When Zhao Shuning led the young boy out of the cave, it was early morning.
The air on Misty Mountain was extremely fresh at this moment. Zhao Shuning stretched her waist, and then the young boy imitated her.
Sure enough, it was still better in the outside world. Being cooped up in that small cave, one would feel so cramped.
"Your hair is a bit messy when it's loose like this," Zhao Shuning turned around, and the young boy was looking at her with a beaming smile.
Fortunately, she always threw whatever she found into her Qiankun Bag. So when she lowered her head and rummaged carefully, she really found a hair ribbon.
The hair ribbon was made of satin in a moon - glass color, closer to moonlight white.
This gift was originally prepared by her to give to her elder brother. Unexpectedly, now it was all for the young boy in front of her.
"You squat down," Zhao Shuning pointed at the ground, and he obediently squatted down.
Although he had lived in the cave all year round, the young boy's hair was extremely smooth and shiny. Zhao Shuning carefully gathered up the loose strands of his hair with her small hands and tied it up high.
At this moment, the first ray of sunlight in the morning shone down.
Zhao Shuning was standing on the side and could see the young boy's beautiful eyelashes. His eyes were slightly closed, and his three - dimensional facial features made him look like a young boy walking out of a painting.
"Wow - wow - wow!"
The young boy shouted happily.
Zhao Shuning's fantasy was shattered at that moment. Once the young boy spoke, there was no more sense of beauty.
When Zhao Shuning gathered up the stray hairs around his neck, she noticed that there was a red string hanging on the young boy's hand.
They had always been in the cave before, and Zhao Shuning hadn't noticed it.
"Can I take a look at your hand?"
The young boy grinned and handed his hand over.
Only then did Zhao Shuning discover that under the red string on his hand, there was a tiny copper token. Although it looked copper - colored, its texture was much better than copper when touched.
When she flipped the small token over, Zhao Shuning saw two characters on it: Mo Bai.
Mo Bai. Was this his name?
This thing must have been hanging on his hand since he was a child. It might be related to the young boy's background. Now that the young boy had grown up and his arms had thickened, so Zhao Shuning used scissors to gently cut the red string that had dug into the flesh, and then carefully removed the red string.
"Doesn't your hand hurt?"
"Wow - wow - wow!"
What replied Zhao Shuning was a series of sounds.
Zhao Shuning found a thick black thread, strung the token on it, and then hung it around the young boy's neck.
"From now on, I'll call you Mo Bai."
"Mo Bai?"
The young boy was first confused.
After Zhao Shuning called his name four or five times, he started clapping his hands and laughing. Zhao Shuning knew that he had gotten familiar with his name.
"I don't even know what I was thinking. When I went to the Dark Swamp, I picked up Huodou. That monster was so silly. And now when I came to Misty Mountain, I even picked up a young boy from who - knows - where," Zhao Shuning thought.
She couldn't regret it. After all, she should have thought of the consequences when she made the move.
"Mo Bai, call me by my name. My name is Zhao Shuning."
But Mo Bai could only clap his hands and giggle. Zhao Shuning was helpless. She thought she was a bit too impatient. Mo Bai was a mute young boy. It was already very difficult for him to understand what she said.
Anyway, there was still plenty of time in the future, so there was no need to rush.
"Mo Bai? Mo Bai? Mo Bai!"
In the blink of an eye, the young boy disappeared.
When Zhao Shuning finally caught sight of him, Mo Bai was walking on all fours again, and there was a wild rabbit in his mouth.
When he saw Zhao Shuning, Mo Bai grinned and carried the rabbit towards her.
"Mo Bai, didn't I tell you that we are humans, and humans can only walk on their feet?"
"Mo Bai, stand up."
"Didn't I already teach you how to walk on your feet in the cave?"
Mo Bai saw that Zhao Shuning seemed a bit angry. He opened his mouth, and the rabbit fell to the ground and ran away. He still remembered what Zhao Shuning had said.
They were not savages who ate raw meat and drank blood. They couldn't eat raw food like wild beasts. So the rabbit just now was still alive.
Mo Bai stood up. His eyes were a bit evasive.
Zhao Shuning motioned for him to come over. He was also very cautious, afraid of making her unhappy.
"Are you coming or not? If not, I'll leave."
Zhao Shuning was not very patient. She started walking away. Mo Bai looked at the rabbit in the distance and then at Zhao Shuning's receding figure. He originally wanted to crawl over on all fours.
But thinking that the little girl would be unhappy, he stood up again and followed in Zhao Shuning's direction.
Seeing Mo Bai catch up and stand beside her, Zhao Shuning smiled and said, "That's right. You're such a good boy."
The young boy grinned, looking quite harmonious.
"I'm telling you, when we get to the foot of the mountain later, you must be obedient."
If he offended the master, she wouldn't be able to protect him.
But when Zhao Shuning and Mo Bai reached the middle of the mountain, suddenly seven or eight alchemists emerged from all directions. Judging from their auras, they were not weak.
They should be at least fourth - rank alchemists.
She had heard from the master before that the alchemists who could come to Misty Mountain all had high cultivation levels. To reach the top of the mountain, one needed to have the cultivation of the fifth level.
The reason she could go to the Abyssal Dark Cave was mainly because of the red lotus for protection given by her master.
These alchemists were at the middle of the mountain because their spiritual power cultivation was not high enough. So they discussed and decided that since they couldn't go up, they might as well form an alliance and wait here for the alchemists who were coming down the mountain.
There were many treasures hidden in Misty Mountain.
Many alchemists came here for the treasures in the mountain. So as long as they guarded here, they would surely wait for someone and gain something.
As soon as Zhao Shuning and Mo Bai appeared, they were surrounded by those people.
Seven or eight fourth - rank alchemists. This was quite a powerful lineup.
"What are you doing?"
"Wow - wow - wow!"
"Boss, it's just a little girl and a fool."
How could such two people climb Misty Mountain?
"What are we doing? Little girl, did you bring anything good down from Misty Mountain?"
So they were robbers on the road.
Zhao Shuning said, "No."
"Little girl, do you think we're idiots? You say no and it's no?"
Zhao Shuning thought for a while and took out the discarded dragon bone from her Qiankun Bag. She had been too busy before and forgotten to throw it away.
"Does this count?"
When the seven or eight alchemists saw this, they immediately exchanged glances, and one of them stepped forward to grab it.
Maybe the person's hands were too sharp and too impatient. Zhao Shuning's hands were so tender that a bloodstain was left on her arm.
"Hiss—"
Zhao Shuning just gasped.
Then she saw Mo Bai rushing out like a madman. She just thought something was wrong.
"Mo Bai, stop!"
But the young boy was so blood - thirsty that he didn't listen at all. In an instant, the seven or eight alchemists had their necks bitten off by Mo Bai, and blood gushed out immediately.