Qin Ming exhaled a heavy breath, reflecting on the past, which seemed like an illusory life. Yet, those were real experiences. He felt a tightness in his chest, his thoughts swirling violently. He gripped the mutton-fat jade iron knife to calm himself.
"Calm your mind." He sat down again, trying to maintain his composure. From childhood to now, though not yet twenty years, his past was already full of twists and complexities.
For an ordinary young man, such experiences might have driven him to collapse.
Qin Ming revisited the details of the past to avoid future risks. He needed to study the personalities and methods of those people.
Because these matters were not over yet. Not long ago, Father and Mother Cui had tried to confine him in a remote place.
"Fifth Master Cui always smiled, and it was he who guided me to persist in practicing the silk book, avoiding new methods. In hindsight, it was beneficial, but at the time, it blocked my path to progress."
Qin Ming remembered seeking the opinions of Father and Mother Cui, who both agreed with Fifth Master Cui.
However, when Cui Chongxuan coveted the silk book and wanted to practice it, Father Cui scolded him, saying one person practicing was enough and promised to find him the equally terrifying "Six Imperial Heart Sutra."
Qin Ming also wanted to see the Six Imperial Heart Sutra, but Father Cui calmly asked if he lacked confidence in himself and the silk book.
"When Cui Chongxuan was nearly thirteen, under the elders' encouragement, he had undergone three rebirths and began consuming the three-colored flower, merging four types of heavenly light energy."
Qin Ming recalled that he had sensed various abnormalities back then, but having lived together for many years, he was unwilling to suspect his family with malice.
Everything had long been foreshadowed. From childhood, the Cui family had praised him generously, attracting many assassination attempts.
Qin Ming clearly remembered that each time the Cui family dealt with the experts approaching him, their first reaction was not concern for him but immense joy.
Father and Mother Cui were always calm, never anxious or fearful for his dangerous encounters. After each incident, they praised the experts who helped, hoping to eliminate as many malicious threats to the Cui family as possible.
...
Clearly, the current Cui family was like a towering mountain to Qin Ming.
"My silk book is still there." Not to mention other things, he must retrieve this book.
It was not only the sole item left by his grandfather but also concerned his future path.
The silk book was incomplete, mostly burned away, but it must have retained some emotions, as it carried the painstaking efforts of several elders.
Qin Ming could resonate with it to obtain the complete silk book.
The Cui family was unavoidable. He was destined to go to Qinghe City, but just retrieving the silk book might stir up countless waves.
"Two years ago, the clash between the Cui and Li families should have weakened the Cui family, but they should recover quickly."
Clearly, the Li family suffered greater losses.
Because the Cui family mainly sent some elders, who had only a few years left to live, all fearless of death, targeting the promising young members of the Li family, sacrificing themselves to break through the Li family's future.
Qin Ming had witnessed the madness of those old men, showing their recognition of the Cui family.
He couldn't help but sigh at the deep foundation of a thousand-year-old family, hard to shake.
Especially in that place beyond the world, many experts were from such families.
Even if a thousand-year-old family declined, it was hard to completely fall unless their members in that place beyond the world also "collapsed" entirely.
"In the past, there were bloody lessons that shocked the major royal courts." After regaining his memory, Qin Ming was naturally not unfamiliar with the affairs of such families.
Long ago, a thousand-year-old family was destroyed by a prosperous dynasty, but eventually, someone from that place beyond the world emerged, reestablishing the family, and that dynasty inexplicably declined and was finally ended.
Qin Ming suddenly realized that not only was the Cui family dangerous for him, but there was also the exceptionally powerful Li family, already challenging the status of a thousand-year-old family.
At this moment, he felt the tightness in his chest again. This should be the enemy of the Cui family, originally unrelated to him, yet he was passively drawn in.
The young man in feathered clothes, Li Qingxu, nearly killed him. This matter certainly couldn't end well.
In fact, based on what Qin Ming knew of Li Qingxu's character, the other party definitely wouldn't let him go.
"When did he start harboring such hostility towards me?" Qin Ming frowned, recalling.
After careful consideration, he believed it was related to the engagement with the Wang family's daughter. Li Qingxu seemed to have known that noble girl for a long time.
"My life these past ten-plus years, could it be any more unfortunate? Life is all false, abandoned, near death, taking the blame, and finally being confined to a remote place, forbidden from stepping onto the path of rebirth..."
Qin Ming took a deep breath and then exhaled a large mouthful of pent-up air.
The engagement with the Wang family's daughter, what did it have to do with him? It was the Cui and Wang families' alliance. His impression of that girl was only of her extraordinary beauty and love for laughter, never truly understanding her.
The Wang family's daughter was indeed very clever and adept at handling matters. This was the impression Qin Ming got from their only outing together.
But afterward, he was severely reprimanded by Father Cui, warned to be courteous and avoid danger, and not to contact her privately again.
Undoubtedly, Li Qingxu harbored deep resentment due to the so-called "love and hate," coupled with the rivalry between the two families, viewing him with extreme hostility, perhaps also intending to eliminate a future competitor from that place beyond the world early on.
"You should go find the real Cui Chonghe!" At this moment, Qin Ming wanted to emulate Zhou Lin, the straightforward female friend of Xu Sheng, and curse continuously.
After a long time, he calmed down. Now, his greatest worry was his grandfather. After more than ten years, what had happened to him?
Qin Ming frowned. When the Cui family initially sought "Cui Chonghe," they must have carefully selected him, believing he was the most suitable. After all, someone in the mansion had said the two bore some resemblance.
His grandfather was just an ordinary person. If the Cui family valued him, the old man would have no way to resist.
Now, the Cui family forbade him from returning to Qinghe City or reentering his original circle.
He wanted to learn about his grandfather's situation, but it was impossible to ask the Cui family directly. He could only find other ways.
Qin Ming stood up and walked out of the inn. He hadn't planned to visit the City Lord's Mansion, but now he had no choice.
The new City Lord, Meng Xinghai, had said he could visit him upon arriving in Chixia City.
In the morning, the entire city was radiant. The first rays of the fiery sun dispelled the black mist, and the streets and alleys seemed to be steaming with morning glow, giving a sense of warmth, brightness, and hope.
It was still early, so Qin Ming found a restaurant to have breakfast.
"Hmm?!" As he was about to leave after paying, he noticed a scene that made his heart skip a beat.
The old lady from the Sun family carefully took money from her bosom, bought a meat pie, and handed it to her three-year-old grandson. Her wrinkled face showed a smile, and the previous gloom seemed to have dissipated.
Two men suddenly approached, one of them said viciously, "You have money to buy pies but no money to pay your debts?"
The old lady was stunned and said, "I don't owe you money."
"You really are senile. You borrowed before, and now you want to deny it?" One man shoved her, causing the old lady to almost fall.
The other man caught her, not to help, but to reach into her pocket.
"Wow, you guys are living well, actually have some money!" He took all the coins from the old lady.
"Don't bully my grandma, let her go." The young child shouted.
"Get lost, brat!" One of the men reached out to push the child. An adult targeting a child would certainly knock the child to the ground, possibly injuring his teeth.
However, his hand never touched the child, as Qin Ming suddenly appeared and grabbed it, causing the man to cry out in pain.
"What a sin, why do they keep targeting the Sun family? Sigh, the old lady is already pitiful enough, raising her grandson alone."
"Who is that young man, daring to stop the people from Xinyi Hall?"
Nearby, people whispered, not daring to intervene.
"Who are you, and why are you stopping us?" The people from Xinyi Hall asked coldly.
"These grandparents rely on each other for survival, already pitiful enough. Don't bully them too much." Qin Ming said. He had learned from the whispers that they were from Xinyi Hall, the ones who coveted the Sun family's secret manual and were still causing trouble.
He felt a connection because his family had a silk book, indicating that his ancestors were once powerful. Now, not only had the family declined, but it could be said to have completely fallen.
Thinking carefully, his situation was not even as good as Wu Zheng's, more like the Sun family's.
Qin Ming originally intended to go to the City Lord's Mansion because of his grandfather's matter. Now, seeing this scene, he felt deeply moved and couldn't help but use the Yellow Mud Palm for the second time, followed by a third.
The two men were pushed away without feeling much, but in a few days, they would cough up blood continuously, making it difficult to survive.
"Young man, you should leave..." The old lady from the Sun family wanted to say something, worried for him, hoping he would leave quickly.
Qin Ming said, "It's okay. The new City Lord is here. Haven't you heard? He personally wiped out Golden Rooster Ridge and is now dealing with some wrongdoers. If some people don't know what's good for them, they won't have a good end."
He handed the little boy, who was holding a meat pie with tears on his face, back to the old lady.
"Don't try to scare us!" The two from Xinyi Hall said, their voices lacking confidence.
"You still don't believe it? Come, let's go to the City Lord's Mansion and see if you can keep your lives!" Qin Ming shouted sternly.
"You..." The two retreated.
Qin Ming said, "Old lady, take the child home. Don't worry about anything. I have something to do and need to go to the City Lord's Mansion."
He wasn't just bluffing. If he met Meng Xinghai, he would definitely mention these matters in the city. The new City Lord would likely want to make a strong impression.
The two from Xinyi Hall were skeptical, secretly following him, only to find that he really went to the City Lord's Mansion, their faces turning pale.
Initially, the guards at the City Lord's Mansion were suspicious, but seeing Qin Ming's calm demeanor and extraordinary presence, they didn't dare delay and went to report.
After more than twenty days, Qin Ming met City Lord Meng again.
"I thought you went to another city. Not bad, it's only been a short time, and I see that although your spirit is restrained, your overall energy is much more abundant than before." Meng Xinghai observed him.
"Greetings, Uncle Meng. I was injured before, but I've recently recovered, so I seem more spirited." Qin Ming greeted him as a junior.
The living room was large but not ornate, rather simple, with some porcelain jars, bronze artifacts, and ancient items, along with calligraphy and paintings on the walls.
Meng Xinghai, dressed in blue, appeared to be in his late thirties, looking like a scholar but actually very strong, with exceptionally fierce swordsmanship.
"You really are something, setting a fire for me right away, single-handedly toppling Golden Rooster Ridge."
Qin Ming couldn't deny or hide it because that night, Li Qingyue had seen him.
"Sorry for causing trouble for Uncle Meng."
"Sit down, it's fine. The previous City Lord Lingxu and I actually wanted to sweep away that place, but we wanted to lure out the Golden Thief first."
After Qin Ming sat down, he said, "I acted impulsively, disrupting Uncle Meng's plans."
Meng Xinghai smiled and said, "Having such passion is a good thing. It's rare for someone to have such a heart. There are other ways to lure the Golden Thief. I hope you can maintain this sincerity, unlike some juniors who, despite their extraordinary talents, sigh!"
"Since Uncle Meng says so, I won't disappoint. Just now..." Qin Ming began to speak, recounting what he had seen on the way.
Meng Xinghai didn't expect him to be so pure and genuine, acting on his words. But thinking about it, even if he was just a pawn, having been immersed in the Cui family's big dye vat, he couldn't be that naive.
In fact, he realized that this young man was very mature, not like an inexperienced youth.
"Since you have this heart, help me with some matters. Investigate those situations, and if necessary, take action. I'll give you this authority." Meng Xinghai handed him a token, surprisingly straightforward.
Then he asked, "So, what brings you to see me?"
"I came to thank Uncle Meng for the help at the edge of the desert last time." Qin Ming said.
"Only thanking me?"
"And Qingyue, I know she must have spoken for me." Qin Ming's tone was sincere.
"Yes, you guessed it." Meng Xinghai nodded.
Qin Ming continued, "This time, I also want to trouble Uncle Meng to inquire about some news."
Meng Xinghai listened quietly, then felt surprised. He wasn't asking about the Cui family matters, only wanting to know where his grandfather had gone years ago.
Meng Xinghai said, "You're really putting me in a difficult position. Even if I ask, the Cui family probably won't tell me the truth. Unless I see that Cui Lao Qi, but he's likely unreachable now, already in that place beyond the world."
"Don't you have any doubts about your experiences in the Cui family?" Meng Xinghai couldn't help but ask.
Qin Ming sighed, "I used to, but now I've figured it out. There must be a real Cui Chonghe, and he's coming to the forefront."
Meng Xinghai was surprised, "No wonder some in the Cui family don't trust you, fearing your extraordinary talent. If you rise and learn the truth, you might hold a grudge and cause trouble. They didn't underestimate you."
He showed a different expression, "You're in the midst of it, knowing limited information, blocked by the fog, yet you can perceive most of the truth. That's quite remarkable."
"Did I guess some parts wrong?" Qin Ming asked.
"Not wrong, just things you don't understand." Meng Xinghai didn't hide it, explaining some situations while sipping tea.
Cui Chonghe wasn't coming out voluntarily but was discovered to be unusual in that place beyond the world. As he grew older, he increasingly resembled Father Cui.
The key was that someone noticed his secret correspondence with the Cui family.
"So, as we grew up, our appearances differed greatly, only slightly resembling each other in childhood." Qin Ming mused.
"Moreover, Cui Chonghe's teacher has emerged. Even in that place beyond the world, with its complex forces, no one dares touch this Cui family member now."
"Is his teacher very powerful?" Qin Ming couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, it's said that previously, Cui Chonghe's senior brother taught him on behalf of the teacher. That elder was in seclusion, but now he's taken a half-step forward, his cultivation unfathomable, and formally accepted Cui Chonghe as his last disciple, treating him like a treasure."
Qin Ming was silent upon hearing this. People's fortunes varied greatly.
"The Cui family forbids you from returning to Qinghe City or going to Qianxing City, and even tried to cut off your path of rebirth, indeed because the real one was exposed."
Meng Xinghai told him that the Wang family in Qianxing City was very angry, extremely dissatisfied, having been kept in the dark about the real Cui Chonghe.
Qin Ming smiled bitterly, wondering if the Wang family also held a grudge against him.
"Cui Chonghe himself was somewhat displeased, knowing about your outing with the Wang family's daughter. Someone in that place beyond the world saw him lose his temper during that period."
Qin Ming now felt like drawing his sword. Why? All parties reached an understanding, and in the end, it all became his problem, bearing all the suffering alone.