Chapter 11 - Do you want to be my knight?
Five years had passed since Hei with Ye and Xing had begun to frequent the Leaf Village.
At first, not used to the new environment, they gradually gained familiarity with the village thanks to Lei Lei and Lei Bai, this father-daughter couple who had welcomed them since the beginning with kindness.
Due to the frequent visits and being a student of Lei Bai, Hei became soon known by the other villagers.
The strange child with silver clothes, who went around with a spider and a snake on his body, immediately aroused the inhabitants' interest.
Some of them were curious about the origins of this child, who appeared out of nothing. Others instead were wary because they knew nothing about him. However, Lei Bai had some influence in the village and proposed himself as his guarantor if anything happened. So, Hei was accepted without too many uproars.
Soon, the sight of him wandering around with Lei Lei became familiar. The inhabitants eventually began to consider him one of them despite not having a house in the village.
Every time Hei went to the village, he paid attention to return before evening to the outer limit of the Multicolored Leaf Forest, where Bao Bei would wait for her cubs to come back.
Despite having a great time in the village and being accepted by the inhabitants, Hei's heart was always with his mother. Lei Bai and Lei Lei had offered him several times to stay for the night and sleep in their house. But, Hei had always refused their invitation, wanting to go back to his mother instead. However, the next day, he would return in the morning at dawn if he wasn’t busy with training.
In this regard, seeing that Hei, Xing, and Ye were so happy about spending time in the village, Bao Bei decided to reduce their training load. After all, they were still young, and she thought she could give them more time to play.
If possible, she wanted not to deprive them of the possibility of going to the village every day, but she knew that it wasn’t advisable to cancel the training altogether. Therefore she could only reduce their exercises by a little.
During these years, Hei, who was now 12 years old, had grown a lot since the first time he came to the Leaf Village. Whether it was due to the regimen of training performed or the mixture of milk and blood provided by his mother weekly, Hei looked more like a young man of fifteen-sixteen years old rather than a twelve-year-old.
Regarding his personality, Hei had further developed his kind and polite behavior. He would always treat everyone with respect and listen to what he was told, carefully keeping the lessons he learned in his mind. But at the same time, he had also developed a wild feeling like a lurking beast ready to act at the slightest signal. Usually, it wasn’t visible, but it could be noticed from time to time in his eyes. And it was this sharp contrast that had caught the attention of many young girls in the village.
It had to be said that over the years, the villagers had speculated about its origin. The most quoted hypothesis was that he was the son of some martial artist in reclusion near the village. Or at least the son of someone who had awakened their spirit power.
It must be known that it was a common belief that the children of those who had developed spirit power were more likely to awaken it. So Hei, who was rumored to be the son of an expert, had become an excellent candidate for the various families in the village, considering that there were only a handful of people who had developed it without achieving significant results, though.
After all, as a family, who didn’t dream of giving birth to a descendant who could overcome their condition as humble people and become an important person known far and wide.
But Hei was, in the end, still too young to fully understand the relationship between a man and a woman, not to mention that, even if he had been aware of it, he wasn’t the type to bring anyone close to him. So, although he was friendly with everybody, it didn't mean he would lower his guard and defense.
Bao Bei had taught him that a spirit beast must always be vigilant because, at any time, there could be a danger. Therefore, since he considered himself a spirit beast with a human body, he would never forget this principle. After all, for him, the words of his mother were the same as laws.
The only ones to whom he wouldn't apply this rule to some extent, in addition to his family, were Lei Lei and Lei Bai. Being the first to accept him and due to their relationship as student and master, Hei would lower his guard with them. Even Ye and Xing were quite at ease with them nearby, unlike with the other inhabitants. However, he had never revealed what Bao Bei forbade him to tell.
As for Ye and Xing, the two little spirit beasts, they too had grown, doubling their size. Luckily for Xing, Hei hadn't cut his hair in these years, so they had consequently become long enough to get under his neck, and she could still hide herself using Hei's hair as a hiding place when he wasn't wearing a hat. On the other hand, Ye didn't have these problems because she could coil herself several times around Hei's neck if necessary and hide under his clothes.
Therefore, their movement formation had become a routine, and the three of them felt more comfortable moving around like that. Hei also liked to carry them around in that position since it reminded them of when their mother carried them on her back around the forest.
Even today, he was transporting them in that way as he approached the village.
It was still dawn, but you could already hear people at work, breaking the silence that had reigned during the night. However, there was something wrong with those noises.
‘Strange... even if the inhabitants are early risers, they are usually those who have to go to the fields while those who work in the village tend to get up later. But loud noises are coming from the village plaza... ’
Since there was no smoke or sign of alarm, Hei judged that nothing dangerous had happened and went to Lei Bai's house. Maybe he could answer him.
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When he reached his master's house, the figure of a young woman welcomed him. She had long brown hair tied in a ponytail. She had a light white dress with flower-shaped embroidery that revealed a bit of the curved shape of the girl's body. On her head, a small straw hat protected her from the sun.
In her hand, she held a ceramic vase containing water that was being poured onto the plants planted on the ground. While she was watering the plants, on her face, you could see a slight smile with her eyes containing some satisfaction for how the plants were growing.
This young woman was none other than Lei Lei, the young girl who had met Hei as a child many years ago on the outskirts of the Multicolored Leaf Forest.
Over the years, Lei Lei had become a young lady very much appreciated by everyone, especially the village's young men, considering she was at a suitable age for marriage. Moreover, she had a toned and well-proportioned body due to the various jobs she did during the day that kept her in shape. But it was her demeanor that made the difference.
In fact, over the years, she had managed to accumulate, thanks also to Hei and Lei Bai, who had discovered her secret in the end, enough money to buy several books on medicine and plant classification and potion preparing. Therefore, this knowledge had given her an intellectual air in the eyes of others. She had also begun helping the village herbalist treat the various sick people, thus becoming well-liked by the people she helped.
Lei Bai became very proud of her; he became so pleased that he appeared younger by about ten years. His future had become bright after years of difficulty: his daughter had begun to take her own path, and she was making him proud every day that passed, while at the same time he had a student who would surpass him and who would keep the techniques he had honed for all his life, taking them to a new level.
If it were possible, he wanted Hei to stay with them and marry Lei Lei. After all, Lei Bai could indeed see that his daughter had begun to develop very different feelings from a sisterly love towards Hei, who, despite being several years younger than her, still had a more mature appearance. If this happened, he couldn’t desire anything else in his life. But he knew that this was unlikely to happen.
As his teacher, over the years, he had realized the potential of Hei. He knew that it was only a matter of time for Hei to awaken his spirit power. Being aware of his real age, he realized how incredible this fact was. As far as he knew, no one had awakened his spirit power so soon on the Rainbow Island.
The fact that he was a genius was indisputable. Such a person wouldn’t be confined in a tiny Leaf Village or a Leaf City. Indeed, perhaps, the entire Rainbow Island would be small for such a person.
His daughter, on the other hand, despite being as proud as he was of her, unfortunately, didn’t have the same capabilities as Hei, so if they wanted to stay together, Hei would have to be content to stay in a small pond instead of going to the big sea that awaited him. However, wasting all that talent would be a severe crime, and he knew that Hei's mother would never allow it.
Lei Bai could, therefore, only give up his dream of seeing the two of them married. He only hoped that Lei Lei wouldn’t get too hurt by their eventual separation, and she would be able to continue on the path she was following.
Seeing her focused on her work, Hei coughed slightly before approaching her. In these years, he had learned how to remedy his silent and imperceptible walk to the ordinary people. In order not to frighten Lei Lei or others, Hei had taken the habit of coughing when he was nearing someone.
Hearing that familiar sound, Lei Lei turned with a smile, "Hi, Hei. How are you? Did you have breakfast? Ye, Xing, how are you? Did you two have breakfast? "
"Yes, but we'll gladly have another breakfast if you insist!" Ye and Xing replied in a chorus before Hei could answer. More than their size, over the years, it was their appetite that had increased dramatically. They would never say no to an extra meal.
"Ahaha, how cute. All right, you better expect a big meal, but then you have to help me with my work, okay?” Although she didn’t understand the noises produced by the two little beasts, Lei Lei had learned to some extent to understand what they wanted to express generally the two of them. Not to mention, she had realized the Xing and Ye could understand her without problems.
"If you're busy, don’t worry. We've already had breakfast anyway. You already do so much for us by offering us various meals during the day."
"It isn’t a bother to me at all. I'm glad to cook for you, Ye and Xing. Moreover, thanks to you, Dad can take on more jobs at the same time. Considering you don't want to get paid, offering you food is a must. So, don't worry too much about these things.”
With that, Lei Lei put the vase down, and she headed inside the house without waiting for Hei's answer as if that conversation had already ended. At this, Hei could only make a wry smile and follow her. In some aspects, Lei Lei was so stubborn that there was no way Hei could win in a dialogue.
Inside the house, Lei Bai was already sitting at the table reading a series of papers that looked like a letter sent to him.
"Good morning, master. How are you today?"
"Uhmm ... Ah, it's you, Hei! All right, you instead? And those two little gluttons of yours?"
"We're all fine. Today is also a beautiful day. So it’s good to have come." With that said, Hei took out Xing and Ye and put them on the table while they waited for Lei Lei to finish making breakfast.
"Master, can I ask you if that series of papers you are reading has to do with what the others are doing in the village?"
"Did you notice? It’s nothing special; it's just a typical event in our village. From the foundation of this village, every ten years, a big party is organized. On that occasion, we celebrate the passage of age from the old generation to the new one.
The various children who are judged ready to join the adult group of the village receive the blessing from the village head and other influential people. Then there is a dance made by new adults, and after that, the party can start with drinks and food in large quantities.
This is a letter from the village chief with a list of meat he wants for the party and other orders for the food. He also wants Lei Lei to open the dances."
On hearing this, Lei Lei stopped what she was doing, and, with quick steps, she headed for her father and asked. "Really? And why was I chosen among the others? If I'm the one to be chosen, then I have to... " with a flushed face, Lei Lei couldn't finish what she wanted to say.
"Well, the opening of the dances is given to the non-adult member of the community that most contributed to the village. There are so many people you have helped in these years, so the fact they would give you this was more than evident. "
Hei didn’t understand what this role consisted of, so he asked, "If she has to open the dances, then what must she do exactly? Having never been to such an event, I don't know what is usually done or other typical customs."
"Nothing special, the future adults will dance in pairs in front of the whole village. The person who opens the dances is none other than the first couple to dance. They dance alone for a song in the middle of the plaza. Then during the next song, the other couples are invited. And in the one after that, anyone is free to join. Since Lei Lei was chosen for the role, what do you say? Would you like to-- "
"Ahhh, stop, dad. Don't say it... I’d do it, ok?" Lei Lei said as she glared at her father for trying to say more than necessary. Lei Bai, in response, burst out laughing and remained silent to watch with curiosity as her daughter would invite Hei to be her knight.
With a red face and heavy breathing, Lei Lei turned to Hei, who looked at her curiously, not knowing what was happening.
"Sooo... as Dad said, in this event you have to dance as a couple... if I have to open the dances, I have to pick a knight for the event, but I would like to have a person I trust. Sooo... yes... I was wondering... do you want to be my knight for that night?" With great courage, Lei Lei finally managed to formulate the invitation.
Regularly, the man would have invited the woman as his lady, but since Hei came from outside and had never seen such a celebration, it was more than reasonable for her to make the first move.
With the anxiety that was beginning to assault her body, Lei Lei eagerly awaited Hei's response to her request.