As If Meeting for the First Time

Su Ming could clearly sense that Lei Chen's expression was unnatural, appearing both fearful and helpless. Following the direction from which the voice originated, Su Ming looked over without changing his expression.

At this glance, Su Ming was struck by a sense of astonishment.

It was a young woman dressed in a small tunic made of sable fur. Her stature was exceptionally tall—she seemed to loom a head taller than the slender Su Ming—which served to accentuate her stunning figure. Unlike the rough skin typical of the Barbarian tribes, her complexion was quite fair, revealing a beauty that made one's heart skip a beat.

Her hair was jet-black, tied with a red grass-rope into two small braids beside her ears, while the rest of her dark tresses flowed down her back. As the wind blew, a few strands fluttered, adding to her allure.

Her eyes were like a pool of clear water, yet they held a sharp, piercing quality when she looked around, as if a cold light were hidden within. Her forehead was adorned with shimmering crystal dots that caught the reflection of the snow on the ground, emitting a dazzling brightness.

In particular, one could faintly see two small, white canine teeth when she breathed, giving her an aura of untamed wildness.

She was no ordinary person; like Su Ming, she was a Barbarian Warrior, though the blood energy radiating from her body appeared to be only at the third level of the Blood Condensation Realm.

She was not alone. Behind her stood three burly Barbarian men, each as imposing as a small hill. Their gazes were cold as they stared at Su Ming and his companion, and the blood energy emanating from them was only slightly weaker than that of Bei Ling, whom Su Ming had encountered before.

On the bodies of these three men were painted patterns that resembled centipedes. Su Ming's gaze flickered imperceptibly as he took note of this.

"Lei Chen, you have a lot of nerve!" The woman glared at Lei Chen, gritting her teeth.

Lei Chen rubbed his nose, his expression reverting to his usual honest, simple-minded look as he began to giggle foolishly.

"I was fooled by this act of yours last time! You sold me a piece of broken herb that had been dyed, and you charged me three Stone Coins for it!!!!" The woman stood before Lei Chen, her face full of indignation.

"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 insisted on buying it..." Lei Chen said, looking aggrieved and timid.

"Hmph, hand over the Stone Coins!" The woman glared at Lei Chen, her gaze turning with disgust toward Su Ming as well. However, after giving the slender Su Ming a cursory glance, she automatically dismissed him.

"But I..." Lei Chen forced a bitter smile and was about to speak, but when he saw the cold glint in the woman's eyes and the sharp, menacing stares of the three men behind her, he swallowed his words and groaned inwardly.

"Lei Chen, is she the person from the Black Dragon Tribe that you and Grandpa mentioned?" Just then, Su Ming said slowly, his face devoid of emotion.

At his words, Lei Chen was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted. He knew that Su Ming was always calm; since he had spoken, it meant he was willing to help. Knowing Su Ming well, Lei Chen's heart stirred at this strange remark. He quickly stepped back, standing behind Su Ming and assuming the posture of one who follows his lead.

"Reporting to the Young Barbarian, it is indeed this woman!" Lei Chen said in a low, respectful voice.

Lei Chen's actions and words caused the woman to involuntarily fix her gaze on Su Ming, her expression one of surprise. The title "Young Barbarian" often signified a candidate for the future Barbarian Duke. She scrutinized Su Ming carefully, but no matter how she looked, he appeared to be an ordinary tribesman. Her face remained filled with Sha Qi, and her voice was cold.

"I don't care if you are a Young Barbarian or not, give me back my Stone Coins!"

"Fine! You shall have your coins, but I came here with Lei Chen today specifically to find you!" Su Ming said calmly, reaching into his robe and pulling out three Stone Coins.

"Give me the herb you bought from Lei Chen!" Su Ming looked at the woman and said slowly.

The woman was taken aback. She hadn't expected to get the coins back so easily, and she felt a surge of suspicion, her gaze darting between Su Ming and Lei Chen.

"What kind of herb is it?" She hesitated, not taking the coins, and asked tentatively.

"It is..." Lei Chen began, only to be cut off by a sharp shout.

"Shut up!" Su Ming gave Lei Chen a cold glare, causing the latter to tremble and lower his head in apparent awe.

This scene made the woman blink, even more confused. After a moment of hesitation, she took a purple herb from her robe. It looked quite ordinary, save for its deep purple color, which gave it a somewhat sinister appearance.

The moment she brought it out, she held it toward Su Ming, but her eyes remained fixed on his expression. When she saw a flash of light in Su Ming's eyes and noticed him reaching out with an impatient, eager hand, she suddenly let out a bell-like laugh and jerked her hand back.

"What are you doing! This is my herb, I bought it! Are you trying to rob me?" The woman wrinkled her nose and huffed.

"Young lady, do you still want the Stone Coins or not?" Su Ming paused, frowning.

"Of course I want them, but I need to think about it. Unless you can prove you are the Young Barbarian of the Wu Mountain Tribe, I won't give you this herb." The woman's eyes twinkled with cunning, a look that only heightened the wild, untamed aura about her.

Even Su Ming felt his heart rate quicken, though his expression remained largely unchanged.

After a brief silence, Su Ming looked at the woman and suddenly took a deep breath. As he raised his left hand, a surge of blood energy at the second level of the Blood Condensation Realm radiated from his right hand.

"Is this proof enough!"

This sudden change caused the woman's pupils to constrict, and even the three burly men behind her grew visibly solemn.

Their reaction was understandable; a moment ago, no matter how they looked at Su Ming, he had seemed like an ordinary tribesman without a trace of blood energy. This stark contrast left them feeling suspicious and uneasy.

"Young Mistress, there must be a powerful Barbarian Warrior who cast a spell on this person to mask his blood energy. Furthermore, that warrior must be far superior to the three of us, otherwise, we would have sensed it."

"Indeed, I watched him for a long time and noticed nothing. The only one capable of such a feat would be the Barbarian Duke of the Wu Mountain Tribe..."

The three men whispered to the girl.

The girl's eyes flickered as she looked down at the purple herb in her hand. She hesitated; she had traded for this herb some time ago and had argued with Lei Chen quite a bit to get it. She had thought it was a mysterious treasure and intended to ask the Barbarian Duke about it, only to discover the next day that the purple dye rubbed off on her hands—it was clearly a fake.

This had made her quite angry, and unable to swallow her pride, she had frequently come to the market hoping to run into that damned Lei Chen.

As she wavered, Su Ming's voice, tinged with slight anxiety, reached her.

"I have provided the proof you asked for. Don't go back on your word. Here are three Stone Coins... forget it, I'll give you five!" Su Ming gritted his teeth, pulled out two more coins, and held them out to the girl.

"Five Stone Coins for the herb!"

The girl blinked, thinking to herself that since he had identified her as being from the Black Dragon Tribe the moment he spoke, Lei Chen must have told him, and he had even brought up the Barbarian Duke of the Wu Mountain Tribe...

"It can't be fake; this thing must be a treasure!" A look of triumph crossed her face, and she shook her head.

"Why, why, so what if I go back on my word? This is mine! If you want to trade for it, bring me thirty Stone Coins!" As she spoke, she saw Su Ming's bitter expression and Lei Chen's dejected look, which only made her feel more smug. She turned around with a huff and hurried away.

The three burly men followed behind her, disappearing into the distance of the tribal market.

Until the four of them were gone, the dejection on Lei Chen's face vanished completely. He looked at Su Ming with a foolish grin and rubbed his nose.

"Su Ming, how did you know she was from the Black Dragon Tribe?"

"So you exchanged for three Stone Coins, and you still have one left, hand it over!" Su Ming swept a glance at Lei Chen and tucked the Stone Coin in his hand back into his robes, speaking leisurely.

"Don't be like that, that... that Stone Coin, I spent it last time... Ha, I still have some things to do, let's leave it at that. We'll split up, and I'll wait for you here tonight so we can head back to the tribe together." Lei Chen's eyelids twitched as he spoke in a rush. Without waiting for Su Ming to reply, he took a few quick steps and dove into the bustling Tribal Market, vanishing from sight.

Watching Lei Chen flee as if escaping, Su Ming shook his head. If he weren't currently so destitute, he would never have revealed his blood-vitality. Grandpa's barbarian arts were incredibly powerful; unless Su Ming willed it, outsiders would find it difficult to discern any clues.

Yet, if he hadn't done so, not only would he have had to return the two Stone Coins he obtained from Lei Chen to that young girl, he would have even had to cough up one of his own.

"Sigh, it seems I really have to use that method..." Su Ming scratched his head, looking quite troubled as he walked toward the Tribal Market.

The Tribal Market was very lively. Inside each tent made of grass and hides, people were busy buying and selling. Even out on the snowy ground, some had laid out small patches of animal hide, placing herbs and items for trade upon them, sitting to the side to wait for buyers.

It was Su Ming's first time here, and everything felt novel to him. He wandered through the market, gazing at the many items he had never seen before—there were bones of wild beasts, all sorts of strange-looking herbs, and even some finished medicinal concoctions.

"They even sell Black Dragon Saliva here; a tiny bottle actually costs one Stone Coin!" Su Ming's footsteps faltered as he stared at the Black Dragon Saliva resting on an animal hide on the ground nearby, blinking his eyes.

"From the time I was small until now... how much Black Dragon Saliva have I drunk... that would be worth how many Stone Coins!! And Xiao Hong has drunk quite a bit too..." Su Ming muttered to himself and was just about to leave when his gaze suddenly sharpened, locking onto an object on an animal hide spread out on the snow not far away.

"This is..." Su Ming took a deep breath and walked over to the animal hide. He glanced at the owner of the stall, an old man of about fifty years, dressed in loose animal-hide robes, sitting cross-legged on the snow, motionless.