Under the night sky, the forest was dim and quiet. Today, most of the area was still, and apart from some herbivores, it was hard to encounter any fierce beasts.
Qin Ming ran wildly, and when he passed through a dense forest, he suddenly stopped. He took off his armor and set down his long black hammer, then dug out a shiny set of golden armor from the snow.
This was the belonging of Wang Nianzh bamboo, who was already dead but still wanted by the authorities. Qin Ming quickly changed into it, worried that the place he was heading to might have some bear cubs or calves. If they were clever enough to remember his face, it would be a disaster.
Everyone knew that Wang Nianzh killed the Blood Snake and wiped out the patrol team led by Fu Entao and Feng Yian. Now, taking advantage of the chaos to sneak into the lair of the strange creatures was quite normal.
After hanging Wang Nianzh's sword, which was as clear as a spring, at his waist, he found a piece of cloth to cover his face. He had no choice; he wasn't strong enough yet and had to be cautious.
Then, he ran for about eight miles and arrived at a stone forest surrounded by trees. There were rocks everywhere, and some places were almost piled up into stone mountains.
“It stinks!” Qin Ming couldn’t stand it. The white giant bears living here were really careless. As soon as he approached, he caught a whiff of bear dung.
Deep in the stone forest, there was a fire spring, shimmering with red light, similar in scale to the one in Yinteng Town, reaching level two.
Although the white giant bears had mutated several times and were very powerful, they still didn’t qualify to enter the deeper mountains and couldn’t occupy the better fire springs.
But for the mountain folks, this was already a treasure.
Yet such a good place was ruined by that giant bear. There were animal skins, bones, and remains scattered everywhere, and the huge piles of bear dung were all left near the fire spring.
It was clear that the bear's hibernation was insufficient; it was still frequently hunting in the mountains.
“It should be an old male bear, too lonely. With such a large territory, it lives alone, wasting this treasure.” Qin Ming searched around but found nothing in this stinky place.
He was really frustrated. He had run a long way, taking a huge risk, and all he found was the horrible smell of bear dung.
Qin Ming really wanted to set a fire and clean this place up!
Even if there were bear cubs here, he could vent his anger or at least bring back a couple of bear paws.
He thought it was so poor that it was unbearable. The reality was so filthy that he was almost going to puke.
This was the first time Qin Ming felt helpless after being frustrated. He felt particularly suffocated and wanted revenge, but in the end, he pinched his nose and gave up, not wanting to stay here for another moment.
Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly saw a flash of scales in the fire spring, and he instantly perked up.
“This old bear actually knows how to raise fish?”
Qin Ming rushed to the fire spring and saw fish shadows in a pool about six or seven feet square.
However, he quickly realized that they were just fish fry.
“This stinky old bear is really shameful. The fish here probably can’t grow big at all; it will catch them to eat before they can grow!”
In the end, he caught all the fish fry that were less than the length of his fingers, and the biggest ones were only about seven inches long, totaling over twenty.
These were a type of spirit fish, blue and shimmering, with some parts being semi-transparent. They could grow over a meter long when mature and contained rich spiritual energy and vitality.
Unfortunately, with that impatient old bear around, they could never grow that big.
“Although they’re still small, they have some spiritual energy and can be considered a great supplement.”
Whenever he entered the mountains, Qin Ming always carried a beast skin bag. The harsh living conditions had made him develop this simple habit, and now it came in handy.
This was also one of the reasons why Huang Jingjun smirked at him.
Without looking back, Qin Ming quickly dashed towards the Wild Bull Ridge, which was about seven miles away. He was racing against time and had to act fast.
Under the night sky, the mountains stretched on, covered in vast forests.
As soon as Qin Ming entered the territory of the golden giant bulls, he was stunned.
Deep in the forest, there was a level two fire spring, with bright red liquid not pooling in a basin but irrigating some messy fire fields.
The fire spring wasn’t hot, not even close to body temperature, but it could block the cold winds and snow. The fire fields were surprisingly lush and colorful.
“Old yellow bull is really hardworking!” Qin Ming exclaimed.
In the snowy mountains, while snowflakes were still falling from the sky, this area showed such vibrant life, which was indeed eye-catching.
A green vine was full of fire pears, and among them, two or three dozen were ripe, giving off an enticing fruity aroma.
“These fruits can replenish energy and blood.” Qin Ming quickly picked them.
Then he discovered a patch of low plants, only about a foot high, but each one was laden with purple berries that tasted sweet and sour.
“So many purple sun fruits! Eating a few when tired can quickly restore energy. This old bull really planted good stuff!” Qin Ming’s fondness for the golden giant bull grew.
Although this messy fire field wasn’t particularly well-maintained, the high spirit energy of the level two fire spring made all the plants grow well.
Unfortunately, the old yellow bull had a big family, leading a herd of wild bulls in this mountain range, leaving nothing behind for others to benefit from. All the good stuff was probably eaten by its offspring.
Qin Ming was disappointed. He had risked entering the lair of mutated creatures multiple times, hoping to gain something and achieve a third rebirth.
“Can’t rely on that old bear or the yellow bull. It seems I should trust old Liu more; I’ll go with him into the mountains later!”
The fire fields had many fruits, some with a hint of spiritual energy, which were considered great supplements for ordinary people. Some were already ripe. Seeing such delicious fruits in this icy weather, Qin Ming temporarily shook off his disappointment, and his eyes gradually lit up.
No matter if they were bright red fruits or golden melons, he picked all the ripe ones, filling both of his beast skin bags.
“Is there any calf left?” Qin Ming looked deeper into the Wild Bull Ridge.
“Hm?” Suddenly, his pupils shrank. He didn’t see any calves, but there was a donkey calf.
It looked very much like the old weasel’s mount, but it shouldn’t be, as it was just a small donkey. It was actually stealing melons!
In the distance, with a thud, the melon in the donkey calf’s mouth fell to the ground, and it was startled, shocked by the armored bipedal creature it suddenly saw.
“Donkey calf, you must not make a sound!” Qin Ming turned and ran.
This little donkey wasn’t much of a threat, but it had a strong background. If it started making noise here, who knew what monsters it might attract?
Qin Ming thought that it must be a descendant of the old weasel’s mount; otherwise, how would a donkey calf dare to sneak in here to steal melons?
Qin Ming dashed away and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
In the messy fire field, the donkey calf was also confused. Just now, it almost stumbled and ran away, but that bipedal creature had escaped before it could react.
Feeling guilty, it didn’t dare to make a sound, wandering around like a street urchin, eating and drinking as it pleased. Then it burped, wagged its tail, and ran off in a flash.
After a long time, a big white bull finally appeared deep in the Wild Bull Ridge. This was a creature that had mutated three times. The old yellow bull had a big family and naturally needed a bull to guard the house.
The big white bull had noticed the donkey calf when it appeared and didn’t chase it away. Instead, it hid because it knew the little donkey’s background and didn’t want to disturb it.
“No need for that little guy to notice anything. Just let the donkey elder know we’ve been taking good care of its descendants,” the big white bull said in bull language. Even in this mountain, being a bull meant understanding human relationships.
“I… moo, did a group of donkeys come?” The big white bull was completely stunned when it approached the fire field!
Qin Ming had rushed six miles away and, noticing no movement behind him, finally let out a sigh of relief. He continued on his way to retrieve his armor and long hammer.
He also took the piece of jade iron he had hidden in the mountains. Now that all the dangerous experts had gone to the Great Rift Valley, the outside was empty.
“Little Qin, you finally returned safely! If anything happened, we would feel guilty for a lifetime!” Xu Yueping, Yang Yongqing, and others had been waiting at the village entrance.
“I’m fine, just a little scared, but I managed to bring back some mountain goods,” Qin Ming briefly explained the situation in the Great Rift Valley.
Xu Yueping was shocked. The organized reverse hunting by the strange creatures left him speechless.
Yang Yongqing also felt stunned and scared. Not just them, even the elite nobles of Chixia City would likely suffer there.
When they learned that all the mountain folks had come out safely, they fell silent, feeling both amused and exasperated. They could only sigh that life is unpredictable; those most likely to be in danger ended up being the ones who made it out.
“Uncle, it’s so good that you’re back safely! We were so worried!” Wen Rui rubbed his little hands, his breath forming white mist. He jumped up happily when he saw Qin Ming return.
During the day, he had run out several times, and each time he saw that Qin Ming’s courtyard was still locked, he felt disappointed, fearing something had happened to his uncle.
Because he had already learned from Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing that his uncle was taken away by people from Jinjiling to do something very dangerous.
Although Lu Ze was seriously injured, he was in very good shape and was now able to come out, supported by Liang Wanqing.
A quarter of an hour later, Qin Ming arrived at their small courtyard with a big bag of red and yellow fruits.
Usually, when entering the mountains, he could occasionally find some wild fruits left over from autumn under the snow, but they were never this fresh.
“Wow, this time it’s not mountain persimmons, but my favorite red berries! Uncle, you’re amazing!” Wen Rui’s little face turned red as he happily shouted while eating.
Two-year-old Wen Hui hugged Qin Ming’s neck and gave him a kiss, mumbling his joy.
In the iron cage, the red-furred mutated squirrel was jumping around, almost crying from the smell of the fruits, staring at them and chattering nonstop.
“Make a bow to me, and I’ll give you some little red fruits,” Qin Ming laughed.
As a result, the squirrel really stood in the cage, repeatedly bowing to him. Each time it bowed, it made a sound, as if counting.
“Have you really become clever?” Qin Ming’s heart skipped a beat.
…
The delay in the return of those who entered the mountains naturally raised concerns. Various families left a small number of people in Yinteng Town and other places, realizing something had gone wrong.
After Qin Ming returned, he sent Xu Yueping to Yinteng Town to deliver a message. In fact, the old hunters from other villages also came to report after regaining their composure.
Soon, some birds of prey were released into the night sky, and the remaining people from each family began to seek help from Chixia City, informing them of the huge risks that had arisen.
That night, experts from Chixia City set out. Rescuing people was urgent; delaying even a moment could cost many lives.
The strange creatures in the mountains didn’t want to wipe everyone out, fearing bloody revenge from Chixia City. Late at night, they began to retreat, and before the experts from Chixia City could arrive, the crisis resolved itself.
Each family suffered losses, with problems varying in severity.
Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and others in the inner area of the Great Rift Valley also suffered casualties.
Some families lost two to three percent, while others lost four to five percent, like the Huang family. However, the worst off were still Jinjiling and the Three-Eyed Sect, who almost faced total annihilation at the entrance.
In the end, only a few old men, bloodied, managed to escape, supporting each other.
The bandits from Jinjiling, upon hearing the details, were furious and nearly rushed over, cursing the group for being useless, even worse than a bunch of mountain folks.
The core figures of the Three-Eyed Sect in this area were also dumbfounded upon hearing the news, nearly spitting blood.
The next day, Qin Ming, old Liu, and others went to see them off as Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and the others were leaving. A special moment had arrived, and the competition for mysterious resources was coming to an end; the curtain was about to fall.
“Qin Ming, you should leave this area soon. It’s too remote. You should enter the big city and learn more there. The place is full of treasures and talents…”
“Yes, the world out there is colorful and vibrant. The splendid cities are incredibly prosperous, and you can see all kinds of beings, even gods taking human forms, far beyond your imagination.”
“Five hundred years ago, although Heibai Mountain was famous, it’s not the same now…”
Before parting, they all advised Qin Ming to leave this place soon.
During this time, Qin Ming also saw Nie Rui, Shen Jiayun, and others, who warmly came to greet him.
Finally, these people left.
…
That night, Qin Ming brought a bag of fruits to see old Liu.
“Fire pears, purple sun fruits, silver melons. Where did you run off to? Only creatures that have mutated four times or more would take care of fire fields. You’re really something!” Old Liu was so shocked that his eyelids jumped.
“Let me think. That old bear definitely wouldn’t do it; it’s lazy and violent, filthy to the core. That mountain lord, although exceptionally strong, rarely eats plants. That old yellow bull is the most hardworking; you didn’t go there, did you?!” Old Liu was quite surprised.
Qin Ming couldn’t help but admire how familiar this old man was with all the areas in the mountains.
It was precisely because of this that he came here.
Qin Ming spoke, “Old man, I was bullied badly by that bear and the yellow bull. I almost got killed in the Great Rift Valley. When are we going to the place you mentioned to look for spiritual resources?”
Old Liu glanced at him and said, “You’re fine after being persecuted by mutated creatures? You must have taken advantage of a situation, sneaked into someone else’s lair, and benefited while pretending to be innocent.”
Then he realized that Qin Ming’s strength must have greatly improved; otherwise, why would he be so eager to find spiritual resources? He was craving another rebirth.
“You’ve achieved a second rebirth?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yeah, I’ve been feeling hot lately. I should be close to completing it. What about you?” Qin Ming asked.
“Give me two more days; I should be close too.” Old Liu closed the door and added, “Be careful not to let anyone know about our second rebirth.”
“Okay!” Qin Ming nodded.
The two exchanged smiles.
…
Two days later, Qin Ming and old Liu gathered together to study for a long time, preparing to enter the mountains!