Hu Niu didn't realize that it wasn't just a matter of not understanding the conversation between Shi Yi and Liu Shen. Once she stepped out of the room, she would forget their exchange entirely.
Some truths were too heavy for her to bear, even at her young age. Certain matters were simply not meant for her to know.
Everyone has their own fate.
And each carries their own weight in the tapestry of destiny.
Some toil endlessly, exhausting heart and mind, yet never stir the slightest ripple in the world.
Others, with a single fleeting thought, can turn the heavens and earth upside down.
This disparity arises from the varying weight of one's destiny in the world, and Shi Yi was someone whose destiny carried immense gravity.
Every casual action of his could alter the course of countless events.
Favored by the heavens, blessed with fortune.
Indeed, a steadfast Dao heart is a ladder to success, but poor luck could lead to an ignoble end—such as stepping barefoot on a venomous insect and perishing in humiliation.
The world is full of hardworking people.
But those blessed with good fortune are few and far between.
A solid Dao heart is merely the foundation for success.
To truly succeed, one's luck is equally indispensable.
Compared to the tangible, measurable quality of a resolute Dao heart, luck is an ethereal, elusive force—impossible to seek, impossible to grasp.
Great success demands both immense fortune and relentless effort. For now, Shi Yi's luck was decent, but without great effort, he would struggle to achieve greatness.
Great effort, in this context, refers to the Dao heart, which can be forged through dedication. But luck? To put it bluntly, if you lack the fate for it, you simply lack it.
Defying fate?
Little do people realize, even that is part of fate's design.
From beginning to end, no one truly escapes destiny.
Those capable of altering their fate often have no need to do so, while those without the ability are powerless to change theirs.
___
The next day.
At the crack of dawn, as the sun began its ascent, the people of Stone Village rose with enthusiasm, ready to embrace a new day. To their surprise, they discovered a multitude of dead ferocious beasts and exotic creatures scattered outside the village.
Looking up, they saw the towering willow tree at the village's center, its emerald branches faintly glowing.
It was clear.
Last night, countless ferocious beasts and exotic creatures had tried to storm Stone Village, drawn by the allure of the ancient species' true blood and flesh. But all had perished outside its borders.
"All of Stone Village, young and old, give thanks to Liu Shen for protecting our home!"
Led by the old patriarch, Shi Yunfeng, everyone—from the elderly to three-year-old children—knelt in reverence. Only Shi Yi, still lost in deep slumber, remained oblivious in his hut.
He was exhausted.
Thanks to his Heavenly Passage, which continuously drew in the essence of heaven and earth, his body wasn't fatigued. But his mind was utterly drained.
During his months of training in the wilderness, he'd had no chance to sleep at night. It had been ages since he'd rested so soundly.
Last night, Hu Niu had eaten her fill and promptly fallen asleep on Shi Yi's bed, with no regard for propriety. From her mother, Hu Shen, to the entire village, everyone secretly hoped for something special to blossom between Shi Yi and Hu Niu.
Unfortunately, not only was Shi Yi still too young—lacking the means to act on such matters, needing at least another year or two—but with Liu Shen present, he wouldn't dare act recklessly.
After staying up past midnight with Liu Shen, Shi Yi had collapsed beside Hu Niu and drifted off. Liu Shen watched them silently for a few minutes before her humanoid form faded away.
Such a young boy, yet such bold ambitions!
In response to the village's collective worship, Liu Shen's soul consciousness stirred faintly but offered no reply. As the village's guardian spirit, protecting Stone Village was her duty.
The villagers, accustomed to her silence, knelt respectfully for three minutes before rising one by one.
"Quick, everyone, get moving! We need to drag all those dead beasts into the village before the sun reaches its zenith. With this haul, Stone Village won't have to worry about food for years to come!"
Shi Yunfeng urgently directed the village's young men, tasking them with hauling the carcasses of the fallen beasts into Stone Village.
Once inside the village, those beasts belonged to Stone Village—just like the true blood and remains of the ancient species, which became the village's property upon entering.
And so it went.
The young men of Stone Village labored until noon, when the sun hung high overhead. At last, they managed to drag all the dead beasts surrounding the village into its boundaries.
What they didn't know was that these carcasses represented only a tenth of the beasts that had perished last night. The other nine-tenths had been carried off by other creatures before dawn.
Even so, this tenth amounted to over a hundred beasts, ranging from two meters to a hundred meters in size. This meat would easily sustain Stone Village for years.
"Now, go home and fetch your children. It's time to prepare them for the baptism. The sooner they undergo the true blood baptism, the sooner they can grow strong!"
Having secured food for the coming years, Shi Yunfeng turned his attention to arranging the baptism.
Hu Niu and several other youths of Stone Village were slated to undergo the true blood baptism today. These boys and girls were the village's hope for the future.
For years, the people of Stone Village had dreamed of expanding their village into a great tribe of the Great Wilderness. But merely surviving in the wilderness had demanded all their strength.
Yet, in just three years since Shi Yi's arrival, the village had undergone earth-shaking changes, igniting a spark of hope.
As long as the next generation grew strong, they could lead Stone Village to establish a foothold in the Great Wilderness. Even if Shi Yi left one day, the village would not lose its backbone.
___
An hour later.
In the open space at the heart of Stone Village, eight large bronze cauldrons glowed red-hot. Inside, the scalding true blood of the ancient species simmered, exuding an intimidating aura.
It looked terrifying, but in truth, the amount of true blood in each cauldron was minimal. Not everyone was like Shi Hao or Shi Yi, with extraordinary resilience.
At most, each cauldron contained half a ladle of true blood—the absolute limit. Any more, and the youths of Stone Village wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Splash! The sound of something heavy hitting water.
A boy from the village was tossed into the first cauldron by his parents. The scalding true blood surged into his mouth and nose in an instant.
The very next second, he leaped up, shrieking in agony.
"Aaah!!!"
The faces of the surrounding youths turned green with fear, some instinctively trying to flee. But the adults held them firmly in place.
"It looks so painful! I don't want the medicinal bath. Last time, it felt like knives cutting me, tearing my skin apart. Now with the ancient species' true blood, won't it just kill me?"
"Father, let go! I don't want to be boiled alive! Mother, save me! Save your little Monkey!"
"Brother Yi, don't just stand there watching! Your brother's in trouble—help me out!"
"Help? Tell me, how am I supposed to help you?"
"You and I are brothers, right? Jump in with me and share the pain of the true blood!"
"Share the pain? Sorry, I can't handle even a bit of suffering."
Shi Yi lounged beneath the willow tree, a blade of grass in his mouth, legs crossed casually. He watched with relish as the youths endured the excruciating true blood baptism.
Seeing others suffer as he had made him, still groggy from waking, feel thoroughly refreshed.
Sure, it was a bit of schadenfreude, but wasn't that just human nature?
He recalled how, half an hour earlier, Hu Shen had burst into the room and dragged Hu Niu away, startling him awake. That's when he learned the village's youths were to undergo the baptism today.
For some reason, when Hu Shen saw Hu Niu fully clothed, her usually bright eyes dimmed, as if a carefully laid plan had fallen through.
She should think it through—Shi Yi's only nine years old!
Even if he had the will, he lacked the means.
"You bunch of silly kids, you don't know how lucky you are! This is a true blood baptism from an ancient species. It'll make your muscles and bones rival those of the beasts outside!"
"Exactly! If we'd had access to true blood baptisms in our youth, Stone Village would've expanded several times over by now, not still stuck in the Cangmang Mountains."
"With this true blood baptism, you'll surely break through the Blood Transformation Realm and become Heavenly Passage Realm experts—powerhouses like your Brother Yi!"
"Pain? You're scared of pain now, but when you grow up and can't defeat a beast, and it's eating you, will you still be afraid of pain then?"
The adults scolded their children, recounting the hardships of their own youth—a common trait among parents, it seemed.
They loved to lament.
_
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