Saw the Light

Shan Yan smiled as he looked at Gao Jing, then patted his little granddaughter on the head.

He leisurely took the ebony staff and twisted its head.

A huge pipe was actually pulled out of it!

Reaching into the pouch at his waist, the old Wizard of the Mountain Tribe took out several dry leaves, rolled them up, and stuffed them into the bowl.

His withered fingers brushed the rim of the bowl.

A flame appeared out of thin air, instantly igniting the tawny tobacco.

A wisp of green smoke curled upward.

"Grandpa."

Shan Guo'er immediately said, "I'll rub your back."

"Mm."

The old Wizard bit down on his pipe stem and nodded contentedly.

Shan Guo'er swiftly moved a stool behind the old Wizard, then jumped onto it.

She clenched both hands into fists and skillfully thumped the old Wizard's shoulders and back, again and again.

What an obedient little girl!

Gao Jing completely ignored their difference in size. All he felt was that the scene before him was incredibly warm.

The sky gradually darkened.

The old Wizard lit the oil lamp on the table. As he smoked, he chattered on to Gao Jing about quite a few things.

The Mountain Tribe he belonged to was a very ancient clan, with a history of thriving and multiplying in the Great Wilderness for thousands of years.

A year ago, the Mountain Tribe had migrated here from the swamp region a thousand miles away.

They had established a new village.

The tribe currently had over seven hundred people, as well as several Totem Warriors.

Since Gao Jing could understand but not speak the Great Wilderness Language, although he still had many questions and much to learn, for now he could only honestly play the role of listener.

After speaking about his tribe, the old Wizard was still in high spirits and began telling Gao Jing stories of his travels in his youth.

Yet Gao Jing still listened with great interest.

His memory was now very strong. Though he could not remember every word the old Wizard said, remembering the important points was no problem.

But as the old Wizard went on, his eyes were no longer clear and bright. His eyelids kept fighting each other, his head occasionally bobbed downward, and he no longer smoked his pipe.

His words began to become muddled and jumbled.

Gao Jing was left completely baffled.

"Grandpa."

Shan Guo'er, standing nearby, truly could not listen any longer and reached out to push her grandfather.

"Ah."

The old Wizard seemed to wake from a dream.

He looked around blankly, then his gaze refocused on Gao Jing.

"Er, where was I?"

Gao Jing shrugged.

He had not understood a word of what the other man had just said.

Shan Guo'er puffed out her cheeks. "Grandpa, the moon is already out. You should go rest."

"Ah, ah."

The old Wizard nodded. "I should go sleep."

He tucked the pipe back into his wooden staff, rose to his feet, and was about to head out the door.

"Right!"

After taking two steps, the old Wizard stopped again.

He smacked his bald head in annoyance, turned to Gao Jing, and said, "Look at this memory of mine. Right, guest from the Abyss, you can stay here tonight."

"It's very safe here. Without my permission, no one else in the tribe will barge in."

"Also..."

The old Wizard instructed his little granddaughter, "Shan Guo'er, go bring some food for our guest."

"No need to trouble yourself."

Gao Jing waved his hand, opened his backpack, and pulled out a large bag of rations to show them. "I have my own food."

Though the Copper Anchor's storage space was convenient, retrieving items consumed Faith Power. Therefore, Gao Jing still kept everyday necessities, including food and drinks, in his backpack.

He had not seen them prepare dinner. Perhaps they had already eaten, and he did not want to trouble the little girl further.

Besides, if the food did not suit his taste, it would be awkward whether he ate it or not.

So he simply declined.

"Very well."

The old Wizard readily accepted. "Shan Guo'er, then accompany Grandpa back to rest first."

"Mm."

Shan Guo'er nodded vigorously and took hold of his withered hand.

The old Wizard bade Gao Jing farewell. "Please excuse me."

Gao Jing hurriedly bowed in return.

Holding the old Wizard's hand and bringing the little yellow dog along, Shan Guo'er left the wooden house.

The old Wizard's residence was next door.

Another wooden house.

After entering the room, she softly said to her grandfather, "Grandpa, that little person is a bit strange."

Although Gao Jing looked pitifully weak, and the little yellow dog could probably beat ten of him.

The little girl still felt that something was off.

The old Wizard lit an oil lamp and sat down on the wooden bed.

He held his granddaughter's hand, wisdom glimmering in his eyes as he spoke earnestly. "Shan Guo'er, every one of us has our own secrets."

"You must remember not to casually pry into other people's secrets, because that is an immense offense against them."

How could the old Wizard possibly fail to notice Gao Jing's oddity?

The Ancient Remnant Race members he had seen were also very different from Gao Jing in many ways.

But the old Wizard would not rack his brains to uncover Gao Jing's secrets unless Gao Jing displayed hostility toward the Mountain Tribe.

The Great Wilderness was boundless. Over the past thousands of years, no one knew how many tribes had been buried within it.

Besides irresistible natural disasters, man-made calamities were also the root cause behind the destruction of many tribes.

The Mountain Tribe had endured until now because it naturally possessed its own way of survival.

One part of it was "caution."

Shan Guo'er nodded as if she understood.

She was still too young to comprehend the wisdom contained in the old Wizard's words.

But the little girl listened to Grandpa more than anyone.

"Go on."

The old Wizard's eyelids began fighting again. "Grandpa is going to sleep. Don't play too late, and get some rest early too."

He was too old.

So old that even speaking too much left him drained and sluggish.

Yet he could not set down the heavy burden of protecting the tribe and guiding its people.

"Mm."

Shan Guo'er helped the old Wizard lie down on the bed.

Only after watching her grandfather fall into a deep sleep did she quietly blow out the oil lamp and leave the house with the little yellow dog.

At this moment, Gao Jing's heart was far from calm.

Because he had just glimpsed another side of this Great World.

The existence of Transcendent power!

The word "Wizard" alone was enough to stir endless associations in Gao Jing's mind.

The old Wizard Shan Yan, in particular, gave him the feeling of unfathomable depths.

The Speech-Understanding Talisman, igniting fire with a rub of his fingers—these were not magic tricks, but real mystical power!

Gao Jing could not help wondering whether he could learn and master such power himself.

The thought alone thrilled him.

Creak—

Just as Gao Jing's thoughts ran wild, the door was opened again.

Shan Guo'er had returned.

She had brought the little yellow dog with her, and in her hands she held a...

Bird's nest?

Gao Jing was a little dumbfounded.

He watched the little girl walk over, jump onto a chair, and place the bird's nest in front of him.

???

Gao Jing's face was full of question marks.

It was a real bird's nest, two meters across and over half a meter tall. If it did not leak, it could even serve as a large bathtub.

Apart from the dense mass of dead branches and dried grass stems, several gray feathers clung to it.

What left Gao Jing most speechless was that he saw an egg.

A blue bird egg even larger than a basketball!

Gao Jing did not understand.

He looked at the bird's nest, then at Shan Guo'er.

What was this supposed to mean?

Shan Guo'er tilted her head, then suddenly reached out, grabbed the bird egg, and brought it to her mouth.

She tipped back her head, opened her mouth, and forcefully cracked the egg against her teeth.

Crack!

The shell split, and the egg white and yolk immediately came pouring out.

Gulp!

Shan Guo'er swallowed all the egg liquid in one mouthful, then licked her lips as if she still wanted more.

She tossed the broken shell onto the floor.

The little yellow dog immediately pounced on it and devoured it cleanly with loud crunches.

After eating the bird egg, the little girl pointed at the empty bird's nest and said in a childish voice, "You sleep here tonight."

She looked a little cute and fierce.

Gao Jing finally understood, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

So she had been afraid he had nowhere to sleep and had specially carried over a bird's nest.

And had conveniently given herself an extra meal.

But for some reason, a trace of warmth welled up in his heart.

After thinking for a moment, Gao Jing opened his backpack and took out two chocolate energy bars.

Tearing open the plastic wrapping, he bit one of the energy bars between his teeth and raised the other high.

He offered it to the little girl.

Shan Guo'er froze for a moment.

Gao Jing patiently maintained the raised position, a friendly smile appearing on his face.

Slowly, he bit the long energy bar into his mouth and ate it.

Shan Guo'er understood what he meant.

She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously extended her right hand.

Using her thumb and forefinger, she gently pinched the energy bar Gao Jing was offering.

Puff!

The chocolate energy bar instantly turned into powder between her fingers.

Gao Jing smiled bitterly.

Though the energy bar he carried was more than ten centimeters long, it was truly far too small for Shan Guo'er.

Shan Guo'er raised the fingers covered in chocolate powder and suddenly stuck out her tongue to lick them.

Her eyes abruptly lit up.

Gao Jing swore.

At that moment, he truly saw light in the little girl's eyes.

Bright, dazzling light filled with joy and happiness!

First update delivered. As usual, please vote.