Return

The three of them mounted the two unicorns they had hidden away and started back.

The Great Wilderness was full of savage beasts, and bloody battles were unavoidable along the way. But they had already traveled this route once, so the return journey went much more smoothly.

"There's a huge bird's nest up there, built on the mountain peak! It covers the whole summit!"

Deep in the mountains, atop a towering peak, sat a dark nest of astonishing size. It was more than a hundred meters across, perched on the summit and radiating an oppressive aura.

A massive ferocious bird flew in from the distance like a dark cloud. Its body was nearly a hundred meters long, and its wings stretched two or three hundred meters across when spread. Its murderous aura soared to the heavens, and every black feather looked as if it had been forged from metal, gleaming with a terrifying light.

Along the way, Little Qingfeng kept letting out cries of astonishment. He had never ventured into the Great Wilderness before and had never seen such terrifying creatures.

"Ah! That tree ate a giant Fire Rhino!"

Not long afterward, they saw a towering ancient tree whose branches could move. It pierced a Fire Rhino several meters long and drained its blood. It was a horrifying sight, and the entire tree had turned red.

"The Great Wilderness is terrifying. It's full of all kinds of strange creatures. We have to be extremely cautious. The slightest lapse in vigilance could bring disaster," Shi Lin warned them.

This was a strange land, and a terrifying world. The natural environment was harsh, and the competition brutal. The human race had to struggle to survive. They were very careful along the way, avoiding many deadly places they were not strong enough to charge into yet. Dense mists shrouded those areas, and terrifying silhouettes could be glimpsed moving in the distance, enough to chill the soul.

Of course, bloody battles were still unavoidable. There were too many savage birds and beasts along the way, and Little One had to fight several times every day, bathing in the blood of beasts as he pressed on.

At last, after more than twenty days of traveling, the two children neared Stone Village. Their animal-hide clothes hung in tatters, threadbare and stained with blood. Shi Lin, as ever, was untouched by a drop of blood.

"Whoa, wild men! Two wild men are coming!"

By the turquoise lake, a group of children spotted two blood-soaked figures and shouted, rushing over to surround them.

"Wait, that black-and-red horse is a unicorn! Little One's back! Look, that's Shi Lin!" As they drew near the lake, the children finally recognized them.

Little One and the others were in a sorry state. Even the unicorns had been stained black and red with beast blood, their shimmering silver scales covered in gore. Furball was no exception. It was clear how many bloody battles they had faced along the way.

"Ah, Little One, you're finally back! The whole tribe was worried sick. You've been gone for more than fifty days!"

"Little One, you look so miserable! I almost didn't recognize you!"

"Shi Lin, how come you look like nothing happened?"

A crowd of children quickly gathered around them, all warm and affectionate. They didn't care that Little One was filthy and soaked in blood; they rushed up to sling arms around his shoulders and hug him by the neck, as if they had endless things to say.

"Who's this child?" They had naturally noticed Qingfeng and couldn't help asking.

"His name is Shi Qingfeng. He'll be our little brother from now on," Little One introduced him.

The adults were alerted and rushed out. Shi Linhu and the others were all deeply moved, and even a group of elderly clan elders came running.

A little child had crossed the Great Wilderness, braved a journey of three hundred thousand li, and returned alive. It was a miracle!

"Wonderful! Child, you're finally back. As long as you made it home alive, that's all that matters." Even the usually composed village chief's voice trembled. They had been terribly worried all this time.

This trial had been far too difficult. Even traveling with Shi Lin, it had been a narrow escape from death at every turn, yet Little One had succeeded.

This was the cruel trial once imposed on their young by the most powerful primordial beasts, such as the Qiu Dragon and Yazi. Even the young of those terrifying beasts might perish along the way.

Little One had succeeded—and had even brought another child home safely.

"Child, you've achieved something extraordinary. You've passed the most terrifying trial. One day, you'll soar to the heavens!" The clan elders trembled with joy and relief. Some even had tears in their eyes.

For so many years, people had dismissed the legends of Stone Village as mere stories, no longer believing in its ancient glory. But now, with this child's rise, its former splendor might return.

"Child, have you broken through?" the old village chief asked with concern.

"No. I'm going into seclusion in the village. Breaking through won't be a problem. I want to reach even greater heights," Little One replied.

Everyone nodded, delighted for him.

"You did well. You successfully completed the terrifying trial of the primordial age." The Willow Deity's voice sounded in their minds, and the villagers immediately bowed together in worship.

Little Qingfeng was astonished and watched with curiosity.

Little One, however, was somewhat surprised. The Willow Deity looked different: much of its charred old bark had fallen away, and he saw several bumps on its trunk, as if something were about to emerge.

"I'm going into seclusion. For the next year, I'll be plunged into slumber." The Willow Deity's announcement sent a tremor through the villagers.

"Revered Willow Deity, are you all right?" one of the clan elders asked shakily.

"This is a good thing for me, but you must be careful. I won't be able to protect you during this year," the Willow Deity replied telepathically.

The villagers were startled. They would be without the Willow Deity's protection while it slept again, and the thought unsettled them. The only consolation was that there were no vicious beasts in this area and no tragedies had ever occurred here.

"It'll be fine. The Willow Deity slept for a long time last time, and we were all safe. It should be all right," Shi Feijiao reassured the villagers.

"You're doing well. Don't waste your talent. When I awaken, I'll show you another, different world." These were the Willow Deity's words to Little One alone.

"And you, too. You must work hard at your cultivation." The Willow Deity even offered Shi Lin a word of encouragement.

"All right!" Shi Lin answered instinctively.

And so, starting that day, the Willow Deity grew dim all over. Its bright green branch no longer glowed at night, and it fell into slumber.

"Splash!" "Splash!"

The beautiful lake was clear and turquoise. One child after another leaped in, swimming freely back and forth, shouting and laughing, having the time of their lives.

Little One stripped completely naked and plunged into the water to wash off the blood and grime. Qingfeng watched enviously from the shore; he couldn't swim.

"Come on in! It's fine. We'll teach you to swim!" a group of older children called.

"Ah, I can't swim. I'm afraid of the water." Qingfeng hesitated, but they dragged him in anyway. With the children keeping him safe, he splashed around for half an hour and finally learned to swim.

Shi Lin had joined them earlier, slipping into the water with a splash.

"This place is so beautiful! It's gorgeous here." Qingfeng was delighted. In the deep-blue lake, fish covered in golden scales glittered with precious light as they surfaced and leaped from the water. Green grass carpeted the shore, where flocks of birds paced about. They came in countless varieties, their bright wings shimmering with light. They weren't startled by people and were exceptionally beautiful. Herds of unicorns ran along the bank, radiating holiness.

To Qingfeng, this was just like the world he had once imagined: tranquil and peaceful, without a single worry. He thought that if he could live here for a long time, he would surely be happy.

At dusk, a group of children climbed ashore and started sneaking around. Furball was especially furtive, peering about from the grass.

"What are they doing?" Little Qingfeng asked Shi Hao, puzzled.

Little One whispered, "They're getting ready to steal bird eggs. They're the eggs of a rare and precious bird, laid by the Little Luan Bird. They're a great tonic. Normally, the village chief won't let them fool around like this."

Qingfeng was surprised, but he also found it rather fun.

Sure enough, chaos erupted soon afterward. The beautiful lakeshore was in an uproar as a group of children, along with Furball, brought back a pile of bird eggs patterned with colorful markings and started roasting them over a fire.

From the distance came Shi Linhu's roar: "You little brats, don't do this again! If you keep it up, you'll scare all these rare birds and beasts away!"

"We know!" the children replied with grins, eating the fragrant eggs and taking bites of golden, glistening roasted Dragon-Whisker Fish. They were utterly content.

"This place is wonderful!" Little Qingfeng was very happy. With so many companions to play with and so many interesting things happening, he felt truly delighted.

At night, the medicine cauldron shone and rumbled, ringing with waves of sacrificial music. All kinds of divine birds and strange beasts appeared on its surface, vividly lifelike, as if they were about to burst through the walls of the cauldron. Furball looked utterly miserable, covering one huge eye with a tiny paw. Reluctantly, it bit its other little paw and squeezed out two drops of golden blood, letting them fall into the cauldron.

Then... it screamed as if an arm had been cut off, howling like a slaughtered chicken or duck. It quickly jumped back onto Little One's shoulder and peeked out from behind one covered eye.

Everyone tried hard not to laugh. This fist-sized golden ball was clever and lively, always doing something that made people laugh.

The medicine cauldron shone with an even more mysterious light. It began refining the batch of precious medicine, giving off a rich fragrance as countless rosy rays and auspicious colors shimmered around it—a magnificent and mysterious sight.

"Don't be nervous, Qingfeng. Your severed tendons can definitely be reconnected. With these precious medicines, your bones and tendons are sure to grow back," Little One reassured him.

The process was agonizing. The scars on Qingfeng's feet were opened again, and blood flowed freely. He cried out in pain as tears rolled down his cheeks, but he didn't struggle. Shi Feijiao helped smear the precious medicine onto his feet.

"Your bones and tendons are properly aligned. With this rare medicine applied, they'll surely grow back. Don't worry!" the village chief reassured him.

No one else touched the medicine in this cauldron; they saved it all for Qingfeng. They applied some to his feet, then had him take quite a bit by mouth. For several days, his feet itched as his bones and tendons grew back and reconnected.

"Truly worthy of being Zhu Yan's blood!" one of the clan elders exclaimed in amazement.

In just a few days, the torn tendons and bones in Qingfeng's feet had reconnected. After resting for a while, he would be completely fine.

Everyone turned their strange gazes toward Furball.

It immediately began to howl, rolling around on Little One's shoulder. Finally, it stuck out a little paw and gestured and shook it vigorously, as if to say, "Don't ask me to do this again. I wouldn't do it even if you beat me to death!"

Besides the precious medicine, Little One also treated Qingfeng every day with runes. Half a month later, Qingfeng had recovered, and his bones and tendons had quickly healed.

"Precious medicine really is incredible! It has miraculous effects. He healed so quickly." Everyone clicked their tongues in amazement, unaware that the Original True Interpretation Little One practiced had also played a major role.

In the days that followed, a small figure appeared by the lake, practicing alongside the children. Everyone was astonished to discover that, aside from being a little thin, he understood Bone Text too. Though he hadn't mastered it as deeply as Little One, he was still quite skilled. As the old village chief put it, Qingfeng was a genius; his body had simply held him back before.

After a period of rest, Qingfeng gradually recovered. His pale little face regained its color and grew rosy. He began running wild all over with the children of Stone Village, and his stamina was no problem at all.

In the days that followed, Little One left early and returned late, spending his time alone in the mountains studying the Original True Interpretation. From time to time, he fought savage beasts to test what he had learned.

Shi Lin did the same, practicing his own precious technique—cultivating, cultivating, and cultivating some more.