That Beautiful Time...

Su Ming closed his eyes. He felt as though the scenes he had witnessed throughout the night had become a heavy weight, lingering in his heart—a sensation that exuded desolation and sorrow.

"That skeleton, who was he among the Fire Barbarians in life... and why was he the only one capable of ending his own existence during the process of transforming into a Moon Wing? Perhaps he was a... powerhouse of the Fire Barbarian clan..." Su Ming envisioned that eerie skeleton and sighed softly. What remained even more unforgettable in his mind was that complex passage of text.

"The Dao of Barbarian desire exhausts the edges of the eight directions; residual fire melts the blood, a single thought burns the firmament, a final thought incinerates the heavens... If the fire-moon emerges from the clouds, amidst the vast and boundless world... at that moment, contemplate in silence, blood and fire overlapping in combustion; nine is the limit, one is the law, perform the nine obeisances of the burning barbarian fire, and achieve the Fire Worship Technique!"

Su Ming could not fathom the meaning of these words. As he pondered, his gaze swept over to Bai Ling beside him. She was examining her surroundings, her expression filled with curiosity; clearly, she did not know what this place was used for.

"Let's go, Lady Bai Ling." Su Ming smiled slightly, leaped up, and began to climb out through the exit.

Bai Ling followed closely behind. She had long wanted to leave this place; every extra moment she spent here made her feel uneasy.

As soon as they emerged from the exit tunnel, a mountain gale whistled past, buffeting them so fiercely it felt as if they might be swept away. Bai Ling's face turned pale, and she clutched at a nearby rock.

For someone like her, who had been pampered in her tribe since childhood, she had almost never climbed such peaks. Now, even though she gritted her teeth to persist, the growing pallor of her face betrayed her fear.

Su Ming studied Bai Ling for a few moments. Her beauty was unlike anything he had ever seen, especially that pale complexion, which now carried a faint, pitiable charm.

"Forget it, I'll carry you." Su Ming scratched his head, though his heart began to thump with accelerated rhythm.

"You..." Bai Ling hesitated, then looked down at the bottom of the peak, which seemed like a bottomless abyss. Finally, she gave a slight nod.

Su Ming felt a surge of spirit. He stepped forward and crouched down. A faint flush appeared on Bai Ling's pale, pretty face as she silently climbed onto his back, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck.

Su Ming blinked. He could clearly feel the softness behind him and the faint, delicate fragrance drifting into his nose. He took a deep breath, a flurry of indescribable thoughts stirring in his heart.

"Um... you need to hold on tight, or if you fall, don't blame me," Su Ming said instinctively. Receiving no response from behind, he steadied his mind after a moment of hesitation and began to climb quickly down the mountain.

With his agility and familiarity with the mountain, carrying someone did not hinder him much. Yet, for some reason, today's Su Ming chose a path filled with steep terrain, occasionally leaping downward abruptly. Each time he caused a gasp from behind, he would immediately catch hold of a rock or vine.

Feeling the lithe body behind him clinging ever tighter, a look of triumph appeared on Su Ming's face.

The Black Flame Peak, which usually took little time to descend, took Su Ming a full hour to traverse at a leisurely pace. When Bai Ling climbed off his back, her face flushed and her expression tinged with lingering terror, Su Ming felt a twinge of regret. He rolled his eyes, gave a few dry coughs, and looked at her.

"This is a mountain forest with deep snow and many hidden traps. Furthermore, it is quite a distance from the Black Dragon Tribe. I fear you might be in danger alone. How about this: I will escort you back to the Black Dragon Tribe before I head home," Su Ming said slowly, observing her expression. When he saw her hesitation, he felt a surge of joy and quickly added.

"However, the road is difficult to traverse. Perhaps I should begrudgingly continue to carry you? That would save time, and I could get home sooner." Su Ming frowned and glanced at the sky as he spoke.

"That..." Bai Ling bit her lower lip, her face reddening once more. Having climbed down the mountain, she had realized the man's intentional behavior. If it were like this the whole way... a flicker of shy anger appeared in her eyes.

"Hey? I am your savior, after all!" Su Ming's eyes widened. Seeing the annoyance in her gaze, he felt a bit guilty, but the thought that he had indeed saved her made him feel righteous again.

"Are you unhappy about it? Fine, you are a Barbarian Warrior anyway. Although there are many wild beasts here and numerous traps, and perhaps even Moon Wings, I suppose you'll be fine if you're careful... Well, I'm off." Su Ming yawned and turned to walk toward the direction of his tribe. Before he had taken more than a few steps, a soft, anxious voice came from behind him.

"Then... then thank you. I don't know the way; please escort me back to my tribe..."

Su Ming felt a wave of joy, but his expression remained unchanged, even appearing slightly reluctant as he glanced at Bai Ling and crouched down impatiently.

"Hurry up and get on. Let's see if we can make it back before dark. If not, we'll have to find a place to spend the night."

Bai Ling opened her eyes wide, looking at Su Ming. She understood a little about this person, especially when she recalled the scene at the tribal market, which often left her at a loss for words.

Most importantly, this was the man who had appeared at her most desperate moment. His expression and decisive demeanor within the cavern were things she found hard to forget.

With a blushing face, Bai Ling walked lightly to Su Ming's side and lowered her head to climb onto his thin back once more. She could hear her own heart pounding, unable to distinguish what kind of emotion it was.

With Bai Ling on his back, Su Ming moved through the forest as nimbly as an ape. He found the lingering fragrance from behind quite pleasant, and as he walked, he couldn't help but change direction, circling around.

After a long while, the silent Bai Ling revealed a strange look in her eyes, and her arms around Su Ming's neck tightened slightly.

"We have already passed this place three times..." she said softly, looking at a withered tree not far away.

"Ah? Is that so? Could I be lost? Wait for me to take a good look." Su Ming paused, his expression showing surprise. After carefully examining the surroundings, he nodded with a grave look.

"Indeed. Sigh, I haven't walked this path before either." Without a hint of embarrassment, he changed direction and continued to run.

Time passed slowly. The Black Dragon Tribe, which should have been reached by dusk, was only halfway behind them by the time evening arrived. Along the way, however, Su Ming had taken Bai Ling past his own Wu Mountain Tribe. He took a distant look, and seeing that nothing was amiss, he felt relieved and moved far away.

Watching the sky gradually darken, Bai Ling's expression grew increasingly strange.

When the sky turned completely black, Su Ming stopped in a patch of forest and looked at Bai Ling with a helpless expression.

"It seems we will have to spend the night here... The forest is not safe at night. Let's head out tomorrow morning."

A glimmer of the craftiness Bai Ling had first shown when they met gradually returned to her eyes. She watched Su Ming silently, and under her gaze, he felt increasingly guilty.

"Very well, we shall stay here for the night." A moment later, Bai Ling suddenly smiled. It was a beautiful smile, carrying a hint of a wildness that was slowly returning.

Su Ming rubbed his nose and smiled back. He stood up, piled some withered branches on a nearby tree to create a resting spot, and sat down on it with Bai Ling.

For a time, both fell silent, as if they did not know what to say.

"I still don't know your name." After a long while, Bai Ling looked at Su Ming. Under the moonlight, her eyes were very bright.

"My name is Su Ming. I know yours is Bai Ling," Su Ming said, smiling at her.

"You were lying to me at the tribal market before, weren't you? Hmph, the more I thought about it after returning to the tribe, the more something felt wrong." Bai Ling blinked and wrinkled her nose, her expression quite adorable.

"This..."

"You aren't the Young Barbarian of the Wu Mountain Tribe either, are you?" Bai Ling's beautiful eyes darted as she chuckled.

Su Ming scratched his head, not knowing what to say, when suddenly, snowflakes began to fall from the sky. The entire world was blanketed in white, fluffy snow.

"Oh, it's snowing." Su Ming immediately looked up at the snow falling between heaven and earth, quickly changing the subject.

A hint of a smile seemed to dance in Bai Ling's eyes. She did not pursue the previous question, but instead tilted her head back to gaze at the snowflakes. Some landed on her face, cool and refreshing.

The snow fell heavier and heavier. Amidst the flurry, the two of them in the mountain forest seemed immersed in the beauty of the snow, falling into silence once more.

"Su Ming, thank you..." The sky had already turned pitch black, but the moonlight, filtered through the vast expanse of snowflakes, cast a silvery glow over the surroundings, making the forest seem less dark.

"Thank you for saving me... Could you tell me about yourself? How did you end up there?" Bai Ling looked at Su Ming and spoke softly.

"I often go up the mountain to gather herbs. That place was a shelter from the cold I discovered by chance. I never expected a Blood Moon to appear yesterday..." Su Ming did not mention his tempering process, but shared some other details.

Time slipped away slowly. In the snowy night, Su Ming and Bai Ling began to converse, gradually coming to understand one another... Their voices drifted faintly into the wind and snow.

"Grandpa of the Black Dragon Tribe is my grandmother... My father and mother left the Black Dragon Tribe a long time ago. I heard from Grandmother that they went to a tribe even larger than Fengzhen, and they haven't returned for a very long time..." Bai Ling hugged herself, speaking of the past in a low voice amidst the snow.

"I don't know who my father and mother are... I am a child Grandpa picked up..." Su Ming murmured.

"Ah, so that's how it is. No wonder I thought you were so much thinner than the others, and you aren't even as tall as me. Your Grandpa must not treat you well." Bai Ling's eyes widened.

"Not at all, Grandpa treats me very well. Besides, even though you're tall, I heard from Grandpa that in a few years, I'll be the same. And you don't look as sturdy as the other girls in the tribe, either." Su Ming said with a smile.

"That's because of a Barbarian Art my Grandpa taught me. I heard it was something my mother left instructions for my grandmother to pass on to me once I grew up, right before she left." Bai Ling looked at Su Ming's hair, now dyed white by the snow, and giggled.