That Beautiful Moment...

Su Ming closed his eyes. The scenes he had witnessed that night had settled over his heart like a heavy weight, wrapping him in a feeling of desolation and sorrow.

"What kind of person was that skeleton in life, among the Fire Barbarians? Why was he the only one who could end his own life while transforming into a Moon Wing?

"Perhaps he was a powerful warrior of the Fire Barbarians..." The strange skeleton appeared before Su Ming's eyes, and he let out a soft sigh. Yet even more unforgettable was the complicated passage of text he had found in his mind.

"Thus does the Barbarian desire the Dao, reaching the ends of the eight directions. My remaining fire melts into blood; a thought burns the skies, and when thought is spent, it sets the heavens ablaze... As the fire moon emerges from the clouds, all beneath heaven lies vast and boundless... At that moment, silent contemplation: blood fire stacks and burns. Nine is the utmost, one is the law. Let the barbarian fire burn; bow nine times, and attain the Fire Worship Technique!"

Su Ming couldn't understand what the words meant. As he pondered them, he glanced at Bai Ling beside him. She was surveying their surroundings with curiosity, clearly unaware of what this place had been used for.

"Let's go, Miss Bai Ling." Su Ming smiled faintly, sprang up, and crawled toward the exit.

Bai Ling hurried after him. She had wanted to leave for a long time; every extra moment she spent there made her feel more uneasy.

As soon as they emerged from the passage, mountain winds howled outside, buffeting them as if they might sweep them away. Bai Ling's face paled, and she grabbed a nearby rock.

She had been doted on in her tribe since childhood and had almost never climbed a mountain like this. Though she gritted her teeth and pressed on, her increasingly pale face gave away her fear.

Su Ming studied Bai Ling for a few moments. He had never seen a woman as beautiful as her. Especially now, with her pale face, she looked so delicate and pitiful.

"Forget it. I'll carry you." Su Ming scratched his head, though his heart was pounding faster.

"You..." Bai Ling hesitated, then looked down at the mountainside, which seemed as deep as ten thousand zhang. In the end, she nodded softly.

Su Ming's spirits lifted. He stepped forward and crouched down. A faint blush spread across Bai Ling's pale, pretty face. Without a word, she climbed onto his back, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck.

Su Ming blinked. He could clearly feel her softness against his back and the delicate fragrance that drifted into his nose. He drew a deep breath, and an indescribable feeling stirred in his heart.

"Um... hold on tight, or if you fall, don't blame me," Su Ming said without thinking. But he heard no reply from behind him. After a brief hesitation, he steadied himself and quickly climbed down the mountain.

He was nimble and knew the mountain well, so carrying someone didn't slow him down much. But for some reason, today Su Ming kept taking the steepest paths. Every so often, he would leap straight down, drawing a startled cry from behind him, then catch hold of a rock or a vine at once.

Feeling the delicate body against his back cling to him ever more tightly, Su Ming looked rather pleased with himself.

It should have taken him little time to climb down Black Flame Peak, but Su Ming took a full hour, dawdling all the way. When Bai Ling climbed off his back, her face was red and her eyes still held a trace of fear. Su Ming felt a little regretful. His eyes shifted, and after a dry cough, he looked at her.

"This is forested mountain country. The snow is deep, and there are traps in many places. The Black Dragon Tribe is also some distance away, so you might be in danger alone. How about I take you back to your tribe first, then go home?" Su Ming spoke slowly, watching Bai Ling's expression. When he saw her hesitate, he was delighted inside and hurriedly continued.

"But this road is hard to travel. How about I do you the favor of carrying you the rest of the way? It'll save time, and I can get home sooner too." Su Ming furrowed his brows and glanced at the sky as he spoke.

"Then..." Bai Ling bit her lip, her face flushing again. She had seen how he'd deliberately acted while carrying her down the mountain. If he did that the whole way... a flash of embarrassment and anger crossed her eyes.

"Hey, I'm your lifesaver!" Su Ming's eyes widened. He saw the irritation in her gaze and felt a little guilty, but then remembered that he had saved her and immediately felt justified.

"You're not willing? Fine. You're a Barbarian Warrior, after all. There are plenty of wild beasts around here, and lots of traps. There might even be Moon Wings. But if you're careful, you should be fine... Well, I'm off." Su Ming yawned and turned toward the tribe. He had barely taken a few steps when a soft, anxious voice came from behind him.

"Then... thank you... I don't know the way. Please take me back to my tribe..."

Su Ming was overjoyed, but he kept his expression unchanged, even furrowing his brows as though he were reluctant. He glanced at Bai Ling, crouched down, and spoke impatiently.

"Get on. Let's see if we can make it back before dark. Otherwise, we'll have to find somewhere to spend the night."

Bai Ling stared at Su Ming, her eyes wide. She had some idea what kind of person he was, especially after what had happened at the Tribal Market. Sometimes, she hardly knew what to say to him.

More importantly, this man had appeared when she was at her most desperate. She could not forget his expression in the cave or the decisiveness with which he had acted.

Blushing, Bai Ling walked quietly over to Su Ming and climbed onto his thin back again. She could hear her heart pounding, though she couldn't tell what kind of feeling it was.

With Bai Ling on his back, Su Ming raced through the forest like an ape. He loved the delicate fragrance that kept drifting from behind him. Before long, he began to change direction and circle around.

After a long while, Bai Ling, who had remained silent, looked puzzled. Her arms tightened slightly around Su Ming's neck.

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

"Huh? Have we? Maybe I've lost my way. Wait while I take a good look." Su Ming stopped, feigned surprise, and carefully surveyed their surroundings before nodding gravely.

"You're right. Sigh, I've never taken this road either." Without the slightest hint of embarrassment, he changed direction and kept running.

Time passed slowly. The Black Dragon Tribe should have been within reach by dusk, but by the time evening came, Su Ming had covered only half the distance. Along the way, he had taken Bai Ling past Wu Mountain Tribe. He glanced at it from afar and, seeing nothing unusual, finally relaxed and continued on.

As the sky grew darker, Bai Ling's expression became increasingly odd.

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

"Looks like we'll have to spend the night here... The mountains aren't safe at night. We'll leave in the morning."

A trace of the slyness Su Ming had first seen in Bai Ling's eyes gradually returned. She gazed at him without a word, and beneath her stare, Su Ming grew more and more uneasy.

"All right, then. Let's spend the night here." A moment later, Bai Ling suddenly smiled. Her smile was beautiful, and there was a hint of wildness slowly returning to her.

Su Ming rubbed his nose and smiled too. He gathered dry branches on a nearby tree to make a place to rest, then sat down there with Bai Ling.

For a while, both of them fell silent, as if they didn't know what to say.

"I still don't know your name," Bai Ling said after a long silence, looking at Su Ming. Her eyes shone brightly in the moonlight.

"My name's Su Ming. I know yours is Bai Ling," Su Ming replied with a smile.

"You were lying to me at the Tribal Market, weren't you? Hmph. The more I thought about it after returning to the tribe, the less it made sense." Bai Ling blinked and wrinkled her nose. Her expression was adorable.

"About that..."

"You're not the Young Barbarian of Wu Mountain Tribe either, are you?" Bai Ling's beautiful eyes glimmered as she asked with a soft laugh.

Su Ming scratched his head, unsure what to say. Just then, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and white flakes drifted across the whole world.

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

There seemed to be a smile in Bai Ling's eyes. She didn't press him about the earlier questions. Instead, she too raised her head and watched the snowflakes. Some landed on her face, cool and soothing.

The snow fell harder and harder. As it blanketed the forest, the two of them seemed to lose themselves in its beauty, falling silent once more.

"Su Ming, thank you..." Though the sky had already turned black, the moonlight reflected off the snow and filled the surroundings with silver radiance, 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 asked softly.

"I often go up the mountain to gather herbs. I happened to find that place by chance—it sheltered me from the cold. I never expected a Blood Moon to appear yesterday..." Su Ming didn't mention his Powder Refining. Instead, he told her a few other things.

Time passed slowly. In the snowy night, Su Ming and Bai Ling began talking, gradually learning a little about each other... Their voices drifted faintly through the wind and snow.

"The Grandpa of the Black Dragon Tribe is my grandmother... My father and mother left the Black Dragon Tribe a long time ago. Grandma said they went to a tribe even larger than Fengzhen, and they haven't returned in a long time..." Bai Ling wrapped her arms around herself and quietly spoke of the past as the snow fell.

"I don't know who my father and mother are... I was a child Grandpa found..." Su Ming murmured.

"Oh, so that's why. I wondered why you were so much thinner than everyone else, and not even as tall as me. Grandpa must treat you badly." Bai Ling's eyes widened.

"No, Grandpa treats me very well. Besides, even if you're taller, Grandpa said I'll be just as tall in a few years. And you're not as sturdy as the girls in your tribe either." Su Ming smiled.

"That's because of a Barbarian Art my Grandpa taught me. I heard my mother asked Grandma to pass it on to me when I grew up, before she left." Bai Ling looked at Su Ming's hair, now white with snow, and laughed sweetly.