ENG
Springs birth rivers, trees root in the ground,
Gold's elusive source is seldom found.
Wealth like clouds, can vanish in a day,
Yet honor stands like mountains, will always stay.
There once was a medicine gatherer named Cheng Ming, who gained fame for selling Flame Ores. One day, a burly man dressed as an immortalist visited Chengming's herb shop. The immortalist produced a palm-sized piece of cinnabar in the color of gold.
Intrigued, Cheng Ming inquired, "What is this?" The immortalist replied, "This is Gold Flame Ore, a treasure from inside the Mother of Flamlings. I've heard of your fame as a medicine gatherer, and I can offer a partnership."
Cheng Ming asked, "What is this Mother of Flamlings?" and the immortalist answered, "It is ten times larger than a typical Flamling, and could fetch a fortune in gold." The catch is the need for a substantial amount of Flame Ores as bait.
Initially, Cheng Ming declined because it cost him his precious Flame Ores, but the immortalist returned with a load of the ores, and beseeched him, "I have an urgent need for Gold Flame Ore. Find the Mother of Flamlings with these baits I've given you, and if you catch it, you shall receive the gold I promised."
Cheng Ming accepted such a lucrative offer in an instant, and the two set off on the following day.
During their journey, the immortalist realized Cheng Ming lacked any power and used mere street tricks to deceive the Flame guais. However, as a true man who did not fuss over minor quibbles, he accepted Cheng Ming's methods, and together, they located the Flamlings' lair.
There, the immortalist lured out the enormous Mother of Flamlings using copious amounts of Flame Ores. Confronted by the Mother, they were bombarded with fireballs and overwhelmed. Cheng Ming had no power to resist and was nearly burned to death. Yet, faced with no escape, in a desperate act to save Cheng Ming from the woe he led him into, the immortalist mounted his sword and flew directly at the Mother. He slew her at the price of his own life.
As the Mother of Flamlings lay dead, all the Flamlings fell lifeless. Cheng Ming harvested the Gold Flame Ore from the Mother, and the Flame Ores from the Flamlings, alongside the bait brought by the immortalist. He returned with a fortune and wrote books like "Mountain Chronicles" and "Observations of Fire", boasting of his solo conquest of the Mother of Flamlings.
If you wonder why Cheng Ming turned to writing instead of continuing his life gathering Flame Ores, a line in his book hints at the answer: "With the Mother's demise, her children scattered, and no Flamlings will appear here for five hundred years."
The short poem at the start sets a theme: springs and trees are natural and steady, gold is rare and can disappear quickly, while honor endures. The story that follows is about Cheng Ming, a well-known medicine gatherer who sold Flame Ores. One day a burly man dressed like an immortalist came to Cheng Ming’s herb shop and showed him a palm-sized piece of cinnabar that looked like gold. The man said it was Gold Flame Ore taken from a huge creature called the Mother of Flamlings.
The immortalist explained that the Mother of Flamlings is ten times larger than a normal Flamling and that killing her would bring a fortune, but they needed a lot of Flame Ores as bait. Cheng Ming at first refused because it would cost him his precious stock. The immortalist came back later with a load of Flame Ores of his own and begged Cheng Ming to help, promising the gold if they found and caught the Mother. Cheng Ming agreed and they left the next day.
On the journey the immortalist noticed Cheng Ming had no supernatural power. The immortalist relied on simple street tricks to fool the Flame creatures, and Cheng Ming did not argue over the methods. Working together they located the Flamlings’ lair. There they used copious amounts of Flame Ores as bait to draw out the enormous Mother.
When the Mother appeared she attacked them with fireballs and they were overwhelmed. Cheng Ming could not defend himself and was almost burned to death. In desperation the immortalist mounted his sword, flew straight at the Mother, and killed her, but he died in the attack. When the Mother died, all the Flamlings nearby fell lifeless. Cheng Ming gathered the Gold Flame Ore from the Mother and recovered the Flame Ores from the fallen Flamlings, including the bait the immortalist had brought.
Cheng Ming returned home rich and wrote books — "Mountain Chronicles" and "Observations of Fire" — in which he boasted that he had taken down the Mother by himself. A line in his writing explains why he stopped hunting Flamlings: "With the Mother's demise, her children scattered, and no Flamlings will appear here for five hundred years." The opening poem and the events together highlight that the immortalist sacrificed his life in a way that could be seen as honorable, while Cheng Ming walked away with wealth and fame.