Chapter 1: Some Village Called Xuhou, Part One

10 years ago…

Thunder rumbled loudly in the sky. That woke her up.

She groaned, blinking and opening her eyes blearily. 

Raindrops pelted her face. Surprised, her eyes shot open. 

What?! It was daytime when I fell asleep on that picnic blanket! The weather forecast didn’t even mention a heavy storm that day or anytime soon! 

Now fully awake, she quickly sat upright. 

“Agh!” Why did her entire body ache and feel sore? A walk up the mountains shouldn’t have made her this tired!

She quickly covered her head with her hood.

She surveyed her surroundings. She was in a dense forest, surrounded on all sides by trees.

Ok. She was definitely not in the same clearing where she was having a picnic with her friends. Where were her friends anyway?

She called out her friends’ names. No one answered.

Her friends weren’t around. Maybe other people then?

“Hey! Anyone out there?!”

No response. Just thunder and the howling wind.

No one was nearby. She pressed down her rising panic. 

Ok. I’ll have to make a phone call for help then. -  She hoped there was cell service out here, in this weather. It was a slim chance there was, but she had to try.

She reached for her smartphone in her pocket. 

She hissed. It was burning hot to the touch.

She pulled her sleeves over her hands and carefully took her smartphone out.

Fuck. It was completely fried. 

She put the blackened husk of a phone back into her pocket.

She studied the ground around her. Grass and dirt (duh). The picnic blanket was gone. And-

Where was her backpack?! 

Shit! It must’ve gotten blown away in the storm! 

Just great. She was alone in a heavy storm without any navigational tools. No supplies. No shelter. No smartphone. And very likely to die of a lightning bolt to the head, starvation, or hypothermia.

Her heart pounded rapidly. Damn it. This wasn’t good.

Lightning crackled in the sky. She flinched. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to steady her breathing and keep warm. She wasn’t going to do herself any good staying here.

Ok. First course of action: Get out of the storm and find shelter. -  She had to find a cave, a village, something!

She shakily stood up and looked out into the forest. Which direction to go? 

All around her were trees of the same shapes and sizes. Nothing to differentiate any path from the other. 

Shit. Good chance of being more stranded than she already was. 

She groaned and shook her head. It wasn’t safe staying out here. She had to start going somewhere. 

She managed a few steps into the forest, only to slip face-first into mud. Gross. She spat the mud out of her mouth. She groaned and wiped the mud off her face with her sleeve. Well, most of the mud. The heavy rain caused the remaining splotches of mud to stick to her face, annoyingly so. But she wiped off enough mud from her eyes to be able to see, at least.

She was drenched, her wet clothes clinging tightly to her skin. It was cold. 

She shivered and held onto the tree trunks for support, carefully making her way through the forest. No good in losing her footing and getting another mouthful of mud. Or falling off a cliff to her death.

She didn’t know how long she trudged through the forest, trying not to get struck by lightning or blown away by the heavy winds. But eventually...

Wait a second…

She squinted.

Lights glowed in the distance. Lights meant people. People meant help.

Pan Heng threw his head back and gulped down another bowl of alcohol. - Ah. That’s the stuff.

The waiter looked out the tavern window. “Nasty storm brewing out there tonight. Pretty sudden too.”

Pan Heng grunted. He didn’t like that he was going to get drenched in this storm to get to his house on the outskirts of the village.

“Lucky we only have this storm to deal with, instead of any deadly beasts or spirits from the forest with you here, eh?” The waiter grinned at Pan Heng.

“Right. My payment for providing such protection?” Pan Heng lifted his wine bowl.

The waiter laughed and refilled his bowl of wine. “Of course! A treat for our protector, Pan Heng, the local rogue cultivator!”

Pan Heng hummed in satisfaction. Until the wine began overfilling, spilling onto his hand and the table.

Pan Heng frowned. “Hey, waiter. You’ve lost your concentration.”

The waiter didn’t answer him. 

Something was off. Everyone in the tavern had gone quiet.

Pan Heng turned his head to where everyone was staring: The tavern entrance.

A small creature stood there. Its face was streaked with mud and it was quite filthy.

Pan Heng’s eyes narrowed. That couldn’t be. He always made sure that the protective array he placed around the village was impenetrable.

The small impish creature huffed and panted. “Help! Please! I need help!”

What? What the hell did this creature just say? -   Pan Heng couldn't understand a single word.

A beat of silence. Then an eruption of chaos and screams as the tavern patrons proceeded to panic.

Well, this night just became interesting. 

The creature’s eyes widened in alarm and it looked from side to side and behind itself. Seeing nothing, the creature turned back to face everyone. “Why is everyone screaming? Please! I just need help!”

The waiters and patrons shrieked. “The demon is uttering a curse!”

Right. Time to fulfill my rogue cultivator duties. 

Pan Heng leaped over his table, seamlessly weaving his way through the crowd. He landed in front of the demon, planting a talisman onto its forehead.

The demon made a noise of astonishment. Then it merely frowned and pulled the talisman off. It looked at the talisman closely. It seemed to be confused.

“What the fuck? Is this some kind of joke?”

The talisman would have restrained any monstrous beast or demon. But it was ineffective, which could only mean…

“Everyone, calm down! This is not a demon!”

With the tavern’s poor lighting in the midst of the storm, no one had seen this demon’s face up close. But now that Pan Heng was close enough, he could see that this “demon” was really just some kid with mud all over his face.

Pan Heng pointed at the waiter cowering in the corner. “Waiter!”

The waiter jumped. “Y-Yes?!”

“I need a candle and a handkerchief!”

The waiter hurried into the kitchen and returned with the requested candle and handkerchief.

Pan Heng placed the candle on the ground near him for better lighting. He used the handkerchief to wipe away the mud on the child’s face.

“Oh. I guess I looked really scary with all that mud still stuck to my face, huh?” The child shook his head, then gave Pan Heng a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

The boy had short black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore an unusual overcoat that hung over his head, a pair of pants, and strange footwear. 

Pan Heng had never seen this boy around the village before, especially one wearing such outlandish garments. And in a small village like Xuhou, everyone knew each other.

Pan Heng turned to the onlookers behind him. “Does this child belong to any of you?”

Everyone either shook their heads or replied, “No.”

So this boy definitely came from outside the village. Had he gotten separated from his parents in this storm?

The boy cleared his throat, making Pan Heng turn his attention back to him.

The boy carefully patted his pocket. He took out a black stone with a reflective surface and scorch marks. The boy held the stone out for everyone in the tavern to gawk at. “Phone? Phone?”

Pan Heng had no clue what this kid was trying to get at. Did he just want to show off his pretty stone to people?

The boy noticed that everyone looked baffled and confused. It was then that he understood that no one knew what he was trying to say. Deflating, he put the stone back into his pocket.

The boy sighed in frustration and threw up his arms. He blinked incredulously, as if noticing something for the first time. His sleeves were longer than his arms. The boy’s clothes were too big on him. 

“What the-why am I so small?!”  The boy’s face scrunched up and his eyes got watery.

Oh no. - Pan Heng was no good at dealing with a child’s crying fit. Or any kind of situation that involved children.

The boy cried loudly and tears streamed down his cheeks. He balled his fists. “What's going on?!”

No one knew what to make of this. A boy coming out of nowhere during a storm, speaking some kind of barbaric tongue. It was all too strange. Now that boy was standing in the middle of the tavern, crying his eyes out while everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Pan Heng could see that no one was going to help him handle this delicate situation. He sighed, then strode up to the boy and kneeled down in front of him. The boy noticed Pan Heng and hiccupped, staring at him warily.

Pan Heng raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Calm down. Calm down, little boy.”

Pan Heng’s calm tone of voice got the boy’s cries to quiet down to sniffles and hiccups. Pan Heng inwardly sighed with relief.

Then the boy stared at Pan Heng with teary eyes, clearly distressed and lost. 

Oh no. Oh no. Why does the kid have to give me that look? 

But the kid was lost and afraid. And the other villagers weren’t willing to do anything. So it was up to Pan Heng to help the kid out.

Pan Heng sighed and opened his arms. The boy stared at him for a few moments, then gingerly accepted his hug. Pan Heng lifted the boy up in his arms. The boy turned his head to quietly sniffle into his chest.

Ugh. I’m going to have to clean the snot off my clothes later. 

Pan Heng turned towards the other people in the tavern. “I’ll take care of this. Everyone, just go about your usual business.”

The tavern patrons slowly nodded and returned to their tables, putting everything back in order. 

But Pan Heng still felt the villagers’ eyes on him as he left the tavern with the stray boy in tow.

Scruffy (I guess). - That was the nickname she came up with for the man carrying her up the path.

Scruffy was...well, scruffy. His clothes were unkempt and he had a constant facial expression of “I’m tired as fuck and want to sleep. Don’t bother me”.

So far, Scruffy had been nothing but reluctantly helpful. But if Scruffy tried anything, she’d bite and scratch at him and then run.

Run where? To the other villagers? They obviously want nothing to do with you from how scared they looked. Or the forest? You wouldn’t last long out there in the wilderness. 

There’s her sense of logic. She couldn’t risk running away and getting herself lost in the mountains. Fuck. She was stuck. No. No. She would figure something out. She had to.

Scruffy held onto her with one arm, the other arm holding a cloth to shelter them against the pouring rain.

She continued holding onto Scruffy. It had been so long since she’d been carried like this. As an adult, she had grown too big and heavy for her father to carry her like he did when she was a little kid...Was she really a little kid again?

Scruffy’s footsteps slowed. 

She looked ahead of her and made out a small hut in the distance. - This must be where Scruffy lives.

She and Scruffy entered the hut, both of them happy about being out of the rain, breathing collective sighs of relief.

Scruffy tossed the drenched cloth to the ground and gently placed her down. He shut the door, then lit a fire under the clay furnace at the front of the entrance room.

Scruffy gestured to her and pointed at the ground next to the fire. “Wait here.” 

She didn’t understand the exact Chinese phrase, but she understood the general meaning of what Scruffy was telling her to do. She gratefully warmed herself near the fire, glad to be out of the cold.

Scruffy entered another room in the hut, rummaging around for something. Then he returned, placing a huge wooden basin of water on top of the furnace.

What was he heating water for? She didn’t know what else to do but wait.

Eventually, steam rose from the water basin. 

Scruffy gestured to her to follow him, before carrying the water basin through a hall and into an empty room. Well, empty save for the small bowl of berry paste and cloth towel Scruffy took out of a covered pot.

He placed the basin down onto the floor and waved a hand at her to the basin.

Ok? What was she supposed to do with a bowl of berry paste and a basin of warm water? She pointed at the bowl, confusion on her face.

“Soapberries,” Pan Heng made scrubbing motions on himself, “Used for bathing.”

Oh. Oh. The bowl of berry paste was a substitute for soap. And the basin was a bathtub. She had to take a bath.

She pointed at Scruffy, then pointed her finger out the room. She could bathe herself, thank you very much.

Scruffy shrugged and left, shutting the door. 

She removed her clothes and lowered herself into the water basin. The heated water was a relief for her cold and sore body.

Left alone, she dwelled in her thoughts about this whole situation she found herself in.

She didn’t understand a word anyone said. Everyone was shouting in Chinese (Mandarin? Cantonese? She wasn’t sure about the specific dialect) and they were terrified of her, that much she knew. It didn’t look like they entirely stopped being scared of her after Scruffy wiped her face clean either.

She wet her hair, then scrubbed the soapberry paste onto her hair and body.

Why didn’t anyone know what her smartphone was? Surely, even the people in rural areas have at least heard of smartphones even if they didn’t have one themselves, right? And yet, that wasn’t the case.

Then Scruffy stuck a talisman to her forehead. Had she stumbled into a cosplay convention or a wuxia drama film shoot? Did her friends hire actors to play an elaborate prank on her? These actors and sets were very convincing if that were the case.

But then...why exactly was she a little kid again? She stared down at her hands and feet. God, they were tiny.

This was all too crazy. She must be dreaming. Probably lucid dreaming. 

She bit her lip. But for a lucid dream, it was getting too long and too vivid.

She finished rinsing the soapberry paste off her body and dried herself off with the towel.

Then she realized…

Ah shit. I don’t have any fresh clothes to change into. Wearing my old dirty clothes would just ruin the purpose of bathing in the first place! 

She made sure to cover herself with the towel and carefully opened the door a crack. Ok. Scruffy wasn’t standing in front of the door. She slowly opened the door more outward. A pile of clothes lay on the ground. Oh good. Scruffy left them out for her. Wait. He hadn’t peeked on her, had he? She hadn’t heard the door creak open...He better not have.

But how to dress? She’d never worn rural Chinese clothing before. She pictured how Scruffy dressed. - Let’s see. These are pants. Hmm. This must be an outer robe. And this must be the sash belt that you tie to the outer robe. - She hoped she got it right.

Satisfied after carefully double-checking the way she dressed, she returned to the entrance room of the hut. Scruffy was seated in front of the furnace, warming his hands near the fire. When he noticed her, he didn’t raise his eyebrows or make any remarks about the way she dressed.

She internally sighed with relief. Good. She managed to dress properly, at least. Having Scruffy help her dress would have been too awkward.

Scruffy patted the spot next to him and she walked over to sit next to him in front of the fire.

They sat together in silence. She stared at the fire, focusing on the flames and listening to its crackling. The ambiance was nice for relaxing her mind.

“Pan Heng.”

“Huh?” She turned to Scruffy.

Scruffy pointed at himself. “Pan Heng,” he said slowly.

“Oh.” She got what he was getting at. She pointed at herself, slowly saying her name. 

“What?” Pan Heng’s eyebrows furrowed. She’d said her English name so of course he was confused.

Ok then. She tried her Vietnamese name. 

“T-Tha-un?” Pan Heng struggled with saying that name too.

She looked upon Pan Heng helplessly. She didn’t have any other names to give Pan Heng. And she didn’t really know Chinese to give him a proper Chinese name to call her by. Both she and Pan Heng were at a loss, sitting in awkward silence.

Then Pan Heng smacked a hand to his head, sighing. “Well, no one’s going to know how to say the names you’ve given me. So I shall come up with a name for you.”

Pan Heng stood in thought for a few moments, tapping his foot and rubbing his chin. Then he pointed a finger at her. “Chun.”

That was quick. -  She slowly pointed a finger at herself, her eyebrows furrowed. “...Choo-un?”

Pan Heng frowned, still pointing his finger at her. “Chun,” he repeated.

They practiced pronouncing her new name until Pan Heng was satisfied.

“Xiao-Chun, it is.” Pan Heng nodded his head in contentment.

“Xiao”? As in “little”?  

Well…she was a little kid again. So that made sense.

Huh. Guess I’m Chun here then. Wonder what it means. 

Pan Heng led her to another room, chock full of talismans, knick-knacks, and such. He cleared a space in the left corner, tossing items here and there to make room for a mat.

Xiao-Chun understood what Pan Heng was doing once he placed a makeshift pillow at the head of the mat.

Wait. This was where she was going to sleep?

Xiao-Chun glared at Pan Heng, and he just shrugged apologetically in response. “Welcome to my bedroom. The only bedroom in my home.”

Xiao-Chun spotted another bed mat in the other corner of the room. Oh. He was saying that this was also his bedroom.

From what Pan Heng showed her, his hut had only three rooms: the entrance room with the clay furnace, the bathing room, and his bedroom. So of course, she had to be his roommate. Either that or she could sleep uncomfortably on the wet floor of the bathing room. But Pan Heng would’ve been rude to force her, a young child, to sleep in the bathing or furnace rooms.

“Time to sleep, xiao-Chun.” Pan Heng slumped forward onto his bed. He snored in seconds.

Oh no. He’s a snorer. 

Taking his cue, xiao-Chun got into her bed. Her back ached. She wished there was a mattress. But it was better than sleeping on the floor. 

She rolled over in her bed, shutting her eyes. - Hope I’ll wake up from this dream if I fall asleep in this dream.