Chapter 3: Fire Spring

The Fire Spring is surrounded by stones, with smoke and mist rising, making it appear even more radiant in a world where the night stretches endlessly. Qin Ming crouched down and fished out a glowing stone from the pool, its luster even more exquisite than red coral, emitting a glow that illuminated the surroundings.

The Sun Stones used by every family are sourced from the Fire Spring. After the stones extinguish, they can be returned here and will recover to their original state after a period of time.

The pool was filled with fiery red light, glowing like molten lava, but its temperature was far lower than that of the human body.

The pool's surface shimmered, with the firelight flickering. It wasn't true fire, nor was it spring water, but a very special substance.

Now, with daylight gone and the night eternal, only the distinction between shallow and deep nights remained.

In such an era, the Fire Spring was of utmost importance.

Whether it was the mutated grains of Silver Wheat or the common crops like tubers, all crops needed the irrigation from the Fire Spring to grow.

Moreover, humans would suffer without the Fire Spring for extended periods.

It could be said that it was the fundamental source of survival.

In a world without daylight, the four seasons could still be distinguished.

During the spring and summer, the Fire Spring was at its most active, surging forth to meet the needs of farming.

In winter, it entered its dormant phase. For instance, in Shuangshu Village, although the pool remained bright, it could only be used to warm the Sun Stones for lighting purposes.

Overall, in an age without daylight, people "live by the fire."

The Fire Spring stood out so prominently in the night that it naturally attracted the attention of various creatures lurking in the darkness. However, thanks to territorial boundaries, most of the time, a balance could be maintained.

Shuangshu Village lacked food mainly due to a sudden bird attack during the harvest season. When the bird's beak touched the wheat spikes, it cut through like a sickle, leaving only bare patches.

There had also been ant infestations and other human-related factors, which resulted in the village nearly starving in the winter.

It was shallow night now, with the darkness relatively faint, and occasional "earth lights" rose in the distance, faintly revealing the outlines of the dense forest.

As for deep night, nothing could be seen. Everything fell silent, and the darkness was so thick it was suffocating.

Qin Ming wondered when he could leave and solve the food shortage crisis.

He looked out into the wilderness, where it was very dark, and the distant scenery was invisible. The snow had long since piled up to chest height, making the environment harsh.

At the village's entrance, the Fire Spring cast a bright light.

A cold wind blew, and the fire pool, about ten feet square, shimmered. The black and white twin trees in the pool gently shook off the accumulated snowflakes, which sparkled and glowed in the fire's radiance.

The leaves of the two trees had a jade-like texture, resistant to the cold, but apart from repelling mosquitoes in summer, they were of little use.

Qin Ming felt the cold snowflakes falling onto his neck, and then snapped back to reality. He realized that he needed to build his strength before venturing outside. The outside was far too dangerous.

He retraced his steps and returned, with lanterns from various households flickering. Behind him, the wilderness remained pitch dark, with everything decaying, like a giant beast waiting to devour everything.

Standing in the yard, Qin Ming practiced various specific movements, incredibly skillful and fluid, as he had been doing this for years. It had become almost second nature.

After a long time, he felt sweat on his forehead, and warmth spread through his body, before finally stopping.

He entered the house and took out a small crystal bottle, only as long as his thumb. It was finely crafted, transparent, and contained a blue liquid with ice crystals floating in it.

He carefully held it up to the light from the Sun Stone to inspect.

The small bottle was engraved with two characters: "Mineral Essence."

The liquid inside was intoxicatingly blue. When shaken gently, a blue mist swirled inside the bottle, giving off a dreamlike feeling.

Qin Ming restrained his impulse and did not open the bottle because he had just recovered from a serious illness. Using the blue liquid would be harmful, not beneficial.

He had found it unexpectedly in a dangerous area of the mountains. Before this, he had only heard of "Mineral Essence" but had never come into contact with such a rare substance.

Using it after the body has adjusted to its optimal state can improve physical condition and restore mental clarity.

After escaping the mountains, he had fallen ill and never had a chance to try it.

"Maybe in a few days, I can use it." Qin Ming put the exquisitely crafted crystal bottle away.

A cold wind blew, and scattered snowflakes drifted down.

Qin Ming lived alone in a quiet, desolate yard, which felt almost abandoned.

He had grown accustomed to it.

As time passed, the night deepened, and shallow night came to an end.

Lu Ze arrived, accompanied by a boy about five years old. Despite being wrapped tightly, his small face was still flushed from the cold.

"Little Uncle, have you gotten better?" Lu Wenrui, the boy, looked up at Qin Ming with concern, his large, clear eyes full of innocence and sweetness.

Qin Ming smiled and replied, "I'm fine now. In a few days, I'll catch the 'Yuqiao' you've been wanting."

"A talking Yuqiao? Really? That's great!" Little Wenrui's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Things have been strange outside recently," Lu Ze spoke up, handing a food box to Qin Ming, urging him not to go out too soon.

The rock rice was rough and hard, but it made Qin Ming's mouth water. Having only two meals a day, he was genuinely hungry. Surprisingly, there were a few red dates mixed in with the rice, soft and delicate, sweet and fragrant.

Qin Ming noticed that Little Wenrui was staring at it and swallowing.

He felt guilty, crouched down, and asked, "Wenrui, tell me, are you still hungry?"

Lu Ze shook his head. "It's nothing. He's probably just staring at the dates."

Qin Ming immediately picked out a few dates and handed them to the beautiful, simple little boy.

Lu Ze stopped him. "Those were put in for you by your aunt to help restore your energy. Don't pick them out for him."

At this moment, Liang Wanqing also arrived, looking at Wenrui. "Your Little Uncle is weak and doesn't have meat or supplements right now. Don't be greedy."

She wasn't a bad person. Initially, she thought Qin Ming wouldn't survive like the other three villagers and that it would be useless to help him, which led to arguments with her husband. Now, seeing him improving and no longer lethargic, despite knowing the family's food stores were running low, Liang Wanqing still wanted to help.

Little Wenrui nodded obediently, blinking his big eyes. "Little Uncle, eat quickly, get better soon. I'm not hungry anymore."

Qin Ming couldn't possibly eat, insisting on feeding the dates to Wenrui, feeling uncomfortable. He knew he had to venture into the dense forest soon.

He appreciated the couple's kindness but didn't say any polite words. Instead, he asked about the current situation outside.

After chatting for a while, Liang Wanqing left, as there was a two-year-old child at home to take care of.

"Recently, there have been large creatures appearing in the dense forest, and some people have been injured or killed…" Lu Ze informed him that it wasn't safe to go out alone. The outside was extremely dangerous. Qin Ming nodded, listening intently.

It was unclear whether it was due to the violent snowstorms or the mountain beasts struggling to find food, but there was a lot of movement in the wilderness.

Especially in the area where Qin Ming had contracted the strange disease, there had been pupils brighter than Sun Stones cutting through the mountain's darkness, causing the forest to fall into an eerie silence.

When he heard this, Qin Ming inevitably thought of the dangerous experience from a month ago.

That day, in the pitch-black mountain forest, he and his three companions suddenly stepped on empty ground and fell into a crevice.

The underground environment was quite unusual. After the extreme darkness, there was a blinding light that caused intense pain in the eyes, with tears flowing endlessly.

What troubled him most was that his heart began to beat at an overwhelming rate, as if it were a violent drumbeat. The powerful sound could even be heard outside his chest.

When recalling this, he still felt uneasy.

At that moment, he couldn't move. His blood flowed faster, and in his dazed state, he heard the sound of a waterfall.

Qin Ming thought he would die, feeling as though his heart might explode.

Soon, the blinding light deep in the crevice faded. He saw a series of silver lights, like silkworm threads or spider webs, interwoven together, causing disorientation and a loss of spatial awareness.

At that time, Qin Ming's head was dizzy, while his other companions had fainted.

It wasn't until the silver light suddenly disappeared and total darkness returned that Qin Ming's heartbeat gradually returned to normal, and his body regained movement. He first rescued the three companions from the crevice, and they took a long time to wake up.

During this process, Qin Ming also discovered several corpses not far from the crevice. They wore decent clothes and appeared to have died not long ago.

Adhering to the principle of not wasting, he quickly inspected them and found a small crystal vial containing blue liquid, which he picked up at that time.

Qin Ming never mentioned the vial to Lu Ze because the deceased individuals clearly had some background, and he was afraid of causing trouble.

There were many wild beasts in the mountains, and he assumed nothing would remain there. Any trace would be wiped out.

On their way back to the village, Qin Ming and his companions gradually felt unwell, stumbling as they walked, their consciousness starting to grow hazy.

The three companions died the same day they returned, their bodies turning black, while Qin Ming took a month to recover.

After eating some brown rice, Qin Ming talked with Lu Ze for a long time.

Wen Rui was very sensible and quietly listened nearby.

Afterwards, the atmosphere lightened, and Qin Ming looked at the slightly shy boy and said, "Wen Rui, after Uncle gets better, I'll get you all the dates and hazelnuts you want."

"Is there meat? I... haven't had any in a long time," Wen Rui said softly, swallowing instinctively, his rosy little face full of longing.

"There will be!" Qin Ming said indulgently, patting his head.

As night deepened, Lu Ze stood up and took Wen Rui away.

In the room, the light from the Sunstone in the copper basin dimmed.

Qin Ming closed his eyes, sitting still, mentally visualizing his own figure and practicing various specific movements, performing mental exercises until his mind was completely empty.

When he opened his eyes, he vaguely saw a faint silver light flash and disappear.

"Was that an illusion?" Qin Ming was stunned.

Although it was a fleeting glance, he believed he hadn't been mistaken. There was indeed a faint silver ripple on his body that dissipated quickly.

He had been using this special training method for many years, but there had never been any "movement." Today, however, there was an anomaly!

Qin Ming noticed that a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his body, as though he had undergone intense physical exertion, but he felt energized.

He went outside, his gaze shining, and began performing those specific movements with his body.

He was fully immersed, and soon his body began to heat up, a vigorous life force expanding like light rain falling on a parched desert.

After a long time, Qin Ming was drenched in sweat, mist rising from his head. He felt extremely comfortable, as if the remaining sickness had been expelled with all the sweat.

When he felt exhausted and stopped his special training, he clearly saw a faint silver light appear on his body's surface before quickly fading.

"It really is different now," he said, feeling satisfied.

Qin Ming had a sense of joy, and there was a real warmth flowing inside him, slowly nourishing his whole body. His energy seemed to grow stronger.

After a brief rest, he wanted to practice those specific movements again, but his stomach growled, and the hunger hit him even though he had already had dinner.

Qin Ming immediately stopped, not daring to expend more energy. He couldn't bring himself to ask Lu Ze for food again.

His whole body was damp, his clothes completely soaked with sweat. He went to boil water to wash up.

Looking at his clear face reflected in the water basin, no longer pale but with a healthy flush, he muttered, "Almost recovered, I'll set off tomorrow morning."

He didn't want to be a burden to others. Once he could move, he wanted to quickly resolve the food issue and escape his current predicament.

Qin Ming returned the extinguished Sunstone to the Fire Spring, and on the way back, he only took a small piece to light his path.

The lights from each house gradually dimmed, and the entire village was engulfed by darkness.

A cold winter wind began to blow, and the snow outside was swept up, covering everything in a blanket of white. Much of it fell into the village, submerging many courtyards.

"I'm so hungry!" Before it was time to sleep, Qin Ming couldn't stand it any longer. His stomach felt like it was on fire. Never mind delicious food, even a gopher in front of him would be devoured.

Unfortunately, with the current conditions, the rat holes in the village were desolate.

Qin Ming tried to hypnotize himself to sleep early, but the hunger made him anxious, and he couldn't fall asleep at all.

He forced himself to think of pleasant people and things, such as the vague faces in his mind.

Then he thought about his special training method, which had really changed, as it had begun to show some "movement," with faint silver ripples briefly appearing on his body. This made him very excited to see what changes might come next.

His thoughts wandered, and he imagined the sweet berries under the snow-covered forest and the golden, oily lamb legs roasting on the campfire.

"I'm crossing the line, how can I think about these things!" He quickly pinched himself.

He decided to leave as soon as the night deepened. Everything was to fulfill Wen Rui's wishes, and then he couldn't help but swallow again.

With his desire for food and longing, Qin Ming finally slowly fell asleep.