Fate in the Forest: Guandong

During the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty, deep in the Changbai Mountains, an old hunter named Guandongshan rescued an Ewenki woman from a bear attack while hunting. They married and had a son and a daughter: Guan Lin and Guan Hua. When a strange “Red Stampede” sent beasts charging wildly through the forest, the thirteen-year-old Guan Lin and eight-year-old Guan Hua were left behind to become its guardians. The siblings were rescued by the mysterious Sporefolk tribe. Descendants of the “Land of Dingling” from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Sporefolk had lived in seclusion deep in the Changbai Mountains for generations and could communicate with all living things. There, Guan Lin and Guan Hua began ten years of training: learning to identify countless herbs and medicinal plants, listen to the speech of trees, and understand the temperaments of beasts. Ten years later, a force from within the passes entered the Changbai Mountains. Former Qing loyalists had joined forces with the Russians, intent on finding the legendary “Source of the Dragon Vein” and seizing the forest’s greatest treasure, the “Heart of Ten Thousand Trees.” They felled sacred trees, hunted spirit beasts, and disrupted the balance of the forest. To protect their home, Guan Lin and Guan Hua set out on a journey across nine perilous trials: the wild boars’ frenzied charge at Boar Ridge, the deadly constriction in Serpent King Valley, a royal confrontation atop Tiger King Peak, the ginseng spirit’s illusory trial, the birch spirit’s journey through time, swimming against the current in Dragon King Pool, a flying pursuit across Wind Demon Ridge, the soul’s baptism at the Sporefolk sanctuary, and the final choice at the Heart of Ten Thousand Trees. After enduring eighty-one trials, Guan Lin and Guan Hua grasped the true meaning of the “King of the Forest”: not to rule, but to protect; not to conquer, but to coexist. They rallied the beasts and plant spirits of the forest for a final showdown with the invaders, ultimately becoming the true guardians of the Changbai Mountains and leading the villagers and all living things to flourish together. (Northern China series)