Xu Yueping didn’t say a word. After leaving Yinteng Town, he rushed into the dark forest and slammed his fist hard against a big tree, causing snow to fall from its branches.
“If it weren’t for my family, or if I were twenty years younger, I would have taken Feng Yian with me today, even if it meant dying!” He panted heavily, feeling very suppressed, his arms slightly trembling.
He had been humiliated in a private room, and he still had fingerprints on his face. As a man, he couldn’t swallow this insult.
But he had a family, and he wasn’t young anymore. The burdens and responsibilities on him forced him to endure. He clenched his fists and murmured, “My passion has been worn away by life.”
Qin Ming didn’t know how to comfort him; even his emotions were rising and falling.
“Uncle Xu, don’t let them get to you. They will be punished for their evil deeds sooner or later.”
After a long while, Xu Yueping let out a deep breath and said, “Let’s go back.”
Snowflakes were still drifting down from the night sky. The two didn’t talk much on the way back. Qin Ming tried to find topics to ease the heavy atmosphere.
“Why haven’t they cleared the mountains yet?”
Xu Yueping replied, “They’re probably still negotiating with the mysterious creatures in the mountains.”
Then, his expression turned grim as he mentioned something. The patrol team had a type of catalyst liquid they were preparing, which would be sent to Shuangshu Village in three days to be poured into the fire spring.
It was easy to guess that this catalyst, which helped the Black Moon sprout, would harm the fire fields.
“Have the other villages agreed?” Qin Ming asked.
Xu Yueping sighed, “Three of the villages had difficulties. Given the continuous decline in fire field production in recent years, they suspected there was a problem with the seeds, but in the end, they couldn’t resist the pressure and agreed. Only the neighboring Qingsang Village is left; the patrol team is wary of the person who passed on advanced techniques to Er Bingzi and didn’t dare to push too hard.”
“It’s almost mid-month,” Qin Ming said, looking at the dark sky.
He already knew that the patrol team only appeared in the mountains around mid-month and the end of the month.
At that moment, a giant bull with bright red fur appeared from a fork in the road, impossible to ignore.
Its back was much taller than an adult man, with thick, shiny long hair glowing red. Besides its two normal curved horns, it had a straight, sharp horn in the center of its forehead.
Clearly, this was a mutated creature.
But what caught the eye the most was the tall man riding on it. He was extraordinarily tall; if he stood on the ground, he would be over three meters. His long black hair fell over his shoulders, and his eyes were sharp, like blades, scanning the two of them.
The fiery red mutated giant bull stomped through the snow at a fast speed, heading toward Yinteng Town.
“Such a tall person!” Qin Ming exclaimed.
“He’s on a different path,” Xu Yueping said, watching the figure disappear into the distance.
“Is it due to an early rebirth that caused his body to grow so fast?” Qin Ming asked.
According to past experiences, the best age for a rebirth was around fifteen or sixteen, which could lay a solid foundation.
If it happened too early, it could easily lead to imbalance because the body was already in a rapid growth phase. An additional “rebirth” could disrupt growth hormones, resulting in becoming a giant.
The most critical point was that such giants often died young.
Because after their bodies changed dramatically, they would often lose control.
Xu Yueping said, “Only larger families with the experience of their ancestors can nurture such individuals with abundant resources.”
A few giants could survive, and once they rose, they became incredibly powerful, able to overpower many with sheer strength.
“Such individuals follow the path of the giant spirit gods,” Xu Yueping added, emphasizing that ordinary families couldn’t cultivate them.
He guessed that the man and the bull had likely come from Chixia City.
Talking about the issue of rebirth, Qin Ming mentioned the leader of the patrol team, Fu Entao.
Xu Yueping turned to him and said, “Xiao Qin, you’re not thinking of approaching them, are you? Please don’t do that.”
Qin Ming shook his head, “Uncle Xu, you’re overthinking it. I’m just a newcomer; what qualifications or strength do I have to face someone who has undergone a second rebirth?”
Xu Yueping sighed in relief. He was genuinely worried that Qin Ming might act impulsively and put himself in danger.
“While the first rebirth is comprehensive, it still focuses more on strength. The second rebirth slightly leans toward flexibility and speed in physical qualities.”
They chatted along the way, and Qin Ming gradually pictured Fu Entao’s outstanding abilities and strength in his mind.
On their way back, they entered the forest several times, hoping to return with some prey to help families that were running low on food.
“That was close; even I, a newcomer, almost got hurt. The creatures in the wild are restless; we really need to clear the mountains,” Xu Yueping said with a hint of fear.
Just now, a mutated “spike leopard” had attacked him from behind like a bolt of black lightning. If it hadn’t been for Qin Ming’s help, he would have been knocked down.
“This area has just seen some mutated plants; it’s quite dangerous. We shouldn’t linger here.”
The two didn’t delay and dragged the mutated spike leopard along. It weighed four hundred fifty pounds and had five-inch-long black spikes from its abdomen to its head.
Once back in the village, Qin Ming immediately felt a heavy and oppressive atmosphere. Even the children who usually loved to run around in the snow were fewer.
Xu Yueping distributed the leopard meat to each household before heading home. He felt extremely tired, mostly from the mental strain.
Qin Ming stood by the bright fire spring, gazing into the wild. In the distance, the dim outline of the mountains flickered in and out of view.
“In three days, they’ll send the catalyst liquid to pour into the fire spring. They’re really not giving anyone time,” he murmured.
He walked toward the wild, preparing to enter the mountains.
“Let me scout the way first.” It was still early night, and he didn’t intend to take any drastic actions.
The most important thing was that it was still two days until mid-month.
“Do they really want to push people to the edge? Ignoring next year’s famine and the lives of others?” Qin Ming strode into the forest.
This time, he didn’t carry a hunting fork since he wouldn’t need it after his full rebirth. He only took a bow and arrows and a chopping knife.
He knew where the patrol team’s base was and walked steadily in that direction.
The wind was strong, and the snow was still falling. The mountain environment was beneficial to him, helping to erase his traces.
Each patrol team was responsible for a specific area, covering six to eight villages. Fu Entao and Feng Yian’s resting place was just ahead, so he didn’t need to venture too deep into the mountains.
When he spotted mutated beasts along the way, Qin Ming tried to avoid them, not wanting to stir up trouble.
After crossing a large area of forest and climbing over a few mountains, he approached his destination.
A peak ahead glowed with a faint red light, where there was a small fire spring, barely reaching level one, not as bright as the one in Shuangshu Village, but good enough for the patrol team’s base.
This place had once been occupied by a stronger mutated creature, which was surrounded and killed by Fu Entao and his team years ago.
Deeper in the mountains, there were high-level fire springs with excellent environments. The mysterious creatures living there looked down on the dim fire springs in the outer areas.
Qin Ming observed from a neighboring peak. On the opposite side, the firelight flickered, and a few wooden houses had been built on the flat land, with shadows moving around.
Usually, there would only be two or three patrollers nearby.
When they acted together, it was just to search for mutated plants and sentient creatures, hoping for a second rebirth.
“They’ve raised a mutated creature with a keen sense of smell.” Qin Ming frowned. There was a large golden mastiff there, as big as a tiger.
Then he frowned even more when he spotted a shiny-furred snow monkey, clearly a tamed creature, soaking in the fire spring.
Some villagers had previously encountered attacks from snow monkeys, with some suffering broken ribs and others nearly having their arms torn off.
Qin Ming quietly watched that peak for a long time before silently disappearing into the night.
He stepped out of the forest and looked toward Shuangshu Village.
Under the night sky, the firelight at the village entrance flickered, and the nearby houses seemed to be outlined in gold, showing a hazy silhouette. Some families were cooking, with smoke curling up.
It was a gentle and beautiful scene, but once he entered the village, Qin Ming heard cries.
“Old Qian didn’t make it. He just passed away,” someone sighed.
Many villagers stood at the entrance of the Qian family’s home, unable to hold back their sighs.
“Old Qian was old; that snow monkey nearly broke his neck. He barely held on until now.”
Qin Ming listened quietly without speaking. This was already the third person to die in this incident.
Xu Yueping and Old Liu also arrived, their faces heavy. They knew the truth and felt deep hatred for Feng Yian and the others.
The next day, during Old Qian’s funeral, members of the patrol team appeared at the village entrance. Feng Yian sighed as he approached, handing a deer to the Qian family.
Seeing him feign concern for the Qian family, even Old Liu, the eldest, turned his face away in disgust.
The Qian family, unaware of the truth, felt grateful to him.
Qin Ming silently clenched his fists. A deer in exchange for a life?
The hidden truth was bloody; Old Qian’s life was far too cheap.
A tall man in armor spoke, “Whether it’s that blood bear or the ferocious snow monkey, we’ve already killed them. Everyone can safely go into the mountains to hunt now.”
Qin Ming recognized him as Shao Chengfeng.
Once, while entering the mountains, Qin Ming and Yang Yongqing had encountered this man on the road.
At that time, he thought Shao Chengfeng was responsible and hardworking during his night patrols.
Now, this man was speaking lies with his eyes wide open, taking credit for his misdeeds, which was truly despicable.
Soon, several members of the patrol team found Xu Yueping. They weren’t there to comfort the villagers but to check on the seed planting situation of the Black Moon.
“Brother Xu, thank you for your hard work.” This time, Feng Yian was quite pleased, patting Xu Yueping on the shoulder.
Qin Ming also stood by the fire spring, feeling that although he was smiling, there was no kindness in it.
Xu Yueping’s face was expressionless. Remembering the humiliation he suffered in Yinteng Town, he felt a sting in his heart.
Shao Chengfeng laughed, “Last time I misjudged, I didn’t expect Brother Qin to be a rebirth with a solid foundation. Once the mountain clearing starts, we will likely fight side by side. How about you join our patrol team directly and become one of us in advance?”
Qin Ming immediately declined, even as the other’s smile gradually faded, he pretended not to see it.
Not long after, the patrol team members left.
“There’s no need to test; that kid clearly has hostility toward us. We should find a chance to eliminate him once the mountain clearing starts!”
“Don’t waste it; the fire spring in the Blood Bamboo Forest is about to go out. Let’s use him to scout the way.”
They chatted casually and disappeared into the wilderness.
That day, Qin Ming seriously sharpened his chopping knife in the courtyard.
Thanks to: Shepi Erdai Ji, Manmanmanzi, Xunfang, Why is it so hard to find a good book, and Marry me when your hair reaches your waist. Thanks to the support of several leaders!