The Fire Spring was encircled by stones, its mist and vapor steaming upward. In this world shrouded entirely in night, it shone with particular brilliance.
Qin Ming crouched down and fished a glowing stone from the pool. It was more lustrous than red coral, radiating rosy light in all directions.
The sun stones used by every household came from the Fire Spring. When the stones extinguished, they could be returned here, and after a period of time would recover their original state.
The entire pool glowed with fiery red light, though it resembled magma in its brilliant redness, it was far from reaching the temperature of a human body's surface.
The pool shimmered with rippling waves, firelight dancing across it. It was neither true fire nor spring water, but a very special substance.
Now that daylight no longer existed and night reigned eternal, only the distinction between shallow night and deep night remained.
In such an era, the Fire Spring was exceptionally important.
Whether it was the mutated grain Silver Wheat, or ordinary crops like ground potatoes, all crops required the irrigation of the Fire Spring to grow.
Moreover, humans who went without seeing the Fire Spring for years would feel unwell.
It could be said to be the foundation upon which people's survival depended.
In this world without daylight, four seasons could still be distinguished.
Spring and summer were the Fire Spring's active period, when it gushed forth abundantly to meet the needs of farming.
Winter was its dormant period. For example, here in Twin Tree Village, though the pool still glowed brightly, it could only be used to nourish sun stones for lighting.
Overall, in the age without daylight, people lived by "chasing fire."
The Fire Spring stood out so prominently in the darkness that it naturally attracted the gaze of various creatures lurking in the shadows. Fortunately, each had its own territory, and for the most part, a certain balance could be maintained.
Twin Tree Village lacked food primarily because the harvest season had been raided by strange birds. When their beaks touched the wheat ears, it was like a sickle slicing through—one bite left clusters of stalks completely bare.
Additionally, there had been ant plagues, and some human factors as well, leading to near-famine conditions as winter approached.
Now it was shallow night, when the darkness was relatively lighter, and occasionally "ground lights" would rise in the distance, making the blurry outlines of dense forests faintly visible.
As for deep night—then nothing could be seen at all. Everything fell silent, the night so black it was unsettling.
Qin Ming pondered when he could venture out to address the severe food shortage.
He gazed toward the wilderness, which was pitch black. He couldn't see distant scenery. The snow had long since risen above chest height, making the living environment extremely harsh.
At the village edge, the Fire Spring illuminated a bright patch of ground.
A cold wind swept past the Fire Pool, which measured about ten feet square. Rippling waves shimmered across its surface. The black and white twin trees within the pool rustled and shook down accumulated snow, which scattered brilliantly in the fiery glow.
The leaves of the two trees had a slight jade-like quality, unafraid of bitter cold. However, besides having the effect of repelling mosquitoes in summer, they served little practical purpose.
Qin Ming felt the cold snowflakes falling from the trees onto his neck and came back to his senses. No matter what, he needed to rest his body a bit longer. It was extremely dangerous outside.
He retraced his path back. Each household's lights flickered, while behind him the wilderness was utterly dark, all things withered, like a great beast ready to swallow everything.
Qin Ming stood in the courtyard, performing various specific movements in his training. He was very skilled and fluid, as he had done this for years—it had almost become instinctive.
After a long while, sweat appeared on his forehead and warmth spread through his body before he finally stopped.
He entered his room and took out a miniature crystal bottle, only the length of a thumb. It was delicately carved, transparent and exquisite, containing blue liquid with ice crystals within.
He carefully held it up, examining it against the firelight emanating from the sun stone.
Two characters were engraved on the tiny bottle: Mineral Essence.
The liquid inside was an intoxicating blue. When gently shaken, blue mist flowed within the bottle, creating a dreamlike effect.
Qin Ming restrained the impulse and did not open the small bottle, as he had only recently recovered from a serious illness. Using the blue liquid would do more harm than good.
This was something he had obtained by chance in a dangerous area of the mountains. Before that, he had only heard of "Mineral Essence" but had never actually come into contact with such a precious substance.
When the human body was adjusted to its optimal state, using it could improve one's constitution and invigorate the spirit.
After escaping from the mountains, he had fallen seriously ill and never had the chance to try it.
"Perhaps in a few more days I'll be able to use it." Qin Ming stored away the exquisitely crafted crystal bottle.
A cold wind blew past, and scattered snowflakes drifted down.
Qin Ming lived alone. The quiet courtyard was cold and desolate, even somewhat barren.
He had grown accustomed to it.
As time passed, the night deepened. Shallow night was coming to an end.
Lu Ze arrived, accompanied by a boy about five years old. Though bundled up warmly, the child's little face was still flushed red from the cold.
"Wenrui has grown a bit taller." Qin Ming gestured to measure the boy's height.
"Little Uncle, are you feeling better?" Lu Wenrui looked up with concern. His eyes were large and clear—the age of innocent charm.
Qin Ming smiled in response. "No problems now. In a few days, Little Uncle will catch you that 'Language Sparrow' you've been dreaming about."
"A Language Sparrow that can talk to people? Really? That's wonderful!" Young Wenrui's face lit up with delight, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Things have been strange outside lately," Lu Ze said, handing a food container to Qin Ming and advising him not to rush out.
Though rock rice was relatively coarse and hard in texture, Qin Ming's mouth watered at the sight. With only two meals a day, he was truly hungry. The rock rice even contained a few red dates, exceptionally soft and smooth, sweet and fragrant.
Qin Ming noticed that little Wenrui was staring intently, swallowing hard.
Feeling guilty, he crouched down. "Wenrui, tell Little Uncle—are you still not full?"
Lu Ze shook his head. "That's not it. He's probably just excited about seeing the red dates."
Qin Ming immediately picked out the few red dates and offered them to the pretty, simple-hearted little boy.
Lu Ze stopped him. "Your sister-in-law specifically put those in to help replenish your blood and qi. Don't pick them out for him."
At that moment, Liang Wanqing also arrived. Looking at Wenrui, she said, "Your Uncle Qin is weak right now. There's no meat or medicinal supplements available. Don't be greedy."
She wasn't a bad person. She had earlier thought that Qin Ming, like the other three villagers, wouldn't survive, and helping him would be useless—hence the argument with her husband. Now seeing him beginning to recover, no longer delirious, Liang Wanqing, even knowing her family's food reserves were nearly depleted, still wanted to help.
Young Wenrui obediently nodded, blinking his big eyes. "Little Uncle, please eat quickly. Get well soon. I'm not hungry anymore."
How could Qin Ming continue eating? He insisted on feeding the dates to little Wenrui, while feeling terrible inside. He absolutely had to venture into the dense forest soon.
He felt deeply grateful to the couple but didn't offer many pleasantries, instead asking them about the current situation outside.
Liang Wanqing chatted for a while before returning home, as they had another child over two years old to care for.
"Lately, enormous creatures have appeared in the dense forest, causing some deaths and injuries..." Lu Ze told him that going out alone was impossible now. It was extremely dangerous outside.
Qin Ming nodded, listening attentively.
Whether it was because the blizzard had been raging and mountain beasts were having difficulty finding food, or some other reason, the activity in the wilderness was intense.
What particularly caught Qin Ming's attention was that the area where he had contracted his strange illness had once seen pupils brighter than sun stones slash through the mountain darkness, causing the dense forest to fall instantly silent.
When he heard this, Qin Ming inevitably thought back to his dangerous experience a month ago.
That day, in the pitch-black mountain forest, he and three companions had suddenly stepped on empty air and plunged into a ground fissure.
The underground was extremely abnormal—after absolute darkness came blinding light that made his eyes ache and tears flow continuously.
Most unsettling was that his heart began beating beyond its capacity, like a furious drumbeat. The powerful sound actually resonated outside his chest cavity.
Recalling this moment, he still felt lingering fear.
At that instant, he couldn't move. The blood in his entire body surged faster, and in his daze, he heard the sound of a waterfall.
Qin Ming thought he would die, convinced his heart would explode.
Soon, the depths of the fissure became less blinding. He saw streak after streak of silver light, like silkworm threads or spider webs, intertwining and making one's consciousness disoriented, losing all sense of space.
At the time, Qin Ming was dizzy and disoriented, while his three companions had fainted completely.
It wasn't until the silver light vanished abruptly and total darkness descended that Qin Ming's heartbeat gradually returned to normal, and he could move again. He carried his three companions out of the fissure one by one, and it took a long time for them to regain consciousness.
During this process, Qin Ming discovered several corpses not far from the fissure, well-dressed and likely dead not long ago.
Following the frugal principle of not wasting anything, he quickly searched them. The crystal vial containing the blue liquid was found at that time.
Qin Ming hadn't mentioned the vial to Lu Ze. The dead individuals clearly had important backgrounds, and he feared causing trouble.
The mountains were full of fierce beasts. He assumed nothing would remain there, and all traces would be erased.
On their way back to the village, Qin Ming and the others gradually began to feel unwell, staggering as they walked, their consciousness growing hazy.
The three companions died on the day they returned, their entire bodies blackened. Only Qin Ming endured for a month before recovering.
After eating the rough rice, Qin Ming chatted with Lu Ze for a long time.
Wenrui was very sensible, listening quietly nearby.
Then the atmosphere lightened. Qin Ming looked at the slightly shy boy. "Wenrui, after Uncle recovers, you can have all the dates and hazelnuts you want."
"Will there be meat? I... haven't eaten it in a long time." Little Wenrui whispered, unable to stop swallowing again, as if recalling the flavors of the past. His rosy little face was filled with hope.
"There will be!" Qin Ming affectionately ruffled his hair.
The night deepened. Lu Ze stood up and left with Wenrui.
Inside the room, the light from the sun stone in the copper basin had dimmed.
Qin Ming sat in silence with his eyes closed, forming an image of himself in his mind. He practiced various specific movements, training his mental strength until his mind finally emptied.
The instant he opened his eyes, he faintly glimpsed a weak silver light flash and vanish.
"An illusion?" Qin Ming was startled.
Though it had been just a fleeting glimpse, he believed he hadn't misseen it. There had indeed been faint silver ripples dissipating from his body's surface, disappearing in a flash.
He had persisted with this special training method for many years, but there had never been any "response." Today, an anomaly had finally appeared!
Qin Ming discovered that his body was covered with a layer of fine sweat, as if he had just undergone intense exercise, yet he felt invigorated.
He went to the courtyard, his eyes gleaming, and demonstrated that set of specific movements with his body.
He was completely absorbed. Soon his body began to heat up, a vibrant vitality expanding within him, like light rain falling on a long-parched desert.
After a long time, Qin Ming was drenched in sweat, with white vapor rising from his head. His entire body felt wonderfully comfortable, and it seemed the lingering illness had been expelled with the copious perspiration.
Until he felt exhausted and stopped this special training, he genuinely saw extremely faint silver light emerge from his body's surface, then quickly fade.
"This time it's really different." This time he saw it clearly.
Qin Ming felt a sense of exhilaration, and a genuine warmth flowed within his body, slowly nourishing him everywhere. His spirit and vitality were growing ever stronger.
After a brief rest, he wanted to continue practicing those specific movements, but his stomach growled. Hunger struck, even though he had already eaten dinner.
Qin Ming immediately stopped, not daring to deplete his energy further. He couldn't bear to go ask Lu Ze for food again.
His entire body was soaked, clothes completely drenched with sweat. He went to heat water and wash up.
Qin Ming looked at his delicate reflection in the water basin—no longer pale, but with color returning. He murmured to himself, "Almost recovered. I'll set out tomorrow morning."
He didn't want to trouble others or become a burden. Once he could move about, he wanted to resolve the food problem as quickly as possible and escape his current predicament.
Qin Ming returned the extinguished sun stone to the Fire Spring, taking only a small piece on his way back to light his path.
The lights in each household dimmed one after another, and the entire village merged into darkness.
On the cold winter night, a strong wind arose. Snow from the wilderness was swept up, a vast white expanse, with much of it falling into the village, submerging many courtyards.
"So hungry!" Before it was even time to sleep, Qin Ming was famished. His stomach felt like it was on fire. Forget about delicious food—if there were a ground rat before him, he would eat it right then.
Unfortunately, in such times, even the rat holes in the village lay barren.
Qin Ming tried to hypnotize himself into sleeping early, but the hunger gnawed so fiercely he couldn't possibly drift off.
He forced himself to divert his attention, thinking of pleasant people and things, like those blurry faces in his heart.
Then he thought again about his special training method—it was really different now. It had finally begun showing "responses," causing extremely faint silver ripples to appear on his body's surface. This filled him with anticipation. What changes would come next?
His thoughts then drifted to the sweet, fresh berries buried under the ice and snow in the dense forest, and the lamb leg roasted golden and glistening over the campfire.
"I'm crossing the line—how can I think about these things!" He quickly pinched himself.
He decided to set out as soon as shallow night arrived. Everything was to fulfill little Wenrui's wish as soon as possible. Then he couldn't help swallowing.
Accompanied by his longing and anticipation for food, Qin Ming finally drifted slowly to sleep.