In a village somewhere in the Great Wilderness, figures bustled about, all dressed in animal hides or coarse hemp cloth, their ways simple and unpretentious.
An ancient tree stood rooted before the village, with only a charred section of trunk remaining. In places, its old bark had peeled away, revealing renewed life beneath.
It was a lightning-struck wood tree, bearing more than a dozen luminous green branches. Their soft green glow was gentle beyond compare, yet mysterious and serene, as though the tree had existed since the dawn of creation, brimming with vitality.
Most of the village buildings were built from mountain stone mixed with earth. Though exceedingly crude, they drew no complaints from the villagers, whose faces instead brimmed with smiles.
Here, they had a Sacrificial Spirit to protect them, the Sacred Lake to nourish them, meat from their hunts, and beast milk still steaming hot. Their lives were poor but secure.
Just then, the once-peaceful village suddenly grew noisy.
"Hey, that's... Dad's back!" A group of children came running over.
When they saw the abundant game carried by the sturdy men, they danced about, humming little tunes in their delight.
"Huh? Why are there two pretty big sisters too?" The children burst into another uproar upon seeing Xi Yue and Qing Shuang.
"Ooh~ I know! I'm telling Mom that Dad's been secretly finding pretty big sisters outside!"
Several more children joined in the teasing, instantly making the hunters' faces stiffen. They hurriedly scolded them, "You little brats, what nonsense are you spouting? These are our guests."
A few particularly crafty children took to their heels, only to be caught by their fathers, who seized them by the throat of fate.
After a round of loving discipline, the children finally nodded, only half understanding.
The sight made even Xi Yue laugh. This truly was a simple, unpretentious village. Perhaps only a village like this could nurture that spirited young boy.
The commotion drew over some of the village elders, and even the village chief appeared.
He carried a large white bone club fashioned from the bones of some unknown vicious beast. Several divine birds of different colors followed behind him, their feathers shimmering with brilliant light.
"These two are..."
After the hunters offered an explanation, Xi Yue and Qing Shuang were ushered into the village amid the crowd.
"Children, thank you so much." A white-haired elder approached, his eyes marked by the vicissitudes of life.
Without Xi Yue's help, the hunting party could never have returned with such a rich haul.
"It was hardly any trouble. There's no need to thank me, old village chief," Xi Yue said with a smile.
She had never expected such a coincidence: the hunters she had encountered were actually from Stone Village. She had initially assumed they had come from some other village in the Great Wilderness.
Although she had come on this journey precisely to find Stone Village-or, more accurately, the Willow Deity-this was still far too much of a coincidence.
All she could say was that fate... worked in wondrous ways.
"What a lovely pair of beauties! Their skin's whiter than ivory!" Several village women gathered around Xi Yue and Qing Shuang, clicking their tongues in wonder and showering them with praise.
Xi Yue showed no arrogance, chatting openly with the villagers and soon fitting right in.
As for Qing Shuang, she was surrounded by several children, having just as much fun.
The atmosphere in the village was wonderful. Everyone wore a smile, clearly delighted by the two girls' arrival.
"Is that... a primordial remnant, a Crimson Fire Lion?!"
Suddenly, someone shouted, breaking the peaceful atmosphere.
"What?!" Another crowd gathered around.
They had not looked closely earlier. Only now, as they prepared to butcher the hunted beasts for the evening feast, did they realize how extraordinary the haul was. There was actually a primordial remnant among them!
"Child, this is far too precious. You should take it back," Shi Yunfeng said, rising to look at Xi Yue.
He quickly figured out what had happened. The hunters could never have slain such a vicious beast on their own. The girl before him must have intervened.
This was a primordial remnant! Every one of them was extraordinary, an undisputed overlord of its own territory in the Great Wilderness.
They had once obtained the precious body of a primordial remnant themselves-a Suanni-and had personally witnessed just how remarkable such creatures were.
If they used this vicious beast's blood essence to baptize the village children's bodies, it would surely lay a solid foundation for them.
Several villagers also looked over. Though tempted, they understood how precious it was. It did not belong to them, and they could hardly accept it with an easy conscience.
Under everyone's gazes, Xi Yue grew a little uncomfortable and hurriedly waved her hands. "It's only a primordial remnant, nothing much. Just share it among everyone."
Watching this, Qing Shuang chuckled as well. "That's right. What my young lady usually eats is the Primordial Eight Treasures..."
Before she could finish, however, Xi Yue clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Ahahaha, she's talking nonsense, just nonsense." Xi Yue laughed it off before the crowd and shot Qing Shuang a fierce glare.
Though she had indeed eaten quite a few of the Primordial Eight Treasures, she only ate them occasionally. It was nowhere near as extravagant as Qing Shuang had made it sound.
The villagers all froze at those words. Though they had never heard of the Primordial Eight Treasures, they knew they had to be exceptionally precious.
Only after a good deal of persuasion from Xi Yue did they finally accept the Crimson Fire Lion.
Before long, mouthwatering aromas filled the village, the scent of meat wafting everywhere. The Crimson Fire Lion's body had been divided into several sections and set over the bonfires to roast.
The Crimson Fire Lion was enormous, measuring seven or eight meters long, enough for everyone in the village to share.
After all, a primordial remnant's blood energy was far too immense for the people of Stone Village. They could refine only a little of it, and forcing down more risked making their bodies explode.
The tender fat dripped down with a sizzling hiss, golden and translucent. A single whiff was enough to leave one's body feeling at ease.
Everyone sat together, feasting on the precious meat, drinking, and chatting merrily. The children cheered and danced with delight.
Through their conversation, some of them learned that Xi Yue was not yet ten years old, which gave them another shock.
She could hunt down a primordial remnant before the age of ten! Though the beast had not yet reached adulthood, this was still far too extraordinary. Even those so-called kings and marquises could not possibly accomplish such a feat!
They had initially assumed that the two were already adults, out in the Great Wilderness to temper themselves.
Never had they imagined that they were actually two girls so young.
As for their identities, no one asked. Since the girls had not volunteered that information, the villagers naturally would not pry and risk creating needless friction.
Shi Yunfeng's gaze grew distant. He thought of Little One, who had already been gone for several months. Was he doing well?
"There used to be a child in our village, about your age and just as remarkable. You two would surely get along. Unfortunately, he left to pursue his studies," Shi Yunfeng said with a long sigh.
Xi Yue understood that Shi Yunfeng was speaking of Shi Hao. He was probably in the Heaven Mending Pavilion by now.
However, Shi Hao's taste in beauty had yet to change and remained quite peculiar.
She glanced down at her own figure. She could already foresee that, if they really met, he would surely call her a "fat girl."
"If fate allows it, we'll meet," Xi Yue said.
"That is the Willow Deity, our village's Sacrificial Spirit, who once led us away from a great upheaval," Shi Yunfeng explained when he saw her staring at the lightning-struck wood tree at the village entrance.
The night deepened. Moonlight shone upon them, and starlight spilled down. The feast gradually dispersed, leaving only the embers of the bonfires crackling.
No one noticed that several fresh green branches on the lightning-struck wood tree at the village entrance were moving without any wind, radiating a luminous, precious glow.