Chapter 14 First Kill

“Sharp enough!” Qin Ming stood up from the sharpening stone, the woodcutter's knife in his hand had shed its rust, smooth as a mirror, resembling a pool of autumn water. “People like Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng are not worth mourning, but if a good person gets caught up in this, that would be a real pity.” He wanted to understand. In the evening, Old Liu was drinking with Xu Yueping, each of them had only one cup, and they both took small sips to savor the taste of the wine, as there was only so much left; the spicy old wine in Xu Yueping's house had almost run out. “A deer is worth a human life, it's truly inhumane!” Old Liu cursed as he drank, feeling gloomy inside, and he couldn't share these words with the Qian family. What Xu Yueping feared the most was that people like Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng might really have a second chance at life; that would be even worse. “Is there really not a single good person in the Mountain Patrol Group?” Qin Ming asked. Old Liu sighed, “If half a basket of pears is bad and you don't take care of it, it'll be hard to save the rest. The Mountain Patrol Group can have up to twelve members, but now there are only nine; those who don't fit in are either pushed out or have had accidents in the mountains.” “Is there no one to counterbalance or deal with them?” Qin Ming casually asked. Xu Yueping shook the wine jar vigorously and poured out a small amount of wine for him, urging him to sit and drink together. Old Liu thought for a moment and said, “Some of the other patrol teams have conflicts with them, either because they dislike them or because they compete for spiritual creatures in the mountains, resulting in bloodshed between them.” Xu Yueping added, “And then there’s Qingsang Village next door; they weren't forced to plant Black Moon, it seems that the relative of that second sickly one has quite a skill.” At this point, he turned to Qin Ming and said, “Little Qin, you have a solid foundation; you should have a plan. When early spring comes, go out and take a look, don’t get stuck here.” He understood the personalities of Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng, fearing that Qin Ming might be harmed by those wolf-like patrollers. Qin Ming pondered, “A plan? I really want to know where I fled from back in the day.” “Ah, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. I always thought of you as one of us here,” Xu Yueping said, unsure how to comfort him, and changed the topic. He spoke of the brilliance of Chixia City, its immense prosperity, the talents and spiritual allure it possessed, perhaps there would be a chance to obtain advanced meditation techniques, vital energy skills, and the like. Old Liu agreed, “I also support you, Little Qin, to go out. Young people should have ambition and dreams; otherwise, by the time you reach my age, your legs will be weak, and you won’t be able to go anywhere, leaving only regrets and sighs.” Xu Yueping laughed, “Uncle Liu, I’ve heard that you had very high aspirations back in the day.” Old Liu was not embarrassed to be reminded of certain past events, saying, “Who hasn’t been young?” “What were your aspirations back then?” Qin Ming asked, very interested. Old Liu reminisced, “When I was young and reckless, it was normal to be bold and daring; for instance, I wanted to conquer a famous beast in the mountains after rising to prominence, and I wanted to marry the most beautiful girl nearby.” “And what was the result?” “Once, while cooperating with the Mountain Patrol Group, we unexpectedly encountered that famous beast; it rushed past and nearly wiped us all out just by passing through. I was severely injured and could never touch the threshold of a second rebirth, which dashed my hopes, and that girl ended up marrying one of my rivals.” Qin Ming raised his glass to toast him, how tragic it was! Old Liu chuckled, “Later, I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I married that rival’s sister and made him call me brother-in-law for life.” “You’re truly something!” The three of them each had only half a cup of wine, yet they drank for an entire night. After returning home, Qin Ming wiped down the iron bow inscribed with beast patterns. Unfortunately, it was no longer a sturdy bow for him; pulling too hard would break it. “I can use it with some effort.” Then, he filled the quiver wrapped in beast skin with iron arrows and took out spare clothes to pack. “Tomorrow is the mid-month.” He gazed at the deep night sky. That night, he fell asleep early, needing to adjust his spirit to the best state. In the second half of the night, he woke up; he had had enough sleep. Although it was still far from shallow night, he silently pushed open the courtyard door. In the deep night, everything was quiet, and the darkness was thick and eerie, with ordinary people hardly able to see anything. After his rebirth, Qin Ming's physical quality had improved in all aspects, including his eyesight, so he could see vague shapes in such extreme conditions, which did not hinder his travel. He chose a less trodden path to avoid the Fire Spring area. Snowflakes had been falling for several days and were becoming heavier. His long black hair fluttered in the night wind; his tall figure was not thin but strong and powerful, walking with unwavering determination towards the mountains. The faces of the injured villagers floated before him, and the scene of Feng Yi'an handing over a deer during Qian Bo’s funeral lingered in his mind. He could no longer endure it; today, he had to deal with the Mountain Patrol Group! Qin Ming entered the mountains steadily and calmly, his heart already set on his desires, feeling no tension or anxiety, as if he were on the path home. In the dense forest, various creatures howled in succession, and dark shadows swept across the air. In the abyss-like dark forest, many malicious eyes appeared, some as red as blood, others green like ghost fire, and some silvery and cold, all staring at him intently. He could even hear the heavy breathing of strange beasts and the sharp sounds of predators nearby; the mountains at night were exceptionally dangerous. Qin Ming suddenly accelerated; this was the physical quality beyond the golden foundation. He instantly charged towards a larger strange beast, the woodcutter's knife like a streak of lightning, with a sound of 'pu,' a large head was severed, blood gushed forth, and the six-hundred-pound headless corpse crashed to the ground. In an instant, the area fell silent; those green and red eyes in the darkness all vanished. Qin Ming continued on his way, clear about his goal, steadfastly heading towards that stronghold. Moments later, the headless mountain beast was torn apart by a group of carnivorous creatures, the sounds of competition and guarding the food echoed from there. Qin Ming approached his destination, standing on an adjacent peak, watching the stronghold with the Fire Spring across from him. It was still some time before shallow night, but people were already moving there; a nearly two-meter-tall man with curly black hair was feeding bloody chunks of meat to a fierce golden mastiff. “Fu Entao!” Qin Ming realized who it was; he had heard about his physical features, naturally curly hair, and this strongest team leader was indeed in the stronghold. Then he saw four others, including Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng, coming out of the wooden hut one after another. “They arrived early.” Qin Ming frowned, guessing they must have come yesterday. He descended the mountain at a steady pace, guarding the only path leading to the stronghold; with four others yet to arrive, he decided to take them out first. The snow had turned his black hair white; he stood still, as shallow night arrived, the mountain mist gradually dissipated, and the sky wasn't as dark anymore. For a reborn individual, the field of vision had become broader. Qin Ming saw a man approach, wearing a beast skin cloak from the direction outside the mountain. His face was familiar; on the day Feng Yi'an humiliated Xu Yueping in Yinteng Town, this man had followed him closely. Like an ice sculpture standing behind a large tree, Qin Ming moved, his hair crackling like thunder as he instantly approached him, crashing into him with a dull sound. The man’s bones broke in several places on the spot, his eyes bulging, and under the intense pain, he couldn't even scream because his neck was seized first by a long yet powerful hand. With a crack, the patroler's neck was twisted, and due to Qin Ming's excessive force, after crushing his cervical vertebrae, it nearly tore off. The man's head drooped helplessly to one side, appearing as if it were only attached by a layer of skin, and after death, his face still bore an expression of terror and despair. Qin Ming dragged the man deeper into the forest, smelling the scent of alcohol mixed with heavy perfume from him. No wonder he was slow to react; after a night of debauchery, he met his end. After rummaging through him, Qin Ming tossed the man away and took a deep breath. His emotions were somewhat evident; after all, it was his first time killing someone. Although he had prepared mentally, he felt a bit uncomfortable. However, he quickly adjusted; having often hunted in the mountains and fought dangerous creatures, he had seen blood before and had a very strong psychological endurance. “For the sake of planting Black Moon in the Fire Spring, you killed villagers one after another; you are more harmful than the fierce birds and beasts in the mountains. Today I will kill you all to eliminate this scourge; this is the realization of my wish!” Qin Ming calmed down, in his heart he regarded this group of patrolers as evil beasts and monsters, restoring his composure and determination. After a long wait, the second person came through the wind and snow; in the shallow night, his tall figure appeared imposing, wearing armor similar to Shao Chengfeng's. With snow covering him, Qin Ming slowly drew the woodcutter's knife, preparing to test its sharpness. As this person approached, a bright flash of the knife light erupted from the darkness; Qin Ming stepped on the snow, swift as lightning, covering ten meters in an instant. This patroler reacted much better than the earlier one; sensing the deadly threat from the side and back, he bristled, quickly sidestepping, then pouncing to the ground, trying to avoid the crisis. As a reborn individual with enhanced physical quality, his sharpness and adaptability were adequate; if he faced other opponents of the same level, he might have been able to dodge this strike. However, Qin Ming was originally faster than him, like a thunderbolt, and had already anticipated it; the sharp woodcutter's knife swept through, and with a sound of 'pu,' the man's head flew off, severed by a single strike! Blood gushed out in an instant, dyeing the snow, and the headless body fell into the snow pile, maintaining its original forward posture. Qin Ming sheathed his knife, maintaining his calm this time, his heart not stirred much. The heavy snowflakes seemed to fall not like gentle flakes but like hammers, increasingly falling harder, the cold wind hitting his face with considerable force. Qin Ming looked up at the sky and said, “What great snow!” With strong winds and heavy snow, it would better erase his traces. He stood in the wind and snow, like an unmoving statue holding a knife, and soon awaited the third and fourth individuals; without any surprises, these two patrolers were also cleaved down by him in the dim forest with thunderous force. Now he felt no discomfort; he could smile gently at Xiao Wenrui, and with a knife, slay a group of patrolers more harmful than tigers in the mountains. Qin Ming's footsteps were strong, neither rushed nor slow, as he steadily walked towards the Mountain Patrol Group's stronghold.