Chapter Thirty-Four: The Golden Dragon Sphere

Old Mo led Kang Ning, who had tied leggings on, upstream along the creek. After two hundred meters, they turned left into the dense forest. Kang Ning immediately noticed they were heading in the direction where the snake had appeared earlier. He grew anxious, stopping in his tracks and staring tensely ahead.

Sensing Kang Ning had halted, Old Mo turned and asked, “Why aren’t you moving?”

“I… I feel uneasy. What if another giant snake appears? We might not even manage to escape.” Kang Ning voiced his concern honestly.

Old Mo laughed heartily, shaking his head. “You don’t understand. Wherever a great serpent lives, within five miles, no other snake can survive. The big one eats them all as snacks! Even slow-moving beasts and clumsy wild fowl can’t escape its jaws. So, don’t worry, just follow me.”

Relieved, Kang Ning smiled. “Uncle Mo, to tell you the truth, I’m not really afraid of wolves. It’s that big serpent that scares me. I’ll probably even dream about it for years to come.”

Old Mo roared with laughter. “You’re an honest one! Not like the Han people we see, who say one thing and mean another. No wonder Old He likes you so much. I heard his grandaunt almost adopted you as her own son! Ha! By the way, do you see those mountain leeches clinging to the leaves? Even those bloodthirsty creatures don’t dare make a move. Do you know why?”

Only now did Kang Ning notice the leaves crawling with black leeches, and his face paled at the sight. He shook his head repeatedly at Old Mo.

Old Mo laughed again. “If you hadn’t drunk the dragon bile wine and swallowed the great serpent’s gall earlier, I wouldn’t have dared bring you here. Both are treasures! From today on, at least a hundred kinds of poisons won’t dare come near you. Even ordinary venomous snakes will flee from your scent. Doesn’t this show you how precious that centuries-old serpent was? Now look at those mountain leeches nearest you.”

Kang Ning was stunned. According to his knowledge, this sounded utterly incredible. But seeing the leeches dropping off the leaves one after another, he couldn’t help but believe it. Scratching his head, he watched Old Mo, who glanced at the sun, signaling they needed to hurry. He then turned and pressed on.

Half convinced, Kang Ning followed closely. Ten minutes later they emerged from the forest and crossed a rocky hill covered in green vines and purple wildflowers. At the base of a towering cliff, a flat patch of grass appeared. The cliff was overgrown with robust mountain vines and resilient trees in all manner of strange and beautiful shapes. Kang Ning thought that any one of these trees, if dug up and taken to the city, would make a magnificent bonsai.

Old Mo stopped, pulling Kang Ning to his side. Pointing excitedly at a smooth, barrel-shaped cave at the foot of the cliff, his face flushed red. “This is my first time coming here, too. I always thought there was nothing special about this place. I’d just glance from afar and move on. Now I realize I’ve been climbing these mountains blind for the last ten years! Unbelievable!”

He pointed again at the cave’s opening, five meters away at the cliff’s base. “Look, this is the serpent’s lair. If you follow the entrance, you’ll see it has two other exits, all cleared by the great serpent. If it didn’t pass through often, it wouldn’t be so clean and smooth. From what’s been passed down, this must be one of the serpent’s three main dens. As for how deep it goes, we can’t and dare not find out.”

Kang Ning frowned. “It’s certainly hard to enter. But if we don’t go in, will we really find anything?”

Old Mo laughed heartily. “Let me tell you: wherever a great serpent or venomous snake of over ten years’ age dwells, there are usually herbs nearby that cure snakebites! Do you see that black plant with red thorns, shaped like a dragon’s spine? That’s the one. I’ve only ever seen them half a foot tall. Never one this big! Come, hand me your little hoe in a moment.”

Old Mo approached the ugly, three-angled plant, over seventy centimeters high and as thick as a forearm. After bowing three times, he took a folded, square woven bag from his dyed satchel, carefully covered the plant, drew his waist knife, and cut some mountain vines from the cliff. With great caution, he tied the plant and bag together, keeping his hands away from the bag the entire time. After binding it in three places, he left a long end. He explained to Kang Ning, “Those dense red thorns are extremely poisonous. A prick could make your whole body swell for a month, or worse, cause paralysis or even death. You must be careful.”

Then, using his waist knife, he cut the plant at its thornless base, grabbed the vine, and tossed the bagged plant into a thorn bush five meters away. Taking the small hoe from Kang Ning, he quickly dug around the root. In under a minute, a golden, fist-sized bulb emerged, releasing a refreshing fragrance that filled the air.

Sheathing his knife, Old Mo cradled the bulb as if it were an infant, standing slowly and presenting it to Kang Ning. He exclaimed in admiration, “This is the largest and finest golden dragon ball I’ve ever found. You are truly blessed! If my father saw this, he’d probably cry with joy. Here, take it, it’s yours!”

“Uncle Mo, I can’t accept such a gift!” Kang Ning picked up the coarse cloth satchel hanging from Old Mo’s waist, opened it, and quietly held it beneath Old Mo’s hands. “Uncle Mo, I’ve already seen so much today. You should take this to the clan elder. From what you’ve said, he’s probably never seen anything like this in his life. It would make him very happy. Besides, this is a Yao family treasure. I have little use for it… Please, Uncle Mo, don’t be upset! How about this: you probably have some of this medicine in your flask. Just give me a little. Keep the treasure; it’s better left here, where there are many poisonous snakes and the villagers might need it any time.”

Old Mo gazed at Kang Ning in surprise, his eyes welling with emotion. He silently placed the golden dragon ball into his satchel, fastened it, and moved it to his waist. Then, stepping forward, he hugged Kang Ning, thumping his back three times before wiping his tears. “Child, your heart is brighter than gold!”

After that, Old Mo leaned in and whispered instructions in Kang Ning’s ear for almost three minutes. Kang Ning listened intently, nodding repeatedly. At last, Old Mo stepped back and asked, “You remember how to use it?”

Kang Ning nodded firmly. “I won’t forget, not in this lifetime! If you hadn’t told me, even the best medicine would be useless in my hands. Thank you, Uncle Mo!”

Old Mo cheerfully patted Kang Ning on the head, then pointed out the terrain and surrounding plants, teaching him about the herb’s habitat, age, dosage, and combinations. Once Kang Ning had learned it all, Old Mo announced delightedly, “Let’s go back. I heard a few gunshots earlier; I wager we’ll have roast mountain goat tonight!”

“How do you know it’s mountain goat?” Kang Ning asked in surprise.

Without turning, Old Mo replied as he walked, “On our way here, about four miles from camp, several of us saw fresh mountain goat droppings in the grass. I’d say there are twenty or thirty in that herd. With a dozen hunters, they’ll surely bring back at least two.”

Kang Ning was thoroughly impressed. Clearly, every field has its master. Why hadn’t he paid closer attention? He resolved to make good use of this precious time, learning all he could from the Yao villagers about hunting and plants. Who knew when such knowledge might come in handy?