coiffed. Despite the severe fading of her red dress, it was spotless. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing an efficiency characteristic of women from the slums.

Crack! Crack!

Lee Cha glanced to the right and noticed a young man, about twenty, sitting by the fence, busily weaving bamboo baskets.

The woman must be the big man's wife, Lee Cha mused. And the young man? His son, perhaps?

The big man pointed to the woman and introduced, "This is my wife."

He then gestured towards the young man by the fence, "And this is my younger brother, Gao Shuai. You can call him Little Brother."

Lee Cha bowed slightly, "Sister-in-law, Little Brother Gao."

The woman returned a warm smile, her eyes betraying a flicker of curiosity at his short hair.

The young man, however, was frosty, offering only a brief glance before resuming his work.

Lee Cha felt a chill... such a cold look.

What's the deal? Does he have some hostility towards me? It's reminiscent of a wolf's first wary gaze.

The young man was lean, with a scar that slashed across his left cheek to his nose bridge, giving him a rather fierce appearance.

"Don't take it to heart, brother. It's just my nature, not a personal attack on you," the big man reassured.

Lee Cha responded with a smile, "I'm Lee Cha. You can call me Little Lee, big brother. And what might I call you?"

With a hearty laugh, the big man replied, "I'm Gao Xiong. Right this way, Little Lee..."

Entering the house, they found the living room to be sparsely furnished, with just a wooden table, a few chairs, and a cabinet. Nothing more.

Doors flanked each side, likely leading to bedrooms.

In a word, impoverished.

In two words, deeply impoverished.

That was Lee Cha's assessment of their home.

Gao Xiong fetched a porcelain bowl from the cabinet and filled it with hot water for Lee Cha.

"Where do you hail from, Little Lee?" Gao Xiong inquired, taking a seat next to him.

"I grew up in the N Country, having moved there with my parents. They passed away three years ago, and after observing a period of mourning, I decided to return to my ancestral land to seek out relatives," Lee Cha explained.

"I didn't anticipate being ambushed by bandits along the way. I managed to escape when they were inebriated and then found myself lost in the wilderness..."

Gao Xiong nodded, "I see. These are troubled times indeed. You must be vigilant on your travels, Little Lee."

Lee Cha queried, "How far are we from the nearest county town?"

"This is Aozi Mountain. Head north for about thirty miles to reach Linying City, and further north, some seventy miles, lies Yingchang Prefecture," Gao Xiong informed.

Linying? Yingchang? These names bear the distinct mark of Huaxia. It seems my mention of the N Country was accurate.

Still, I need more information. If I can confirm this is indeed ancient Huaxia in an Alien World, does that mean I've completed the Primary Trial?

What comes after completing the Primary Trial? A return to my own time, or perhaps a reward?

Knowing the system's way of doing things, it's best not to ask. Asking only leads to more exploration.

While Lee Cha's mind raced with thoughts, he maintained a composed exterior and asked, "Do you know the current year? I've lived in the N Country for so long that I've completely lost track of time back in my homeland."

Gao Xiong stated, "It's been three years since the Yuanyou era began, and Emperor Zhezong has already been on the throne for over four years."

Zhezong? Emperor Zhezong of the Song? The Northern Song Dynasty? Lee Cha was taken aback.

This truly was ancient Huaxia.