This was a peculiar space, with a dim light, reminiscent of the early dawn in the East when the sky first begins to brighten. It was also shrouded in layers of mist.
The people of Shicun were bewildered, having no idea where they were. They were all stunned, wondering how they had suddenly left the vast wasteland and emerged from the mountain range.
Little Dong looked around, the mist outside Shicun was thick and hazy, resembling a chaotic world with a desolate and ancient aura. If they moved forward, they would soon get lost.
At the edge of the village, a large willow tree was rooted in the ground, its charred trunk cracked, and the lone willow branch was no longer fresh and drooping but somewhat dull and lifeless.
The sight made the villagers uneasy. The beast tide had surged through the vast mountains, and now they had suddenly left the mountainous region. Everyone stood before the willow tree, praying fervently.
"By the grace of the Willow God, we have avoided a great disaster," said the village chief, Shi Yunfeng. Given the gravity of the situation, he had naturally been alerted and had come out early.
Where they were now was not important. The best outcome was that everyone had survived.
"Don’t panic. We have plenty of dried meat, nuts, wild wheat, and dried mountain vegetables to last us for months," said the old chief.
"Yes, we should wait calmly. With the protection of the Willow God, there won’t be any danger," Shi Linhu agreed.
The leaders spoke in turn, calming the villagers. They stopped worrying and began to methodically go about their tasks, grinding wild wheat and organizing the dried meat on the roof.
Two months flew by, and Little Dong turned four. His soft hair fell to his shoulders, and his big, gem-like eyes sparkled even more, making him look both beautiful and cute. Though he looked like a porcelain doll, he was incredibly strong, able to leap thirty to forty meters, and had become the top expert in Shicun.
“Little Dong, why are you daydreaming again? Do you want some beast’s milk? Come quickly, there’s a bowl here.”
Little Dong, who had been hugging his knees and staring blankly under the willow tree, quickly stood up, his big eyes darting around as he shouted, “Where? Where?”
“Haha, you really want beast’s milk. It’s been so dull without it, hasn’t it?” A group of older kids laughed.
Little Dong blushed and defended himself, “No, I was just asking.”
The children laughed loudly. A snot-nosed kid with a mischievous idea whispered, “Uncle Linhu’s family just had a little tiger cub. If you’re really craving something...”
“Go away,” Little Dong hurriedly interrupted, glaring at the snot-nosed kid who was only a few months older but full of mischief.
“A gentleman uses words, not actions,” the snot-nosed kid wiped his nose and quickly backed away.
Suddenly, the sky cracked open, and a beam of sunlight pierced through, dispelling the gray mist. The whole space became much brighter.
“Wow, we’re seeing the light of day again!” The children shouted in delight, their faces filled with joy.
The adults were also stirred and stood up, looking up at the sky with excitement. After being trapped here for over two months, their bodies felt rusty.
Crack!
It was as if a jade bottle had shattered. The space trembled violently, then flickered and finally rumbled with a loud noise. The gray mist completely vanished, the chaos disappeared, and the daylight poured in.
The sun was high and bright, though dazzling, everyone was thrilled, constantly looking up and cheering. They were free and back on solid ground.
The children, unable to contain their excitement, dashed out of the village, greedily inhaling the fresh air filled with the scent of grass and trees, bouncing and leaping around.
“Hey, this isn’t the mountain forest outside our village,” Er Meng said in confusion, noticing that what he saw was completely different from the familiar mountain landscape he had known since childhood.
A river flowed past the village, with large fish occasionally leaping out, their golden scales sparkling and creating splashes. Not far off was a lake, clear and blue, with a group of brightly colored large birds leisurely strolling by, each over two meters long, bathed in shifting sunlight. There were also unicorns, their silver fur shimmering, drinking water by the lake.
“What a beautiful scene!” The children were amazed after their initial shock, now filled with wonder.
The adults were also dumbfounded. The scenery outside the strange space was completely different from the mountain forest they had been familiar with for decades. They had arrived in such a beautiful place.
“Chirp chirp!”
Zi Yun, Da Peng, and Xiao Qing rushed over, very excited, drooling over the big fish in the water. They had grown to about three and a half meters long. After the initial growth spurt in the first two or three months, their growth rate had slowed down.
The green-scaled eagle appeared, flapping its huge silver wings, causing waves to splash onto the shore. Seven or eight large fish covered with golden scales jumped along the shore, each weighing over ten pounds. Most astonishingly, their mouths had two dragon whiskers, crystal clear and emitting a fragrant aroma.
The three young birds rushed up happily to enjoy the feast.
Shi Yunfeng was astonished, quickly coming over to pick up a big fish, turning it over and examining it. He exclaimed, “This is truly a dragon-whisker fish, or an exceptionally high-quality golden-scaled species. This is a treasure, rich in spiritual essence. Regular consumption can increase strength and strengthen bones, which is very beneficial for the children.”
The children, hearing this, immediately yelled and rushed to the water's edge.
Such fish were rare and expensive in the outside world due to their rich spiritual essence. However, there were many in this lake, enough to supply the entire village for a long time.
“Chief, look, aren’t those large birds by the lake called Five-Colored Chickens?” Er Meng’s father said excitedly, pointing ahead. He had once seen one from a distance in the mountains but had never captured one.
“They do seem to be,” Shi Yunfeng said, widening his eyes and carefully examining them, instantly moved.
The Five-Colored Chicken, covered in gorgeous feathers and resembling a phoenix, was a rare medicinal ingredient. Each was over two meters long. It was an excellent bone-repairing medicine. If one’s bones were broken or muscles injured, making a stew with the Five-Colored Chicken, eating the meat and bones together, and drinking the broth had miraculous effects, enabling rapid bone healing.
Shi Yunfeng came to his senses and instructed seriously, “There’s a whole group of them here. Don’t act recklessly. Don’t kill them casually. I will let you know when we need them for medicine. We must not scare them away; we need them to stay by the lake year-round.”
The strong men all nodded in agreement. Their attention was not on the Five-Colored Chickens but on the unicorns nearby. The silver-glowing creatures made every man’s heart race.
Growing up in the mountains, every powerful man dreamed of owning a steed that could travel ten thousand miles a day. This was a unique dream and obsession for men.
Unicorns, mutated from scaled horses, were extremely rare. Yet here, there was a large herd of fifty or sixty, making all the men’s eyes turn red. However, they knew that these were fierce beasts and difficult to approach.
“Take it slow. We’ll catch a few sooner or later. Don’t startle them. As long as they stay on this fertile land year-round, they will be ours eventually,” Shi Feijiao whispered.
The scene outside the village had drastically changed. After the initial astonishment, the villagers no longer felt disheartened, for this place was so wonderful. Surrounded by so many rare spiritual creatures, it was indeed a beautiful treasure land.
Little Dong stared blankly, watching the golden-scaled dragon-whisker fish leaping in the azure lake, and the dozens of unicorns by the shore. His expression was dazed, and he murmured to himself, “It seems like I’ve seen this before—a very large lake, with birds even more magnificent and gigantic than these little phoenixes, and nobles hunting.”
Seeing his demeanor, the village chief, Shi Yunfeng, had a twitch of his wrinkles, and Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao also looked troubled, their focus shifting away from the unicorns.
“Father, Mother, I miss you,” Little Dong said sadly, speaking softly as he sat by the lake, hugging his knees, lost in thought.
Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
“Grandpa Chief, are they still in this world? I miss them,” Little Dong suddenly looked up, his big eyes misty, and asked earnestly. This was the first time he had asked so directly.
Shi Yunfeng, remembering the past, felt a surge of complex emotions. He knelt down and affectionately patted Little Dong’s head with his rough hand, unsure of how to respond.
Suddenly, a streak of red lightning streaked across the sky, dazzling and turning the entire sky crimson, as if a large sunset had appeared.
A fire-red sparrow, its body crystal-clear and dripping with vibrant red, fell from the sky and landed in front of the large willow tree at the village’s edge.
“Ah, Xiao Hong!” Little Dong immediately stood up and ran over quickly.
The fire-red sparrow had its bright red feathers dimmed after falling, with a terrible wound running through its chest and abdomen, almost severing it. It also had several claw marks on its head, nearly penetrating its skull.
The wounded sparrow was in a dire state, its injuries severe. The wounds faintly glowed with terrifying symbols, continuing to sap its vitality.
Little Dong did not dare to act recklessly because the moment the red bird fell, it had scorched the ground, emitting an incredibly high temperature as if it were a furnace.
“Xiao Hong, what happened to you?” Little Dong asked softly.
The sparrow’s only non-red feature was its eyes, which were black and white like gemstones. It gave Little Dong a long-suffering, resentful look, making him feel somewhat embarrassed as he scratched his head.
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