Night Without End-Chapter 28 - 19 Non-stop

Qin Ming stood in place, not feeling embarrassed for not being selected; his attitude was very calm.

It was Xu Yueping who was anxious for him, but he couldn't change anything. Yang Yongqing also felt pity for him; he had once joked with him about the Mountain Sweeping Action, saying a noble lady would come down, and he should perform well.

Wei Zhi Rou was articulate and greeted Qin Ming warmly, praising him generously and expressing her desire to invite him to join them, but Cao Long and Mu Qing would not agree. She said he could visit her in Chixia City after the Mountain Sweeping was over.

Qin Ming naturally did not put on airs and responded with a smile, saying he would choose Chixia City first if he were to leave his hometown.

"I choose Qin Ming," Mu Qing spoke up.

Qin Ming's body stiffened imperceptibly. He hadn't felt anything when he wasn't selected before and was very calm, but now he felt somewhat uneasy.

It was one thing not knowing whether the person in front of him was male or female, and now it was hard to say whether they were even human. Going into the mountains with them was indeed a bit unsettling.

He was somewhat skeptical, wondering whether Mu Qing was some kind of advanced spiritual being that had joined Chixia City. Otherwise, how could a human body transform to the extent of growing a fluffy golden tail?

What could he do? Under the current circumstances, without any hesitation, he readily nodded in agreement.

Mu Qing was very satisfied with him. Seeing that he only carried a chopper, he asked, "You lack a suitable weapon. What kind are you used to?"

Qin Ming replied, "I haven't decided yet."

Mu Qing thought for a moment and said, "There are some creatures in the mountains with tough scale armor, thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, ordinary swords and knives might not cut through. I'll give you a long handle hammer. If used well, it can be very lethal and might even smash heads. But it's a heavy weapon, I wonder if you can handle it."

Mu Qing gestured to someone behind him, and immediately someone brought over a long handle hammer forged from Black Gold.

After receiving it, Qin Ming carelessly swung it a few times, leaving trails of afterimages, and making whizzing sounds of cutting air, as if he was deftly spinning a gun, and at the same time dancing nimbly with a sword.

"Good!" Mu Qing nodded, noticing that his strength was very great.

Wei Zhi Rou was slightly surprised in her heart. With her discerning eyes, just from the way he effortlessly swung the heavy hammer, she estimated his strength approached the limit of six hundred catties.

She had previously ordered people to investigate the only two youths who were known to have the Golden Foundation, and she had always thought Xu Yueping had exaggerated about Qin Ming. Now it seemed not.

However, she didn't feel it was a pity. The person she chose, Zhou Wubing, had been injured early on draining his Primordial Qi, but with the rebirth, his Origin was gradually recovering and his potential was very great, expected to at least reach the stable weight of six hundred catties, truly extraordinary, especially since Xu Kong valued him and taught him personally.

As for Cao Long, he was indifferent; he followed the path of The Immortal of Colossal Spirit, born with divine strength!

Mu Qing said, "I'll also give you a short sword, in case you are closely fought by alien species, you'll need a sharp short weapon."

"Thank you!" Qin Ming accepted, now finally having weapons better than those of the Patrol Team.

Then, the selection sped up with Cao Long, Wei Zhi Rou, and Mu Qing choosing their people.

Old Man Liu was over seventy years old; initially, no one chose him until he volunteered himself, saying he knew the mountains as if he were entering his own backyard. Then, he suddenly became highly sought after; all three parties wanted him.

"I want to be in the same team as Xiao Qin, we're from the same village and know each other well, it would be good to have each other's back," Old Man Liu said.

Soon, the Cao Family, Wei Family, and Mu Family finished selecting people.

"Everyone, the higher-ups will soon conduct the final negotiation with the mysterious alien species in the mountains, and for now, all we can do is wait."

Cao Long, Wei Zhi Rou, and Mu Qing were to take people back to Yinteng Town, where they were currently staying, asking the selected newcomers to return and make all necessary preparations.

Subsequently, people saw dozens of others appear from the dense forest, leaving with the three teams, all dressed in armor.

On the way back, Xu Yueping sighed, "It seems the people of Chixia City really just see us as guides; they're polite and courteous, but in reality, they don't respect our strength."

Yang Yongqing spoke up, "The youngsters in those three teams indeed came here to temper themselves, while the dozens of experienced young men are the main force for the three families in mountain sweeping and exploring mysterious boundaries."

Old Man Liu was quite open-minded. The other party possessed Advanced Will Power, what was there to compare?

Xu Yueping shook his head, "I have been to Chixia City, only a very few noble core members are in possession of the complete High-Level Scriptures."

According to his estimation, the so-called substantial rewards would not include the secretive essence of a family, as that would undermine their foundation.

"I reckon, it must be fragmented High-Level Scriptures they collected from the outside world, not from their own family's heritage. Of course, for people in the Xinsheng Domain, it would certainly be enough to cultivate to perfection."

Yang Yongqing longed, "How rare is the Advanced Will Power, even if incomplete, only recording the path of the Xinsheng Domain, it's enough to drive people mad."

Qin Ming murmured, "Such precious High-Level Scriptures, the three great families of Chixia City being willing to offer them, shows how much they value the appearance of the four luminescent places in the mountains, what secrets lie beneath?"

"You're wrong, there are more than ten families involved," Old Man Liu corrected.

Soon after, they returned to the village.

...

As Shallow Night was nearing its end, Qin Ming carrying a large piece of donkey meat arrived at Old Man Liu's door, claiming to come for a meal, but in reality, he wanted to inquire about the Blood Bamboo Forest.

Old Man Liu lived near the village entrance, close to Fire Spring; under the night sky, the blue brick gray tiles of his house were tinged with a faint red glow.

Just as Qin Ming entered the courtyard, he saw a yellow dog dart out from its kennel, as tall as an adult's shoulders, its whole body covered with yellow fur gleaming with bright luster, showing its white canine teeth.

Qin Ming immediately thought of the Golden Mastiff from the Patrol Team, and couldn't help but give the yellow dog a few more glances, noting its plump and robust appearance which seemed like it would also taste quite good.

The yellow dog seemed to sense something, it was baring its teeth just a moment ago, and the next instant, it tucked its tail and dove into its kennel, refusing to come out.

"Why did Xiao Qin bring meat to my house?" Old Man Liu, though aged, was still very sharp and appeared in the courtyard immediately.

Qin Ming said with a smile, "Uncle Liu, how about I trade you two Horned Deer for this yellow dog you're raising?"

"Roar, roar..." The large dog in the kennel barked, tucking its tail and tilting its head to look at its owner, as if it was trying to communicate something.

"This old dog's spirituality is very strong, it's very afraid of you, which shows that you have recently cultivated a murderous aura from hunting in the mountains," Old Man Liu said.

He chuckled and shook his head, saying, "I wouldn't trade with you. This dog is about to mutate, and it has been bringing back wild game to feed our family from time to time."

"It has such high spirituality?" Qin Ming was astonished.

Patting his goat beard, Old Man Liu said, "Of course, two months ago it was so old it could hardly walk. Disappeared for a few days, and when it returned, it started to improve. It definitely mutated before Yang Yongqing's Black Mountain Goat."

"Dogs return to the mountains; they either die there or come back stronger. Seems there really are examples of this," Qin Ming marveled, staring intently at the large yellow dog.

Old Man Liu chuckled and said, "Speaking of which, last time you fell into a crevice in the mountain and nearly died, and you quickly experienced a rebirth after being severely ill. It's somewhat similar to the saying that an old dog returns to the mountains and comes back alive."

I'd really like to give him a beating, Qin Ming thought; this annoying old man really can't speak nicely, his words quite sharp. No wonder he didn't marry the most beautiful girl back in the day.

Old Man Liu whispered, "The crevice you discovered is worth paying attention to."

The major families in Chixia City are searching for such special spots; there must be deep significance.

Qin Ming shook his head, saying, "I'm not planning on a Second Rebirth; I don't intend to approach that area."

He took the opportunity to ask Old Man Liu, "Uncle Liu, you know a great deal about the legends of various Spiritual Objects in the mountains. Tell me about them."

"You kid, I knew you needed something from me," Old Man Liu pointed at him smilingly, but soon became serious again, saying, "If Spiritual Objects were so easy to obtain, why would I have wasted my time up to now? You've built a Golden Foundation, you will inevitably achieve Second Rebirth, there's no need to take such risks."

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Qin Ming said, "Didn't you say that the youth should have vigor? If you're not recklessly adventurous in your youth, it would be a waste coming to this world. I want to achieve Second Rebirth as soon as possible and see the sights from higher up."

"Did I really say those words?" Old Man Liu looked at him skeptically, he wasn't drunk from drinking yesterday, having barely drunk half a cup of strong old wine.

"More or less," Qin Ming laughed.

"In youth, one indeed should have great ambitions, as dreams diminish with each year as we grow older. One must start from a higher point," Old Man Liu uttered.

The cold wind was whipping up the heavy snow against the windows; inside the Liu family's house, the dining table was steaming hot, primarily serving donkey meat. Qin Ming and Old Man Liu talked until late, learning the names of some Spiritual Objects, all located in incredibly dangerous areas. He also learned where the Blood Bamboo Forest was.

Qin Ming had speculated himself; it was likely within the Patrol Team's jurisdiction, Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and the others had been eyeing it.

Indeed, Old Man Liu mentioned that the Blood Bamboo Forest was just six miles away from the Patrol Team's base.

There resided a type of snake, its body shimmering red like carved red agate, its flesh and snake gallbladder rich in vitality and spirituality.

However, this snake was incredibly dangerous, even deadly. It had intense poison, and a single bite could be lethal even to a Newcomer.

"If you're lucky enough to catch one, you need to chop off its head and remove its poison glands; otherwise, it's not a tonic, but more like a death potion."

Old Man Liu informed them that apart from its poison, the snake's body was as hard as iron, surprisingly strong, and capable of leaping flights. Even a small snake, just a few feet long, was more dangerous than many mountain beasts, moving like an Iron Arrow to pierce an opponent's body instantly.

Thus, some called it a Blood Snake, and others, an Arrow Snake.

If one encounters a Blood Snake longer than ten feet in the mountains, the best option is to quickly flee.

Old Man Liu recalled that the snake's nest had existed when he was young. After decades, there definitely had been blood snakes that underwent Second Mutation.

Qin Ming said, "Hopefully, no tougher old snakes have appeared."

"A sword or ax chopping on a Blood Snake might not cut through, could even spark a fire. In its class of creatures, it is exceptionally ferocious, almost without any weaknesses." Old Man Liu suddenly stood up as he spoke, nearly overturning the table, startling his wife and almost bringing his youngest grandchild to tears.

"What's wrong, you old fool?" the old lady glared at him.

Old Man Liu's face flushed red, as if rejuvenated, excitedly waving his arms, saying, "How could I forget this, there's a problem in the mountains now, if the Fire Spring in the Blood Bamboo Forest extinguishes, all the Blood Snakes there will freeze stiff, wouldn't they be there for the taking?"

He longed to grow wings to fly into the mountains to see.

Qin Ming immediately said, "How about we father and son head into the mountains overnight to pick ..."

"Fine!" Old Man Liu nodded vigorously, but suddenly, as if he remembered something, he slumped down again and sighed, "I've realized this, how could Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, these bastards guarding the mountains, not think of the Spiritual Objects within their territory, eagerly hoping for Second Rebirth?"

Old Man Liu looked disheartened, upset and angrily pounding his thighs until they almost turned blue, angrily cursing those from the Patrol Team.

"These lucky bastards, it's as if they are about to encounter a great opportunity, producing another couple of people like Fu Entao. I really want to give them a ladle of golden juice to make their faces shine with fragrance."

...

That day Qin Ming was indeed non-stop, venturing into the mountains in the middle of the night amidst the wind and snow, slashing Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and others with a chopper, later meeting the nobles of Chixia City, and listening to Old Man Liu boast the entire night about his various mysterious experiences and bizarre encounters in the mountains.

Qin Ming returned home, feeling somewhat weary, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, he woke up early, quickly finished his breakfast, and headed directly into the mountains.