The river circling Chenfei from the west was quite deep and had a rather strong current. Getting its strength from several smaller streams converging into one, it provided not only a natural defense but also a source of fresh water and fish to the locals. In fact, the village had a rather famous fishery and often enjoyed visitors in the warm seasons, who wished to taste local carps, famous for their unusual size and silver tainted bodies.

Annu remembered how, last year, Fengli tried to enlist to fish with the locals, and used a makeshift spear to try catching a particularly “big one”. Everyone told her that her actions are senseless- the local fishermen used nets to catch their prey-but she wouldn’t listen, hijacked a boat and took off on her own, trying to fish by impaling the slimy, underwater creatures one by one. After a couple of successful attempts, she got overconfident and swam towards the deep waters, where a particularly strong current knocked her overboard, together with whatever she'd caught until then.

She never tried fishing again, and the entire event became something of a joke among the servants of Shuangshan.

Walking alongside the muddy shore now, there were no boats, nor nets. The entire village suspended its fishing activities for the time of the upcoming tournament, which was treated by locals as a once-in-a-year festival and was considered a free day for almost everyone.

The villagers also knew the vices of overfishing, and always set some days where fishing wasn’t permitted, to allow for the stock to replenish and swim beyond this area, fulfilling its fishy live cycle.

However, right now, the feeling of abandonment made Annu feel quite lonely.

He turned towards his companion and pestered her a bit about their destination. Even though she did her best to keep it a secret, she finally gave in under the pressure. Quickly briefing him about her secret training sessions in a matter-of-fact way, she described the hidden cave under the waterfall, as well as gave him instructions about how to get inside relatively safe and dry.

To get beyond the cascade of water, one had to approach the waterfall from the eastern bank, then on barely visible, rectangular stones placed just below the mirror of water. They didn’t quite look natural, but the wolfgirl denied placing them herself. This means that their existence was either a lucky coincidence…or someone used this cave before. Fengli denied ever meeting anyone inside, which means that whoever once frequented this place, if anyone, hasn’t been home in at least several years.

He left his backpack securely tied to a nearby tree, too cautious to just drop it carelessly on the ground, and followed his companion. Hop, hop, hop, jumping carefully from one stone to another, he finally made it inside. A single glance at the shallow was enough to convince him this is certainly not a place he’d like to visit alone, much less frequent-the bottom of the pool was filled with pointy, serrated rocks! One wrong move and he’d impale himself on one of them-wounded, and stranded alone in such a secluded *secret* location, he’d bleed to death, and become a meal for local wolves!

Not that he saw any wild wolves around. He once saw a stray bear, but it ran away as soon as it spotted him. The village hunters made sure no predators can threaten their home.

The inside of the cave was a large, naturally carved, oval-shaped hollow. It had a natural flooring covered in dark stone, which in whatever dim light got inside through the hidden entrance obstructed by a wall of water, looked as if it was made out of black, shiny glass. The air was moist and cool, and he didn’t think it would change later in the day, either. If not for a layer of wool covering parts of his face and body, he’d probably feel cold after spending some time here. Overall, the cavern gave an impression of a beautiful, but unpleasant place to be in, and Annu couldn’t help but wonder how much more comfortable he’d be in a warm bed, holed up under a thick blanket.

In front of them were two massive stalactites, with smaller ones hanging off them, making them look as though some giant hand had stretched out its fingers and plucked them up by their roots.

Beneath the stalactites, was an object was lodged in the crack between the stones. Fengli approached it and pulled it out. It was a heavy, rather unshapely, and quite long piece of wood. You could tell that the moisture didn’t do it many favors, as the edges seemed partially rotten.

Annu gasped.

“This is!”

“Yes, this is the wooden sword you’ve made for me long ago~” said Fengli, and giggled.

He did indeed make her a wooden “sword” after they first met a little over two years ago. Fengli lost her previous training stick acting on his behalf, and he felt indebted to return the favor. Being a young and clueless fool, he traveled the woods looking for a piece of wood that seemed most appropriate, and spent whole day and night carving it into a shape that only remotely resembled anything related to a wooden training tool used by the sect warriors. However, Fengli accepted the gift with a smile on her face.

Since he never saw that abomination afterward, he always assumed she secretly threw it away. But it was always here! And she was training with it all this time!?

“I-i thought you threw it away…” he murmured and blushed. He hoped his facial tone isn’t visible in a poorly lit cave.

“Threw it away? You must be jesting! I’d never throw it away! Not, this, not my friends, and not my dreams!” the girl raised the wooden sword…stick…club…up in some kind of triumphant proclamation. “I’m telling you, this is just a beginning of my..no, ours!..adventure!”

“..Really?”

“Yeah, really! The south is an amazing place, you’ll see! The people, the cities, the foodstuffs….none of this can be found in the north. We’ll have many great adventures, and a lot of fun!…and this stick…will be our weapon if things go rough!”

She made a few swings through the air. Even though she was holding it with just one hand, the…weapon…made a swishing sound as it cut through the air with speed and stability one wouldn’t expect of it’s shape and size. It was obvious that she didn’t lie when she said that she trained a lot with it.

However, that wasn’t the issue!

“…that’s just a piece of wood” proclaimed Annu, trying to keep his calm. In fact, he wasn’t quite calm, he was cold, moist and for the first time since they left the village, started thinking that maybe following her on this journey wasn’t such a great idea. However, he quickly dismissed these thoughts and chose to look at his companion with sheepish eyes.

And so, they left the cave, crossed the river, and set out southeast, circling Chenfei and the twin hills overlooking the village. The detour to recover the stick took them overall several hours, and by the time they reached the main road leading to their former home, it was almost noon.

The road, of course, wasn’t anything spectacular. In the lowlands, major roads were often made out of stone or reinforced with clay. This road here, however, was dirt, just like all the other roads in the northwestern mountain range. These lands were too scarcely populated, and no one had resources nor manpower nor motivation to work on local infrastructure. In fact, some tiny villages didn’t even have roads leading to them and were isolated from the rest of the world in the truest sense, with nothing but secret forest pathways known only by the hunters and the locals leading to them.

Suddenly, Fengli’s ears twitched. She signaled to him to move to the side, and they quickly and wordlessly hid along the pine trees growing around. Soon he realized the source of her distress and thanked heavens for her enhanced wolf hearing. As usual, the heavens were silent.

A sound of hooves hastily hitting the ground echoed from the south, and shortly afterwards, a dozen or so riders wearing black robes passed them by, seemingly failing to notice the presence of a couple of yaren younglings hiding nearby. Even though they passed them by so quickly, the sheepboy didn’t fail to observe two curious things about these strangers. Firstly, they were traveled very light, much unlike the vagabonds and traders who occasionally visited Chenfei. Secondly, their clothes were adorned with characteristic black cloud patterns.

“They were…!” he exclaimed after the riders were already gone from their field of vision.

“Indeed” Fengli nodded, and put her hood on, seemingly lost in thought. At this moment, her facial expression was serious and focused, and very much unlike her usual self.

These were the cultivators of the Wuyun sect, the most powerful organization, that held sway over the central plains. These people were known for ruthlessness and unscrupulous tactics and were universally detested in the north. What were they doing here now? Did they come to observe the upcoming tournament?

True, it’s not uncommon for sect leaders to send delegates during feisty occasions, such as these. The purpose of these envoys was usually to exchange gifts establish a mutually beneficent diplomatic relationship between the interested parties. However, Wuyun was power without equal, and Shuanshan was just a minor organization confined to a single village. What could they possibly want here?

Feeling an immense sense of dread, he followed Fengli, who, hiding her anthropomorphic features under the cloak, took the lead. They didn’t speak for a while and just continued walking briskly.

“If something bad happens….” started Fengli, seemingly unable to bear the silence anymore “we will surely hear about it by the time we reach Kiyi”. The city they set out as their first destination was not only a major urban center, but also one of the main headquarters of the Wuyun sect.

“A little asking around here and there will surely cast a light on this matter…” she said, and flashed him a confident, reassuring smile.

However, all he could think about was that a little asking around can only bring them unwanted trouble. He didn’t dare to voice that fear out loud though, anxious that if spoken out loud, it will become a bad and self fulfilling prophecy.

And so, their journey began for real, clouded by anxiety and doubt.