Under the night sky, as the underground fire springs revived continuously, the ice and snow melted, and the water flowed gently, gathering into streams in the mountains.
The area of forest chosen by Qin Ming was relatively open, making it convenient to take action. At this moment, he was surrounded by Dai Shifeng and ten of his trusted subordinates.
"They're all here!" Dai Shifeng couldn't help but whisper, the hall master was already approaching with his birds, yet the people from the city lord's mansion had not yet appeared.
Qin Ming remained silent. At this stage, if he wanted to gain the full support of others, he could not hide anything. He had to let his scarce value be fully released!
Black fierce birds circled in the sky. Ge Qianxun looked down but did not descend immediately. He was observing the nearby mountains and forests, being quite cautious.
With the arrival of early spring, the weather was no longer so cold. Standing on the back of a silver exotic bird, the young man in white clothes fluttered in the wind, looking quite handsome and refined.
He looked down and calmly spoke, "Now that you are in this position, how does it feel?"
"Grounded, quite good," Qin Ming replied, looking at this old acquaintance.
The young man in white nodded and said, "In the past, you sat high in the clouds, but now you've fallen to the dust. Your mindset is quite good."
Qin Ming's expression remained unchanged. "You don't need to put on this posture with me. Who doesn't know how the other is doing?"
"But you are indeed not the same as before. I am speaking to you with a calm heart; is there anything wrong with that?" The young man in white, around sixteen or seventeen years old, spoke lightly.
Qin Ming looked at him and said, "For the sake of our past friendship, and for someone's face, I advise you, everything has passed. Do not stir up waves now; it won't be good for anyone."
"Friendship? No need to say more. You and I no longer need to mention face," the young man in white said, hands behind his back, looking at the tall figure in the forest.
"Mutual disdain," Qin Ming's face showed a hint of coldness.
"Yes, I also feel that you are becoming increasingly displeasing to the eye. Some old friends have said that you have returned to where you should be."
Qin Ming no longer held back. "Since there is no friendship, there will be no more intersection. Why are you here pretending with me? Do you want to show off your noble demeanor, flaunting your elegance as a young master? We have seen you before; just leave."
The young man in white was unfazed. "In the past, when I traveled, I was surrounded by stars, and even your mount was a mutated beast of the fourth order. Now you are actually wielding a big hammer, ha!"
Qin Ming did not get angry; instead, he smiled faintly. "It seems I made you quite uncomfortable back then. Does Wang Caiwei know you are here? If she hears about it, will she personally come and break your legs?"
"Shut your mouth!" The young man in white stood on the back of the silver exotic bird, his voice cold and eerie. "You returning to this position is not enough; you must completely disappear and never appear again. That would be safer for all of us."
"After hearing so much from you, I am already quite disgusted," Qin Ming shook his head and threw the big hammer to the ground.
"Do you know what it means to be worlds apart? The gap between you and me is just like that now." The young man in white, as white as snow, stood with hands behind his back on the back of the exotic bird, indeed looking somewhat ethereal.
However, his words were quite unpleasant, and his indifferent expression made people uncomfortable. He looked down and asked, "Do you understand?"
"I understand the difference between clouds and mud very well. Perhaps you do not understand it thoroughly enough; let me help you." Qin Ming took down a long package from his back.
Then, he quickly tore it open and took out a heavy longbow. There was nothing more to say; now he drew the bow like a full moon, looking northwest. As the bowstring trembled, an iron arrow whistled through the air, piercing the clouds!
The young man in white saw him draw the bow and urged the silver fierce bird to ascend quickly. He was not too concerned; he already knew that Qin Ming had been left in a remote place for two years and had not stepped onto a new path until recently. How strong could his archery be after such a long delay?
Puff!
The silver exotic bird was hit by the arrow, and the young man's expression changed drastically. Although only one wing was injured, it affected its balance, and it began to sway.
With a whoosh, Qin Ming shot the second iron arrow. The feathers of the silver exotic bird shattered, its abdomen stained with blood, and it lost the strength to rise, spiraling down weakly, barely maintaining its position without crashing directly.
On the other side, Ge Qianxun, the hall master of the Faithful Hall, made a completely opposite choice, urging the black fierce bird to dive toward the ground.
"You are quite experienced!" Qin Ming bent the bow, and the iron arrow shot like a rainbow piercing the sun, exploding the head of the black exotic bird, killing it instantly.
In the sky, the young man in white's expression changed completely. He realized that Qin Ming had the ability to kill his flying mount with a single arrow; he was merely controlling the pace on purpose.
He looked down, and a patch of muddy ground, formed by melting ice and snow, lay directly where the silver exotic bird was about to land.
On the other side, Ge Qianxun was surprisingly well-prepared. He controlled the black fierce bird's wings, preventing it from folding, allowing him to steer it as it glided toward the forest.
Most importantly, he was very close to the ground.
Even so, when Qin Ming's second iron arrow came, he was flustered. In an attempt to dodge the arrow, he mismanaged the control of the black fierce bird's wings, and he and the dead flying mount crashed into the dense forest.
Ge Qianxun's subsequent performance once again surprised Qin Ming. He actually wore bat-like black clothes, abandoning the corpse of the fierce bird, and glided low into the dense forest.
Fortunately, he was indeed very close to the ground, and with the protection of the light of day, he did not encounter any mishaps, breaking many branches as he barely landed safely.
On the other side, the young man in white controlled the silver exotic bird, trying to change direction and fly toward a nearby peak.
However, now all the rhythms were controlled by Qin Ming. He shot an arrow, piercing the root of the exotic bird's right wing, helping it correct its direction.
"You..." The young man in white panicked. This was in the sky, and the flying mount was shaking violently, even about to tumble.
He could no longer remain calm, not daring to keep his hands behind his back and act aloof. Instead, he directly lay on the back of the silver exotic bird, hugging its neck, urging, "Stabilize, hurry and land."
Qin Ming shot two more arrows, perfectly controlling the rhythm, helping the silver fierce bird choose a landing spot. Until they were not very high from the ground, he shot his last arrow, piercing through its head.
"Ah..." The young man in white screamed, and then, along with the dead flying mount, they fell with a thud into the muddy bank by the river.
Even though he did his utmost to protect himself with the light of day, he was still thrown into a daze, his internal organs aching. Now he was covered in mud, his white clothes filthy, and his handsome face was smeared.
"Ah..." He cried out in despair, not because of serious injury, but mainly out of anger. What had he become now?
"Do you understand the difference between clouds and mud?" Qin Ming asked him from a distance.
"Cui Chong, no, Qin Ming!" Although he did not spit blood from the fall, the young man in white was now seeing stars, utterly humiliated, filled with rage.
In the past, he and his like-minded friends enjoyed the elegance of poetry in the mountains, inviting each other to recite verses, drunkenly lying by the hot springs in the pine forest, fully displaying their carefree nature.
Now, he had fallen into the forest, becoming a muddy figure, experiencing an alternative "flowing water and wine."
With a bang, the hairpin on the young man's head was shot and exploded by an arrow from Qin Ming, instantly leaving him with disheveled hair, the so-called noble demeanor completely gone.
In the forest, after Ge Qianxun landed safely, he let out a breath. It had been too perilous just now.
Dai Shifeng led ten of his trusted subordinates to the scene immediately.
"Old Dai, why don't you go..."
"Hall master, you have already been surrounded by us!" Dai Shifeng said with a serious expression.
Ge Qianxun wanted to dig into his ears, certain he had not misheard. What was going on? This group of subordinates had surrounded him?
"Dai Shifeng, are you crazy?" he shouted angrily.
Dai Shifeng said in a deep voice, "Former hall master, it is you who has gone mad!"
Ge Qianxun was indeed going crazy. This deputy not only surrounded him but also called him former hall master. This was a blatant rebellion for power!
"Former hall master, you have betrayed the Faithful Hall. Do you still know the meaning of loyalty?" Dai Shifeng reprimanded.
Ge Qianxun was furious. He had not yet taught the other a lesson, but instead, he was being accused. Was there still any law?
"Do you dare to rebel?" Ge Qianxun slowly moved his muscles, preparing to clear his own door first, kill Dai Shifeng, and then make other decisions.
Dai Shifeng's voice was even louder. "Ge Qianxun, you have embezzled the Faithful Hall's private property, wanting to take the daylight gold and run away. You are the traitor causing chaos. Moreover, you are a notorious gold thief, infiltrating my Faithful Hall with ulterior motives, stealing power for years, undermining our foundation. Your crimes are unforgivable!"
"Old Dai, being my deputy, you are indeed underappreciated, but you have no chance now. I will eliminate you first!" Ge Qianxun said fiercely. He did not want to accuse the other anymore; physically eliminating him was more effective than anything else.
Qin Ming approached and said, "For grievances, there are heads and debts to be settled. Ge Qianxun, I have come to settle a score with you!"
"I have no grievances with you, only the bill promised by the employer," Ge Qianxun stared at him and said.
"The secret book of the Sun family was taken by you, right? And you killed Old Sun, leaving that old lady and his grandson in trouble. I have learned the hammer technique of the Sun family and can barely be considered one of the inheritors of that secret book. Today, I specifically came to seek blood debts for the Sun family," Qin Ming said, brandishing the big hammer as he approached.
Ge Qianxun, being cautious by nature, saw the other party's strong stance and did not care about the true strength of his opponent. With a whoosh, he disappeared into the forest, trying to escape.
However, the next moment, his expression changed. The speed of that young man was incredibly fast, like a ghost, blocking his way, swinging the big hammer down with a crash.