The Stone Village is hidden among the vast and wild mountain ranges, surrounded by towering peaks and deep valleys, with numerous majestic mountains standing tall.
In the early morning, the brilliant morning glow spills like fragmented gold, bringing a warm and cozy feeling.
A group of children, ranging from four or five to over ten years old, about several dozen in number, are exercising in the open area in front of the village, facing the morning glow and making humming and hawing sounds. The tender faces of the children are filled with seriousness. The older children have vigorous and powerful movements, while the younger ones imitate them earnestly.
A middle-aged man with a strong body like a tiger or leopard, dressed in animal skins, has a bronze complexion and black hair casually scattered. His piercing eyes scan each child, guiding them seriously.
"At the dawn of the sun, everything begins, and vitality is the most vigorous. Although we can't absorb the morning glow and the wind as in the legends, exercising under the morning glow is definitely beneficial and can fill the human body with vitality. The plan for a day lies in the morning. Waking up early and exercising diligently every day to strengthen muscles and bones, invigorate blood and tendons, will enable us to have the capital to survive in this vast mountain range in the future." Standing in front and guiding the children, the middle-aged man has a solemn expression and warns solemnly, then shouts loudly, "Do you understand?"
"Understood!" A group of children respond in unison, their voices full of vigor.
Prehistoric creatures often appear in the mountains. Sometimes, huge wings that cover the sky pass by, casting large shadows on the ground. There are also wild beasts standing on the peaks, howling at the moon. Not to mention all kinds of poisonous insects lurking and crawling, which are terrifying.
"Understood!" A little fellow who was clearly absent-minded and responded half a beat slower shouted in a childish voice.
This is a very young child, only about one or two years old. He has only learned to walk for a few months but is exercising with the older children. Apparently, he came by himself and mingled among the older children. Actually, he shouldn't be in this group.
"Hey, huh, ha!" The little fellow makes sounds, waving his tender little arms and imitating the movements of the older children. But he is too young, his movements are crooked, his steps are staggering and wobbly. Coupled with the white milk stains remaining at the corner of his mouth, it's hard not to be amused.
A group of older children look at him, winking and making faces at each other. The originally serious morning exercise atmosphere becomes much more relaxed.
The little fellow is fair and cute, with big eyes that roll around. He is just like a porcelain doll, very adorable. His tender movements and babbling sounds are charmingly naive. This makes the old people, who are sitting cross-legged on huge stones in another area and breathing in the essence of heaven and earth, also smile.
Those tall and burly adult men, with their upper bodies naked and their tendons shining and bulging, also look over, wearing smiles on their faces. They are the strongest people in the village and the core force responsible for hunting and guarding the village. At this moment, they are also exercising. Some hold white bone clubs polished from the bones of unknown huge beasts, and some hold broad swords forged from black metal, swinging vigorously with the wind whistling like thunder.
The living environment here is extremely harsh, full of prehistoric beasts and poisonous insects. In order to obtain food and survive, many men lose their lives in the wild mountains before reaching adulthood. To survive, one must make oneself stronger. Exercising hard in the early morning is a habit formed by everyone, be they adults, the elderly or children, since childhood.
"Concentrate!" The middle-aged man who is supervising and guiding the children's exercise shouts loudly. Immediately, a group of children become serious and continue to exercise in the soft and brilliant morning glow.
"Phew... Yiya, I'm tired." The little fellow lets out a long breath and sits on the ground with a plop, watching the older children exercise. But after a while, he gets distracted again, staggers to his feet and rushes towards a bouncing multicolored bird not far away. As a result, he stumbles and falls several times in a row. But he doesn't cry. Instead, he gets up grumpily and continues to chase.
"Alright, stop!"
With a shout, all the children cheer, rub their sore hands and feet, then disperse in a rush and run towards their own homes to have breakfast.
The old people all smile and stand up from the stones. And those strong adults curse and scold for a while, scolding their own children, and walk quickly home, carrying bone clubs and broad swords.
The Stone Village is not large. There are about three hundred people, men, women, and children. The houses are all built with huge stones, simple, plain and natural.
At the village head, there is a huge lightning-struck tree with a diameter of over ten meters. At this moment, the only willow branch on the trunk has lost its luster in the morning glow and becomes ordinary.
"Oh, there's actually meat of the earth dragon. Give me a piece!"
These children are all lively and naughty. Even when having meals, they are not well-behaved. Many hold pottery bowls and come out of their homes, gathering together.
The area around the Stone Village is lush with plants and there are many fierce beasts. Although they are close to the mountains, the villagers' food is relatively insufficient. There are only some coarse wheat cakes, wild fruits, and the children's bowls can have a small amount of meat.
In fact, food shortage has always been a serious problem for the Stone Village. The mountains are very dangerous. Those strange beasts and birds are too powerful and terrifying. Every time they go hunting, someone might lose their life.
If they have a choice, the villagers are unwilling to enter the mountains. Because entering the mountains means there might be bloodshed and sacrifice.
Food is extremely precious to them and cannot be wasted. Every child understands this from a young age. Hunger, food, hunting, life and blood are all closely related.
At the village head is the courtyard of the old village chief Shi Yunfeng. It is built with huge stones and is next to the charred and huge willow tree. In front of the stove in the courtyard, the white liquid in the earthenware pot is boiling and rolling, with a rich milk fragrance. He is boiling the beast milk and from time to time throws some medicinal herbs into it, stirring slowly with a wooden spoon.
Before long, the old man shouts, "Little fellow, come and eat."
The little fellow lost his parents when he was half a year old and grew up drinking all kinds of beast milk. Now he is over one year old. Ordinary children would have been weaned long ago, but he still eats with relish and is unwilling to stop, thus often being laughed at by the older children.
"Yiya, phew... I can't run anymore." He has been persistently chasing that multicolored bird and is already out of breath. At this moment, he sits on the ground with a plop.
"Little fellow is having milk!" A group of older children jeer.
"You little rascals, you all were at his age once." The old village chief scolds with a smile.
"We weren't still having milk when we were one and a half years old, hehe."
Facing the jeers of the older children, the little fellow smiles naively. His shiny black eyes narrow into crescent moons and he doesn't care. Sitting in front of the earthenware pot and scooping the milk with a wooden spoon, he eats very sweetly.
After breakfast, several very old men in the village come to the courtyard of Village Chief Shi Yunfeng together. Although they all have white beards and hair, they are still in high spirits.
"The situation has been strange recently. There are always big creatures passing by at night and the commotion is very loud. Something must have happened deep in the mountains."
"Well, I was awakened several times last night and felt cold all over. There must be some prehistoric fierce beasts or big insects passing by here."
Several old men speak one after another. Some frown, some fall into deep thought, discussing the recent dangerous signs and all feeling that something extraordinary has happened.
"I think something extraordinary might have appeared deep in the wild mountains, attracting the attention of some ancient remnants in the surrounding areas. They have all rushed there." Old Village Chief Shi Yunfeng says after thinking.
"Could it be that a mountain treasure has appeared?" An old man's eyes widen immediately, his beard and hair standing on end and his face showing a surprised expression.
The others also show strange expressions, their eyes filled with eagerness. But soon the flames in their eyes are extinguished. That kind of thing is beyond their reach. It is deep in the mountains and no one can get there.
For so many years, no one has ever been able to go in and out alive. All kinds of powerful species appear in the mountains. Even if all the people of the Stone Village rush in together, they won't be able to make a ripple.
"Village Chief, we haven't entered the mountains for quite a few days." Just then, a strong adult man walks into the courtyard. He is the leader of the hunting team and will be the next village chief of the Stone Village.
"It's been unstable recently." Old Village Chief Shi Yunfeng frowns.
"But the food is really running out." Shi Linhu says. He is extremely tall, over two meters. Carrying a broad sword weighing over three hundred jin on his back, he is as strong as a bear. His bronze muscles bulge one by one, like swimming snakes and pythons.
"The children are growing. They can't go hungry. We have to think of a way." An old man says.
"Although it's not calm at night, there are no abnormalities during the day. I'll take some people out. We should be fine if we are careful." Shi Linhu says.
Finally, dozens of young and middle-aged men gather at the village head. Led by Village Chief Shi Yunfeng, they come to the lightning-struck tree beside and pray piously to the old willow tree.
"Sacred Spirit, please bless the villagers, let the children hunt fat and delicious prey and return safely. We will worship and provide for you with a pious heart from generation to generation."