World Seed

The two followed the light to its source. To their surprise, it came from the Hundred Treasures Chicken's coop!

"Granny Liu, there's a treasure in your chicken coop!"

Granny Liu turned weakly and took a look. "That stone? Maybe the Hundred Treasures Chicken carried it in there. It's just a stone, not some treasure. Tian'er picked it up by chance."

"Granny Liu, can we take a look?"

"Go get it. You boys are curious about everything!"

Hearing that, Xiao Feng rose and walked over to the coop. He waved his hands to shoo the Hundred Treasures Chicken away, then bent down and took out the blue-green stone.

The Hundred Treasures Chicken flapped its wings and fled as it was shooed away.

The stone did feel pleasantly warm in his hand, but only for an instant! After that, he felt nothing at all. Xiao Feng played with it for a while, looking at it from every angle. Apart from its faint glow and its smooth, warm jade-like surface, there was nothing unusual about it!

"Xiao Fan, take a look." With that, he tossed the stone over.

Ye Fan caught the stone, curious as well. It did feel warm to the touch, with a jade-like texture. He held it close and examined it carefully. There was nothing special about it!

Just then, the blue-green stone flashed, and a streak of blue-green light shot out of it, straight for the space between Ye Fan's brows. Ye Fan jumped in fright. Muttering "Oh no," he threw the stone straight to the ground!

His action startled not only Granny Liu but also the Hundred Treasures Chicken! Flapping its wings, the chicken came striding over, looking just like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "Cluck, cluck, cluck..." It picked up the stone in its beak, then flapped its wings and returned to the coop!

"What's wrong, Xiao Fan?" Xiao Feng asked, puzzled. Had a glance at the stone really scared him that badly?

Granny Liu also looked at Ye Fan in puzzlement, a trace of concern in her cloudy eyes.

"Hehe, I'm fine. I just got a cramp all of a sudden," Ye Fan explained awkwardly.

"Mm, good, as long as you're all right! You worked so hard trading for grain yesterday, and today you brought grain and medicinal herbs to an old woman like me! No matter how young you are, you still need a good rest."

"Mm-hmm, that's right, Granny Liu. I probably just didn't rest well enough."

"Mother, I'm home!"

As they were talking, Granny Liu's son Chen Tian returned, carrying a bundle on his back. Chen Tian had dark skin, was short, and had an honest-looking face. A closer look revealed calluses all over his hands.

"Brother Tian, you're back."

Ye Fan and Xiao Feng rose to greet him.

"It's Xiao Feng and Xiao Fan!" Chen Tian said hesitantly, looking embarrassed.

"Brother Tian, my father sent me to bring Granny Liu some medicine. I happened to run into Xiao Fan on the way, so we came together."

Chen Tian scratched his head, even more at a loss for words. All he could do was thank them repeatedly.

After struggling for words for a long time, he said, "Stay and eat with us. I didn't hunt anything good today, so I went to the mountain stream and caught a few red-bellied fish."

Watching Chen Shan fish out a few rather small red-bellied fish, Xiao Feng said, "No need, Brother Shan. We've finished our task, and we have to go home and report back!" With that, the two rose. They said to Granny Liu, "Granny Liu, we'll head back now. Remember to take your medicine on time. We'll come again in a few days."

Granny Liu rose unsteadily as well, and Chen Tian hurried over to support her.

"You two boys, don't forget to give my regards to your elders when you get back."

"Don't worry, Granny Liu, we'll be sure to pass them on. We'll be going now. Brother Tian, don't forget to make sure Granny takes her medicine on time."

Chen Tian said, "Mm-hmm! I know!"

The two went out the door, their hearts still a little heavy as they left.

Granny Liu watched the two leave, then sat down gently again and took Chen Tian's hand. For a long time, she said nothing, a few tears falling from her cloudy eyes.

On the way back, the two weren't laughing and chatting as they had been on the way there. The mood was a little gloomy, as though a stone weighed on their hearts.

Neither spoke, and they trudged back listlessly.

They had just reached the gravel path outside their home.

"Brother Fan, where did you two go?"

"Ke'er, what brings you here? Didn't you go to the medical hall?"

"There was nothing to do at the medical hall today, and there weren't any medicinal herbs to pick, so I slipped out. What's wrong with you two? Why do you look so listless? Big Brother, that's not like you."

Xiao Feng didn't answer.

Ye Fan looked at Xiao Ke'er, then turned and asked:

"Brother Feng, what's wrong with Granny Liu?"

"Sigh, my father said it was caused by years of hard work and extreme emotional repression. All her bodily functions have severely deteriorated. She doesn't have long left."

"Ah, poor Granny Liu! Can she be treated?" Xiao Ke'er asked.

"It'll be difficult, Ke'er. The illness is in her heart, not her body."

After parting with Xiao Feng and his sister, Ye Fan returned home alone. When his parents saw how haggard their son looked, they hurriedly asked, "Xiao Fan, what's wrong?"

Ye Fan's heart warmed as he looked at his anxious parents. This is my home. The parents who gave birth to me and raised me have always been by my side. I must work hard and give them a good life!

"Ah, Xiao Fan, say something! What's wrong?"

"Father, Mother, I'm fine! I just felt terrible when I saw Granny Liu."

"Sigh, Brother Baishun died too early. It left that mother and son to suffer!"

That night, unable to sleep despite tossing and turning, Ye Fan came out into the courtyard. He sat on a stone stool, propped his chin in his hand, and gazed quietly at the night sky.

The mountain night was a little chilly. Ye Fan couldn't help sneezing and huddled into himself, but he stayed sitting there.

"Huh, where are the Hundred Stars?" Ye Fan rubbed his eyes excitedly. "Are my eyes playing tricks on me? The Hundred Stars really are gone!"

The Hundred Stars were gone. Where could they have gone?

He paced anxiously back and forth in the little courtyard. "They're not in this part of the sky, or this part either! How did the Hundred Stars suddenly disappear?"

"Could this bring about something bad?"

Ye Fan patted his forehead. No, it won't. It definitely won't!

Just then, the moment Ye Fan patted his forehead, a streak of blue-green light quietly blossomed between his brows!

"Is this... that blue-green stone from today?!"

The light grew weaker and weaker, as though it were slowly merging into Ye Fan's body. Drowsiness swept over him, and he could barely hold out any longer.

"What on earth is this?" These were the last words he said while conscious. Then Ye Fan fell into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, the light blazed, enveloping Ye Fan's body in blue-green radiance. Slowly, it lifted him and carried him up into the sky.

Ye Fan floated higher and higher, over endless mountains and above the white clouds. The light of countless stars emerged across the sky, flowing around Ye Fan with him at its center. It moved faster and faster, forming streaks of bright light. More and more points of starlight appeared, and the blue-green radiance grew ever brighter!

The ferocious beasts in the endless mountains all lay prostrate on the ground, trembling all over and letting out low whimpers, as though submitting!

The blue-green radiance completely eclipsed the light of the stars and moon. The space between Ye Fan's brows shone with boundless brilliance! Then a strange phenomenon occurred: the light of the stars and moon converged on the space between his brows and poured into it without cease! The blue-green light there continued to expand-one hundred thousand zhang, one million zhang... The more points of light poured in, the larger the blue-green radiance grew!

From a distance, the space between Ye Fan's brows looked like a vortex, endlessly devouring the light of the stars and moon!

The white clouds scattered, leaving only the blue-green radiance and bright white points of light across the sky! No one knew how long it lasted before the points of light grew fewer and fewer, and the blue-green radiance began to recede!

The Hundred Stars broke through chaos, and the world opened for the first time!

A perfect World Seed had taken root and sprouted in Ye Chen's sea of consciousness!