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The Village Chief gently stroked the wooden box, his eyes filled with nostalgia. After a long pause, he solemnly handed the box to Mo Wen and said, “Please accept this, young brother.”
Mo Wen looked at the Village Chief, puzzled. “Senior, did Junior say something inappropriate earlier? What I did was sincere and without any expectation of reward. Your actions…”
Before Mo Wen could finish his sentence, the Old Village Chief gestured for him to stop. The Village Chief smiled and said, “Haha! Young brother, please let me finish. You have been living in the village for over two months now; you must have noticed the unique aspects of our village.”
“The layout is well thought out, and the houses are orderly; the villagers are well-educated and perceptive. Moreover, there is equality between men and women here; there is no sign of male superiority or female inferiority. Although my experiences are limited, I sense that your village is not an ordinary one. It feels more like a fallen noble family. I dare to say this; I hope you will forgive me, Senior.” Mo Wen expressed his feelings from his time here and was eager to hear what the Village Chief would say next.
“Indeed, my clan did not originally reside here but migrated here tens of thousands of years ago…” Kao Shu Village moved here thousands of years ago because of the item that the Village Chief wanted to give to Mo Wen. It is said that the ancestors of Kao Shu Village were once a prominent family in the Empire, controlling much of its trade and having close ties with the imperial family. By chance, they obtained this item, but before they could study it further, their clan was attacked by an unknown force. After a fierce battle, the clan leader led the surviving members into hiding. However, what devastated the clan leader was just beginning; the Empire that had once protected them confiscated their assets, and all clan members were placed on the Empire's wanted list, hunted down by officials. The entire Empire became inhospitable for them.
With no other choice, the clan leader led those who managed to escape into Cloud Mist Forest. It is said that they received guidance from a wise person and changed their names to live in seclusion here. Shortly after arriving, the clan leader succumbed to severe injuries and left behind a final instruction: from this day forth, our clan shall bear the surname Li, and future generations must not trace their roots. This item is to be kept for aiding our clan’s revival by a Noble Person. Furthermore, he destroyed all historical records of the clan. Thus began Li Xing Village in Cloud Mist Forest.
The clansmen adhered strictly to their ancestor's instructions. After several generations, even the Village Chief—who knew many of the village's top secrets—was unaware of their original surname due to prolonged isolation from the outside world. At one point, their population dwindled to only forty or fifty people. In response to the threat of extinction, the then-clan leader sent people out to gather information and learned that their original Empire had long since fallen. From then on, they began interacting with outsiders again through marriage and alliances, allowing their lineage to continue. Their history was continuously rewritten until it became known that their ancestors had secluded themselves here out of disdain for worldly affairs. Thus, true history was submerged in the river of time.
By the time of the Village Chief’s generation, aside from himself, only the Elders knew that their ancestors had left behind an item with a prophecy stating that one day someone would help them grow strong and prosperous; this item would be entrusted to that person.
After hearing the Village Chief's words, Mo Wen finally understood what had happened. However, he still felt something was off. After pondering for a while, he finally realized where his confusion lay and asked, “I see now. But Senior, how can you be certain that Junior is that Noble Person?” To Mo Wen, it seemed rather hasty to assume someone was noble based solely on this prophecy.
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