Qin Ming was genuinely startled, his fingertips felt icy, and the cold seemed to seep into his hand, making it impossible for him to stay calm.
He quickly shook his hand and then started to pull at it.
A day had passed, and the sunlight stone in the copper basin was no longer as bright; the room was dim. Even so, Qin Ming felt he should have discovered the mysterious substance sooner. He only realized it through the touch in his hand.
He approached the copper basin and took out a piece of the sunlight stone, using the last rays of light to examine it.
"Is this a piece of ice melting?"
This cold liquid was colorless and tasteless, making it easy to overlook. When Qin Ming crushed the stone, there were no signs of anything unusual.
"Could this be water that seeped into the stone after rain, frozen, and then nourished by the sunlight to become a mysterious substance?" he wondered.
Because this cold liquid really had no distinctive features.
The rarest substances would shine with multicolored lights, drawing attention from all directions, destined to spread across many vibrant cities and spark discussions, and would surely be recorded in books.
"You’re just a scrap; aside from being icy and a bit prickly, what’s so special about you?" Qin Ming frowned as he examined it.
After he shook his hand vigorously, the liquid stopped seeping. Oddly enough, it didn’t fall to the ground, and it didn’t feel sticky when he touched it.
"What’s the use of this?" Qin Ming scrutinized it, frowning because it seemed so ordinary, and he had no idea how to use it.
Should he let it seep into his flesh? He felt uncertain about that.
From Mu Qing and Cao Long, he had learned that mysterious substances nourished by sunlight came in many varieties, some of which could be harmful to the body rather than beneficial.
"Hmm?" Qin Ming’s expression changed slightly. He thought he had forced that chill out of his body, and after shaking his hand, he hadn’t let the liquid enter his flesh.
But now it seemed otherwise; his right hand felt strange. The spot that had been penetrated by the cold was now warm.
Moreover, that warmth was spreading quickly, moving along his fingers into his arm, and then swiftly up to his shoulder and neck.
Though it felt comfortable, this unexpected sensation made Qin Ming feel on edge. He immediately activated the new life technique recorded in his scroll to defend himself.
But it didn’t help; instead, that warmth began to "rise"!
The most critical part was that the cold liquid he hadn’t shaken off started to seep into his fingers, transitioning from cold to hot, moving up his arm.
"I admit you’re not just a puddle of stagnant water; you’re a bit special. Can we pause for a moment? Let me catch my breath!" Facing this unknown and unpredictable situation, Qin Ming tried various methods, but nothing changed.
"Is it all coming in?" He swung his arm and rubbed his hands together, golden ripples appearing on his skin, but it was of no use and only sped up the process.
The icy liquid quickly transformed within his flesh, warmth rising, and soon, both his left and right hands moved upward, like rivers converging into the sea, finally reaching his brow.
Qin Ming stared at himself in the mirror. Since he couldn’t stop it, he could only calmly observe.
At the center of his forehead, the warmth grew stronger until all the heat gathered, causing his forehead to glow, which then spread deeper into his head.
He felt no discomfort; that rich warmth eventually dispersed.
Qin Ming carefully sensed himself; aside from feeling very energetic, there seemed to be no other abnormalities.
He took his long-handled black gold hammer into the courtyard and practiced his sword techniques. His strength hadn’t increased, and his physique showed no obvious changes.
But Qin Ming knew this liquid was definitely not simple. It couldn’t leave without a trace; the changes it caused should not have been fully discovered yet.
He looked up at the night sky, which seemed a bit clearer; the night mist didn’t seem so thick, and his vision had slightly improved, but it wasn’t particularly noticeable.
Qin Ming casually ate something and then went to the village entrance, standing by the fire spring beneath the black and white trees.
He rubbed the rough bark of the trees: one was as black as ink, while the other resembled white jade, with leaves that didn’t fall in the cold winter.
"This liquid comes from the Black and White Mountains; you must be seeds that fell from there..."
Clearly, Qin Ming was overthinking. Even if he had a black and a white leaf in his mouth, nothing felt different.
"Let’s leave it at that for now," he reassured himself. After all, he felt fine physically, and on the contrary, he was full of energy, so there shouldn’t be any bad changes.
Suddenly, he sensed some commotion coming from the house of Old Liu at the village entrance, accompanied by the sounds of children and women crying.
In just a moment, Qin Ming entered the courtyard, his brows furrowing as he spotted three large free-range chickens.
One of them was particularly special, with light yellow feathers that shimmered slightly, thick legs, and sharp claws that left scratches on the stone ground.
It was much stronger than the other two chickens and was likely the so-called second mutation golden chicken.
In the courtyard stood a man with a dark expression. Although he spoke in a low voice, it was clear he was about to explode with anger.
Qin Ming realized this was a golden chicken knight from Golden Chicken Ridge. Why had he come to Old Liu’s house?
There were also two others with him, whispering to Old Liu.
Old Liu’s family stood aside, looking helpless, clearly frightened by these men.
What kind of hearing did Qin Ming have? He could hear everything clearly. They were trying to "purchase" the red grass that Old Liu had obtained from the Fire Bat Cave, and they were doing so quite forcefully.
In the early night, the people from Golden Chicken Ridge had seen Old Liu come out of the Fire Bat Cave, noticing a red glow on his chest, and now they knew what was going on.
"Old Liu, you’re getting old, and you’ve been seriously injured in the past. Your foundation is already damaged, and it’s hard to be reborn. You might as well sell it for a high price and leave some wealth for your children and grandchildren."
"Yes, that red grass burns like fire when consumed. You’re old and weak; you can’t handle it. If the rebirth fails, the consequences would be terrible."
Old Liu looked helpless, his expression filled with indescribable sadness. "I’ve worked hard my whole life for this opportunity!"
Without a doubt, this was his obsession, and he had prepared some cold auxiliary medicines, slowly conditioning himself while consuming the red grass. He had a good chance of success.
But the substances that help rebirth mainly contain rich vitality and spirit, and the so-called medicinal effects being too strong, like burning fire, were exaggerated.
...
Hearing this, Qin Ming felt anger rise within him. Wasn’t this bullying? A man over seventy, who had hoped for rebirth for decades, finally saw a glimmer of hope, only for someone to come and force a buy!
He heard the price they offered, and it was no different from robbery.
Dozens of night silver coins were a considerable fortune for an ordinary person, but this was a spiritual substance that could help someone be reborn. They were looking down on him!
The red grass grew in the dangerous cave guarded by the three-time mutated Fire Bats, making it very difficult to pick. Even the golden chicken knights wouldn’t dare to enter.
"Three brothers..." Qin Ming stepped forward.
"Who are you? Stay out of this!" one of them said coldly, showing no mercy and not wanting him to say anything more.
The golden chicken knight merely glanced at him, his gaze icy. Although he didn’t say anything, the warning was clear: don’t get involved.
"Xiao Qin, don’t say anything. Let me think inside," Old Liu said, not wanting Qin Ming to get involved because Golden Chicken Ridge was too difficult to deal with. They had once been a group of bandits, and even though they had been pacified, their methods were still rough.
Once they set their sights on someone, the consequences could be dire.
"Three brothers, this red grass of Old Liu’s was given to him by Cao Long and Mu Qing from Red Glow City..." Qin Ming spoke again.
His implication was clear, mentioning the noble family from Red Glow City, who had a good relationship with Old Liu and were willing to give him spiritual substances to condition his body. Tomorrow, Old Liu would lead them early in the morning.
"Old Liu has mentioned this himself. Heh, in the end, you’re just..." The golden chicken knight sneered. He didn’t say Qin Ming was trying to use the name of a powerful family, but it was obvious that was what he meant, showing disbelief that anyone from Red Glow City would be close to a few hunters.
"You young people need to be more perceptive. If it’s not your business, don’t meddle," another person warned directly.
Old Liu turned and went into the house, taking out a bag of red grass from a hidden compartment in the wall. After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth, not using auxiliary medicines to slowly condition himself, but directly consuming most of it.
He only left a small amount to bring outside.
"Is this all? You didn’t eat some beforehand, did you?" The golden chicken knight’s expression darkened immediately; his intuition was quite sharp.
"Really, this is all I have," Old Liu said.
"What good is this little bit? Old Liu, you’re quite something!" The golden chicken knight patted his shoulder and turned to leave.
After the three men disappeared from the village entrance, Old Liu spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Old Liu, what’s wrong?" Qin Ming was startled.
Old Liu said, "That golden chicken knight is very ruthless; he practices the Yellow Mud Palm. He suspects I ate the spiritual substance early, and he wants to secretly disrupt my vitality to prevent my rebirth."
Qin Ming looked through the courtyard door, gazing into the wind and snow outside, wanting to chase after them and give them a piece of his mind.
He knew he couldn’t act so rashly. The Golden Chicken Ridge had a group of bandits behind them, and if he sought immediate satisfaction, it could bring disaster to the entire village. He needed to think things through after getting back to the mountains.
"Are you okay, old man?"
"Grandpa!"
Old Liu’s family rushed over in concern.
"How do you feel?" Qin Ming asked.
Old Liu replied, "I know the style of Golden Chicken Ridge and was prepared. Although it’s not great, it’s not too serious. I just need to condition myself for a few days."
In fact, Golden Chicken Ridge wasn’t the only group trying to force a buy. The local Three-Eyed Church had also sent people, and they were also rebirth seekers.
In the end, when the Three-Eyed Church members found they couldn’t force a buy, they left in a huff, casting cold glances as they departed, leaving an unpleasant atmosphere.
"Ordinary people have a hard life in a harsh environment, and even after becoming rebirth seekers, it’s still difficult..." That night, Qin Ming sighed in his courtyard.
Soon, he realized what had changed within him. His abundant energy hadn’t diminished at all, and it was already late, yet he still felt no sleepiness.
After lying down for a long time, he found he simply couldn’t sleep; the more he closed his eyes, the more awake he felt.
What was going on in the middle of the night? He wasn’t an immortal; how could he not sleep? Besides, if there were immortals and gods in this world, they would have already lifted the sun, and there wouldn’t be thick night mist, leaving the world in darkness.
In the middle of the night, Qin Ming had no choice but to get up and take a walk. After walking around the village eighteen times, he felt more energetic.
"What’s going on with me?" Back in the courtyard, he practiced the new life technique from his scroll and then practiced the combat skills from the sword manual. He felt tired but not sleepy at all.
He wandered out late at night and eventually returned to the village entrance, feeling bored. He cleared the snow off a stone tablet that was buried.
"I heard the old man say this tablet weighs eleven hundred pounds. I estimate I have a strength of a thousand pounds in one hand, but I’ve never tested it. Let’s try it now."
In the end, Qin Ming managed to pull the stone tablet out of the frozen ground and even lifted it over his head with one hand.
"Though it was tough, I could do it. So, I guess my arms have a strength of two thousand two hundred pounds, which is even more than I estimated."
The next day, Xu Yueping saw Qin Ming and asked, "Xiao Qin, have you been crying?"
Qin Ming was taken aback. "No."
"Why do your eyes look a bit red?" Xu Yueping asked.
"I didn’t sleep well last night," Qin Ming replied.
Old Liu continued to follow them into the mountains as usual, showing no signs of injury.
When he met Cao Long, Mu Qing, and Wei Zhirou, Qin Ming didn’t hide anything and directly told them about the golden chicken ridge and the Three-Eyed Church trying to force a buy last night.
"That’s a bit too much," Mu Qing said.
Half an hour later, they found the golden chicken knight from yesterday. Mu Qing slapped him, sending him flying six or seven meters, losing several teeth in the process.
"This is someone I invited, who has been helping me. You want to rob us of the spiritual grass we gave him?" Mu Qing asked coldly.
"I didn’t... it’s a misunderstanding," the golden chicken knight stammered.
With a clang, Cao Long’s spear brushed past his ear, changing direction to chop down a nearby large tree, coldly stating, "Even after we leave, you’re not allowed to retaliate. Otherwise, you won’t have a good ending."
"I understand!"
Moments later, the Three-Eyed Church members were also warned.
However, Mu Qing and Wei Zhirou privately told Qin Ming and the others that the Three-Eyed Church’s local base didn’t matter, but their distant lineage was strong, with branches in many cities.
"Golden Chicken Ridge isn’t simple either; it’s a foothold established by the Golden Bandits here."
Old Liu was very grateful for this. It was truly unexpected that these few would stand up for him.
That day, Qin Ming found an opportunity to dig out the sword manual. Since Wang Nianzhu had become a wanted criminal, he didn’t have to worry too much and could take the secret book home to study.
After the early night ended, he returned to the village.
"I hope I can sleep tonight and not be so energetic anymore!"
After dinner, he used the light from the sunlight stone to start flipping through the leather-bound sword manual. The moment he opened it, he was stunned.
Qin Ming looked up at the outside world and then down at the old book. What was going on? This world seemed different to him!