Chapter Nineteenth: Northern Ling

  The morning wind carries a hint of chill, like a knife in the cold winter season. However, with the flickering bonfires throughout the tribe, it seems to dispel the cold and fill the entire tribe with warmth.

  For the Mo, the circulation of qi and blood in their bodies can resist cold, but after all, ordinary tribesmen make up the majority. Every winter, for the tribesmen, they will generally reduce going out.

  Even when going out, they often wear thick animal hides to keep warm. It is also during this season that the tribe's doctors are busiest, making large quantities of medicinal liquor for the tribespeople to drink and increase their resistance to cold.

  Even Agong would personally take action, in the coldest days, sparing no effort to mobilize the vital energy within his body to help the entire tribe resist the harsh winter.

  Trampling on the snow-covered ground, under the creaking sound, Su Ming wore a beast skin cloak wrapped around his body, walking in the tribe, looking at the familiar tribe, looking at those who smiled and nodded to him, that kind of warmth seemed to be able to dispel this winter's chill.

  The houses of the tribe are mostly simple, and they can barely withstand the wind in winter. To prevent cold winds from entering, a large number of animal hides need to be pasted on the outside of the house.

  However, animal hides sometimes cannot be stuck together for too long and need to be re-fixed. Moreover, the bonfire in the house that provides warmth also needs to have branches added from time to time. In this way, winter is a torture for most people in the tribe.

  Fortunately, it won't freeze people to death, it's just a bit of trouble.

  Su Ming walked up to the fence of the house that his tribe guarded at all times, where they stored their herbs. The exterior of the house was wrapped in thick animal hides, and several bonfires were burning outside, so as he approached, a warm feeling mixed with the cold wind came over him.

  As for here, Su Ming was very familiar with it. In the past few years, almost every time he came back from collecting medicine, he would send it to this place. Therefore, those guards, when they saw Su Ming, all had smiles on their faces and did not block him.

  Su Ming also smiled and greeted the tribespeople, walking into the enclosure. Just as he was about to push open the door, a surprised cry suddenly came from behind him.

  "Su Ming, when did you come back?"

  That was a woman's voice, sounding very pleasant, like a skylark.

  Su Ming's footsteps paused, and he turned to look back. His eyes softened as he gazed at a tall woman whose body was wrapped in thick animal hides. Her long hair was tied with a grass rope, and two delicate white bone earrings hung from her ears. Although her skin was slightly rough, it couldn't hide her beauty.

  Her eyes were large, like a pool of water, very clear and transparent, revealing her innocence. At this moment, her eyes shone with joy, and after quickening her pace for a few steps, she arrived in front of Su Ming.

  "Back yesterday." Su Ming smiled, this woman was the one who often tidied up his house when he wasn't around, Dust Xing. Suddenly, Su Ming's smile froze on his face, and his eyes flickered slightly.

  She was not alone, behind her followed a young man of about eighteen or nineteen years old. The young man was quite strong and seemed even more robust than Lei Chen. In the winter, he only wore a thin animal skin shirt, his hair was messy, but it didn't look dirty. Matching his sharp facial features, it gave people an impression of being proud and arrogant.

  Especially his eyes, like stars, seemed to have some kind of mysterious totem flashing in his pupils, giving people an intangible sense of oppression, always making people feel a kind of irresistible vigilance, as if they had seen a fierce beast.

  He stood there, carrying a large bow on his back, with eyes like arrows, looking at Su Ming.

  "Su Ming!"

  "Brother Bei... Brother Ling." Su Ming spoke respectfully to the young man, a complex glint flashing in his eyes.

  The young man before them was the strongest of their Wushan tribe's younger generation, with a physique that even Agong couldn't match. It wasn't until Lei Chen discovered he had a similar physique that he could be compared to him.

  As the strongest of the younger generation in the tribe, his cultivation progressed extremely quickly. Even Su Ming once heard Ah Gong mention casually that this person was the most likely to break through the Congealed Blood Stage and become a legendary Open Cang Stage cultivator!

  His name was also renowned in other tribes nearby, and even the Wind Village tribe had heard of him. They sent someone to bring him over, and he received training in the Wind Village tribe. Su Ming hadn't expected that today he would actually see this person.

  He has a complex look in his eyes because when he was young, Beiling took good care of him like an elder brother. Even his archery skills were taught by Beiling at that time. After all, as the son of the leader of their tribe, Beiling is extraordinary in archery.

  It all changed that year when Dusty was 12 years old. Perhaps it was because Dusty and Su Ming got too close, and Bei Ling's gaze at Su Ming gradually became strange and hesitant, until finally becoming completely cold and distant, to the point where they would directly ignore each other even when meeting face-to-face.

  Later, Su Ming found out that this was because the clan leader and Beiling's father had agreed on a marriage between them...

  Su Ming had a mind to explain, but all the words he exchanged only brought that cold and indifferent gaze. Slowly, he could only sigh silently, and his contact with Chen Xin also became more distant, intentionally or unintentionally.

  He knew he was just an ordinary tribesman, and even more so, he knew that he was a abandoned baby picked up by Ah Gong more than ten years ago during one of his travels. Although as he grew older, the people in the tribe treated him well, fully integrating him into their community, allowing him to experience the warmth of family, it couldn't change the subtle differences between him and the rest of the tribe due to his appearance.

  "You're back, why didn't you tell me? I went to look for you several times before, but you were never there." Dusting off her nose, Xin started scolding.

  Su Ming touched his nose and avoided Dust's gaze, he only had a feeling of familiarity towards Dust, without any other emotions, and didn't want to let Beiling misunderstand again.

  "Beiling brother, when did you come back?" Su Ming looked at the majestic Beiling, and at such a close distance, he could clearly feel the powerful aura emanating from his body, an aura that was stronger than anyone else in the tribe except for Ah Gong and the tribal leader.

  But the sharp and proud meaning on his body was as strong as his vital energy, making Su Ming feel like he was suffocating when standing in front of him.

  "Yesterday." Beiling's expression was as usual, exuding his usual coldness, with brief words that seemed perfunctory. He turned to look at Chenxin beside him.

  "Xin'er, aren't you here to get some herbs for your mother? Let's go in," Beiling said, holding onto Chenxin's hand and walking past Suming, pushing open the door of the shed where the herbs were stored.

  Chen Xin wanted to say something, but hesitated for a moment and didn't speak up, instead nodding at Su Ming as he followed Bei Ling into the house.

  Su Ming stood there, silent for a moment, let out a soft sigh, and also walked in.