Fang Mu felt dejected. He did not know why, but the mysterious senior Mo had been ignoring him for more than a year now. He had been calling out to him multiple times every time he came to the forest, but every single time, he would return dispirited.
He did not know where he went wrong, and kept recalling every single thing that had happened the last time he met the man. No matter how many times he a.n.a.lyzed it, he still thought that it was related to the bone blade.
He had brought this up to his father half a year ago, and his father fell silent. He did not speak, but several days later, his father told him that the man had already left the rainforest in a hurry, as if an accident had happened.
When Fang Mu heard those words, he fell silent for a long time. He had thought about giving up, but the probability of seven Su Ming had spoken about during the last time they had met made Fang Mu reluctant to give up his chance to get cured completely.
Even if his father had told him clearly that the man had left, Fang Mu still went there every month and called out to him for several days, hoping that one day he would get a response.
Not once did he stop coming into the forest during the past year. He had a feeling that this was his only chance.
Fang Mu knew that his father was aware of his actions. He knew about it since his father still ordered the powerful Berserkers in the tribe to accompany him to the rainforest and wait outside, just like every single time Fang Mu had come to the rainforest in the past.
He recalled everything that had happened in his head, and Fang Mu let out a long sigh. He went into the rainforest alone and called out as per usual.
"Senior… Senior…"
Fang Mu went to the last place he had met Su Ming and looked around. A dejected look appeared on his face.
"Have you prepared the herbs I asked of you?"
A calm voice traveled languidly from behind him. The voice may have appeared suddenly, but it sounded as if it had existed in the rainforest from the start. It sounded as if it had blended into the place.
Fang Mu was momentarily stunned. He turned around swiftly and saw the familiar figure standing in the same place as the previous year.
"Se… Senior!"
A shudder traveled through Fang Mu’s body and extreme joy filled his eyes. His breathing became rapid, and there was disbelief on his face.
"I’ve prepared the beast bones that are equivalent to the power of Awakening, but…"
Fang Mu looked at Su Ming. He was afraid that the man would disappear once again. When he finally appeared, Fang Mu immediately explained anxiously.
"But the three herbs are rare items. My father searched for a long time for me, and only managed to obtain two. The last is an herb named Sky Flute Branch. It has gone extinct in the Land of South Morning for a long time. Besides a few special places, it’s difficult to find this herb elsewhere."
As Fang Mu spoke, he immediately brought out a black bell from his bosom and crushed it before Su Ming.
Black mist scattered out and two purple beast bones appeared before Fang Mu, as well as two herbs that glowed brilliantly.
Most of Su Ming’s body was hidden in the darkness. He looked at Fang Mu, the beast bones, the herbs, and then fell silent.
"Senior, please give me some more time, I…"
Fang Mu’s heart thundered against his chest. Nervousness flooded his body.
"I asked you to search for these herbs to create a medicinal concoction. That medicinal concoction is very useful to me, and it’ll also allow me to get rid of the injuries in your body caused by the Berserker Art," Su Ming said unhurriedly.
"If I lack even one of them, then it’ll be difficult for me to create that medicinal concoction."
Fang Mu gritted his teeth and with his fist against one palm, he bowed towards Su Ming. When he lifted his head, his expression was grave.
"Senior, my father once said that it’s not impossible to obtain Sky Flute Branch. There are three hidden locations in the canyon under Han Mountain City. Decades ago, including the people of my tribe, the three tribes entered those places before and obtained a Sky Flute Branch from there, but that herb was taken by Lake of Colors Tribe. I heard that it has already been used for another medicine.
"But according to my father’s a.n.a.lysis, there should be other Sky Flute Branches in the canyon. It’ll be the Day of Eternal Creation half a year later, and it’ll also be the day of the Great Fog of Han Mountain that only happens once a decade. Every single time during this day, the people of the three tribes will open the tunnel leading to the underground of Han Mountain, and the three tribes will send representatives of their tribes and their guests to go into the tunnel…
"My father will use that time to send some tribe members to go and search for a Sky Flute Branch… I ask of you, please wait for another half a year!"
"Oh?"
Su Ming’s expression remained blank, but in his mind he was asking He Feng about it.
"Master, the boy is right. There is a powerful seal on the grave of Han Mountain Tribe’s ancestor. It’s not just the tribes, even I cannot enter the place during other times. Only during the Day of Eternal Creation that happens once a decade will the entire Land of South Morning be covered in fog. During that time, the seal on my ancestor’s grave will be weakened by an unseen force, and only then can other people enter.
"The three tribes should have entered the place multiple times over the centuries. Their aim is to obtain the legacy left behind by my ancestor. After all, besides the four great treasures left behind by him, the other treasures are all resting beside him in his grave.
"I’ve only heard about this in the past, so I don’t know the details. I only know that when Han Mountain Tribe’s ancestor died, the three tribes betrayed us, but it’s not so easy to breach the grave of my ancestor, or else the three tribes would have taken away all the treasures a long time ago. They wouldn’t have to go in that place so many times. It’s clear that they haven’t obtained a lot of rewards.
"Master, this might be a chance. If you enter my ancestor’s grave, and with my help, you should be able to obtain the things you want. Besides, the three tribes have been taking in guests for a long time to prepare for this.
"The three tribes were, after all, affiliated with Han Mountain Tribe a long time ago. I heard that my ancestor ordered them about and left the brand of slavery on them. To my ancestor, the three tribes would forever be slaves, that’s why when they enter my ancestor’s grave, they would feel uncomfortable, but if it’s an outsider, then they would not feel that limitation."
He Feng’s mood was slightly down as he explained.
‘Even so, why would the three tribes destroy Han Mountain Tribe in the past?’
Su Ming projected his thought in his mind.
"It’s not just you, even my tribe members and I have been wondering about it for a long time. But it’s something that happened centuries ago. There are few people left who know about the details of what had happened that year… But my guess is that there were outsiders who partic.i.p.ated that year!" He Feng fell silent for a moment before he whispered.
A contemplative look appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. He was not too interested in the grave of Han Mountain Tribe’s ancestor, but the mystery of the red meadow and the difference of its effects towards him and others not only made him amazed but also allowed him to form some theories regarding Han Mountain Tribe’s ancestor.
"I’ll wait for you for half a year. If you can bring me the Sky Flute Branch half a year later, then I’ll fulfill my end of the promise!"
Su Ming looked at Fang Mu and spoke coolly.
"Before you go to the three hidden locations, you can come here. I have some things to ask of you."
Su Ming took one step forward and Fang Mu’s vision clouded for a moment. He could not see Su Ming clearly, but he could feel a cold sensation in his mouth, as if a foreign object melted in his mouth and spread throughout his body.
Once he reacted to the situation, all was quiet around him. Su Ming had already left, and the beast bones and herbs on the ground were gone.
Su Ming turned into a long arc, but he did not travel in the sky, he was das.h.i.+ng through the rainforest instead.
"Master, why didn’t you ask to enter the canyon?" He Feng could no longer hold it in and asked.
‘You want me to go?’
Su Ming moved forward with big steps at an incredible speed as he asked in his mind, seemingly casual.
"Master, you misunderstand. I did not mean that."
He Feng shuddered and quickly shut his mouth.
He Feng no longer spoke about the matter on the way but provided directions and told Su Ming the location where he had hidden the great treasure. Half a month later, Su Ming stood at one of the summits of a long and continuous stretch of mountain range located far away from Han Mountain City, and looked down.
This was a desolate area. There was no one around. The place was secluded, so few people came here. The wind was great, and as it blew against his body, Su Ming’s long hair floated in the air. His robes let out ceaseless flapping sounds.
Before him were various valleys formed by mountain ridges. There were a lot of valleys that were covered by plants and trees. This might not be a rainforest, but it was still a remote mountain.
"Master, my cave abode is the seventh valley from the front."
He Feng’s voice echoed in Su Ming’s head. Su Ming’s eyes flashed, and after a momentary silence, he lifted his feet and ran towards the seventh small valley.
The seventh valley looked sunken in the distance, and there were a lot of plants within, along with a large number of birds and beasts. Su Ming carefully went into the valley and surveyed his surroundings. His surroundings were quiet, and there were a lot of cracks on the mountain stones. Plants had made their home within those cracks.
He swept his gaze across the valley and a white stone coin appeared in his hand. Once he held it in his right hand, he made a sign, and all within the circ.u.mference of 1,000 feet appeared in his mind in an instant. All the movements of the wind blowing against the gra.s.s and the traces of the creatures in the valley appeared profoundly in his head.
Very soon, he focused his gaze on the middle section of the mountain stone towards his right. There was a crack that was not too big. A brief sparkle appeared in his eyes.
Su Ming saw two big eagles inside the crack. It was clear that the birds treated the place as their abode.
"You hid this place well. Is this the cave abode you spoke about?" Su Ming asked flatly.
"It’s easy for people to find the resting places of birds and beasts, but it’s also very easy for them to overlook them, especially in a secluded remote mountain like this. There are a lot of eagles like these here."
He Feng’s voice appeared with a cautious tone in Su Ming’s head.
Su Ming focused his entire Branding Art on the crack. After careful observation, he noticed nothing out of place. Only then did he charge into the crack. In an instant, he entered the crack, startling the two eagles inside. They flew up and were about to screech when Su Ming used the Branding Art to stab their heads. They struggled out of the crack and fell into the valley unconscious.
Su Ming went to the right side of the cave and crouched down. He looked at the ground and smacked his right hand down. The moment he struck, the ground trembled and cracked open. There was a jade box the size of a palm hidden within.
There was nothing unusual about the jade box, only some decorative patterns were carved on the box. Su Ming did not pick it up immediately, but chose to observe it for a few moments. However, his expression gradually became more serious with each pa.s.sing moment.
The box was also created from stone coins.
‘The great treasure left behind by Han Mountain Tribe’s ancestor... just what is it..?’
Su Ming sat down and looked at the box. He had asked He Feng about the treasure before.
However, He Feng’s answer was rather ambiguous. He had opened it once, but only saw a ray of virescent light. Once the virescentlight disappeared, the box also closed up on its own. After that, no matter how much he tried opening it, he could not.
He was also worried that he would die because he did not have the power to control the treasure. That was why after careful consideration, he hid the treasure over here, thinking that he would try opening it once again after he Awakened.