Chapter 33

"…So, you came to this snowy mountain area to collect herbs?" Hao Qi blew out a smoke ring, which was immediately scattered by the fierce cold wind, but Hao Qi didn't care at all. He was bare-chested, and his muscular body made him look very spirited.

Zhang Heng, sitting next to him, was trembling. It wasn't Zhang Heng's fault; they were at the peak of a mountain several thousand meters high, where snow accumulated year-round. Even though it was summer, the temperature here was at least around minus ten degrees Celsius, and the cold wind was fierce. Zhang Heng wasn't at the Internal Force Realm, so it was no wonder he was cold in such an environment.

The two had just finished dinner, or rather, a late-night snack. After Hao Qi rescued Zhang Heng, set up the tent, and settled him down, he went to hunt a giant beast that could run swiftly on the snowy mountain. By the time they finished roasting it, it was already around one or two o'clock in the morning.

Both were martial artists, especially Hao Qi, who had already reached the Internal Force Realm. If they ate to their heart's content, the food they consumed could be digested at a speed dozens of times faster than that of ordinary people, and the digestion efficiency was much higher. Now, with some of his vital energy depleted, Hao Qi ate more than half of the blue beast. Zhang Heng was also a martial artist, and from Hao Qi's perspective, a very capable one. Although he hadn't yet trained his body to the Quasi-Internal Force Realm, his physical foundation was already very solid. As long as he had sufficient nutrition and better martial arts, he could reach the Quasi-Internal Force Realm in at most one or two years.

The two ate and drank to their heart's content, and in a short while, the blue beast was reduced to a skeleton. It was clear that Zhang Heng wasn't from a wealthy family, and Hao Qi was also a poor orphan. The two didn't care and even crushed the bones to suck out the marrow before finally stopping, both seeming very satisfied.

After eating, the two had no intention of resting and started chatting on the mountaintop. From Zhang Heng's words, Hao Qi learned that Zhang Heng was from the Hundred Herbs Kingdom and was a student at the government medical university. He was staying in this snowy mountain area to search for and collect herbs.

Hearing Hao Qi's question, Zhang Heng took a sip of the wine Hao Qi had given him, savoring its richness, and then said, "Yes, this season is when the most famous herb in the snowy mountain area, Cordyceps sinensis, is produced. It's a cold worm in winter, as white as jade, and in summer, it turns into a plant with an icy color on the snowy mountain. If you don't get close, the human eye can't distinguish it from the snow. The higher the altitude, the better the medicinal properties. It's said that Cordyceps sinensis at the peak of a mountain over ten thousand meters is a heavenly treasure. Ordinary people can greatly improve their physical foundation by eating it, and even those at the Internal Force Realm can purify their internal force and expand the capacity of their internal force circulation system. It's a one-of-a-kind heavenly treasure."

"Oh? There's Cordyceps sinensis here too?" Hao Qi was about to say "in this world," but he corrected himself in time. He knew that the Cordyceps sinensis in this world was definitely not the same as the one on his previous Earth. From Zhang Heng's description, it was likely a different organism that was a worm in winter and a plant in summer.

"Yes," Zhang Heng nodded affirmatively. "Although Cordyceps sinensis might be a heavenly treasure, it can only be found at the peaks of mountains over ten thousand meters high. Ordinary Cordyceps sinensis is just a relatively rare herb, widely distributed in the snowy mountain area. From my medical studies, I learned that there are more Cordyceps sinensis in the northern region of the Blue Sea, as there are continuous high mountains there. It's said that there are occasional discoveries of heavenly treasures in that area. I really want to go there and see the new scenery."

"Hahaha, that's it!" Hao Qi burst into laughter, clapping Zhang Heng on the shoulder so hard that he almost knocked him off the mountain. Then Hao Qi stood up, bare-chested, facing the wind and snow, and shouted, "A man must have some pursuits in life! Do you know? I was an orphan, always hungry and cold. But I had a good brother, a true friend. He did some small, underhanded jobs to earn money for me, so I could practice martial arts and burst into the Internal Force Realm. I promised him that once I burst into the Internal Force Realm, he would follow me, eat well, and drink well. We would travel the world together, see all the scenery, visit all the places, and taste all the delicacies. That's my pursuit and dream!"

Zhang Heng nodded enviously and somewhat lost in thought, then suddenly asked, "What about your brother?"

"He's dead," Hao Qi said without hesitation, looking at Zhang Heng sincerely. "He died on the job. I've already said we were orphans, with no power or background, no relatives or family. We were young then, and he had to support me in practicing martial arts. You're a martial artist, so you know that to practice martial arts, you need good nutrition, whether it's meat or supplements. So he had to do some underhanded jobs to help me achieve my dream. He joined the underworld from a young age, got beaten and scolded, and did things he didn't like, just to earn a little more money."

"But the underworld is full of complications. His gang got involved in a conflict with a powerful family and was wiped out. He died without a word, without seeing him one last time, and even his body couldn't be found. He died silently and unknown... I burst into the Internal Force Realm a few days after his death, then killed an Internal Force Realm member of that family and forced them to kill the one responsible. But I... can no longer fulfill my brother's dream."

Hao Qi stood on the mountaintop, not waiting for Zhang Heng to offer condolences, and continued loudly, "A lifetime, two brothers. I won't say I regret it, because it's already past. Regret won't bring my brother back. I can only say that I won't make the same mistake again, and if I do, I'll pay with my life! At the same time, I will live for my brother and achieve my dream. I will travel the world!"

Seeing Hao Qi like this and hearing his words, Zhang Heng was deeply moved. Such freedom and such ease made him sigh in admiration. Zhang Heng was also very excited and quickly said, "I'm the same. I want to find all the places where heavenly treasures grow. You don't know, I've read in ancient books, medical texts, and various records that these heavenly treasures grow in special environments, taking the essence of heaven and earth. For example, true Cordyceps sinensis can only grow on mountains over ten thousand meters high. Can you imagine a mountain over ten thousand meters high? It's said that in the northern region of the Blue Sea, only a few mountains are over ten thousand meters high. But from some travel records, I know that in the Black Sea, there is a legendary mountain, the Ancestor of All Mountains, which is over 108,000 meters high. It's said that the environment at that height is pitch black, while our world is bright. And it seems almost impossible to breathe there, which is quite amazing... And there's the Red Lotus of the Mystic Earth, which grows in a magma pool deep underground, where the temperature and pressure are extremely high, but there must also be a normal-temperature pond of water and mud. Only under such coincidental conditions can the Red Lotus of the Mystic Earth be born. And there's more..."

Hao Qi smoked and listened to Zhang Heng, feeling a sense of peace. Seeing Zhang Heng getting more and more excited, he said, "That's right. Everyone has their own dreams and beliefs. Dreams and beliefs are not ranked; they only differ in the depth of one's commitment. That's great. Work hard for your dream, young man."

Because of the strong mountain wind and Zhang Heng's excitement, he didn't quite hear the last two words Hao Qi said. He seemed to be thinking about the fantastic places where he would search for heavenly treasures, becoming more and more excited, his face turning red. But then he seemed to think of something, his face turning red and then white. After a long while, he sighed, took a big sip of wine, and sighed again, but didn't say anything more.

Hao Qi saw all this but didn't offer any comfort. A man's sorrow and pain must be faced alone. Whatever the situation, one must face it, or how can one be called a true man? Of course, Hao Qi didn't comment on the idea of gender equality and men crying not being a sin. Everyone has their own path.

Hao Qi just handed Zhang Heng a small jade bottle of wine. Zhang Heng shook his own bottle, confirmed it was empty, and took it, taking another sip and exhaling, "As long as I verify 'that'... I will leave everything behind and travel. That's been my dream since childhood, and I will definitely achieve it!"

Hao Qi listened silently and didn't say much. The two slowly drank wine and smoked, sitting in silence for a long time. Suddenly, Hao Qi stood up, looked into the distance, and from the mountaintop, though not the tallest, he could see thousands of kilometers away. The world here had no curved horizon, but the various mists and shadows obscured the view, so he could only see what was within his field of vision. But it was still very impressive, and Hao Qi had never seen such a breathtaking sight in his previous life.

At the far end of his vision, in the darkness of the night, a faint light slowly rose from the horizon, first a small point, then growing larger, almost dyeing the entire horizon red. Suddenly, a fiery red burst from the horizon, and the sunrise... appeared!

Hao Qi watched this, moved. This was why he insisted on camping on the mountaintop. The cold wind of the night was worth it for this moment of sunrise. Not only him, but Zhang Heng, standing next to him, also stared at the sunrise in silence for a long time.

After a long while, when the sunrise had completely risen above the horizon, Hao Qi exhaled and said, "Let's pack up and go down the mountain. By the way, Brother Zhang, you're from the Hundred Herbs Kingdom. Is it far from here?"

Zhang Heng收回了视线，回答道：“挺远的，我是半个月前从学校出发，之后徒步走了十天左右才来到这里，不过我并不是完全穿越了这片山脉，在前面有好几座巨山挡路，那高度和陡峭让我根本攀爬不上去，而且还有猛兽出没，是学校里标注的禁区，我是通过地下通道过来这边的。”

“地下通道！？”郝启重复了一遍，声音都高了几分，显然他对地下通道很有兴趣，脸上露出了强烈的兴趣表情。

“嗯，地下通道！”

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(Note: The last part of the text was not fully translated due to the abrupt end in the original text. The translation ends where the original text ends.)