Chapter 108

Chapter 108

"Third Son, Third Son! Have you seen the news in the paper? You're so strong—you could join the competition! If you make it to the top three, you could get a house in the capital city!" In a remote village, a young man dressed slightly neater than those around him rushed to the edge of the field, waving a newspaper and calling out to his friend who was still working the fields.

"What top three? What house?" The young man, bent over as he worked the land, paused at his friend's shout and looked up in confusion.

The others laboring in the field also turned their heads curiously at the commotion. Wasn’t that Pa Bo, who worked in town? Why was he back, and what was he talking about?

"Pa Bo, is there good news in that paper?"

"Can you read it for us? We’d like to hear it too."

"You're a good boy, and I’ve watched you grow up. Tell us all about what you just mentioned."

Seeing the excitement still lingering on Pa Bo’s face, the others could tell it was good news—otherwise, he wouldn’t be so worked up.

As for the newspaper, their village was too poor and remote for the paper sellers to bother coming. Their only chance to get one was to go to town on market day or wait for an itinerant peddler. Even then, they weren’t always willing to spend money on it.

Sure, the paper didn't cost much, but it wasn’t food or drink. If they really wanted to read it, they could just wait for someone to discard an old copy and pick it up if they were lucky—no need to waste money.

Besides, the paper came out all the time, and buying every issue would add up to a significant expense over time.

The paper sellers, aware of their thriftiness, had no interest in coming to this area. So, whenever something new happened in the capital city, it took at least a week or two for the news to reach them.

Take these athletic games, for example. The town was already buzzing about it, but their village remained clueless.

Normally, their local administrator should have relayed the official notice before the newspapers spread the news. But as it happened, the city lord had fallen ill and needed rest, so the order sat untouched on his desk, never passed down in time.

By the time the city lord recovered and saw the notice, the newspapers had already spread the news far and wide. He reasoned this was quicker than sending messengers to every town and village—surely everyone knew by now. So, he simply waited for the lower officials to collect the participant lists.

As a result, Pa Bo’s village, where few had gone to town recently, remained in the dark. It wasn’t until Pa Bo, who worked as a junior accountant in town, got time off and returned to visit his friend that they heard anything.

If not for Harvey, he wouldn’t have bothered coming back to this backward, stagnant village—a so-called family that was really a prison.

Years ago, Pa Bo hadn’t thought his living conditions were so bad. In fact, he’d taken pride in his village's size and closeness, how it made outsiders wary.

But after his parents sent him to school and he learned from his teacher, gaining knowledge and understanding, he realized just how much filth festered in his home.

His friend Harvey was one of the victims of the village’s brainwashing.

Back when Harvey was born, his mother had labored for a full day and night, nearly dying in childbirth. She’d resented him from the start. Then, just a few months later, a passing missionary claimed to hear the cries of a devil and warned that disaster would soon strike their household.

Harvey’s mother, thinking of the child who had caused her such prolonged suffering, invited the missionary inside to check if the devil had possessed her son.

Seeing the freshly hunted rabbits and pheasants in their home, the missionary agreed to help. After examining Harvey, he declared the boy was devil-spawn—still weak now, but if they didn’t abandon him before his first birthday, misfortune would plague the family.

Harvey’s parents, of course, believed every word. Every minor inconvenience was blamed on him. His father cut his hand while cutting grass? Harvey’s fault. His mother’s back ached? Harvey’s doing.

They gave the remaining meat to the missionary as payment for his "blessing." As for Harvey, the devil child, the sooner he was gone, the better.

So, his father took him deep into the mountains and left him there. Even when the man heard a tiger’s roar echoing through the woods as he walked away, he didn’t hesitate.

By some miracle, Harvey survived. The tiger’s roar had come from a tigress who had recently lost her cub. Perhaps drawn by the scent of milk—so similar to her own lost offspring—she took him in and raised him as her own.

Pa Bo met Harvey entirely by chance.

He and his friends had been daring each other to hunt in the woods, competing to see who could catch the most game. Having wandered too far, Pa Bo accidentally stumbled deep into the forest. Just as he was worrying about how to get back, the earth shook and dirt sprayed. He turned—and his heart froze.

Two wild boars stood facing him.

If it was just one small boar, Pa Bo thought he might stand a fighting chance with his axe, but now, he could only make a run for it.

Yet as quick as he was, the boars were just as fast. Just as he was about to be caught, a dark figure swung down from a tree, landing right on the larger boar’s back, clutching what looked like a sharpened animal tooth and driving it straight into the boar’s skull.

Wait—was that a chimp fighting a boar? Pa Bo stared dazedly at the creature’s movements, gritting his teeth, he forced himself to keep running. With the big boar tangled up with that thing and the smaller one circling them, now was the perfect time to escape.

But when you’re out of luck, everything goes to hell. Pa Bo’s sudden stop and sprint had pulled a muscle in his leg, making every step painful—he could barely put weight on it.

With no other choice, Pa Bo glanced at the still-battling boars and the mysterious creature before hauling himself up a tree. The trunk had plenty of knots and bumps, and with his hands and one good foot, he managed to pull himself up.

Once he’d caught his breath on the branch, he finally steadied his breathing and looked down to assess the situation.

Amid the flying blood and fur below, Pa Bo suddenly realized—the one fighting the boar wasn’t a chimpanzee at all. It was a person.

Who was this? And why was he dressed like that? Even the village slob wouldn’t look this rough.

Now, should he climb down to help? Glancing at his injured leg, Pa Bo hesitated. He wouldn’t be much use, but maybe he might at least shoo the smaller boar away.

Just as he was about to slide down, he saw the hairy man slam the big boar to the ground and hurl the smaller one hard into a tree—the very tree he was sitting in.

Clutching the violently shaking trunk, Pa Bo nearly cursed, but remembering this man had saved him, he bit his tongue. "Probably an accident," he told himself.

"Hey, thanks for saving me earlier," Pa Bo called out as he slid down the tree, watching the hairy man wrench a long bone from the boar’s carcass.

At the sound of his voice, the hairy man startled, jumping clear off the ground like a startled cat—all four limbs leaving the ground at once.

"Don’t—don’t be scared, I mean no harm," Pa Bo said, raising his hands to show he wasn’t a threat as the man growled and bared his teeth at him.

His curiosity was eating at him. What was this guy? Or was he even human? A feral man? A bear hybrid?

Maybe it was the dumb courage of a fourteen-year-old, but Pa Bo wasn’t too afraid of this strange "person." In fact, he imagined how impressive it’d be if they became friends—just imagine the bragging rights.

In response to Pa Bo’s friendly gesture, the hairy man bared his teeth again, hunching his shoulders like a threatened animal.

Fresh from his fight with the boar, the hairy man didn’t want to waste time with this scrawny runt. If they fought, what if some tiger snatched his kill?

Seeing the man’s resistance, Pa Bo pulled two leaf-wrapped cakes from his pocket. He placed one on a rock, pointing at it before stepping back, then unwrapped the other and took a big bite.

The hairy man watched, his arched back slowly relaxing. He glanced between Pa Bo and the bread on the rock, sniffing the air at the strange, tempting smell. Tentatively, he reached out.

When Pa Bo made no move to attack, he inched closer, finally snatching the bread and darting back to the boar’s side—dragging the smaller, still-dazed boar with him.

Once safely distanced, the hairy man didn’t even bother unwrapping the bread—he just bit into it, chewing experimentally before devouring it in huge mouthfuls.

The bread vanished quickly. Staring at his empty hand, then at Pa Bo, the hairy man suddenly lunged with a growl, pawing at Pa Bo’s pockets. Finding no more bread, his whole body sagged in disappointment, and he trudged back, head hanging low.

"I’ll bring more food in a few days!" Pa Bo called out, meeting the man’s gray-blue eyes. He could’ve sworn he saw tears—was it really that big a deal?

Sure, they used to go hungry sometimes, but ever since outsiders introduced edible plants and high-yield potatoes, the village had plenty to eat.

This guy must’ve been stuck in the mountains for ages, completely unaware of the changes. Poor guy.

The hairy man didn’t understand Pa Bo’s words, but he eyed the leaf wrapper in his hand before tossing the smaller boar at Pa Bo and dragging the big one away.

Looking at the once-again knocked-out boar at his feet, Pa Bo grinned. They’d be friends, no question.

Even though the boar incident nearly got him beaten, Pa Bo kept his promise, returning later with more food for the hairy man.

Between one offering meals and the other repaying with game, their bond grew stronger.

Pa Bo started teaching the hairy man to speak, recognize people, even tying his hair and dressing him. He told him stories—about his family, the village.

Those good times ended when the villagers caught on.