The Dilapidated Small Courtyard

Chapter Four: The Dilapidated Small Courtyard

The dull rumble and clanging of metal, like a stone thrown into a dead pool, stirred up raging waves in Chen An's heart. He abruptly dropped the half-eaten beast meat in his hand and dashed to the courtyard gate, peering nervously outside through the cracks in the door.

The sound came from the entrance to the valley. Blocked by layers of mountain rock and dense ancient trees, the scene itself was impossible to make out. He could only faintly sense chaotic, violent energy fluctuations, accompanied by barely perceptible tremors in the ground. The roars of the beasts had also grown unusually frenzied, as though the distant battle had disturbed the peace of the entire region.

"This isn't an ordinary struggle between Demonic Beasts..." Chen An's heart pounded.

That sharp metallic clanging was unmistakably the sound of weapons colliding!

This Primordial World truly had races possessing intelligence and capable of forging and using tools! Were they enemies or allies? Would they discover this valley?

The unknown brought an even deeper fear. He stared fixedly in the direction of the sound, gripping his hatchet so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

At that moment, he was incredibly grateful that he had found this seemingly dilapidated Small Courtyard.

If he had still been wandering through the wilderness outside, he would probably have already been caught up in this sudden conflict and died without even a grave.

The sounds of battle continued for roughly the time it took to burn a stick of incense before gradually subsiding, finally falling silent and leaving behind only the increasingly eerie quiet of the valley.

The unsettling energy fluctuations also disappeared, as though everything that had just happened had merely been an illusion.

Chen An waited for a long while longer. Only after confirming that there was no further disturbance did he slowly let out a breath, but the sense of danger in his heart had only grown stronger.

This world was far more complicated and dangerous than he had imagined.

He retreated into the courtyard, no longer in the mood to eat. The distant battle reminded him that this Small Courtyard was his only support. He had to turn it into a true fortress as soon as possible.

Exploring the courtyard and searching for any resources that might exist there was his top priority for now. Yesterday, he had only taken a rough look around. Today, he needed to inspect everything more thoroughly.

He first walked toward the main stone house. Sunlight streamed through a hole in the roof, casting mottled patches of light across the dust-covered floor.

He took a deep breath and walked inside.

This time, he inspected everything extremely carefully. The walls had been built from stones of various sizes, with the gaps packed with mud. They looked exceptionally sturdy. Aside from the mottled traces left by the years, there were no obvious cracks.

He knocked on them several times with his hand. The sound was dull, and the walls were clearly quite thick.

He carefully used his hatchet to push aside the pile of rotten wood in the corner, afraid that some poisonous insect might be hiding inside.

Apart from thoroughly decayed wood fibers and a few woodlice, there was nothing else.

The floor was packed earth. He even scraped it with the tip of his hatchet, but it was very hard, with no sign of a hidden passage or cellar.

"Looks like the previous owner really did take everything when he left." Chen An felt somewhat disappointed, though it was not entirely unexpected.

His gaze fell on the hatchet and hoe in the corner. Yesterday, he had only sharpened them roughly. Today, he planned to see whether he could restore them more thoroughly.

He picked up the hatchet and carefully examined the extent of the rust. Most of it was surface rust, but the back of the blade and the area near the handle were more deeply corroded. He found a flatter piece of sandstone, dipped it in well water, and continued patiently grinding. This time, he ground deeper and more carefully, striving to remove every trace of rust.

Sweat slid down his temples, and his arms ached from the continuous exertion. But when he saw the hatchet gradually reveal its original metallic sheen, even faintly reflecting his blurred image, a sense of accomplishment welled up inside him. The handle had completely rotted away, so he needed to make a new one.

He walked out of the stone house and looked toward the few low, old trees in the courtyard, their branches gnarled and twisted. He selected a branch of suitable thickness that was relatively straight and chopped it down with considerable effort. Then he began shaping the handle, a task requiring patience and skill. Recalling the methods of traditional craftsmen he had once seen in documentaries, he slowly shaved one end of the stick thinner and polished it smooth so that it could fit tightly into the hatchet's socket.

The process took him nearly an hour. When he finally wedged the new wooden handle firmly into the hatchet, it was rough despite the workmanship, but it felt much sturdier in his hand. Chen An let out a long breath. Tools were an extension of survival.

Following the same method, he began working on the hoe. The hoe was more severely rusted, and its unusual shape made it even more difficult to grind. But he did not give up. He knew he could not cultivate a vegetable garden without it.

He temporarily finished restoring the tools, and by then the sun had risen overhead. He ate some roasted meat, drank a little well water, and rested for a moment before turning his gaze toward the thatched shed.

The thatched shed was even more rudimentary than the stone house. Four crooked wooden posts supported a thick thatched roof, while all four sides were open to the wind. Inside, it was completely empty, containing only a thick layer of dust and fallen leaves. He went in and poked the ground and posts with his hatchet, mainly checking for snake holes and insect nests. Fortunately, aside from a few startled woodlice scurrying away, there was nothing unusual.

Last was the desolate garden. This was where his hopes for the future lay. He walked into the waist-high weeds, cutting them down with his hatchet while carefully examining the soil. The earth beneath his feet was black and loose. When he squeezed it in his hand, it felt extremely fertile, and he could even smell a faint earthy scent—a sign of vigorous life.

"What a fine patch of land!" Chen An rejoiced inwardly. Once the weeds were cleared and the soil given a little preparation, it would be absolutely suitable for cultivation. He even discovered several wild root plants resembling tubers and carefully dug them up. They might serve as food reserves.

Chen An spent the entire afternoon working. He cleared away the rotten wood in the corner of the stone house and piled the pieces that could still barely burn into the shed as firewood. Using the newly restored hoe, he tried turning over a small patch of the garden. His movements were clumsy and inefficient, but as he looked at the freshly turned soil, he seemed to see lush green seedlings growing in the future.

He also drew water from the well with the old clay jar and sprinkled it over the floors of the house and shed to suppress the dust, slightly improving his living conditions.

When the setting sun once again dyed the horizon red, Chen An stood in the middle of the courtyard and looked at the results of his day's labor. Although the Small Courtyard was still dilapidated, it was clearly much cleaner and more orderly, with a hint of homely warmth. Neatly stacked firewood lay outside the stone house, the restored hatchet and hoe leaned against the wall, and a small patch of turned earth gave off the fragrance of soil.

He walked to the well, drew up a jar of clear water, and drank several hearty mouthfuls. The well water was cool and sweet, refreshing to the heart. Leaning against the well's rim, he gazed at the brilliant evening clouds on the horizon as a strange sense of calm welled up within him.

Though the world outside was an unopened Primordial Wilderness filled with hidden killing intent; though he was as insignificant as dust, with an uncertain future, at that moment, in this dilapidated yet safe Small Courtyard, he had temporarily created, with his own hands, a little world of his own where he could catch his breath.

However, that calm was soon shattered. Just as he was preparing to return to the thatched shed to rest, the corner of his eye seemed to catch a glimpse of something. On a stone near the base of the courtyard wall, the afterglow of the setting sun faintly reflected a trace of unusual luster, extremely weak and different from the surrounding moss and grime.

What was that?

Chen An's heart stirred. During the day's cleaning, most of his attention had been focused on the house and the ground, and he had not carefully examined the courtyard wall itself. He immediately went over, crouched down, and brushed the dust and moss from the stone's surface with his hand.

It was true! Some extremely faint, broken lines were carved into the rough stone surface! The lines were so shallow that they had nearly blended into the stone's natural texture. Without light shining from a particular angle, they would have been almost impossible to notice.

These marks had not formed naturally! Someone had carved them!

Chen An's mind instantly became highly focused. He carefully wiped a larger area around the stone with his palm. Sure enough, he found similar, even more indistinct carvings on several adjacent stones as well!

The carvings were disorderly and formed no pattern. They did not resemble writing, either. Instead, they looked like some kind of... casual scratches, or perhaps extremely ancient symbols that had long since been lost?

Had the previous owner left them behind? Or had something even earlier?

Chen An tried to connect the scattered carvings in his mind and imagine what they might mean, but he had no clue. They were simply too fragmented and indistinct.

But this was undoubtedly an important discovery! It proved that the Small Courtyard had not appeared out of nowhere. It had a history unknown to him. These carvings might be the only clue.

He stood up and began inspecting the inside of the courtyard wall even more carefully, not overlooking a single stone. The setting sun quickly sank westward, and the light grew dim. He had no choice but to stop for the time being, planning to continue after dawn the next day.

Night fell, and the bonfire was lit once more. Chen An sat beside the fire, but his thoughts were entirely occupied by those mysterious carvings. This Small Courtyard seemed far from as simple as it appeared. Could its past conceal some secret? And for an accidental intruder like him, would those secrets bring fortune or disaster?

Carrying this new question with him, Chen An spent his third night in the Primordial World keeping watch and sleeping fitfully. The dangers in the distance and the mysteries nearby made the night seem especially long.

(Fourth Chapter Complete)