The mountain was a green mountain.
An endless stretch of mountains stretched across the land like the spine of a dragon. There were many trees and plants on the mountain. There were also the sounds of birds and beasts echoing in the air.
Looking from afar, the protruding parts of the mountain range formed five peaks. They looked like the five fingers of a human reaching out to grab at the sky. In the middle of one of the peaks, there was a large rock that was sunken in. A young man was leaning against the shade. Beside him was a basket that was piled up with some medicinal herbs. The fragrance of medicinal herbs wafted through the air.
The young man had delicate features, but his body was thin, and he looked a little weak. He wore a small shirt sewn from the skin of an animal, and a white crescent beast bone hung around his neck. His hair was a little messy, and it was casually tied up with a straw rope.
He sat there with a scroll made from dozens of beast skins in his hands. He was reading it with great interest, shaking his head.
"The Berserker Tribe has an ancestor who created the world and has been passed down to this day … Those who hold the Berserker Mark are known as Berserkers. They can fly in the sky and move mountains and oceans … Those with a Berserker Mark can reach the heavens and can obtain the sun, moon, and stars …" The young man read and sighed.
"Without a Berserker Body, how can you become a Berserker … Berserker … Berserker … Su Ming, you can only gather herbs and become a normal doctor in the tribe. Becoming a Berserker who practices the ways of the Berserker Tribe is still a long way off." The young man laughed at himself. He put down the beast skin scroll in his hands and looked at the sky in the distance.
He had read the beast skin scroll countless times. He could not say that he could recite it backwards, but he could at least recite it.
"The sky is round, the earth is square, as if there is no end, as if there is no end to it …" Su Ming mumbled as he imagined the world in the scroll in his head. The sky gradually darkened. He could see dark clouds looming at the end of the horizon.
The mountain breeze that blew over also brought along a wave of moisture. When it landed on the many plants and leaves on the mountain, it made rustling sounds.
The moment he saw the dark clouds in the sky, Su Ming's spirits lifted.
"The elder's prediction was right. There really is Dark Dragon's Saliva today!" Su Ming's eyes shone brightly. He quickly stood up and stuffed the beast skin scroll into his bosom. With his left hand, he grabbed the woven basket beside him and slung it on his back. With one swift movement, he grabbed a rope made of grass and climbed up the mountain.
From afar, the young man's frail body seemed to burst forth with an extremely tenacious strength. He was like an ape, and with a few leaps, he had already climbed over a hundred feet.
The dark clouds in the sky rolled over, accompanied by rumbling sounds. It was as if the wrath of the Heavens had descended upon the mountain range. The dark clouds connected the Heavens and the Earth, making everything pitch black. In the blink of an eye, they drew closer and closer.
Su Ming climbed even faster. Almost at the instant the dark clouds spread out, he was already several hundreds of feet away from the top of the mountain. There was a strange rock protruding out of the ground there. It looked as if it was formed naturally, and there were numerous holes the size of fists in the middle of the rock. The strange rock looked like the head of a giant python that had fused with the mountain and was entrenched in this place.
Below the strange rock, there was a cone that looked like a fang. It looked shocking and rather strange. Moreover, because it was a protruding part of the mountain, it was almost as if it was suspended in the air. It was very difficult to climb over it unless one could fly.
Su Ming grabbed the rope with his left hand and brought out a small bottle from the woven basket on his back with his right hand. He bit on it and slowly moved his body towards the direction opposite of the strange rock. He moved several dozens of feet until the rope in his left hand was tilted. He held onto the wall of the mountain with his body pressed against it. He lifted his head and looked at the dark clouds in the sky. His eyes were bright and he did not move.
After a moment, the dark clouds covered the sky. Thunder rumbled in the sky. The sound was deafening. The wind raged and blew so hard that the mountain range looked as if it was about to be uprooted. Su Ming's fingers that held onto the wall of the mountain turned white in the midst of the wind, but he did not move an inch. There was a determined look in his eyes as he looked at the sky.
The wind grew stronger and blew at the plants in the mountain range. The sound was like the roar of a giant beast. It also swept up the countless dried branches and rotten leaves on the mountain range, causing the sky and the earth to be filled with leaves and plants that danced in the air.
There were even some large pieces of dried branches and small beasts that were swept up by the wind. As they spun around, they were flung far away. Their shrill screams of pain were also drowned out by the sound of the wind.
Su Ming did not last long in the face of the violent gust of wind. The entire sky was covered by dark clouds. As thunder roared, rain the size of beans poured down. At that moment, the entire world seemed to have turned into a world covered by a curtain of water.
The rain continued falling, and the rain grew heavier. Su Ming continued holding onto the drenched rope tightly and stuck himself against the wall of the mountain. He let the rain drench his entire body, but he still did not move. He stared at the protruding rock that looked like a fang under the strange rock that looked like a python.
Su Ming did not know how much time had passed, but the rain continued to pour. The world was covered in mist, and the fang rock that Su Ming was staring at slowly oozed out a black liquid as it was washed down by the rain.
The black liquid fused with the rain and turned into a stream that flowed downwards.
When Su Ming saw this, delight appeared in his eyes, but he still did not move. When the black liquid that flowed out gradually became sparse and eventually turned golden, Su Ming's eyes focused. Without a hint of hesitation, he let go of the mountain rock with his right hand. When his body slid down, he immediately took the small bottle from his mouth with his right hand.
The rope he held in his left hand was already slanted to begin with. As he let go of his right hand, his entire body seemed to be swinging up, and he charged towards the protruding fang rock with the rope at an incredible speed.
Due to the fact that the angle of the rope's slanted angle was incredibly great and he had an accurate grasp of his position, Su Ming had already arrived next to the seemingly suspended fang rock in the blink of an eye. He held the rope in his left hand and the small bottle in his right. The moment he got close, he quickly placed it under the fang rock, and during the moment the rope stopped swinging back and forth, he filled up half of the bottle with the golden liquid.
Yet at that moment, he heard a piercing screech. Four to five black centipedes that were as thick as an arm and five feet long crawled out of the numerous fist-sized holes on the strange rock. They pounced ferociously on Su Ming, who was still floating in midair.
Su Ming was not surprised. Almost the instant the centipedes appeared, he immediately let go of the rope in his left hand and fell down at an incredible speed, avoiding the centipedes' attack.
"Xiao Hong!" Su Ming fell rapidly from midair. The wind was as sharp as knives, causing his body to stiffen. Even if he managed to avoid the centipedes, if he fell, he would immediately turn into minced meat.
Yet he did not panic. He saw a red blur grabbing a rope from the cliff beside him and charging towards Su Ming's falling body. In an instant, it closed in and grabbed Su Ming. The red blur was a small red monkey. It was baring its teeth, but there was intelligence in its eyes.
The man and the monkey landed on the cliff with the rope. It was also the spot where Su Ming had been reading. Su Ming's eyes were filled with nervousness. He immediately put away the small bottle he had been holding.
"Xiao Hong, we have to run. I snatched too much Dark Dragon's Saliva this time! What are you holding in your hands? "As Su Ming spoke, he saw a small black stone in the monkey's claws.
Caution immediately appeared on the little monkey's face. It placed its claws behind its back and let out a few screeches. Su Ming saw that they were running out of time and did not say anything else. He immediately took a few quick steps forward and jumped down. He grabbed onto the ropes and flew down with the little monkey.
Behind them, the sound of hissing rose into the sky. They saw several black centipedes chasing after them along the rock walls. They were like many black lines sliding down the rock walls, chasing after them relentlessly.
The red monkey bared its teeth and continued screeching at Su Ming. As the red blur flashed, it would occasionally turn its head back to look at the centipedes chasing after them. Its eyes were filled with fear and anger.
"It's not the first time we've run away like this. Those Dark Dragons don't dare to go down the mountain. Stop pretending. Same rules. I'll give you half of the Dark Dragon's Saliva." Su Ming's words sounded lazy as he ran. As expected, the moment he said those words, the monkey immediately smiled. It was obvious that everything was just an act.
The man and monkey were extremely familiar with the mountain range. For some unknown reason, the centipedes did not dare to go through certain parts of the mountain. They chose to go around those parts instead. Because of that, Su Ming and the monkey might not be able to run as fast as the centipedes, but they could still occasionally jump down and grab a rope. After a few jumps, they went down the mountain and disappeared into the forest.
As expected, the centipedes did not dare to go down the mountain. They screeched for a long time before they climbed back up the mountain, unwilling to give up.
The dark clouds came quickly and left just as quickly. After a few hours, the mountain range returned to normal. The dark clouds rolled and spread into the distance.
Su Ming and the monkey walked out from the edge of the forest. The sky was already dark. They could see the faint light of a fire in the distance. That was where Su Ming's tribe was.
"You drank half of the Dark Dragon's Saliva I gave you and you still want more?" Su Ming was drenched when he walked out of the forest but he did not mind. He looked at the little monkey that was following behind him with a faint smile on his face.
The little monkey was very intelligent. He found it by accident when he entered the mountain three years ago. They had some conflicts but in the end, they became good friends.
The little monkey blinked and scratched its face. There was a hint of struggle and hesitation on its face, but it quickly handed over the black fragment in its hands to Su Ming. It growled a few times, expressing its desire to trade for the Dark Dragon's Saliva.
"Alright, I'll give you some more. But I don't want this stupid stone. You can keep it." Su Ming smiled and took the small bottle from the basket and gave it to the little monkey.
The little monkey quickly grabbed the bottle and drank a mouthful. There was an intoxicated look on its face. Its body swayed a few times and it let out a drunken burp. It threw the black stone fragment and the small bottle to Su Ming and disappeared into the forest with a few leaps.
Su Ming looked at the half-empty bottle and smiled. He did not mind and put it back into the basket on his back. He looked at the black stone fragment.