Chapter 11 Fallen

Feng Yi'an was tall, with a beard that stood straight like steel needles, bright eyes, and a powerful voice, appearing to be quite straightforward. However, Qin Ming felt extreme disgust towards him after knowing the truth. "I truly apologize this time; we will kill that Blood Bear as soon as possible to make up for our mistakes," Feng Yi'an said with a sincere face. Old Liu sighed and urged them to guard the mountains and forests well, preventing the mutated creatures from causing further chaos. At his old age, he was quite angered, wondering whom Feng Yi'an was trying to fool by coming to apologize after committing murder. Such false sincerity after personally coming to visit was no better than sprinkling salt on the wounds of the bereaved, showing that he did not care about them and was not afraid of their extreme reactions. "Sigh, mainly because some brothers are injured, and we lack manpower while patrolling the mountains, which led to this unexpected event," Feng Yi'an explained. He brought up past matters, asking Xu Yueping to quickly plant the Black Moon, as the patrollers needed it for healing, to better guard the mountains. Xu Yueping felt a fire of anger rising in him but had to hold it back. Feng Yi'an said, "We will set off immediately; we won't leave the big mountain until we kill the Blood Bear. Xu brother, could you please go comfort the families of the injured?" Qin Ming thought that this pretentious facade was too ugly. Xu Yueping inadvertently touched his arm, then stood up to see off several patrollers. Clearly, he was afraid that Qin Ming's youthful impulsiveness might lead him to do something extreme. Qin Ming knew that even if he could kill a few patrollers right now, it would provoke bloody retaliation, as there were other members and other groups involved. If anything happened to those people here, the entire Shuangshu Village would suffer. Naturally, he would not act rashly, rising to accompany Xu Yueping and Yang Yongqing to see them off. When those few disappeared into the dim wilderness, Yang Yongqing angrily said, "I feel so stifled!" "Can we report this to the higher-ups?" Qin Ming asked. "What faults can you point out? According to the rules, we should provide four to eight Black Moons, but this patrol group only asked for the minimum four. You say they are mutated seeds, but how can we prove that right now? They look exactly the same, and we can only guess based on last year's poor harvest combined with Feng Yi'an and others' character and usual conduct that they have successfully cultivated the mutated seeds this time," Old Liu continued. "Moreover, there's a very important reason: they dare to act like this; how could they have not smoothed out their relationships?" Xu Yueping spoke up, "A respected patroller left favors that could be squandered by their descendants for a decade." In the end, Feng Yi'an and others' insincere visit was merely to continue urging Xu Yueping to plant medicine. They did not directly threaten but were very polite and gentle; however, in this situation, such words and actions were more excessive than outright intimidation. Qin Ming exhaled a breath of frustration and said, "They are too much!" He then asked, is the Black Moon medicine really that important? Xu Yueping nodded solemnly: "It has a very high value after mutation, and prolonged consumption provides a slight chance for a second rebirth." Old Liu added, "As a patroller, who has spent years traveling in the deep mountains, they must have seen high-level beings; who doesn't want to advance further? Even I wish to revive once more; a second rebirth can extend life and restore some youthful vitality; who doesn't long for it?" He discussed the reasons and motivations behind some members of the patrol group falling into depravity, and then said, "But there must be a bottom line; how could they do such things and still call themselves patrollers? They are worse than mountain monsters!" "A second rebirth..." Qin Ming was lost in thought. Xu Yueping patted his shoulder, saying, "You can definitely do it; according to local records, those who establish a golden foundation for rebirth can achieve a second rebirth in less than two months at the fastest." ... Today, the villagers who entered the mountains were all stained with blood; some had severe injuries and it was uncertain if they would survive, and many homes were filled with cries. Xu Yueping visited each household, helping with treatment while controlling his anger, his chest rising and falling heavily. The middle-aged man Wang Qinglin lay on the kang, constantly in a coma; as a reborn, he had more serious problems than anyone else. After Old Liu helped him realign his bones and wiped the blood from his hands, he said, "The broken bone pierced the internal organs; if not for our kind of people having strong vitality, this would be a fatal injury." Qin Ming observed carefully and felt that this was still caused by someone attacking while wearing the Blood Bear's skin. Each family was filled with sorrow, and some children quietly wiped their tears; the joy and satisfaction from the hunting gains brought back by adults in recent days had vanished completely. Some villagers had also encountered mutated snow apes, with gaping wounds that were horrifying to behold. "It seems the patrol group raised one two years ago," Yang Yongqing said quietly. Xu Yueping's face turned grim, and Old Liu sighed repeatedly. Qin Ming walked home, feeling somewhat blocked in his heart, wanting to do something. The only good news was that Lu Ze had woken up; given his physical condition, he should not have any lingering dangers. Qin Ming did not tell him the hidden details, fearing he might get too emotionally stirred up and affect his recovery. "Brother Lu, how many people are there in a patrol group?" Qin Ming asked, wanting to understand the strength of those members. "It varies from eight to twelve people," Lu Ze informed him, saying that the group guarding their area currently had nine members, with only the leader being a reborn and very strong. The leader's name was Fu Entao, who rarely showed his face. Lu Ze lamented, "For many people, exerting all their effort and reaching the end is just to gain a single rebirth; as for a second rebirth, they wouldn't even dare to think about it, as it is an insurmountable boundary." Qin Ming said, "It seems that leader can fully suppress the other members." Lu Ze nodded, saying, "During the first rebirth, the enhancement in physical quality is very obvious, while the second rebirth doubles that enhancement based on the first." "In our area, the limit for first rebirth individuals is already lifting five hundred pounds; what about that Fu leader during his first rebirth?" Qin Ming inquired. Lu Ze recalled carefully, saying, "Fu Entao was still some distance from the ceiling back then." He looked over, saying, "You are reborn at the golden age, plus with your kind of limit-breaking foundation, the second rebirth is bound to be very fierce." Qin Ming had an inkling; in terms of physical quality alone, Fu Entao after his second rebirth would not even be better than him after his first rebirth. He got up to take his leave, assuring Lu Ze to focus on his recovery and not worry about other matters, as he would take care of it. He returned to his own courtyard and began practicing some combat techniques; living in the dangerous mountains, he naturally understood a lot. Before his rebirth, he could chop through blue bricks with his hands, and now he was even more formidable. He swept his leg across, and with a loud bang, he broke a tree stump as thick as his thigh. When he used the