The altar was constructed from massive stones, sprawling and adjacent to a broken old willow tree. At this moment, it was piled high with fierce beasts, resembling a small mountain.
The bright red blood of the beasts stained the stone platform, flowing along the carved patterns on the stone's surface, creating a vivid and alarming scene. The sight of the long, coarse fur of the giant beasts, their cold, gleaming scales, and their menacing horns evoked a fierce, primeval atmosphere.
Led by the old chieftain, the men, women, and children of the Stone Village gathered to pray for the protection of the willow wood. This was a solemn ritual, a tradition carried out every time after a hunt.
The charred tree remained silent as always, showing no reaction. It had never consumed the offerings, but many villagers believed it had a spirit.
Finally, as the ritual concluded, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their faces breaking into joyous smiles as they began to move the carcasses of the beasts, preparing to bleed and butcher them.
"Many years have passed, and the spirit has never touched the offerings. Do we still need to perform the ritual every time?" a young boy murmured quietly.
"How dare you speak such nonsense, you little rascal!" His father glared at him with eyes wide like bronze bells and raised his hand to hit him.
The old chieftain waved his hand to stop him and said softly, "The spirit of the ritual, or the 'Spirit of Offering,' is what we venerate and nourish with sincerity. It is crucial to be earnest in our devotion; only then will it protect and bless our village."
The boy's face turned red with embarrassment, and he hurriedly said, "Chieftain, it's not that I lack sincerity, but it seems like the spirit doesn't need these offerings, as it has never used them."
"It’s the intention that counts," Stone Yunfeng said as he patted the boy’s shoulder, explaining with care.
The spirit of the ritual, also known as the "Spirit of Offering," is a term for the "spirit of veneration and nourishment" of a tribe. It guards the village and deters the fierce beasts of the wilderness.
The elders in the tribe remembered that decades ago, another spirit was different. It was a peculiar stone that would absorb most of the blood essence from the offerings.
One night, when the old willow tree arrived, the peculiar stone chose to leave. Everything changed from that point onward.
Recalling that rainy night, the old chieftain felt a shiver. He had been a young man then, having witnessed that shocking and terrifying scene firsthand.
On that stormy night, lightning flashed and thunder roared, rain poured down in torrents, and the storm was so violent that many mountains were struck down by lightning. Floods surged like the sea, and fierce beasts rushed through like a tidal wave. The scene was horrifying.
At that moment, a colossal willow tree appeared amidst the clouds, bathed in the storm and entwined with lightning as thick as mountains. Its countless willow branches formed blazing divine chains that pierced through the sky, seemingly fighting against something.
Eventually, the great willow tree broke, turning pitch black and shrinking to its current size, falling and taking root in Stone Village. Meanwhile, the lightning disappeared, and the torrential rain ceased. That night, the peculiar stone that the village had been venerating and nourishing departed.
Every time the old chieftain thought back to that night, he felt a shiver. The old willow tree did not come from other large tribes or mountain lakes but descended from the sky, damaged by endless thunder and lightning—a fact few in the village knew.
For the first decades, it was entirely blackened, devoid of life, seemingly dead. It wasn't until ten years ago that it sprouted a tender green shoot, with no further changes since.
"You little rascal, be careful. We’ve gathered these fierce beasts with great difficulty. Their blood essence, sinews, and some bones are incredibly valuable; don’t let their essence go to waste," the old chieftain reminded them, coming back to his senses.
The young and strong men of the tribe were busy cutting up the giant beasts, their silver knives flashing and clanging, with sparks flying as they worked on the surprisingly hard bones of the beasts.
Some had already prepared large clay jars to collect the precious blood essence from special parts of the beasts. This was a rare and valuable medicinal blood.
Among the pile of beast corpses, the qilin (a mythical creature) was the most precious. Although it was only a descendant and not comparable to the pure-blooded qilin royalty, it still contained some true blood and was incredibly valuable.
It had been over two years since the last capture of such a fierce beast. They were too ferocious and powerful, with a single swipe capable of ending a strong person's life. They were indeed difficult to deal with.
The harvest this time was truly astonishing.
"Wow, the true blood retained in the horns of this double-headed fire rhinoceros is also extremely remarkable, not inferior to that qilin," an old man said as he personally handled the knife, revealing the blood and flesh beneath the horn, which flowed with a fiery red blood.
Suddenly, the blood transformed into a red glow, and a double-headed fire rhinoceros appeared, its entire body red and vividly lifelike, roaring angrily.
"This is excellent stuff. This true blood has a potent medicinal quality, rivaling the qilin," the old man laughed heartily, quickly sealing the blood in a clay jar.
"Chieftain, this dragon-horned elephant’s horn is also a good item. We found it in a dying state; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to handle it," a young man said.
Stone Yunfeng nodded and said, "It’s indeed rare. The dragon horns on its head have been growing for some years. Carefully chiseling them off is a rare bone-nourishing treasure."
"This qilin’s single leg tendon is incredibly tough; even with an axe, it’s unbreakable."
"All these are valuable items. You little rascal, be careful not to waste the precious blood from the flying python’s wings."
The villagers were all joyful, their faces full of smiles.
Only a group of children shrank their necks and quickly ran away because they knew that most of these so-called medicinal blood and bone medicines would be used on them, and they would soon have to "suffer" again.
It was only half an hour later that the "medicinal substances" from the beast corpses were fully harvested. The chieftain and several elders nodded in satisfaction and took the jars away for processing.
"With so many beasts, we should marinate some, and then smoke and make jerky from the rest," an experienced elder said.
With such a large pile of beasts resembling a small mountain, the whole village wouldn’t be able to consume it all in several days. If it spoiled, it would be a waste, something unacceptable to villagers facing food shortages.
The women of each household began to divide the meat, all with genuine smiles. The men who had ventured out and returned safely, bringing such a bountiful harvest, were seen as receiving the best blessings from heaven.
The smoke from the cooking filled the air, and half an hour later, the aroma of roasted meat spread through the village. The meat in the iron pots was almost falling apart, and the children could no longer wait. The meat roasting over the fire turned golden and glossy, dripping fat into the fire and sizzling. The robust men couldn't resist and began tearing the meat apart, their mouths dripping with juice and appetites wide open.
"Kid, this is qilin meat. Eat more to gain strength. It's a rare and precious meat."
"You little rascal, eat more of this double-headed rhinoceros meat. It will make your bones as strong as iron. Don’t eat the least useful tree pig meat."
Various fierce beasts became the village's most sumptuous evening meal, with the enticing aroma drifting through the streets, stirring appetites and filling the vill
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