Debts Must Be Paid

However, not long after Su Ming left, he hurried back and stood beside the unconscious Sikong. He hesitated, taking a few steps before looking up at the sky. The bright moon hung overhead, its gentle light spilling across the earth.

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"To take such a precious Barbarian Artifact just like that doesn't sit right with me. Without a proper explanation, the Black Dragon Tribe could demand it back at any time—and they might even accuse me of stealing it... Should I kill him or not?" Su Ming pondered for a moment, then glanced at Sikong and made up his mind.

He took several herbs from his robe, crushed them, and smeared their juice over Sikong's lips several times. Then he crouched beside him and patted Sikong on the head with his left hand, again and again, as if trying to wake him.

It wasn't long before Sikong's whole body jerked. He suddenly opened his eyes. For an instant, his vision was blurry, but through the haze he made out Su Ming's smiling face.

Sikong froze, then his eyes flew wide. His pupils contracted. Confusion and disbelief over what had happened earlier lingered in his gaze. His mind was a blank. He seemed to remember seeing something before he passed out, yet also felt as if he'd seen nothing at all. Everything was jumbled and indistinct.

But just as he tried to move, the black spear in Su Ming's right hand abruptly swept into an arc, its tip stopping three inches from Sikong's throat. A slight push would pierce his throat and kill him on the spot.

"Don't move."

The tiny golden glint at the spear's tip looked to Sikong like a light sent to claim his life. He trembled faintly as he stared at Su Ming, fear and shock in his eyes.

"Y-you... What are you doing? I'm the son of the Black Dragon Tribe's chieftain! If you kill me, the Black Dragon Tribe will never let you go. I know you're from the Wu Mountain Tribe. If you kill me, your tribe won't protect you either!" Even now, he still couldn't understand how he'd lost. He only remembered the other boy waving his hand, then his whole body hurting before he blacked out. The less he could make sense of it, the more mysterious this smiling boy seemed to him. That mystery became fear, and the spear at his throat made him instinctively shuffle backward.

But the instant he moved, he sensed a bitter taste in his mouth. He licked his lips without thinking, and the bitterness grew stronger. His face drained of color as a dreadful premonition rose in his heart. He lifted a hand to wipe the corner of his mouth and found some brown juice on his fingers.

"You! What did you make me eat?!"

"Nothing much. Just some ordinary herbs, with a little poison in them." Su Ming smiled mysteriously, teasing him.

Hearing this, despair filled Sikong's eyes. His body began to tremble, and the bitterness in his mouth seemed to grow stronger. His tongue even felt numb.

"I don't believe you'd dare kill me!" Sikong jerked his head up and glared at Su Ming.

"Believe what you like. I can't help you with that. But I do have an antidote. So, you're the chieftain's son from the Black Dragon Tribe. What's your name?" Su Ming was a little uneasy, but the more uneasy he felt, the better he was at keeping it from showing. He smiled as he spoke.

"You... I... My name is Sikong. You can't kill me. It'll bring trouble to your tribe. You..." Sikong's expression was anguished, but inside he was deeply nervous. His tongue felt numb, and even his chest seemed tight and painful. Su Ming's expression gave nothing away, which only made Sikong more alarmed.

"Sikong, how about we discuss something?" Su Ming looked up at the bright moon and spoke leisurely.

Sikong's face was pale, and he couldn't hide the fear in his eyes. It grew more intense, and he immediately nodded.

"I've taken a liking to this lousy spear of yours. How about selling it to me? I'll buy it for five thousand Stone Coins." Su Ming blinked hopefully at Sikong.

Sikong paused. He looked at the spear clenched in Su Ming's right hand, its tip still aimed at his throat. How could he refuse? Especially with the bitter taste in his mouth—and since he'd been chasing after Su Ming earlier, Sikong was certain the boy had fed him some kind of poisonous herb.

He wanted to gamble that the boy wouldn't dare kill him. After all, he was highborn, and his death would surely spark a war of vengeance between the two tribes.

He could even gamble that, even if the spear were taken, his father would have countless ways to get such a treasure back for him.

But the bitterness in his mouth left him afraid to gamble. What if... what if...

Especially with his head aching from Su Ming's constant patting, Sikong hesitated briefly, then hurriedly nodded.

Su Ming grinned happily and tore a large piece of cloth from Sikong's clothes. The gesture made Sikong's heart lurch. His already pale face lost even more color.

"Since this is a business deal, we should write up a receipt. Write this: 'I, Sikong, have sold this spear for five thousand Stone...'" Su Ming started, then hesitated and quickly shook his head.

"No, no. Write it like this: 'I, Sikong, guarantee in my capacity as the son of the Black Dragon Tribe's chieftain that, due to an unexpected urgent matter, I have borrowed five thousand Stone Coins from the Wu Mountain Tribe for a term of ten years. This Barbarian Artifact spear serves as collateral. I promise to repay ten thousand Stone Coins after ten years, and only then may I reclaim the spear. I will not repay it early. Should I break this promise, may the Barbarian Statue punish me!'" Su Ming finished and looked at Sikong.

Sikong listened to the whole thing, his expression especially bitter at the final line. As he hesitated, Su Ming took a piece of an herb from his robe—one Sikong had never seen before. Su Ming's voice came from beside him.

"This is the antidote."

Sikong stared at the herb, then gritted his teeth. He put a finger in his mouth, bit it open, and squeezed out blood to write on the coarse cloth. Before long, he had written out the entire passage.

Su Ming snatched the rough strip of cloth away and read it carefully. Excitement gleamed in his eyes. He blew on it several times, and once the blood had dried, folded it and tucked it into his robe. Then he patted it and looked at Sikong with a beaming smile.

"Sikong, remember: debts must be repaid. I'll wait just ten years!" A sly look glimmered in Su Ming's eyes. He set down the herb, then darted away.

Left in the snow, Sikong wore a bitter expression. He quickly picked up the herb, hesitated, but didn't dare eat it. Instead, he got to his feet and ran toward his tribe.

After he left, a hazy figure gradually appeared out of thin air in the quiet snow. It was a grim-faced old woman, holding a huge bone staff. A human skull was set into the staff, radiating a ghostly glow.

"Was he that baby from back then...? What kind of Barbarian Art did he use? Even I can't see through it... I've never seen anything like it." The old woman gazed in the direction Su Ming had gone, her eyes flickering as she pondered. After a long while, she turned and walked toward the Black Dragon Tribe, slowly disappearing into the snow.

Su Ming ran through the forest, now and then looking at the spear in his hand and grinning foolishly. He clearly loved it. Little Red, perched on his shoulder, kept inspecting the spear too, letting out low growls. It could faintly sense the immensely powerful force contained within.

"That'll teach you to stop me from going to see Bai Ling. From the way he looked, he must like Bai Ling. That means quite a few people in the Black Dragon Tribe probably know I saved her..." Su Ming stopped, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"I wonder how much Bai Ling told them... If she told them everything, my Powder Refining Cave won't be safe anymore..." Su Ming suddenly felt restless. Frowning, he thought about it for a long while, then continued silently through the forest at night, his mind weighed down with worry.

Little Red blinked at Su Ming, noticing how troubled he seemed. Its eyes shifted, and it suddenly looked enlightened, as if it had figured something out. It grinned, leaped from Su Ming's shoulder, and vanished into the forest in a few quick bounds.

"Remember, don't go back to Black Flame Peak or the cave!" Su Ming glanced over and hurriedly called after it.

The forest was Little Red's home, so he wasn't worried it would run into danger. Its tribe wasn't far away, either. As he continued on, Su Ming forced himself to stop dwelling on his worries, steeled himself, and ran toward his tribe.

When deep night fell and the moon shone brightest, Su Ming spotted a few bonfires from his tribe through the trees. He darted forward, about to leave the forest, when he suddenly heard rustling behind him. He turned and saw Little Red bounding after him, looking thrilled and smug.

It carried a huge clump of black fur. As soon as it caught up with Su Ming, it forcibly shoved the fur into his hands, leaving him with a strange expression. Then it backed away, pointed at the clump, pointed at its own belly, and made several strange gestures, as if showing Su Ming how to use the fur...

It also patted its chest and let out several triumphant growls, as though telling Su Ming how effective the stuff was...

Su Ming looked at Little Red, then slowly burst into laughter. Seeing him stop frowning, Little Red grinned too, apparently convinced it had guessed right: Su Ming had been worrying about this very thing.

"Little Red." Su Ming crouched down and beckoned to the little monkey. It immediately ran over.

Su Ming looked at Little Red, his gaze softening. He gently patted its fur a few times, warmth welling up inside him.

"While I'm gone, remember not to go back to Black Flame Peak or the cave. Go somewhere else. When I get back, I'll come find you.

"And those Medicine Stones I gave you—don't think they taste bad. Eat one every day, together with the herbs I taught you to recognize. Be sure to remember." Su Ming smiled and spoke softly. He gave Little Red one last look, then got up and walked toward the tribe.

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