Chapter 24: A Major Case

Under the faint light of Shallow Night, the great mountains stood side by side, their forests blanketed in white snow. Strange birds circled low in the sky, and the cries of mountain beasts echoed from time to time. As cold snowflakes settled on his hair, Qin Ming felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Although today's trip into the mountains had been incredibly perilous, the harvest had far exceeded his expectations. He now had enough Cultivation Resources for his Second Rebirth, which meant his strength was about to undergo a massive leap.

Qin Ming stood in the wind and snow, looking toward the blood-stained forest floor. He hadn't originally intended to go this far, but his opponents had left him no choice.

Since they had gifted him such a "generous present," he felt he should give them a proper burial. May the dead rest in peace; there was no need for them to remain clad in cold Patroller Armor.

He stripped off the Darkgold armor and searched the body thoroughly from head to toe. Afterward, he moved the corpse deep into the dense forest, leaving it for the mountain beasts to provide a Stomach Burial.

"What a fine sword!" Qin Ming murmured, running his hand over the longsword that gleamed like a pool of clear spring water. He gave it a gentle sweep through the night air, and its brilliant blade-light flashed like a streak of silk across the sky.

However, he couldn't take it out of the mountains yet, which filled him with regret.

This sword was far superior to Fu Entao’s saber. After he had hacked at the Blood Snakes, the saber had been covered in nicks, but this sword remained as sharp and smooth as a mirror even after its previous owner—the man with the greenish-black face—had used it to slay a Blood Snake.

Qin Ming quickly cleared the battlefield. What needed a Stomach Burial was sent off, and what needed to be hidden was buried. These people were from Crimson Cloud City; he had to be thorough in his cleanup.

Whether it was the longsword or its owner's black armor, they were the best equipment he had ever encountered, yet they had to remain in the mountains for now. "I'll dig them up when I need them."

Clearly, the weapons left behind by Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and the others could be discarded. They had been severely damaged during the fight against the Blood Snakes.

He found Night Silver on all of them, and the strongest man even carried thirteen Day Gold coins.

"It's true what they say: no man gets rich without windfall, and no horse gets fat without midnight grass," Qin Ming sighed. But these gold coins were stained with blood, and he didn't wish to experience such a thing often.

Regrettably, the things he valued most—Meditation Techniques and Yiqi Arts—were nowhere to be found. On second thought, it made sense; who would carry secret manuals while venturing into the mountains?

Qin Ming began his journey home. Along the way, he hunted a massive wild bull. After cleaning out its internal organs, he stuffed the Blood Snakes inside and sewed the belly shut.

The trip back was uneventful, and he reached home safely.

"Fu Entao and Feng Yi'an have been dead for two days now. Why hasn't the news broken yet?" Qin Ming figured it wouldn't be much longer.

After all, the group of Mountain Patrollers who had gone to deal with the Blood Snakes had previously sent someone to scout Fu Entao's outpost, only to find the wooden huts had vanished.

In fact, the day after Fu Entao and Feng Yi'an disappeared, someone had already sensed something was wrong. The Growth Catalyst required for the Black Moon planted in the Fire Spring had been prepared, but the head of that Mountain Patrol Team hadn't come to collect it on time.

When Fu Entao failed to appear for two consecutive days, and Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng didn't show up in Silver Vine Town to fool around, the relevant parties realized something might have happened.

After lunch, Qin Ming began practicing his saber techniques in earnest.

As he swung the Long-handled Darkgold Hammer in the courtyard, he gradually stirred up the snow, creating a man-made flurry of heavy flakes. As the heavy hammer pierced the air, it produced faint sounds of wind and thunder. He continued until his body was scorching hot. After delivering his strongest strike—a hammer-stroke that caused the swirling snow to explode in mid-air—he lowered the weapon. He stood in the courtyard, drenched in sweat and feeling thoroughly invigorated.

Qin Ming gained new insights into the combat forms recorded in the Saber Manual. He stood still for a long time, focusing on those sensations and pondering them carefully.

Afterward, he began studying "Harmonizing with Light" again. He visualized a state of quiet emptiness, masking his vitality and dimming his spirit. As he delved deeper into the practice, his understanding grew more profound.

As Shallow Night neared its end, Xu Yueping returned from outside with a grave expression. He immediately summoned all the Reborn in the village.

"Something big has happened!" Those few words instantly made everyone tense.

"What's the situation?" someone asked.

"Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and their lot... were likely wiped out by a Mountain Monster, pfft!" Toward the end, Xu Yueping couldn't keep a straight face and let out a snort of laughter.

He quickly composed himself, as he couldn't be too obvious about his joy. If word got out, it could cause trouble. However, his brow relaxed, and even his movements as he brewed black ant tea became light and cheerful.

"Are you serious?" Yang Yongqing stood up abruptly. This was indeed a massive event.

Xu Yueping nodded. "They've been missing for two days. The consensus is that they're probably dead."

Old Man Liu, being of advanced age, didn't care about appearances. He spoke up directly: "Hiss, the mountains are truly terrifying. Those dogs Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng are actually dead? That Mountain Monster is probably going to become a Mountain God at this rate!"

"How did you find out, Uncle Xu?" Qin Ming asked. As a direct participant, he couldn't appear too calm and genuinely wanted to know the latest developments.

Xu Yueping replied, "Just a moment ago, a large group of Mountain Patrollers—at least dozens of them—stormed into Blue Mulberry Village looking for Er Bingzi's distant relative, Xu Kong."

"Why look for him?"

"Because Blue Mulberry Village was the only one that didn't plant Black Moon this time. Furthermore, Feng Yi'an and the others visited Xu Kong the day before they disappeared."

Qin Ming fell into a brief daze upon hearing this.

Meanwhile, in Blue Mulberry Village, Xu Kong looked completely bewildered. What kind of mess was this? Somehow, he had become a primary suspect.

On that day, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng had been very polite during their visit. Even if they had twice the courage, they wouldn't have dared to threaten him. There was no way they could have a blood feud; they weren't even on the same level.

But now, the Mountain Patrol Team had mobilized en masse, clad in armor and armed with whetted weapons, their iron arrows notched.

Several high-level experts had even arrived in person, leading sixty or seventy patrollers to surround the area.

At the same time, the Mountain Patrol Team that had previously attacked the Blood Bamboo Forest was also under scrutiny. Their leader, Liu Huaishan, was being hemmed in by several other team leaders of the same rank.

"Everyone, what are you doing? Even if I couldn't stand Fu Entao and his group, I wouldn't just go out and slaughter them all. That would be suicide!" Liu Huaishan said quickly.

Someone said in a low, heavy voice, "Then explain why your team is missing several members. And why did you recently withdraw twelve extra sets of armor and purchase a large amount of poison? Do you still deny it?"

"I... This is a total frame-up!" Liu Huaishan was sweating profusely as he explained, "We took the armor and bought the medicinal powders to hunt a spiritual creature in the Blood Bamboo Forest."

An old man shouted, "That fits perfectly! The Blood Bamboo Forest is within Fu Entao's jurisdiction. Their team had been planning to hunt those Blood Snakes for a long time. When you crossed the border, a bloody conflict must have broken out. Or, even worse, you might have ambushed them after they and the snakes had both been severely wounded. Is that not the case?"

"I..." Liu Huaishan nearly spat blood. Listening to the old man, even he felt like all the pieces fit together and it sounded perfectly logical.

"You have nothing left to say?!"

Liu Huaishan shook his head frantically and shouted his explanation: "Elder, please don't strike! Colleagues, please listen to me! We really didn't commit this crime. However, I think I know who did. we once saw a man with a greenish-black face kill a Blood Snake single-handedly with a longsword. In that area over the last two days, he's probably the only one with that kind of strength..."

Then, he added with a grave expression, "Most importantly, we truly felt that he harbored intense hostility toward us Mountain Patrollers. He even approached us with his sword drawn, intending to kill us!"

"Take them all away for interrogation!" an old man ordered with a dark face.

Several high-level elders looked grim. How many years had it been since such a serious incident occurred? An entire Mountain Patrol Team had been wiped out. If it was human work, it was undoubtedly a major case.

The various Mountain Patrol Teams in the region were out in force, splitting up to investigate.

One such team arrived at Twin Tree Village. They didn't just call Xu Yueping, Qin Ming, and the other Reborn for questioning; they also cornered several Village Loafers.

"Is there anyone here who has a conflict with the Mountain Patrol Team? For example, have any of the Reborn in your village ever clashed with Feng Yi'an or Shao Chengfeng?"

A Mountain Patroller sternly questioned several loafers, including Ma Yang, Wang Youping, and Hu Yong—the three who had tried to intercept Qin Ming's prey back when he first recovered.

"What are you looking at? We're asking you a question! Answer honestly!" The patroller had no patience for them.

"Uncle Xu has always been kind, and Old Man Liu's legs are so soft they're shaking..." Ma Yang replied.

In the distance, Old Man Liu's beard twitched in anger when he heard this. He wanted nothing more than to roll up his sleeves and give the man a beating.

"As for Qin Ming, though Young Master Qin has given us a thrashing before, I can't go around slandering him. He's the least likely. He's only recently undergone Rebirth, and he's a very kind and peaceful person. He's shared a lot of the prey he brings back from the mountains with the villagers. He even shared meat with us, putting aside our past grievances."

Ma Yang, Wang Youping, and Hu Yong all answered in turn, saying that the village's Reborn were all good people who never got into disputes or conflicts with others.

The group of Mountain Patrollers turned and left without lingering. Their visit was merely a formality, and they had to rush to the next village.

That night, Liu Huaishan and his few surviving subordinates, despite not being skilled artists, gritted their teeth and began sketching. They corrected their drawings over and over until they finally captured the heroic image of Wang Nianzhu slaying the Blood Snake.

A stack of portraits of Wang Nianzhu was sent out immediately, rapidly distributed to every town.

That night, Qin Ming and Xu Yueping were leisurely drinking a jar of aged wine that Old Man Liu had dug out from under his bed. The three of them drank together, all in high spirits.

"Heh, last time Little Qin was cursing them, saying all those 'what ifs.' It actually came true! They really were dragged away by a Mountain Monster!"

Xu Yueping was in a jovial mood. He was feeling a pleasant buzz after just a few cups.

"I told you, even the Heavens wouldn't stand for their behavior. It was only a matter of time before something happened," Qin Ming said without batting an eye, using "the Heavens" as a proxy for himself.

He was in an excellent mood because he was preparing for his Second Rebirth. He suddenly found that this aged wine actually tasted quite good.

Old Man Liu looked pained as he said, "Ai, this is aged wine I've kept for ten years. This was my only jar. From now on, there's not a drop of wine left in my house."

"Old Man Liu, don't be so stingy. I'll gift you ten jars in the future. Let's talk about the Second Rebirth. I've been getting some sensations lately; my body feels like it's heating up."

"Good heavens... Are you some kind of monster?!"

In the Deep Night, Qin Ming brought out the Blood Snakes at home.

The wound on the second large snake was very deep. Qin Ming judged that aside from the sharpness of the greenish-black faced man's sword, the man's strength must have been very high—likely exceeding his own.

Combined with the man's superior speed, Qin Ming realized that if they had met in a direct confrontation and fought to the death, he might have truly been in danger.

A slight shadow cast over Qin Ming's heart. All sorts of "monsters and demons" were appearing in the mountains now; it was becoming increasingly dangerous.

However, when he remembered that the greenish-black faced man had already undergone his Second Rebirth, Qin Ming's mind calmed. He currently possessed a thousand jin of strength in his arms. If he underwent his Second Rebirth, his Cauldron Striking record could reach two thousand jin, far exceeding the records of the most gifted individuals in Crimson Cloud City.

At least for the last few hundred years, Crimson Cloud City had no such terrifying records.

"Everything is ready. It's time for my Second Rebirth..."