Virtue in harmony with heaven and earth becomes the sun and moon

"Can you understand me?"

The being watched the man gesturing before him. Although he could not understand what the man was saying, he gleaned some information from his movements.

Clearly, the other party could more or less understand what he said, but he could not understand the other party.

That made things rather awkward.

"Yes, yes, we understand. Honored guest from afar, may I ask what brings you to our Stone Village?" Shi Yunshan did his best to soothe the being, proceeding with utmost caution.

Having grown up in Stone Village in the Great Wilderness, he, like Shi Yunfeng, had only heard about the outside world through stories and the idle chatter of his elders. He knew well that it was a world where the strong reigned supreme.

Anyone who could travel a million miles unaided, making his way step by step into the wild mountains, was no ordinary figure. He might even be one of the legendary Venerables. They absolutely could not afford to offend him.

"I cannot understand what you are saying. There is something hindering our communication. Find someone who can communicate with me," the being said.

He did not know why the other party could understand his words while he could not understand theirs, but he believed this could not be true of everyone.

After all, the person before him had the same form as he did. Even when barriers existed between people, there was always some way to break through them.

Yet matters unfolded beyond the being's expectations. As more and more people from Stone Village arrived after hearing the commotion, he discovered that communication between him and these people who shared his form could only go one way.

This would not do.

Both the being and the people of Stone Village felt that this difficulty had to be resolved.

Of course, the being simply wanted to communicate, to find out where he was and what this place was.

For the people of Stone Village, however, it was a different matter. Befriending a powerful figure from beyond the Great Wilderness could only benefit them.

Whether they obtained information about the outside world, drew closer to a powerful figure, or someone in the village was fortunate enough to catch his eye and leave the Great Wilderness to see the world beyond, the benefits would be boundless.

In the end, it was the knowledgeable old chief who thought of a solution. He brought a bone fragment from his home, covered in blood-colored markings that vaguely resembled individual characters.

"Bone text?" The being instinctively understood what it was, but he did not see how it could help. If they could not even understand each other's speech, how could he read the writing on it?

"Across this vast earth and its immense territories, tribes separated by great distances may speak different languages, but bone text has been passed down through a shared lineage. Perhaps it will help you understand our language." Speaking and gesturing, the old chief expended considerable effort before finally conveying his meaning to the being.

"I will try." The being took the bone fragment and stared at its blood-colored markings.

At first, nothing unusual happened, but he soon discovered the key. He sensed a peculiar fluctuation, as though some mysterious power lay hidden within the bone fragment.

Then, beneath the gentle stroke of his fingers, the bone fragment underwent a tremendous change. It was as though the Great Dao rang out in harmony, while clusters of light splashed like ink, manifesting countless things that imprinted themselves upon his eyes.

It seemed to be the history of a people's emergence and development, yet also the evolution of their knowledge and understanding of the world.

It could be described as a collection of information neither particularly large nor particularly small.

"A racial inheritance..." Although it had taken only an instant for the being, he felt, in a daze, as though he had lived through a span of years. Something seemed to have been filled in, as if he had completed a course of study.

"You can speak our language now?" The old chief was astonished. How little time had passed? Even with the aid of bone text, the village children needed two or three months before they could speak fluently.

Was this only to be expected of a powerful figure from beyond the Great Wilderness?

"It was nothing obscure or difficult to understand. I learned it quickly.

" The being nodded and answered honestly. He truly felt it had been simple, requiring no effort at all. Of course, there was still something he could not figure out: why could they understand his language when the two languages belonged to completely different families?

It was very strange.

"Incredible. You must be a king or lord of some great tribe beyond the Great Wilderness, surely?" The old chief was both astonished and fearful. Such monstrous learning ability spoke volumes about his power.

"Kings and lords? Beyond the Great Wilderness? What are those?" The being felt as though he had learned this new language for nothing. He understood every individual word, yet when they came together as terms, their meaning escaped him.

"Are you not from beyond the Great Wilderness?" The old chief froze for a moment. Taking the attitude that if the being dared to ask, he dared to answer, he explained.

Beyond the Great Wilderness meant the lands outside these vast mountains, where there were more villages, more tribes, and fertile lands.

As for kings and lords, when large communities gathered, they formed vast territories with populations of a million or even ten million. Those who ruled these great territories and received the people's homage were kings and lords.

"You mean that beyond this Great Wilderness, there are countless people like you and me?" The being was somewhat surprised. He had not seen a single person along his journey. If there really were so many people outside, that made little sense.

"No, no, how could this old man possibly compare to you? I imagine that even beyond the Great Wilderness, those as powerful as you could be counted on one's fingers." The old chief thought the being had misunderstood, perhaps because he had only just learned their language, and offered a further explanation.

"Powerful?" The being repeated the word. "There are differences between people, distinctions? You are not people like me?"

"Er..." The being's words left the old chief speechless, and he began to doubt himself. Had his explanation been inadequate, or had the cultural gulf caused by their language barrier distorted his meaning?

"Well, Chief, our guest has come from afar. We shouldn't leave him standing at the village entrance. What sort of hospitality is that?" Quick-witted as he was, Shi Yunshan stepped forward to ease the awkwardness.

"Yes, yes, it has been so long since Stone Village had a guest. Come, come, please come in!" The old chief also came to his senses and welcomed him warmly.

"Yes, yes, it really has been a long time since Stone Village had any guests. Thanks to your visit today, everyone, bring out your best wine and food. Tonight, we'll give our guest a proper welcome!" Though simple folk, the people of Stone Village were not ignorant of social graces. They could not let such a "prized catch" from beyond the Great Wilderness slip away just like that.

Surrounded by the people of Stone Village, the being did not know what had happened or why they had suddenly grown so enthusiastic. Still, he did not decline. After all, he had yet to get answers to his questions, and he did not object to such warmth.

"Ah, this old man forgot to ask. Might I know your honored name, my lord...?" Along the way, the old chief took every opportunity to introduce Stone Village and explain its circumstances.

Whether this person from beyond the Great Wilderness agreed to stay a few days did not matter. As long as they left some impression on him, that would be enough.

"Di Yi." The being did not know his own name, but at the old chief's question, those two syllables slipped out instinctively, as though that were indeed his name.

"Di Yi? A fine name! Virtue in harmony with heaven and earth becomes the sun and moon. A fine name!" Well versed in the art of flattery, the old chief took the being by the arm and continued showing him around.