THE TRACES OF THE FRIENDSHIP OF SPIRITIS AND HUMAN.
CHAPTER 2 (LEAVING THE SPIRIT MOUNTAIN)

The morning after sunrise Xiuhuan decided to get down from the mountain and start his journey, before that while biting an apple in his mouth he slightly improved his appearance for others not to know his identity.

First he removed the mark on his forehead by rubbing it with his two left fingers, then he tied up his unraveling hair and changed the color to black, and lastly he tidied the clothes he was wearing.

After feeling ready Xiuhuan started to step foot down from the spirit mountain, yet before that he slightly muttered. "In the next few years I will definitely return with the same me."

Xiuhuan then started walking down the mountain while putting both of his hands behind his back, not even a hint of him looking back and from his face looking so confident, he said, long before, Xiuhan had thought about his decision to live life among humans and he was convinced that his decision was right.

For hundreds of years Xiuhan never left the sacred forest, this was the first time he had gone down the mountain and left the place he had all along said to be the most pleasant home away from the melee as well as without humans.

Now bored with his life, Xiuhuan decides to get used to hanging out with people and taking away his curiosity about the lives of ordinary people before he returns to his realm.

Walking from the west and returning from the east, was his promise to himself that would begin his journey around the human world, Xiuhuan would begin his journey by walking westward and returning from the east.

...****************...

After walking far enough he finally found a city full of human activities. Before walking through the entrance gate Xiuhuan had a glance at the name of the city written on the wooden board next to it.

This city is called the city of a thousand peace. "Let's see if the name of this city indicates peace in it?" she whispered with a smile and walked through the entrance gate.

Once inside he was suguhi scenery of people who were doing their respective activities. While walking slowly his eyes scanned his surroundings, some people there were peddling their wares and some were just looking at the city.

Not only that, there are also some people who are seen playing traditional musical instruments that add to the peaceful atmosphere in the city, small children running around smiling and laughing shows that they look happy.

The meaning of the name of the city was indeed peaceful, the bright faces of the people there also showed that they liked their residence.

Xiuhuan paused his footsteps and closed his eyes while listening to the boisterous sounds around him, his hearing focused on the music as well as the sounds released by the people. But suddenly something was bothering him, he heard someone running towards him who was standing in the crowd.

"Thieves!" shouted a woman.

Yet Xiuhuan ignored him and continued to listen to the boisterous sounds there, and before long his sharp hearing heard the sound of someone running panting and approaching him.

"The thief! please arrest him!"

It turned out that the thief ran up to him and as they passed by with just one hand Xiuhuan grabbed him by holding his collar. The thief now could not run because Xiuhuan held him back.

"Don't interfere, let go!" he said while looking at Xiuhan with a panicked face because if Xiuhuan did not let go he would have been caught because from afar people were seen running after him even close.

Xiuhuan then opened his eyes and looked at him, with a smile he said.

"You're caught."

That person then tried to let go of Xiuhuan's hand that held his collar, but he couldn't do it easily because the spirit man's strength was extremely strong, and ordinary people couldn't possibly match him.

While smiling Xiuhuan watched the person who tried to release his hand that held him back from leaving.

"Take me off!, "the panic is clearly visible from his face as well as the cold sweat that is clearly plastered on his forehead.

"Why are your hands so strong?"

"No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to let go"

The people who were chasing him were now close before him, anger was seen on their faces as they carried wooden sticks ready to hit him.

"Well!"

The thief grew even more frightened, he then was about to throw a punch at Xiuhuan to get away from him. Xiuhuan realized it quickly he pulled his hand and threw it before those people.

The woman suspected of being the victim then took the bag with the money in her hand. The man had just stolen and fled after getting what he wanted, but the woman saw him and shouted and those who heard his screams chased after him.

When the men were caught off guard the thief was about to flee but they caught him and scolded him there.

"I'm-I'm sorry" he said, terrified that people would beat him.

"Let him go do nothing to him" continued the woman who saw him.

"Thank you, thank you."

"Here, I know why you did it. You're supposed to be looking for a job, not stealing" he continued, giving him money out of his pocket.

"Well."

The man then left after receiving it, and the people who gathered them all dispersed even though they were disappointed at letting it go.

"This place isn't really filled with peace" Xiuhuan murmured as he looked at the several people who looked angry.

"Thank you, if you don't catch it maybe this money won't go back into my hands" said the woman, who was still standing in front of her.

Xiuhuan then turned his attention to the woman and smiled at her. "Next time you have to be careful"

After saying that Xiuhuan went walking away from her, the woman saw him walking further and further back behind her. Not long after he also walked in the opposite direction to Xiuhan.

...****************...

"Attractive city, "endlessly Xiuhan looked around him and enjoyed the atmosphere of the city.

"The spirits that live on the mountain have been around for thousands of years."

But suddenly he stopped his footsteps and noticed an old woman with some small children sitting not far away, Xiuhan heard the old woman's words about the spirits living in the holy forest.

Out of curiosity Xiuhuan walked a little closer to him and listened to what the old woman had to say.

"They live like we humans, have family and friends"

The man smiled at his words, he began to recall his life in the forest with the other spirits.

"But the evil humans who thirst for magic are trying to hunt them down and want to take the pure soul that resides inside their bodies"

"Did they manage to take it?" ask one of the boys.

"No, they didn't make it because no human could find the forest until this very second."

Xiuhuan now pointed to a faint smile as he also recalled the sad events that had befallen them when he was a child.

When Xiuhuan was ten years old a terrible event occurred. Where the spirits are suddenly attacked by hundreds of human suspected black magic users.Entah from where they know the location of the sacred forest, because all this time humans only know the spirit mountain is not a sacred forest.

They attack the spirits and even kidnap them to become slaves, there were also those who only took the pure soul power that was within the spirit body they had captured in order for them to live eternally and possess immense magic.

The pure soul itself is one of the souls that exist in the spirit body after the soul of life,

Spirits do not accept the care of humans who casually enter their territory. A great war broke out, which was the first time there was a war between beings from two different realms.

The new war stops after one of the spirits destroys a huge hill and drops its shards on hundreds of evil humans thirsting for magic. And since then the spirits are more wary of humans, nor do they make any contact with humans.

Until hundreds of years passed and the incident slowly began to be forgotten, until now only the spirits who know what happened hundreds of years ago, not with humans. All they knew was a cursory story about one of the spirits that once destroyed a great hill.

They do not know what happened after that, nor do they know that spirits and humans once met and formed friendships.

"We don't interfere with their lives, let them live quietly and peacefully there,"

"She's right don't disturb our lives," murmured Xiuhuan who looked sad.The old woman turned out to have accidentally seen him, she then walked over to Xiuhan.

"Are you a traveler?" ask the woman to him.

Xiuhuan did not immediately answer him, for a moment he noticed him who looked stooped and carried a wooden stick.

"... Yes, I am a traveler."

"Be careful, son, when you visit a foreign place take good care of yourself. Since not all humans had good hearts," hearing his reply he then held one of Xiuhuan's shoulders.

"Thank you for reminding me, I will always be careful on the way."

After that he did not say anything and walked away, looking from his footsteps not as fast as when he was young.Xiuhuan observed him for a moment with a smile, smiling, he looked at the little children who were still there.

"Hey little boy do you like stories about spirits?"

"How do you think they are?"

One of the girls then approached her, saw Xiuhuan then alluded and looked at her more closely.

"Beautiful girl say, how?"

"high."

"Hmm continue."

"Big and scary"

"Well! That's not true!"

Feeling the answer was not right, Xiuhuan now turned his attention to the other children and asked the same question.

"What do you think the spirits look like?"

"They have sharp horns and teeth" a boy replied.

"They also have thick beards and red eyes." said another.

Hearing their reply Xiuhuan then did not accept it, he started to show a slightly annoyed face but could still smile.

"Why do you imagine them like that? Look, actually they besides having a tall and big body, they also look strong. And most importantly the spirits of the man had a handsome face."

"Lied!"

"That's right."

The children suddenly ran away leaving her alone while ridiculing her. "Hey, where are you going!"

"What I said was true, they ran away and didn't believe me,"

"Why would a child like them have such an imagination? did the old woman tell them?"

Xiuhuan returned his gaze to the city as he walked and forgot about the children, long around he saw a place to eat there and out of curiosity Xiuhuan went to visit the place.

"What does human food taste like?"

Once inside, Xiuhan then sat down at one of the tables not far from the entrance, after which he called out to one of the maids.

"Hey!"

"What do you want?" ask the waiter.

"Give me the food that people often call meat."

"Well wait a minute."

While waiting for the maid to return, Xiuhuan watched the people who were there, Xiuhan really felt annoyed because of their extremely loud voices. Not only that, he also did not particularly like to see people drinking wine.

"Hahh I have to get used to it" he whispered as he closed his eyes.

Finally after a long wait the waiter came back with food.

"Do you really not want to order wine?" ask after putting food and tea on the table.

"No thanks"

After the servant left Xiuhuan started touching his food, yet he hesitated a little when he wanted to eat it but out of curiosity Xiuhuan had to try it. Xiuhuan then took a little food from the bowl using chopsticks and ate it. The moment it touched his tongue he was so shocked to find out what it felt like.

"This??, "Xiuhuan started eating it voraciously and was about to finish it off.

"So this is what meat tastes like? I've lived for hundreds of years and I've never eaten it,"

Moments later the food was already invisible inside the bowl and plate, the spirit man finished it without any residue.

"They slaughtered all the people who lived there mercilessly, some were even burned along with his house."

While drinking the tea Xiuhuan heard the conversation of the three people who had just entered the place, secretly his ears eavesdropped on everything they said. "That night was a terrible night for everyone who lived there"

"It's their own fault why they built a village in an area full of bandits!"

"They were just ordinary people, how could they know that the place was the territory of ruthless bandits?. And besides, if their previous place was not forcibly taken by King Jiao Long maybe none of this would have happened to them."

After he finished drinking his tea Xiuhuan then placed a bag of money on the table and left, as he passed by the people who were still standing at Xiuhan's door did not say anything to them. After he had left the previous servant came back to the table to bring the dirty bowl and dishes, and how surprised he was when he saw a bag of gold coins on the table.

"This money is too much" he said as his eyes searched for the person who had just eaten at the table.