For a brief moment, Qin Ming felt as if someone had seen right into his heart. The fire that had consumed an entire village two years ago seemed to leap from his memories into reality. The heat and the acrid smell of burning flesh, the ruins and scattered bodies, and that ethereal boy in feathered clothing all came flooding back.
But as he turned around, he regained his composure and felt calm inside.
The woman in front of him had seen him in a pitiful state two years ago, close to death, but she could never truly understand what he had gone through. If they had shared more experiences, they wouldn't have waited until now to meet again near Silver Vine Town.
With a sincere expression, Qin Ming said, "Please tell me what happened. Who was there to take care of me? You must have seen it; my head was severely injured, and I still don’t remember those days."
Xie Lingxi planted her long sword, over three meters in length, into the ground and glanced back at him. "There was a man and a woman who took you along. They looked to be in their thirties. From what they said, you were in no condition to continue, and in the end, they just left you to fend for yourself."
Qin Ming pondered, speaking softly to himself, "I was on the brink of death, yet they still took me with them. Why?"
Xie Lingxi had long hair that reached nearly seven feet, her features were striking, and her eyes sparkled like stars. "I only overheard a few things from a distance. They wanted to take you to a remote place, far away from the bustling cities. If you could survive, it would be best for you to settle there."
At that moment, a slender maid came in with tea. The two cups on the tray were of different sizes. She said, "My lady once gave you a pill to replenish your energy and blood. It may not be precious, but it was a kind gesture."
"Ah, thank you... Miss Xie," Qin Ming immediately bowed, realizing he wouldn't have known if the maid hadn't come to the courtyard.
"That’s enough," Xie Lingxi waved her hand, not allowing the pretty maid to say more.
Qin Ming clasped his hands and asked, "Could you please think back carefully, Miss Xie? Were there any other details from that day? I would be very grateful if you could share."
"You were in rags and covered in blood. Even if your clothes had been new, they would have been very ordinary."
Qin Ming nodded. When he was reborn, he had seen his younger self wearing patched clothes. It was no surprise that his childhood had been tough. He just didn't understand why such a disaster had befallen him, with the entire village consumed by flames.
Xie Lingxi recalled, "The two who took you were mainly here to explore the spiritually activated mountains. They had discussed along the way that they hoped you could settle in a remote area, so they probably brought you here on the way."
She explained that they had only crossed paths twice on the road, and her insights were based on the few hurried words exchanged between the two.
Qin Ming couldn't help but drift into thought. What was the relationship between him and that man and woman? They didn’t seem very close, yet they had saved him.
At the same time, what was the significance of the spiritually activated mountains? He wanted to ask but felt it might be too much and a bit rude.
...
"Hehehe." In the smaller living room in the front courtyard, a purple-eyed crow laughed, watching the woman in a black fur cloak. "Those two boys mistook you for a young lady of the Xie family, ha ha ha..."
"Your laughter is terrible!" The woman stretched out her slender fingers, glowing faintly, pointing at the crow, which immediately flew up, nimbly avoiding her.
The purple-eyed crow said, "I didn’t expect that in such a remote area, there would be two decent prospects. I feel that the other sickly boy, if he fully recovers, will be quite impressive."
The woman replied, "That boy who struggles to speak already has a mentor. It’s clear someone is using extraordinary means to help him recover."
The crow said, "They say that two years ago, when the light broke through the night sky, this place was among the dimmest of the dozens of areas blessed by it. The spiritual brilliance here is very rare, but maybe it’s not as simple as that. Two decent boys have been spotted in the nearby village."
The woman took a sip of tea and said, "My teacher is wise; his predictions should be accurate. The light from two hundred years ago may never have erupted here, and it has accumulated until now. Now that two different colors of light are merging, the special products born here will likely be astonishing!"
Then she pulled the hood of her cloak down, stood up, and said, "We should leave. Today, Brother Xie will be very busy. I didn’t expect his daughter to act on her own and take the path of the Giant Spirit God, which is now giving him a huge headache."
...
In the end, Qin Ming couldn't help but ask the noble lady for advice.
She had no obligation to help him, and if she refused, he would just leave without feeling embarrassed, as long as he didn’t feel awkward.
Xie Lingxi said, "After the sun sets, it never rises again. The moon and stars disappear, and the light is an unexpected beam that breaks through the night. It appears sporadically, anywhere from decades to a hundred years, and when it does, it’s extraordinary, allowing rare products to be born in the places it lands."
Qin Ming sincerely thanked her for not being aloof and directly sharing this information.
"Miss Xie is beautiful, and her heart is kind, unlike..." he started to say, realizing that if Xie Lingxi were scaled down, her face would be palm-sized, and she had an hourglass figure. But because she had taken the path of the Giant Spirit God, she was much taller than average.
"Unlike what?" Xie Lingxi asked.
"Unlike some people who glare back at you if you accidentally glance at them," Qin Ming said casually.
"You’re not talking about my little master in the front courtyard, are you?" Xie Lingxi showed a hint of surprise.
The woman who had just left the old noble's residence paused, while the purple-eyed crow flying low let out a laugh: "Ha ha ha..."
"That’s so annoying!"
...
Qin Ming didn’t want to impose on the old noble family for a meal, feeling he had gained a lot today. Just the information he received made the trip worthwhile.
As he approached Shuangshu Village, he was still thinking about what Xie Lingxi had said, pondering for a long time.
"I think, with my third rebirth, those lost memories will eventually be recovered," he whispered, his gaze firm.
Qin Ming realized that the old noble was quite remarkable; her daughter was very strong, already nearing five meters tall at a young age, indicating she had come far on the path of the Giant Spirit God.
"The two who took me along, the woman had a red mole on her right eyebrow, and the man had particularly long arms. I wonder if they will come to the mountains to collect special products this time," Qin Ming thought.
At the same time, he understood that Moonfall City was quite large and far from here.
Soon, news came from Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing that they would enter the mountains in two days!
Now there was definite news; the higher-ups in Chixia City had reached an agreement with the high-level beings in the mountains. They would abandon the territory that the other races had previously expanded into.
In the past, people from outside the mountains could hunt and gather herbs there, but now they could enter freely.
However, if they wanted to venture deeper into the dangerous areas of the mountains, it would be up to their own abilities.
Of course, the high-level beings promised not to hunt in secret, but there were still many dangerous creatures in the mountains, and it was up to those from outside to look after themselves.
The higher-ups in Chixia City also made a promise not to hunt in secret.
Clearly, even after driving away those high-level beings, the mountains would not settle down. Even if the higher-ups wouldn’t engage in bloody hunts, there would still be old-timers from various families and other terrifying creatures in the densest areas of the night fog.
As long as they ventured deeper, bloodshed would be unavoidable, regardless of one’s identity or background.
"I can lead the way, but only in the outer areas. I won’t step into the unknown regions!" Qin Ming quickly informed Mu Qing and the others.
"Sigh, we don’t dare to take risks either. That’s the territory of the old-timers; it would be madness," Mu Qing, Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and the others sighed.
The main issue was that many people from other regions were arriving, and even in the outer areas, it wasn’t very safe.
News had spread that rare products had already been born in some special nodes and could be harvested.
In the following two days, Qin Ming observed various movements from all sides.
Not to mention the outsiders, even local organizations were actively taking action, such as the Three-Eyed Cult and Golden Rooster Ridge.
The Three-Eyed Cult was mysterious; it was said that they had members in distant cities, and this area was just a base for them.
Usually, the cult’s local members liked to use the power of the higher-ups to intimidate others. Before starting a conflict, they would always inform others that they were from the Three-Eyed Cult and had top-level experts backing them, so others should weigh their options.
But today, they had changed their approach. Someone came to communicate with Xu Yueping, and it wasn’t as crude as before.
"We're all locals. If we make special discoveries, we should share information. The rare products should naturally stay with us. Look, that mountain is right there; it will never move away, accompanying us for life. Even in death, we must rest alongside it. And the Three-Eyed Cult, rooted here, will endure like that mountain..."
Old Liu looked at the scar-faced man and couldn’t take it anymore. "Scarface, you’d be better off being straightforward like before. You should roll up your sleeves, stick a knife on the table, and threaten us. If we find special nodes after entering the mountains, we’ll let you know. Otherwise, once the people from Chixia City leave, you’ll still be here, just like that mountain, and you’ll retaliate against us. Is that the idea?"
"Yes, I actually wanted to say that, but they told me not to be rough this time. You get the idea, right? I’m leaving!" The scar-faced man from the Three-Eyed Cult turned and left.
Soon after, people from Golden Rooster Ridge arrived. They had once been bandits, and although they had been pacified, they still made nearby villages wary.
Because the Golden Rooster Knights they trained were fierce and very suitable for ambushes in the mountains, the golden ground chickens corresponded to second-generation mutated creatures, making them quite dangerous.
...
"We're about to enter the mountains..." You Liangyun sat in a quiet room, a jade jar on the table in front of him containing a kind of spiritual substance that could allow for a second rebirth. With two days left before entering the mountains, it was enough time for him to elevate his life level completely.
Originally, he didn’t want to rush, as he wanted to further hone his rebirth foundation.
But now, his expression changed frequently, sometimes cold, sometimes hesitant. If he couldn’t go to Liuguang City with that woman, he would feel very unwilling.
"Have you all investigated thoroughly?" You Liangyun asked the people outside the quiet room.
"Yes, we’ve looked into everything. After entering the mountains, it’s best not to look for him in the first two days. He’ll likely be with Mu Qing, Cao Long, and the others. Once that group is familiar with the terrain, we can probably seek him out."
"Good!"
Two days later, various groups began to enter the mountains.
What left Qin Ming speechless was that Old Liu was armored, carrying a heavy machete, and sitting on the large yellow dog he had raised.
Not only him, but Yang Yongqing also brought two knives, riding on a black goat taller than an adult’s shoulder, transforming into a black goat knight.
"Into the mountains!" Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, Mu Qing, and the others led their team off. They were just a small portion of the young people from Chixia City, with many more coming from various organizations and families.
"Watch out, there are people here! Two-legged beasts are on the loose!" Not long after entering the mountains, a talking bird shouted above Qin Ming and the others.
This was a bird that could speak human language, very clever and fast in flight, now warning the creatures in the mountains.
The key words were "people" and "two-legged beasts," which the mutated creatures in the mountains could understand.
"Shoot it!" Cao Long ordered.
"There’s a huge two-legged beast here, bigger than a three-meter tall bear!" There was no doubt that this talking bird had mutated. It was not only relaying information to the creatures in the mountains but also sending messages to other human teams, hoping for infighting among them.
Cao Long was furious upon hearing this and personally drew his bow.
...
Boom!
Suddenly, five-colored smoke and mist erupted from deep within the mountains, shocking everyone. They had just begun their journey, and the most mysterious products were about to emerge?!
"My mountain god, the place where the five-colored mist shines has appeared directly! Let’s rush in!"