Chapter 3

There is also a prologue at the beginning, so don't miss it.

Shicun is located in the Cangmang Mountains, surrounded by towering peaks and deep valleys, with a vast and majestic mountain range.

In the early morning, the sunrise was brilliant, like scattered gold, warming the people who basked in it.

A group of children, ranging from four or five years old to teenagers, numbering dozens, were on the open ground in front of the village, facing the sunrise, and were exercising with grunts and shouts. Their young faces were full of seriousness, with the older children moving with vigor and the younger ones mimicking them with a semblance of form.

A middle-aged man, as strong as a tiger or leopard, wearing a fur coat, with a bronze-colored skin and black hair, his sharp eyes scanning each child, was seriously guiding them.

"The sun rises, all things begin, and the vital energy is at its peak. Although we cannot absorb the essence of the sun and moon as in the legends, exercising in the morning light has great benefits, invigorating the body. The key to a day lies in the morning. If you work hard every morning, strengthen your muscles and bones, and invigorate your blood and tendons, you will have the means to survive in the Cangmang Mountains in the future." The middle-aged man, who was instructing the children, had a stern look and warned them, then shouted, "Do you understand?"

"Understood!" The children responded loudly and energetically.

Many prehistoric creatures roamed the mountains, with giant wings often blocking the sky, casting large shadows on the ground. There were also wild beasts standing on the peaks, howling at the moon, and various venomous insects crawling around, making the environment extremely terrifying.

"Understood." A small child, clearly distracted and a bit slow, called out in a childish voice.

This was a very young child, only one or two years old, who had only learned to walk a few months ago. He was also exercising, but it was clear that he had joined in on his own, mixing with the older children, and should not have been in this group.

"Hum-ha!" The little child made sounds, his tender little arms swinging hard, imitating the older children's movements. However, he was too young, and his movements were wobbly and unsteady, and he stumbled and swayed. The white milk stains on the corners of his mouth made people laugh.

The older children looked at him, all making faces, which lightened the serious morning exercise atmosphere.

The little one was very fair and beautiful, with big, bright eyes, looking like a porcelain doll, very cute. His childish actions and babbling made the old men sitting on the giant stones in another area also smile.

Even the tall, muscular adult men, with their upper bodies bare and their muscles gleaming, looked over with smiles. They were the strongest people in the village, the most important force for hunting and protecting the village, and were also exercising. Some held large white bone clubs made from the bones of unknown giant beasts, while others wielded broad swords made of black metal, swinging them with great force, the wind roaring like thunder.

The living environment was extremely harsh, with many prehistoric beasts and venomous insects. To obtain food and survive, many men died young in the wilderness. To survive, they had to strengthen themselves. Exercising in the morning, whether adults, elders, or children, was a habit formed from a young age.

"Focus!" The middle-aged man responsible for supervising and guiding the children's exercises shouted loudly. The children quickly became serious and continued to exercise in the gentle and brilliant morning light.

"Phew... I'm tired." The little one exhaled, plopping down on the ground, watching the older children exercise. But after a short while, he was distracted, stood up, and wobbled over to a colorful bird hopping nearby. He stumbled and fell several times but did not cry, getting up angrily and continuing to chase the bird.

"Alright, stop!"

With a loud shout, all the children cheered, rubbed their sore limbs, and then scattered, rushing to their homes to prepare for breakfast.

The old men laughed and got up from the giant stones. The muscular adult men, who were like tigers, laughed and scolded their children, carrying their bone clubs and broad swords, and quickly walked to their homes.

Shicun was not very large, with a total of about three hundred people, including men, women, and children. The houses were built of giant stones, simple and natural.

At the entrance of the village stood a huge lightning-struck tree, with a diameter of several meters. At this time, the only willow branch on the main trunk had lost its glow in the morning light and looked ordinary.

"Oh, there's earth dragon meat, give me a piece!"

These children were very lively and active, even during meals, many of them holding earthen bowls and coming out of their homes, gathering together.

The surroundings of Shicun were lush with vegetation and abundant with wild beasts, but the villagers' food was relatively meager, consisting mainly of coarse wheat cakes, wild fruits, and a small amount of meat in the children's bowls.

In fact, the lack of food had always been a serious problem for Shicun. The mountains were very dangerous, with the strange beasts and fierce birds being too powerful and terrifying. Each hunting trip could result in the loss of lives.

If they had a choice, the villagers would not enter the mountains. Entering the mountains meant the possibility of bloodshed and sacrifice.

Food was very precious to them, and they could not afford to waste it. Every child understood this from a young age, as hunger, food, hunting, life, and blood were interconnected.

At the entrance of the village was the courtyard of the old chief, Shiyunfeng, built of giant stones, adjacent to the charred and huge willow tree. Inside the courtyard, the earthen pot on the stove was boiling with white liquid, the milk aroma filling the air. He was boiling beast milk, occasionally adding some herbs, stirring slowly with a wooden spoon.

After a while, the old man called out, "Little one, come and eat."

The little one had lost his parents at half a year old and had grown up on the milk of various beasts. He was now one year and a few months old. If he were an ordinary child, he would have been weaned long ago, but he still enjoyed the milk and refused to stop, often being teased by the older children.

"Uh, I'm too tired to run." He had been persistently chasing the colorful bird and was now out of breath, sitting on the ground.

"Little one, come and drink milk!" The older children teased.

"You little monkeys, weren't you all this age once?" The old chief laughed and scolded.

"We weren't drinking milk at one and a half, hehe."

The little one smiled innocently, his bright eyes forming a crescent moon, not caring at all. He sat in front of the earthen pot, scooping milk with a wooden spoon, and enjoyed it sweetly.

After breakfast, several elderly men in the village came to Chief Shiyunfeng's courtyard. Although they were already white-haired, they still had a strong spirit.

"Things haven't been right lately. There are always large creatures passing by at night, making a lot of noise. Something must have happened deep in the mountains."

"Hmm, I was woken up several times last night, feeling a chill in my bones. It must be some prehistoric beast or giant insect passing by."

The old men spoke one after another, frowning or deep in thought, discussing the recent dangerous signs and feeling that something unusual was happening.

"I think something significant has emerged deep in the wilderness, attracting the attention of some ancient species from the surrounding areas, who are all heading there," Chief Shiyunfeng said after some thought.

"Could it be a mountain treasure?" An old man immediately widened his eyes, his hair and beard standing up, showing a look of surprise.

The others also showed different expressions, their eyes burning with excitement, but the flames in their eyes quickly died out. Such things were not within their reach, deep in the mountains, where no one could enter.

For so many years, no one had ever returned alive from a trip into the mountains. Various powerful species roamed the mountains, and even if all the people of Shicun went together, they would not even cause a ripple.

"Chief, we haven't entered the mountains for some time," a tall and muscular adult man entered the courtyard. He was the leader of the hunting team and would be the next chief of Shicun.

"Things haven't been peaceful recently," the old chief Shiyunfeng frowned.

"But the food is really running out," Shilinhu said. He was extremely tall, over two meters, carrying a broad sword weighing over three hundred pounds, his body as strong as a bear, with bronze-colored muscles rippling like snakes.

"The children need to grow, they can't go hungry. We need to think of some ways," an old man said.

"Although it's not peaceful at night, there's nothing unusual during the day. I'll take some people out, and we'll be careful," Shilinhu said.

Finally, dozens of young and strong men gathered at the village entrance, led by Chief Shiyunfeng to the lightning-struck tree, and they prayed earnestly to the old willow tree.

"Spirit, please bless the villagers, let the children catch fat prey and return safely. We will worship and offer you with sincere hearts for generations."

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