Chapter 1, cannot survive for three years
The sound of something crashing or falling
He looked up at the sky and said, "I don't think anyone will come, boss. Let's go. Staying in this cursed place for even a moment feels like it shortens my life by three years"
The little loach was still unwilling to give up, continuing to bump against the gourd. Sun Changming simply let it out, and the little loach twisted and turned, gradually consuming all the scales, teeth, and internal organs of the fierce fish on the ground bit by bit
The team leader grabbed three handfuls from the grain and threw the rest to Sun Changming
Before the sun sets today, it is the final moment to pay the "survival tax". If they miss this deadline, Sun Changming and his sister will not have a single grain of rice for the next half month and will be left to starve to death.
However, no one knows that on that day three years ago, what fell from the sky was not two living beings, but three!
A river clam opened, revealing a small pearl inside
... ...
rumble
Sun Changming handed her the grain, saying, "Cook the rice." Sun Changyan held the grain in both hands and entered the house with great reverence. For the simple-minded sister, the second greatest sin in this world is a bad brother deceiving his sister, while the greatest sin is wasting a single grain of food
Sun Changyan scraped the bottom of the pot clean, and then the siblings each took a bowl. As usual, Sun Changming poured more than half of his bowl into his sister's: "I ate wild fruits outside, so I'm not very hungry."
Charge forward, Han Mei - Activate!
Suddenly, a tremor came from the gourd at his side. Sun Changming patted the gourd and said, "These things contain cold poison and cannot be eaten"
He tightly clutched the pearl in his hand as he lay on the ground, feeling not a trace of warmth from the sun's rays
However, the little loach in the gourd was still restless, sending waves of agitation as it bumped forcefully.
The team leader took out a balance scale, placing Sun Changming's pearl on one side and grains on the other, ultimately achieving balance on both sides
The old man sighed and patted Sun Changming's head, saying, "A-Ming, bear with it a little longer. If something happens to you, what will happen to your sister?"
As I swam to the location of the river clam, a sudden sharp pain shot through my left leg. Turning my head, I saw a palm-sized ferocious fish biting down hard on my leg
After a while, Sun Changming finally regained his composure. Once his body recovered and he regained consciousness, he looked down and saw that the ferocious fish was still biting his leg, gulping down his fresh blood
The little loach swallowed it whole, but contrary to Sun Changming's expectations of it becoming stiff with cold, it instead became more vigorous, frolicking in the small gourd and wanting to eat more
The person with uneven eyes mockingly said: "In this world, who can control others?"
One of the cross-eyed constables kicked a stone at his feet and complained, "This cursed village is truly a sinister place; the sun hasn't even set yet, yet it feels so cold and gloomy."
Sun Changming curled up in a tree hollow by the river, his spirit controlling a small loach, searching in the water
Sun Changming found it somewhat strange: "Can you eat?"
The sun was about to set, and he quickly put the little loach into the gourd, grabbed a small knife, and ran towards the village entrance
The earth suddenly trembled, and a sound like muffled thunder echoed, as some colossal creature approached step by step. Sun Changming tightly held his sister, lowering his head in fear of looking up.
Sun Changming waved the food in front of her, and the cries abruptly ceased: "Food?"
In recent days, the little loach seems to have developed a craving for meat, constantly wanting to eat these fierce fish from the river
In the latter half of the night, Sun Changming finally fell into a drowsy sleep. Those great monsters only appeared in the first half of the night
The little loach swam back along the same route, and Sun Changming went to the riverbank to collect the little loach, putting it into the gourd he carried with him
The younger sister's cries are very loud and cannot be easily broken; this girl has been particularly tough since she was little. Sun Changming smiled, as over the past few years, most of the food rations for the two of them have gone into Hanmei's stomach. Sun Changyan is certainly the strongest child in the village
... ...
He cut off a thin slice, hesitated for a moment before putting it into his mouth, and after just a couple of chews... crunch, crunch, crunch, his teeth clashed, and with a thud, he fell straight to the ground
In Juehu Village, there are many deaths, not only because the place is particularly cold and gloomy, but also because these great monsters occasionally step into the village.
However, it is unclear why these large monsters generally do not pass through the village
Baji!
With each rotation, the chill in the surrounding environment diminishes slightly. Sun Changming has never felt this comfortable in his entire life.
Sun Changming has a secret. Three years ago, he found a loach that had fallen from the sky. This is a very special loach, as his own soul can attach itself to this loach and swim around in the water.
However, today, Sun Changming clearly sensed that something was amiss; the rumbling and vibrations were getting closer and closer! It seemed that his small house was right in the path of the advancing monster
The silly girl pressed the bowl against her face and licked it clean, still wanting to lick the pot. The charcoal fire in the stove had not yet gone out, and it burned her, making her eyes well up with tears
After consuming half a bowl of thin porridge, Sun Changming truly felt less hungry—previously, such a portion would not suffice to fill his stomach
However, compared to the fierce and unparalleled White Cat and the Vermilion Bird, this mudfish is too weak! So weak that no one even noticed that on that day, three beings descended from the heavens
Sun Changming lowered his head, yet his gaze revealed a hint of unwillingness
This fierce fish is only the size of a palm, yet its body is several times larger than that of a small loach, and it actually consumed everything bit by bit
The remaining food is only a small bag. Sun Changming sighed inwardly, recognizing this as the "rule," yet he still felt a deep sense of resentment. The food he had fought so hard to obtain was not enough for himself and his sister. Why should these officials still take advantage of the situation?
The eye stared into the room for quite a while, and Sun Changming felt as if his heart had stopped beating; then, that eye suddenly disappeared.
rumble
He was unaware that on the same day three years ago, two beings had fallen from the sky. A giant injured white cat descended upon the Western Ridge of the Qin Kingdom, and the King of Qin personally brought it back to Xianyang, honoring it as the guardian deity of the nation. Over the course of three years, the white cat allied with the King of Qin to launch campaigns east and west, annihilating the six states and unifying most of the Western Ridge.
Wow... wow... bad brother! The silly girl pouted, tears streaming down her face
Sun Ji looked at the little loach with confusion, then cut a piece of fish meat and tossed it to it. The little loach finished it in just a few bites, yet still showed no signs of anything unusual
Sun Changming spread his palm open, revealing pearls the size of soybeans, which would serve as food for himself and his sister for the next half month. Additionally, he had to account for the small loaches.
Sun Changming smiled as he opened his arms wide, and then at the moment his sister jumped into his embrace... he suddenly dodged away
Outside the dilapidated village, several constables were shivering from the cold
On the other hand, the divine fire vermilion bird fell into the Southern Wilderness of the Great Zhou Sect. The disciple Wu Zhao of the Great Zhou Sect ventured deep into the marshes for training and fortuitously encountered the vermilion bird. Three years later, Wu Zhao emerged, first defeating the protective elder of the Great Zhou Sect, then the sect leader, and subsequently dominating the nineteen sects of the Southern Wilderness, remaining undefeated and instilling fear throughout the region, causing the Great Zhou to subtly become the foremost power in the Southern Wilderness
Reflecting on the various anomalies of today, Sun Changming speculated in his heart: Is it because of that warm current
It was very close. Sun Changming gathered his courage and looked up. There was a crack in the roof, and Sun Changming saw a foot larger than his house slowly descending from the sky
This is the river closest to the village, and I do not know how many times it has been searched, but it is the safest here. In the more distant waters, there are many ferocious water monsters, and the little loach is too weak; if it goes there, it will be swallowed in one bite
rumble
Sun Changming securely closed the door, using a wooden stick as thick as his arm to brace it tightly. He then took his sister and crawled into a hole beside the furnace, patting her on the back and saying, "Sleep now"
Sun Changming cut off a small piece of fish meat with a small knife and threw it to the little loach. It was a very small amount, which should not be fatal; after experiencing some hardship, it would not cause any more trouble
He crawled out of the river, utterly exhausted, his whole body trembling incessantly, and his face was pale.
He did not dare to tell anyone this secret, fearing that the villagers would report him as a monster to the immortal gate in the mountains, and that the immortals would then eliminate him as a monster.
The desolate village at night is three times colder than elsewhere, and it is only by relying on the residual warmth from the stove that the siblings are able to avoid freezing to death
With a fierce glare from her uneven eyes, she said: "What, are you not convinced?"
The elderly men in the village have said that the large earth mound behind the village is the tomb of an ancient demon god. These gigantic monsters are all descendants of that demon god, and at night, the descendants return to pay homage to their ancestors
With just one kick, both the person and the house were flattened
At this moment, Sun Changming felt a chill all over his body, and the small gourd hanging from him suddenly moved, as the little loach was restless
In a small river by the village, after three years of recuperation, the little loach finally ceased to be sickly, flicking its tail and burrowing into the riverbed
The little loach dove deeper and deeper, the light grew dimmer, and it became increasingly cold and gloomy. Sun Changming's body on land also began to shiver uncontrollably
The officials glared at him and had no choice but to stop and wait
A simple bowl of plain congee can perfectly control the cooking time, maximizing the aroma of the food
The silly girl slept soundly, sticking out her little tongue to lick a few times; the salty taste seemed quite pleasant, and so she smacked her lips twice in her sleep
Hmm? Sun Changming looked at the ferocious fish, could this one be edible
The terrifying paw moved aside, and Sun Changming felt as if everything had frozen in place, with time becoming exceedingly slow
Sun Changming, however, did not dare to fall asleep
rumble
His body was becoming increasingly stiff, and that chill had already penetrated to the marrow. Sun Changming exerted all his strength to leap upward, and his hands finally grasped the riverbank.
Sun Changming pried the vicious fish off with a small knife, tearing a strip from his tattered clothing to use as a bandage
Like a snake
The constables cursed their bad luck in silence, and one of the constables who had studied for a few days said, "The sun has not yet set"
However, compared to real danger, coldness is insignificant
Then, finally satisfied, the small body curled up into a ball
The terrifying paw gradually came to a stop, and cold sweat dripped down Sun Changming's forehead, landing precisely at the corner of his sister's mouth
A constable who had read a few books sighed and said: "The survival tax in this place is the lowest; those who have moved here are all pitiful people"
Every day, the siblings warmly greet their elder brother, causing Sun Changming great discomfort
Sun Changming ran breathlessly: "Fortunately, I made it in time." He felt somewhat puzzled, as it seemed he had run much faster today.
... ...
An elderly man from the village hurried out, grabbed Sun Changming, and smiled, saying: "Children do not understand, Master Cha, please do not take offense to him."
In a small, dilapidated house, the cooking smoke rises, and before long, a pot of porridge is ready.
At the edge of the village, there is a house that has partially collapsed. A seven or eight-year-old girl, sucking her finger, sits on the threshold of a broken door, gazing out. Upon seeing Sun Changming's figure, she excitedly rushes out, calling: "Brother!"
Sun Changming sat waiting for the meal, taking a deep breath of the aroma of the food. Han Mei was clumsy at everything, leaving nothing behind when she ate, but she possessed one truly remarkable talent: she was exceptionally good at cooking.
Sun Changming shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's gone."
Then, that familiar warmth came again from the little loach. Unlike the last time, this warmth did not dissipate; instead, it began to circulate within Sun Changming's body
The sound gradually faded away, and Sun Changming let out a sigh, only to realize that his entire body was already drenched in cold sweat
Saying this, he pulled Sun Changming back.
Suddenly, he slapped his forehead: "It's late."
Sun Changming told her, and she took it down very seriously. However, the next day upon waking up, she forgot it. After her elder brother left, she sat on the threshold eating her fingers, giving the impression that a whole day's wait was just to confront her elder brother this once
Head of the class: "Otherwise, how could it be called 'Juehu Village'? Anyone who enters the village will die out in three years, leaving no descendants."
He then moved his body slightly, drew a small knife from his waist, and plunged it into the river. A chill ran through him, causing his entire body to tense up
He thrust a knife into the river clam, seized the pearl, and left
Suddenly, a warm current emanated from the little loach, spreading into Sun Changming's limbs and bones, dispelling the chill that enveloped him
Wow
Sun Changming has no time to pay attention; this is already his limit. Delaying for even a moment could leave him frozen stiff, forever submerged at the bottom of the river
As the sky gradually darkened, Sun Changyan began to doze off
Uncertain how much time had passed, suddenly a gigantic blood-red eyeball appeared outside that crack
The team leader also felt a sense of fear towards Juehu Village, and after a moment of hesitation, he agreed: "Alright..."
The sun gradually tilted to the west, and Sun Changming felt anxious in his heart. He swam into a body of water and suddenly sensed a hint of warmth. Sun Changming was overjoyed and quickly began to search. Somewhere at the bottom of the river, a faint yellow light was emanating.
Hmph! The person with the small and large eyes snorted angrily, gathered their belongings with the class leader, and left with a flourish
The officials were packing up their belongings when a frail little boy came running from the village, holding a pearl in his hand: "Tax, tax..."