Simple dialogue allowed for straightforward communication. Wu Dongfang first confirmed Mingwan's identity. Mingwan was indeed a widow; her husband had been killed by a wild animal a few years ago while transporting ore. Widows at this time had two possible fates: if they had not borne children, they had to die with their husbands; if they had borne children, they could survive, with the village authorities deciding whether they would remarry or remain widows.
Having confirmed Mingwan's situation, he began to inquire about the village. To his surprise, the Xia Dynasty was not as primitive and backward as he had imagined; instead, it had a strict hierarchical system. The Tu tribe was the dominant force in the Xia Dynasty, residing in the most favorable areas of the Central Plains. The leader of the Tu tribe was called the "Emperor." The Jin, Mu, Shui, and Huo tribes were subservient to the Tu tribe, functioning as vassal states, with their leaders titled "Kings."
Mingwan had never traveled far and did not know much about the Tu tribe and the other three tribes. She only knew that members of the Jin tribe all had the surname Ming. The Jin tribe consisted of six clans, each with a varying number of villages. The population of these villages also varied, ranging from several dozen to over a thousand.
Each village was led and managed by a shaman, whose status was equivalent to that of a modern-day village chief, but with a broader range of duties. In addition to being the village chief, the shaman also acted as the security head and barefoot doctor, handling all major and minor affairs in the village.
Shamans were ranked in tiers. The village shaman was called a shaman, while the more powerful shamans in the clans were known as magi. These magi, although performing similar duties to village shamans, were far more formidable. Beyond these, there was another tier of the most powerful shamans who could communicate with the gods and borrow their powers, known as celestial masters.
With social hierarchy in place, information could be transmitted layer by layer. Therefore, although Mingwan did not know the specific details of the other tribes, she had heard some things about them. Her impressions and views on the five tribes were that the Tu tribe was the most powerful, the Mu tribe was relatively kind, the Shui tribe was very mysterious, the Huo tribe was extremely fierce, and the Jin tribe was the weakest among the five, often bullied.
When asked why the Jin tribe was the weakest, Mingwan's answer was that she did not know.
Wu Dongfang was already quite satisfied with what he had learned; after all, Mingwan was just an ordinary member of the Jin tribe, and as a woman, she couldn't be expected to know too much about the outside world.
As his injuries healed, Wu Dongfang began to catch more prey, and the animals he hunted grew larger. However, he ate very little himself and gave most of it to Mingwan. His main purpose was to ensure Mingwan had more time to teach him the language. The women in the village had to cook and deliver food to the men working in the mines, and Mingwan was no exception. But with a constant supply of meat, she could be an exception.
In his spare time, Wu Dongfang tried to help Mingwan repair her house, but he eventually gave up. There were no nails at this time, and houses were built using mortise and tenon joints, which he didn't know how to carve or design.
The villagers all knew that the prey Mingwan brought back was given to her by Wu Dongfang, so they did not dislike him. They would smile and nod when they saw him, but no one dared to talk to him without the shaman's permission.
His leg was now about seventy to eighty percent healed, and he was becoming more fluent in the language. His curiosity about the outside world grew, and he sought every opportunity to gather more information. He once went to the mines to try to befriend the men, but unlike the women who were friendly, the men were very cold, even hostile. Not understanding why, he asked Mingwan, and her answer made him laugh, "They're afraid you'll seduce their wives."
After this explanation, Wu Dongfang no longer visited the village at the foot of the mountain.
"Are you worried about something?" Wu Dongfang asked Mingwan as she brought him food. Lately, she had seemed constantly worried.
"No," Mingwan shook her head.
"We're friends. Don't hide anything from me," Wu Dongfang said. Although their language didn't sound like this, the meaning was the same.
"Are you planning to leave?" Mingwan asked, handing a small jar to Wu Dongfang.
"Where to?" Wu Dongfang took the small jar and used a bamboo stick to pull out a piece of rabbit meat, bringing it to his mouth.
"Home," Mingwan replied.
Wu Dongfang was taken aback. After a moment, he chewed the meat and said, "I don't have a home."
"Everyone has a home, except for slaves," Mingwan said, puzzled.
"I'm not a slave; it's just that my home is very far from here," Wu Dongfang explained.
"How far?" Mingwan pressed.
"So far that I can never go back," Wu Dongfang said, putting down the meat and picking up his dagger, which he began to examine.
"Do you have a wife?" Mingwan asked, no longer probing his origins.
"Yes," Wu Dongfang replied, aware of the intent behind her question.
"Would you like another one?"
Wu Dongfang was stunned. He had forgotten that this was the Xia Dynasty, where a man could have many wives. Lying about it wouldn't help.
"I've given birth to two sons," Mingwan said openly.
Wu Dongfang smiled but didn't continue the conversation. He wasn't sure if this was a common practice in the Xia Dynasty or just in this remote Jin tribe village, but to them, being able to bear children was something to be proud of.
"I can cook, make shoes, and sew clothes. I can do everything," Mingwan said seriously.
"I've always considered you a friend," Wu Dongfang said, feeling bewildered. To be honest, he didn't dislike Mingwan, but he had never thought about marrying her.
Upon hearing this, Mingwan's face lit up with joy. Wu Dongfang realized he might have made a mistake. His command of the language wasn't perfect yet, and in the Xia Dynasty language, the words for "friend" and "someone you like" sounded very similar.
"I have very important things to do; I can't stay here forever," Wu Dongfang quickly added.
"I have children; I can't go with you," Mingwan said, greatly disappointed. She sighed deeply and sat on a nearby stone, looking dejected.
Wu Dongfang lost his appetite and stopped eating the rabbit meat. Ten minutes later, Mingwan left with the clay pot, looking downcast.
Watching Mingwan leave, Wu Dongfang went back to the cave to continue working on his quiver. His previous quiver was made of bamboo, which swayed too much when worn on his back. He wanted to replace it with a flat wooden quiver.
At three in the afternoon, while Wu Dongfang was taking a nap in the cave, he suddenly heard footsteps outside. Peering out, he saw Mingwan walking up the ridge from the eastern slope.
Having just rejected her affection that morning, Wu Dongfang felt a bit awkward and guilty. He grabbed his dagger and quiver, pretending to be busy.
Mingwan stopped at the entrance of the cave.
"It's too hot outside; it's cooler in here," Wu Dongfang said, turning to Mingwan.
Mingwan didn't move.
"Come on in," Wu Dongfang urged.
After a moment's hesitation, Mingwan stepped inside and sat in a corner.
Wu Dongfang put down his dagger and quiver, picked up the water jar from the corner, and handed it to her.
Mingwan took the jar with both hands, set it aside, and turned to look directly at Wu Dongfang.
Wu Dongfang vaguely guessed what Mingwan intended from her gaze and quickly turned back to his seat. He felt more pity and gratitude towards Mingwan than anything else; he had never considered a romantic relationship with her. It wasn't because he disliked her, but simply because he felt no spark.
Mingwan continued to stare at him, her eyes intense and dreamy. Nervously, Wu Dongfang picked up his dagger and resumed working on the quiver. In his flustered state, he misjudged his movements and accidentally cut his left index finger.
Seeing his injury, Mingwan rushed over, snatched the dagger and quiver from his hands, and grabbed his finger, licking away the blood droplets.
This single act made Wu Dongfang blush deeply, but what followed embarrassed him even more. Mingwan took his entire finger into her mouth, sucking hard while her tongue darted over the wound.
Wu Dongfang, who had been eating mostly meat lately—snake, rabbit, bird—felt a rush of heat through his body. He quickly pulled his finger back and rushed to grab the water jar on the other side of the cave.
Mingwan began undressing. She was wearing very little to begin with, and before Wu Dongfang could react, she was already topless.
Wu Dongfang choked on his water, hurriedly setting the jar down and waving his hands. "Wait, wait, we can talk this out."
Instead of waiting, Mingwan quickened her pace, standing up and slipping out of her skirt and undergarments.
Wu Dongfang had always seen Mingwan as a friend. It was only that morning that he realized she had feelings for him; before that, she had shown no signs. Once the thin line between friends and lovers was crossed, it was hard to go back. They would either be lovers or strangers.
He didn't want to turn hostile towards Mingwan, nor did he want to get intimate with her. He was trying to find a balance between the two, but as Mingwan undressed, revealing her pale skin and round curves, his heart pounded. Two conflicting thoughts battled in his mind: "Who cares, just do it." and "No, how would I handle things afterward?"
In modern times, women had shown interest in him, some quite forwardly, but he had never encountered someone who stripped down so proactively. The visual impact was powerfully tempting, and it was not easy to resist such temptation. He managed to hold on, at least for the moment, but within seconds he started questioning why he was resisting.
Mingwan, now completely undressed, lay on her side and beckoned to Wu Dongfang with repeated gestures.
"The cave is too hot; I'm going outside to cool off," Wu Dongfang forcefully suppressed his thoughts and walked quickly towards the cave entrance.
Before he could step out, Wu Dongfang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and his hairs stood on end. He witnessed the most unlikely scene—Mingwan was approaching the cave from a short distance away, carrying a clay pot.
Just as Wu Dongfang was overwhelmed with fear, he realized that his left hand was being held. Slowly turning his head, he saw Mingwan reaching out, trying to pull him closer.
His strong mental resilience kicked in, and Wu Dongfang instantly regained his composure. The Mingwan inside the cave was likely fake, given her overly lascivious behavior and obvious seduction.
At this moment, the Mingwan outside had already spotted him and was hurrying towards the cave.
Although he suspected the Mingwan inside the cave was fake, he couldn't be entirely sure. In a moment of clarity, he suddenly remembered something. He glanced sideways, then swiftly embraced the woman inside the cave, grabbing his dagger and cutting her throat.