Deities: Rulers of Nature

Winter of the 521st year of the Divine Calendar.

This was the harshest winter in the memory of the Xishan Snake People.

Lead-gray clouds hung low over the mountain peaks, and heavy snow had been falling for half a month. The entire Qingling Mountains, except for the peak of Xishan Mountain, were shrouded in a silent white.

The Mirror Lake was covered with solid ice at least half a meter thick. When the snake-man's sharp claws scratched it, they could only leave a shallow white mark.

A rock as tall as a person can be smashed down, but it can't even create a large crater.

Their most stable source of fishing and hunting has been completely cut off.

The wild fruits and berries in the mountains and forests had long since fallen, and even the grass roots buried under the snow were frozen solid.

Although the snake-people have long since evolved into warm-blooded animals and no longer need to hibernate like primitive snakes, their sensitivity to low temperatures remains deep within them.

Not to mention that this year's cold wind was particularly biting, blowing into the gaps in their scales and freezing their joints to the point of stiffness.

Their reaction time was much slower than usual, which multiplied the risks of hunting trips several times over.

The rustling sound of scales scraping against the snow filled the air. A hunting party of ten men was making a difficult descent towards the settlement, their snake tails carving deep tracks in the thick snow.

Their scales were even covered with a thin layer of ice, and their breath would condense into frost flowers as soon as it reached their mouths.

The leader, Chifeng, carried a sharpened wooden stick with seven gray rabbits strung on it. This was their only harvest after five hours of trekking through the snow.

"We're back." Chifeng's voice was nasal as he shook the snow off his tail and spoke to Jinsha, who was guarding the gate.

Jinsha quickly stepped forward and took the wooden stick, his face showing undisguised worry.

"It's good that you're back safe and sound. The team led by Aoki just returned half an hour ago. They ran into a hungry brown rock tiger while hunting short-legged musk deer on the northern slope of Xishan."

"If it weren't for Aoki's quick reaction and leading everyone into the pile of rocks, another tribesman would probably have lost his life."

"Aoki's left arm was cut by a tiger's claw, and it bled a lot. He's still resting in the house."

Jin Sha's worries didn't stop there.

His older brother, Jin Yan, also led a group of people to the western foothills of Xishan today, and they haven't returned yet.

The Xishan settlement has a total of five hunting teams, each with ten members, all led by a leader who has reached the Black Iron rank.

Lacking any extraordinary methods, the snake-people could only refine themselves using the most primitive means.

Day after day, they honed their physiques, fought in the hunt, and even challenged Black Iron-rank wild beasts, attempting to unleash their potential on the brink of life and death and condense a seed of extraordinary power.

Of the more than two hundred people in the entire settlement, only five have successfully broken through to the Black Iron rank.

Among them are three Azure Scale Snake People, one Golden Ring Snake People, and one Red Chain Snake People.

Normally, the four teams take turns going out to hunt, while the remaining team stays in the settlement to rest and also to guard it.

Jin Yan is the only one among all the Golden Ring Serpent People to break through to the Black Iron rank.

Upon hearing Jinsha's words, Chifeng frowned deeply. He looked up at the gray sky, where snowflakes were still falling.

"There are still more than forty days until the end of winter. I hope we can get through it safely. Jinsha, please take the prey to the chieftain. Everyone, go home and rest. I'm going to check on Qingmu." After saying that, Chifeng dragged his snake tail into the settlement.

"Mommy, it's a gray rabbit! Uncle Red Wind hunted a gray rabbit, does that mean we'll have meat to eat tonight?" Seeing the hunting party return, Little Red walked to his mother's side and tugged at her clothes.

Little Red hasn't had enough to eat for many days. These days, he can only eat two pieces of dry, hard dried fish each day.

Crimson Mother bent down and gently rubbed her son's cheek, her voice soft but carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness: "It will happen, little Crimson."

As the weather grew colder and hunting became increasingly difficult, food supplies in the settlements became limited. The dried fruit, dried fish, and dried meat stored during the summer and autumn seasons could only be distributed according to the bare minimum.

Just then, a loud cheer suddenly erupted outside the settlement.

Hearing the noise, Crimson couldn't help but look over.

A large group of figures appeared in the snow. The two teams led by Qinglu and Jinyan had met up while separately tracking the long-tailed argali sheep and happened to find the sheep's tracks.

Twenty snake-men, carrying five plump, long-tailed argali sheep, were heading towards the settlement. The argali sheep had thick wool and plenty of meat, which could not only feed the tribe but also keep them warm.

Hearing the cheers, Chief Qingdao hurriedly came out of the house. Seeing the five long-tailed argali sheep, his nerves, which had been tense for several days, finally relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

After several failed hunts in the past few days, he had prepared for the worst and was even considering whether to abandon the tribe's territory and lead the entire tribe to migrate to the summit of Xishan Mountain.

The reason why we haven't been able to make a decision is because this is a major issue concerning the survival of our community.

The summit of Xishan Mountain is indeed spring-like all year round, but it is inhabited by many wild beasts, including some of the bronze-level ones. Their Xishan settlement has many elderly people, women, and children, and even if they don't consider the bumpy journey, they may not be able to survive safely once they reach the summit.

Qingdao looked at the long-lost smiles on his clansmen's faces, but a pang of sadness welled up in his heart.

Just last night, another snake man, over sixty years old, passed away in his sleep. The old man had watched him grow up and even taught him how to identify poisonous mushrooms.

As the clan leader, he couldn't even ensure that his clansmen were well-fed and clothed.

In the evening, Qingdao delivered prepared mutton to each household.

Little Chihong held the mutton, taking small bites. He looked up at his mother sitting opposite him and noticed that she was only holding a small piece of meat, slowly tearing it apart, but not putting it in her mouth.

Little Red bit her lip and handed over the half-eaten piece of mutton she was holding: "Mom, you eat, I'm full."

Chi Hong's mother's eyes immediately reddened. She knew her son was lying. Chi Hong was at the age where he was growing, and it was impossible for him to eat so little.

"Sweetie, Mommy ate too much dried fruit earlier, so eat more."

"Mom, look, I'm really full, my tummy is all bulging." Little Red stuffed the meat into his mother's hand, patted his belly, and even deliberately let out a burp.

Little Red knew that for the past few days, her mother had been keeping most of the food allocated to her by the settlement for herself.

He wouldn't eat, and neither would his mother. Little Red had no choice but to pretend to eat some, and then hide the rest when his mother wasn't looking.

Today, food was plentiful, and Little Red wanted his mother to eat her fill too.

Similar scenes played out in every house in the settlement, with husbands giving the meat to their pregnant wives and elderly people leaving it for their young children.

It was a rare and satisfying meal, yet it was filled with a heartwarming and poignant atmosphere.

Standing at his own doorstep, watching all this, Seido felt both gratified and guilty. He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingertips dug deep into his palms, and his sharp nails scratched his skin.

He hated his own powerlessness, hated that he could only watch helplessly as his people starved and froze, unable to do anything about it. If only he were stronger, his people wouldn't have to live like this.

"Father, this is not your fault. No one can do anything in the face of natural disasters. You have done enough for the sake of the settlement." The green tail slid along the ground to Qingdao's side.

How could Qinglu not know the pressure her father was under? These days, Qingdao was getting less and less sleep. He would get up before dawn to arrange the hunt and check on the condition of each member of the tribe at night.

Seido always secretly shared his own food with injured clansmen or young children.

If he could, Qingdao would love to pick up his weapons immediately and lead the first hunting team out hunting, but as the chieftain, he had to stay in the settlement and coordinate the affairs of the tribe.

Seido turned around and looked at his son.

Green joined the hunting party last year after just reaching adulthood. This spring, while fighting a thick-skinned brown bear alone, it condensed a supernatural seed, entered the Black Iron rank, and became the leader of the fifth hunting party.

"Thanks to you today." Seido's voice was a little hoarse, but it was full of relief.

Before he knew it, the child who used to pester him for stories had grown into a capable adult.

Ao-ryaku is even better than Seido was when he was young.