At this moment, Little Dot was filled with a mix of nervousness, excitement, and a bit of fear, feeling a strange sense of trepidation as he approached his hometown, unsure of what Shicun was like now.
He had left when he was eight and a half, and the journey and trials on the road took a month. After joining the Butiange (Mending Heaven Pavilion), time flew by, and now, two years had passed since he had left.
Everything seemed like it was just yesterday—he remembered the times with Er Meng and Pi Hou, digging bird nests and being chased by Aunt Qinglin Eagle, hunting together, gathering old herbs, and capturing ferocious beast cubs. Those were times filled with laughter and joy.
Little Qingfeng also shed tears, laughing and crying at the same time. Although he had only lived here for a year or two, it was filled with happiness.
"It's just a mountain village. Why are you so emotional? Whenever I return to my old home, I always find it dull," Big Red Bird grumbled.
"Thud."
At that moment, Little Dot and Qingfeng simultaneously tapped it on the head, while Er Tuozi, pretending to be fierce, also gave it a smack.
Big Red Bird, feeling wronged, spread its wings and soared into the sky, flying rapidly. The scenery on the ground flew by quickly until they reached a beautiful and serene land.
Even from a distance, Little Dot had it land so he could approach step by step. In the misty haze, a village appeared vaguely in sight.
"There was a fierce battle here. Look at these giant rocks; they've been shattered," Big Red Bird said.
"Powerful magical artifacts were used, and they were extremely powerful. This is a stone mountain, and it was directly swept away halfway," Er Tuozi was also startled.
At that moment, Little Dot’s heart sank, and he felt a deep shiver, clenching his fists in fear.
It had been over two years; what had happened to Shicun?
Qingfeng was also on the verge of tears, hoping that upon returning to the village, nothing bad had happened. They were excited to return but feared seeing misfortune.
The area ahead was very quiet, without any sound.
Little Dot was terrified. Even though they were still a few miles away and not yet within Shicun, there were indeed remnants of the battle in the area. Someone had used a terrifying magical artifact, surpassing even his Dragon Serpent Scissors.
Several stone mountains that were once there had now turned to dust and no longer existed.
“It will be fine. Everything should still be safe,” Little Dot whispered as he rushed forward, his heart pounding intensely. The anxiety and fear reached their peak.
Qingfeng followed behind him, tears nearly spilling.
When Maomao arrived here, it quickly turned into a golden streak, darting through the grass towards them.
After running for several miles and getting closer, Little Dot suddenly stopped, unable to hold back, and tears streamed down his face.
Moments later, Qingfeng and the others caught up. They saw the village not far away and stood beside him.
“Shicun is safe,” Little Dot said, wiping away his tears. Despite facing life-and-death battles and constant fleeing, he had never been scared before, but just moments ago, his heart was filled with anxiety and fear.
It was only when he got close that he completely relaxed, tears of joy filling his eyes. All his worries disappeared.
He could see familiar figures in the village—his closest ones. The houses were still there, and the village had not changed much.
A large ancient tree stood in front of the village, its thick trunk blackened and scarred from lightning strikes. Now, some old bark had fallen off, and it showed signs of new life.
On the lightning-struck tree, there were now over a dozen green, glowing branches emitting a gentle light, resembling the divine chains of the era of creation, spanning eons, mysterious and peaceful, naturally hanging down, full of vibrant life.
With the Willow Spirit present, as long as it was safe, Shicun would be fine. The recent worries were just the result of Little Dot and the others' experiences of numerous hardships, causing them to be anxious and frightened.
They were exhausted, mentally and physically.
Finally home, Little Dot and Qingfeng were both smiling with happiness, though their eyes were clearly filled with tears. After surviving a great disaster and returning to their loved ones, all anxiety dissipated, replaced by a sense of bliss.
At this moment, Er Tuozi’s eyes widened, staring at the willow tree at the edge of the village, feeling a shiver, almost as if he was about to be scared stiff.
“Second Brother, why are you trembling? You’re really embarrassing me,” Big Red Bird slapped him.
“Don’t talk nonsense. There’s a huge presence ahead, towering to the sky, vast and endless. It nearly scared me to death,” Er Tuozi said, nearly wetting himself from fear.
“What are you rambling about?” Big Red Bird looked at him with suspicion.
“I’m talking about that tree. Do you see it? That’s divine,” Er Tuozi said, his voice trembling, almost unable to believe his eyes at seeing such an ancient tree here.
He shivered, grabbing Little Dot, “What’s going on with this kid? Why didn’t you tell me about this? What is its origin? I’m almost scared to death.”
Er Tuozi was no ordinary being; he had once been formidable, with an acutely sensitive spiritual sense. He couldn’t discern the full depth of the willow tree but felt it could tear through the sky and reach the heavens, making his soul tremble.
At this moment, Big Red Bird also felt something was wrong. It sensed that while the ancient tree was incredibly peaceful and full of soft light, it still invoked awe and prevented it from being reckless here.
“What exactly is it?”
“It is the village’s totem spirit, guarding Shicun’s peace, and it is honored and revered here,” Little Dot explained.
“What? A village’s totem spirit?” Er Tuozi’s eyes nearly popped out, becoming even more anxious.
What kind of village is this, worthy of such a "great deity" to guard it and become its totem spirit? This is quite unsettling.
Er Tuozi stared ahead, then at Little Dot, feeling it was increasingly unfathomable. Eventually, he relaxed and said, “It makes sense. Only a place beyond understanding could produce such a fierce child as you, who can chase after wild oxen and mountain dragons.”
“What are you talking about?” Little Dot looked at him with a mix of anger and amusement, realizing both he and Big Red Bird were scared.
At that moment, bird calls were heard, and a purple light flickered in the village. A six or seven-meter-long fierce bird rushed over at high speed and landed swiftly.
“Little Brother, you’re back,” the purple bird transmitted its voice, its scales glowing brilliantly, as if steam was rising from it, looking extraordinarily divine.
Soon, a large golden bird and a green bird also flew over, both shimmering with sacred light, full of joy and affection, coming close to him and Qingfeng.
“Wow, Ziyun, Dapeng, and Xiaoqing, you’ve grown so fast. You can now communicate with your minds. You’re still so young,” Little Dot was quite surprised.
“Hmm, something’s not right. You’re even stronger than the ancient species. How is your bloodline so powerful?” Little Dot was shocked after examining them closely.
“Indeed, Ziyun, Dapeng, and Xiaoqing have become even stronger,” Qingfeng said, her eyes wide.
“Mother told us to worship the roots of the Willow Spirit daily. As a result, over two years, our bloodlines seem to have become purer,” Ziyun transmitted.
“Aunt Qinglin Eagle is truly wise,” Little Dot sighed and then asked where she had gone.
“Mother has also become very powerful. She has been staying at the Willow Spirit’s feet but has recently gone deep into the Great Wilderness for rigorous training,” Xiaoqing said.
“My goodness, what kind of existence is this? I must worship it,” Big Red Bird hurriedly ran towards the village entrance.
Er Tuozi looked as if he had seen a ghost, truly terrified, his legs almost giving way.
At that moment, the villagers noticed them and immediately, several people rushed over.
"Ah, this isn't a dream. Little Dot is back, and Qingfeng too!" One of them shouted loudly, their voice echoing through the village and startling everyone.
With a whoosh, Da Zhuang, Er Meng, Pi Hou, and a group of young men were the quickest, climbing over walls and leaping through rooftops, directly rushing out of Shicun. Following them were the sturdy middle-aged men like Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao.
Behind them came a group of elders, as well as many women and children. They all ran out, extremely excited.
“We’re back!” Little Dot and Qingfeng shouted, running towards the village entrance. The hundred-meter distance was covered in an instant.
“You little rascal, you’ve been gone for two years. We missed you so much. You’re finally back!” A crowd of childhood friends rushed up and buried them in a hug.
“You brat, you don’t know how worried we’ve been. We thought something had happened to you in the Great Wilderness since we hadn’t heard a word from you in such a long time.”
A group of people formed a pile, all crowding around, pressing Little Dot and Qingfeng almost into the ground.
They were immensely excited, tears of joy in their eyes. Having grown up together, these people had never left the Great Wilderness and shared the most sincere and simple feelings.
“My bones are almost crushed. Get up quickly!” Little Dot shouted.
“Who are you fooling? When you were only a few years old, you could carry stones weighing a hundred thousand pounds and run all over the mountains. Now, carrying us twenty or thirty people wouldn’t crush you,” someone said with a laugh.
The crowd joked and laughed, their eyes moist. They pressed on Little Dot and Qingfeng for a long time before letting them get up.
As soon as they stood, Pi Hou, Er Meng, and the others came over again, hugging their necks or arms, showing great affection.
“You little rascals, you’ve really grown wings. You’ve been gone for two years without any news. We were so afraid you might never come back.”
Shi Linhu and other big men squeezed into the crowd, all very excited. They came over and gave each of the kids a punch in the chest, their fists making a booming sound.
They were speaking the truth. The Great Wilderness was too terrifying. Two years away, with no news, it was most likely that they had perished in the belly of a ferocious beast.
“Kid, you’ve grown taller. Although still quite delicate, you’re much stronger now,” Shi Feijiao patted their shoulders, his eyes filled with tears.
“Uncle Hu, Uncle Jiao, we’re doing well. We’ve learned a lot and have always wanted to come back soon. We missed you all very much,” Little Dot said sincerely.
“Uncle, I missed you too,” Qingfeng cried.
After two years away and enduring so much, especially the recent great disaster, feeling mentally and physically exhausted, returning home and seeing so many friends and elders felt like finding a place to rely on and find comfort.
“Qingfeng, don’t cry, don’t cry. It’s good that you’re back. We all missed you little rascals and talked about you every day,” the big men, who were not very good at comforting, helped wipe the tears.
“Qingfeng, don’t cry. We’re reunited now,” Da Zhuang, Huzi, and Bishiwa came forward, hugging his neck and comforting him, each with teary eyes.
“You two, you’re really too wild. How can you be gone for two years? We were so worried,” a group of women and children arrived. These aunts were very fierce and immediately pushed Er Meng and a group of young men aside.
“Qingfeng has lost weight but has grown a lot taller.”
“Little Dot is still as handsome as ever. Now that you’re ten and a half, it’s time to be properly named.”
“These two kids have grown taller and stronger. They’re ready to marry now.”
The aunts chattered, talking non-stop while fussing over the two children, with endless topics to discuss.
At that moment, Hu Niu, Shi Feijiao’s daughter, and other girls also arrived, extremely excited. They surrounded Little Dot and Qingfeng, pulling at their sleeves, chattering endlessly, asking all sorts of questions, creating a lively scene.
When Little Dot remarked, “Hu Niu, you’ve gained weight too,” he was chased and beaten by a group of girls. He ran away, escaping from a group of fierce aunts.
“Chief Grandpa!”
As Little Dot ran into the village, he nearly bumped into a group of elders. He quickly stopped and performed a grand gesture of respect, his eyes reddening. The elders had clearly grown older, with more white hair and a more frail appearance.
Only the village chief, Shi Yunfeng, looked relatively better, though he also had more white hair. Two years was indeed not a short time.
“Good, good, good. It’s great that you’re back,” the elders were all very excited, trembling. Especially the village chief, who took Little Dot’s hand, his old eyes misty with tears that almost fell, but he managed to hold them back.
Little Dot had been raised by him, cared for since childhood. The village chief, who had never married, had long regarded him as a grandson.
“Come and pay your respects to the Willow Spirit,” the elders said.
Little Dot wiped away his tears of excitement and joy, turned to face the vibrant willow tree, and said earnestly and devoutly, “Thank you, Willow Spirit.”
A gentle breeze blew, and more than a dozen crystalline willow branches swayed as if they were part of the creation of the world, with a hazy mist and divine radiance. The tree responded, “Go and reunite with your clansmen first.”
“Okay,” Little Dot nodded.
Big Red Bird was standing by and was startled by the response.
At that moment, a scream of terror from Er Tuozi came from the distance, filled with heart-wrenching fear.
The group of aunts, especially Hu Niu’s mother, Hu Aunt, was extremely fierce. She grabbed Er Tuozi by the neck and said, “These two kids are really too aloof. They come back after two years and bring prey with them, even skinning it. But it’s fine; this bird is quite fat. We’ll make a stew for everyone later.”
She carried Er Tuozi towards the village, and the group of aunts nodded in agreement, evaluating the bird and gathering around, making a lot of noise.
Er Tuozi was terrified, nearly soiling himself. These women were too fierce, and without questioning, they intended to cook him.
He finally understood how Little Dot, the food-loving rascal, was raised with such fierceness. With these aunts around, how could he not be brutal?
Er Tuozi’s body had always had issues, and his fighting ability was sealed. The strength of these burly women was overwhelming, nearly choking him to death. He screamed desperately, calling for Little Dot to save him.
“Help! Murder!”
“Eh, this bird can talk. It must be a rare medicinal creature. Little Dot’s gift is really precious. Don’t waste it. It needs to be cooked with old herbs to taste better,” the aunts discussed, making Er Tuozi’s skin crawl with fear.
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