Yang Junshan was so panic that he sat up suddenly, finding himself on a big bed which made a noise when he shook violently.
A warm and sweet air pervaded the familiar wooden bed, beams, rafters, walls, furnishings and decorations, which reminded him of something in the depths of his memory.
The only unfamiliar thing was his smaller body but still in a familiar clothes.
"How can I become a child?"
Before he thought of this, a great thought appeared in his mind and astonished him: He was reborn! This was what he looked like one hundred years ago.
The current memory and the experiences in one hundred years later were repelling each other. Junshan was in a trance when memories of different time and places sprang up. Until a small white hand waggling became more and more distinct, he came back to earth.
A small face with a flowery smile abruptly came into his sight, with a giggle, "Brother, brother, alive! Alive!"
As his eyes became bright again, Yang Junshan looked at the lovely girl, and asked unbelievably, "My little sister?"
The little girl grinned at him, withdrew her little hand, and said sweetly, "Are you so lost that you don't even recognize your little sister? You've been in a daze on the bed for almost two hours. Are you thinking about Pehchao Mountain Paddock?"
The words of the little girl made Junshan think about the things happened over one hundred years ago, until he remembered one scene which was in perfect harmony with the current situation and the prodigal who went through all the vicissitudes of life in more than one hundred years and the boy Yang Junshan finally overlapped into one person.
The girl came to him in a series of hops, turned around, put her hands on the edge of the bed, sat next to Yang Junshan, and then said sweetly, "I heard from father and Uncle Baishan that only the spiritual articles left by others are available in Pehchao Mountain Paddock, and the place is very dangerous, where fierce animals often eat people. Can you just forget it?"
Junshan touched her head tenderly, which made Yang Junxin unhappy. She said, "Ah! Don't touch my head! Mom braided my hair carefully early in the morning!"
He thought about the scenes of the previous life, laughed and said, "Don't worry. Although Pehchao Mountain is very dangerous, extraordinary spiritual articles have been selected by Hanshan Sect and other blue bloods or sects, maybe there are still some good ones that I can find them with good luck."
"It's difficult to do it."
A voice attracted Yang Junshan, and then he saw a boy who was two or three years younger than him and looked like him. The boy had been standing in the doorway. Hearing what Junshan said, he just curled his lip and said, "Brother, father finally got a Khaki Spiritual Stone from grandmother. Though it is not the best, it's still a medium-grade spiritual article. You know our family has been difficult since grandfather passed away. Father must be sneered by Fifth Uncle and some other peoples for this stone. Expect Mountain-shocking Sect and some families in Yu Prefecture, only a few people can afford a medium-grade spiritual article. Even father just used a medium-grade spiritual article to awaken his spiritual acupoint. Now you insist on going to the Pehchao Mountain, but how dangerous it is!"
Junshan was two years older than his brother, and they often quarreled and fought. They were at odds over a bow a few days ago. Yang Junshan grabbed a mulberry bow from his brother by greater strength, which made his brother cry in front of their father and mother for a long time. Until father promised to buy a new one for his brother when he was 12 years old, he just stopped crying.
Junshan looked at his brother who looked worried with a little bit blame, thinking about the experiences during the over one hundred years in dream, which made him feel warm in his heart, and then he said softly, "Don't worry. I just go to the Pehchao Mountain once. If I find nothing there, I will come back and use the Khaki Spiritual Stone to awaken my spiritual acupoints. But if I find another spiritual article, then that one is yours."
Suddenly, Yang Junping's eyes lit up. Then he thought about something, and muttered, "Had you spoken this earlier, I would not fight with you for the mulberry bow. I know that father bought that bow for you in case you go to the Pehchao Mountain."
Seeing his brother muttering, Yang Junshan could not help asking, "What are you saying?"
His brother grumbled, "I don't want your Khaki Spiritual Stone. It's easy for you to say that, as if you will get a spiritual article successfully. Pehchao Mountain is dangerous, so I suggest you awaken your spiritual acupoints with the Khaki Spiritual Stone. Bro. Hu, the son of Blacksmith Zhang who lived in the east of the village, is one year younger than you, but he has a third-class intelligence. He has cultivated with you from the beginning and will succeed in awakening his spiritual acupoints soon. Bro. Hu often shows off in front of us. If you don't awaken your spiritual acupoints as soon as possible, we will be defeated next time."
Yang Junshan jumped off the bed, walked to his brother, patted on his shoulder with a smile, and said, "Rest assured. I will be fine." After that, he bypassed his brother, pushed the door open and walked out. Yang Junping stood riveted to the ground, shrugging the shoulder which was patted by this elder brother. And then he turned to look at Junshan's back, and followed him out, mumbling something.
Outside the room, their father Yang Tiangang just finished a pot of tobacco, sitting on a millstone and knocking on the tobacco pot in which tobacco ash made a rustle of falling.
With the help of Yang Tianfang, the third aunt of Yang Junshan, his father managed to get this top-grade implement, Wind-grinded Copper Tobacco Pot with a jade mouth which cost almost half of the family property. As a result, the Yang Family had a hard time. Until Yang Tiangang lived apart from the Yang Clan, moved his family to Tuqiu Village, Huangtu Town, Mengyu County, and became the village head, their life was slowly getting better.
There were two pouches hanging on the tobacco pot. One made of ordinary black cloth was filled with cut tobacco, and the other made of brocade looked smaller and shriveled.
Yang Junshan knew that in the brocade pouch was a kind of low-grade cut tobacco which was made of Cold-jade Tobacco Leaves. People who smoked it could feel cold and subtle nimbus which would make him completely relaxed and happy. Only when Yang Tiangang felt happy or a visitor arrived, could he smoke it.
And Junshan also learned that this pouch could contain not only Cold-jade Tobacco, but also many things much larger than the pouch itself.
Seeing Junshan come out of the house, Yang Tiangang slowly took a pot of tobacco with the pot out of the black pouch, and then rubbed the tobacco with his thumb and forefinger. Suddenly, sparkles shone and the tobacco was lit. Spitting out a cloud of white smoke after taking a whiff or two, he looked at Yang Junshan and said, "Have you decided?"
Junshan looked young but firm. He nodded, "Yes, I have decided to go to Pehchao Mountain!"
"I don't allow you to go there!" His mother shouted.
With an air of anxiety, Han Xiumei walked quickly out of the kitchen. She shook the water off her hands and stretched out a finger to poke Junshan's forehead, and then said, "Do you really know Pehchao Mountain? Those clans and rich families are evil, and the so-called opportunities are actually Greek gifts. They just let children in, so this behavior is equivalent to death. I don't allow you to go that place. If you dare go there, I'll break your legs!" Junshan tried to dodge her finger, but her finger always poked his forehead accurately. Therefore, he was forced to protect forehead with his hands, and exclaimed, "Ah! It hurts!! Believe me, I will be all right."
Upon hearing that, his mother was more furious. A slap fell on the back of Yang Junshan's head before his reaction, which made him stagger. His mother said, "You little jerk! I have endured a lot of hardship bringing you up. It took lots of work for your father to find this Khaki Spiritual Stone. But you should still insist on going to Pehchao Mountain! Even if you have the ability to come back from Pehchao Mountain, can you really find a spiritual article better than Khaki Spiritual Stone? There is nothing good left since so many people have searched there!"
Junshan just smirked, but his mother knew that it was his old trick which showed that he had made up his mind to resist to the end. She was so worried that she had to ask his father for help. "What do you think about this?" She asked.
Yang Tiangang drew on his tobacco and was wreathed in tobacco smoke. After a while, he said slowly to Junshan, "You've always been less concerned about one thing. So, learning archery for one year is to go to Pehchao Mountain, right?" Junshan touched his own head, and answered with a smile, "Yes!"
Yang Tiangang was smoking silently. Meanwhile, Yang Junping and Yang Junxin kept quiet since they came out of the room. The Yang Family were standing and waiting for the head of this family to make a decision.
After finishing this pot of tobacco, Yang Tiangang knocked the tobacco ash off the pot, glanced at Junshan and said, "Just do it!"
Han Xiumei immediately became anxious, and shouted, "You…"
Yang Tiangang waved his hand to interrupt her, and said, "It's done. Junshan has seldom focused on one thing for so long. He has been practicing archery and preparing to go to Pehchao Mountain since a year ago. Thus, I decide to take him there three days later."
Seeing Han Xiumei still felt worried about his son, Yang Tiangang added, "At that time, I will just show him around the margin of Pehchao Mountain, and it will be safe. The worst result is that we gain nothing."