Hundred Stars Village in the Wilderness

On the Yuanqi Continent, 3,500 years had passed since the great war between immortals and devils. The hundred races had dwindled. The continent's native population had fallen by a staggering seventy percent. Amid heaven's sorrow and suffering, the Devil Race withdrew from the Nine Provinces, vanishing into the bitterly cold lands of the north and south. The mountain giants migrated to the Eastern Continent, where they shared the land with the human race. To the west of the continent, the elves and Western civilization flourished together. The myriad nations of the great demons hid among towering mountains and lofty peaks...

In the Qian Kingdom on the Eastern Continent, at the edge of the endless mountains in the eastern part of the Heaven Severing Mountain Range...

"Brother Fan, I heard Grandpa Village Chief say our whole village is moving away! Is it true?"

"Oh, probably. The Severed Heaven Mountain Range has been getting more and more restless lately, and we live so close. Grandpa Village Chief must be thinking of what's best for our village."

"Ke'er, where's your big brother? We agreed to go to Mang Village to trade for grain today. Why isn't he here yet?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" No sooner had the words been spoken than a dark-skinned figure came running at full speed!

Ye Fan and Xiao Ke'er turned to look at the newcomer. Before he even reached them, he was already stretching his neck and shouting, "Xiao Fan, Xiao Fan, I've got earth-shattering news for you!"

Ye Fan was the only son of a hunter's family in Hundred Stars Village. He often went hunting with his father, so he was fairly sturdy, and he really had learned quite a few skills from him! At fifteen or sixteen, he was already practically a little grown-up!

Hundred Stars Village stood in the eastern part of the Severed Heaven Mountain Range, amid a forest of mountains, strange peaks and peculiar rocks. Only one path led in and out of the village. In the sky directly above it, hundreds of stars remained year-round, never changing position. That was how it got its name-Hundred Stars Village!

"Brother Feng, what big news? Mang Village is several hours away on foot. If we don't hurry and leave, it'll be dark by the time we get back! Traveling at night-have you forgotten what a state you were in last time?"

"Huh? Big Brother, what happened to you the last time you traveled at night?" Xiao Ke'er asked, looking both puzzled and curious.

"What else could've happened? Don't listen to Xiao Fan's nonsense! As the strongest of Hundred Stars Village's younger generation, how could I be afraid of traveling at night?" Xiao Feng said with a perfectly serious face.

"Hehe."

"All right, Ke'er, head back to the village. We need to get going!"

"Okay! I'll go back and wait for you. Brother Fan, take it slow. Big Brother, carry more stuff."

Xiao Feng: "..."

The two said no more. They picked up several bundles and set off along the village path!

This wasn't their first time going to Mang Village to trade for grain. Hundred Stars Village was a mountain village! Naturally, crops couldn't be grown there, so the villagers had to take the game they caught to neighboring villages to barter! Of course, they traded for more than grain; there were all kinds of hunting tools too. Hundred Stars Village had only about a hundred households! Most made their living by hunting, and the village's only high-class profession probably belonged to Xiao Feng's father! He was the village's only physician!

As soon as the two reached the foot of the mountain, they saw that the village's burly men were already packed and ready to go! They sat chatting to one side, hearty laughter ringing out from time to time!

"Uncles, we were held up for a bit on our way out, so we're late. These are our two families' goods." As Ye Fan spoke, he placed the goods he was carrying on a cart!

"Hehe, you uncles are all here so early. Sorry to have kept you waiting. It's this junior's fault; I deserve to be punished, deserve to be punished..." Xiao Feng had just put the goods on the cart when he started chattering away!

"You brat, you're four or five years older than Xiao Fan, aren't you? Compared with him, you're like a child who'll never grow up."

"Haha!"

Xiao Feng paid it no mind and let the uncles tease him!

"Xiao Fan, what good things did you bring today? You've got quite a few bundles there," a middle-aged man with a full beard asked!

"Two silver-eared wolves, a spotted leopard pelt, and a few strange stones that look pretty good. The rest belongs to Brother Feng." Xiao Feng didn't come from a hunting family. His father was kind and never charged a consultation fee when treating people! He simply accepted game or other daily necessities to support his family!

"Let's go, it's time to leave! Traveling after dark won't be easy."

The burly men led the way, with the two boys behind them, and they set off with three handcarts!

"I saw the village chief yesterday and heard him say it too! We can't stay in Hundred Stars Village anymore. Hunting's gotten harder and harder these past few years. A couple of months ago, we even ran into a high-rank Devil Beast while hunting. We almost didn't make it back."

"Mm, I heard about it too. The old village chief wants us to move out of the mountains."

The uncles chatted as they pulled the carts! This was the hottest time of year, and wild beasts rarely appeared! So everyone's guard was down!

"Brother Feng, was that big news you mentioned about our village moving?" Ye Fan asked as he helped push a cart!

Xiao Feng turned and replied, "Of course not. This is even more exciting than the village moving! I overheard it yesterday while my father was seeing a patient."

"What is it, then?"

"According to Granny Liu from our village, her son went hunting red-tailed birds yesterday and found a really magical stone in a bird's nest." As Xiao Feng spoke, he looked at Ye Fan smugly, as though he had been the one hunting!

"A magical stone? What's so magical about a stone?" Ye Fan asked, ignoring his punchable expression!

"Hehe, I bet you don't know! This stone gives off a blue-green glow, and it feels warm when you touch it! Say, if we traded some game for it and took it to Mang Village, could we exchange it for more grain?"

"It's just a stone. Do you really think it's worth a fortune because it glows? I only brought these strange stones because the son of that blacksmith in Mang Village likes odd things. You can't trade this stuff for grain," Ye Fan said helplessly!

"Never mind that for now. We'll talk about it after we trade Granny Liu for the blue-green stone."

"You two brats, quit muttering and put some muscle into it!" The two were chatting away when they heard an uncle up front yell at them!

"Hehe, all right, Uncle, here we go!" The two boys gripped the cart with both hands, their legs bouncing along behind them.

Once they crossed the mountain ahead, the terrain would be relatively flat, and the walk wouldn't be especially strenuous! The carts were all loaded with game! And with the weather so hot, they didn't dare waste a moment!

The afternoon sun was still blazing. Along the way, the group only stopped to drink a little water, and when they got hungry, they merely chewed a few bites of dried meat. At last, they reached Mang Village within the agreed time!