Night Without End-Chapter 18 - 11: The Fall

Feng Yi'an was tall, with a beard as stiff as steel needles, bright eyes, and forceful speech; he appeared to be a straightforward person.

However, after Qin Ming learned the truth, he became extremely repulsed by him.

"I truly apologize for this time, we will kill that Blood Bear as soon as possible to make up for our mistake," Feng Yi'an said with a face full of sincerity.

Old Man Liu sighed and asked them to make sure to protect the mountains and forests, not to let the mutated creatures wreak havoc again.

He was so angry despite his old age; after committing murder, here they were offering an apology – who was this act for?

This false sincerity after coming in person was like rubbing salt into the wounds of the deceased's family members, demonstrating that they were not taken seriously, and there was no fear of an overreaction from them.

"Alas, mainly it's because some of our brothers got injured, and there weren't enough hands for the patrol, leading to this accident," Feng Yi'an explained.

He brought up the past and requested Xu Yueping to plant the Black Moon as soon as possible, as the Mountain Patrol needed it for healing so they could better protect the mountains.

Xu Yueping felt his blood boil, but he had no choice but to suppress it.

Feng Yi'an said, "We will set off immediately, we won't leave the mountains until we've killed the Blood Bear. Brother Xu, could you please go comfort the families of the dead and wounded for us?"

Qin Ming felt such pretentious behavior was extremely repulsive.

Xu Yueping brushed his arm unintentionally, then stood up to see off the several Mountain Patrol members.

Clearly, he was worried that the hot-blooded young Qin Ming would do something excessive.

Qin Ming knew that, even if he could kill several Mountain Patrol members now, it would lead to a bloody retaliation, as there were other members, and even more teams.

If these people had an accident here, the whole Shuangshu Village would be implicated.

Of course, he wouldn't make any reckless remarks and stood up, following Xu Yueping and Yang Yongqing to see them off.

When those people disappeared into the dim wilderness, Yang Yongqing spoke up with suppressed anger, "I'm so frustrated!"

"Can we report this to the higher-ups?" Qin Ming asked.

"What complaints can you raise? According to the rules, we should provide four to eight stalks of Black Moon, and the Patrol Team only asked for the minimum four this time. You say it's a mutated seed, but how can you prove it right now? They look exactly the same, only we infer based on last year's poor harvest in Fire Field, combined with Feng Yi'an and others' personalities and their usual actions, to guess that they have successfully cultivated the mutated seeds this time," Old Man Liu continued.

"There's also a very important reason; they dare to act this way, how could they not have smoothed things over with the authorities?" Old Man Liu added.

Xu Yueping spoke up, "A highly respected Mountain Patrol left enough favors for their descendants to squander for ten years."

In the end, Feng Yi'an and the others' insincere visit was just to continue pressing Xu Yueping to cultivate the medicine.

They didn't directly threaten; they were very polite and appeared gentle, but under such circumstances, such behavior was more excessive than outright threats.

Qin Ming exhaled a heavy breath and said, "Too outrageous!"

He then asked if Black Moon Medicine was that important.

Xu Yueping nodded seriously, "After mutation, its value is extremely high, long-term consumption provides a slight chance for a person to experience a Second Rebirth."

Old Man Liu said, "As Mountain Patrol members, walking in the mountains all year round, having seen higher-level creatures, who doesn't want to progress further? Just like this old man, I also want to experience a resurgence. Second Rebirth can extend one's lifespan and restore some youthful vitality, who wouldn't crave that?"

He shared the reasons and motivations for some members of the Patrol Team becoming corrupted, "But people need to have a bottom line, how can they be fit to be Mountain Patrol with such actions? They are a greater harm than Mountain Monsters!"

"Second Rebirth..." Qin Ming was lost in thought.

Xu Yueping patted his shoulder and said, "You can definitely achieve it, according to local records, Newcomers with a Golden Foundation, the quickest one to experience a Second Rebirth took less than two months."

...

Today, everyone who went into the mountains returned bloodied, some with severe injuries, still uncertain if they would survive, and cries of mourning were heard from many homes.

Xu Yueping visited each family, providing treatment, holding back his anger, with his chest heaving violently.

A middle-aged man, Wang Qinglin, lay on the kang bed unconscious; as a Newcomer, his condition was more serious than everyone else's.

After Old Man Liu set his bones again and wiped the blood from his hands, he said, "The broken bone has pierced the organs; if it wasn't for people like us with strong vitality, this would be a fatal injury."

Qin Ming observed carefully, feeling that this was still someone wearing Blood Bear Skin at work.

Every household was laden with sorrow, with some children silently wiping away tears, all joy from the hunting harvest in the past two days was gone.

There were also some villagers who had encountered mutated Snow Apes, the torn wounds on their bodies were horrific.

"It seems that the Patrol Team had raised one two years ago," Yang Yongqing said in a low voice.

Xu Yueping's face darkened, while Old Man Liu kept sighing.

Qin Ming walked towards his home with a feeling of blockage in his heart, wanting to do something.

The only good news was that Lu Ze had woken up, and given his physical condition, there should be no problems that would remain.

Qin Ming didn't mention the hidden truth to him, worried it would affect his recovery with too much emotion.

"Brother Lu, how many people are in a Mountain Patrol team?" Qin Ming asked, wishing to understand the strength of those members.

"Between eight to twelve people," Lu Ze informed him. The team responsible for their area currently had nine people; only the team leader was a Second-time Rebirth, very strong.

Fu Entao was the name of that team leader, who rarely showed himself.

Lu Ze lamented, "For many people, reaching the end with all their might is just for a chance at rebirth; as for a Second Rebirth, they don't even dare to think about it, it's an insurmountable barrier."

Qin Ming said, "It seems that the team leader can completely suppress the other members."

Lu Ze nodded, "The physical enhancement during the first rebirth is very obvious, whereas the Second Rebirth is based on that, multiplying the increase."

"For our area, lifting 500 kilograms is already the limit for Newcomers. How was that Fu surnamed team leader back then?" Qin Ming was probing.

Lu Ze thought carefully and said, "Fu Entao had some distance from the ceiling back then."

He looked over and said, "You've been reborn during your prime years, and coupled with your kind of breakthrough foundation, your second rebirth is destined to be intense."

Qin Ming had a clear understanding in his heart. Even after Fu Entao underwent his second rebirth, he was still not as physically capable as Qin Ming's first rebirth.

He stood up to take his leave, assuring Lu Ze to rest and heal without worry, assuring him that he would take care of everything.

He returned to his own courtyard and began to practice various combat skills. Living in the perilous mountains, he naturally knew many.

Before his rebirth, he could chop through bricks with his hand; now, he was naturally even more formidable.

With a sweeping kick, he broke through a tree stump thick as a man's thigh with a bang.

When he used his well-practiced "Wild Technique," his spirit intensely focused; ripples appeared in his flesh, like broken gold, and with a gentle bump, the tree stump disintegrated.

After dinner, Qin Ming visited Xu Yueping's house.

"Uncle Xu, are you still sulking?"

"They are just too bullying." Xu Yueping felt extremely stifled in his heart.

"Please convince your uncle; he hasn't even eaten dinner," Xu Yueping's wife said with a worried look.

"Auntie, leave it to me," Qin Ming entered the house and sat down.

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After practicing combat skills at home, he had now calmed down and discussed with Xu Yueping what to do next.

"You actually want me to agree to their terms?" Xu Yueping suddenly looked up, his face slightly cold, saying, "Do you know the consequences? Next year, the Fire Field will suffer a severe drop in production, leading to famine!"

"Uncle, please hear me out," Qin Ming quickly interjected, really fearing of angering him.

"Speak!"

"It's still a long way to early spring; we might as well agree to their terms for now. If an accident happens in the meantime, like if they all die during the Mountain Sweeping Action; or perhaps even the heavens can't stand it, they get wiped out by a Mountain Monster tonight; or the magnetic field in the mountains fluctuates wildly, driving the people from the Patrol Team mad..."

Xu Yueping gave him a strange look as he seriously laid out these curses.

According to Qin Ming, should something happen to those people, if an investigation took place, it might suspect anyone with a grudge against the Patrol Team. Not distancing himself earlier might lead to unwanted trouble.

Xu Yueping was annoyed and said, "How could those 'ifs' possibly happen? You're probably overthinking."

Qin Ming's expression turned serious, saying, "Uncle Xu, what I mean is, for now, we tentatively agree and wait for the unforeseen to unfold."

He explained that the seeds could first be thrown into the Fire Spring, to be retrieved after the Patrol Team left, or, as an alternative, coat the seeds with a transparent mineral glue found in the mountains to protect them from the Fire Spring's effects.

Qin Ming added, "Right now, every household is short on food; we need to ensure that the villagers can safely hunt in the mountains."

Xu Yueping sighed, thinking there was some reason in his words. If they couldn't survive the present, what was the point in talking about next year's famine?

"Once we get past this period, what then?" He was still somewhat worried, as Feng Yi'an and the others were ruthless and would certainly seek terrible revenge afterward.

Qin Ming's gaze was firm as he said, "Uncle, after some time, I might go through my Second Rebirth, and then we can talk to them."

"There might be others behind them," Xu Yueping said, massaging his temples.

Suddenly, as if he had recalled something, he asked, "Xiao Qin, with your full strength, can your arms at least reach the limit of 600 jin during your initial rebirth?"

"I can."

Xu Yueping abruptly stood up, saying, "That performance is impressive even when considered in the far-away Chixia City."

A smile gradually formed on his face, "Come with me to Yinteng Town tomorrow."

Qin Ming felt uneasy under his scrutiny, "Uncle Xu, let's first deal with the immediate problems."

"Feng Yi'an mentioned that after changing our minds, we can go find him in town. Besides, going to Yinteng Town, you might just find a good marriage prospect waiting for you."

"Ah?" Qin Ming was astonished.

Xu Yueping explained that a mysterious Old Noble had moved from afar and settled in the town, with a very beautiful daughter of marriageable age.

Qin Ming immediately shook his head, "Uncle Xu, let's not disgrace ourselves."

In the past, Xu Yueping would never dare to show up, but since the other party had put out word that when choosing a son-in-law they didn't care about one's family background, only the person himself.

The Golden Foundation of Qin Ming was so extraordinarily thick that even in the distant, bright city, it would be considered a rare talent; this gave Xu Yueping some confidence.

He softly said, "If this marriage prospect could be realized, the threat from the Patrol Team could be eliminated."

Qin Ming disagreed, but Xu Yueping dragged him along to drink all night long.

The next day, as the night fog had yet to clear, Xu Yueping came to take Qin Ming on the road.

"Uncle Xu, needn't we leave this early?"

"I know you might feel some resistance now, but it's okay; once we arrive, you don't have to meet them immediately; I'll go to the Old Noble's house to feel things out first."

Xu Yueping thought that if things worked out, it would be best, but it wouldn't be too harmful if they didn't. It was always better to try his luck there than to do nothing at all.

In the Shallow Night, the sky was still very dark, and on both sides of the road were dense forests, shadowy, with occasional cries of wild animals and strange birds in the distance.

Qin Ming and Xu Yueping trudged through the thick snow, making their way to Yinteng Town, a dozen miles away.

Halfway through their journey, they suddenly stopped; brilliant red lights burst forth from the distant forests, breaking through the night fog and illuminating the surroundings.

There was an abundance of "Crimson Butterflies" emerging, dancing gracefully, dyeing the night sky red as they scattered in all directions.

————

A Book Friend mentioned that flying kites at night seems strange, but consider this: if a few thin pieces of Sun Stone fragments were embedded in the kite, wouldn't that give off the right feel?