After watching his master and senior brothers depart with grim determination, Luo Jiang did not know what he should do next. At that moment, his heart was filled with profound hesitation.
His master, who had been like a father to him, along with his martial uncles and brothers, had all left him behind. It was all because of those damned Japanese devils and the collaborators who had forced his loved ones away. He resolved that once his training was complete, he would hunt them all down.
He stood outside the Tianyun Taoist Temple for a long time, unable to bring himself to leave. Even when he could no longer see the backs of his master and brothers, he remained, hoping perhaps they would turn around and return.
"Rumble..." A loud crack of thunder from the sky startled Luo Jiang out of his trance. He looked up to see the sky heavy with dark, churning clouds. Lightning flashed; it was about to rain.
"It’s nearly winter, why is it thundering? Oh no! I’d better go back and see if there’s anything I need to secure!" He shouted and ran back toward the temple.
He did not notice a slit opening in the sky, nor the meteorite trailing fire that descended, crashing into the mountains behind the temple.
"Boom!" A thunderous impact echoed from the mountain behind the temple, shaking the entire structure. Then came the sound of "Clatter! Clatter!" as tiles shattered upon the ground.
"Is this an earthquake?" Terrified, Luo Jiang froze in his tracks. Seeing roof tiles falling as the building swayed, he scrambled to a spot he deemed safe, afraid of being struck by falling debris.
After a while, when the main hall and the living quarters stopped shaking, he grabbed a shovel. He piled up the broken tile shards, swept up the dust, gathered the fragments into a basket, and carried them outside the temple to dump them.
After working for half the day to tidy up the temple, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Taking a gourd ladle cut in half, he scooped water from the vat, drank half to steady himself, and splashed some on his face.
He sat on the kitchen threshold, resting while contemplating how he would live now. He was the only one left in the temple; from now on, everything would depend on him.
He stood up and checked the woodshed. There was still a fair amount of firewood—more than enough for one person—but he needed to prepare more for the coming winter. The winters in the north were brutal, though he had grown accustomed to them.
He moved to the storage room to check the large jars of grain. There were dozens of catties of flour, over a hundred catties of cornmeal, and another dozen catties of soybeans.
The soybeans were for growing sprouts and making tofu. He didn't know how to make tofu, but he could grow sprouts—his Senior Brother Yuanlin had taught him. Yuanlin had also taught him how to cook, often saying, "If you learn to cook, you’ll never go hungry."
Looking at the soybeans, he remembered the ceramic jar of peanuts in the pantry. Growing as he was, he was always hungry, and sometimes he would sneak a handful at night. His brothers knew he was the one eating them but never scolded him, pretending not to notice so as not to trouble their master.
There were only a couple of catties left in the jar. He knew the brothers had left them specifically for him; otherwise, they would have taken everything. His heart swelled with gratitude.
In the pantry, there were also Chinese cabbage and radishes, and over ten catties of soybean oil in a jar. The only thing missing was meat; his brothers must have eaten the last of it the night before.
He suddenly realized why his master had ordered his brothers to go hunting recently. His master had long been planning to head down the mountain to resist the Japanese invaders, and so he had them hunt to ensure they were strong enough. You couldn't fight devils without strength.
Although it was an era of firearms where martial arts could not stop bullets, it was still better than being a helpless civilian. Martial artists had a heightened sense of impending danger, allowing them to dodge or react. As long as they avoided vital hits, there was always hope of survival.
After checking the supplies, Luo Jiang checked his brothers' rooms, only to find they had taken their quilts and Taoist robes, leaving behind only odds and ends.
He then entered his master's room. On the *kang* bed, only a thin quilt remained, and on a paint-chipped table, there was a letter.
"My disciple Luo Jiang, I have taken your uncles and brothers down the mountain to fight the invaders. I have left some money in the trunk on the *kang* for you. Use it sparingly; your life from now on is in your own hands."
Reading the note, he realized his master hadn't woken him because he wanted him to sleep a little longer.
Luo Jiang climbed onto the *kang* and opened the camphor wood chest. His master had taken his robes, leaving only a few Taoist scriptures and martial arts manuals—the ones his master studied most often.
Inside the chest was a small cloth bag. Untying the drawstring, he found dozens of silver dollars and two small gold bars. He knew these were meant for his survival.
Looking at these items, he felt like crying. His master had saved him from a pile of corpses, treated his wounds, carried him through countless dangers, and traveled across many lands before finally returning to Tianyun Taoist Temple. He had not yet had the chance to repay this kindness, and now his master was gone.
He did not know if they would ever return. Having seen the cruelty of the battlefield and the fragility of life, he knew that the journey his master had embarked upon was perilous.
There was nothing he could do but silently pray to the Taoist ancestors and the past masters of Tianyun Taoist Temple to keep his master and brothers safe.
He sat in silence in the room for a long time, mulling over the future, until the growl of his stomach reminded him of his hunger.
He ate a hasty meal in the kitchen. By the time he came out, the afternoon was already late. He had spent the whole day sitting alone, lost in thought.
That night, he bolted the temple gate, burned incense for the Three Pure Ones in the main hall, washed up, and went to bed. Without the voices of his brothers, the room felt empty, and he felt a lingering, uneasy fear.
The next day, Luo Jiang woke up, and the silence reminded him once more that his brothers were gone.
He dressed, washed his face at the water basin, and brushed his teeth with willow twigs and salt.
In the kitchen, he steamed the leftover cornmeal buns. He didn't bother making porridge, instead drinking a bowl of hot water with some pickled vegetables. Fully satisfied, he prepared to head into the mountains to gather firewood and see if he could trap a pheasant or rabbit. Winter was coming, and he needed to prepare food—a plan he had made the day before.
Carrying his hatchet and hemp rope, he left the temple, locking the gate behind him to prevent any passing villagers from wandering in looking for medicine.
The Tianyun Taoist Temple had many Taoist physicians who often treated nearby villagers for free. In return, the villagers would bring grain or game to express their gratitude. There were also uncles who divined auspicious locations for the wealthy and brothers who performed exorcisms. That was how they all lived.
As he walked behind the temple, he saw a massive rock about a hundred meters away, surrounded by scattered soil and stone fragments.
"So that's what it was—a rock fell from the mountain. I thought it was an earthquake! Scared the life out of me," Luo Jiang muttered to himself as he walked over to investigate.
The rock jutted out half a yard from the ground; he had no idea how deep it went.
"Where did this fall from? I don't see any trail of it rolling down the mountain. Did it fall from the sky? Why else would it cause such a tremor?"
He looked up at the sky. It was completely clear; it was the crisp, cool season of autumn. He suddenly recalled yesterday's weather—he realized it hadn't rained at all. Even with those ominous clouds, not a drop had fallen.
He couldn't make sense of it. After all, he was only a boy of ten, and he didn't dwell on it for long. He just found it strange.
The top of the giant rock was quite flat. He thought it would be a nice place to meditate in the future, but the thought flickered and faded. He had better get to the forest and chop his wood.