Su Ming could clearly sense that Lei Chen's expression was unnatural. He seemed both frightened and helpless. Following the direction of the voice, Su Ming glanced over without changing his expression.
At that glance, Su Ming was instantly dazzled!
It was a woman. She wore a short jacket made from mink fur, and she was exceptionally tall—seeming almost a head taller than the slender Su Ming—which accentuated her beautiful figure. Unlike the other members of the Barbarian Tribe, her skin was not rough. It was quite fair, and she possessed a beauty that made one's heart leap.
Her hair was jet black, tied back with a red cord of grass. Two little braids hung beside her ears, while the rest of her dark locks fell behind her. The wind swept past, lifting a few strands and adding to her beauty.
Her eyes were like a pool of clear water, yet a sharpness lurked in their glances, with faint glimmers of cold light within. Her forehead was adorned with sparkling flecks that caught the light reflected off the snow, shining brilliantly.
Most striking of all, Su Ming could just make out two little white canines when she spoke. A wild air seemed to surround her.
She was no ordinary person. Like Su Ming, she was a Barbarian Warrior, though the aura of blood and qi emanating from her suggested that she was only at the third layer of the Blood Condensation Realm.
She was not alone. Three burly men stood behind her, as imposing as little mountains. They watched Su Ming and Lei Chen with cold eyes, and the aura of blood and qi they gave off was only slightly weaker than Bei Ling's.
Each of the three men had patterns painted on his body that resembled centipedes. Su Ming's gaze flickered almost imperceptibly as he took note of this.
"Lei Chen, you've got some nerve!" The woman glared at him through gritted teeth.
Lei Chen rubbed his nose, putting on his usual honest expression before grinning foolishly.
"You fooled me with that same face last time and sold me a lousy herb dyed a different color—for three Stone Coins, no less!" The woman stood before Lei Chen, furious.
"You can't blame me for that. I didn't even know what kind of herb it was. I just left it there, and you were the one who wanted to buy it..." Lei Chen protested meekly, looking aggrieved.
"Hmph! Give me back my Stone Coins!" The woman glared at Lei Chen, and even began to look with disgust at Su Ming standing beside him. But after one glance at Su Ming's frail appearance, she dismissed him.
"But I..." Lei Chen smiled bitterly and was about to speak, but a flash of cold light in the woman's eyes—and the fierce looks from the three men behind her—made him swallow his words. He cursed his bad luck inwardly.
"Lei Chen, is she the one from the Black Dragon Tribe you told Grandpa about?" Su Ming asked slowly, his expression blank.
Lei Chen froze for a moment at his words, but quickly caught on. He knew Su Ming was always level-headed, and if he was speaking now, it meant he would help. Lei Chen also knew Su Ming well enough to understand there was a reason for his strange question. He promptly took a few steps back and stood behind Su Ming, making a show of treating him as their leader.
"Young Barbarian, she is indeed the one!" Lei Chen said quietly, his manner respectful.
Lei Chen's words and actions drew the woman's attention to Su Ming, and she looked surprised. The title Young Barbarian usually meant someone was a candidate to become the future Barbarian Duke. She studied Su Ming carefully, but he looked no different from an ordinary member of the Barbarian Tribe. Her face remained fierce, and her voice was cold.
"I don't care whether you're a Young Barbarian or not. Give me back my Stone Coins!"
"Fine! I'll give you the Stone Coins. But I came here with Lei Chen today specifically to find you." Su Ming calmly reached into his robe with his right hand and took out three Stone Coins.
"Give me the herb you bought from Lei Chen," Su Ming said slowly, looking at her.
The woman was taken aback. She hadn't expected to get her Stone Coins back so easily, and her eyes moved between Su Ming and Lei Chen.
"What kind of herb was it?" she asked hesitantly, making no move to take the coins.
"It was..." Lei Chen began, but a sharp shout cut him off.
"Shut up!" Su Ming glared coldly at Lei Chen. Lei Chen shuddered and immediately lowered his head, looking thoroughly cowed.
The woman blinked at the exchange, growing even more suspicious. After a brief hesitation, she took a purple herb from her robe. It looked ordinary enough, except that it was purple all over, giving it a somewhat sinister appearance.
As soon as she took out the herb, she held it out to Su Ming. But her eyes stayed fixed on his expression. The instant she saw his eyes light up and his hand reach out as if he couldn't wait to snatch it, she suddenly pulled her hand back and laughed like a silver bell.
"What are you doing? This is my herb. I bought it! Are you trying to steal it?" She wrinkled her nose and snorted.
"Miss, do you still want your Stone Coins?" Su Ming said, taken aback and frowning.
"Of course I do. But I'll have to think about it. Unless you can prove you're the Young Barbarian of the Wu Mountain Tribe, I won't give you the herb." A sly glint appeared in the woman's eyes, deepening her wild air.
Even Su Ming's heart began to beat faster, but his expression barely changed.
Su Ming fell silent for a moment as he looked at the woman before him. Then he suddenly drew a deep breath. He raised his left hand, and an aura of blood and qi at the second layer of the Blood Condensation Realm spread from his right hand.
"Is this proof enough?"
The sudden change made the woman's pupils contract. Even the three burly men behind her grew solemn.
Their reaction was understandable. Only a moment earlier, no matter how they looked at Su Ming, he had seemed like an ordinary tribesman, with not the slightest trace of blood and qi. Now the stark contrast left them baffled and uncertain.
"Young Master, a powerful Barbarian Warrior must have used an art to conceal the flow of blood and qi in his body. That warrior is far stronger than the three of us. Otherwise, we would have sensed it."
"That's right. I watched him carefully just now and noticed nothing. Only the Barbarian Duke of the Wu Mountain Tribe could have done this..."
The three burly men behind the woman whispered to her.
The girl's eyes flickered. She looked down at the purple herb in her hand and hesitated. She had traded for it some time ago, after a long conversation with Lei Chen. It had taken quite a bit of effort to get it. She had thought it was an unknown substance and planned to ask Grandpa about it, but the next day, she discovered that the purple color had rubbed off on her hand. It was clearly just a coating added afterward.
Furious, she had been unable to swallow her anger. She often came here with the herb, hoping to run into that damned fellow named Lei Chen again.
As she hesitated, Su Ming's voice came, tinged with impatience.
"I've proved what needed proving. Don't go back on your word. Here are three Stone Coins... No, I'll give you five!" Su Ming gritted his teeth, took out two more Stone Coins, and held all five out to her.
"Five Stone Coins for the herb!"
The girl blinked. He knew I was from the Black Dragon Tribe as soon as he opened his mouth, so Lei Chen must have told him. And he even brought up the Barbarian Duke of the Wu Mountain Tribe...
It must really be a treasure! She looked pleased with herself and shook her head.
"What's the matter? What's the matter? I changed my mind, all right? It's mine. If you want it, give me thirty Stone Coins!" As she spoke, she saw Su Ming's bitter expression and Lei Chen's crestfallen face, and grew even more pleased. Then she turned around with a snort and hurried away.
The three burly men followed her, and the four of them gradually disappeared into the Tribal Market.
Only after the four had gone did the gloom vanish from Lei Chen's face. He grinned foolishly at Su Ming and rubbed his nose.
"Su Ming, how did you know she was from the Black Dragon Tribe?"
"So you traded it for three Stone Coins, and you still have one left, right? Hand it over." Su Ming glanced at Lei Chen, slipped the coins in his hand back into his robe, and spoke in an unhurried voice.
"Come on, that... That Stone Coin went toward something I bought last time... Ha, I've got something to do. Let's leave it at that. We'll split up, and I'll wait for you here tonight. Then we can return to the tribe together." Lei Chen's eyelid twitched. He hurriedly spoke, then took off running before Su Ming could answer, slipping into the busier part of the Tribal Market and vanishing from sight.
Watching Lei Chen flee, Su Ming shook his head. If he weren't so desperately poor, he would never have revealed the power of his blood and qi. Grandpa's Barbarian Art was incredibly powerful. Unless Su Ming chose to reveal it, outsiders would find it difficult to see through the disguise.
But if he hadn't done that, he would have had to return the two Stone Coins he'd gotten from Lei Chen to the girl—and might even have had to throw in another one himself.
"Ah, looks like I really have to use that method..." Su Ming scratched his head, troubled, and headed into the Tribal Market.
The Tribal Market was bustling. People traded inside tents made from grass, wood, and hide, and some even spread small pieces of animal hide on the snowy ground outside. They placed herbs and other goods on top, then sat nearby waiting for buyers.
This was Su Ming's first time here, and everything fascinated him. He wandered through the Tribal Market, looking at all manner of things he had never seen before: animal bones, strange-looking herbs, and even finished medicinal liquids.
"They're selling Black Dragon Saliva too. One small bottle costs a Stone Coin!" Su Ming stopped and blinked at the Black Dragon Saliva laid out on an animal hide beside him.
"From the time I was little until now... How much Black Dragon Saliva have I drunk? How many Stone Coins would that be?! And Xiao Hong drank plenty too..." Su Ming muttered as he started to leave. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on an item laid out on an animal hide in the snow not far away.
"This is..." Su Ming drew a deep breath and walked over to the spot. He glanced at the stall owner, an old man of about fifty, dressed in loose animal hides and sitting cross-legged in the snow without moving.
Before you continue