Chapter 12

Resumed the journey.

"This time I really have to thank you!" The driver Xu Jia turned his head and thanked Chen Yi He.

"It's fine, it's fine!" Chen Yi He looked at his own hands, his mind still replaying the scene of his recent fight with the bandits—something he had never imagined before, he now possessed martial arts. At the same time he realized a fact: he is still not strong enough; he must train diligently to become stronger!

"Now that I think about it, three months ago you were letting the Evil People Gang have their way in the forest outside Clearwater City, only striking at the most critical moment—what mastery!"

"Hahaha! This is what I call keeping a low profile; this time it's not because I'm afraid of losing the gem and making you fail your duty!"

Speaking of this, Xu Jia's expression suddenly turned grave: "If that jewel were snatched by the bandits, I'd be thinking of jumping off the cliff—what duty would there be then?"

"What do you mean?" Chen Yi He asked, puzzled.

"In our line of work, what matters most is trust. When both buyer and seller entrust this matter to me as the intermediary, that's their trust in me; if I betray that trust, whoever dies will surely fare worse than jumping off a cliff!"

Hearing Xu Jia say that, Chen Yi He thought, "This must be the way of the jianghu—valuing loyalty above all else."

"Alas, I didn't expect to owe you another favor this time!"

"It's fine; I'm doing this for myself too—I wanted to see the world. By the way, you mentioned that Tiger Mountain Dragon King—what's his background, that he could shock that whole band of bandits?"

"Tiger Mountain Dragon King? My good brother!" Xu Jia replied proudly.

"Oh?"

"The place we're headed is Tiger Mountain; the Dragon King is the mountain's chief, with thousands under his command, hence the jianghu calls him the Tiger Mountain Dragon King. His background is impressive—his father, Long Kui, was known by everyone in the jianghu thirty years ago, once even vying for the leadership of the martial arts alliance… As for the Dragon King, his single-handed Dragon-Slaying Sword Technique truly inherits his father's true transmission; at only twenty years old he has already become outstanding among his peers, and it's rumored he has approached the barrier of the second heaven… even surpassed it to reach the third heaven." Xu Jia spoke at length.

"Twenty years old, third heaven?" Chen Yi He found it hard to believe. He had read in ancient texts that those who reach the third heaven are usually in their thirties, often even in their forties or fifties when they break through, and even reaching it by twenty-eight or twenty-nine is not unheard of. Yet the Tiger Mountain Dragon King, barely twenty, can already approach or even reach the third heaven—truly a prodigy of talent!

"Right. That's what the jianghu rumors say; though it's just hearsay, from what I see it's probably about eighty or ninety percent accurate…"

"Someone like that is definitely worth seeing!" Chen Yi He exclaimed.

Xu Jia looked at Chen Yi He, feeling that the person sitting before him on the pile of jewels was not the same one who had begged for help in the forest three months ago… "We'll arrive in seven more days; this man values loyalty greatly—since you helped him keep the jewel, he will surely honor you as an honored guest!"

……

In the blink of an eye, seven days have passed. The prolonged jostling made Chen Yi He and Xu Jia feel as if their buttocks no longer belonged to them; fortunately, on the later stretch of the road they encountered no further trouble.

Chen Yi He spent those seven days cultivating, occasionally taking out an Apple 17 to glance at, and studying a few pages of the Sutra of Withering and Flourishing; unable to fully digest it, he eventually stopped trying, his mind constantly replaying the combo techniques from his battle with the bandits—as if he were incorporating the game console's move sets into his current martial arts system…

As a result, his internal energy and sword technique indeed improved considerably.

Chen Yi He knew that what he had learned so far was only half a novice; the other half must be sought in actual combat.

"Hu…" Xu Jia pulled the reins, the carriage stopped, he patted the carriage bed, and said, "Brother Chen, we've arrived!"

"All right!" Chen Yi He jumped down from the carriage, stretched his lazily in the bright sunshine… only then did he realize he was now in a vast mountain range.

Here, mountains surround on all sides, forests layered upon ridges, peaks piercing the clouds, mist enveloping the verdant slopes, making the mountain hues seem vast and illusory… Looking up past the clouds, sunlight shines straight down from above, and just then an eagle flies past, casting a dark shadow…

In this scene, Chen Yi He recalled a poem they had to memorize in senior high: "Myriad mountains and valleys draw the long wind, through the forest glade, the morning sun glistens."

Suddenly, someone clapped, footsteps approaching: "Fine poem, fine poem! Hahaha! I never expected Tiger Mountain to have such a talented poet!"

Chen Yi He turned and saw a young man approaching, about 1.8 meters tall, with a dark complexion, thick brows, large eyes, a straight nose, and flowing hair hanging behind him; his upper body was bare, revealing a lean yet sturdy physique, eight-pack abs fully visible. According to modern female aesthetic standards, this person is undoubtedly the most handsome, coolest, and best-built Korean oppa…

On the left side of his chest is tattooed a baring‑fangs, claw‑waving dragon, its eyes gleaming… In this regard he also rivals the Triad boss Chen Haonan of Causeway Bay…

"Dragon King?" Chen Yi He muttered to himself.

"Hahaha! Dragon King, I finally get to see you!" Xu Jia laughed loudly; seeing his brother, after all the hardships, every effort felt worthwhile!

The Dragon King strode toward Xu Jia, arms wide open from afar; up close he gave him a big hug, hoisting Xu Jia high, spinning him once overhead before setting him down. "Truly punctual! Divine Thief Xu Jia, brother, I didn't misjudge you!"

After setting Xu Jia down, the Dragon King turned his gaze to Chen Yi He and asked Xu Jia, "Who is this?"

"Chen Yi He, Brother Chen!"

The Dragon King extended his right hand, smiling at Chen Yi He, "Hello! I am the Dragon King, the Tiger Mountain Dragon King."

"Hello, Chen Yi He." Chen Yi He shook hands with the Dragon King and asked, "Why is this place called Tiger Mountain?"

"Look, doesn't that mountain peak resemble the head of a tiger with its mouth wide open?" the Dragon King pointed to a peak among the mountains, clearing up Chen Yi He's doubt.

Chen Yi He looked up, and indeed as the Dragon King said, a mountain peak rose high, its 'eyes' marked by two huge boulders, a tiger's mouth split open right in the middle—truly lifelike!

"That's my main base; from that tiger's mouth the view outside is splendid! Come, let's go take a look!"

The Dragon King's underlings trotted out, packed the jewels from the carriage box by box, and carried them away.

"Truly a pristine place!" Chen Yi He marveled; the scenery of Tiger Mountain was superb, more beautiful than any scenic spot he had ever visited.

The stone steps below were all laid out step by step; the Dragon King led Chen Yi He and Xu Jia upward.

The end of the stone steps is the tiger's mouth. The tiger's mouth is an expansive natural plateau, three‑quarters of it open‑air; from here gazing out, the beauty of the surrounding mountains fills the view!

"How is it? Does Tiger Mountain live up to its name?" the Dragon King asked.

Chen Yi He nodded in agreement.

"I think, though, that the name Tiger Mountain falls a bit short!" Xu Jia had an idea.

"Oh?" the Dragon King wondered.

"If Tiger Mountain hides a dragon, why not call it Dragon‑Tiger Mountain or Tiger‑Dragon Mountain?"

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" the Dragon King laughed loudly, his laughter echoing from the tiger's mouth out to the distant heavens…

Chen Yi He regarded the Dragon King just as he had once regarded Xiao Feng in the Xiao family castle—unable to gauge his strength… Evidently, the Dragon King's power clearly surpassed his own…

The underlings brought up the stone tables and stools, and the drinks followed…

"Fine wine and dishes are ready; let's eat and drink right here at the tiger's mouth—how about that?"

"Good!"

"Good!" Chen Yi He and Xu Jia said in unison.

After hearing Xu Jia recount the encounter with the bandits on the road and how Chen Yi He drew his sword to help, the Dragon King rose to his feet, raised his cup toward Chen Yi He, and said, "Brother Chen, will you accept this cup of my respect?"

Chen Yi He stood up, not knowing what to change, clinked cups with the Dragon King, then drained it in one gulp, saying, "Big gulps of wine, big bites of meat!"

The spicy, clear liquor flowed from Chen Yi He's mouth into his intestines, into his belly—how satisfying the word 'refreshing' is!

"Hahaha! Yes, big gulps of wine, big bites of meat!" Chen Yi He's boldness left the Dragon King startled; the Dragon King likewise downed his drink in one go.

Xu Jia buried his head in voracious eating, intending to eat away the hardships he had suffered on the road.