After leaving Sage Nuwa, Chen Song rode Big White and slowly wandered back to the human settlement struggling to survive on the primordial land. He did not show himself immediately. Instead, he found a hidden hill upwind and began a three-day "field investigation" with Big White.
What he saw left him utterly numb.
These "kids" lived even more primitively than he had imagined. They gathered wild fruit with their bare hands, and whenever they found the remains of some large predator's meal, they treated it like treasure, crowding around to gnaw at it raw. The scene was wildly savage. They lived in dark, damp caves, where coughing echoed through the nights. Never mind tools—decent stone implements were rarely seen.
"Ah," Chen Song sighed, taking a bite of the Ginseng Fruit he had brought with him. "This starting difficulty is beyond hell."
Big White lay beside him, drooling as it watched the humans below divide up the bones of some unknown beast. "Woof, Boss, they're eating so happily... though it looks a bit hard on the teeth."
"Hard on the teeth?" A spark flashed through Chen Song's mind. He abruptly sat up, recalling the earth-shaking words of his history teacher from his previous life—"The greatest difference between humans and animals is that humans can make and use tools!"
That was right! Directly giving them houses, fire, and clothes would only be forcing their growth! They had to understand the power of "tools" themselves!
A brilliant—though immoral—plan swiftly took shape in his mind. His signature sly grin appeared as he patted Big White on the head.
"Stupid dog, stop just watching. It's time for you to shine for your 'grandnephews'!"
That day, a human hunting party of more than ten strong young men was cautiously tracking a herd of relatively docile Tusk Beasts—creatures resembling wild boars, only much larger. They gripped crude wooden clubs, their eyes filled with tension and longing.
Chen Song and Big White lurked nearby like two masterminds behind the scenes.
"Big White, see that huge sharp-tipped boulder hanging by the cliff?" Chen Song transmitted with his divine sense. "When the Tusk Beasts are driven beneath it, 'accidentally' ram that loose rock beside it."
"Woof? Ram a rock? Boss, this is right up my alley!" Though Big White did not understand why it had to ram a rock, its natural love of causing trouble made it excitedly lower its body before shooting forward like a white streak of lightning, slamming into the rock Chen Song had indicated.
Rumble!
A faint tremor spread out, and the sharp boulder swayed, ready to fall at any moment.
At the same time, Chen Song secretly flicked his finger, sending out a minute, imperceptible thread of Five Elements mana that struck the hind leg of the fattest leader among the Tusk Beasts.
Awoo—!
The leader howled in pain and terror, then charged madly toward the narrow passage beneath the cliff. The entire herd was dragged along, fleeing in chaotic panic.
The timing was perfect!
Bang!!!
Under Big White's perfectly timed second impact, the suspended sharp boulder finally broke free from the cliff face and crashed down with overwhelming force!
Splat!
A dull impact sounded, accompanied by the crack of shattering bones. The boulder struck true, spearing the fattest Tusk Beast leader into the ground like a lance! Blood instantly stained the earth red.
The entire process had been as fast as lightning, full of all sorts of "coincidences."
The hunting party was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the scene before them. The ferocious beast they had chased for half a day, exhausting themselves only to watch it flee, had just... been effortlessly killed by a rock that had fallen "on its own"?
After a brief dead silence came overwhelming delight! They shouted and rushed forward, beginning to haul away this unprecedentedly abundant prey.
Yet amid their joy, several quick-witted young men could not help glancing again and again at the bloodstained, sharply shaped boulder. They touched its cold, hard surface, feeling the keen edge that had so easily torn through flesh...
A hazy thought sprouted in their hearts like a seed: they did not need teeth and claws, nor did they need to desperately pound with wooden clubs. By using these naturally hard, shaped stones, they could obtain food so easily!
Not long afterward, Chen Song and Big White "gratifyingly" saw people in the settlement begin consciously collecting sharp-edged stone flakes to cut meat. Some began tying stones to wooden sticks to increase the force of their blows. Others even imitated the shape of that "divine stone fallen from heaven," deliberately smashing and striking stones together in an attempt to create similar "sharp weapons."
The rudiments of tools quietly came into being among humanity.
With the enlightenment of "offensive tools" settled, it was time for "defensive works"—shelter.
Chen Song did not directly teach them how to build houses. That would be beneath him. Riding Big White, he leisurely made a trip to Wa Huang Palace.
"Disciple Chen Song requests an audience with Martial Uncle Nuwa!" Chen Song called out respectfully at the palace gates.
Sage Nuwa's divine eyes saw all, so she naturally knew why he had come. Her voice drifted out with a trace of amusement. "What are you here for again? Handle human affairs yourself."
"Martial Uncle is wise!" Chen Song's skin was as thick as the foundation of Buzhou Mountain. "This disciple has not come to ask for help. I merely wish to borrow two fairies from Martial Uncle. They need not take action; they only need to fly a few circles above the nearby human settlement according to their natural habits, rest their feet, and occasionally... build a nest or something."
A moment later, the two breathtakingly beautiful attendants, Azure Luan and Jinfeng, fluttered out. After hearing Chen Song's request, both lovely faces were filled with speechless disbelief.
"Chen Song... Senior Brother, you want us... to perform nest-building for the humans?" Azure Luan asked incredulously.
"Exactly!" Chen Song said with a perfectly straight face, spouting nonsense. "This is a deed of enlightenment, with boundless merit! You two only need to display the beauty of your natural instincts. Leave the rest to fate!"
Out of respect for the Sage's decree, Azure Luan and Jinfeng ultimately agreed helplessly. They transformed into their true forms—two extraordinary immortal birds, radiant with brilliant colors—and flew above the human settlement.
Over the following days, the humans often saw those two dreamlike divine birds elegantly carrying twigs and spiritual grass to a huge tree beside the settlement. Between its branches, they wove and constructed exquisite, sturdy nests in a manner pleasing to the eye. When the wind blew, the nests remained untouched; when rain fell, they stayed dry and warm within.
This miraculous sight left the humans utterly entranced. For the first time, they realized so vividly that a "home" did not have to be on the ground. It could be in a tree, and it could be so delicately "built"!
High-end demonstrations alone were not enough, so Chen Song decided to add something more down-to-earth.
"Big White, your turn! See those holes in the rock wall over there? Several kinds of birds skilled at building nests live inside. Go 'help' them optimize their nest structures. You can make your movements a little bigger, but make sure the humans clearly see the 'building materials' and the 'construction process'!"
Accepting the order, Big White eagerly charged over. It did not harm the birds.
Instead, it pawed and nosed around, "accidentally" scattering the branches, mud, feathers, and other materials the birds used for their nests everywhere. It even imitated their movements, clumsily crossing and stacking several branches with its paws and mouth to make the beginnings of a Four Unlike "doghouse." Though it collapsed several times, the entire process was exposed for all to see.
Now even the dullest humans understood. The divine birds' nests might have been too sophisticated, but this strange white dog—the "exotic beast" in their eyes—and ordinary birds built nests in ways that could be observed and imitated!
Thus, the settlement's most observant people stepped forward. Copying the birds, they searched for flexible branches and vines, imitated the crossed and woven structure, and began trying to build raised platforms between several neighboring trees. Their first creations were crooked and lopsided, and even fell down several times, but they never tired of it and kept improving.
At last, the first true "nest-house" built by humans themselves, capable of steadily supporting the weight of several people, was born! Though still crude, when those few people bravely moved in and peacefully spent a night free of ground dampness and wild beast disturbances, the entire settlement erupted!
The young man who displayed outstanding leadership and creativity during the construction was respectfully called—You Chao Shi!
From a distant hill, Chen Song flicked a pine nut into the backside of Big White, who was still grinning foolishly at its doghouse.
"Let's go!"
Before you continue