Dark Moon Era

Six kilometers away from Safety Sector No. 17, deep into the forest, was an inconspicuous mountain creek. The stream converged at this point and flowed down a little hill, forming a mini waterfall.

Beneath the waterfall was a pond. A little stream branched out from the left and wriggled its way to the south. The scenery was peaceful, but it was definitely not a place that normal people could access.

The natural water source here had reached Level 3 drinking water standards and many animals would come over for a drink every afternoon.

The pond was where the danger lay because a Duba hunter fish lurked in it. It was seven meters long, had sharp teeth and tough scales, and the strong fins on its back and sides allowed it to temporarily leap out of the water to ambush animals.

Tang Ling saw the Duba hunter fish leap out and chomp on a snow spotted deer that was drinking beside the pond and drag it into the water.

In short, due to the different predators like the Duba hunter fish or the mutated beasts and king beasts that would come over for a drink at times, the place was very quiet. The place was so quiet that even warriors on hunting missions would not choose this place to hunt because the slightest mistake would put them in a difficult situation with the beasts.

Tang Ling filled his canteen with water beside the pond. He was hoping for the Duba hunter fish to jump out though, so he could kill it and make some fish soup for Su Siao.

However, it was quiet and nothing happened.

After getting the water, Tang Ling walked along the little stream, going south for less than 500 meters before entering the little forest beside it. The little forest had nothing special but was full of dancing root trees.

Although these trees were not tall, they had an unusually robust root network. They usually grew beside streams and half of their roots were exposed and intertwined, making them look like passionate lovers dancing together, hence the name.

At the end of summer when autumn started to come in, the leaves of the dancing root trees would turn a total of three colors: moss green, periwinkle blue and creamy white. Its colorful reflection from the stream made it incredibly beautiful.

However, Tang Ling was not in the mood to enjoy the scenery. He walked past the trees with mixed feelings to the dancing root tree in the center of the forest and crawled into the roots.

Amongst the roots was a very small hole that allowed only one person to pass at a time and led underground. Inside the hole were the intertwining roots of the trees, but nestled within the most concentrated part that almost formed a mishmash of roots was a large, snowy-white mushroom.

The mushroom was known as the cottage mushroom, the beloved mushroom of the Drifters.

Because its mushroom stem could grow up to five meters and there would always be an opening in the center, it was treated like a little cottage. The mushroom contained enough space to house a person and it had a soft interior. Furthermore, it would also emit warmth at night, so sleeping inside the mushroom cottage was a comfortable way to spend the night.

On top of that, the mushroom also attracted a kind of bug called the big-bellied lighting bug. It was timid in nature and loved flower pollens. The level 1 mutated insect would usually nest in the mushroom, hence bringing light to the little cottage.

The big-bellied lighting bug was a lazy insect and would only spend three to five days in a month looking for food. The rest of its days were spent laying docile. Its belly would emit a soft pinkish light that illuminated the place.

The mushroom cottage had no growing pattern. It could grow anywhere and usually sprung up in the most unexpected places. If one was exceptionally lucky, one could run into a huge one. Somehow, Su Siao had located this mushroom cottage.

With that in mind, Tang Ling crawled into the big mushroom.

Su Siao had decorated the interior into a comfortable lodging. Perhaps, it was his escape plan from the beginning, or maybe it was because he always hid in this place.

There was some simple makeshift furniture in the mushroom like tatami mats, little sofas, and a tea table, plus a few more miscellaneous items and an eye-catching cloth doll that gave out a childish vibe. Tang Ling never thought that Su Siao would have such a hobby. He opened the door of the mushroom cottage wider and started to boil some water.

While Tang Ling’s heart was in pain, Su Siao was unusually quiet. The man was playing around with the black box they found back in the storeroom, but Tang Ling had not shown any interest in it.

The water boiled quickly. Then, Tang Ling added some silver-edge chrysanthemums that he plucked from the pond, poured it into a wooden cup, and gave it to Su Siao.

Su Siao took a sip and the flavourful and the refreshing silver-edge chrysanthemum flavor blossomed in his mouth. His eyes became heavy-lidded as he said, “Hmm, what a nostalgic taste.”

Tang Ling lowered his head, not having the courage to look at Su Siao anymore. It was only less than an hour after their escape.

He carried Su Siao into the mushroom and went out to get more water to quench the man’s thirst, but Su Siao had aged to a bitter state. He used to be a buff and tall man. However, now he had shrunk and withered to half of his usual weight.

Besides his bulging muscles shrinking, his skin was dried up and wrinkled while his white hair turned mostly silver and a lot had fallen off. His tall figure was also hunched and he could no longer stand straight.

His face was older than ever. The wrinkles on his forehead, the crinkles of his eyes, the scar that used to give him a ferocious look wherever he went lost its brutality. His once-rigid chin sagged and his rough beard had withered into several white strands of hair.

“Silver-edge chrysanthemum, the best partner for a journey. Having a cup of silver-edge chrysanthemum tea can clear your tiredness and lower the heat in your body.” With the cup of tea in his hand, he really looked like an old man. As he talked, he tapped the black box on the floor, then he told Tang Ling, “Do you know what this is? I bet you don’t know with your limited knowledge. That grocery store owner is really…”

Tang Ling listened and stretched his body, feigning relaxation. He then interrupted Su Siao, “Uncle, cut to the point please.”

“What point?” Su Siao looked at Tang Ling with a wide smile. “I do have a lot of important points to talk about. Sit over here, you little bastard.”

The smile was very heartwarming. No matter how his face had changed, the angle of that smile and the gaze he revealed when he smiled belonged to the Su Siao that Tang Ling knew, especially the joy the smile contained.

Tang Ling, however, wanted to cry. That smile that used to emit a domineering presence mixed with arrogance was now old and withered.

The nervousness in his heart remained as every second was agony to Tang Ling like his flesh was being cut. Who could accept a close family member aging overnight? Moreover, Tang Ling had to watch, helplessly. Every second was pure torment.

Holding back the painful bitterness from his throat, he asked casually, “Just put the crap aside first. Tell me how do we stop you from aging? I’ll think of something.” He made it sound like Su Siao’s condition was nothing serious and that there must be a way around it.

No matter what Su Siao had turned into, as long as Tang Ling could stop him from further aging, he would be happy to do it.

“There’s no way to stop it. Time is almost unexplainable.” Su Siao blew the silver-edge chrysanthemum that floated on his cup and sounded calm.

“Moreover, I used two vials. One is the Time Backtracking Serum, which allows me to temporarily returns to my prime form and the cost was my life energy. I’ll age a lot faster, but it’s a fair price to pay.

“As for the second vial, it’s the best Burst Serum out there which also allows me to return to my peak form instantly and I’m able to unleash power beyond my current limits.

“You’ve started cultivating, so you should know that all these serums stimulate the cell. It’s an investment in the vitality of your cells. Do you think you have a way to cure the aftereffects of two powerful serums?” Su Siao took a sip of his tea and looked at Tang Ling amusedly.

He then tapped Tang Ling firmly on the shoulder with a chuckle. “I thought I was going to die back then. I’m already 48 years old, and after paying the price, I expected to live no more than 10 minutes, but the facts have proven that I lived a little too long. It’s almost an hour now and I’m still not dead. Thankfully, you carried me out. Otherwise, spending an hour in that place is really…” Su Siao sounded carefree as he stroked Tang Ling’s head. “Plus, we would’ve missed this black box.”

Tang Ling’s heart was once again shattered. He hated this feeling.

From his grandmother, his sister San San, to Vian, Amir, and now Su Siao, every single experience crushed his heart thoroughly. He had no idea how many more times he could endure. However, life was cruel, so cruel that he had to face the moment every single time and could not escape.

How should he face the parting this time? Should he go mad like when he lost his grandmother and San San?

Or should he suppress his rage by erupting with his sorrow like how he lost Vian?

Neither…Su Siao was like a father to him, so he had to face it like a man.

Therefore, Tang Ling displayed a carefree smile similar to Su Siao’s when he looked at him. Then, he searched the backpack for a pack of cigarettes. He found the familiar brand that they got from Madam Selina’s Black Market. He lit two up, one for himself and one for Su Siao.

“Fine, what’s so special about this box?” Tang Ling said quickly.

Su Siao looked into Tang Ling’s eyes deeply. “In this world, there’s a messy place where no forces unite called the Darkness Port. There are no rules or laws there and that has become the way how they do things there. They view a trade or a deal as the ultimate holy and inviolable practice. Well, I guess you can also call it Freedom Port.”

“What’s the point?” Tang Ling took a puff.

“The point is that this box is from the Darkness Port. It’s one of the famous three, the Dori Dark Box,” said Su Siao. He sounded a little tired as his breath became heavier.

Tang Ling refilled Su Siao’s cup. “It sounds like there are a lot of boxes in the Darkness Port. Do you want something to eat, Uncle?”

“No, there’s no time.” Su Siao rejected leisurely. He then tapped the box and said, “Hehe, the box culture in the Darkness Port is one of its unique cultures. You’ll understand it soon enough.”

“Huh? Why do I have to understand it?” Tang Ling stood up. “Uncle, I’ll go catch a fish for us to have a meal. Oh, I also saw some alcohol in the backpack.”

“Because the next place you are going to is the Darkness Port. Firstly, that’s the only place where you can truly lie low and hide. Secondly, you have to locate a person, someone exceptionally important in your life hereon.”

“Who is this person?” Tang Ling got a wooden bucket and wanted to head out. He was really not interested in finding whosoever Su Siao was asking him to find at the moment.

“Zero. His name is Zero.” When Su Siao mentioned the name Zero, his eyes were as respectful as when he talked about Tang Feng.

“Yeah. I’ll go out for a while. I’ll be back soon. Wait for me.” Tang Ling nodded to confirm that he remembered the name and dashed out of the mushroom cottage.

Su Siao looked at Tang Ling’s back leaving his sight, but he did not stop the boy. He felt rather sleepy after talking so much, and he wanted to have a nap. That’s what old people do, don’t they?

He was not afraid of not making it since he expected this day a long time ago and had fully prepared himself for it. With that in mind, he strenuously stood up and walked to a corner of the kiddy cottage.

There was a round box carved with floral patterns on all four sides in the corner. Su Siao opened it and fished out two black notebooks.

He panted heavily, feeling immensely exhausted. He hugged the two black notebooks and fell asleep. Soon, his snores echoed in the little cottage.

Tang Ling sprinted to the stream like the wind. He hammered his chest to make himself feel better, but the pain in his heart was suffocating. Nonetheless, he promised himself not to be sad. He could not afford to reveal sadness on his face, not a single bit! Su Siao had always been a great and honorable man. He was a carefree hunk!

Even in death, he tended to be one. He would never want Tang Ling to weeping sadly beside him during the last few moments in his life and bid him farewell with tears.

Farewell? Never! Tang Ling caught a fish in a daze. He then filled the bucket with water and returned to the mushroom cottage. He was swift. He caught the fish, filled the bucket with water, and returned to the cottage in less than five minutes.

When he came back, he saw Su Siao leaning on the box stiffly and his heart tightened.

Scrambling over, his hand trembled as he put his finger over Su Siao’s nose while his other hand tried to sense for signs of life at Su Siao’s chest.

Yes, yes, yes, he’s still alive! Tang Ling lowered his head, controlling the trembling and forcing his tears back. Not a single drop of tear would be shed today.

“You bastard, what are you doing? Do you think I’m dead?” Su Siao suddenly woke up. Old people tended to have cat naps.

“No! I’m just trying to wake you up. Your snoring is too scary.” Tang Ling pretended to complain while looking disgusted.

“Uncle, go sleep over there. I’ll make us something to eat quickly.” Tang Ling then carried Su Siao and put him on the tatami mat.

Su Siao grunted in agreement since he was really tired.

Has it really been an hour?  It really had been an hour since their escape, but Tang Ling felt like his back had lightened by almost a third of the man’s original weight.

Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct was calculating how long he had left before Su Siao’s life energy depleted. Was time truly irreversible and unexplainable? No, if that was really the case, he ought to freeze time!