The two men stood tall, their golden armor gleaming even in the dark night, resembling the legendary Liu Ding Liu Jia that was said to exist in some regions.
Qin Ming felt that these two were extraordinary. Their bodies emanated a vibrant life force, a robust spirit and vitality that shone through their armor, unable to be concealed.
He had never seen the four of them before, but naturally, the most eye-catching was the woman leading them.
Qin Ming’s first impression of her was that she was breathtakingly beautiful; at first glance, she appeared stunning, and upon a closer look, she seemed to draw in the gaze even more.
Li Qingyue had already stopped, standing calmly by the roadside.
Her hair fell like a waterfall, her figure delicate and graceful like a slender willow, as the wind swayed her clothes. In the dense night, while there was no fire spring here outside the town, she gave off an ethereal feeling as if she were trying to dispel the night mist.
Qin Ming did not linger in his gaze; he was about to urge the Purple Lightning Beast forward.
The little maid opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but recalling her mistress's words—their identities should not be revealed—she shut her mouth again.
Qin Ming caught the expression on her face; the late hour did not hinder his sharp sight.
At the same time, he noticed that the woman seemed to be assessing him.
Qin Ming was startled and could not help but glance at her.
They were quite close; he could even see the patterns on her hairpin clearly.
The woman wore a silver feathered garment, not adorned with paint, her face impeccably delicate. Standing there, she resembled a bright moon breaking through the fog, glowing in the darkness of night—her figure was radiant and elegantly pure.
Not long ago, Qin Ming had been ambushed by an outsider who could dissolve into mist, and two years prior he had been heavily injured by a young man in feathered attire, almost to the brink of death, eventually ending up in this remote place.
Thus, he felt a bit resistant towards outsiders.
Though the woman in the silver feathered attire was breathtakingly beautiful, Qin Ming merely glanced at her a couple of times and then hurriedly moved on with his beast.
Li Qingyue looked back, watching his retreating figure.
She had originally thought it unwise to meet again, yet here they were encountering one another. She was still contemplating whether to speak up, but the other party remained so calm, nonchalant, darting right past her.
Li Qingyue furrowed her brows slightly. She had not worn a veil, so it was impossible for him not to recognize her, yet his eyes were so tranquil and profound, devoid of any ripple.
She felt a bit surprised; had they both changed so much in a little over two years? It was as if she was experiencing firsthand the sentiment of “the world changes, and so do people.”
The maid spoke up, “Miss, do you and him have something? I feel it’s quite strange. You think it’s unfit to meet again, but he seems even more indifferent than you, even somewhat cold. If we hadn’t glanced at him first, he wouldn’t have looked at you at all. Truly cold and heartless!”
Li Qingyue shook her head and said, “What are you thinking? We used to be friends; there isn’t anything messy about our relationship.”
The maid was surprised, then nodded, “He is of the Cui family, so you mean he's just of the same circle, that’s all?”
Li Qingyue replied, “Two years ago many things happened. Those familiar faces have all taken different paths. Some have become outsiders, some left for new lives early on, some have become notable figures, while others have gradually grown ordinary. Although their backgrounds are still remarkable, many things have changed. I don’t know why he ended up here.”
“Which type of person do you think that man is?” the maid asked softly and cautiously.
“A rather illusory person. Let’s move on,” Li Qingyue said, leading the way toward Qingsong Town.
…
“How strange, yet somewhat familiar,” Qin Ming pondered as he traveled.
He secretly evaluated that the feathered woman was so slender that, without employing the unpredictable methods of outsiders, by sheer physical ability, he could likely send her flying with just one punch.
He shook his head, striking the Purple Lightning Beast with his damaged spear, speeding away.
“Well, you can leave now,” Qin Ming said, keeping his word. After circling quite a distance with the Purple Lightning Beast, they were now eighty miles away from Shuangshu Village, and he intended to let it go free.
The Purple Lightning Beast was pleasantly surprised. It had prepared for the worst, to endure humiliation for now, and later make the boy pay. Who would have thought it would be allowed to leave?
“Why aren’t you going? What are you dawdling for!” Qin Ming kicked it in the rear.
The Purple Lightning Beast jumped in anger, swiftly leaping dozens of meters away. Turning back, it extended a front hoof, pointing at him, letting out a low growl, as if trying to say something.
“Why are you whining? You’re looking for death, aren’t you?” Qin Ming weighed the damaged spear in his hand.
The Purple Lightning Beast was frightened, leaping far away into the forest, disappearing from sight.
Qin Ming began his journey home, not retracing his steps but taking a longer route. Along the way, he entered the woods and buried all his armor, as well as his weapons like daggers and bows, deep underground, completely discarding them.
He felt he might not need armor anymore; after blending several kinds of Heavenly Light Technique, he could place it on the surface of his body, which was far more effective in defense than any armor.
The mutated old golden rooster, when it used its Phoenix Wing technique, could cut through his fine armor, but could not penetrate his protective Heavenly Light.
Qin Ming set off lightly, carrying a jade-tipped iron sword, and his speed immediately increased a great deal.
He entered the village silently amidst the snow, having left in the early evening and returning now, it wasn’t too late yet.
Qin Ming felt quite pleased, after all, he had conquered Jinji Ridge all by himself!
“Traveling through the long night, amidst both rushing and fighting, I actually feel a bit hungry now.” He started by eating some fruits from Wild Bull Ridge and soon after the steaming copper pot beef was ready.
In the mountains, the Purple Lightning Beast was furious, crashing into trees, breaking some that were as thick as water barrels.
A white owl flew in, advising it to calm down, saying there was no need to get so angry.
Then it cautiously asked, “Did you meet with the Mountain Master? Were you able to obtain the Yin-Yang Medicinal Herb?”
“That old wild boar is suspicious; I fled before I got close,” the Purple Lightning Beast replied.
The white owl reminded, “Here in this area, still call it the Mountain Master. What could possibly be wrong?”
“The old wild boar has been replaced!” the Purple Lightning Beast exclaimed.
The owl was taken aback, “By whom?”
The Purple Lightning Beast said, “I suspect it might be that old white-haired beast that cried at the grave back in the day. It hasn’t died or fled, but instead has become the Mountain Master.”
“What to do? Now everyone knows that the ancient tree remains from the Black and White Mountain have been nourished by Heavenly Light, turning into the Yin-Yang Medicinal Herb. Everyone is putting pressure to acquire it. Especially outsiders, who are most eager for this herb containing the dual energies of Yin and Yang. If too many people are waiting, do you think you can get your hands on it?”
“Please, let an elder handle this; I can’t manage alone anymore,” the Purple Lightning Beast sighed helplessly.
Then, shaking with anger, it added, “You must find out about a man for me. Someone who seems to have undergone four or five rebirths, ruling out locals. You can tell from the accent that he is from a prominent family in a huge city. Look into who has come to the Black and White Mountain area recently. Once I catch him, I will definitely crush his skull!”
Thinking back, the Purple Lightning Beast felt an urge to explode with rage. It hurried off to soak in the hot springs, seemingly trying to wash away its shame.
Qin Ming spoke with the pure local accent. Recently, as fragmented images floated through his mind, various vague scenes began to present distant accents, and tonight he naturally pretended to be an outsider.
While sorting through his spoils, he accidentally discovered some papers tucked in a book. They turned out to be letters exchanged between two reprobates and an old senior from a distant Golden Thief.
“The Golden Thief and outsiders are colluding. That misty man might even be a beast from the outside!”
Qin Ming didn’t dwell on it; after all, all leads ended at Jinji Ridge.
The next day, he got up early, feeling full of vitality. Having fulfilled his desire to eliminate the bandits, he felt it was time for him to travel far.
“Xiao Qin!” Old Liu knocked on the door early in the morning. Upon seeing Qin Ming at home, he let out a breath of relief.
“It’s done,” Qin Ming answered simply.
Old Liu knew that he had gone out to accomplish big things last night. Hearing such a response, he could hardly contain his excitement, taking a deep breath to avoid shouting out loud in delight.
“You’re quite impressive!” Old Liu marveled; after just three rebirths, Qin Ming already managed to eliminate the bandits, wiping out Jinji Ridge alone!
After getting the full story, he left contentedly. Upon returning home, he opened a jar of good liquor he had brought back from patrol and enjoyed a drink in high spirits.
He knew that it wouldn't be long before this area stirred up great waves.
“Yongqing, come over and have a drink with me,” Old Liu called to Yang Yongqing next door.
“Uncle Liu, I’m about to become a mountain bandit; how could I have the mood to drink!”
Old Liu chuckled, “Haven’t you gone yet? Drink up while you can; maybe they’ll change their minds and won’t force anyone to go to Jinji Ridge.”
Yang Yongqing sighed, “Unless they all die out, how could those with such arrogant personalities possibly agree?”
Qin Ming waited for events to unfold, deciding to travel far away. If he disappeared from here, some people might find it odd.
He was reviewing the three books he had received recently. Two of them should be written by the two bandits to teach fresh blood in Jinji Ridge; he was not interested.
Only that one old book, with yellowed pages and very ancient, captured his utmost attention. He was currently studying it; the methods of rebirth mentioned were rather formidable, detailing a unique Heavenly Light Technique that emphasized using softness to overcome hardness, corresponding to a secret technique called Huangni Palm.
Qin Ming had not yet thoroughly immersed himself in it; he skimmed through it roughly at first. Just looking at the name of the palm technique made it seem unimpressive.
However, there were notes left by a later reader who had mastered this book, mentioning that after achieving Huangni Palm, he had killed an outsider.
Qin Ming murmured softly, “It seems outsiders exert an incomparable pressure on those who walk different paths. Killing one outsider led to such excitement for this master that he felt compelled to record this glorious achievement in his cherished secret book.”
It was ironic; he had not even left this remote area and had already encountered outsiders back to back.
Inevitably, he thought about the woman in feathered attire he met last night, who appeared quite familiar.
Lost in thought, Qin Ming’s mind was filled with the exquisite face of that woman, her uncommon, elegant demeanor strikingly familiar. The more he pondered, the more he felt a sense of déjà vu.
At last, fragmented images resurfaced in his mind; indeed, he recognized her!
“No wonder she stood by the roadside looking at me with a strange gaze; she must have recognized me. I had once been heavily injured, forgetting some matters, but recently I started to recover old memories. She stood there, neither acknowledged nor avoiding, was she intentionally steering clear of something?”