In this gathering, everyone present was aware of the intricate relationship between Qin Ming, Wang Caiwei, Cui Chonghe, and Li Qingxu. It seemed that the four had never truly come together until now.
Some onlookers had a strange expression on their faces as they waited for an interesting show to begin.
"Why don’t you leave first?" Lu Zhenyi whispered to Qin Ming.
"Some things are better said openly," Zheng Maoze said as he approached, his strong hand resting on Qin Ming's shoulder, looking both familiar and supportive.
He spoke earnestly, "I heard you got injured two years ago, and it was just a misunderstanding. I’ll have a chat with Li Qingxu shortly; it really doesn't concern you."
The acquaintances in the area knew the history between them well. Li Qingxu had known Wang Caiwei for quite some time, and the Wang family was intertwined with the Cui family through marriage. The noble lady had once traveled with Qin Ming, but Cui Chonghe was the one truly in the spotlight.
When it comes to ancient families and such complicated relationships, if the news got out, it would surely become a favorite topic of gossip for the common folk.
Even the old friends present couldn’t help but fuel their curiosity, eager to witness the encounter among the four.
Lu Zhenyi and Chen Bingyan were alright, but those who arrived later had little past interaction with Qin Ming.
Thus, the less familiar faces showed no restraint, their eyes filled with heat and anticipation, looking forward to an embarrassing spectacle.
Qin Ming maintained a calm demeanor. Zheng Maoze’s friendly gesture was really an attempt to block him from leaving.
"Zheng, since you're bringing up old matters, let me mention something too. Your brother has been quite active lately, stirring up trouble and giving people hints. I don't know whether he wants to eliminate me or draw Cui Chonghe out into a disadvantageous situation, but what exactly does your brother intend to do?" Qin Ming boldly voiced this in front of everyone.
"What’s going on?" Some disciples from outside were shocked; this matter even involved Cui Chonghe? Even some unfamiliar youths turned their heads in curiosity.
Zheng Maoze felt regretful. No matter how hard someone might be struck down, their inherent nature rarely changed, and Qin Ming remained difficult to deal with.
"Qin Ming, don’t say things carelessly!" He no longer taunted but wore a cold expression, knowing such matters shouldn’t be spread carelessly.
Qin Ming's intention was merely to retort; it was better to touch on some things lightly.
He sighed inwardly; in truth, he didn’t wish to reunite with this group of people.
At this stage, he had no desire to re-enter this circle.
He had only come to meet Ling Xu, to report the latest news collected by Yu Que’s bird brothers, and then he would leave after discussing the important matters.
Who would have thought that this gathering of outsiders would appear just in time?
It seemed too coincidental. Qin Ming suspected that some people might have intentionally come here to obstruct Ling Xu.
He realized that the situation had become quite murky; if some outside parties were backing the Golden Bandits, then things would be troublesome tonight!
Qin Ming's intention to return to the Black and White Mountains was solely to resolve the hidden dangers left at Jinji Ridge and to ensure nothing bad happened to Shuangshu Village. He did not want to be caught up in the complicated situation before him.
This was no longer a "dangerous territory" he could tread!
"If you have something to attend to, then you should leave early. I'll see you off," Chen Bingyan looked at Qin Ming.
"Why the hurry? It’s rare for old friends to gather," Zeng Yuan chipped in with a laugh, having been silent until now.
Qin Ming gazed deeply at him. At one point, their relationship had been decent, but now Zeng Yuan, much like Zheng Maoze, sought to prevent him from departing.
Everyone present knew that nowadays, Zeng Yuan and Li Qingxu had an unusually close bond.
There were a few unfamiliar faces who silently observed, understanding that while Qin Ming's connections to the fairy world had broken, they wouldn’t foolishly put themselves forward; they just wanted to see how the meeting of the "four on stage" would unfold.
From a distance, Ling Xu looked this way and said, "Little Qin, you should be leaving now; we are short-handed tonight, and you need to make another trip."
Qin Ming acknowledged and then addressed the acquaintances present, "Everyone, I must leave early due to my duties."
Though Zheng Maoze and Zeng Yuan wanted him to stay and reminisce, they dared not provoke a city lord, especially someone as renowned as Ling Xu with a notorious reputation.
"Send off Little Qin," Ling Xu beckoned, and a man in gray swiftly approached from afar.
"This kid is not bad; I'll see him off too," the Tabby Cat said, its agile steps carrying it forward, bearing the crimson sword.
Qin Ming knew that if he guessed correctly, Ling Xu and the others must be even more aware; the arrival of these outsiders was not mere coincidence, and someone had likely been waiting here for him.
The Tabby Cat, standing at three feet tall, dashed outside the town, where its figure immediately transformed into a flash of lightning, quickly searching nearby until it brought out a bloodied man in black from the woods.
"We were ambushed. Someone is aiding the Golden Bandits nearby; they probably will take this route," the black-clad man said weakly.
"It's time to act; you take him away!" the Tabby Cat ordered the gray-clad man who had followed.
Without hesitation, Qin Ming called the red eagle and leaped onto its back. In such a situation, there was no point in staying to lend a hand; having an extra person only meant additional trouble. Top-level battles were best left to higher-level powers.
The gray-clad man mounted a slightly smaller but more spirited silver fierce bird and began escorting Qin Ming away from Yinteng Town.
"Clang!"
In the dark night, amidst the endless mountains, a bell suddenly rang, shattering the sky.
The bell's chime rolled over the mountains, and amidst the ink-like haze, purple mist billowed as the ringing echoed repeatedly, resembling thousands of soldiers charging forth.
It was as if a set of chimes invoked mysterious energy, sealing off that mountain range.
The gray-clad man atop the silver bird looked back nervously, keenly watching.
"Has a great battle started? Aren't you short on manpower?" Qin Ming inquired.
"It's mainly that we don’t know whether one or two factions from outside are supporting the Golden Bandits," the gray-clad man replied, worry etched on his brow.
"Then you should return; you don't need to worry about me. Experts like them wouldn't care for newcomers like me," Qin Ming suggested.
"But the city lord ordered me to escort you," the gray-clad man hesitated.
Qin Ming pressed, "I know this area of the Black and White Mountains well; go back with peace of mind; I’ll be fine."
"Alright!" The gray-clad man, feeling uneasy, worried that if he did not return soon, a major problem would arise.
In Yinteng Town, several outsiders gazed towards the distant mountains, and one spoke, "City Lord Ling, who is ringing the bell?"
"How would I know? Just listen quietly," Ling Xu replied.
Those experts connected to the Golden Bandits were becoming restless; they initially intended to stop Ling Xu but had not expected that he also wanted to hold them here, as others aimed to eliminate the leader of the Golden Bandits.
The death of the bandit leader was irrelevant; the key was that certain things had to be returned, not allowed to fall into the hands of others.
…
The scout Yu Que returned in a flurry, clearly anxious. "This is bad; I just saw a fast bird carrying someone chasing after!"
Qin Ming frowned atop a mountain; there were people "keeping an eye" on him?
Clearly, the high-level experts didn’t know who he was; they looked down on a youth like him.
He sighed lightly; times were changing, and people’s hearts were hard to read.
Qin Ming did not head towards Chixia City but took the opposite path, wanting to avoid the impending trouble.
"Wait, I'm going to dig up a treasure," he recalled something as he passed a certain area and signaled the red eagle to wait atop a peak.
He entered a dense forest, carefully identifying the area before starting to dig.
The terrain around the Black and White Mountains was high, and the melting snow lingered longer, even digging two meters deep yielded some icy fragments.
"Fortunately, it hasn't rotted," Qin Ming pulled out a still-frozen wild hare, inspecting it closely, finding no signs of decay.
On the contrary, it seemed to carry a faint, fresh scent.
"Is this beneficial to flesh and blood?" Qin Ming removed a scrap of fabric from the frozen ground.
It was small, no bigger than a palm, woven with metal threads, embroidered with cloud patterns, though other designs were hard to discern due to its small size.
In the past, he had slain a vaporous young man and received this piece of fabric, which the opponent had nearly used to escape.
"If there’s no problem, then I’ll keep it," Qin Ming said, joining back with the red eagle.
Yu Que flew over from a distance. "This is bad; some of my bird brothers have been forced to betray me. A few younger brothers are searching for us in the opposite direction; under the influence of outsiders, they had no choice."
Qin Ming’s expression shifted. Those little birds could serve as effective information nodes, invaluable in their utility, and now they were being manipulated against him.
"Head to the Black and White Mountains!" Qin Ming ordered.
He didn’t seek out Ling Xu or the Tabby Cat because he knew it was more dangerous there. From a distance, he had already spotted a pillar of red sword light shooting up from the direction of Yinteng Town.
"Fly close to that ridge and head into the desert!" Qin Ming moved like a tightrope walker, treading along treacherous paths.
Soon, the red eagle soared into the night sky, using the fog for cover.
"The Cloud-penetrating Crane has been completely controlled; it’s been following behind; we’re doomed! That beast is adept at tracking, and we won’t escape," Yu Que panicked.
Behind them, a Cloud-penetrating Crane was leading the way at remarkable speed.
Qin Ming pulled back his bow, releasing an arrow that struck one of the Crane’s wings with a loud thud, bursting a cloud of blood as feathers scattered, making it tumble awkwardly downward.
"Lord Qin is truly kind; even in such a dire moment, you held back and spared my Crane brother," Yu Que commented.
Then it murmured, "Parting after a thousand miles has to come at some point, I too…"
"Get going quickly!" Qin Ming waved it off.
"I… I’ll hold on a little longer!" Yu Que bit its lip and insisted.
A black fierce bird followed closely, and atop it was a graceful figure, likely a woman.
Qin Ming drew back his bow again, aiming a terrifying arrow that shattered the night fog, targeting the black fierce bird’s head.
Under the shadows of night, the woman’s fingers sparkled, and she emitted a stream of radiant light, actually wrapping around the powerful iron arrow.
"Outsiders!" Qin Ming's pupils contracted.
He urged the red eagle, "Hurry! We must flee into the desert; that is our only chance; otherwise, we may well die here."
"Hm? There's another fierce bird in the distance, and the man atop it is golden and shining—could he be a golden-armored guard?" Qin Ming thought; it would be a challenging night ahead.
…
Outside Yinteng Town, Ling Xu and the Tabby Cat moved off to chase the outsiders attempting to enter the mountains.
"Tonight is quite lively," the feathered-clothing youth Li Qingxu appeared, holding a shimmering purple bamboo stick, his white shoes free of dust, floating ethereally.
His arrival drew the attention of several outsiders, many greeting him, knowing he truly possessed exceptional talents.
"Earlier, Cui Chonghe’s substitute, that Qin Ming, has appeared," Zeng Yuan informed him and added with a laugh, "He has no fairy fate; he’s taken the naive path of relying on physical mutation."
"It’s hard to imagine that back in the day, he walked with us, but now he can only wield a bloodied hammer, wandering in a remote area."
"I suspect his current physical condition isn't even sufficient to qualify for the golden-armored guards," several around Li Qingxu commented.
…
This night was tough for Qin Ming, with pursuers closing in behind him.
The red eagle was fiercely agile, but unfortunately, the pursuing bird had undergone even more mutations.
Qin Ming continually drew his bow and shot arrows, effectively slowing their speed; otherwise, he would have already been caught.
"My iron arrows can wear down her power; she cannot crush me!" Qin Ming had come to a realization.
Yet the situation was grim; this outsider wasn't of low rank, and further away lurked the enigmatic golden-armored guard. Current prospects were not good!
"These days, why haven't there been several grand spring thunders?!" Qin Ming had never craved that terrifying lightning as much as he did now.
It wasn’t every rain that brought forth lightning for the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall; many times, it just resulted in some distant rumbles, and that was that.
"If I survive this, I’ll find someone to erect a tall iron pole at the Alchemy Hall; I don't believe it won't attract lightning!"
He knew that such thoughts were unrealistic—if he dared to desecrate the Alchemy Hall, Meng Xinghai would probably pummel him first.
Qin Ming simply yearned for power; if he could return safely to Chixia City this time, he would certainly practice all the wondrous techniques Ning Siqi would give him, as well as the precious texts Meng Xinghai would soon supply, to quickly enhance his physique.
"The desert is here!" He brightened.
Before him lay an expanse as deep as ink, ready to swallow everything.
The red eagle quivered in fear, refusing to enter because deep within, it would find itself completely blinded to its surroundings.
"Don’t worry, descend quickly, and we’ll fly low along the ground!" Qin Ming ordered.
Suddenly, the black fierce bird erupted with dark light behind them, accelerating faster, and landed on the ground ahead; the woman leapt down, blocking their path.
Qin Ming stood in the desert, throwing down his hammer, laying aside his bow, and slowly drew out the jade-like iron knife from his back, saying, "So you won’t give me a way out, will you?"
He knew the masked woman was formidable, surpassing any opponent he had faced before.
In an instant, Qin Ming surged forward, unleashing the most potent blade intent, like the arrival of rain in the night, with thunder and lightning tearing through the dark, slicing forth with the strongest sword light.
"Not even qualified to be chosen as a golden-armored guard, yet you dare…"
The veiled woman lightly waved her right hand, sending forth a beam of golden light that aimed to bind that black iron knife.
In the next moment, the black knife in Qin Ming's hand suddenly cracked, its coating peeling off, revealing the pure white blade beneath, radiating a brilliant light akin to the burning sun, dispelling the darkness.
With a thud, blood splattered across the desert!