Chapter Forty-Four: The Ten-Thousand Mountains Range (3)

Everything went smoothly afterward. Zhang Ning put on the hat, covering his face, and moved along the edge, passing through the area without incident. Once clear, he removed the hat and addressed the livestream, “Actually, we could bring nothing at all—just some pills.”

As he spoke, Zhang Ning took out a small bottle from his storage ring, uncorked it, and showed its contents to the audience. The bottle was packed full of pills.

He explained, “These are basic detoxification pills, produced by the Grand Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect. Any member of our sect above the Martial Pill realm receives unlimited free supply!” With that, Zhang Ning buried his head and pressed on, pretending not to notice the fact that he was advertising his own sect, ignoring the barrage of comments.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Zhang Ning finally reached the summit of a modest lava peak. He surveyed his surroundings and said, “Dear viewers, even after climbing higher, I still can’t tell which way to go. These lava formations all look exactly the same!”

The audience was stunned by Zhang Ning’s unorthodox remarks—no one expected him to so frankly admit his efforts had been in vain. They teased him good-naturedly, and a small group found Zhang Ning so adorable that they just wanted to pinch his cheeks.

“Of course, I still have a way to find my direction. Remember the water gathered here earlier? It’s seawater. Where there’s sea, there’s sea breeze. That makes things easier!” Zhang Ning felt the wind, adjusted his posture, patted his left shoulder, and addressed the livestream, “If you find yourself here, in the volcanic range of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, align your body so the sea breeze hits your left shoulder. Then, your right shoulder will face south!”

The comment section erupted with praise, nearly showering Zhang Ning with flowers. He thought, This is just the beginning! If I started teaching geography properly, I’d blow their minds!

Just as Zhang Ning determined his direction and prepared to move on, he caught sight of a tiny green dot atop a distant lava mound—it looked like a human figure. He made a quiet sound of surprise, and some viewers noticed it too, quickly alerting him.

“That’s the center of a lava patch,” Zhang Ning said. “Someone might be trapped there. Let’s go take a look.”

As the saying goes, “You can see the mountain but still wear out your horse.” Even after spotting the figure, it took Zhang Ning roughly the time it takes to burn a stick of incense to reach the spot.

He arrived to find a young girl stranded on the lava, neither fully up nor down. She wore elegant, refined green robes—not tight, yet not bulky—her features charming, her presence radiant with natural grace, instantly evoking affection.

“Miss, are you trapped?” Zhang Ning asked.

The girl nodded desperately, her voice plaintive, “Please, sir, save me!”

Zhang Ning felt a tingle run through him—after all, it was a beautiful girl seeking his help.

“Wait a moment,” Zhang Ning replied.

He circled around, climbed up the lava from another direction, and descended to where the maiden was. Up close, she was even more stunning!

“Sir…” the girl called softly.

“Wait,” Zhang Ning said again.

The spot was truly tricky. There was no foothold below, and climbing up was no easier. Turning to the livestream, Zhang Ning announced, “Viewers, I’ve now reached the lady’s location.”

Both the girl and the audience expected Zhang Ning to lift her up, perhaps using the Grand Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect’s movement arts or some magical artifact for a dramatic rescue—maybe he’d explain first to avoid suspicion. But instead, Zhang Ning decisively bent his knees and leapt down! He landed, rolled twice to absorb the impact.

His action stunned countless hot-blooded young men—some even cursed aloud.

Bear in mind, this lava peak was thirty meters tall! For a martial artist, even a novice, jumping from a dozen meters wouldn’t be fatal—maybe a broken leg at worst. But Zhang Ning’s leap was genuinely risky. The real question: why, after reaching the spot where the girl was stuck, did Zhang Ning just jump down himself and leave her there? What did he mean by that?

Both the audience and the girl were dumbfounded. The girl’s hands, clenched behind her back, loosened in surprise.

Completely unbothered, Zhang Ning called out, “Exactly! Just like I did—bend your knees, jump down, and roll to disperse the force! Give it a try!”

He then turned to the livestream to explain, “I wanted to teach you all this technique earlier. The danger in climbing like this is getting stuck halfway. So what do you do in such cases? Without rescue tools, the relatively safe method is just as I showed! Rather than giving someone a fish, it’s better to teach them to fish. Teaching this lady was for her own good!”

The comment section couldn’t take it:

“She’s about to cry, you know!”

“What happened? I thought His Highness would make a heroic rescue!”

“Is Zhang Ning paranoid?”

“What are you thinking?! His Highness is only eight years old!”

“I expected a heroic rescue—raise your hand if you did!”

“I thought he’d use a magical artifact.”

“Me too.”

“She does seem a bit suspicious.”

“She could’ve used the Grand Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect’s movement arts to descend easily—what is Zhang Ning doing?”

“She’s practically a goddess!”

“Is that true?”

“You didn’t know? His Highness’s technique lets him float down slowly!”

“Amazing, is this how you use the ‘teach to fish’ proverb?”

“She’s completely stunned.”

“That girl is so pretty! I’d definitely help her down.”

“I thought we’d get a princess carry!”

“What’s this plot? Why no romance?”

“That little girl is really cute.”

“I thought we’d see His Highness’s movement arts—so disappointed.”

“That lady is totally shocked, still standing there!”

“His Highness’s move was genius.”

“Zhang Ning is so clueless about romance.”

“Is this really the time to teach the lady how to jump down? Your Highness, are you destined to be single?”

“Does His Highness worry about women? With his status, who cares about some desperate woman…”

“Are you looking for trouble? Isn’t the Moonstep Demon Lord also ‘just a woman’?”

“But she’s already fallen!”

“His Highness probably doesn’t need girls. Did you know half of his fan club is male?”

“Wow, this girl really is beautiful and elegant! Whose young lady is she?”

“His Highness is so cute.”

“Your Highness, you’ll truly end up single if you keep this up.”

“Zhang Ning, since you don’t want her, just give me her contact info!”

“You really made a fan club?”

“Calling His Highness by name—are you trying to die?”

“That jump is indeed relatively safe.”