"Yiya, Grandpa Chief, we're back!" Little One held Shi Zhao's hand, blinking his big eyes as he began calling out from afar.
An elderly man with snowy hair and beard, weathered by the years, emerged from the courtyard built of massive stones at the village entrance. A faint smile rested on his face, but his pupils abruptly contracted when he noticed several unfamiliar figures among the children.
The girl leading them stood out in particular. Though she looked young and was still covered in the dust of travel, nothing could conceal her transcendent bearing and radiance.
She was certainly not a child an ordinary large tribe could produce. Even a colossal tribe of tens of millions, or the offspring of certain nobles, might not measure up to her.
Then he noticed the tall old man nearby studying the village's Sacrificial Spirit, and his unease deepened. Fortunately, these visitors seemed to harbor no hostility.
"Little One, you're back. Come, Grandpa just finished warming your beast milk. Hurry over and drink it." Shi Yunfeng beckoned to little Shi Hao before asking, "Our village hasn't had visitors in a long time. May I ask where you've come from?"
Little Shi Hao's appetite stirred. Instinctively, he wanted to return to the courtyard for the sweet, delicious beast milk, but he soon stopped, as though something had occurred to him.
Holding Shi Zhao's hand, he tipped his head back and said in a clear little voice, "Big Sister, let's go drink beast milk together!"
Shi Zhao smiled and released his hand, letting him go drink his favorite beast milk first. Then she slowly approached the old man, whose expression had grown somewhat grave.
She quickly explained why they had come, revealing Little One's identity and origins outright. She described Shi Ziling and Qin Yining's appearances in detail, along with her relationship to the couple.
"So you really are Little One's older sister." Shi Yunfeng sighed with feeling.
Entering the Great Wilderness was no easy feat. Even with their impressive backgrounds and considerable strength, they would inevitably have to endure many hardships and trials. Searching for someone made it harder still.
"The genuine article!" Shi Zhao nodded, then continued, "Grandpa Chief... I'll call you that like little Hao does.
"We're all members of the Shi Clan, so you needn't worry. At the very least, we've come with goodwill, solely to find that child."
"Then are you taking Little One away? When he first arrived, he was so grievously wounded, yet he stubbornly survived. I knew then that he was extraordinary," Shi Yunfeng asked.
Shi Zhao shook her head, glancing toward little Shi Hao as he ran out holding a small bowl. She said softly, "Seeing him living well here is enough. It isn't time for him to return yet."
Chief Shi Yunfeng's brows drew together slightly. He was no ignorant country bumpkin; he had once traveled through the Great Wilderness and could guess at some of the reasons.
"Big Sister, have some beast milk!" Little Shi Hao ran over with the bowl.
"Mm, what a good boy. I'll give you something delicious too." Shi Zhao did not let his little gesture of affection go unappreciated, nor did she turn up her nose at it. She took the small bowl and drank all the beast milk.
Then she turned her delicate hand over and produced several Spirit Fruits as though performing a magic trick. They were bright red, about the size of goose eggs, and gave off an enticing fragrance.
"Wow, those fruits smell so good!" Little Shi Hao's big, glossy eyes darted about. He reached out with his soft, pale hands to take the Spirit Fruits, but did not eat them right away.
Instead, swallowing his saliva, he first offered them to Shi Zhao and the old chief as though presenting treasures. Only then did he fret over how to share them with his friends.
"Little One is a good child." The chief stroked little Shi Hao's head.
"Thanks to your devoted care." Shi Zhao was moved as well. Perhaps only a simple, kindhearted village like this could nurture the pure character and deep loyalty little Shi Hao would possess in the future.
With a soft laugh, she untied the little pouch at her waist and took out all sorts of snacks. Besides fruits rich in spiritual energy gathered along the way, there were many delicate pastries and other foods rarely seen in the Great Wilderness.
The pouch looked small, barely the size of a palm, but it contained an inner space that could hold many things, much like a Heaven-and-Earth Bag. Food stored inside hardly spoiled at all and could be preserved for a long time.
She had A Man and Little Qingfeng distribute the snacks. Before long, the two were playing happily with the children of Stone Village.
The other villagers also came over upon hearing the news.
When they learned that the visitors were also members of the Shi Clan, they immediately felt much closer to them.
Quite a few women took Shi Zhao's hand and repeatedly praised how pretty she was. Even she, hardened by so many trials and ordeals, found their enthusiasm a little overwhelming.
Meanwhile, some of the men were "snatching food from babes' mouths," taking snacks from their own children, when they learned that this bunch of little rascals had actually raided the Green-Scaled Eagle's nest.
Seeing the three bird eggs beneath the altar at the village entrance, they were immediately gripped by belated fear.
"You wounded the Green-Scaled Eagle with two arrows?!" The villagers crowded around Shi Zhao again, exclaiming in astonishment.
"She didn't just wound it-she didn't want to kill it. Grandfather said Big Sister could actually kill the Green-Scaled Eagle with a single arrow!" Little Qingfeng stepped forward to defend her.
Everyone sucked in a great breath of cold air. This girl was terrifying indeed!
"Yiya, the Green-Scaled Eagle is pitiful without its babies too. We stole its eggs first, so hurting it afterward would be too mean. I wonder if it'll forgive us if we give the eggs back." Little Shi Hao blinked his big eyes and spoke in a small voice.
The three jade-green bird eggs were as large as washbasins, translucent and speckled with markings. Beautiful luminescence flowed across them, the mysterious power of runes spread around them, and specks of divine radiance shimmered. They were extraordinary at a glance.
"It certainly will. If it doesn't, I'll beat it until it does." Fourth Grandfather, who had stood at the village entrance for a long time, finally came back to himself. His gaze was full of tender affection as he looked at little Shi Hao.
Born a supreme being, the child had suffered a terrible upheaval. Not only had he lost his Supreme Bone and been left gravely wounded on the brink of death, but after struggling through it all, he had been separated from his parents. How innocent he was, and how tragic his fate.
Little One hurriedly shook his head. That would be too mean. He was a kind, good child!
Before long, the Green-Scaled Eagle indeed followed their trail here. It perched on a massive rock outside the village, scales gleaming coldly all over its body, its sharp, icy gaze fixed on Stone Village.
The villagers decided to try returning the eggs. They did not want to trouble guests who had come from so far away to take action; after all, Shi Zhao and the others would eventually leave.
They ought to resolve the trouble they had caused themselves, never relying on others. Even the Sacrificial Spirit that guarded the village was not something anyone would lightly ask to intervene.
In the Great Wilderness, only self-reliance offered a path to survival.
Just as they began to move, the charred old willow beside the altar adjoining the chief's stone house suddenly stirred. Its sole willow branch descended like a brilliant divine chain and gently brushed one egg, immediately making it even more wondrous.
Everyone froze.
Fourth Grandfather grew nervous too, but Shi Zhao showed no fear. Instead, she approached to examine it closely.
This was an existence that could be called a titan even among Immortal Kings, one who had merely undergone tribulations and entered nirvana in the lower realm.
Although now extremely weak, with even its memories incomplete, its essential nature remained unchanged.
Scales, green, only that, outside the village.
The eagle's eyes stared blankly. It could not believe that one of its children had undergone an atavistic transformation just like that, and desperately wanted to rush inside for a closer look.
But upon seeing the willow, it felt an instinctive dread and dared not approach. It began crying urgently outside.
"Let's return the eggs after all," Chief Shi Yunfeng said.
Shi Zhao helped them carry the three bird eggs directly to the village entrance and placed them on the grass. Using her spiritual power to convey her thoughts, she made it clear that she meant no harm.
At the sight of her, every scale and feather on the Green-Scaled Eagle bristled. Only after realizing there was no danger did it swoop over in an instant, spreading its wings to shelter the three eggs. It stared closely at the egg that had become completely different and let out a long, excited cry.
Only after a long while did it raise its head, the ferocity in its eyes long since gone. Then it pushed all three eggs back.
The villagers stared in bewilderment. What madness had gotten into this featherless great eagle?
"It saw that one egg had transformed and would become far stronger than itself in the future, so it wants to leave all its offspring here in hopes of obtaining even greater fortune," Shi Zhao explained.
"Keep them. The three young birds can guard the village in the future, and the Green-Scaled Eagle will hunt and bring fresh meat. You won't have to worry about feeding them."
"What? We get such a good deal?" a villager exclaimed.
Before you continue