Chapter 11: Corruption
Feng Yi'an was tall, with a beard that stood as stiff as steel needles. His eyes were bright and his voice powerful, giving him the appearance of a straightforward, blunt man.
However, now that Qin Ming knew the truth, he felt an extreme loathing for him.
"We are truly sorry for this. We will kill that Blood Bear as soon as possible to make up for our negligence," Feng Yi'an said, his face full of sincerity.
Old Man Liu sighed, urging them to guard the mountain forests well and not let Mutated Creatures cause any more trouble.
Even at his advanced age, he was deeply infuriated. After killing someone, they came to apologize—who were they trying to impress?
This false sincerity of a personal visit was no different from rubbing salt into the wounds of the bereaved. They clearly didn't care about the villagers at all, nor did they fear any drastic reaction from them.
"Sigh, it's mainly because some of the brothers are injured, and we're shorthanded on our patrols. That's why this accident happened," Feng Yi'an explained.
He brought up the previous matter again, asking Xu Yueping to plant the Black Moon as soon as possible. He claimed the Mountain Patrollers needed it to treat their injuries so they could better protect the mountains.
Fury flared in Xu Yueping's heart, but he had to suppress it.
Feng Yi'an said, "We'll set out immediately. We won't leave the mountains until that Blood Bear is dead. Brother Xu, I'll have to trouble you to visit the families of the deceased and injured to offer them some comfort on our behalf."
Qin Ming felt that this hypocritical facade was utterly disgusting.
Xu Yueping casually brushed his arm against Qin Ming's before standing up to see the Mountain Patrollers out.
Clearly, he was afraid that the young and hot-blooded Qin Ming might do something rash.
Qin Ming knew that even if he could kill several Mountain Patrollers now, it would only invite bloody retaliation. After all, there were other members and other patrol groups.
If these men died here, the entire Twin Tree Village would be dragged down with them.
Naturally, he wouldn't act impulsively. He stood up and followed Xu Yueping, Yang Yongqing, and the others to see them off.
Once the men vanished into the dim wilderness, Yang Yongqing spoke up indignantly, "Suppressing that was agonizing!"
"Can't we report this to the authorities?" Qin Ming asked.
"What fault could you find? According to the rules, we should provide four to eight Black Moon plants. The patrol group only asked for the minimum of four this time. You say the seeds are mutated, but how do you prove that right now? They look exactly the same. Based on last year's poor harvest in the Fire Field combined with the temperament and past actions of Feng Yi'an and his lot, we can only guess that they have finally succeeded in cultivating the mutated seeds."
Old Man Liu added, "There's another very important reason. How could they dare to act like this without having greased the right palms?"
Xu Yueping spoke up, "The favors left behind by a respected Mountain Patroller are enough for their descendants to squander for ten years."
In the end, Feng Yi'an and the others had only come to the door with their fake sincerity to keep pressuring Xu Yueping to plant the medicine.
They hadn't made direct threats; they were polite and gentle. But under these circumstances, that behavior was more offensive than an outright intimidation.
Qin Ming exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "This is too much!"
He then asked if the Black Moon medicine was very important.
Xu Yueping nodded solemnly. "After mutating, its value becomes extremely high. Consuming it over a long period offers a slight chance for a person to achieve Second Rebirth."
Old Man Liu said, "As Mountain Patrollers who walk deep in the mountains all year round, they've likely seen high-level lifeforms. Who wouldn't want to go a step further? Even an old man like me wants to experience Rebirth again. A Second Rebirth can extend one's lifespan and restore some youthful vitality. Who wouldn't crave that?"
He explained the reasons and motivations behind the corruption of some members of the patrol group, then added, "But a person must have a bottom line. How can they be fit to be Mountain Patrollers acting like this? They're more of a hazard than the Mountain Monsters!"
"Second Rebirth..." Qin Ming mused.
Xu Yueping patted his shoulder and said, "You can definitely do it. According to local records, the fastest person to achieve Second Rebirth after building a Golden Foundation was in less than two months."
...
All the villagers who entered the mountains today were stained with blood. Several were seriously injured, and it was still uncertain if they would survive. Cries of mourning echoed from many homes.
Xu Yueping visited every household to check on them and help with treatment, his chest heaving as he struggled to restrain his anger.
The middle-aged man Wang Qinglin lay on a heated brick bed, still unconscious. Even as someone who had achieved Rebirth, his condition was more serious than anyone else's.
After Old Man Liu finished resetting his bones, he wiped the blood from his hands and said, "A broken bone pierced his internal organs. If he wasn't one of our kind with such vigorous vitality, this would be a fatal wound."
Qin Ming observed carefully and felt that this was still the result of someone wearing a Blood Bear skin.
Every household was filled with sorrow. Some children were quietly wiping away tears. The sense of accomplishment and joy from the hunting harvest over the past two days had vanished without a trace.
Some villagers had also encountered a mutated Snow Ape, and the torn wounds on their bodies were horrifying to behold.
"It seems the patrol group kept one as a pet two years ago," Yang Yongqing whispered.
Xu Yueping's expression was grim, while Old Man Liu sighed repeatedly.
Qin Ming walked home, feeling a sense of suffocating weight in his chest, wanting to do something.
The only good news was that Lu Ze had woken up. Given his physical constitution, there shouldn't be any lasting issues.
Qin Ming didn't tell him the hidden truth, fearing that he might become too agitated and affect his recovery.
"Brother Lu, how many people are in a mountain patrol group?" Qin Ming asked, wanting to understand the strength of the members.
"Anywhere from eight to twelve people," Lu Ze informed him. The group guarding their area currently had nine people. Only the leader was a Second Rebirth cultivator, and he was very strong.
Fu Entao was the leader's name, but he rarely showed his face.
Lu Ze lamented, "For many people, doing their absolute best to reach the end is just to obtain Rebirth once. As for Second Rebirth, they wouldn't even dare to think about it. It's an impassable boundary."
Qin Ming said, "It seems that leader can completely suppress the other members."
Lu Ze nodded and said, "The improvement in physical constitution during the first Rebirth is very obvious, but Second Rebirth is a doubling of strength based on that foundation."
"In our area, the limit for someone in their first Rebirth is lifting five hundred pounds. How was that leader Fu back then?" Qin Ming was gathering intelligence.
Lu Ze thought back carefully and said, "Fu Entao was still a bit short of the ceiling back then."
He looked over and said, "Since you achieved Rebirth during your Golden Period and have that foundation that breaks the limits, your Second Rebirth is destined to be very powerful."
Qin Ming had a clear idea now. In terms of pure physical constitution, even after his Second Rebirth, Fu Entao might not be as strong as Qin Ming was after his first.
He stood up to take his leave, telling Lu Ze to rest and recover without worrying about anything else, as he was there.
He returned to his own courtyard and began practicing combat techniques. Living in the dangerous mountains, he naturally knew many.
Before his Rebirth, he could break a brick with his bare hand; now, he was naturally even more formidable.
He swung a whip kick, and with a loud crack, he snapped a tree stump as thick as a thigh.
When he used the "wild style" maneuvers he had practiced for years, his concentration was highly focused. Ripples like crushed gold appeared in his flesh and blood. With a gentle nudge of his body, the tree stump disintegrated.
After dinner, Qin Ming went to Xu Yueping's house.
"Uncle Xu, still brooding?"
"They've gone too far." Xu Yueping felt a knot of frustration in his chest.
"Quickly, talk some sense into your uncle. He hasn't even eaten dinner," Xu Yueping's wife said with a look of concern.
"Auntie, leave it to me." Qin Ming went inside and sat down.
After practicing his combat techniques at home, he was now calm and collected as he discussed their next move with Xu Yueping.
"You actually want me to agree to them?" Xu Yueping looked up sharply.
He was furious, his face turning cold. "Do you know the consequences? The Fire Field will have a severe crop failure next year, and there will be a famine!"
"Uncle, listen to me first." Qin Ming spoke quickly, truly afraid of upsetting him further.
"Speak!"
"It's still a long way from early spring. What's the harm in agreeing to them for now? If an accident happens in the meantime—for example, if they all die during the Mountain Sweeping Operation; or if Heaven itself can't stand it and they're wiped out by Mountain Monsters tonight; or if the magnetic field in the mountains fluctuates violently and the patrol group all go mad..."
Seeing him curse them so solemnly, Xu Yueping gave him a strange look.
According to Qin Ming, if something happened to those people and the higher-ups came to investigate, they might suspect those who had conflicts with the patrol group. Without clearing themselves in advance, they might end up in deep trouble.
Xu Yueping was displeased. "How could any of those 'what-ifs' happen? You're overthinking it."
Qin Ming's expression became serious. "Uncle Xu, my point is that we should agree for the time being and wait for a variable."
He explained that the seeds could be thrown into the Fire Spring first and then fished out after the patrol group left. Alternatively, they could later coat the seeds with the transparent Mineral Glue produced in the mountains to isolate them from the Fire Spring.
Qin Ming added, "Right now, every household is short on food. We need to ensure the villagers can hunt safely in the mountains first."
Xu Yueping sighed, thinking there was some truth to what he said. If they couldn't even make it through the present, what was the point of talking about next year's famine?
"But after we stall for a while, what then?" He still had a bit of a headache. Feng Yi'an and the others were ruthless; they would surely carry out a terrible retaliation afterward.
Qin Ming's gaze was firm. "Uncle, in a while, I might achieve Second Rebirth. At that time, I can have a talk with them."
"There's likely someone backing them," Xu Yueping said, rubbing his temples.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and said, "Qin Ming, since you've just achieved Rebirth, can you reach the limit of six hundred pounds if you use all your strength in both arms?"
"I can."
Xu Yueping stood up abruptly. "That result would be impressive even in the distant Crimson Cloud City."
A smile gradually spread across his face. "Come with me to Silver Vine Town tomorrow."
Qin Ming felt uneasy under his stare. "Uncle Xu, let's solve our current predicament first."
"Feng Yi'an told me that once I change my mind, I can find him in town. Besides, if we go to Silver Vine Town, there might be a good marriage waiting for you."
"Huh?" Qin Ming was stunned.
Xu Yueping explained that a mysterious old noble had moved from afar to live in seclusion in the town, and he had a very beautiful daughter of marriageable age.
Qin Ming immediately shook his head. "Uncle Xu, let's not go there just to humiliate ourselves."
In the past, Xu Yueping wouldn't have dared to visit. But the other party had put out word that he didn't care about family background when choosing a son-in-law, only the person himself.
Qin Ming's Golden Foundation was incredibly thick. Even in that bright city far away, he would be considered exceptionally talented. This gave Xu Yueping confidence.
He whispered, "If this match works out, the threat from the patrol group can be resolved."
Qin Ming objected, but Xu Yueping insisted and dragged him along to drink wine all night.
The next day, before the night mist had fully dissipated, Xu Yueping came to find Qin Ming to set out.
"Uncle Xu, it's not necessary to be this early, is it?"
"I know you might still feel some resistance. It's fine. Once we get there, you don't need to visit for now. I'll go to the old noble's house first to test the waters."
Xu Yueping felt that if this worked out, it would be for the best; if not, it wouldn't have any negative impact. Going there to try their luck was better than doing nothing.
In the Shallow Night, the sky was still very dark. On both sides of the road were dense forests, dark and looming. From time to time, the cries of wild beasts and strange birds drifted from the distance.
Qin Ming and Xu Yueping trudged through the thick snow toward Silver Vine Town, which was more than ten miles away.
Halfway there, they suddenly stopped. A brilliant red light burst out from the mountain forest in the distance, piercing through the night mist and illuminating the surroundings.
A massive number of "Red Butterflies" appeared, dancing gracefully and staining the night sky red. They were everywhere, flying in all directions.
Author's Note
Some readers mentioned that flying kites at night seemed a bit off. You can imagine it like this: if a few thin Sun Stone fragments are embedded in the kite, doesn't that create the right atmosphere?