Chapter Fourteen — Qing Wei
Author: Wei Yi Yong Heng.
Published: December 24, 2014
It was his first time hunting, and he’d already made such a great catch. Qin Mo couldn’t help imagining the looks of shock on his tribesmen’s faces when he brought the elephant pig back.
But only for a moment. He quickly pushed away those foolish daydreams — indulging in that kind of fantasy in the Blackstone Mountains was nothing short of stupid.
He waited a little while, making sure the elephant pig was completely dead before preparing to approach.
Yet, just then, a powerful sense of dread surged through him — a feeling that danger was closing in. Qin Mo’s face went deathly pale.
Without thinking, he didn’t even glance back at the eight-hundred-catty elephant pig. He turned and ran.
A deafening “Roar!” split the air as a huge tiger with mottled stripes burst out from the trees, a distinct 王 (“king”) character marked on its forehead.
That roar alone made Qin Mo stumble and fall to the ground. A crushing pressure weighed upon him, his entire body trembling uncontrollably as cold sweat drenched his clothes.
“A one-star ancient beast — a Blazing Tiger!” Qin Mo thought in terror. He tried to get up, but his limbs refused to obey, quivering under the immense pressure.
But why… why would an ancient beast appear here, in the outer hunting zone? And not just any — but a one-star peak-rank Blazing Tiger, nearly advancing to two stars!
The tiger didn’t even look at him. In its eyes — disturbingly intelligent — there was nothing but disdain. The pitiful human crawling before it wasn’t worth its attention.
It lowered its massive head, bit into the elephant pig’s foreleg, and tore away a huge chunk of flesh, chewing it slowly and with enjoyment.
The sight made Qin Mo’s heart seize. He realized then what a grave mistake he’d made — he had forgotten he was in the Blackstone Mountains. He had forgotten that the elephant pig had fled toward the deeper regions — the domain of ancient beasts.
Before a true ancient beast, even the weakest one-star rank was far beyond what he could handle. And this tiger was nearly at two stars. Its aura alone had rendered him powerless, unable even to flee — forced to watch helplessly as it feasted.
In less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the eight-hundred-catty elephant pig was completely devoured. Only two tusks and a pool of blood remained as proof that it had ever existed.
The Blazing Tiger finally raised its head, gazing at the sky. In those human-like eyes flashed a trace of dissatisfaction, as if it hadn’t eaten its fill. Then its gaze fell on Qin Mo. It began walking toward him — step by step.
Instinctively, Qin Mo raised his knife, but with each step the beast took, its aura grew heavier. It was toying with him.
By the time the crushing pressure forced the knife from his trembling hands, the tiger’s eyes gleamed with contempt. It stopped before him — and with a single motion, lunged to bite off his head.
“Am I really going to die so soon?” Qin Mo thought bitterly, closing his eyes. There was no thought of resistance left.
Then — pfft!
He felt a flash of light before his eyes, followed by a spray of hot blood across his face and body.
A terrible roar exploded beside his ear, shaking his eardrums until he nearly blacked out. But the oppressive aura faded rapidly… until it was gone.
When Qin Mo opened his eyes, the Blazing Tiger was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, before him stood a figure — a girl, dressed in flowing cyan robes. Her long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, a sharp sword gleaming in her hand.
The scene looked almost unreal — ethereal. She stood with her back to him, as graceful and untouchable as a celestial maiden descended to earth.
Qin Mo stared in awe — until his gaze drifted to where the Blazing Tiger had been. It now lay dead beside the elephant pig’s remains.
“Who… are you?”
Night fell over the Blackstone Mountains. In a hidden cave, a small bonfire flickered.
The girl in green said nothing. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was cold and distant — her eyes, especially, were so icy that even after sitting with her for nearly an hour, Qin Mo didn’t dare meet her gaze.
It was Qin Mo who had spoken. This mysterious, beautiful woman who had saved his life — he couldn’t help but feel a deep admiration for her.
Her indifference didn’t dampen that feeling in the slightest. On the contrary, it only intensified his curiosity. Who was she — this woman of otherworldly beauty and terrifying strength — wandering the Blackstone Mountains alone?
She said nothing. Qin Mo stopped asking and simply watched as she roasted meat over the fire. She ate the entire Blazing Tiger — every last piece — and even drank its blood. Yet her abdomen didn’t bulge in the slightest.
What startled Qin Mo even more — she didn’t once ask if he was hungry.
And he was hungry. Though not starving to death, watching her eat like that made his stomach twist painfully, as if a thousand worms were writhing inside.
“Qin Mo?” the girl suddenly spoke, her voice flat and emotionless. Her cold gaze made him instinctively avert his eyes.
“You… you know me?” Qin Mo asked, surprised.
“Oh.” The girl neither nodded nor shook her head. She seemed to have gotten the answer she wanted. Then she stuffed the tiger’s pelt into her pack and walked toward the cave’s entrance.
“When dawn breaks, leave this place,” she said without turning back.
Then, she vanished into the night — leaving Qin Mo bewildered.
But somehow, he felt certain she would return.
Why? He couldn’t explain — just instinct.
Yet when morning came, she was nowhere to be found.
Qin Mo had no choice but to leave. He followed the safest route he could recall, heading back toward his tribe.
Who was that woman? Why had she helped him? How did she know his name?
All these questions he pushed aside — right now, survival was all that mattered.
He crept through the forest, cautious and alert. By sheer luck, he made it safely back to the outer region — and there he ran into Lin Tong, a thousand-man leader of the tribe.
When Lin Tong saw Qin Mo covered in blood, his expression turned strange. He sniffed the air and exclaimed, “A one-star ancient beast — Blazing Tiger!”
Qin Mo nodded slightly.
“You killed it?” Lin Tong asked, incredulous.
“No… it was a woman,” Qin Mo explained, recounting everything that had happened.
“I see… so it was her,” Lin Tong said, understanding dawning in his eyes.
Then he looked back at Qin Mo with a hint of surprise. Killing even an elephant pig was no small feat — not something even a hundred-man leader could easily do.
“Who is she?” Qin Mo asked.
“Her name is Qing Wei,” Lin Tong replied, smiling with obvious pride.
“Qing Wei?” Qin Mo repeated, puzzled. “Why would she know me?”
“Because she’s one of the three prodigies of the Hammerstone Tribe,” Lin Tong said, clapping Qin Mo on the shoulder. “You were lucky she found you — otherwise…”
“The three prodigies of the Hammerstone Tribe?” Qin Mo echoed, feeling something stir in his memory.
“Yes,” Lin Tong said with a grin. “Three individuals, all of upper scarlet bloodline, blessed with remarkable talent. Qing Wei is one of them. You probably don’t remember her — when you were very young, they had already begun their training here in the Blackstone Mountains, rarely returning to the tribe. The chief himself oversees their growth.”
And at that moment — something flickered in Qin Mo’s memory…_
