Mother of Flamlings#

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."