Chapter 7 chapter Five

chapter Five The boy's new home was in a cave on the southern slopes of Heart Mountain.The beds are made of soft, dry grass and leaves.He always stays with little brother Xiong and sleeps beside Aunt Xiong's warm side.While the cave always felt a little scary, the Bear House really felt like home to him. Ursa was a very kind but also very strict aunt. Whenever she is caught too close to the edge of a cliff, or the tunnel of a dangerous cave, she will become angry.Even when passing through the territory of other bears, she will carefully teach everyone to pay attention to etiquette.Moreover, it was also instructed that one must not approach the south-facing stone slope formed by the collapse of the cliff.

However, he was looking for stones.A large, smooth stone.In order to repair the roof of the weasel house that was destroyed by him... He cared about breaking the roof of Weasel's house.Although elsewhere, smooth stones are everywhere.But he always thinks that maybe this is also the roof of other animals' houses, or the roof of the ant castle... Therefore, he can't move the stone casually. But on the slope of the cliff, the ground is full of stones, all of them. He asked Aunt Xiong, "Auntie, are there any small animals or other animals living on that slope?" Upon hearing these words, Aunt Bear said angrily, "No, no animals live there. But, never go near it! There are demons over there!"

"But, Auntie, didn't you just say that there aren't any animals living there?" "Demons are not animals. It's dangerous, absolutely don't go there." However, he was not obedient, and he had to find a big and smooth stone anyway.While Aunt Xiong was taking a nap, he sneaked towards the slope below the cliff. "Is this kind of stone okay? But the color seems to be different. It should be a harder stone..." The sound of his rummaging for stones on the slope was like the noise of an angry old woman washing dishes, and suddenly he heard "shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"It's so loud! Keep your voice down!" A snake with ruby ​​eyes is staring at the child.Thin and black tongue, 咻... 咻... sticking out, the body is as thick as a normal boy's wrist.The length was about two meters or more, but because the snake was coiled on the warm rock, the boy didn't know it.The snake's skin is a jagged pattern of yellow, green, and black, which is reflected in a metallic color by the bright autumn sun. "Oh, how beautiful!" he said involuntarily. The snake was very happy to hear that.Because whether it is human beings or other animals, snakes are considered evil.

He said, "Sorry, I heard no animals live here, so... "You just said I was pretty, didn't you?" "Hmm! This is the first time I have seen such a beautiful pattern." "Don't you think it's scary?" The snake's red eyes were shining brightly. "Well! If the snake doesn't do bad things, it's fine, because I heard the crow said it before... But I'm really sorry to disturb your nap..." "What are you looking for? Gold? There's no gold in this mountain!" "It's not gold! I'm looking for a stone. A big, smooth stone...but here the color of the stone is a bit different than what I want. I'm looking for black and white with a little bit of blue and grey, Shining hard stone."

"That kind of stone is not in this mountain. You can only find it in the mountains further north! This mountain has only limestone and caves. There are very old, old memories." When he was about to ask what kind of memory it was, he heard the roar of the female bear.Before he even had time to say goodbye, the snake slid into the crevice of the rock. "Come down quickly!" As soon as he got down, the she-bear knocked him hard on the head and asked, "What are you doing over there? Who are you talking to?" "I'm asking the snake about the stone."

The female bear looked shocked and surprised.Then he roared angrily: "It's terrible! You said you were talking to the devil? Ah! It's terrible! If other bears know about this, you will be thrown from the cliff by others! Not next time." Come here again! Talk to the devil again, and you will become a devil too. Do you know?" "it is good……" But the beautiful pattern on the snake's body and the jewel-like eyes made him never forget it. The next day, he asked the older bear. That's the time to learn fishing skills in the shallow waters of the river. Bears' fishing skills are really superb. Humans have to rely on nets, spears or hooks to fish, but bears fish with their hands.He is a straightforward child, and he learned quickly according to the instructions of his elders.

Uncle Xiong and he have already caught many golden fish, sitting on the cool grass to rest. Thinking about what happened yesterday, he asked, "Uncle Xiong, how bad is the snake?" Old Xiong half-roared and said in a deep and deep voice: "Snakes are also creatures, and their nature is not bad. On this Heart Mountain, there was an era when snakes were worshiped as gods, and there are also legends about these things." "God? God? Snake? Why?" "Why snakes became gods, I don't know. It's not us who worship snakes as gods, but the naked bears... why do we hate the naked bears, don't you know?"

"Ok!" "In the past, we were very good friends with the Naked Bears. We lived together in Heart Mountain. They live in caves like us, and they are good friends. Every summer, they will be accompanied by the sound of taiko drums and Flute, singing and dancing. They call us brothers, it's their way of showing respect." When Uncle Xiong said this, he roared again, and then continued: "But one day, another group of naked bears came suddenly. At that time, there was a natural stone bridge connecting Heart Mountain and the land opposite. The animals in Heart Mountain relied on this stone bridge for a long time to survive. But that bridge is as old as the mountain, so it is very dangerous. Not only is it narrow, but stones fall off from the stone bridge every day. It is a A bridge that even mice would be afraid to climb across.

One day, the group of naked bears came to Heart Mountain and asked us provocatively: Who owns this mountain? -- such a stupid question! As soon as they heard the sharp whistling sound like a turkey, the naked bears would put aside their work and gather in front of the stone bridge one after another from caves and valleys.Regardless of whether they are two-legged or four-legged, they are all huddled together, looking at each other with the naked bears from other places. Below the stone bridge where the alien naked bear stands is a cliff that cannot be seen by the sun, and there is a rushing river below.Standing in the middle of the stone bridge, the golden-haired alien bear asked in surprise to the male bear with the widest shoulders among our group of naked bears: What are those! Are you raising the bears? belly laugh.

The weeping, naked bear chief replied: No, it's not like that, it's nothing like that.Quite the contrary, it is the bear family that feeds us.Hearing this, everyone started laughing again. The naked bear from out of town became angry and fell silent for a while.The male bears held long, thick clubs in their hands.The tip of the stick is made of sharpened flint, or sharpened bronze.What kind of utensil is that? The naked bears on this land don't know. They thought it was a tool for digging tree roots. " "We came here a long way. Let us live here. Those guys said so. Since that day, two different groups of naked bears have settled down on this mountain with us." "What kind of animals were the original naked bears?" the boy asked. "What is it like... short, with black hair, black eyes, and a narrow forehead. Although not as strong as the Bear Clan, it is also stronger than the group of guys that came later. They are called Cave Clan." "Then what kind of animals are the naked bears who came later?" Uncle Xiong roared again: "It's a group of annoying guys. At first glance, they look better than the original naked bears... they are considered tall among the naked bears. There are various colors of hair, but golden Most of them are. The male bear has the fur of dead animals on his shoulders, a bronze sword on his waist, a strange stick in his hand, and tattoos on his chest... The female bear is carrying the basket. If We knew what was in that basket then, and we would never let them come across the bridge. They have something called the Children of the Golden Dragon, that's what they call themselves." "What's in that basket?" "It's a snake." The people of the golden dragon regard snakes as gods. They believe that the big snake flying in the sky—that is, the dragon—is the great god, and the snake is the child of the great god. At this time, the voice of the mother bear was heard. "I'm really sorry, Uncle Xiong. This kid always has so many questions... Please forgive me." "No, I don't mind. Just ask!" The old bear took three fish. "Here, the remaining three are yours. Take them back and share them with your little brother and Aunt Xiong!" "Uncle Xiong, thank you. Let's continue to talk about today's topic next time." "Okay, if I come tomorrow. So do you, little brother!" The boy carried three silver fishes in his hands and followed the she bear back home. The next day, he came to Uncle Xiong's house again, and Brother Xiong ran behind.The morning dew made the guy's bare feet cool and refreshing. Rather than saying that Brother Xiong came to listen to stories, it might be better to say that he likes to wander around.For Brother Xiong, it is impossible for him to sit obediently and listen to Uncle Xiong telling stories about the past for a long time. After only five minutes, it stood up and began to move. "Hey, let's play wrestling." The boy said angrily, "Go and play by yourself. I will continue to listen to Urs' tale of the people of the Golden Dragon." He used to be a kid who loved listening to stories. "Uncle Xiong, please continue to tell the story! Tell the story between the people of the golden dragon and the snake. What happened after they crossed the stone bridge?" After Uncle Xiong sat down heavily and slowly, he began to tell stories. "The naked bear clan called the people of the Golden Dragon swaggered across the stone bridge and entered the Heart Mountain. At the same time, the female bear was carrying many large baskets. Although the baskets had lids, the snakes inside were still rustling. The Golden Dragon The people of China are very cautious and respectful of snakes. Children who think snakes are great dragons always greet them with care." He was very surprised to hear this.Because apart from myself, I haven't met anyone who can talk to creatures other than humans. "Do the people of the golden dragon understand the language of the snake?" "No, no, that's not the case. People who understand the language of demons will become demons. Those guys just tell the snake their greedy desires, and everyone just respects and obeys the snake." "But are snakes that bad? Snakes are just trying to get by, aren't they?" "You don't understand. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad. Reptiles have cold blood and they don't have mother's milk. They are creatures older than mammals. This earth was once reptiles and insects a long time ago. Later, reptiles became kings. However, because we mammals came, reptiles lost. It should be said that they lost to mammals and the severe cold. This has something to do with the fact that reptiles and insects have no feelings in their hearts .If they had feelings, they wouldn't just hate snakes." "why?" "Because if we have feelings for snakes, the insects will hate us. If we have feelings, we will turn our hatred into war. If we fight a war in a fair and honest way, they will lose and all will perish." He thought for a while, not wanting to point out where Uncle Xiong was wrong.But when I think that I have also talked to many reptiles and insects such as ants, bees, and frogs, I always feel that this statement is somewhat different from the facts.It can't be said that there is no emotion at all, can it? In fact, when ants are on the battlefield, they are also very angry, scared, and anxious. The same goes for frogs.It was not the first time that tadpoles hummed a song when they had grown four legs and were strong enough to jump about.Don't frogs also know what a happy animal is? However, he didn't say anything. "How can I talk to snakes? I don't understand the language of snakes..." "At that time, there were four priests. Two boys and two girls. If you want to talk to the snake, the priest will hold a ceremony. The ceremony is to gather all the people of the golden dragon in a big cave and form a circle. The circle is burned Eight fires are lit. The inner wall is beating the taiko drum while chanting sutras. The cave is like hell, filled with smoke, fireworks, lingering taiko drums and chanting. The shadow reflected on the rock wall seems to be in the cave. Dancing to the flickering firelight. The Bear Clan and the former Cave Clan friends were all afraid of that ritual.The Cave Clan banned the use of such a terrible thing as fire on the Heart Mountain a long time ago... When the Golden Dragons used fire on the Heart Mountain for the first time, the Cave Clan had a big fight with them over this issue, and they were even on the verge of fighting each other stand up.Although those guys and the cave tribe are not good at quarreling, they are physically strong. " "Did you win the quarrel?" "No, it's a tie. But after that quarrel, they didn't set fires outside. The people of the golden dragon only set fires in their own caves. Even so, the snake-calling ceremony is still very impressive. Scared. From the outside, the entrance of the Golden Dragon People’s cave looks like a dragon’s mouth. Firelight, sparks, smoke, and the sound of drums and chanting in the circle, drinking and drinking. Ka, Ka, Ka, Knock, knock, knock..." Uncle Xiong began to imitate the voice coming from the dragon's mouth, and that guy gradually lost his mind. Card, card, card... Knock, Knock, Knock... Although the boy's body is still sitting next to Uncle Xiong listening to the story, his soul is drawn by the legend of the Golden Dragon People and returns to the Heart Mountain long ago.Turning back and forth, the sun and the moon reversed, his spirit traveled back centuries, into the body of a naked bear man. At night, a man stands outside the cave of the Golden Dragonmen.A cool wind blew over, but the clear hooting of the owl could not be heard.Tonight, only the cry of the dragon in the cave can be heard. Kaka, Knock Knock... From the entrance of the cave, smoke dyed red rose. "It's terrible..." But anyway, go in and see what's going on. What are those guys doing? The man crawled on the ground and slowly moved towards the gruesome entrance of the cave. It's scary, but no matter what, you still have to look at the situation inside the cave... A deafening sound came from the cave, bursts of smoke made tears flow, and he smelled the unique breath of the golden dragon people.Because the golden dragon people eat rotten things, or the carrion of dead animals, they have a different breath from the cave people. A man with a boy's soul sneaked in from the back of the cave, climbed to the top of the rock protrusion, and under the cover of the shadow, peeped at the snake-calling ceremony of the golden dragon people. In the center, fifty men sat in a circle at a certain distance, shaking their bodies.The inner circle is beating the taiko drum.Men, women and children are all chanting scriptures outside.There are eight furnace fires crackling and burning in the outermost periphery, and the blazing flames go straight to the top of the cave. There is a large basket in the middle of the circle, and around the east, west, south, north, and diagonal corners of the basket, there are small pieces of goatskin with some symbols written on it. What's the point? A male "priest" stood up and shouted: "Child of the dragon, child of the god! Follow the way of the dragon!" Then, all shouted together: "Follow the way of the dragon!" The shouting sound was like thunder, which made the young man feel even more terrifying. "Dragon's children are weak. God! Please grant us divine power!" "Give us divine power!" "God! Please give us nourishment!" "Please give us nourishment!" "God! Please give us meat!" "Give us meat!" "Please grant the power of the enemy to our child of the dragon!" "The strength of the enemy belongs to us!" "The souls of our enemies are ours!" "The heart of the enemy belongs to us!" "The enemy's body belongs to us!" "The enemy's muscles belong to us!" "Pray to God for instructions!" As soon as the priest shouted those words, the sound of the taiko drum and the chanting would stop, and only the sound of the burning fire could be heard. Then the four priests sat in four directions around the basket and played the bamboo fife. It was a strange sound, howling like the wind, and like the painful cry of a small animal before dying, it was disgusting.The high-pitched sound echoed in the cave, making the man hiding in the shadow of the rock get goosebumps. A few minutes later, a huge, terrifying and beautiful snake crawled out of the basket.While sticking out his tongue nimbly, he swung his head back and forth.Quietly, quietly, the inner taiko drum began to play again. The snake quickly nibbled at the goatskin placed on the north side.The people of the golden dragon cried: "It is the sign of the south, it is the south! War! Long live!" For the children of the golden dragons born in the north, going south means that war is coming. The man who had experienced the terror of dying quietly crawled out of the cave and disappeared in the darkness. When the boy recovered, Uncle Xiong continued to tell the story.The sound of the clear flowing water of the small river and the deep voice of the old bear are harmoniously matched together. "Hey, are you listening?" "Ok." He then asked, "Then... when did the war start?" Hearing this question, Uncle Xiong was taken aback.Because there is no mention of the war so far. "What? How did you know that? Didn't you hear it from the snake?" He shook his head: "No, I just have this feeling." Uncle Xiong stood up, "Come with me!" He followed closely.Brother Xiong is gone, he should go home first.That guy desperately followed behind the huge Uncle Xiong alone. They came to a very desolate place.The dry weeds rustled in the wind.Not even a single insect, bird, or even small animal. "This is where the killing of each other started. This place has long disgusted us." He shuddered. The dry weeds seem to have something to say... There is a depression in the ground.The guy saw that there seemed to be some shadow shaking over there.It was so cold that I couldn't help shivering. "Where an Ursa of our clan was killed by the Naked Bear Clan." His eyes suddenly burst into tears. "What a nasty place, Uncle Xiong, please, let's go back!" Uncle Xiong's voice softened a lot, "Okay, I get it. You are tired too, lie on my back!" Leaning on Uncle Xiong's broad and warm back, the guy returned to Aunt Xiong's house.