Chapter 5

The mountain is a green mountain.

A vast, continuous range of mountains extends like a dragon's spine, enveloping the vast, desolate land. Within, there are numerous plants and animals, and the sounds of birds and beasts echo continuously.

From a distance, the protruding parts of the mountain range form five peaks, like a human hand raised to grasp the sky. On the middle section of one of these peaks, a young man leans against a large, concave rock in a shady spot. Beside him is a woven basket filled with medicinal herbs, emitting a fragrant aroma that permeates the surroundings.

The youth has clear, bright eyes, but his body is slender and appears somewhat frail. He wears a small shirt made of animal hide, with a necklace of white crescent-shaped animal bones around his neck. His hair is somewhat messy, tied up casually with a grass rope.

He sits there, holding a scroll made of more than ten pieces of animal hide glued together, reading it with great interest, nodding his head.

"The barbarians have ancestors who created the world and humans, leaving behind a legacy that has lasted for generations... Those who possess barbarian power are called barbarian warriors, capable of moving mountains and seas... They have barbarian patterns that can reach the heavens, allowing them to pluck the sun, moon, and stars..." The youth sighs as he reads.

"Without a barbarian body, how can one become a barbarian... a barbarian warrior... a barbarian warrior... Su Ming, you can only gather herbs and become an ordinary healer in the tribe. The dream of becoming a barbarian warrior is far from reach." The youth speaks to himself, putting down the animal hide scroll and staring into the distance, lost in thought.

He has read this scroll countless times, almost memorizing it by heart.

"The sky is round, the earth is square, boundless and endless..." Su Ming murmurs, his mind imagining the world described in the scroll. Unconsciously, the sky gradually darkens, and dark clouds can be seen faintly at the horizon.

The mountain breeze that blows also carries a dampness, rustling the leaves of the numerous plants and trees on the mountain.

The moment Su Ming sees the dark clouds at the horizon, he suddenly becomes alert.

"Grandpa's calculations were indeed accurate; there really is black dragon saliva today!" Su Ming's eyes shine brightly. He quickly stands up, tucks the animal hide scroll into his chest, grabs the woven basket with his left hand, and, with a swift movement, climbs up the mountain using a grass rope.

From a distance, the youth's frail body bursts with incredible strength, moving like a monkey. In a few leaps, he climbs more than ten zhang.

The dark clouds roll in, accompanied by thunderous roars, as if the heavens are angry and descending upon the mountain range. The dark clouds connect the sky and the earth, turning pitch black and drawing closer.

Su Ming climbs even faster, almost reaching a position about dozens of zhang from the peak. There, a large, protruding rock, seemingly naturally formed, is hollow inside with countless fist-sized holes. The rock's overall shape resembles a giant python coiled around the mountain peak.

Below the rock, there are sharp, fang-like protrusions, which look quite terrifying and peculiar. Because it protrudes from the mountain, it is almost suspended, making it very difficult to climb, unless one can fly.

Su Ming holds the rope with his left hand, takes a small bottle from the woven basket with his right hand, and places it in his mouth. He slowly moves his body in the opposite direction of the rock, causing the rope to tilt. He then grips the mountain wall with his fingers, pressing his body tightly against it, looking up at the dark clouds with a determined gaze.

After a moment, the dark clouds cover the sky, and thunder roars deafeningly. The wind rages, as if trying to uproot the mountain. In the midst of the wind, Su Ming's fingers gripping the mountain wall turn white, but he remains motionless, his eyes fixed on the sky with determination.

The wind grows stronger, howling like a giant beast, and the mountain's plants and trees are whipped around. The wind also lifts countless withered branches and leaves, filling the sky and the ground with flying debris.

Even large pieces of wood and small animals are lifted and thrown far away, their cries of distress hidden in the wind.

Su Ming endures the wind for a short while, and the entire sky is completely covered by dark clouds. Thunder rumbles, and heavy raindrops pour down, as if the world is covered by a curtain of water.

The rain falls continuously, growing heavier. Su Ming clings to the wet rope, pressing against the mountain wall, drenched to the bone but still motionless, his eyes fixed on a fang-like rock below the snake-like rock.

After an unknown amount of time, the rain continues to intensify, and the fang-like rock slowly begins to secrete a black liquid, which mixes with the rain and flows downward.

Su Ming watches this with a look of joy, but remains still. As the black liquid gradually decreases and finally turns golden, Su Ming's eyes narrow, and without hesitation, he releases his right hand from the rock, letting his body slide down. He quickly takes the small bottle from his mouth.

The rope, which was already tilted, now swings him like a pendulum toward the fang-like rock. Due to the large angle of the rope and his precise grip, he reaches the rock almost instantly, just as the thunder roars. He places the bottle under the fang-like rock, filling it with the golden liquid as the rope reaches its maximum swing.

At this moment, sharp hisses suddenly rise, and about four or five black centipedes, each as thick as an arm and half a zhang long, emerge from the fist-sized holes in the rock, lunging at Su Ming.

Su Ming shows no surprise. The moment the centipedes appear, he releases the rope with his left hand and quickly descends, avoiding their attack.

"Little Red!" Su Ming falls rapidly, the wind cutting through his body, making it stiff. Despite avoiding the centipedes, if he falls, he will be crushed to a pulp.

However, he remains calm. A red blur rushes out from the cliff, grabbing a rope and heading straight for Su Ming. It is a small red monkey, baring its teeth but with a lively look in its eyes. It grabs Su Ming and pulls him to safety.

The man and the monkey land on the cliff wall, where Su Ming had been reading earlier. Su Ming, looking tense, quickly puts away the small bottle.

"Little Red, we need to run fast. I've taken too much black dragon saliva this time! Hey, what are you holding in your hand?" Su Ming asks, noticing a small, black fragment in the monkey's hand.

The monkey immediately becomes wary, hiding the fragment behind its back and hissing several times. Seeing the urgency, Su Ming doesn't argue and quickly moves forward, leaping down and grabbing a rope, descending with the monkey.

Behind them, the hisses rise to a crescendo. The black centipedes quickly chase after them, sliding down the cliff like black lines, relentlessly pursuing.

The red monkey bares its teeth, hissing at Su Ming and occasionally looking back at the pursuing centipedes, its eyes filled with fear and anger.

"This isn't the first time we've run away. The black dragons don't dare come down the mountain, so stop pretending. As usual, I'll give you a small portion of the black dragon saliva." Su Ming, fleeing quickly, speaks lazily. As expected, the monkey immediately grins, clearly having been pretending.

The man and the monkey are very familiar with the mountain. The centipedes, for some reason, avoid certain areas of the mountain, forcing them to take detours. This allows Su Ming and the monkey to escape, even though they are not as fast as the centipedes. They jump down several times, grabbing ropes, and eventually reach the base of the mountain, disappearing into the forest.

The centipedes, indeed, do not dare to come down the mountain. After roaring for a long time, they reluctantly climb back up the mountain.

The dark clouds come and go quickly. After a few hours, the mountain range returns to normal, and the dark clouds roll away into the distance.

At the edge of the forest, Su Ming and the monkey emerge. The sky is gradually darkening, and faint firelight can be seen in the distance, where Su Ming's tribe is located.

"Half of what I gave you, you drank. Do you want more?" Su Ming, drenched, looks at the monkey, who has been following him with a pleading look.

The monkey is very intelligent. Su Ming found it three years ago in the mountain, and after some initial conflicts, they became good friends.

The monkey blinks, scratches its face, and hesitates for a moment. Then, it hands the black fragment to Su Ming, hissing several times, indicating it wants to trade for the black dragon saliva.

"Alright, I'll give you some more, but I don't want this broken stone. You keep it." Su Ming smiles, takes the small bottle from the basket, and hands it to the monkey.

The monkey quickly grabs it, takes a sip, and looks content, swaying slightly and burping. It then throws the black fragment and the bottle back to Su Ming and disappears into the forest with a few quick leaps.

Su Ming looks at the half-empty bottle, smiles, and puts it back in the basket. He then examines the black fragment.

The page turns, and the advertisement begins.

The page turns, and the advertisement ends.