# Chapter 3: Bamboo Village
Rising from the damp rock, Su Xiao walked toward the cave entrance.
"Croak."
The giant frog in the pool let out a call, clearly somewhat reluctant. It had been lonely here for a long time, and its earlier interaction with Bubu Wang had sparked a sense of friendship. Indeed, solitary and simple creatures form bonds this easily. Don't think this friendship is insincere—sometimes, for the sake of such small, pure connections, they are willing to bear great risks.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang turned and barked once, bidding farewell before chasing after Su Xiao.
Su Xiao reached the cave entrance. A thin layer of water curtain blocked the way ahead. Sunlight filtered through the water, keeping the cave from being too dark.
Passing through the water curtain, somewhat blinding sunlight appeared. Su Xiao squinted. The chirping of insects and birds reached his ears, along with the sound of rushing water.
Fresh air filled his lungs. The air in this world was so clean it was hard to believe—just a few breaths gave the illusion of having one's lungs cleansed.
Su Xiao was currently standing on a stone platform on a cliff face. It was at least a hundred meters down. A waterfall of moderate width flowed down behind him, gathering into a round pool below. The pool connected to a river, and colorful flower petals floated on the water's surface.
Su Xiao leaped from the stone platform. Before he could fall into the round pool below, the sound of wind cutting through air came.
"Yahoo~"
Bahad swooped down, grabbing Su Xiao's arm. Su Xiao landed on the scattered rocks beside the round pool.
With no clear goal for now, Su Xiao followed the river dotted with flower petals. Bubu Wang swam in the river. The natural environment of this world put him in a good mood.
"Ow!"
With a yelp, Bubu Wang splashed and scrambled ashore. Before Su Xiao could see what had attacked him, Bubu ran off with his tail between his legs. Hanging from his tail was something with a shell and pincers.
Continuing along the river, before long, Su Xiao reached a grassland. A breeze blew by, making it look like a green ocean. Small white and yellow wildflowers stubbornly grew among the weeds.
From a great distance, Su Xiao noticed something in the sky ahead, hovering motionless in midair. He squinted to examine it and found it was a kite.
Su Xiao quickened his pace. Bubu Wang, carrying a large crab in his mouth, caught up shortly after. After walking about half a kilometer, a cow with light yellow fur appeared ahead, grazing with its head down.
This cow seemed to be wild, with no harness on its body. Its half-curved horns were very long, at least half a meter, with exquisite carvings on them.
Not far from the cow, a young boy was lying on the flat grass. He had his legs crossed, hands behind his head, and a blade of grass in his mouth.
The boy was gazing at the blue sky. The cow grazing nearby let out a call, making the boy look puzzled. He sat up and saw Su Xiao approaching from afar.
"Traveler?"
The boy tilted his head in thought. His attire didn't look like that of an ordinary cowherd. He wore loose white clothes with unusually wide sleeves, embroidered with fine decorations.
"Are you lost?"
The boy's voice was clear. The horned cow nearby had moved closer to him and was watching Su Xiao warily.
"Yes. Is there a village or town nearby?"
"No town, but there's a village. It's at..."
The boy scratched his head. In the end, his helpfulness overcame his laziness, and he stood up from the ground.
"I'll take you there. It might be a bit presumptuous, but... I feel like you're not good people."
The boy in white smiled awkwardly, but his hearty laughter eased the tension.
"How could that be? We're clearly not villains. Look here."
Bahad's claw pointed at Bubu Wang. Bubu Wang ran forward and barked at the boy.
"Alright, maybe I'm being too sensitive. This area is very dangerous. You should stay at Bamboo Village for now. The villagers are very hospitable."
Hearing the word "hospitable," Bubu Wang's heart skipped a beat. The people of death in Dead Silence City had also been very "hospitable."
"Dangerous nearby?"
Bahad picked up the conversation. Compared to Su Xiao, he seemed more like a good person—no, a good bird. Was that really the case? Of course not. Bahad was no good bird either.
"Yeah, very dangerous."
"And you're not worried?"
"I'm very strong."
The boy didn't say much, but he was cheerful, and his words and actions were polite.
"I guess we're acquainted now. My name is Liu. What about you?"
The boy held his kite and walked alongside Su Xiao. This could mean two things: either the boy was well-mannered and humble, not wanting to walk ahead of Su Xiao, or he didn't want to turn his back to Su Xiao.
"Bai Ye."
"Bahad."
"Woof."
"Okay, I'll remember. When we get to Bamboo Village, don't offend the village chief there. Old man Qingzhang has a bad temper. His bamboo cane hurts a lot. A lot, a lot."
The boy Liu instinctively touched his own backside, a trace of fear appearing in his eyes—fear and respect for an elder.
They continued on. Half an hour later, a large bamboo forest appeared ahead. Many spotted deer were in the forest, startled away by Su Xiao and the others.
Passing through the bamboo forest, a small village came into view. It was nestled in the center of the bamboo grove. Each house was quite large, with thatched roofs sloping on both sides.
This was a small village of about a hundred people. Cooking smoke rose faintly. The villagers were busy in their homes, but when they saw Su Xiao, almost all of them looked at him with scrutiny.
They arrived at the innermost part of the village—a courtyard enclosed by three houses. The yard was paved with gravel, and a half-meter-thick wooden post stood in the center.
A child under ten years old was holding a wooden sword, chopping at the post again and again, producing thumping sounds. Hanging from his loose clothing was a transparent ornament, carved from some kind of transparent crystal.
Seeing this ornament, Su Xiao knew that the resources in this world were unbelievably abundant. That small pendant was actually carved from a Soul Crystal, and it was an equipment item—something that could be taken out of this world once obtained.
"Kid, put some strength into it."
Bahad spoke, landing on the wooden post and looking down at the red-faced, sweaty child below.
Thump.
The wooden sword slammed into the post. The child sniffled and raised his head with a somewhat provocative air.
"Too weak."
Though Bahad said this, he was inwardly shocked. That last swing had reached at least Blade Mastery Lv.5 or higher—and this was a child under ten.
"Hmph."
The child turned his head away, signaling he was ignoring Bahad.
"If it were me, I could split this post in half."
Was Bahad teasing the child? No. Bahad wouldn't do something so boring.
"Move aside."
The child gripped the wooden sword with both hands, lowering his body slightly. A wisp of white vapor from his sweat rose from his body.
"You can split this post?"
"Don't blame me if it hurts. I already told you to move."
The child's competitive spirit was stirred. He slowly inhaled, and the next moment, slight muscle contours bulged on his small frame.
Boom!
The wooden sword slashed diagonally. A wave of air spread out. The wooden sword cut through the post, sending splintered wood flying everywhere.
Seeing this, Bubu Wang's mouth dropped open, stunned. That was a child under ten years old.
"Stand down, Shi."
An old, stern voice came from the innermost house. A figure walked out—the village chief of Bamboo Village, Qingzhang, had arrived.
Su Xiao's right hand hung naturally, moving closer to his sword hilt. The aura not far away told him that the newcomer was very strong—and a master of the blade.