Betray Gods

Chapter 3: Something's Up

The tree village had been the Chilei tribe’s home for hundreds of years, with every house woven from an incredibly tough plant known as Elder Vine. Most homes were nestled halfway up huge trees, hidden among dense leaves and layered branches. These vine houses were fireproof, waterproof, and pretty much perfect, except they couldn’t stand up to lightning—get struck, and they’d go up in smoke. But even so, compared to the usual buildings outside Regu Forest, these were about as close to perfect as you could get for a safe home. Leiyin frowned at the girl in front of him, getting impatient, “What are you zoning out for? Get back to the vine house in the tree village, will ya?” Feng Shanshan pouted, eyeing Leiyin suspiciously, “You’re telling me to go back inside, but what about you? Where are you off to? I don’t buy that you’re heading home!” “Since when do I need to report my whereabouts to you? Stop yapping and go.” Leiyin knew Feng Shanshan loved to be where the action was. Whenever something was going down, she stuck around like a thorn you just couldn’t shake off. But the sound of the alarm drum was no small matter.

Talking as they went, they’d reached the base of Feng Shanshan’s tree house. Leiyin reached out to push her towards the vine ladder when she swiftly twisted around to his side, grabbing his rough hand with her delicate, slender fingers. Leiyin felt a jolt through his left hand, like a tiny shock, and instinctively tried to pull away, but failed.

“Come on, Leiyin! Just take me with you! We’ll sneak around; no one will notice!” With that, Feng Shanshan took off like a breeze, pulling Leiyin along. Her long braid whipped up in the wind, brushing past Leiyin’s nose, leaving a scent of flowers mixed with the freshness of spring water. Leiyin’s heart started pounding painfully in his chest; he took a deep breath, squeezed her hand tightly, and said sternly, “Follow me! And why are you running? Do you even know where I’m going?”

Feng Shanshan looked back at Leiyin, her eyes sparkling with laughter, but she kept silent.

Hand in hand, the two of them sneaked to the back of the Tree Ze Hall, where an enormous camphor tree stood. Its bark was covered in messy, carelessly carved marks—all from Feng Shanshan’s mischievous younger days. About a meter up the trunk, there was a crudely carved wild boar’s head next to Leiyin’s name, surrounded by several big, messy Xs—Feng Shanshan’s handiwork at age six. Nearby, some scribbles vaguely formed the character “Feng,” followed by several names that had been scratched over in frustration, names she had once imagined for her birth parents.

Right above, in the tree, was a small vine lookout post next to the Tree Ze Hall. Inside the hall, the Chilei tribe’s elders and hall leaders were discussing important matters, probably the reason for the alarm. When Leiyan had arrived at the Tree Ze Hall, the hall leader of the Feng Zhu Hall, Lei Fang, immediately sent him to keep watch from the camphor tree.

“I knew you’d be eavesdropping!” Feng Shanshan said, not even looking at Leiyin but with a hint of a smile in her voice. Leiyin looked at her, couldn’t help but smile too, and shook his head.

Feng Shanshan, who often played under this old camphor tree, knew exactly how to climb up to a densely leafed branch, close to the second-floor meeting room of the main Tree Ze Hall building and just below the lookout post’s blind spot. As long as they kept quiet, the lookout wouldn’t notice them. Leiyin and Feng Shanshan held their breath, a bit nervous. Leiyin hadn’t even noticed when Feng Shanshan snuggled into his arms. Through the leaves, they could see the back of an old man’s head by the window, his hair silver-white—probably Lei Miao Chen, one of the Chilei’s five great elders. Elder Lei Miao Chen seemed to be raising his hand, twisting some stray silver hairs near his ear, a sign he was deep in thought. “So, you’re saying those two kids definitely came from outside Regu Forest, from the east?” “What else? It’s gotta be!” Hall leader Lei Xiao from the Fu Mu Hall responded without hesitation, “Even if they’re not spies sent from the east, they’re not a good sign! We’ve only got a decade or so left, and those guys from the Eastern Dragon Alliance are definitely trying to drag us into their mess!” “A millennium approaches, and it’s bound to be a season of troubles,” the most respected elder, Grand Elder Lei Baichen, holding a cup of clear-sighted fish grass tea, stated calmly. “I think you all are being too jumpy,” said Elder Lei Zhi Chen, the youngest among them, looking to be in his prime, with a calming presence that could ease worries. He was one of the few who seemed relaxed. “If we’re eventually going back to the east, why resist those coming from there now? Besides, those kids seemed clueless and ragged, more like they’re in trouble and need our help, not like they’re from the Dragon Alliance.” The discussion inside went on for a while, and finally, Grand Elder Lei Baichen, after a moment of contemplation, said, “I’ve heard your thoughts. The matter of returning east needs careful consideration, given the complex relationships and ongoing disputes among the many clans there. We need to choose our allies wisely. For now, for caution’s sake, we might as well detain those two kids for a while, get some answers to ensure there’s no trouble. Let’s leave this to Hall Leader Lei Chou of the Qing Wang Hall. Thank you for handling this.” Elder Lei Baichen nodded to the reticent Lei Chou, then his figure gradually faded, signaling the discussion was over, and everyone else started to leave.

Leiyin listened intently, the word “detain” making his heart feel inexplicably heavy. He wanted to say something, but looking down, he saw Feng Shanshan, who had fallen asleep in his arms like a little piglet, her mouth slightly open, her face flushed—a picture of carefree joy. Leiyin’s gaze softened, and he silently cursed, “Pighead,” just as he was about to wake her, something hit him hard on the back, knocking him right off the branch! Holding Feng Shanshan tight, Leiyin executed a flying fish leap, using the tree branches and his wood spirit power to stabilize their fall to the ground. “Who’s there!” Before Leiyin could get up, a furious shout exploded above, and an arrow, charged with surging wood spirit power, flew right before his eyes. Fortunately, Leiyin, reacting quickly, dodged as he landed. Leiyin yelled, “Hold your fire! It’s me, big bro!”

The angry shouter was Leiyan, who had heard the rustling of leaves from his lookout spot and immediately swooped down to check. Seeing them, his face darkened with reprimand, “Leiyin! Didn’t I tell you to take Shanshan home? What are you doing here! You’re causing trouble, that arrow could have hurt you!” Just woken up in mid-air, Feng Shanshan quickly stepped forward, grabbing Leiyan’s arm, “Don’t be mad, big bro! We did go home! Then, after I heard the alarm drum had stopped for a long while and everything was quiet, I begged Leiyin to take me out to play, you know I love playing under this camphor tree.” Leiyan eyed them suspiciously, asking, “How long have you two been here?” Leiyin thought Leiyan had shot him down from the tree and, hearing this, guessed that Leiyan had only come because of the noise he made falling. A bit shaken, he bluffed, “Haha, we just got here. Climbed halfway up the tree and got into a fight with Shanshan, then fell down.” Feng Shanshan and Leiyin had an understanding and didn’t contradict each other. Leiyin laughed it off while discreetly scanning the surroundings, but all was calm.

“You two really know how to stir up trouble,” Leiyan, no longer suspicious, showed a mild smile, “Leiyin, you’re done with your coming-of-age ceremony and still thinking about playing? Get back home and train!” “Right you are, big bro!” Leiyin grinned, bowed, and, taking Feng Shanshan’s hand, they both slipped away.