"Huh? Are you out of your mind?"
Standing before Yuna Ji was a child, a few years older than her, wrapped in animal hide. He looked about eight or nine.
"Have another bowl."
Yuna Ji handed over the shell, and the boy took it, filling it with another serving of food for her.
"This isn't Jiang Territory. We're in the great forest southwest of Grant Domain. No matter how lost you are, you shouldn't have ended up here."
"If you know the way, can you take me there?"
"Don't joke around. Jiang Territory is still a long way off, and I've only ever been to the border of Grant Domain. Just finish eating, and if you head toward where the sun rises, you'll return to Grant City."
Yuna Ji set down the shell, feeling a heavy gloom in her eyes. She was already far from Yvonne May, and couldn't see her anymore.
Thinking of this, tears welled up in Yuna Ji's eyes. The boy beside her sighed.
"By the way, my name's Mason Mao. What's yours?"
Yuna Ji lifted her head and looked at the boy, then spoke.
"My name is Yuna Ji."
The boy, Mason Mao, was instantly shocked, his mouth agape. He quickly stood up, suspicion written all over his face as he stared at Yuna Ji.
"You're from the Grant Family?"
Yuna Ji nodded.
"My father is the king of Grant Domain."
"Stop kidding, haha, that's impossible..."
With a startled cry, Mason Mao watched as Yuna Ji took out a green stone from around her neck, engraved with the character for "Grant." It was crystal clear and beautiful, sparkling brilliantly in the light.
Mason Mao swallowed hard. He'd never seen such a thing before, nor could he read the character on it, but he knew only someone of status could possess it.
By now, Yuna Ji had finished eating and looked exhausted.
"Come sleep at my place, hehe."
Mason Mao's attitude suddenly shifted. He pulled Yuna Ji over to a pile of dry grass and, after she lay down, covered her with a large piece of animal hide.
"I'll just nap for a bit. Make sure to wake me up, okay? I need to go to Jiang Territory to find Sister Yvonne May."
"Wow, I really hit the jackpot, haha. If I send her back to Grant City, we won't have to live like this in the forest anymore. Maybe we could even join the Grant Family."
Mason Mao raised his hands, whispering happily so Yuna Ji wouldn't hear. But when he turned around, she was already asleep.
Just then, a bird screeched overhead, darting across Mason Mao's head. He jumped, staring at the bird, but excitement flickered on his face. He glanced at Yuna Ji, then toward a small path on the west side of the camp.
There was less than half left in the turtle shell pot. Mason Mao ate a bit himself, thinking that now it was autumn and prey in the forest was growing scarce. He and his older brother and sister lived together in this dense forest.
He couldn't remember much about his parents. All he knew was that when he was old enough to understand, his older brother and sister were taking care of him. They told Mason Mao their parents and some clansmen died of illness, and their old home was unlivable, so they moved here.
"Big Brother."
Mason Mao stood up and ran over happily. A seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy, dressed in thick animal hide, carrying a bow and holding a freshly skinned rabbit.
The newcomer was Terry Mao, Mason Mao's older brother. A complaining female voice followed close behind.
"Sigh, after all that chasing, we barely caught anything. Big Brother, maybe we should try somewhere else."
A girl of thirteen or fourteen, with delicate features and a gentle air, approached. Her name was Lily Mao, Mason Mao's sister. She wore a colorful animal hide outfit. Both looked tired and hungry as they came to the campfire, seeing the food in the turtle shell was more than half gone.
Terry Mao immediately sensed something was off. He looked toward the straw hut in the middle and saw Yuna Ji sleeping inside.
"Who is that...?"
"Big Brother, Sister, listen to me—I found a treasure, haha."
Mason Mao explained that Yuna Ji was the daughter of King Grant, but Lily Mao looked unconvinced, resting her chin in her hand as she stared at Yuna Ji.
"No way. You've been tricked, Ah Xing. Think about it—someone that important wouldn't just run off without anything. Even if she did sneak out, could she really get this far? And could she even escape? You've never been there—Grant City has tens of thousands of people, silly brother. This girl is probably just some kid from a nearby wild tribe who got lost."
After finishing the food in the turtle shell, Lily Mao sat back in the left straw hut, looking exhausted as she watched Yuna Ji.
"Let's wait until she wakes up and ask her properly."
Terry Mao said heavily, then lay down by the burning campfire. His eyes were full of helplessness. Mason Mao carefully hung the rabbit on a tree at the edge of the camp. His brother and sister had been out for three days, but only caught this one rabbit. Hunting was getting harder.
"By the way, Big Brother, Sister, she has a green stone—it's beautiful. When she wakes up, I'll ask her to show it to you."
Near dusk, Yuna Ji finally woke up. Her stomach growled, and she stretched lazily. Seeing two new faces, she glanced at them in confusion before getting up.
"Mason Mao, let's eat."
Yuna Ji instinctively gathered by the campfire, where rabbit meat was roasting, sizzling and sending waves of aroma through the air.
Terry Mao didn't ask anything at first, waiting until after they ate to speak.
"Are you really King Grant's daughter?"
Terry Mao looked at Yuna Ji with suspicion. Yuna Ji sighed, took the green stone from her neck, and Terry Mao was instantly stunned, seeing the Grant character engraved on its surface.
"Wow, it's beautiful."
Lily Mao leaned in, and Yuna Ji generously handed her the stone.
"It really does seem to be true. Yuna Ji, let's take you home now."
Terry Mao spoke, then paused, seeming a bit hesitant.
"Yuna Ji, if we take you back, you have to talk to your father and get us a reward."
Lily Mao quickly chimed in. Yuna Ji nodded, but her face darkened.
"I need to find Sister Yvonne May. Can you take me to Jiang Territory?"
Yuna Ji pleaded.
After a while, Terry Mao understood the situation and shook his head helplessly.
"It takes at least five days to get to Jiang Territory from here, and to Jiang City in the central region would take at least half a month. If you're talking about Yvonne May, if she was on horseback, she'd already be in Jiang Territory and could reach Jiang City in five or six days."
Yuna Ji hung her head, silent, tears in her eyes.
"Yuna Ji, let's just take you home. Your parents must be worried about you."
Lily Mao spoke, and suddenly Yuna Ji lifted her head, eyes wide, tears streaming down her face.
"I'll never see her again. I heard from Qiao Yusheng and the others that Sister Yvonne May isn't coming back. If I don't go, I'll never see her again."
Suddenly, Terry Mao stood up and looked into the distance.
"If we go in a straight line, maybe it'll take about ten days. It's not impossible."
"Big Brother?"
Lily Mao stood up in surprise. Mason Mao laughed.
"Yuna Ji, we can take you there, but when we get back, you have to let us join the Grant Family, and give us a place to live in Grant City."
Yuna Ji nodded.
Soon, Terry Mao packed up the remaining dried food, put out the fire, and took what they could carry. He headed down the small path to the west, and Yuna Ji followed with a smile.
"Big Brother, why did you suddenly..."
Terry Mao shook his head.
"Do you remember? It was the same back then. If someone could have helped us, maybe Father and Mother wouldn't have died."
Under the night sky, the forest glowed pale. Terry Mao had lived here for four or five years, always marking trees when he went out. He led the three others skillfully through the tangled woods.
"Do you want to rest for a bit, Yuna Ji?"
Lily Mao noticed Yuna Ji wasn't as lively as before. The moon hung high, but Terry and Lily Mao didn't feel tired, even after three days of hunting. Meeting Yuna Ji had given them hope.
They finally stopped at a small pond as the moon set in the west. They rested. Lily Mao closed her eyes, smiling.
"Yuna Ji, I remember Grant City is golden all around during this season, isn't it?"
Yuna Ji responded with a soft 'mm.'
"Yes, everyone's busy at home these days, harvesting. When we get back, I'll treat you all to something delicious."
It had been five days. Joseph Qiao was in the forest, surrounded by those searching for Yuna Ji, but still hadn't found her.
"Yusheng, we've already searched up to the main road, but there's still no sign."
Leonard Lei came running, out of breath. Joseph Qiao sighed.
"Where could she have gone?"
Just then, a bird screeched, and a shadow swooped down from the sky.
"It's the Ninefeather Bird!"
Leonard Lei shouted. Everyone looked over. Joseph Qiao remembered this was the smallest Ninefeather Bird, often seen with Yuna Ji.
"Do you know where Yuna Ji is?"
Joseph Qiao called out. Instantly, the Ninefeather Bird took flight, circling above and slowly heading west into the woods.
"Everyone, follow that Ninefeather Bird!"