THE TRACES OF THE FRIENDSHIP OF SPIRITIS AND HUMAN.
CHAPTER 3 (SPIRIT AND MAN)

To the east, not far from the city, was a long, flowing river. From there, the spirit mountain could be clearly seen. The rumbling sound of flowing water could be heard several kilometers before reaching that place.

There also appeared Xiuhuan who was meditating, he was sitting on a large rock in the middle of the flowing river water. Xiuhuan was so calm and focused even though the water rumbled loudly. Not only that, he was not alone because there was a young man lying on a large rock by the river.

The man was dressed in simple clothes with his hair tied up, his young age was around twenty-six years old. And how pitying the man was on his face were some bruises on his left cheek and side of his mouth.

Not long after he regained his senses and was surprised to see himself near the river, at first the man did not realize Xiuhuan was meditating a few steps away from him. Only after he noticed his surroundings did the young man realize his existence.

He looked at her in wonder and wondered, who is that person? Then he tried to stand up but looked in pain because not only his face was injured but almost his entire body, especially his back.

"Don't move much your body hasn't recovered properly" said Xiuhuan, who was still meditating. The young man did not answer him and forced himself to stand despite having to feel pain.

"Hard-headed, "hence Xiuhuan stopped his meditation while slowly opening his eyes, as he saw Xiuhuan smiling kindly at the man sitting on a rock by the river.

"... You're helping me?" asked the young man who was hesitant at first to speak to her.

"Yes, two days ago I found you drifting in the river. I thought you were a lifeless human being, but when I checked your pulse it turned out you were alive "

After hearing his reply the man's face now looked gloomy, Xiuhuan then approached him and sat down before him.

"Did something happen to you?"

"Ah you can trust me, I won't tell anyone. But if you don't want to say it doesn't matter,"

"Last night my sister was killed."

"Really?, "heard his reply Xiuhuan stopped smiling, now he frowned and wanted to listen to his story further.

"That's because of the bandits who suddenly attacked the village."

He was Chang yi, two days ago after taking a look at the city, Xiuhuan went to visit the river and intended to do his usual meditation while in the sacred forest.

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"A nice place is peaceful and quiet" said Xiuhuan who had just arrived at the river. He then walked closer to the flowing water and was about to meditate on the rock that was there, but when he was about to cross the river, he saw someone drifting away with the current.

"Corpse?, "that very moment Xiuhuan flew over to him and carried Chang yi's body to the river bank.

"What happened to her?" how shocked he was when he saw Chang yi's face filled with bruises, Xiuhuan then checked the young man's pulse to see if he was alive or dead.

"Poor young man how lucky are you that I found you, what exactly happened to make you battered like this?"

And from then on, Xiuhuan treated the wounds on Chang yi's entire body so severely that using his ability, he meditated to heal people he didn't know at all. Xiuhuan originally intended to do meditation to perfect his body which sometimes hurt his heart because the pure soul in his body is not perfect.

For two days Xiuhuan was in that place to accompany her until she regained consciousness and completely recovered. In the slightest Xiuhuan did not move from the river and only focused on meditating to heal Chang yi.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Where did they come from, but that night I saw everyone waiting in line to die" Chang yi said.

"I shouldn't have left her then, now that my sister's gone and her death was in vain."

"I understand, but why would they do that?"

"I don't know"

"Now I have to go," Chang yi suddenly stood up and seemed to be about to leave, but Xiuhuan held him back and did not let that happen because his body was still recovering.

"Eh? w-where are you going?"

"I'll go back and see my sister because she's still there."

"No, you haven't fully recovered yet."

"But I have to, "Chang yi put away Xiuhuan's hand from his shoulder which prevented him from leaving, he also looks so angry.

"Eh?"

"I don't care don't get in my way!"

"But?, "looked at Chang yi who persisted and left Xiuhuan and chased after him while trying to stop him, but Chang yi did not listen to him and continued walking.

"This human is very troublesome" he murmured as he continued to chase after him.

"Don't push yourself, let's go back after you better get going."

"I can't do that, my sister must be cold in there and waiting for me to come home "

"Waiting?"

Xiuhuan who was walking suddenly stopped, he did not understand what Chang yi said before. The young man had said that his sister was dead but now he said that he was waiting for her to come home.

In his heart Xiuhuan muttered. "Didn't he just say that his sister is gone? but why did he say otherwise now?"

"Eh! You're too fast" because the daydreaming Xiuhuan unknowingly left behind Chang yi who had walked far away, seeing that he then taught him. While running Xiuhuan did not realize there was a deer hunter trap there that made him lift up when a rope snared one of his legs.

"eehhh? what'sthis?"

"Who made a trap like this in the middle of the forest?"

"Hey sir stop, your back is badly injured. Don't let yourself walk bent over at your young age?" his shout was at Chang yi who was unaware of what had happened to him.

Chang yi looked fed up of hearing Xiuhuan's rant he then turned around and intended to tell her to stop following him. And as he turned his back how surprised Chang yi was to see the young man who had previously helped him hanging upside down with a rope tied to his left leg.

"That's better, come and help me get my head spinning"

"Trap?, "Chang yi then ran over to Xiuhuan with a slightly surprised look on his face. Once he was nearby he saw where the rope tied at Xiuhuan's feet came from and intended to cut it off.

"Why did you step on him?"

"I didn't know there was a deer trap here."

"Hey what are you gonna do?"

Chang yi approached a rope tied to a tree and intended to cut it, but Xiuhuan stopped him because he felt it would harm him.

"I'll cut it."

"No! don't you see my position? my head upside down, if you cut it I'll hit it!"

"Then let go of yourself I'll go"

"Why do I have to? I've helped you is there no gratitude for me?"

Chang yi who was just about to leave stopped his footsteps after hearing Xiuhan's words, he then removed the rope and lowered it slowly. After that Xiuhuan took off the rope that tied his legs then stood up and thanked him for helping him.

"Thank you, "but not the kind treatment he received from her but Chang yi did not answer her and instead walked away, his way of walking was unusual as he was enduring the pain of running.

"You're very stubborn" Xiuhuan said as he placed his hands on both of his waist.

"You won't understand." Chang yi replied as he turned to her with his teary eyes.

Xiuhuan who previously did not stop blabbering was now silent when he saw the look on his face, he saw the two eyes of the man glittering like he was about to cry. From there Xiuhuan began to understand what he was feeling.

"So so? now I understand"

Hearing that Chang yi stopped his footsteps then turned around and looked at Xiuhuan. She saw him bowing with a smile, but soon Xiuhuan raised his head and looked back at her.

"Let me help you."

Xiuhuan then walked up to him and after being in his presence he then held one of his shoulders and afterwards said. "Let's bury the body properly so that your brother doesn't get cold."

Chang yi was just speechless, it turned out that just a moment ago he thought his sister was still alive. That's why he said that his sister was waiting for him to come home, because it turns out he has not accepted his death. As his two eyes looked at each other with Xiuhuan from there he noticed it, the spirit youth brought him back to reality.

"In-She?, "the memory made Chang yi unable to hold back his tears anymore and in the end cried.

"I've also felt the same way as you, now you have to accept his departure so that he can leave quietly, you have to accept the reality."

Chang yi began to recall the events of last night, as the memories returned in his mind he could clearly hear his sister's words in the final seconds before her death. Not only that, he also recalled how his younger brother Changpu smiled at him before he tightly closed his two eyes.

"I forgot about him, he's gone"

"Let's go see him, but before that let me heal your wounds."

"It won't take long, I will use my abilities to make you recover this very moment. I had intended to do it gradually, but it looks like it will take a few days, and if it's like that you won't be able to meet your sister"

Xiuhuan then walked up to him and stood right behind his back, at that very instant he began to heal the wounds left on Chang yi's body from his back which would then spread throughout his body. After he finished, Xiuhuan then invited him to go see Changpu's body. And as he had said before, he would accompany her.

"We're leaving now"

Chang yi did not reply to him throughout the journey there was not a single word he said from his mouth. After walking quite a distance, they finally arrived at the village and headed for his house. His younger brother Changpu was still there, his lifeless body lying on the ground right next to the house that burned last night and left ashes.

Chang yi slowly walked up to him and then kneeled beside the body of the poor boy, he was unable to hold back his tears and came back crying as he held onto his brother's cold hand and rubbed his face. Xiuhuan who was also there looked pity on him, he also looked at the boy's face before taking Chang yi to bury him.

"Let's give him a better place"

Chang yi wiped his tears and was about to hold Changpu, but the bandits last night were still there they shouted and approached the two. Seeing that Xiuhuan slightly walked over and then stood right before Chang yi and did not let the bandits touch his body.

"Who are you? how dare you step on our territory?" ask one of the bandits.

"Your territory? since when? anyone can step on this place, and this isn't your territory?" Xiuhuan replied with a smile.

"This place has been our territory for a long time, but those lowly people just came and took it for granted."

"You don't look like them, who are you? and what are you here for?"

"Give you a very valuable lesson, do you know how many sins you have committed by killing innocent people?"

"Nobody cares about that, you don't have to tell us"

"Wait, aren't you the young man I threw in the river that night?" one of the other bandits interrupted Xiuhuan's conversation with his friend as his eyes were shocked to see Chang yi with him.

"It turns out you're alive!"

"Yes I helped her," Xiuhuan replied as he looked at her coldly.

"You're so proud, do you want to die?" the man with the burly body suddenly approached them with a sinister look on his face, the man did not like the way Xiuhuan spoke to them.

Xiuhuan was not an ordinary person, he already knew that those bandits would come near the two of them. Xiuhuan therefore waited for their arrival from the moment he first set foot in the place, and to greet him Xiuhuan did not stop smiling with the aim of not offending the bandits.

"Aren't you the ones who want death?" Xiuhuan asked back.

Hearing his words the bandit leader raised his eyebrows while smiling with a grin. "Who are you? very interesting"

"really? you're not the first person to say that to me"

"Close your head or I'll rip your big mouth out"

"Hahhh was troublesome, "without giving Xiuhuan a cue suddenly attacked them.

The fight with an unbalanced amount just happened there, even though Xiuhuan was able to compensate for it. To him, those bandits were nothing and they still needed to hone their martial skills. Chang yi who saw him did not believe in the young man's ability, it was only natural because he did not know that the person who had helped him was a spirit.

In just a short time Xiuhuan had defeated them one by one. He also did the same thing as the bandit leader did to Chang yi, mercilessly and endlessly Xiuhan stomped on his back to make his entire bones crumble without a single remnant.

With a face full of anger he did not stop beating them even after the bandits were unconscious, Xiuhuan's two hands were seen smeared with a lot of their blood. Chang yi then approached him and told him to stop because the bandits were already helpless and they might have already died.

"Stop you can't keep beating them!"

Hearing his orders back then Xiuhuan stopped hitting them, and as if nothing had happened he smiled at her as he said.

"Ah haha sorry it looks like I

overrated"

"You're smiling after what you did?"

"W-Is that wrong?" innocently Xiuhuan aired it on Chang yi which turned out This was the first time he had fought so Xiuhuan did not know his actions had crossed the line.

...****************...

Long story short after the incident they both went to bury Changpu's body and pray for him.

"I swear I won't let your death go to waste, this Changpu is my oath as your brother" Chang yi muttered as he looked at his sister's grave.

Although he spoke in Xiuhuan's heart, he could hear it clearly because he had the ability to hear what was on one's mind, after hearing that he looked at her in wonder Xiuhuan wanted to ask her what the vow meant. But he can't do that because they don't know each other.

"Thank you, my name is Chang yi" said Chang yi, who noticed Xiuhuan watching him.

"ah! sa-sama, call me Xiuhuan"

"What are you going to do after this?" continued.

"I will return to my birthplace, I will continue walking westward until I find Jiao Long Kingdom."

"Western? I'll also walk in the same direction as you"

"really? It's a coincidence."

"What if we walked together until we found our purpose?"

Before replying, Xiuhuan observed him for a moment to make sure he was clear of evil intentions. After that, he answered.

"Emm well, if our goal is the same is to walk west, then there is no harm"

From there the two began their journey and would continue until the time came, Xiuhuan along with Chang yi began to walk westward towards their respective destinations, and after that they will be separated.