Tian Zihao and Grandpa Jun set out from the garbage dump with a sack of whatever grubs and meat he could scrounge up, a stitched hide waterskin, and mixed feelings. This was the only home Tian knew. He didn’t love it, but he knew how to live here, how to eat, how to hide from scary humans and the clumsy, crushing dumpsters.
Outside the dump was a mystery. Cupping one corner and the back of the dump were steep hills. On the other sides were shorter, rolling little hills with clumps of trees and a well worn road winding through them.
Tian avoided the road. He didn’t have to be reminded.
Remember, all we have done is clear up the more immediately fatal diseases. Your kidneys are working, your cancer is in remission, your MS predisposition is still just at the stage of a predisposition, I took care of the brain damage and lead poisoning years ago… I still don’t know how you got hooked on opium, but that’s fixed too.
And yes, you do have severe hormonal and glandular problems and if necessary I’m going to help prevent puberty from kicking in until we can fix your… downstairs bits, but-
“Grandpa, you are doing that thing again. I don’t understand most of that.” Tian whispered. He had learned a long time ago that Grandpa’s voice didn’t startle the animals, but his voice could. Grandpa said that only Tian could hear him, but that didn’t make sense to Tian. How can only one person hear a voice?
I can’t wait until you have started qi cultivation and can communicate with your mind alone. It’s going to be much more convenient.
The two were creeping between small hills, trying not to disturb the bushes as they went. It was a very different way of moving stealthily, Tian learned. Very different from the sliding heaps of the junkyard. The plants weren’t anything like the ones that grew in the junkyard. These leaves were wide and thick, shiny in the moonlight.
The shadows were deep and comfortable. That, at least, hadn’t changed.
He could hear birds calling softly in the warm, humid night. All the smells were new too.
We are going to have to bathe you, and soon. I didn’t mind in the dump because the gunk was keeping the bugs off, but as you are now, everyone and their cousin will smell you coming a mile away.
The two climbed to the top of a hill and the world opened up in front of them.
Above was a hazy moon, brilliant and huge. A shining ribbon of silver stretched in the distance, and little puddles of silver light were scattered around. Flecks of yellow light were scattered around too, usually in little clusters. Then the clusters clumped into bigger clusters of light, then a huge mass of firefly lights all massed together. And then, at the very edge of his blurry vision, something stretched up into the sky. Something that caught the white light of the moon and carried it back upwards again.
Tian crouched under a broad leafed bush and drank it in. Letting the sight fill parts of him he didn’t know were empty. Letting himself fall into the wonder of it all.
“Grandpa… what am I seeing?”
The river shapes the valley, flowing long and wide, providing water for the rice paddies. See those shimmering places in the stone walls? That’s trapped water, with rice growing in it. You have seen grains of rice in the dump- those little tasteless white things that look like grubs. You are going to learn to love it, believe me.
Next to those paddies are the homes and villages of the farmers. Solid stone walls, a tile roof, a hearth with a chimney. They live comfortably in them, though they probably think themselves very poor.
Then you can see the towns, where even more people live. There will be shops where you can buy things, amazing things. Those are the people who are even better to-do than the farmers. They might own the farms, or own the businesses that buy and sell things.
Behind the towns is a city, filled with the wonders of civilization. I can’t even describe them to you. You have to experience it for yourself. Magic and talismans and enchanted everything. Clothes woven from silkworms that grew in frost caves, or on lava, or that fed on mulberry leaves watered with spiritual spring water. Endless, endless wonders to discover.
It must belong to the sect that rules the spiritual mountain behind it- sects often do this, as it gives them a lot of conveniences when dealing with the mortal world. The spiritual mountain behind the city is the true gem of this place. Probably of this whole region. That mountain is where the true cultivators live. It is a place of immense glory. And terror. A force that can dominate that mountain is one that could exterminate a billion mortal lives without a single regret.
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You have so much to discover. The world has so much beauty in it. So much life and joy.
The two watched silently. The world was… just so huge. So many impossible wonders. And everything was new in Tian’s eyes. He had never seen a river, or a paddy, or a stone wall. He had never seen a house. People were only seen in their ones and twos, never in their hundreds and thousands.
“This is… very dangerous, isn’t it? There isn’t anywhere to hide here.”
Yes it is, but not because there is nowhere to hide. You can’t see it because it’s night and your night vision is almost shot, but there are lots of places to hide. It’s dangerous because you don’t look like them. Your face is a different shape, your hands, the way you are dressed and how you smell- all make you seem different, and probably dangerous. So they will attack you. Even if you try to tell them you aren’t dangerous, they will attack you. It’s cruel. And it’s very human.
“Maybe it would be better not to be a human. They are all rock throwers.”
People are cruel. But a person can be kind. That kindness and warmth… when you feel it, Tian, you won’t be able to live without it. Just the thought of losing it will terrify you. Can you be kind, Grandson?
“I don’t know. Maybe?”
Think of it like when you were hunting. You killed to eat, but you didn’t let them suffer in the traps, right? The pain was a bad thing, but you still had to eat. You can treat the world like that too. Just don’t become someone who enjoys hurting. I’ve seen how that story ends many times. Badly. Every time.
Tian nodded. “Where should we go, then?”
East, to the mountains. After your first body reforging, we can see about introducing you to humanity. I’ve done my best, but we are damn near a decade behind where you should be with your primary and secondary socialization. It’s definitely going to impact your personality and relationships in the future. Thankfully I’m not working against a lot in the moral indoctrination department, though I guess we will need to discover what local cultural mores are like.
“Grandpa, you are doing it again. Which way is East?”
The direction that has the many smaller mountains, not the one big mountain.
They walked in the moonlight, keeping to the shrubs and sparse trees. Tian found himself taking short steps. He knew he didn’t have to, but he was used to navigating the trash heaps. There was plenty of room to walk boldly, but he was still taking the little tap tap tap steps of a boy who might have to jump to a nearby pile at any moment. Who rarely knew if his foot was on solid ground, and that the shadows were safer than the light.
“Grandpa, how long will it take to walk to the mountains?”
Hard to say. Maybe a few weeks? It might be less with a little good fortune.
“That’s a long time. I don’t have enough food.”
Believe me kiddo, that’s going to be the least of your problems. Remember our jumping games?
“Yes?”
Expect things to come trying to eat you. Jump out of the way, then hit them like we practiced with your elbows and knees and feet. Fresh food, delivered right to you. In the meantime, you and I will start the magical process of learning what mortal grade plants can be used for healing purposes, what’s edible, and what should be avoided.
Tian doubted that things were really coming to kill him. The largest animal he had seen was the occasional wolf, and only the sick ones would try to attack. Mostly they just stayed away. It was little ones like the rats that would come up and bite you at night. Though they didn’t like the taste of him either. The gunk seemed to repel almost everything.
They picked their way east, stopping when they found a stream. The water tasted different here- not the usual rainwater caught in broken jars and animal hide water catchers. It was brighter, fresher. It even felt different in the mouth, like it was slippery and somehow round tasting. He couldn’t explain why, it just was.
He stuck his hands in the water, letting it flow past the ragged stumps of his fingers and tickle the bone ring Grandpa Jun lived inside. Inhaling the fresh green of the world. Even in darkness, he could taste the color of it. Rich, sweet, thick with life.
“Grandpa?”
Yes, Tian?
“Thank you. For everything.”
Between us there is no need for thanks.
Tian laughed a little, and shook his head. It was the first time he really believed Grandpa was wrong.
Look sharp- we are getting close to dawn. Now would be a good time to find shelter. Remember what we talked about?
“Dry, near water, with enough dead leaves or grass that I can make a pile of them as high as my knee and long enough for me to lie down on, plus more for sleeping under.”
Exactly. Let’s go.
Tian set off along the bank of the stream. It was hard to see under the trees, but some light made its way through. There really wasn’t much in the way of convenient caves, but he managed to find a reasonably sheltered overhang with lots of leaf litter nearby. It crackled constantly, was filled with bugs, bits poked at him, and it smelled strange. Since he had been sleeping in the dump for as long as he could remember, he rated it “Quite nice.” He made himself a little nest, ate a little jerky, and went to sleep.
Tian! Tian! Get up! NOW! A jolt of adrenaline launched Tian’s explosive return to consciousness. He thrashed his way out of the pile of leaves, rolling on the ground.
Something went “WAO!” but he couldn’t see what yet, his eyes still light blind. He jumped left and heard something smash into his pile of leaves. He spun, blinking furiously.
It was big, a little smaller than a wolf but heavier, with a boxy head, pointy ears and wide paws. Paws with long claws on them. It looked at him again and screamed. “WAO!”
Tian slowly backed up. The beast crouched. Tian crouched too, getting low, ready to move.
The animal screamed once more and launched itself at him, paws wide, claws coming for his face. Tian barely dodged, feeling the rough fur slide over his flank and knocking him stumbling backward. He had never seen an animal like this before. If one did come into the dump, he would have hidden and set traps for it.
No chance of that now. It was kill or be killed. The beast sputtered and hissed, crouching again, getting ready to attack. Tian didn’t wait for it. It was the mentality of a junkyard predator. Moving is dangerous. It costs pain and energy. So when you have to make a move- kill!