As the storyteller's voice rose and fell, unfolding the tale with ease, he felt as though he, too, had lived that magnificent, soul-stirring legendary life, and his heart filled with boundless yearning and anticipation.
Now, facing this immortal mountain wreathed in mist, seemingly harboring endless secrets, the yearning and anticipation in Liu Jingtang's heart flared to life.
He recalled those scenes from Tales of the Greenwood Heroes, took a deep breath, and set off with firm strides along the winding path toward the summit.
He was certain that, judging by the stories in the book, he would encounter all manner of hardships and dangers on the way from the foot of the mountain to its peak.
Whether ferocious white-browed tigers with slanting eyes or deadly venomous snakes as thick as the mouth of a bowl, they must already be lurking along the path ahead, waiting for him to walk into their trap.
But he was not afraid. He believed that his courage and perseverance would surely carry him through every obstacle and bring him to the summit at last!
That white tiger's pelt would one day cushion his throne as leader of the martial world, and that venomous snake's gallbladder could grant him thirty years of martial power out of thin air!
None of them could stop him!
Just as he climbed upward with high spirits and all his strength, he seemed to hear a familiar storyteller's voice again.
The voice was husky and magnetic, with a distinctive, cloud-veiled resonance. It was the voice of Mr. Shan, the storyteller he had loved listening to most in Changchun!
The storyteller was spinning his tale, and the words that reached Liu Jingtang's ears filled him with incomparable excitement.
The husky voice spoke slowly. "Now, one day, Liu Jingtang, the Great Hero of