Qin Ming entered the dense forest by the road, using a jade-like iron knife to dig a deep pit and burying a palm-sized piece of cloth inside.
"Afraid of causing trouble?" Old Liu asked.
Qin Ming nodded and tossed a wild rabbit he had caught into the pit as well.
The young man who had turned into black mist felt cold and eerie, giving him a very bad vibe. He needed to be careful with the only item he carried.
The two of them had a hot breakfast in Silver Vine Town, and after wandering the streets for half an hour, they finally headed to the agreed house.
The Wu family's residence wasn't small, but it showed signs of decay. The red paint on the door had chipped off, and the brass ring was dull.
"Old Wu, open the door!" Old Liu knocked on the door.
"I'm coming," an old man appeared and welcomed them inside.
The courtyard was large but lacked the grandeur of the past. The stone path was cracked in places, and a large flowerbed had turned into a vegetable garden, with dried gourd vines covering the artificial hill.
The Wu family had once been prosperous, but now they had fallen on hard times. The place had four courtyards, but the houses were old and dilapidated, giving off a desolate feeling.
If it weren't for this situation, they probably wouldn't have agreed to show their ancestral secret book to outsiders.
Old Wu, having only been reborn once, no longer carried himself like a wealthy man and seemed like an ordinary old man.
There were no servants in the Wu household; a young boy brought them some plain tea.
"Old Wu, let's not beat around the bush. You know why we're here, so just name your price," Old Liu got straight to the point, not wanting to waste time.
"To be honest, my feelings are complicated. The Wu family was once so glorious, with a great master appearing four generations ago who looked down on this region. Now, am I... selling my family's land? Sigh, thinking about it makes me feel guilty," Old Wu sighed.
He glanced at the spacious living room, which had once been beautifully decorated, but now the corners of the table were damaged, and the gold and silver threads embedded in the thick pillars had disappeared.
Old Liu took a sip of tea and said, "Old Wu, you need to let go a bit. Which family hasn't had its glory days? My Liu family can trace its roots back to royalty; what have my descendants done?"
Old Wu replied, "What does that old story matter? Besides, are we even the same 'Liu'? Sigh, I haven't slept well these past few days."
"Uncle Wu, we're just borrowing it and promise not to share it with anyone," Qin Ming said directly, placing five pieces of daylight gold on the damaged table.
This was already a generous offer, as in this remote area, one piece of daylight gold could support a family of three for a year.
"Not enough," Old Wu shook his head.
Old Liu said, "Come on, Old Wu, don’t be unreasonable. We’re only borrowing it for a day, and we promise not to share it. Do you really think this is some kind of heavenly book?"
Old Wu sighed, "When I was young, I spent two pieces of daylight gold just to go up to the Moonlight Tower in Chixia City for a night."
Old Liu chuckled, "Still talking about the past? Be careful your old partner doesn’t hear you!"
Qin Ming finally understood why the Wu family had fallen so quickly; Old Wu seemed to have spent lavishly when he was younger.
He remained silent and placed two more pieces of daylight gold on the table.
Old Liu sighed, "Old Wu, my young friend and I have risked our lives to hunt some mutated creatures and picked up some broken weapons from the Great Rift. We sold them, and all we have is here. Don’t squeeze us too hard."
Old Wu said nothing, calmly sitting there drinking tea.
It wasn't until Qin Ming added the daylight gold to a total of fifteen pieces that Old Wu sighed, "Unworthy descendants are burdened by life and have no choice but to show the secret book to outsiders."
He took out a book made of animal skin, which looked quite old, and placed it on the table. With a look of regret and decline, he walked out.
Holding the animal skin book, Qin Ming was extremely focused, diving deep into its contents. This was a sensitive and special time for him, and he wanted to quickly improve his strength.
Old Wu was not fooling him; this ancestral secret book was the culmination of the Wu family's ancestors' efforts and carried a strong emotional weight.
Qin Ming studied it carefully. The section on rebirth techniques couldn't compare to the silk book but had some reference value.
After a long time, he handed the animal skin book to Old Liu and then closed his eyes to digest what he had learned.
Old Liu didn’t hold back either; after taking it, he read it carefully, comparing it with what he had learned from the old mountain patroller.
Suddenly, he sensed something and looked up, immediately becoming unsettled.
Qin Ming sat there with his eyes closed, and threads of heavenly light appeared at his fingertips, radiating sharpness.
Old Liu thought he learned quickly and had great talent, but now he felt almost overwhelmed. What did he just see? Qin Ming had only just started and was already practicing the heavenly light technique recorded in the book.
"Take your time reading, Old Liu. You paid for it. I’ll head home to comprehend it," Qin Ming said as he stood up.
Old Liu was stunned. People really couldn’t be compared. He had almost become a disciple in Chixia City, but now he felt his talent was lacking.
"Young man, are you leaving already?" Old Wu asked in surprise, not expecting Qin Ming to come out so soon and bid him farewell.
Qin Ming nodded, "Yes, the content of this book is difficult, and the methods don’t suit me."
Old Wu's gloomy expression brightened significantly, revealing a smile. He walked over and patted Qin Ming's shoulder, saying, "That's normal. The secret book left by my ancestors is incredibly profound. Don’t say you’ve only looked at it for a short time; I’ve studied it for half a lifetime and still haven’t fully understood it."
"Yes, it’s an impressive book!" Qin Ming nodded and walked out of the Wu family's gate.
"Crash!"
A noise came from the living room, and Old Wu hurried inside to find Old Liu in a bit of a fluster, having accidentally knocked a teacup to the floor.
When Qin Ming returned, he happened to see Yang Yongqing, who lived at the village entrance, gently patting a tall black goat and whispering, "Yong Hei, in four days we’ll be heading to Golden Rooster Ridge..."
Qin Ming went back to his small courtyard and began practicing the new heavenly light technique.
The sharp technique was recorded in the animal skin book. Once perfected, it could easily break armor with bare hands, making it incredibly powerful.
There was no doubt it overlapped significantly with the nail technique. He guessed that practicing both together would complement each other and allow for efficient integration.
The ancestors of the Wu family were known in this area for their dual mastery of guns and arrows. Their skills with a spear were based on the sharp technique, and when the heavenly light technique could be released, the arrows they shot and the spears they thrust were fearsome.
Additionally, the relevant records in the animal skin book provided Qin Ming with insights, such as the medicinal effects of the three-colored flower.
According to the book, the three-colored flower from Spirit Mountain was a top-quality item with gentle medicinal properties that could nourish and enhance the heavenly light within the body, boosting the heavenly light technique.
Ultimately, everything still revolved around the heavenly light. The heavenly light born in the human body is usually calm and warm, nurturing itself. But when released in different ways, it could unleash a more violent side.
The animal skin book warned that when merging various heavenly light techniques, one must be cautious. If they didn’t fit well, it could trigger a massive explosion of heavenly light within the body, leading to disastrous consequences.
The sharp technique was also a combination of three common techniques of heavenly light. The Wu ancestors had been cautious about trying too many.
Qin Ming pondered. He hadn’t encountered such issues and felt that his heavenly light technique was very accommodating.
The book mentioned that the heavenly light penetrated the night, and the three-colored flowers nourished by its landing were of exceptional quality, far more precious than the top-quality ones from Spirit Mountain.
However, these three-colored flowers contained external heavenly light, which made their medicinal properties too strong and highly corrosive for the human body. They needed to be taken alongside something rich in vitality to ensure safety.
Of course, there were a few rare individuals with exceptional gifts who could withstand the violent medicinal properties of the exceptional three-colored flower without any issues.
Qin Ming speculated that this so-called corrosion was likely related to the spiritual essence left in the three-colored flowers by the penetrating heavenly light.
Back in the underground cave, Huang Jingde had seemed friendly, answering questions, but he hadn’t mentioned these things, as it was habitual for him to hide some parts.
Qin Ming thought that since his body could withstand the heavenly light's corrosion without dying, he could probably endure the medicinal properties of the exceptional three-colored flower without needing to look for something rich in vitality.
...
In the mountains, near the Great Rift, two bandits from Golden Rooster Ridge were personally guarding the area.
"Is he going to target the young and strong again? I’ve warned him several times that the continuous deaths will cause trouble. If it attracts the attention of the higher-ups in Chixia City, it will be a huge problem."
"Is he really an outsider? Cold and eerie, he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who resembles a god or immortal."
"If he doesn’t actively reveal himself, we wouldn’t see him. This is definitely an outsider's technique, but judging by his methods, it doesn’t seem like he’s following the orthodox path."
The two bandits were discussing in the shadows, unaware that the young man who had turned into black mist was already dead.
Earlier, that young man had come holding a token given by the golden thief. He had asked the bandits of Golden Rooster Ridge to help guard this place and not let anyone approach.
"This person has promised to only target the elderly, making it look like a normal death, so it won’t cause any trouble. But the deep night has already ended; why hasn’t he returned yet?"
"Let’s wait and see."
"Years ago, an old beast in the mountains cried at a grave, and with one bow, there was an unusual sight. It mutated rapidly and advanced, causing a huge commotion. Afterwards, the higher-ups in Chixia City sealed off the follow-up news. Now this outsider has come back to stir things up in the same place. Do you think he’s trying to imitate that old beast? If that happens, and the matter leaks out, we wouldn’t survive even a hundred deaths."
"He’s an outsider; he shouldn’t follow that abnormal path, right?"
The two bandits looked serious, not wanting to deal with that eerie young man.
"Could it be that a powerful outsider wants to use him to test Black and White Mountain?"
"That’s unlikely. I think he’s about to leave. Just look at him; he seems hurried, probably just passing through and doing something along the way."
...
Qin Ming sat quietly. He had mastered the entwining technique, intercepting technique, nail technique, and sharp technique. With his unique heavenly light technique, he felt ready to consume the three-colored flower. After fully integrating everything, his strength would surely see a significant boost!
"This scene feels familiar..." He stared at the three-colored flower in the jade box, somewhat lost in thought.
The layers of petals, resembling willow leaves and sharp blades, released a large amount of colorful mist, flowing with spiritual light that enveloped him.
Since his three rebirths, Qin Ming had not only recalled some childhood memories but also other vague and fragmented memories began to surface.
"Abandon," he murmured, writing this word in tea on the table.
At that moment, looking at the three-colored flower, it felt like he was seeing a scene from the past.
"Cui Chonghe." Then, he wrote these three characters on the table, staring intently, "Chongqi thinks it’s harmony, derived from the scattered texts of outsiders. Cui surname, Cui Chonghe, is that my true name? But I really dislike outsiders now."