Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

Lin Ze stepped lightly and cautiously on the extremely slippery stones of various shapes, as if walking on thin ice. He took every step with extreme caution, as if he would fall into the turbulent river if he was not careful.

Lin Ze was seen concentrating, his eyes not looking to the side, moving his feet forward alternately, and finally succeeding in jumping over the seemingly calm but actually turbulent river step by step.

Although he had temporarily escaped from the imminent and extremely dangerous situation, Lin Ze was very clear in his mind that the road ahead was still full of thorns and fog. It was really hard to predict how many difficulties and unknown tests would stare at him like hungry wolves.

But even though the situation was so bad, when he slowly raised his head and cast his gaze into the distance, his eyes, as bright and deep as the stars, did not reveal even the slightest fear or terror. On the contrary, they were filled with determination and fearlessness.

It was because he had always understood such a simple truth deep in his heart: the road of life was originally like a thrilling adventure full of countless twists and turns and potholes. Only by mustering up all the courage, not retreating, and moving forward courageously, can there be a slight chance to defeat the layers of difficulties and uncover the true veil hidden behind this mysterious world.

Thinking of this, Lin Ze couldn't help but take a deep breath, feeling the fresh and pleasant air quickly filling his chest like a tide. Then, he took a steady step, with an extremely resolute and decisive attitude, and strode forward towards the long journey full of unknowns ahead.

Lin Ze walked along the path. The trees around him became denser and the light became dimmer.

Suddenly, a low roar was heard and he clenched his fists vigilantly.

A huge black panther jumped out from the shadows of the woods, staring at Lin Ze with its green eyes. Lin Ze did not retreat at all, as he knew that this was another hurdle in his journey.

The black panther pounced towards Lin Ze like a flash of black lightning, bringing with it a fierce gust of wind. In a flash, Lin Ze dodged the fatal pounce like a ghost. Then, he swung a heavy punch and hit the black panther's back hard.

"Ouch!" The black panther screamed in pain, turned around angrily, opened its bloody mouth, revealed its sharp fangs, and launched another fierce attack. This time, it accurately bit the corner of Lin Ze's clothes and refused to let go.

Lin Ze did not show any weakness, holding onto the corner of his clothes with both hands, and struggled to break free with all his strength. At the same time, he kicked the black panther in the abdomen like a cannonball. With a muffled "bang", the black panther was kicked back several meters, but soon struggled to get up and rushed towards Lin Ze again.

In this way, a man and a leopard started a thrilling life-and-death struggle. After several rounds, both sides were already panting and covered with wounds. However, the black panther was no match for the wisdom and endurance of humans, and gradually began to lose strength and his movements became slow.

Lin Ze keenly caught this opportunity, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes. He took a deep breath, gathered all the remaining strength in his body into his right fist, and then hit the black panther with a thunderous force.

"Bang!" With a loud bang, the black panther's huge body seemed to be hit hard and fell heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. It struggled a few times to get up, but eventually collapsed to the ground powerlessly, unable to move anymore.

Lin Ze looked at the black panther lying on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. He was exhausted and had many new wounds on his body. Blood was flowing out of the wounds, staining his clothes red. However, he did not have time to rest and recuperate. He just quickly took out some herbs from his arms, bandaged the wounds, and resolutely continued on his way forward.

Because he knows that the road ahead is still full of countless unknown difficulties and obstacles. Perhaps there will be more powerful and ferocious beasts, or other unexpected crises hidden. However, no matter what difficulties and challenges he faces, he will never stop his firm steps. He must maintain this fearless courage and determination, keep moving forward towards his goal, and never retreat.

Lin Ze continued to walk forward, and the sky gradually darkened. He came to a cave, and when he was hesitating whether to go in for the night, he heard a faint cry for help from inside the cave. Lin Ze clenched his fists and walked into the cave carefully.

With the weak light, Lin Ze squinted his eyes and tried to distinguish the scene in front of him. Finally, he saw a figure trapped in a narrow crevice. When he got closer, he found that it was an old man with wrinkles on his face and white hair. The old man's left leg was bleeding, and it was obvious that he had been seriously injured.

Lin Ze's heart tightened. Without any hesitation, he hurried forward and used all his strength to move the huge stone that was pressing on the old man. Sweat flowed down his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and refused to give up. After a lot of hard work, the huge stone was finally slowly moved away, and the old man was successfully rescued.

Lin Ze didn't have time to rest, and quickly took out some precious herbs from the bag he carried with him. These herbs were carefully collected along the way, just in case of emergency. He crushed the herbs skillfully, gently applied them to the old man's injured leg, and then carefully bandaged it with a cloth strip.

The old man looked at the strange but kind and brave young man in front of him with gratitude, and said tremblingly: "Young man, you are not only kind-hearted, but also brave and fearless. I have nothing to repay you, so I can only give you a treasure. I hope it can help you turn danger into safety in the next journey." After that, the old man took out a bead emitting soft light from his arms with trembling hands and handed it to Lin Ze solemnly.

Lin Ze took the bead with both hands, and instantly, he felt a warm current rushing through his body like a flood. The fatigue he had felt from saving people suddenly dissipated, and he seemed to be full of vitality again.

The old man smiled and explained to Lin Ze: "This bead is called the 'Heart-Protecting Bead'. It contains magical power. When you are in danger, just hold the bead tightly, and it will protect you from powerful attacks from the outside world at the critical moment."

Lin Ze was overjoyed when he heard this and hurriedly thanked the old man again. After waving goodbye to the old man, he held the precious bead in his arms and continued on his way forward with firm steps. However, before he had gone far, a creepy wolf howl came from not far away. Then, a group of hungry wolves appeared in his sight, their green eyes flashing with greed and ferocity, approaching Lin Ze step by step.