15: Section 15

“The clear river temporarily turned into a sewage river.”

“After catching and eating some fish raw, you walked upstream along the river, only to faintly hear a cry for help.”

“Looking closely, you saw a little girl about your age being swept down from upstream, struggling in the middle of the river, on the verge of sinking completely.”

“You didn't hesitate; you jumped into the river and swam towards the little girl. Catching the turtle earlier had given you excellent swimming skills.”

“After rescuing the little girl, you carefully examined her appearance.”

“You had never seen such a beautiful girl; she was exquisitely delicate, like an elf from a fairy tale.”

“The silk clothes she wore indicated her extraordinary status.”

At this point, the scene switched from a third-person perspective to a first-person perspective, and Su Mo also saw the little girl's appearance from this first-person view.

The little girl was about ten years old, with fair skin that glowed pink, tightly closed eyes with long, dense eyelashes, and cherry-red lips that seemed painted even without color. At a glance, she was stunningly beautiful.

Seeing this little girl, Su Mo immediately felt a surge of sinful thoughts.

Amitabha.

A sin, a sin.

Even thinking is forbidden.

Even thinking is against the law.

...

“Just as you were admiring her, the little girl also woke up at this moment, her large, watery eyes staring straight at you.”

“A soft, gentle voice came.”

“Did you save me?”

“Just as you were about to answer, a sound of horse hooves came from afar.”

“As an escaped slave, you thought you had been discovered and were being chased, so you abandoned the little girl and ran towards the distant forest.”

“In the forest, you hid carefully, peering out through the grass.”

“You saw a troop of cavalry approaching from upstream. The leader, seeing the little girl safe and sound, breathed a sigh of relief and immediately led his men to dismount and kneel before the little girl, muttering something unintelligibly.”

“The little girl pouted, glanced in your direction, and ultimately said nothing, then left with the cavalry.”

“As the little girl departed.”

“You felt a sense of loss.”

“As if a piece of your heart was missing, having gone far away with that little girl.”

“You dared not walk by the river again, fearing you might encounter someone else. So you headed towards the boundless wilderness in the southwest direction.”

“Along the way, when you were thirsty, you drank from small puddles, and when hungry, you picked some berries or set traps to catch small wild animals.”

“Fortunately, you were born with the strength of an ox, and your Physique was exceptionally strong, so even with such continuous exertion, your body did not fall ill.”

“Until this day, you arrived at a mountain range. The mountains stretched endlessly, and from the outside, it was impossible to tell how deep, how long, or how wide they were.”

“You were very happy, because you could build your own secret stronghold here, and with the abundance of wild animals in these mountains, it was completely enough for you to be self-sufficient.”

“However, just as you were looking forward to the future, as soon as you stepped into these towering mountains, you stepped into a trap, and your legs were hoisted onto a tree by a hemp rope.”

“Even with all your strength, you couldn't break free.”

“You were hung for two days and two nights. Just as your body was extremely weak, a group of Qiang people arrived.”

“This was a trap they had set to catch wild beasts. Seeing you hanging there, the Qiang people were very concerned about your safety. They quickly untied you and fed you some water and dried rice.”

“With some food in your stomach, you slowly opened your eyes and saw these kind-hearted Qiang people.”

“You were initially panicked, but then you felt their kindness, and you gradually calmed down.”

“The language of the Qiang people and the Shang people is the same.”

“The leader of this group asked where you came from, and you told him that you were a slave who had escaped from the Shang Dynasty.”

“Upon learning that you were a slave, everyone's eyes immediately filled with sympathy.”

“The Qiang people harbored a deep hatred for the Shang people because the Shang people treated them like cattle and sheep. Therefore, seeing you as a slave, they felt a strong sense of empathy.”

“The Qiang leader then spoke.”

“You certainly can't go back to the Shang people's territory. From now on, you'll come with me.”

“Upon hearing this, you immediately knelt heavily before the Qiang leader. What he said was offering you a way to live.”

“It was an endless kindness!”

Chapter 18: Death of the Xuan Bird, An Omen of Great Calamity

“You followed these people back to their tribe.”

In the scene, the Qiang people lived in a mountain hollow.

Scattered throughout the hollow were simple thatched huts, all built from tree branches and plastered with a thick layer of yellow mud on the outside.

This yellow mud contained dried grass, making the structures very sturdy overall.

Looking at the place where the Qiang people lived in the scene, Su Mo couldn't help but feel fortunate.

He was lucky to have undergone Transmigration to the Great Song Dynasty.

If he had Transmigrationed to this ancient place, life would have been unimaginably hard.

At this moment.

The scene continued.

...

“After initial understanding, you discovered that the Qiang people were essentially no different from savages; they had no unified civilization or Dynasty, scattered across various regions like wolf packs.”

“And you temporarily settled down.”

“Here, you spent a beautiful, unforgettable, and fulfilling time.”

“Every morning before dawn, the Qiang leader would call all the men in the tribe to go hunting. Because of your great strength, you could kill a fierce beast almost without tools.”

“Seeing your bravery, the Qiang people believed you were an envoy sent by the gods, and your status in the tribe rose steadily.”

“The Qiang people's hunting methods and tools were very primitive. Their hunting methods included setting traps, chasing prey, and killing prey with spears or bows and arrows.”

“The longbows were made from a type of wood called yew found in these mountains, and the bowstrings were made from rhinoceros sinew, making them very resilient when pulled.”

“However, these Qiang people did not know how to cast bronze, so the quality of their arrowheads was very poor, made from polished stone or bone.”

“But such arrows, when shot, tended to fly crookedly, with very poor accuracy. They were accurate within ten meters, but beyond ten meters, it was entirely up to luck.”

“In these mountains, you discovered an open-pit Ore deposit full of red copper. You were very happy when you saw it and began suggesting to the Qiang leader to build a furnace and forge copper tools.”

“Most of the Qiang people's tools were made of fired pottery, and the few bronze artifacts they had were seized from the Shang people.”

“When the Qiang leader learned that you could cast bronze, he was very happy. If they obtained bronze weapons, their hunting efficiency would greatly increase.”

“Immediately, after you performed a divination, on an auspicious day, three furnaces were built.”

“Baskets of red copper Ore were transported from the other side of the mountain, and the furnace fires burned day and night.”

“Soon, you obtained the first batch of copper ingots.”

“Although the first batch of copper ingots had many Impurities, the items made from them were still more durable than those made of pottery, stone, or bone.”

“However, your first copper artifact was not a weapon or a tool, but a three-legged bronze cauldron.”

“Bronze cauldrons could be used for cooking or to commemorate important days.”

“You then engraved eight inscriptions on it.”

“'Today's first copper casting, great fortune'”

“In the following days, you cast eight more bronze cauldrons with the remaining copper ingots, and these nine bronze cauldrons replaced the former tradition of cooking with pottery. Everyone in the tribe was very happy, because they could also eat with bronze cauldrons.”

“After making the bronze cauldrons, you began to make bronze arrowheads.”

“After equipping the arrows with sturdy and wear-resistant bronze arrowheads, the tribe's hunting level began to rise sharply. Wild beasts were caught in such abundance that there was too much to eat, and the women had to slice the meat into strips and smoke it over a fire.”

“After smoking, the dried meat could be preserved for an additional month.”

“When people are well-fed and clothed, they think of procreation.”

“After solving the most basic problem of food and clothing, the tribe went wild with procreation day and night, and two women were sent to your house.”

“What do you choose?”

“Option 1: Go for it.”

“Option 2: Don't go for it.”

...

Seeing the options.

Su Mo's eyes narrowed.

He immediately chose to refuse.

For no other reason than that these two women were simply too ugly.

One had coarse features and a dark complexion, while the other had rough skin and a dull expression.

To make himself watch such a live spring palace scene would be nothing short of torture.

“You decisively refused the request of these two women to serve you, and at the same time, you told the Qiang leader that you already had a woman you liked and were not interested in other women.”

“The Qiang leader was somewhat disappointed that he couldn't get your seed, then he led the two most beautiful women of the tribe to his own room.”

“You, having escaped a calamity, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the image of that little girl from before couldn't help but surface in your mind.”

“You are fifteen years old; that little girl should have grown up just like you.”

“Days passed, and in the year you turned sixteen, news came from afar.”

“The Divine Beast that had guarded the Shang people for generations, the Xuan Bird, had died.”

“No one knew how the Xuan Bird died, but the Shang people were plunged into immense panic. In the eyes of the Shang people, who believed in ghosts and gods, this was a curse from heaven.”

“Not long after this news, another piece of news arrived.”

“King of Shang, Di Xin, had contracted a terminal illness and was not long for this world.”

“He was in a coma all day.”

“According to the divination of the Great Priest, a woman with a pure Yin fate was needed to marry the Shang King for his condition to improve.”

“After selection, the daughter of Marquis Su Hu of Ji Province was chosen to marry the comatose Shang King, becoming the Queen of the Great Shang Dynasty.”

“These messages came from distant Qiang people, and when you learned of them, they were actually news from several months or even a year ago.”

“You were very worried about your father.”

“Because you knew very well that if someone like the Shang King fell ill, the first thing he would do would definitely not be to marry a Queen to bring good luck.”

“Instead, it would be to sacrifice slaves to ghosts and gods, and even many high-ranking nobles.”

“You didn't know if your father would be chosen.”

“But you couldn't go back, and even if you did, it would be of no use. You could only bury this matter in your heart and continue living your life day after day.”

“Two more years passed like this.”

“A sudden change occurred.”

“A group of Shang cavalry soldiers appeared from unknown origins and surrounded you, who were hunting in the wilderness.”

“During this, you fought desperately and killed many cavalrymen.”

“Your bravery attracted the attention of all the Shang people. A warrior as powerful as you was the best sacrifice for ancestors and ghosts and gods.”

“One like you might only appear once every few decades.”

“All the Shang cavalry began to attack you. They ignored the other Qiang people; as long as they could capture you, everything they had expended would be worth it.”

“Facing the encirclement of hundreds of cavalrymen, you gradually grew tired.”

“Even though your body was as strong as a wild ox, you still felt immense fatigue.”