THE PRODIGIES WAR
Chapter 1: Youngster Lin Xun.
The Ziyao Empire’s southwest border.
Mountains grew from the ground like weeds with their peaks packed together like trees in a forest. This land had been known as the ‘three thousand great mountains at heaven’s border’ since ancient times.
The setting sun bathed the land with a gentle, rosy afterglow.
In the far distance, trails of smoke rose in the air.
Lin Xun’s eyes brightened. He wiped the sweat on his forehead and released a long, drawn out breath, “Finally found a place with people…”
He had been trekking through this inhospitable land for seven days, camping out in the open and foraging fruits for food. He had experienced numerous dangers and challenges along the way, even nearly losing his life to wild beasts several times.
When Lin Xun finally discovered a sign of life, his heart shook and he felt a surge of energy through his exhausted body.
He continued to advance.
Before long, a neat and orderly Aeth field appeared, further adding to Lin Xun’s hopes. Since a field was being cultivated here, there was most likely a village nearby.
The Aeth grains in the field were clearly about to ripen, each kernel round and heavy. A gust of wind blew past, making the green field ripple like water as the light scent of vegetation spread.
“Judging from their condition, the grains should be ready for harvest in about ten days...eh? What’s this?”
Lin Xun seemed to have discovered something. He walked towards a stalk by the roadside and took a closer look. Sure enough, he found that although the plant was growing well, there was a problem.
The ground was moist, fertile, and not lacking in Aeth power. However, the Aeth grain stems showed faint signs of wilting that were not easy to observe unless one looked carefully.
Lin Xun pulled out a stalk and inspected it up close in his hand. His fingertip gently peeled open the tender green surface, only for his pupils to shrink a moment later at what he saw.
Numerous luminescent white worms could be seen inside the stalk, each as large as a grain of sand. They wiggled in the plant, feeding on its life force.
Grain worms!
This field was plagued by worms.
If these grain worms weren’t eliminated in time, the about to ripen field would begin to wilt and lose its Aeth power. When that happened, the harvest would be a disaster. In a worst case scenario, not a single grain would be reaped.
“It seems that there is no rune master in the village. If not, such a disaster would not have been allowed to befall the nearly ripe Aeth grains.”
Lin Xun pondered before silently shaking his head. There was likely no rune master who would willingly live in such a godforsaken place.
After all, from what Lin Xun understood, a rune master was a very honorable profession in this world.
Lin Xun suddenly heard a loud sigh.
He turned his head to the source and saw a tall, well-built, middle-aged man nearby dressed in clothes made from animal skins. He was currently sitting by the edge of the field, dazedly staring at it as he sighed.
The middle-aged tanned man had a worried frown on his face, and he was clearly distressed.
Something clicked in Lin Xun’s head. He walked forward and asked, “Uncle, are you fretting over this field?”
It seemed that the man had been stressing over this matter for a long time. As such, he immediately complained, “Argh, yeah. The wretched heavens! It’s been a month since the last rainfall. If this weather continues, the twenty ares of Aeth grains I planted will be finished.”
However, when he turned around to look at Lin Xun, he blurted out in shock, “Little fellow, where did you come from?”
The middle-aged man looked at the boy in front of him. Lin Xun was wearing a coarse hemp garment that had been washed until it had turned a faded-white, while his face had a slightly pale and sickly complexion.
There was an old and worn wooden box on his back. The middle-aged man did not know what was in the box, but its load seemed to place a considerable burden on the boy.
The youth looked like he was somewhere between twelve and thirteen years of age.
It was honestly quite strange for a boy like this to suddenly arrive in Feiyun Village.
After all, there was nothing but wilderness in a thousand miles radius around Feiyun Village. Everywhere else was rugged mountains with zero signs of human inhabitation.
From what the middle-aged man could remember, not a single stranger had come to the village in more than ten years.
As such, how could he not be baffled by the appearance of such a young and frail boy in his field?
Lin Xun smiled, “Uncle, who I am isn’t important. What’s important is that I can help you solve your problem.”
He knew that introducing himself would only draw more questions from the other party, wasting far too much time. Moreover, he was so hungry that he could barely walk.
The middle-aged man jumped to his feet and said, “What did you say?”
Lin Xun smiled again and repeated himself, “I said that I could help you solve this problem and make your subsequent harvest successful.”
The middle-aged man in beast-skin-clothes frowned. He carefully observed Lin Xun’s young, pale and gaunt face as he suspiciously asked, “Young man, you’re bragging, right?”
The words from the frail and thin youngster were far too absurd.
Lin Xun chuckled and pointed towards the stalk in his hand that had been peeled open earlier. “Take a look, uncle, your Aeth grains do not lack water but have been infected by worms. These worms are called grain worms and feed on the stalk of Aeth grains. If they are not exterminated in time, your field will be ruined.”
These words alarmed and frightened the middle-aged man. He stared hard at the faintly glowing white worms and ground his teeth in anger. “Damnit, no wonder nothing changed after using so much river water. These darn worms were the culprit! But…”
His expression turned distressed as he tore his hair in frustration. “These pests are hiding inside the stem. I don’t have any method to kill them.”
Lin Xun’s eyes narrowed as he revealed a smile that was as bright as sunlight.
The middle-aged man bitterly sighed for a long time. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he seemed to realize something and called out, “Young brother, since you recognize these pests, you must know a method to get rid of them, right?”
Lin Xun nodded, his eyes gleaming with a sliver of confidence.
“That’s great!” The middle-aged man’s face flushed red with excitement. His initial suspicions towards Lin Xun had faded substantially.
Upon seeing that the middle-aged man was now onboard, Lin Xun took his chance. “Uncle, if I help you with this problem, could you promise me one thing?”
The middle-aged man immediately replied without any hesitation, “As long as you help me with this matter, I can make you ten promises, let alone one!” However, he abruptly realized his words were too boastful and hurriedly corrected himself in a slightly embarrassed manner, “Of course, I’ll only be able to help if it is within my means. There’s nothing I can do if the request is beyond me.”
Lin Xun grinned, “My condition is simple. I wish to find a place to stay in the village.”
Tie Shan was startled. “You wish to live in Feiyun Village?”
Lin Xun nodded; his clear gaze indicating that he was not joking. His expression was completely serious when he needed to be, which was a habit he had acquired since he was young.
Tie Shan hesitated as he awkwardly scratched his head. “Wait here, I’ll go find the village chief and ask him. This matter is not something I can decide on but I feel that it should not be an issue.”
He turned around and dashed towards the village without even waiting for a reply, giving off an aura of bubbling energy, swiftness and decisiveness.
*This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.
Lin Xun was speechless. He soon thought of another problem and hurriedly yelled, “Uncle, remember to bring back some food as well. I can’t help if I have no energy!”
“Sure!” Tie Shan’s voice boomed from far away.
“What a simple and honest man.” Lin Xun chuckled. He placed the tattered wooden box on the ground and massaged his aching shoulders. Subsequently, he turned around, walked into the field and began a careful inspection.
Aeth grain contained wisps of Aeth power and was a necessary food for cultivation. However, it was not an easy task to grow them.
From the moment they were planted, one needed to constantly check for insect infestations and weeds, while also being on guard for potential weather issues. Once any problems occurred, the grain’s quality would drop and might even result in a complete loss of Aeth power.
This field, for example, had been infected by worms. If the worms were not exterminated, the outcome would be quite bleak.
However, this was not a difficult problem for Lin Xun.
Before long, Tie Shan returned from the village. However, he was now accompanied by a large group of villagers.
The final rays of the setting sun dyed the mountains red as Tie Shan and the villagers arrived amidst a cloud of dust.
Lin Xun was taken aback. He shrugged, knowing that the situation had changed.
Chapter 2: Drawing Runes
“Tie Shan, where’s the master you mentioned?”
“Keep your voices down or you’ll disturb the master!”
Even from a distance he could hear a bunch of voices chattering loudly. They were filled with excitement and curiosity.
Lin Xun glanced through the group before focusing on the elder leading them. The old man had white hair and a white beard. Although he was thin, he had a tall and sturdy figure and each movement he made gave off a certain feeling of power.
“Eh!”
The tall elder came to an abrupt halt when he saw Lin Xun standing in the distance. The look of excitement on his face was quickly replaced by bewilderment. He had not expected the frail-looking boy in the distance to be the ‘master’ mentioned by Tie Shan.
“Where’s the master? Tie Shan, where’s the master you were talking about? Why is there only a young brat here?” Skeptical looks appeared on the villagers' faces when they saw Lin Xun.
Tie Shan was caught in an awkward spot and hurriedly said, “Everyone, the master is this young fellow!”
It might have been better if he had not explained because an uproar immediately erupted.
“What? You mean this beardless kid can help you achieve a good harvest? What nonsense!”
“Haha. Tie Shan, ah, Tie Shan, you’ve clearly been tricked by this cheeky brat. How can a twelve year old kid be a master?”
“Tie Shan, we’re facing a crisis. How are you still in the mood to joke around?”
Some of the villagers were unhappy, while others let out mocking remarks. Some other people were full of doubts and another subset were just angry. It was basically a mess. Everyone was certain that Tie Shan had been tricked.
After all, Lin Xun looked far too young which was not helped by his gaunt and sickly pale face. It was difficult for the villagers to match this image to a ‘master’.
Tie Shan was flustered. He awkwardly waved his arms as he hopped about, “I didn’t lie. We’ll know whether this young man can help once he tries!”
Unfortunately, everyone felt that they had been tricked and had no intention of listening to his explanation.
Amidst the chaos, Lin Xun ignored the various looks and walked towards the tall elder. “If my guess is correct, you are the village chief of Feiyun Village.”
“You’re right.” The tall elder nodded. His wise eyes observed Lin Xun without revealing any emotions. The old man was clearly not someone who would be easily flustered.
Lin Xun asked, “Then will you agree to my condition?”
The tall elder could sense that although the boy seemed young and immature, he had a confident and stable demeanor that did not match his age.
This observation made the old man’s heart stir. He nodded, “If you can accomplish what you promised, I will let you stay in Feiyun Village.
*This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.
Several of the nearby villagers were stunned by these words. Soon after, they skeptically cried out one after another, “Village Chief, you can’t be seriously taking this little guy for real, right?”
The tall old man displayed a charisma befitting of a village chief as he waved his hand, “In this world, how will we know if we never try?”
Lin Xun chuckled, knowing that the matter was settled. He turned around and spoke to Tie Shan, “Uncle, did you remember to bring me some food?”
Tie Shan hastily retrieved a big piece of dried meat and handed it over. In addition, he had also prepared a leather bag filled to the brim with water.
Lin Xun did not waste any more time and began to ravenously dig in right next to the field. Although the meat did not contain much Aeth power, the seasoning made it pretty tasty.
The villagers could not help but laugh at Lin Xun devouring the food like a half-starved wolf as they grew increasingly doubtful. Could this little fellow be a food scamming conman?
Even Tie Shan could not help but feel dazed as a feeling of apprehension rose in his heart. If Lin Xun was a conman, Tie Shan would have made a humiliating mistake.
Only the tall old man watched Lin Xun with kind eyes and a sliver of surprise. If this little fellow wasn’t a fearless conman, it would mean that he was the real deal.
Regardless of which he was, such a display of composure and confidence was already more than sufficient proof of his boldness.
Lin Xun soon consumed the entire piece of meat, washing it all down till his stomach was also full of water. He felt better than he had in days.
Tie Shan could not help but inquire, “Young brother, shouldn’t you begin?”
Lin Xun looked at the sky and casually replied, “Wait a bit.”
Time flowed as night began to surge from the horizon.
Just as the crowd was growing impatient, the silent Lin Xun finally moved. He opened the old wooden box by his feet and retrieved an azure blade with seasoned movements before walking into the field. The blade was nearly three feet long and three fingers wide.
The tall elder’s eyes instantly narrowed. He could faintly sense a familiar presence from Lin Xun. The boy’s confidence, concentration and calm were clearly different from the norm and this began to tug out some vague memories buried deep in the old man’s mind that had nearly been forgotten.
The tall elder immediately waved his hand to quiet the grumbling villagers. “Stop being noisy and wait.”
His voice contained a hint of authority.
All chatter instantly disappeared. Everyone looked towards Lin Xun with a tinge of skepticism in their eyes.
Although they were now forbidden to speak, the villagers could still sign to each other with their eyes. They silently fanned out around the field to deny Lin Xun any opportunity of escaping.
Lin Xun seemed oblivious to the slight change in atmosphere around him as he retrieved a thumb-sized broken golden bone that resembled a fang from his clothing.
His right hand tightly gripped the handle and he exerted force through his wrist, causing a sharp scraping sound as the blade pushed across the broken golden bone.
Faint golden powder drifted from the bone and landed on Lin Xun’s ready palm. When his hand was covered in a thick layer of gold, he finally stopped and put away the broken golden bone.
He took a deep breath and squatted on the ground. He then dabbed his finger on the golden powder and began to draw on the wet ground.
At this distance, the villagers could clearly see everything he was doing.
Lin Xun’s young and slightly pale face was completely focused. His gaze was clear and calm as his finger left numerous complex strokes on the ground as if it was a calligraphy brush. His movements were natural and practiced, flowing with a natural grace akin to clouds floating through the air and water streaming across the ground.
These villagers' eyes widened, and they didn’t dare to blink as they watched Lin Xun’s movements. Astonishment rose in their hearts when they saw faint golden symbols seeming to flow out of the ground. These symbols gave off a mysterious aura.
Even the stupidest among them understood that Lin Xun was doing something that had completely surpassed their imaginations.
The combination of Lin Xun’s absorbed expression, his clean, proficient movements, and the rapidly growing golden pattern on the ground seemed to bathe him in a mysterious glow.
The suspicions in villagers' hearts had imperceptibly vanished. Many of them were now convinced by the methods Lin Xun displayed.
They might not have understood exactly what he was doing, but it did not stop them from being amazed by the beauty of his work.
The tall elder’s body shuddered unnoticeably as he had finally confirmed his suspicions—this frail-looking young boy was drawing a rune!
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