Chapter 34 Kong Ting

　　—The most difficult thing in this world to guess is the human heart. People themselves are not frightening; what is frightening is the human heart.

　　Outside the window the sunlight was bright, yet Kong Ting’s mood was heavy and melancholy, unable to dispel the gloom within.

　　Kong Ting was the eldest daughter of Chieftain Kong Xiaotian of the Tiger Tribe; from childhood a betrothal had been arranged between her and Gong Kang.

　　Kong Xiaotian had long felt deep regret at not having married Yu Jiao. That knot in his heart was well known to Great Chieftain Gongdian and Lady Yu Jiao.

　　Therefore when Kong Xiaotian’s eldest daughter was born, Great Chieftain Gongdian proposed a childhood betrothal so that when they grew up his eldest son Gong Kang would marry Kong Ting—a form of compensation for Kong Xiaotian’s earlier disappointment.

　　After the betrothal was arranged Kong Ting had accompanied Kong Xiaotian to Wangqiu City several times. On the earlier visits both she and Gong Kang were still young; together they played hideandseek, caught dragonflies, and played house. The little playmates of the inner city openly called the two “little husband and wife”; neither minded and they played happily.

　　After the first stirrings of affection Kong Ting came to Wangqiu City twice more. By then both had become somewhat sensible; when they met alone again they could not help feeling a little awkward.

　　Kong Ting stole shy glances at Gong Kang and saw that he was strong and powerful. Thinking that this was her future husband she could not help blushing with joy.

　　Gong Kang also knew that this was his future wife. Seeing her graceful and upright he likewise felt restless, continually rubbing the corners of his garments, and his speech became rather clumsy.

　　Later the Tiger Tribe also began to circulate the heroic tales of Gong Kang. At the thought that her future husband was a great hero admired by the world, Kong Ting was filled with happiness and looked forward to marrying into the Dragon Tribe as soon as possible.

　　Yet in these past one or two years rumors of Gong Kang and Lian Xiang had spread through the tribe. When Kong Ting walked in the outer city she always felt—whether from her own imagination or not—that the people of the tribe were pointing at her from behind and discussing something.

　　From that time Kong Ting became unwilling to go out and spent every day in melancholy. Kong Xiaotian and Lady Xin Qiuping saw it and grew anxious, discussing how to complete the marriage between Kong Ting and Gong Kang as quickly as possible.

　　One day, while Kong Ting was still depressed, her mother Xin Qiuping pushed open the door and entered.

　　“Daughter, the weather is so fine—why not go out for a walk?”

　　“Mother, my heart is troubled; I do not wish to go out.”

　　“You have scarcely eaten for several days—is it again because of Gong Kang? What exactly do you want?”

　　“Mother, say no more—I do not wish to live.” She threw herself upon the bed and wept bitterly.

　　Seeing her daughter’s suffering, Xin Qiuping’s anger flared to the heavens. It was all because Gong Kang had transferred his affection that her daughter had become like this. Recalling past events her fury grew still greater; new hatred and old grudges surged together.

　　Xin Qiuping came from the Leopard Tribe and was the younger sister of the present Leopard Tribe chieftain Xin Biao. In those years the youthful hero Gongdian had captivated countless maidens of the Gongyou Clan. Xin Qiuping had even proposed that her father take the initiative to offer her in marriage to the Dragon Tribe; in the end Gongdian of the Dragon Tribe had married Yu Jiao of the Wolf Tribe.

　　Her present husband Kong Xiaotian, after losing the contest with Gongdian for Yu Jiao, had then proposed marriage to the Leopard Tribe.

　　On the very night of their wedding, at the height of passion, Kong Xiaotian had called out “Jiao’er,” which for Xin Qiuping was like swallowing a fly and left a wound that could never be smoothed.

　　Now her daughter was again, because of the Dragon Tribe, refusing food to the point of starvation.

　　“It is all the Dragon Tribe’s fault—Gongdian, Yu Jiao, Gong Kang—just you wait.” Xin Qiuping silently vowed, slammed the door of her daughter’s room, and strode straight toward the chieftain’s council hall.

　　At that moment Kong Xiaotian was discussing matters with his subordinates. The door was suddenly pushed open; looking up he saw his wife enter with an angry expression. He immediately dismissed his men and came forward with a smiling face: “My lady, who has angered you again?”

　　“It is all your precious daughter Kong Ting—she is actually refusing food for the sake of that little bastard Gong Kang.”

　　“Ah, what my daughter thinks, how could I not know? In matters of marriage the man’s side should take the initiative. Very well—for my daughter’s sake I shall not care about face. Tomorrow I shall take you and our daughter together to Wangqiu City to settle the marriage between the two families and fix the date as soon as possible.”

　　The city of the Tiger Tribe was called “ConcaveMountain City” and lay in the southwestern part of the Nanyu Forest.

　　It was said that in remote antiquity a meteorite had struck a great mountain in the southwest of the forest; the meteorite struck the summit and turned the mountain top into a concave basin. The ancestors of the Tiger Tribe chose this mountain and built their city in the basin upon the summit.

　　After the impact the trees and vegetation upon the mountain were completely destroyed; the powder of the meteorite ruined the soil of the mountain and its surroundings, so that thereafter the entire mountain became bare and the trees at its foot gradually withered. Only at a distance from ConcaveMountain City did the trees remain lush and the grass grow wildly.

　　ConcaveMountain City, built upon the summit, was easy to defend and difficult to attack. The dwellings of the common people within the city were mostly twostory wooden houses: the ground floor used as stables or livestock sheds, the upper floor for living. The buildings of the high officials and nobility in the inner city were mostly luxurious wooden houses of four or five stories.

　　Early the next morning Kong Xiaotian, together with Lady Xin Qiuping, their daughter Kong Ting, and a personal guard of seventy or eighty men, rode camelhorses out through the gate, descended the slope from the summit to the foot of the mountain, and set out in the direction of Wangqiu City.

　　The column advanced steadily northeastward. Kong Xiaotian was an old hand; although the Nanyu Forest was Gongyou territory he remained cautious and continually sent scouts ahead to reconnoiter.

　　Toward noon Kong Xiaotian ordered a halt for rest. After they had eaten dry rations and were about to set out again, a scout reported that ahead, in a baobab forest, a gathering party of the Dragon Tribe was collecting breadfruit.

　　“Excellent. We shall join them; on the road we can look after one another and travel together to Wangqiu City,” Kong Xiaotian said.

　　The climate of the Nanyu Forest was warm and rainfall abundant, very suitable for the growth of baobab trees. Large tracts of baobab forest grew throughout the woods; these trees bore fruit in every season and in times of scarcity breadfruit was one of the principal foods of the Gongyou Clan.

　　After Su Ziqi and the other two followed the gathering party to the baobab forest they were assigned as a group. Gong Min issued each group a long pole. Su Ziqi and her companions first watched from the side to see how the others collected the breadfruit.

　　They saw that the clan women worked in pairs: one woman held a long pole whose end was fitted with a sharp blade and a small bamboo basket; she extended the pole beneath a breadfruit at the top of the tree, caught the fruit in the basket, and then severed the stem with the blade so that the fruit fell into the basket.

　　The woman holding the pole lowered it to the ground; the other woman nimbly took the breadfruit from the basket and placed it in a spare bag.

　　After watching, Su Ziqi could not help sighing: “I once went to South America; the people there collect breadfruit by a similar method. It seems that although the times and spaces differ, human wisdom is the same.”

　　The three of them also began to imitate the clan women’s method of collecting breadfruit. Once they started they realized the work was not as easy as it looked. First, holding the long pole and severing the stem of the breadfruit required a certain arm strength, which none of the three possessed.

　　In the end Wang Yue and Zheng Ya had to hold the pole together to manage to cut the stems, while Su Ziqi was responsible for packing the fruit beneath the trees.

　　Just as Su Ziqi finished filling a hemp sack with fruit and was about to rise and change the bag, she looked up and saw Gongkong’s figure. Gongkong and two others were riding camelhorses and racing toward the depths of the dense forest.

　　At noon everyone struck fire with flint and roasted the breadfruit over the flames.

　　Su Ziqi and the other two sat beneath a tree eating the roasted breadfruit.

　　Ordinarily Gongkong would stick to Su Ziqi like glue and share the midday meal with everyone. Today, however, was abnormal; since arriving at the fruit forest they had not seen him again. Wang Yue and Zheng Ya both found it strange and asked Su Ziqi where Gongkong had gone.

　　Su Ziqi glanced at the two of them: “His legs are on his own body—how should I know where he has gone? Truly strange.” Though she said this, the absence of Gongkong left her feeling empty inside.

　　At that moment, beneath another tree, the sisters Gong Min and Gong Jie were also resting. Gong Min noticed Gongkong’s absence and asked Gong Jie: “Where has Gongkong gone?”

　　“Elder Sister, just now Elder Brother Gongkong said he and Yao Gang were going into the depths of the dense forest to reconnoiter. He said the three of them were sufficient and forbade us female soldiers to follow.”

　　“This Gongkong—he said he would bring the scout unit to protect us, yet now his shadow is nowhere to be seen.”

　　Even as they spoke, Scout Squad Leader Xiao Cheng came to report: “Reporting to Elder Miss and Second Miss: Third Young Master and General Yao Gang are going into the depths of the dense forest to reconnoiter. He has sent this humble one to inform you two that after the fruit is gathered you need not wait for him but may return to the tribe on your own.”

　　“Mm, understood. You have also worked hard; have some breadfruit.” Gong Min handed a freshly roasted breadfruit to Xiao Cheng.

　　“Many thanks, Elder Miss!”

　　After the midday meal, just as the gathering party was preparing to set out for Wangqiu City, a scout sent to the southwest returned and reported that he had met scouts of the Tiger Tribe; Chieftain Kong Xiaotian of the Tiger Tribe, together with his wife and daughter, were on the way to the baobab forest.

　　Gong Min asked: “Oh? Where are they going?”

　　“Reporting to Elder Miss, it is said they are coming to Wangqiu City.”

　　“Wangqiu City?” Gong Min’s heart was full of doubt. At present her father was away hunting and she had heard nothing of a clan council being convened. No one comes to the treasure hall without a reason—why had Kong Xiaotian come?

　　“Elder Sister, it is truly strange. Chieftain Kong Xiaotian often comes to our city, yet this time he has brought his wife and daughter—rather rare. What exactly is their purpose?”

　　“I do not know either. Yet as you say, the matter is strange. When we meet them we shall try to ask.”