God of Thunder - Chapter 1- Thunder Seal (Part 1)

Atop a cliff towering a thousand meters high, dotted with sparse low trees swaying stubbornly in the wind, the top of the cliff was flat and spacious. This was a man-made platform. A small figure lazily sat on the edge of the cliff under the fading sunlight of the setting sun, daringly dangling his legs over the edge, unconsciously swaying, appearing particularly lonely.

This was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth with broad, faint eyebrows and a pair of slender eyes. He seemed to habitually squint, always giving the impression of not being fully awake. The contours of his face were very sharp, as if they had been cut with a knife, exuding a sense of determination. Due to not yet reaching adulthood, there was a slight hint of greenness about him. However, upon careful observation of his eyes, one would perceive a hint of world-weariness.

“This world is damn crazy! Even time is different. I don’t even know how long it’s been… Three years? Or four? This place only has two seasons, the warm season… the cold season… sigh… There’s no going back…”

The youth sighed heavily, forcefully hammering the ground, looking at a fist mark on the greenish rock. He smiled again, having almost nothing to be satisfied with in this world except for strength. There was nothing entertaining about this place. Every day, the only things to consider besides eating were more eating and finding anything to fill his stomach with. That seemed to be the meaning of living in this world.

A sharp whistle sounded, and the youth leaped up suddenly, sprinting along the top of the cliff. His speed was incredibly fast. In a moment, he arrived at the corner of the cliff, where there was a stone fortress protruding seven or eight meters from the cliff face, with two burly men standing inside.

The fortress was very small and narrow, protruding from the cliff. The upper part had a roof made of logs, and there was a large hole on the ground, three meters long and two meters wide, from which the cliff below could be clearly seen. A metal frame was set up at the entrance, with a huge pulley installed on it.

A man with a beard saw the youth come in and said, “A’Feng, the hunting team is back. Your eyes are sharp; see if there’s any situation.”

The youth nodded, reaching out to grab the pulley and leaning down to look below. He saw several small black dots below, his eyes suddenly flashing, emitting a faint silver light. The youth exclaimed joyfully, “Uncle Ke and the others are back… Quick, lower the basket!”

The bearded man grabbed a metal ring and pulled hard. A huge basket loosened and appeared at the mouth of the hole below. The two burly men began to shake the pulley, lowering the basket.

The basket was three meters long, two meters wide, and one and a half meters deep, a rectangular basket specially used to transport personnel and supplies. It was one of the entrances and exits of Tiger Cliff Fortress. There were only two roads leading out of Tiger Cliff Fortress, one being here and the other being the underground passage of the rear fortress. However, the latter road was more difficult to traverse, so the people in the fortress all used the basket to come and go.

The basket was soon hoisted up, carrying two big men and a pile of game. The youth glanced over and said, “Why is it all small game, Uncle Ke? Aren’t there any big ones?”

Most of the game in the basket were wild rabbits, pheasants, and wild ducks, along with a few precious mountain sheep.

The so-called mountain sheep were a local specialty, a very small type of wild sheep that enjoyed various herbs. Their meat was delicious, considered one of the best delicacies here. However, these animals were small, with not much meat on them. A mountain sheep usually had around twenty kilograms of meat, just a bit more than a wild chicken or rabbit.

Uncle Ke chuckled, “A’Feng, we didn’t get much this time. However, we did take down a tusky wild boar, weighing a few hundred kilograms. That’s not bad. A’Feng, come to my place later and I’ll give you a pig leg, hehe.”

A’Feng nodded, grinning, “Sure, I’ll escort you home, Uncle.”

Most of the inhabitants of Tiger Cliff Fortress were hunters. Their families typically planted some grains and potatoes in the valleys. Generally, men didn’t farm; they had to go out hunting. The population of Tiger Cliff Fortress was small, with just over a thousand people, nearly two hundred households. A’Feng, the youth, was from one of these households. He had a grandfather and a young sister at home. His parents had left before he took over this body, but he didn’t know where they had gone.

These past few years had been extremely difficult. When A’Feng woke up, his sister was only three years old. He had solely relied on himself to raise her as his grandfather was old and weak, unable to hunt anymore. Initially, A’Feng survived by gathering wild fruits and receiving occasional help from hunters who pitied their situation. The people here were very simple and relied on mutual assistance. Survival here was almost impossible without helping each other.

However, during this warm season, A’Feng would have to prepare food for the cold season himself. This was a daunting task for him. He not only had to feed himself but also his grandfather and sister.

Uncle Ke went down again and this time, the basket brought up a tusky wild boar weighing over five hundred kilograms. This type of wild boar didn’t have very tasty meat; it was coarse and not enjoyable unless cooked properly. However, A’Feng didn’t mind. Having something to eat was good enough for him. Since he arrived here, he rarely felt full, and his enormous appetite left him bewildered. He couldn’t understand why he could eat so much.

Several hunters and A’Feng, still grinning, carried the game along the road toward the inner fortress.

Tiger Cliff Fortress was situated in steep and rugged terrain, surrounded by cliffs on all sides. In the middle, there was a depression about two kilometers in diameter, providing enough land for cultivation. The people of Tiger Cliff Fortress lived in caves beneath the inner cliff. Each household occupied a cave, whether natural or artificially excavated. Extensions made of logs were built outside the caves. During the warm season, they could live in these wooden houses, but when the cold season came, they had to retreat into the caves to survive the winter.

The entire terrain of Tiger Cliff Fortress resembled a flat bowl, with residents living within it and the outer wall being the sheer cliffs. It was a natural, large-scale defensive fortress.

So, the group descended from the cliffs and quickly arrived at the residential area.

…

A’Feng carried a wild boar’s front leg in one hand and two wild chickens in the other, striding quickly toward his own home.

Soon, they reached a house with a vertical wooden fence, which had a small courtyard and a small house built on the edge of the cliff. A young girl saw A’Feng return and exclaimed joyfully, “Brother, brother…” as she ran over.

The weather was starting to cool, and the young girl put on a fur coat. Her long fur danced as she ran, looking like a small rolling furball. A’Feng said with a smile, “Don’t run… Take it easy…” as he squatted down. Since both of his hands were occupied, he couldn’t hug her.

The young girl rushed into A’Feng’s arms, reaching out to hold his neck. A’Feng stood up, and the girl hung on him, giggling, “Brother, whose meat did you bring this time?”

A’Feng gently touched her forehead with his own, affectionately saying, “It’s the game Uncle Ke brought. Is Grandpa okay?”

The young girl grinned, “Grandpa went to boil salt and just got back.”

Tiger Cliff Fortress had a special product, salt, which was extracted from an underground brine mine. Although the quantity was limited, it was enough for the residents’ daily use. This, along with other factors, allowed the people of Tiger Cliff Fortress to live deep in the mountains. The existence of the brine mine was a significant reason for this.

Boiling salt was mainly done by the elderly or women. It was enough as long as it could sustain them. Communication with the outside world was challenging, and they lived in a self-sufficient manner. A’Feng found this lifestyle very unusual, but after several years, he had gradually adapted to it.

The girl hung on A’Feng’s neck, and they walked into the house chatting and laughing. A’Feng called out loudly, “Grandpa, I’m back! Look, Uncle Ke gave us a front leg of a tusky wild boar, weighing about thirty kilograms. It’s enough for us for a few days.”

An elderly man, sitting on a low wooden stool with a leather pouch in his hand, saw them enter. A glint of joy flickered in his eyes. He coughed and said, “Good, A’Feng, take a rest. You must be tired.”

The girl slid down from A’Feng’s body and ran to the old man’s side, hugging his arm and squatting down. She happily said, “Grandpa, Aunt Qing sent a piece of barbarian oxhide. I took it to the cave. It’s a big piece. Brother’s armor is only missing one piece of hide. It won’t be long before the leather armor is complete. Grandpa, can I do it?” She had a look of anticipation, causing A’Feng to chuckle involuntarily.

“Hehe, little sister is so capable!”

A’Feng praised her first.

The old man gently touched the girl’s head and nodded, “Yes, our Yao Yao is the most capable!”

The young girl beamed with joy.

The leather armor was necessary protective gear for every hunter. The leather armor here had a special design, entirely made of various animal hides. The inner layer was made of a special soft leather with countless small bubbles inside, providing exceptional softness and excellent insulation. The middle layer was made of the tough hide of the barbarian ox, while the outer layer was made of the fur of a fierce beast called the long-haired wild bear. After tanning, the fur had excellent toughness. During the making of the leather armor, the fur was woven into patterns, and then a kind of animal grease was applied to fix it. It provided not only warmth but also excellent protection.