On this cold winter night, even the wandering merchant Xu Sheng broke out in a cold sweat. He was deeply familiar with the desert, which made him all the more fearful.
He realized that something serious must have happened today!
Many people panicked, filled with dread about the unknown. If they only understood the truth, perhaps they wouldn’t be so scared.
The main issue was that the pitch-black environment heightened everyone’s unease. Even when they reached toward their own eyes, they could see nothing.
At that moment, many were like blind men, their lives and futures not in their control, leaving them to fate.
Qin Ming was a little better off, able to vaguely see the shapes around him. He kept calm, gripping his jade iron knife, ready to strike at any moment!
Suddenly, a woman’s sobbing came from behind, causing many hearts to skip a beat.
“I’m sorry…” the woman cried.
“Then let go of me! I’ve lost so much blood from my neck; my head feels like it will fall!” a man rasped weakly.
…
Not far from where the merchant led the group, Cui Hong was sweating profusely. After distracting the old elephant, he quietly returned.
He had negotiated with the old elephant, confirming that Cui Chongyi would not be in life-threatening danger, so he rushed to find the nearer Cui Chong.
Cui Hong knew some conditions of the desert, but at his level, as long as he didn't court disaster, passing through the outer edges would be no problem.
He walked along the mountain wall, only to find himself going in circles. He quickly recited a calming chant and activated a powerful secret technique, finally managing to move forward again.
However, when Cui Hong casually glanced back, a chill ran down his spine: something was following him from behind.
In the thick, endless night mist, two enormous eyes watched him, cold and emotionless. A chilling light pierced through the fog.
The eyes were as large as houses, moving closer!
He couldn’t make out the outline of the unknown creature, but it was surely massive.
Cui Hong felt uneasy. Even he, strong as he was, would not have noticed it had he not looked back by chance.
In front of that creature, there was a blood-red lantern, relatively small, about the size of those hung outside wealthy households, yet it broke through the night mist as if someone was carrying it to lead the colossal thing.
Cui Hong dared not dally and quickened his pace. He had never encountered a situation like this, and he couldn’t be sure if it was something that came out of the desert.
The night mist thickened further, to the point that even Cui Hong felt his five senses dulling, his sharp spiritual awareness growing clouded. He even accidentally fell from the rugged mountain path into the desert.
He sensed something was wrong. The ground felt damp and sticky beneath him, leaving water stains on the sand and giving off steam.
Cui Hong quickly jumped back onto the mountain path, his face pale. He could smell a strong odor of urine, and wondered who had done this.
At that moment, the desert felt even stranger; the thick fog rolled like waves crashing against the cliffs.
When Cui Hong turned back again, he found those enormous eyes were much closer!
Moreover, under the light of the blood lantern, he could vaguely make out that it was a huge white-haired creature.
“Its speed is far beyond mine; it’s extremely dangerous, it could catch up to me!” Cui Hong realized something was terribly wrong.
However, as the desert showed signs of anomaly, the white-haired creature squinted its eyes and unexpectedly turned to flee, the blood-red lantern disappearing quickly into the darkness.
…
“Oh no, it seems the desert has been disturbed,” Xu Sheng muttered, uncertain. Such a situation was rare; who would dare to act recklessly in a place like this?
The boundless desert roiled with mist, crashing against the cliffs like waves.
It was because of this that Xu Sheng reaffirmed their direction.
“What shall we do now?”
“Don’t panic, this isn’t our concern!” Xu Sheng said, reassuring everyone.
At this point, even the woman’s sobbing had ceased, and the group holding torches ahead dimmed, nearly vanishing from sight.
Suddenly, someone quivered and said, “Xu brother, something is brushing against my ankle. It’s covered in tough hair, and it pierced my clothes.”
He was not the only one; several people felt the same.
Qin Ming faintly glimpsed a small creature and was about to swing his jade iron knife.
“Don’t move!” Xu Sheng shouted, then fell silent, as he was also brushed by a creature, mistaken for a tree stump.
“We should head up the mountain!” He knew they could not escape this area of the desert before the shallow night ended.
The group hurriedly climbed, using the gentler slope to reach the nearby lowest cliff, still nearly a thousand meters high.
Xu Sheng said, “Today we rest here, and set out tomorrow once the fog clears.”
“Let's move through the mountains,” someone suggested, clearly frightened by the desert.
Xu Sheng shook his head. “The mountains ahead are thousands of meters high, and every area harbors dangerous creatures. We merchants never attempt to cross these mountains.”
Contrary to everyone’s expectation, the previously weak man who had cried about his neck did not die; he had only lost a lot of blood.
After climbing the cliff, he looked as if he’d seen a ghost, avoiding the woman shrouded in gray.
“I’m sorry, it’s my first time traveling far and I was too anxious and accidentally scratched you.”
“It’s… okay!” the man retreated.
The youth’s face went pale as he quietly glanced at the black hairs in his hand. As the cold wind howled, he also caught a glimpse of fur beneath the woman’s gray robe.
Here, the night was not so thick, and unsure if he had seen wrongly, he dared not observe further.
“As long as everyone is fine,” Xu Sheng sighed in relief. As a merchant who often led teams on long journeys, it was not unusual to encounter some oddities.
Earlier, while resupplying at that small town, Xu Sheng had warned them they might have to sleep outside for two or three days.
Though everyone felt the merchant was intentionally trying to make money, they had no choice but to spend a high price in that town to buy tents.
In the dead of night, Qin Ming was awoken by snoring and quickly drew his jade iron knife, ready for an enemy.
This was too outrageous; how could someone else be in his tent?! Someone else was snoring!
Instantly, following the sound, Qin Ming discovered the cause.
It turned out to be a pig!
Qin Ming ignited a fire stick and clearly saw it—a tiny pig, just slightly longer than his palm.
At this moment, the pig was startled awake, staring wide-eyed at Qin Ming, who was equally shocked.
Despite being small, this wild pig was abnormal. A pair of pure white tusks had already grown outside its mouth—not typical for a piglet.
The small wild pig, slightly bigger than Qin Ming’s palm, grinned, startling him so much he nearly swung his knife. But he held back because it felt too strange.
In fact, he felt that nothing at all during today’s experiences near the desert had been normal.
He stared closely at the pig, noticing some black scales on its face that seemed oddly familiar.
Then he recalled that when he was recovering from a severe illness, he had hunted a massive wild pig in the mountains—one weighing over a thousand pounds that had gone wild after him for a while.
At that time, when the moon worm appeared, that massive wild pig had trembled and quietly backed away, burying itself in the snow.
The big pig also had black scales, very similar to this little one before him.
However, although the giant wild pig was a mutated creature, it was full of animal instincts and seemed far from being “civilized,” lacking any sense of spirit.
This little pig, while resembling the larger one, was not wild-eyed. Instead, it seemed deep and thoughtful.
Though it looked quite small, Qin Ming felt it was more like an old mountain pig.
Qin Ming did not rashly attack; he stared at the small pig for a moment before sheathing his jade iron knife and retreating to the edge of the tent.
Soon, the tent was filled with loud snoring.
The next day, the fog had indeed thinned. Xu Sheng felt relieved when he counted the people and found there were still no casualties; everyone, human or creature, remained alive.
Qin Ming noticed some people looking at him with resentment, even anger.
A middle-aged man glared at him and said, “Young man, you look well put together, but why do you snore so loud when you sleep? I thought it was thunder and came out to check, only to find it was you snoring in your tent!”
Qin Ming opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, feeling this was too unfair. Did they expect him to tell them it was a mountain pig snoring?
“Yeah, you really got us there; I thought it was thunder too!” an old man chimed in.
Wu Zheng, with dark circles under his eyes, looked gloomy. He had intended to find comfort sleeping next to someone familiar, but Qin Ming's snoring was so powerful!
“Don’t waste time. Make some hot water and eat some food; we set out immediately,” Xu Sheng urged.
No sooner had they hit the road for an hour than the group’s expressions changed, for they saw a figure swiftly approaching them through the night mist.
“It’s fine, it’s a human,” Wu Zheng whispered.
The others were silent. Encountering both humans and monsters outside was similar enough; there were still odd creatures among their group.
Very soon, Xu Sheng’s expression changed; he recognized the man who had fought the old elephant yesterday—he had long arms, distinct facial features, and eyes that sparkled with electricity.
Qin Ming understood that the long-armed man had come for him, and he stepped forward.
“You all go on,” Cui Hong waved to the merchant group.
Xu Sheng hesitated for a moment, but finally sighed. No matter the other’s intentions, he couldn’t mind it. The power difference was substantial, and he was responsible for the larger group.
“Take care, young man!” Xu Sheng said before leading the group away.
Wu Zheng glanced back multiple times before finally turning to follow the others.
“Sir!” Cui Hong saluted.
Qin Ming avoided it, saying, “I cannot accept such a salute. Two years ago, you saved me; I should be the one saluting to you.”
“That was my duty,” Cui Hong replied.
Darkness enveloped the desert, and silence fell.
Qin Ming's heart was turbulent with many questions, but after catching a glimpse of the complex expression on the man's face yesterday, he realized this reunion might be completely different from his earlier assumptions.
“Sir, have you been reborn?” Cui Hong asked, his gaze sharp.
Qin Ming replied, “Call me by name. The title ‘Sir’ makes me uncomfortable.”
“Then... alright. Chong He, you have been reborn?”
Qin Ming wanted to correct the title but thought better of it; since everyone else called him Cui Chonghe, he might as well accept it for now.
“Yes!” Qin Ming felt that no matter what he said, the other could discern the truth. With someone from the Cui family here, they would surely investigate everything in Yinteng Town and Shuangshu Village.
“Sigh!” Cui Hong heard his affirmation and sighed, looking conflicted, troubled, and somewhat pained, his expression again quite complex.
“Is something wrong?” Qin Ming grew alert.
“Sir, um, Chong He, do you wish to leave this remote area and go to the distant cities?” Cui Hong asked.
Qin Ming fell silent. Since they were already on the road, did he still need to respond?
“Chong He, I'm sorry, but I cannot disobey orders. You cannot leave this area. You need to live as an ordinary person, prosperous and safe. There will be people to arrange everything for you,” Cui Hong said apologetically.
“What do you mean? Are you trying to bind me?” Qin Ming took a step back into the desert, confirming some of his worst fears. The long-armed man’s appearance did not bring the joy of reunion but surged forth like a tidal wave, crashing into his shattered memories.
He staggered, feeling a sharp pain in his head.
He shouted, “Who ordered you to do this?!”
Cui Hong hesitated for a moment but finally revealed, “Your father.”
“And my mother?!” Qin Ming demanded, taking a step back.
“Before coming here, your mother also instructed the same,” Cui Hong explained.
Qin Ming felt as though his head might explode. His body shook violently in the desert, and he understood why he felt like his life was a jigsaw puzzle, somewhat false. Certain beliefs he held had once crumbled.
How could parents act like this?
He had once been ragged, bloodied, and frostbitten, struggling for survival in the ice and snow. After being brought to Shuangshu Village, he had witnessed the Lu couple endure hunger and cold for the sake of Wen Rui and Wen Hui. He had thought all parents should be like that, for he himself, given the same temperament, would act similarly.
“Why?!” Qin Ming bore the throbbing pain in his head, trying hard to recall what had happened before.