Chapter 17: Harvest

"Only one rebirth..." Fu Entao was devastated. He had reached his second rebirth many years ago and possessed a deep accumulation of power, yet he had been defeated by a youth who had only undergone a single rebirth.

Leaning on his long saber with one hand, he used the other to violently wrench out the iron spear impaling his thigh. A spray of blood followed, causing the already exhausted man to sway unsteadily.

Shao Chengfeng had lost an arm, and his abdomen had been pierced by a spear that pinned him to the ground. He struggled to pull the weapon out, but when he saw Qin Ming turn toward him, he powerlessly dropped his remaining arm.

"The entire mountain patrol... wiped out by one person." Shao Chengfeng knew he could not escape death; there was no way his opponent would leave any witnesses alive.

"He's only had one rebirth. Why is he this strong?" Feng Yian whispered, wiping blood from his lips.

Qin Ming spoke, "Tell me something that interests me."

"In your dreams!" Fu Entao responded defiantly. He knew he wouldn't meet a good end, and bowing his head wouldn't change a thing.

On the other side, Feng Yian and Shao Chengfeng had no intention of speaking further either.

In their daily lives, they were as vicious as jackals—hardened, ruthless men. If begging like a dog could save their lives, they wouldn't mind crawling on the ground to plead for mercy, but they knew it was unrealistic. They were dead men walking.

"Tell me about the Blood Bamboo Forest," Qin Ming said, approaching Shao Chengfeng.

Shao Chengfeng remained silent, staring blankly at the night sky. He had already begun reflecting on his past, knowing full well that his life was coming to an end.

"Not talking?" Qin Ming didn't waste any more words. The wood-cutting saber in his hand fell. With a wet thud, the man’s head was severed from his body.

Shao Chengfeng’s eyes remained wide open in death. He hadn't expected the youth to be so decisive, hacking him down without a second thought.

Qin Ming had come specifically to eliminate the mountain patrol; he had no interest in torturing them. Since they were being stubborn and wouldn't answer, he simply killed them.

He wanted to see if the other two would break under the pressure of such a desperate situation.

Fu Entao’s face twitched slightly, but his gaze grew even more ferocious. Gripping his long saber, he shifted his feet slowly, intending to attack once more.

A second-rebirth practitioner who had dominated this region for years, he did not fear the threat of death. After all, he was a ruthless man who had fought his way out of the deep mountains.

Nearby, Feng Yian lay face down on the ground. The iron spear through his back pinned him there, preventing him from rising. He shuddered slightly.

The wind and snow surged. Fu Entao charged like a human-shaped beast, exhausting his remaining strength to swing his blade in one last, desperate strike.

After a series of violent clashes, he panted heavily, utterly drained. By now, his strength was truly spent, yet the youth remained as vigorous as ever, his spirit and energy flourishing.

Puchi!

After another exchange, Fu Entao’s right arm was lopped off. His long saber clattered to the ground. His face turned ashen as he staggered backward.

Combined with the earlier spear wound to his leg, the loss of his arm destroyed his balance. He sank to one knee in the snow, gasping for air. His naturally curly hair clung damply to his head, and his face was a mask of resentment and despair.

"Do you have anything you want to say?" Qin Ming asked.

"Use my own saber to give me a quick end," Fu Entao said, drenched in cold sweat. His left hand trembled as he clutched his stump, but blood had already soaked half his body and turned the snow a deep crimson.

"What makes you think I'll grant that wish?" Qin Ming walked forward, wood-cutting saber in hand.

"Do you... want to humiliate me?" Fu Entao struggled to stand.

"Are you even worthy?" Qin Ming dashed past. The wood-cutting saber swept across Fu Entao's neck. A head wearing an expression of bitter resentment flew into the air as the body slumped into the snow.

Feng Yian lay there with a deathly pale face, struggling to get up, but the iron spear in his back barely budged, stuck fast in the frozen earth.

He felt a profound sense of humiliation because the youth was now standing before him, stepping on his head.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Qin Ming looked down at him.

Feng Yian clenched his fists, then loosened them powerlessly. His breathing was heavy as he said, "You want to find spiritual creatures? I won't tell you."

Qin Ming applied a bit of pressure with his foot. The man's skull let out a faint crack as it fractured locally. The agonizing pain twisted Feng Yian's face.

Qin Ming did not hesitate. He swung his blade down, beheading the bearded man and ending his life.

As for the location of the Blood Bamboo Forest, he could just ask Old Man Liu when he returned. In his youth, Old Man Liu had been very ambitious and had frequently entered the mountains with the older generation of the patrol; he knew the distribution of Fire Springs in the mountains very well.

The only sound left on the mountain was the howling wind. The ear-piercing clatter of blades and spears had vanished. The entire patrol unit had been wiped out by Qin Ming alone.

He whispered to himself, "I actually killed so many people, and I didn't even hesitate."

Qin Ming stood still in reflection. It was likely because he didn't view these people as his own kind, but rather as mountain monsters threatening his fellow villagers.

He began to clean the battlefield. The bodies only needed to be thrown down the mountain for a "stomach burial." Various fierce beasts roamed the dense forest; they wouldn't even leave the bones behind.

Frugality was a habit for Qin Ming. He searched the bodies of Fu Entao, Feng Yian, and the others. Under the glow of the Fire Spring, several shimmering objects appeared in his hand—Night Silver.

These were coins with far more purchasing power than copper bits, used by traveling merchants in town. The coins were circular with a round hole in the center, symbolizing a missing sun, which is why they were called Night Silver.

Then, Qin Ming discovered something even more valuable—Day Gold.

It was brilliant gold throughout, a perfect circular coin shaped like the vanished sun, embodying the people's beautiful aspirations.

The patrolmen didn't carry much Day Gold into the mountains—only eleven coins in total—but for ordinary people, this was already a massive fortune.

This wasn't the first time Qin Ming had "picked up" Day Gold. Before he contracted the Mysterious Illness, he had found several corpses near a crevice where he had fallen. He hadn't just found Day Gold there, but also a precious bottle of Mineral Essence.

Day Gold didn't circulate much in Silver Vine Town, so he had never used it, fearing it would attract too much attention.

As for that exquisite, finely carved crystal bottle, he hadn't touched it yet either, because he had achieved his rebirth on his own after recovering from his illness.

Furthermore, he didn't know much about Mineral Essence and needed to understand it better to avoid wasting its true value.

Most importantly, the current incident would soon blow over. It was best for him to keep a low profile and maintain his status as a first-rebirth practitioner.

"I’ve only had one rebirth, so I shouldn't have been strong enough to deal with the patrol. After the fallout of this 'storm' settles, it won't be a problem if I happen to reach my second rebirth."

Qin Ming continued to scavenge for spoils on the mountain.

"Excellent armor, hundred-fold forged sabers—all good things!" He sighed with regret as he ran his hands over the armor and weapons. He planned to bury them in different spots throughout the forest and dig them up later when he needed them to explore the Blood Bamboo Forest.

He was simple and thorough, searching everyone from head to toe. He didn't even spare the golden mastiff; he picked it up, briefly considering hacking off a large piece of dog meat to make a hot pot in the cabin.

He had come out in the middle of the night, waited in the forest until the mountain mist cleared, and then fought the patrol until now. His energy consumption was massive, and he was starving.

But with a sigh, he gave up the idea. He tossed the mastiff's carcass into the snow. For safety's sake, he couldn't stay here long; he had to finish cleaning the battlefield quickly.

Qin Ming entered one of the wooden cabins and found it very comfortable inside. The floor was covered with thick animal skin rugs, the dining table held silver bowls and chopsticks, and the small knives for cutting roasted meat were exquisite and beautiful.

He opened one of the wine jars from a row against the wall, and a rich aroma wafted out. It was clearly much better than the jar of spicy old wine at Xu Yueping’s house, which had long since been drained to the bottom.

He didn't find much else of value there, but in the cabin that had collapsed during the fight, he discovered a saber manual. Its old leather pages were worn and curled at the edges.

It was obvious that someone had studied it frequently; it was filled with dense notes and annotations. They weren't all from the same hand and carried an air of ancient history.

As he flipped through, Qin Ming saw familiar saber forms. Fu Entao’s techniques were only a part of what was recorded in the manual. Later sections mentioned "Sky Light" and provided even deeper descriptions.

He didn't read further but quickly closed it and tucked it away. This old leather book was worth more than the Day Gold.

Once he finished his search, golden ripples surfaced on Qin Ming's skin. As he struck out with his fists and feet, the remaining cabins exploded one after another.

The wind was strong now, instantly sweeping up the wood splinters and tossing them into the air, where the blizzard carried them down the mountain.

Snow was constantly being whipped up from the ground, mixing with the heavy flakes falling from the sky. It would be very difficult for any traces to remain at the scene.

"A pity about my wood-cutting saber." Qin Ming inspected the blade. It was covered in nicks. Though made of refined iron, it ultimately couldn't compare to the weapons of the mountain patrol.

"Still usable, though." He found the whetstone in the camp and quickly ground away the notched parts before re-sharpening the edge. The blade was now slightly narrower than before.

Qin Ming carried all the bodies down the mountain and threw them into the dense forest. He watched as several fierce beasts appeared and quickly dragged the corpses away.

As for the four men he had intercepted on the path earlier, when he went back to check on them, not even a fragment of bone remained.

Qin Ming moved a heavy stone and retrieved his bundle from a snow hole. He took off his tattered, blood-stained outer clothes and armor, changing into the clean clothes he wore daily.

He burned what needed burning and buried what needed burying. This included the Day Gold and the saber manual, which he left hidden in the mountains. Soon, he vanished into the thick woods.

Qin Ming dragged a piece of game back with him, keeping a low profile. No one would have guessed that this gentle-looking youth, who appeared no different than usual, had just come from a bloody battle.

He boiled a pot of water—rarely indulging in something other than cold water—and took a comfortable hot bath. His well-proportioned, tall body had a crystalline luster, and his muscle lines were smooth. He washed himself meticulously to ensure no lingering scent of blood remained after the battle.

A short while later, he appeared at Lu Ze’s home.

"Uncle, what kind of meat is this?" Wenrui hurried over.

Qin Ming held up a large piece of fresh meat and smiled. "This is something delicious. They say there's dragon meat in heaven and donkey meat on earth. I caught a wild donkey today."

Mainly, he was still thinking about the copper-pot dog meat. Having missed out on the golden mastiff, he felt quite regretful and intended to compensate himself with a copper pot of donkey meat.

Soon, the sound of happy laughter filled the house.

"Uncle, donkey meat really is delicious!"

In front of the steaming copper pot, the injured Lu Ze spoke up, "Xiao Qin, you’ve already built a Golden Foundation. You should start carefully considering your second rebirth."

Qin Ming nodded. "Don't worry, Brother Lu. I know what I'm doing."

After the meal, he returned to his own home. He pondered how to subtly ask Old Man Liu about the Blood Bamboo Forest.

If he could reach his second rebirth earlier, he certainly didn't want to delay. He wanted to take a trip to that mysterious Blood Bamboo Forest as soon as possible.