Chapter 19 Galloping Forward

Qin Ming stood in place, feeling no embarrassment at not being chosen, his mindset very calm. Instead, Xu Yueping was anxious for him, but it couldn't change anything. Yang Yongqing also felt sorry for him, having previously joked with him that during the mountain cleaning operation, noble ladies would come down, urging him to perform well. Wei Zhirou was very eloquent, warmly greeting Qin Ming and showering him with compliments, saying she also wanted to invite him to join the action, but Cao Long and Mu Qing would not agree. After the mountain cleaning was over, she said he could go find her in Chixia City. Qin Ming naturally wouldn’t act aloof; he smiled back, saying that if he left the area, he would choose Chixia City first. "I choose Qin Ming," Mu Qing said. Qin Ming's body stiffened slightly; he had been quite indifferent about not being chosen earlier, but now he felt a bit uncomfortable. The person in front of him, who was neither clearly male nor female, and now it was hard to tell if they were even human, made him a bit anxious about entering the mountains with them. He suspected that Mu Qing was some kind of high-level being who joined Chixia City, otherwise, how could a human body undergo such a transformation to grow a fluffy golden tail? What could he do? In the current situation, he didn’t hesitate at all and nodded in agreement. Mu Qing was very satisfied with him and noticed that he only carried a chopping knife, asking, "You lack a suitable weapon; what are you accustomed to using?" Qin Ming replied, "I haven’t decided yet." Mu Qing thought for a moment and said, "There are some monsters in the mountains with tough scales and thick skin; ordinary knives and swords might not be able to cut through. I’ll give you a long-handled hammer; if you use it well, its lethality is very strong, and you can crush heads with a single strike. However, it is a heavy weapon; I don't know if you can handle it well." Mu Qing waved to the people behind, and someone quickly brought a long-handled hammer forged from black gold. After Qin Ming took it, he casually swung it a few times, leaving behind trails of afterimages and producing a buzzing sound as it cut through the air; it looked like he was skillfully shaking a spear or gracefully dancing with a sword. "Good!" Mu Qing nodded, noticing he exhibited great strength. Wei Zhirou was slightly shocked; her standards were high, and just from the way he wielded the heavy hammer effortlessly, she estimated his strength had likely reached the six hundred-pound threshold. Earlier, she had someone look into the only two boys with a golden foundation, always thinking Xu Yueping exaggerated about Qin Ming, but now it appeared he did not. However, she didn’t feel it was a pity; the chosen Zhou Wubing had been injured in his early years, but with the rebirth, his essence was gradually recovering, showing great potential. Once stabilized, he could likely lift over six hundred pounds, truly a prodigy, after all, even Xu Kong valued him and personally taught him. Cao Long was indifferent; he was on the path of the Gigantic Spirit God, possessing innate divine strength! Mu Qing continued, "I’ll also give you a short sword, just in case you need a sharp weapon for close combat against the alien creatures." "Thank you!" Qin Ming took it; he finally had better weapons than the mountain patrol group. Next, the selections by Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing went quickly. Old Liu, over seventy years old, was initially not chosen by anyone, but he volunteered himself, saying he was as familiar with the mountains as if they were his own backyard, and then he became a hot commodity, with all three factions wanting him. "I want to be in the same team as Xiao Qin; being from the same village, we can look after each other," Old Liu said. Soon, the selections by the Cao, Wei, and Mu families concluded. "Everyone, the higher-ups will soon have the final negotiation with the mysterious beings in the mountains, and for now, we can only wait quietly." Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing were to take their people back to Yinteng Town, where they were currently residing, allowing the selected newcomers to return and make all necessary preparations. Then, people saw dozens more come out of the dense forest, leaving with the three teams, all clad in armor. On the way back, Xu Yueping sighed, "The people from Chixia City really just see us as guides; they act polite and courteous, but they don’t really regard our strength." Yang Yongqing spoke up, "The young men in those three teams indeed came here to sharpen themselves, while the dozens of experienced young adults are the main force for the three families in the mountain cleaning and exploring the mysterious territories." Old Liu took it lightly; the other party mastered high-level energy techniques, and what could they compare to that? Xu Yueping shook his head, "I've been to Chixia City; only a very few core members of the nobility possess complete advanced scriptures." Based on his judgment, the so-called rich rewards this time could not possibly include a clan's secret knowledge, as that would undermine their foundation. "I estimate it should be remnants of advanced texts they collected from the outside world, not the heritage of their own family; of course, for those in the newly reborn realm, it would certainly be enough to cultivate to perfection." Yang Yongqing longed, "High-level energy techniques are indeed rare; even if not complete, just recording the path of the newly reborn realm is enough to drive people crazy." Qin Ming softly said, "If advanced scriptures are so precious, and the three major families of Chixia City are willing to take them out, it shows how much they value the emergence of the four luminous realms in the mountains. What hidden facts are there?" "Wrong, more than ten families came in total," Old Liu corrected. Soon after, they returned to the village. ... As the shallow night was nearing its end, Qin Ming brought a large piece of donkey meat to Old Liu's door, saying he was there to scrounge a meal, but he actually wanted to ask about the Blood Bamboo Forest. Old Liu lived at the village entrance, close to the Fire Spring, and under the night, the blue bricks and gray tiles of his house were tinted with a faint red glow. As soon as Qin Ming entered the courtyard, he saw a yellow dog spring out from its doghouse, standing as tall as an adult's shoulder, its yellow fur shimmering with a bright sheen, showing its snow-white canine teeth. Qin Ming immediately thought of the golden mastiff from the mountain patrol group and couldn’t help but look at the yellow dog a few more times; it looked quite robust, and its meat quality seemed good. The yellow dog seemed to sense something; it had just been baring its teeth, but the next moment, it suddenly tucked its tail and dove back into its doghouse, refusing to come out. "Xiao Qin, why did you come to my house carrying meat?" Old Liu, though older, was still very sharp and appeared in the courtyard at the first moment. Qin Ming smiled and said, "Old Liu, how about I trade you this piece of donkey meat for the yellow dog you’re raising?" "Awo, awo..." The big dog in the doghouse barked, tail tucked, tilting its head to look at its owner, as if trying to communicate something. "This old dog is very sensitive; it fears you, indicating that you’ve cultivated a murderous aura from your recent hunting in the mountains," Old Liu said. He shook his head with a smile, saying, "I can’t trade you; this dog is about to mutate, and it’s been providing for our family, often bringing back some game." "It has such high sensitivity?" Qin Ming was surprised. Old Liu stroked his goat beard, saying, "Of course, two months ago, it could hardly move, disappeared for a few days, and when it returned, it started to improve; it’s definitely going to mutate before Yang Yongqing’s black goat." "Dogs return to the mountains; they either die in the mountains or become strong again; this saying has some cases now," Qin Ming said in amazement, gazing at the big yellow dog. Old Liu chuckled, saying, "Speaking of which, the last time you fell into a crevice in the mountains and almost died, after a serious illness, you quickly rebirthed; this is quite similar to a dog returning to the mountain and living again." Qin Ming wanted to punch him; this old man really didn’t know how to talk. No wonder he never married the prettiest girl back then. Old Liu whispered, "The crevice you discovered is worth paying attention to." The great families of Chixia City are all looking for those special nodes, surely with deep meaning. Qin Ming shook his head, saying, "No second rebirth; I don’t plan to approach that area." He then asked Old Liu, "Old Liu, you are well-versed in the legends of various spiritual creatures in the mountains; can you tell me about them?" "You brat, I knew you had something to ask me," Old Liu laughed, pointing at him, but soon became serious, saying, "If spiritual creatures were so easy to obtain, I wouldn't have wasted all this time. You've built a golden foundation, and you will definitely be able to rebirth; there’s no need to take risks." Qin Ming replied, "Didn't you say that young people need to have ambition? If I don’t seek a bit of youthful recklessness, what’s the point of coming to this world? I want to rebirth as soon as possible and see a higher view of the scenery." "Did I say something like that?" Old Liu looked at him suspiciously; he hadn’t drunk much the day before, just half a cup of spicy old wine. "Pretty much," Qin Ming smiled. "When young, one should indeed have great aspirations, as dreams tend to decrease year by year with age, so the starting point must be higher," Old Liu said. The cold wind whipped the heavy snow against the windows, and inside the Liu family's dining table, steam rose, mainly featuring donkey meat. Qin Ming and Old Liu chatted until late, learning some names of spiritual creatures, all in extremely dangerous areas, and he also found out where the Blood Bamboo Forest was. Qin Ming had his own speculation; it was highly likely that the Blood Bamboo Forest targeted by Feng Yian, Shao Chengfeng, and the others was within the range of the mountain patrol group's responsibility. Sure enough, Old Liu mentioned that the Blood Bamboo Forest was only six miles from the patrol group’s base. There lived a type of snake, its entire body red and shimmering like red agate; its blood, flesh, and gall contained rich vitality and spirituality. However, this type of snake was extremely dangerous, even deadly; it had a potent venom, and just one bite would be unbearable even for a reborn. "If you’re lucky enough to catch one, you need to chop off its head and remove its venom glands; otherwise, it’s not a tonic but a death potion," Old Liu warned. This snake, aside from its deadly poison, had a body as hard as iron and astonishing strength; it could leap and fly, and even a small snake only a few feet long was more dangerous than many mountain beasts, able to shoot like an iron arrow and pierce into opponents' bodies in an instant. Thus, some called it the Blood Snake, while others referred to it as the Arrow Snake. If a Blood Snake over a foot long was spotted in the mountains, the best choice was to flee immediately. Old Liu recalled that the snake den he encountered when he was young had already existed; decades later, it must have long since mutated a second time. Qin Ming said, "As long as there aren’t more formidable old snakes appearing, it’ll be fine." "Swords and knives won’t necessarily cut through a Blood Snake's body; they will spark upon impact. Among creatures of the same level, it is extremely fierce, with almost no weaknesses," Old Liu said, suddenly standing up, almost overturning the table and startling his wife, who nearly made their youngest grandson cry. "What’s wrong with you, old man?" the old lady glared at him. Old Liu’s face flushed red, as if rejuvenated, excitedly waving his arms, saying, "How did I forget this? If the Fire Spring in the Blood Bamboo Forest goes out, the Blood Snakes there will be frozen stiff! Won’t that make them easy pickings?" He wished he could sprout wings and fly into the mountains to take a look. Qin Ming immediately suggested, "Why don’t we two go into the mountains tonight to catch some spiritual Blood Snakes?" "Sounds good!" Old Liu nodded vigorously, but suddenly, as if he thought of something, he slumped back down, sighing, "I’ve realized it; Feng Yian, Shao Chengfeng, and those brats are guarding the mountains, eagerly yearning for a second rebirth. How could they not think of the spiritual creatures in their own territory?" The old man looked forlorn, having wasted his excitement, sitting there slapping his thighs until they turned blue, angrily cursing the mountain patrol group. "These dog-like things really have good fortune; could it be that one or two more figures like Fu Entao will emerge, encountering such a great opportunity? I really want to pour a spoonful of golden juice on their faces!" ... That day, Qin Ming was truly busy, braving the wind and snow in the middle of the night to enter the mountains, using a chopping knife to kill Fu Entao, Feng Yian, and others, and then went to meet the nobles of Chixia City. After that, he listened to Old Liu boast all night about various mysterious experiences in the mountains. By the time Qin Ming returned home, he felt somewhat weary and quickly fell into a deep sleep. The next day, he woke up early, swiftly resolved his breakfast, and headed straight into the mountains.