Chapter 1 Eternal Night

That day, the sun set and never rose again... *** Eternal night, the world is pitch black, as if an unfathomable abyss is about to swallow everything. The daylight has long since become a thing of the past, a mere legend. The vast frozen land is cold and desolate, with fierce winds howling and heavy snow falling, accumulating to half a person's height on the ground. Shuangshu Village is half submerged in the heavy snow. There are only about forty to fifty households here, like a village forgotten by time, the houses shrouded in darkness can only be seen as vague outlines. In the howling wind, many rooftops sway slightly, as if they might be blown off at any moment. Qin Ming feels weak; at this moment, he is awakened by hunger, his stomach grumbling incessantly. In the cold night, any thought of food makes him swallow his saliva. Not to mention steaming meat and delicious fruits, even thinking of a hard, cold bun makes a sweet taste swell in his mouth, his tongue salivating. In the freezing cold, both inside and outside the house are dark enough to feel suffocating. Qin Ming wraps himself tightly in a tattered quilt; the warmth of the heated brick bed cannot fend off the harsh cold outside. The cold air enters his lungs like shards of ice, causing a slight sting. He restrains himself from thinking about food any longer, or else the sourness will rise from his stomach and mouth. After calming his emotions a bit, he suddenly realizes that his mind is quite clear now, no longer muddled like before. Could it be that the 'strange illness' is about to leave? Despite being hungry and cold, there seems to be a glimmer of hope after a long illness; his eyes shine with light, waiting for 'shallow night' to arrive. As time passes, the sound of the wind diminishes, and the goose-feather-like snow that was swirling around is gradually becoming scattered snowflakes. There is movement in the neighboring yard, and voices can be heard; it is a young couple, Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing. "Where are you going? Are you going to bring food to Qin Ming again?" Liang Wanqing's voice gradually raises. "He has been seriously ill, only sixteen or seventeen years old, living alone, quite pitiful," Lu Ze says in a low voice. "Do you know that there isn't much food left at home? If this continues, the two children will starve!" Liang Wanqing is agitated. "The blizzard will stop, and there will be a way to solve it," Lu Ze gazes at the pitch-black world. ...... Qin Ming hears the couple's argument and feels guilty; he doesn't want to accept Lu Ze's kindness anymore, as every family is struggling in these times. He has already gotten up from the heated bed, and even after putting on a cotton coat, he still feels cold. He rummages through the cabinet and finds an old fur coat, wrapping it around himself, moving around and rubbing his hands in the dark room. After a long illness, his tall body has become somewhat thin; the black hair hanging over his shoulders has lost some of its luster, and his handsome face appears pale. However, his clear eyes are bright and spirited; despite showing signs of illness, he has a resolute aura. A month ago, he had barely escaped from the mountains, his hands and feet had turned black at that time, and he has been suffering from a serious illness ever since. As for the companions he was with, they died on the very day they returned. Many people believe that Qin Ming, afflicted by the 'strange illness', won't survive. But he has held on until now, and he is clearly getting better. Thinking of the unknown dangers in the mountains still gives him lingering fears. The darkness outside the house has changed, as if ink has dripped into a small amount of clear water, becoming lighter; 'shallow night' has come, which means 'daytime' has arrived. Clearly, this is only slightly better than 'deep night'; the world is still shrouded in night, and distant objects cannot be seen clearly. The yard gate is pushed open, and Lu Ze arrives, sturdy and strong, using a shovel to clear the snow to the sides, quickly creating a path to the door. Qin Ming opens the door, which had been blocked by heavy snow, and calls out, "Brother Lu!" Lu Ze carries a glowing cloth bag, pouring its contents into a stone basin in the snow, a pile of bright red stones falls down, making a crisp sound, and the light pierces through the night. These are 'Sun Stones', their name itself embodies a certain beautiful wish of the people in this era, illuminating the courtyard at this moment. Lu Ze is surprised, "Xiao Qin, you seem to be in much better spirits." Qin Ming invites him into the room and truthfully informs him of his situation, that he is no longer muddled and is indeed getting better. Lu Ze says that he has a strong life force, surviving the 'strange illness' from the mountains is truly not easy. He pours the remaining glowing stones from the cloth bag into the copper basin inside the room, instantly illuminating the entire room. The Sun Stones are taken from the 'Fire Spring'; though they blaze with flames, they are far from being as warm as human body temperature, and will extinguish themselves after several hours, requiring a return to the 'Fire Spring' for re-nurturing. "Here!" Lu Ze hands over a food box. Qin Ming, having been ill for a month, had exhausted his food supplies a few days ago, relying on Lu Ze's assistance. After hearing the couple's quarrel not long ago, he knows their situation isn't good either, and feels guilty. "Hurry and eat while it's hot," Lu Ze says, being a straightforward person who is grateful. He once got lost in the boundless darkness of the forest, and it was Qin Ming who called his name repeatedly, guiding him back. Looking at the steaming black buns, the intense hunger makes Qin Ming unable to resist swallowing his saliva. "Why are you standing there? Your body isn't well yet, and starving won't help you recover; you shouldn't stand on ceremony with me!" Lu Ze directly places the food box in his hands. "Brother Lu!" In the end, Qin Ming doesn't pretend to be polite, tearing off a piece of bun, feeling its rough texture, but he devours it ravenously, finding it fragrant and sweet. "Call me if you need anything," Lu Ze turns and leaves. As the hunger fades, Qin Ming feels more energetic, and the discomfort in his body is disappearing; he is sure that his severe illness will soon be over. He thinks of stepping outside for some fresh air and a walk. He pushes open the yard gate and steps onto the street, where the weather is particularly cold, and his breath forms white mist around his mouth and nose. Shallow night, which is the 'daytime' of this era, every household has the flames of Sun Stones moving about, and the streets are bathed in a faint light. "Qin Ming, is your body alright?" someone notices him. "Xiao Qin, let me take a look," Old Lady Zhou from North Street stops him, examining him closely and finding that his complexion has improved significantly since the last time they met. Qin Ming greets with a smile, telling them he is indeed recovering quickly. There aren't many people at the intersection, and they all show incredulous expressions, "He can recover from the 'strange illness'?" "Xiao Qin, even if your health has improved, don't rush to go out; it's very dangerous outside right now," Old Lady Zhou warns, looking towards the ink-black world outside the village. Other neighbors also show worried expressions; the year has been bad, and the lack of food is a big problem; if it continues like this, people will starve. Qin Ming notices that the once kind and gentle Old Lady Zhou now lacks color in her face and appears thin and frail; a gust of wind could knock her over. After the others leave, Old Lady Zhou carefully pulls out a few pieces of dried sweet potatoes from her pocket and stuffs them into Qin Ming's hands. Qin Ming hurriedly pushes them back; at her age, she herself shows signs of hunger; how could he take the food she needs to survive? Each household has cleared the snow from around their vicinity, but it isn't thorough; there is still accumulation, and stepping on it makes a squeaking sound. Qin Ming breathes out white mist as he walks forward. As he approaches the village entrance, he stops. In front of a larger courtyard, there is a small threshing ground, and a black goat, about as tall as an adult's shoulder, is pulling a stone mill, grinding the silver-like mutated wheat into flour. Not everyone lacks food; evidently, the family at the village entrance is doing well. Qin Ming stares at the black goat with bright eyes; food security has become a problem, and he naturally hasn't eaten meat in a long time—he craves it immensely. The black goat is quite large, with sturdy horns, looking somewhat ferocious. Sensing Qin Ming's gaze, it seems startled, and its raised tail droops immediately. "Xiao Qin, has your health recovered? Surviving a great disaster often brings great fortune," a sturdy middle-aged man with a beard stands at the gate, thinking Qin Ming is looking at the mutated grain being ground below. He then speaks, "My family has many mouths to feed, and food runs out quickly; this is the last of our rations." "Uncle Yang is impressive; in such a difficult year, he can take care of a whole family," Qin Ming says with a smile, of course not believing that the other party only has one bag of silver wheat left. After greeting Yang Yongqing, he proceeds towards the village entrance. The 'Fire Spring' is just ahead, illuminating the surrounding area brightly. It is built with stones, forming a square pool that is about ten feet wide; the stone enclosure is only knee-high, and inside is a sea of red light. In this blizzard season, although the Fire Spring is close to drying up and no longer gushing forth, it still has swirling flames. In the pool, there are two trees, which is the origin of Shuangshu Village's name; one tree has dark leaves, and the other has snow-white leaves, remaining evergreen in the cold winter.