Early the next morning.
"Ding... @All members."
"?" + 5
"Um... I have a question!"
"Spit it out!" + 2
"What is it, Group Leader?" (Grinning smugly) + 2
"Go ahead."
"What should I do if I fall in love with an older girl?"
"How much older?"
"Oh! Is our Group Leader in love?"
"Speak! Let me, the Sea King, teach you how to chase women!"
"Right! We girls can give you some advice too!"
"Uh... not that much older, just older by three epochs!"
"What epoch? How long is three epochs? 30,243 years calculated from Luo Feng's side? The entire Su estate put together doesn't even have that many!"
"Over 30,000 years? That's not too bad... I guess!"
"This Sea King cannot help you... Farewell!"
"You are so perverted, Group Leader! Our base put together doesn't even have that many years!"
"Hehe! My Luo Feng has reached the Immortal stage, so his age can be counted in such units! Having said that, the Group Leader certainly has a unique taste, hehe!"
"It's not calculated the way Luo Feng and the others do it... The epochs on my side are calculated based on major historical events. She was born two epochs ago, so roughly, maybe, probably over 100 million years old..." (Guilty expression)
"What the heck..." + 4
"Wife, you got it wrong. This is a unit that can only be used once I become a True God..."
"I thought I was perverted enough for having no standards, but it turns out there's a reason for you, Group Leader..."
"I @%*##!" Ning, the tycoon of century eggs, had his defenses broken.
"Group Leader, why don't you change your target? Come to Blue Star and I'll introduce you to some of my classmates or colleagues!"
Photo of Luo Feng's female classmate * 7
"My teammate Xi Dou is quite cute and adorable, why don't you consider her?"
Pictures of Xi Dou's flower-painted face * 3
"Can you guys seriously give me some advice?" (Crying expression) (Attached a photo of the Willow Deity from behind)
"Shocked expression" * 5
"Stop while you can, Brother Shi! The difficulty is way too high!"
"Yeah! This is straight out of the 'ruining your entire life' series... Big, big sister!"
"I'll have Babata calculate the probability for you!"
"I suggest you give up too... Why not consider my Sui Xing instead?"
"I'll help you think about it! But I'm not good at matters of the heart either!" Ning Yi's defenses were already broken and he had given up.
"Ding... Xu Qi'an has uploaded *N Ways the Martial God Qi'an Responded to Being Pursued by Female Friends*, *On Friendly Relations with Female Friends by the Martial God Qi'an*, and *Anecdotes on Brothel Music Appreciation by the Martial God Qi'an*."
"Ding... The Group Leader patted Xu Qi'an's little head, remarked that it must have been tough for him to write so many words, and gave him a resounding slap."
"The Group Leader could at least let us know a little bit about her information, right?" Xu Qi'an complained.
"Ding... Group Leader Shi Heng has uploaded *The Tale of the Willow Deity*."
The chat group instantly fell silent.
"Honestly speaking, it really is as difficult as ascending to the heavens!"
"Mhm!" + 4
"Still, an older woman brings wealth, an older woman by thirty years hands you an empire, an older woman by three hundred years gifts you an elixir, an older woman by three thousand years grants you immortality... An older woman by three epochs must be quite something..."
"You can shock her first to leave a deep impression in her mind, and you shouldn't be too... blah blah..."
"Mhm mhm! Then I'll proceed according to the plan! I, Shi Heng, swear I will definitely marry the Willow Deity!"
"Remember, you can't rush this. You'll have plenty of time in the future, take it step by step!"
"Mhm!"
After spending the entire morning seeking wisdom in the group, Shi Heng temporarily closed the chat. After all, he couldn't rush things; food had to be eaten one bite at a time, and cultivation had to be built on a solid foundation from the ground up. Having discussed it all morning with Luo Feng, Xu Qi'an, and the others, he finally had some inkling of a plan.
Shi Heng temporarily put aside the distractions in his mind and walked out of the house. He needed to wash up and test how much arm strength he currently had.
Upon waking up this morning, his whole body felt like it had shed a layer of skin, and he felt vastly stronger than before, though he couldn't put a precise number on it. Besides, such a sudden surge in strength meant he needed to exercise and get used to controlling it—he had accidentally broken the door handle just a moment ago.
After a quick wash, it was already close to noon. There definitely wasn't time to cook, so he simply grabbed seven or eight bamboo-wrapped century eggs from the chat group to fill his stomach.
Having spent half a month together, Ning Yi had shared century eggs in the chat many times. Not to mention, the taste was truly excellent—something the readers could never hope to eat, no matter how much they cried from envy.
"Little Heng is out? How does your body feel? Did you make a lot of progress? Let me tell you, when you were lying motionless in the medicinal pool, you scared the Old Chief out of his wits! When we finally pulled you out and found you still had breath, a few of us carried you back to your room." Shi Linhu and a group of able-bodied men were inspecting their bows, crossbows, and broadswords, preparing for the next hunting trip.
The Great Wilderness was far too barren, full of rugged mountains and treacherous waters, with few food sources. Moreover, because the Old Chief recently needed a large amount of vital blood, the next hunt would likely take place very soon.
"Many thanks to the older brothers and the elders for your concern. I feel fantastic right now! Let me test how much my arm strength has increased! I have to say, although it was extremely painful, the results are remarkable!" With that, Shi Heng walked over to the giant stone tripod nearby.
Four hundred catties! Five hundred catties! Eight hundred catties! Too light!
Shi Heng directly bypassed the thousand-catty tripod and walked up to the two-thousand-catty giant tripod. Dropping his weight, he supported the center of the tripod's bottom with one hand while grabbing a leg with the other. Veins bulged on his arms as he settled into a horse stance.
"Hah!" Shi Heng let out a low roar.
Before he could even react, the tripod had already been lifted above his head. He took a few steps backward and nearly tumbled to the ground—evidently, using too much force had thrown off his balance.
"Good lad! Haha! To lift a two-thousand-catty giant tripod with such ease—after another month or two of practicing archery and swordsmanship, you can join us on our hunts!" Shi Feijiao laughed heartily.
The surrounding villagers also showered him with praises: "Little Heng is truly amazing! Just yesterday he was arm-wrestling with E'meng, and today he can lift a two-thousand-catty giant tripod! It seems our village has produced an extraordinary prodigy!"
Shi Heng quickly waved his hands and said, "That's all thanks to the remarkable effect of the chief's medicinal bath. Since it was my first time, it certainly won't increase this fast later on! Brother Feijiao, you mustn't go back on your word—you have to take me hunting next month!"
"With your current arm strength, you can pull the Dragon Horn Bow. Practicing more will make it more than enough to deal with fierce beasts like dragon-horned elephants, fierce oxen, and great tigers," Shi Linhu praised.
The children nearby watched with burning eyes, gathering in a chattering cluster and shouting that they wanted a medicinal bath too.
"Good! Good! Good! We'll do as you little ones wish." The Old Chief's wrinkled face was beaming with smiles.
Shi Heng thought to himself: It seems the chief's first medicinal baths for the children are about to begin!
The torrents of time and destiny would also rush forward unstoppably.
Willow Deity!
And the Emperor Huang, who walked alone through eternity, severing all past and future!
I hope my arrival in this world can bring you a different future!
Before he knew it, evening approached.
Life in the tribe was quite monotonous. To celebrate Shi Heng's massive increase in arm strength, the village held a bonfire party. The entire village gathered on the grass—some roasting beast meat, some dancing, others testing their strength in wrestling. Children darted back and forth among them. Perhaps it was precisely this kind of environment that made Shi Hao cherish his time in Shi Village above all else in the years to come.
Meanwhile, the young maidens of the village looked at Shi Heng with affectionate gazes; the bolder ones came up to strike up a conversation, while the shy ones watched from afar. Shi Heng instantly felt his scalp tingle, and with an awkward smile, he excused himself and ran over to the base of the Willow Deity.
At night, the distant mountain forests were pitch black, and the only light came from Shi Village, enveloped in the faint glow of the Willow Deity, resembling a green beacon of light.
On an autumn evening swept by the breeze, Shi Heng summoned up a rare boldness and ran to the base of the scorched willow stump for the first time. He cupped his fists and bowed deeply toward the willow branches swaying gently in the wind and glowing with a faint green light.
"Thank you for your help last night, Willow Deity, which allowed me to make such leaps and bounds. However, the divine marrow within the deity's remains is crucial for your Nirvana—will this affect your future?" Shi Heng asked with a mix of gratitude and concern.
The willow branches swayed, and for a moment, silence hung in the air. A wave of disappointment welled up in Shi Heng's heart.
It seemed that right now, he was truly dispensable to the Willow Deity; even with Ziyun's help, he was at best a peculiar mortal who could not change the grand tide of events.
To grow stronger!
Only by standing at the pinnacle of this realm would he have the possibility of marrying her! Only with strength could he solve her troubles!
The Willow Deity was someone who cared for all living things by nature; otherwise, she would not have made the choice to brave the Boundary Sea and battle Immortal Emperors even if it meant her complete destruction.
The road was long and the burden heavy!
Lost in his rambling thoughts, Shi Heng leaned against the tree roots and fell asleep while watching the distant bonfire.
A gentle breeze brushed his face; the mountain night was slightly chilly, and Shi Heng curled up and slept soundly beneath the willow stump.
The willow branches brushed softly past him.
The autumn wind faded away just a yard outside where Shi Heng lay.