Life in the East Star Village was really hard.
The villagers didn't dare to stray too far from the village because the wilderness was full of dangers. Not only were there wild beasts, but there were also demons. As a result, the trade routes were basically cut off for most of the time. They had to rely on self-sufficiency for everything — it was easy to understand. A small village like East Star Village had no resources or special products. It was poor. Except for the troops from Guo Town who would come every year for conscription, no merchants would be interested in such a small village because they had to bear huge risks on the way and there were no benefits to be gained.
The barren land in the village was less than 100 mu, and it was planted with a crop called summer millet. Because this plant required the least fertility of the soil, it had the highest yield, and it was the easiest to fill one's stomach. It could basically feed the whole village. As for other crops, they lacked seeds. Secondly, although they tasted good and were nutritious, their yield was low and they consumed too much land. Therefore, only a small amount of them were planted.
Most of the villagers did not have enough to eat. If it were not for the rich Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth in this world, which resulted in the excellent physique of the Human Clan, it would be difficult for them to survive in such an environment.
Apart from this, there was another reason. East Star Village, as well as all the other small human villages in the Chaos World, had been able to survive for so long. That was the army's recruitment. Outstanding warriors would be selected from the villages and sent to the frontlines to defend the borders. Basically, they would never return. The pitiful corpses by the Wuding River were like dreams. As a result, the population of many villages did not change much. Thus, this barren land was able to support generations after generations of people.
In addition, marriage had always been the top problem and the top priority for the small villages in the wilderness.
The harm of marrying close relatives had long been known to all, so it was impossible for people from the same village to marry. Every year, the army would organize a large-scale activity similar to a blind date. The army would escort men and women of the right age to go on blind dates and decide on the marriage in a short time.
In short, according to Li Mu's understanding these days, the Human Clan in this world really had a hard time reproducing.
In fact, not only the Human Clan, but according to the golden hen Columbus, all the races living in the Chaotic World had a very hard time.
The cruel natural conditions determined the cruelty of survival.
The Human Clan was supported by the army.
To put it nicely, it was the army. To put it bluntly, it was the warlords.
There were seven major warlord groups of the Human Clan, which evolved from the nine armies that had been sealed in this world in the past. Although there were internal conflicts, they were generally united against foreign enemies.
It was worth mentioning that the army had always done a good job in protecting the civilians. Even the most stupid warlord knew that without the support of the civilians, the army would become a tree without a source.
But in the end, there was another divine thing that supported the reproduction of the Human Clan.
Only where the Longevity Tree grew would there be human settlements.
This divine tree could dispel the darkness of the night, and it could also defend against the attacks of wild beasts and monsters. It had mysterious uses, and it was said that an ancient almighty figure of the human race had brought back a seed from the Immortal World. Only then was it able to cultivate this divine tree, which could be called the foundation of the human race. Because of this, this almighty figure was endlessly virtuous and was called the father of the human race.
The Longevity Tree in some big cities had a diameter of several hundred meters, and its branches and leaves were thousands of meters long. At night, the divine light it emitted was enough to stretch for thousands of miles. It could be said that it was a blessing, and it was not an exaggeration to call it a true tree god.
The main city of the seven warlord groups had at least one Tree of the Star.
The size and lush of the Tree of the Star decided the prosperity of the Human Clan.
Take the Longevity Tree in East Star Village for example. Although it had been around for some time, it was not lush enough and had begun to decline. Therefore, it was not valued much. This also caused East Star Village to have a small population and poor soil. The villagers lived hard lives.
Moreover, there were not four seasons in the Chaotic Domain Realm. There were only two seasons — the warm season and the winter season.
The warm season was equivalent to about three months on Earth. During this period, crops were planted and grown rapidly, then harvested and stored. However, the winter season was equivalent to nine months on Earth. Once winter arrived, except for the areas protected by the Longevity Tree's divine light, the wilderness would become extremely cold. Even if a martial arts expert entered the area, it was very likely that they would freeze to death in the extreme cold.
During the warm season, people would prepare and store food for the long winter. If they could not store enough food to last through the winter, it was very likely that they would starve to death or freeze to death. Every year, during the winter, there would be a large number of villagers who would die of starvation.
In addition to protecting the Human Clan, the Tree of the Star had another special ability —
Bearing fruit.
Babies could be cut out of the fruit.
Generally speaking, it would take a month for the fruit to mature.
After the baby was cut out of the fruit, it would grow up in 20 months. Usually, the baby could unlock the memory of his previous life and learn martial arts. This kind of person was called the chosen one. Usually, he would be picked up by the army and could easily become an officer.
However, the Tree of the Star was not common, and there was no pattern to it.
Some of the Longevity Trees in the villages might not bear fruit for the rest of their lives. Some of the flourishing Tree Gods might only bear fruit once a year. Some of the Longevity Trees in the smaller villages might bear fruit several times a year, or even several fruits at the same time.
The arrival of Li Mu and Columbus made all the villagers in East Star Village very excited.
But this news could only be spread when the annual conscription team arrived. Moreover, generally speaking, it would take a long time for the chosen one to grow from a baby to an adult, so they were not in a hurry to spread the news.
On the other hand, because of the fertilization of the plant ashes on the shell of the gourd that Li Mu and Columbus produced after their arrival, the longevity trees in the East Star Village finally became lush and green. They became full of vigor and immediately got rid of the state of near-death. As a result, the soil in the village became fertile.
Seeing that there would be a good harvest this year, the whole village was very happy.
Li Mu and Columbus, the golden hen who brought good luck, were liked by all the villagers.
"There is only one month left before the winter. This year's summer millet harvest is great. We don't have to take the risk to go to the wilderness to pick weeds and hunt. The millet is enough to last us through the winter. Finally, we can have a safe winter."
At dinner, Second Brother Feng said to his family with a joyful face.
"Oh, that's great." Xing Yan held the golden hen in her arms and jumped up excitedly.
She was sensible now. Last year, because there was not enough summer millet, the villagers went to the wilderness to search for food and hunt. As a result, many young men never came back and were buried in the wild forever. At that time, Xing Yan and his mother looked around the village every day, waiting for his father and husband to return with a sense of expectation and despair.
Second Brother Feng was the leader of the village's hunting team and one of the three strongest. In the adventure last year, he was also seriously injured and came back to recuperate for half a year before he recovered. During those days, little Xing Yan remembered that his mother cried all day and was worried about his father.
Second Sister Feng also said happily, "Yes, this year, we finally don't have to go to the wilderness."
Li Mu held a porcelain bowl in his hand and ate the coarse millet.
Now that he had reached the Void-breaking Realm, his cultivation had recovered a lot. The broadsword-using methods and combat skills he had studied on the Wind Continent were even more powerful. With the help of the Four-edged Wound Broadsword, his combat strength had far exceeded that of when he was on Earth.
However, Li Mu did not show his cultivation in front of the villagers. He just vaguely revealed some power equivalent to that of Second Brother Feng.
With his cultivation, he did not need to eat for a long time. But he still ate and chatted with Second Brother Feng and his family every day.
This kind of warmth had a certain benefit to Li Mu's state of mind and the practice of the Xiantian Skill.
The atmosphere in the entire East Star Village was very harmonious, which made Li Mu feel as if he had returned to Randengsi Village.
Li Mu's strength had recovered a lot, but he was not in a hurry to leave the East Star Village.
For one thing, he was not familiar with the road, and he wanted to improve his cultivation for a few more days.
The search for Wang Shiyu's two souls and six spirits was a protracted battle. To do a good job, a worker must first sharpen his tools. Li Mu planned to take advantage of this rare cultivation time to completely improve his cultivation to the peak of the High Emperor Realm. When the army recruited him, the chosen one could become an officer. At that time, with the identity and power of an officer, it would be more convenient for him to find her.
Three days passed.
"Oh no, the summer millet in the village is infested with insects."
There was a panic in the village.
No one expected that when the summer millet was about to be harvested, they would suffer from a sudden and strange insect disaster. When the villagers came to their senses and tried to rescue them, the millet yield had become inevitable.
"God, are they deliberately destroying our East Star Village?" The old village elder burst into tears.
Many villagers burst into tears.
Without enough food, the winter would come in less than a month. For the villagers, it was undoubtedly fatal. Many people would starve to death.
"The millet yield has decreased by half. Alas, there is no other way. We can only go to the wilderness to search for food and find a way to hunt before the winter comes." Second Brother Feng stepped forward and said with a solemn face, "We have to hurry up and get ready. Who wants to go with me?"
Second Sister Feng held Little Xingyan in her arms and almost cried.
"Dad, dad, I don't want you to go to the wilderness. I don't want you to get hurt again …" Little Xingyan also came to his senses and cried.
Even a three-year-old child knew that going to the wilderness to search for food was a narrow escape.
More than thirty young men in the village stood up one after another. Every one of them had a solemn and stirring expression on their faces.
Second Brother Feng looked at the crowd and said, "Those who are not married, leave."
There were 25 people left.
Second Brother Feng said again, "Those who are married but have not given birth to a child, leave."
There were 16 people left.
Second Brother Feng said again, "Those whose children are not over three years old, leave."
There were 12 people left.
Second Brother Feng looked at a young man among the 12 people and said, "Feng Mo, you don't even have a wife. Get out of here."
"No, I want to go with you. I'm a bachelor. It doesn't matter if I die. I want to find food for everyone." The young man stubbornly raised his head.
"My child is two months away from three. I'll go with you."
"I want to go too. We can find more food if we go with more people."
"Anyway, I've lost a leg and an eye last year. I'm a useless person. Let me go with you, even if I have to carry food for you."
Many villagers scrambled to join.
Although they also knew that there was a slim chance of survival, Li Mu could not help but sigh.
Watching from the side, Li Mu could not help but sigh with emotion. In the extremely difficult life, the human race hugged each other and was willing to contribute. Only then could the entire race survive in this world. These were the greatest people.
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