The World of Mercenaries

Chapter 11: Brothers in Hardship

“Huff... huff...” The bear panted heavily, struggling as it dragged its almost completely mangled body forward.

What appeared before Amy’s eyes was... “Aah!” Amy screamed and fainted on the spot.

The once snow-white fur of the male bear’s belly was now stained crimson. A gaping wound, half a meter long, exposed its bluish intestines that spilled out, no wonder Amy was so terrified.

“Wake up... wake up... it’s time to eat... wake up!” Amy lay sprawled on the main road when a dark-skinned boy kept tapping his head.

“Lü’er, keep an eye on him while I go fetch some snow from the ditch nearby...”

“Ah, it’s freezing—!” Amy, who had developed a severe aversion to early morning snow after years of torment by Uncle Chi Hanfeng, instantly woke up at the mention of snow.

“Bear... where’s the bear?” As Amy regained his senses, he immediately recalled what had just happened.

“Strange, I haven’t fetched the snow yet, so why are you freezing? You killed the bear, you know? You were amazing just now.” The dark-skinned boy gave Amy a curious look. “That female bear, I shot an arrow clean through its ears, left to right, killing it instantly. That’s the only quick way to take down a bear. The male was so foolish it stepped on its own guts and died.”

“God, that scared me half to death.” Though Amy had regained consciousness, exhaustion, tension, and fright left his entire body, even his fingers, unable to move.

“I’m Daqingshan, Harker Daqingshan. What’s your name?” The boy squinted, smiling as he extended his hand to Amy.

“Amy, Amy Haber.” Taking the boy’s hand, Amy managed to sit up.

In the War of the Gods that turned the Human Realm, Celestial Realm, Demon Realm, and Dragon Realm upside down, the three boys who would later be known as the “Human-Dragon Gods”—two of them met in this very scene. Later, whenever Daqingshan brought up this encounter, Amy would inevitably unleash his most powerful spells on him—this day was too embarrassing, best forgotten.

“You were incredible just now. How did your sword cast magic?” Daqingshan handed over the Ice Blade, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Amy.

“It’s a sword my father left me... But wait, weren’t you passed out? How did you see my sword’s magic?”

“Who said I was passed out? Bears don’t eat the dead, so I figured you could hold them off. I played dead to make the bears focus entirely on you, then got up and shot the female bear in the end.” The boy had an innocent look on his face.

“Oh, please don’t do that again. You scared me to death. But why did you try to snatch the cubs? Don’t you realize how dangerous that was?” Amy was still shaken. He was both frightened and annoyed with this bold, clueless boy.

Well... it’s a long story.

Harker Daqingshan, age 15, hailed from Xiaojiao Village on the western slopes of Longya Mountain. He wasn’t born in the Kingdom of Hammy but was a descendant of migrants who came here due to its low taxes.

When he was just nine, his parents and fellow villagers ventured into the Green Dragon Terrace while hunting, angering the dragons. A colossal dragon caused an avalanche, killing most of them. Only a handful made it back to the village, and Daqingshan was told he was now an orphan.

If it hadn’t been for the villagers sharing what little they had—a handful of rice here, a deer leg there—Daqingshan would have long become part of the towering mountains. A poor child grows up quickly. By the time he was ten, Daqingshan was already digging out snow mouse dens and shooting snow rabbits with tiny arrows on his own. As he grew older, he joined the adults in the village for hunting trips.

Two years ago, a pair of snow bears had migrated to the outskirts of the village. Unlike most snow bears that lived near the sea hunting marine animals, these two ventured deep into the inland and frequently attacked villagers and livestock. Multiple large-scale hunts failed to harm them, and they even injured several villagers. This time, Daqingshan noticed the bears bringing their cubs out to hunt, so when the adult bears were distracted, he grabbed a cub and ran...

“Heh, look.” Daqingshan proudly showed Amy the result of sliding down the mountain using his rear during the escape—his pants were completely shredded. “I was planning to lead them to the outpost. The soldiers there should be able to kill them.”

As it turned out, the two boys shared the same destination. Amy was headed to the Longya Mountain Outpost to meet his teacher, while Daqingshan planned to sell the cub at the outpost. Swiftly, Daqingshan drew his dagger and skinned the bear with expert skill, cutting off its front paws and extracting its gallbladder.

“The bears are already dead! Why be so brutal, cutting them open like that?” Amy asked, perplexed.

“The bear pelt sells for a good price, especially snow bear pelts—they’re rare. The front paws are a delicacy; the outpost pays well for them. And the gallbladder... wow, look at this! This gallbladder, taken from a bear killed in fury, is twice the size of those caught in traps. It’ll fetch a lot more money.” Amy couldn’t help but think how this guy’s obsession with money was on par with Uncle Chi.

As he spoke, Daqingshan expertly gathered dry branches, lit a fire, and smeared the remaining ashes over the inside of the bear hide to quickly cure it.

The next afternoon, the two boys arrived at the Longya Mountain Outpost, where, just as Daqingshan had predicted, the haul fetched a great price—twenty gold coins, enough to support an ordinary family for a year.

Generous by nature, Daqingshan invited Amy for a grand feast. Persuaded by Amy, Daqingshan decided to stay a little longer and wait for Uncle Chi Hanfeng and Teacher Leige.

Though it was early summer, the nights on the Ice Continent remained cold. The howling north wind, laden with snow, swept down from the Longya Mountain pass. Huddled under the eaves, Amy and Daqingshan pressed close together. Too restless to sleep, they chatted away in the biting cold, reluctant to go to a tavern and spend money.

“Woo... woo...” A small green dog squeezed out from between their legs, its little head poking up with a contented look.

Amy regaled Daqingshan with stories of Uncle Chi and Teacher Leige, tales of swimming in the Snow Moon Lake, and training in the woods. Daqingshan listened in awe, marveling at the idea of water that wasn’t freezing. He had never even swum before.

...

The next morning, Daqingshan was jolted awake by a shriek. He saw two strangers and a giant snow wolf in the room. An old man dressed in rags and a handsome young man holding a large basin smiled sweetly at Amy. “Finally found you, son,” the young man said. The old man’s gaze quickly shifted to Daqingshan and Lü’er, who were poking their heads out.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” the old man said with a smile. “Little one, what’s your name?”

“Daqingshan, Harker Daqingshan.”

“I wasn’t asking you; I meant that adorable green pup.”

“It’s my little dog; his name is Lü’er.”

“Ah, but have you signed a contract with it?” the old man asked slyly.

“What contract?” Daqingshan was confused.

“You see, this dog won’t mature for another 400 years. Why not give it to me? In exchange, I’ll teach you magic, or even make you a knight,” he promised with a wicked grin.

Amy sighed inwardly; Uncle Chi was already corrupting Teacher Leige. Human greed knew no bounds.

—Excerpt from Shan Hai Jing: Chronicles of the Dragon Race