Staring at the bowl and the small knife, Tom shivered inexplicably. 'Didn't he just say there wouldn't be any of that nasty stuff? So why the bloodletting now? And he insisted it wasn't an evil ritual.'
"Look, buddy, either you let some blood, or you stay in pain." Feng Shan shot Tom an irritated glance. 'The Witchcraft Bone Ring just gathered a bit of Soul Power. I have to waste it on him before it's even warmed up.'
"OK, OK, buddy, I'll do it!"
'Compared to the pain from this gout, a little blood is nothing.'
Tom took the small knife and made a light cut on his right hand. Fresh blood flowed down his palm and into the bowl.
Meanwhile, Feng Shan wasn't idle. He used his Hunting Knife to shave the fur off a beast hide, then selected a tuft of the highest quality fur and tied it to a small wooden stick, fashioning a crude brush.
Once the brush was made, Feng Shan turned back to look at Tom.
The bowl was almost half full, and Tom's face had turned pale from the blood loss.
"That's enough!" Feng Shan stopped Tom from bleeding further. "Coca-Cola, go get the first-aid kit. It's on the bookshelf, the small white bag."
Coca-Cola, who had been crouching by the stove, leaped lightly onto the bookshelf, found the first-aid kit, and carried it back to Feng Shan's side in its mouth.
"Take this to Tom. He'll know what to do with it."
"Hey, buddy, Coca-Cola is so obedient." Tom took the first-aid kit, found the styptic powder and a bandage, and wrapped his wound, not forgetting to offer a few words of praise.
"Sit still and shut up."
Feng Shan's eyes widened as he put on a serious expression. Facing Tom, he cultivated a mysterious atmosphere, then picked up a bowl of fresh water. At times he raised it high with both hands, at others he swayed it gently, all while muttering a mysterious Spell.
"Majestic Huaxia, glorious civilization, prosperous and flourishing, shining in all directions!"
...
Tom's eyes were wide, his face filled with astonishment as he witnessed Feng Shan's performance.
At first, he had watched with an amused attitude, but with the exaggerated movements, the mysterious chanting, and the solemnity of the ritual, a strange feeling gradually welled up inside Tom.
"Drink all the water in the bowl in one go." Feng Shan finished the Spell and handed the bowl to Tom.
By now, Tom's skepticism had been replaced by blind faith. He took the bowl and drank it all down in one go with a GULP GULP.
"Repeat after me: 'Awesome!' Thirty times, quickly!!" Feng Shan said urgently.
Oh! Tom immediately began to shout at the top of his lungs.
"Awesome! Awesome! Awesome..."
With every shout, the pain seemed to be driven out of his body, little by little.
Feng Shan picked up the crude brush, dipped it in the bowl of blood, and drew a pattern on the beast hide with flamboyant, calligraphic strokes. A red light flashed from the Witchcraft Bone Ring on his right hand, the one holding the brush, and sank into the hide.
The next moment, the Spell was written on the beast hide. He handed it to Tom, who had just finished shouting "Awesome!" thirty times.
"Keep this beast hide safe. This is a rune from my Huaxia, and it possesses magical power," Feng Shan said with a completely serious face.
Tom took the rune carefully, his eyes glued to the indescribable pattern on it, his expression full of awe.
"Whoa, this is amazing," Tom marveled in a low voice, as if he were holding the most precious treasure in the world.
Strangely enough, as Tom focused on the rune, the pain in his body really did seem to gradually lessen until it finally disappeared completely. Not only that, but even the cut on his palm no longer hurt.
"The pain is really gone! This is incredible!" Tom shouted excitedly, his face a mask of disbelief and joyous surprise.
Watching Tom's astonished and joyful expression, Feng Shan said smugly, "This is the magic of our Eastern Witchcraft. The Beast Hide Rune will ensure you aren't troubled by pain for a month. However, you should still get proper medical treatment. You have to trust in science."
'Science! He uses Eastern Witchcraft to cure my gout, and then tells me to believe in science!! To hell with damn science!'
Tom paid no attention to Feng Shan's words, clutching the beast hide tightly in his hand as if it were a priceless treasure, afraid it would disappear.
The weather turned from cloudy to clear, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the wilderness.
The two of them dragged the plane out of the bushes and back onto the runway.
Feng Shan climbed into the cockpit, holding Coca-Cola and Prince in his lap. With the roar of the propeller, the plane slowly taxied toward the runway.
It accelerated, took off, and soared into the blue sky.
Through the window, the Arctic Circle Tundra receded below, its vast and desolate landscape looking exceptionally magnificent under the sunlight.
The plane continued to climb, broke through the clouds, and flew toward the horizon.
Feeling the wonder of flight, a thought occurred to Feng Shan.
'If I had a plane of my own, I could go wherever I wanted.'
Tom, who was piloting the plane, suddenly remembered something. He turned his head and asked, "Buddy, I bled so much, why did you only use a tiny bit of it?"
Feng Shan shrugged. "Because I only needed a tiny bit."
Tom was utterly speechless.
....
They flew over the snow-covered Brooks Range.
Patches of green began to appear, and as the plane flew south, the temperature slowly began to rise.
「Four hours later.」
The plane began its descent, and a modern city appeared outside the window.
They had arrived in Fairbanks.
The plane landed with a few bumps and bounces at a small airport. Feng Shan saw Frank by the runway, leaning against a red car and waving at him.
The flight had lasted over four hours. Feng Shan had handled it fine, but Prince hadn't. The dog had gotten airsick. As soon as he was off the plane, he staggered over to the car and lifted his hind leg against a tire.
"Fack, I just washed this car." Although Frank was furious, he didn't interrupt Prince's business.
"He was on a plane for four hours. You have to understand."
Feng Shan walked forward with a smile and gave Frank a hug.
After they embraced, Frank took a step back to look Feng Shan up and down. He was still wearing his fur coat. Frank laughed, "Buddy, welcome back to civilization. You don't need to wear furs in Fairbanks. You look like an Aleut Hunter who got lost in the Brooks Range."
"I'm used to it." Feng Shan waved his hand dismissively. Even though the temperature in Fairbanks wasn't as cold as the Far North Tundra, he still felt he needed to stay warm.
Frank shrugged. It was just a fur coat. He'd seen Inuit wearing unwashed reindeer-hide clothes for years. It wasn't so bad in the winter, but in the summer, they were like walking fly-magnets, followed everywhere by a swarm of them.
"Alright, well, this is free Alaska. You can walk around naked if you want."
"You're going to be busy today. There are all sorts of IDs and documents to take care of, and you'll have to deal with a few assholes. I'll take you to get something to eat first."
"Hey, are you two done talking? Come over and help me with these things," Tom shouted, standing by the plane holding a cardboard box. "I charge by the minute, you know. Time on the ground counts too."
If Tom hadn't mentioned it, Feng Shan would have forgotten. He turned and walked back to the plane, taking the heavy cardboard box. "This box is for Frank. The other one is for you. It's smoked bear meat and bear sausage I made."
Tom was very surprised that Feng Shan was giving him a gift.
"Buddy, I'm touched by your gift. It's a shame Frank's the one paying for this flight, or I'd definitely give you a discount."
After a few interactions, Feng Shan had discovered something. 'These foreigners aren't as clever as they are in the movies. They're actually quite simple and straightforward, saying whatever is on their minds whether you want to hear it or not. To put it bluntly, they're unsophisticated.'
"Just don't 'break a bone'. Now get to the hospital!"
'Break a bone? Why would you break a bone from flying a plane?'
Tom's eyes widened. After a moment, he understood and burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
"Buddy, that joke is hilarious!"
"'Break a bone'! I've got to go tell those idiots back home about that one."
...