At night, the tent was originally very quiet, but a sudden sound broke the peace. Chu Feng's hand froze, stopping all movements.
How could a cubic stone block make such a sound?
A crack appeared on the stone block.
Chu Feng put it down, fearing something might happen. He observed it carefully, having experienced some strange events today, he was particularly cautious.
"Stone box?!" He was surprised.
The patterns surrounding the stone block had concealed this crack. Now, with it slightly open, it became clearly visible.
Earlier, the stone box was so tightly sealed that it seemed to be a single piece, and with the stains covering it, it was hard to notice anything unusual.
Who would pay attention to this being a cubic stone box? It was three inches high and very ancient.
At this point, Chu Feng was somewhat excited because the stone box was mysterious, picked up at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, and originally thought to be just a stone block, but who would have thought it contained something else.
Chu Feng placed a copper basin in front of him for protection and then carefully opened the stone box, widening the crack.
The lid came off, but nothing unusual happened, no danger arose.
Chu Feng relaxed and examined the inside of the stone box.
He had some hope, wondering what was sealed inside.
The internal space of the stone box was very small, with only a shallow indentation, almost too small to hold anything, clearly not capable of hiding pearls or jade.
However, there was something inside.
In the indentation, there were three shriveled seeds, completely filling the space, with nothing else.
Chu Feng was quite disappointed. He had found the stone box at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, thinking it might contain some secret treasure, but it turned out to have only three seeds.
One seed was black, already shriveled, as if deformed, severely lacking vitality.
Another seed was purplish-brown, flat and round, as if flattened, about the size of a fingernail.
The last seed was relatively normal, except for the wrinkled skin, it was still plump, at least not shriveled, and it was round, just a bit withered and yellow.
Chu Feng was stunned. Just three seeds? Two of them were so shriveled, this was really... far from what he had imagined.
He had thought the stone box he found at the foot of Kunlun Mountain was mysterious and might contain something extraordinary, but it turned out to be so ordinary.
He placed the three seeds in his palm and examined them carefully, but they were truly unremarkable.
How many years had this thing been buried underground? It was hard to determine, but the stone box was clearly very old, with the patterns and stains blurred.
Was this from ancient times?
However, if it was an ancient artifact, it was quite good that the three seeds had not rotted after being unearthed.
Some ancient objects sealed underground might be immediately damaged once exposed to light.
Chu Feng looked again and again, but he could not identify what kind of seeds they were. He had never seen them before and did not know which three plants they might correspond to.
He was speechless. Just a moment ago, he had been excited about the prospect of a secret treasure, but now he was staring at three shriveled seeds!
"Find a chance to plant them and see what grows." Chu Feng thought.
However, the three seeds had experienced a long time, and he was a bit worried. Could they still sprout, especially since two of them were shriveled?
"If they really grow, I hope they're not poisonous plants. If they grow into beans or some vegetables, it would probably be an ancient variety." He laughed.
The stars in the high plateau seemed very close to the ground, the starlight was bright, and the moonlight was like water, sprinkling over this desolate and somewhat barren land.
It was very quiet late at night.
In a daze, Chu Feng heard a huge roar from the direction of Kunlun Mountain, echoing through the mountains, which woke him from his dream.
The place where he was staying was very far from there, but he could still hear the muffled roar at night, which was quite astonishing.
Clearly, something was happening in Kunlun Mountain. The sound did not seem to be from the mastiff or the yak, but from another fierce beast.
Faintly, the ground in that mountain range was trembling, making it even less peaceful.
Some herders were awakened and began to pray devoutly, bowing to the holy mountain, muttering something.
Chu Feng also got up and walked out of the tent. He heard an old herder say,
"The living Buddha in the mountain has really awakened."
Chu Feng was puzzled. Even if there were ancient monks, why would they be accompanied by the roar of beasts?
"You don't understand. This is a legend of our Tibetan land. You should leave early tomorrow morning." The old herder said.
"Are the sacred beasts in the mountain about to come out?" Another middle-aged man said.
According to legend, there were several ancient beasts sleeping in the sacred mountains deep in the plateau. Some could rival deities, with immense strength to subdue demons, while others were extremely fierce, causing disasters.
Hearing this, Chu Feng pondered for a while. Although he did not fully believe it, he did not think the herders' words were baseless.
After all, he had personally experienced the events at the Bronze Mountain and had indeed seen some strange beasts.
For example, the golden fierce bird, about five to six meters long, would have been called a Golden-winged Great Peng in ancient times.
The black and shiny yak, over ten feet long, was feared even by leopards and wolves, with immense strength, causing the Bronze Mountain to tremble when it stepped, and would have been called a Bull Demon in ancient times.
Many ancient legends were exaggerated and mythologized over time. Especially when ancient people recorded strange events, they often exaggerated, and it was likely the same here.
In the second half of the night, the vast plateau finally became quiet, and the muffled roars from the distant mountains disappeared.
The moonlight was like water, like a thin mist, connecting the sky and the earth, making it hazy and peaceful.
The herders were no longer worried and breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Feng also returned to the tent and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Chu Feng set out early and eventually arrived at a large city in the west, from where he would take a train home.
In the post-civilization era, although not as splendid as in the past, the gap was not very large, and various modes of transportation were still convenient.
During this period, Chu Feng had been in the wild, out of contact with the outside world. Now, in the large city, he felt as if he had entered a different world.
In the high plateau, desert, and mountains, his communication devices had been turned off. When he turned them on again, many messages arrived simultaneously.
His parents reminded him to be careful and pay attention to safety, classmates and friends asked when he would return, and there were other messages.
Chu Feng replied to each one until he boarded the train.
Apart from buying a bunch of snacks, he had very few things with him, having dealt with most of them on the way back.
Finding his seat, he put down his things and, holding his communication device, began to read the news of recent days, which surprised him greatly.
In recent days, there had been heavy fog across the country, even abroad, with light blue, dark red, and purple fog covering large areas.
Some people said this might be due to the residual nuclear radiation from the war causing mutations.
But experts immediately debunked the rumor, informing the public that everything was safe, it was just natural fog, and there was no need to panic after it dissipated.
Public opinion polls also had another voice, saying this was a change, similar to those in history, affecting various places.
Regarding this, no one dared to strongly deny it, as it was not the first time in the post-civilization era, and the situation was complex.
"What's this? Plants are floating in the air, that's really strange."
After the train started, a fat man walked over and sat down. He was about the same age as Chu Feng, of medium height, with a large belly, chubby face, and big ears. When he laughed, his eyes squinted into two slits, like the Buddha Maitreya.
He had a very festive feel, and even when he was not speaking, he looked kind and smiling, more and more like the Buddha Maitreya.
Chu Feng immediately smiled; this person was definitely not annoying.
"Brother, where are you going?" The chubby man greeted him.
"To the foot of the Taihang Mountains." Chu Feng replied with a smile.
"Are we from the same hometown? Tell me the specific location." The fat man chuckled.
After asking, they found their destinations were the same, and they felt much closer, being from the same place.
The fat man was named Zhou Quan, a very "safe" name. He had studied in the west and was revisiting his old place, coming back to take a look.
Chu Feng also noticed the news Zhou Quan mentioned. Recent reports had stated that some strange floating plants had been found in the air, which was quite bizarre.
"I don't understand why they don't fall down!" Zhou Quan muttered.
Chu Feng read the news and was also puzzled.
"Is something big going to happen?" Zhou Quan clicked his tongue.
"I hope everything is peaceful; this world is becoming increasingly incomprehensible." Someone nearby said.
"Yes, peace is best. It's really a bit unsettling." Another person agreed.
This seemed to resonate, and some people chimed in.
"Something is bound to happen sooner or later. In recent years, there have been many unexplained mysterious phenomena, and all kinds of rumors have emerged." Someone whispered.
The place suddenly became lively, with all kinds of comments.
Two hours later, Zhou Quan and Chu Feng had become quite familiar, being from the same place, they naturally felt close.
He leaned over, looking mysterious, and said to Chu Feng, "A few days ago, I heard from a relative that he knew a strange person who said the world is about to change."
"What kind of change?" Chu Feng asked.
"Some weird things will happen." Zhou Quan's voice was very low.
"You look more like the weird one." Chu Feng laughed.
"Really, don't disbelieve me. My relative is not one to talk nonsense; he is usually very meticulous and reliable, and has access to a very unusual level." The fat man glared.
Chu Feng smiled and shook his head.
The fat man was a bit deflated and said, "Actually, I don't fully believe it either. That strange person was just talking nonsense, hinting that some mythological figures from the West were grown, and saying it's the same on our side."
A person nearby was drinking water and, upon hearing this, spat out a mouthful of water, laughing uncontrollably.
"Go away, go away, go away! What's so funny, I'm not saying it anymore!" The fat man also felt embarrassed.
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