It was a peaceful day in the villlage of Yu. The wind was crisp and the snow was light and airy, but made for formidable snowballs. The villagers were just awakening when a small explosion was heard. "YAO JU!" shouted a man whose face was marked by a recent strike by the village's beloved trickster, Yao Ju. Yao ju was a man of 18, which he turned about 6 months ago. His hair was pitch black, he wore small robes of thick, white fur from hunted animals to keep him warm. He had a small build but was strong, and he liked to expirement with different things and ingredients in order to induce many reactions, like the afformention explosion. Yao Ju was running away from the man as he fled into the forest, the man stopped chasing due to his tiredness and his anger fading.
"Come on Uncle Xing, it was a harmless prank" muttered a soothing female voice who walked up to the man, now called Uncle Xing. "I know Su Ying, but it still made me angry" muttered Uncle Xing until his niece consoled him and led him back to his shop. Yao Ju was heading down a path he knew very well, a path that led into a forest that was within the borders of Yu village, at the end which contained a house. The house was a little shabby looking, but was decorated flowing snow vines, and on the door hung a scroll painting with a depiction of a guardian deity of the house.
Yao Ju entered the house, and immediately began to stoke the fires of the hearth, and began to set a pot in a metal rod containing some cold, left over soup. "Man, I hope he isn't too mad" said Yao Ju to himself as he began to eat some reheated stew, pondering what he might do to placate Xing. "Well, I can go and find him some snow duck, he really likes that" thought Yao Ju outloud as he helped himself to a smaller second helping of stew and put the rest back in a box inlaid with special ice. The box was made from white wood and was inlaid with ice that was mined by the villagers and contained properties that made it good for preserving food and serving as a coolant during the hottest month of the year here.
He then looked around the house, trying to find his hunting equipment. It took him around the time for three incense sticks to burn until he finally searched the box at the foot of his bed containing his bow and arrows. He then put his hair up in a ponytail, imitating the scholars he seen come by and headed out into the woods to hunt some snow duck. A snow duck is a duck with blue bill and feet, whose feathers had the look of ice with flecks of snow through out the body. Yao Ju began taking a familiar path further into the woods, heading towards the stream that was near his house. As the crunching of the snow resounded very discretely through the woods, Yao Ju finally came onto a flock of snow ducks.
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"There's about 6 of them in the stream bathing, and one is closer to the bank of the stream. I can get that one" said Yao Ju as he knocked an arrow into his bow and drew it back. He slowed his breathing, it barely being able to be heard. He aimed at the closest duck, and he let go. A dull twang resounded through the forest, as the arrow pierced the snow ducks head, as the rest flew away. Yao Ju walked out towards the now dead duck, and quickly pulled the arrow from its head and began washing it with water from the river. He then opened the sack and stuffed the duck in as he began to head back. However, as he headed back, he heard a whisper. Yao Ju thought he might have just imagined things, so he continued home. However, the whisper was heard again, and this time strong enough that Yao Ju could hear what it said.
"Come.....Here....."
Yao Ju was then puzzled about this voice. On the one hand it did not have any discernable or physical source, and the fact it wants it to go to a place with no directions. Yao Ju then waited to here more as he then heard it mutter directions, at the point which Yao Ju finally followed the voice. He followed now an unknown path to which led him into a thicker part of the forest. The trees were known as snow wood, a type of wood infused with coldness and a strange ability to grow icey leaves. There is a legend that the founder of the village, Yu Jong, carried a wooden sword made of snow wood, and was able to turn his enemies to ice with special ways. Yao Ju followed a path lead by the voice, until he came into a thinner point of the clearing, where the trees then intertwined to hide an apparent entrance to a cave of sorts, where a feeling of death eminated out.
Yao Ju, who arrived near the cave entrance, now wondered how he would get in with the intertwining trees. It took a few minutes of observation and investigation when I notice the trees seem to move. A small entrance was formed, exactly my size and height. Yao Ju then noticed the whispers stop, and the goal and intention was clear. "I guess it wants me to go in the cave" said Yao Ju as he entered through the entrance specially prepared for him. The cave was not as cold at the outside, and a arrangement of characters seemingly had a special feel to it, and the slight glow did not help it either. As he furthered explore the cave he came into a wide oppening which had a pth that spiraled down. Yao Ju began walking down for about 5 minutes until he came into a room that housed a skeleton sitting in a meditative pose.
He had on black and red scholarly robes, and before him sat a small tome and a red jewel. Yao Ju then know heard the whispers increase in strength, urging him to go up towards the the altar with the tome and blood. As he reached out his hands , the tome and jewel glowed a bright red and turned to energy. The energies then entered his body, to which an overflow of information and something else caused him to pass out cold in the stone floor, not even noticing the skeleton was now dust, with only a chuckle coming from it.