Chapter 28: Fluttering Feather Garments

Qin Ming remained silent and motionless, but mottled silhouettes of the past emerged in his mind. At first, they seemed covered in dust and wreathed in a thick black fog. Then, like lightning crashing into a sea of clouds, the silhouettes tore through the darkness and brushed away the dust, revealing scenes of bloodshed.

In the deep night, flames soared into the sky. A youth dressed in feather garments stood there, ethereal as an immortal, yet beneath his feet were only corpses and blood...

Qin Ming pressed a hand to his head, his body trembling slightly. The "feather garments" had left an incredibly deep imprint on his subconscious. Now, the sight of them stung him, awakening old memories as if blowing away the sand and dust that had obscured his soul.

He closed his eyes and firmly restrained his fluctuating emotions. His body relaxed quickly, and he slowly opened his eyes again.

The current occasion was not right; he couldn't afford to show any abnormality. He used Harmonizing with Light to dim his presence and blend into the crowd.

Qin Ming’s eyes regained their clarity, and his hair fluttered in the wind. He stood there straight and tall, as if nothing had happened, but fragmented images continued to surface in his heart.

He calmed himself, breaking free from the cage of his own emotions. He examined the past with a cold, detached mind, watching the bloody scenes that had once happened to him like an outsider.

Night. Flames soared into the sky, and the entire mountain forest was burning. The raging fire seemed ready to swallow the night sky.

In the village at the foot of the mountain, fire also raged, spreading everywhere. Houses collapsed, many corpses lay in the streets, and blood flowed through the alleys.

Amidst the scorching flames and the broken walls, a youth’s hair flew in the wind. Dressed in feather garments, he looked ethereal, the corners of his eyes and brows seemingly glowing with an otherworldly grace.

His body shimmered with a faint light. His white shoes and socks were unstained by dust. Even amidst the ruins and surrounded by fire, he still appeared detached from the mortal world, as if he transcended it.

A fourteen-year-old Qin Ming lay on the ground. His nose and mouth were filled with the pungent smell of burning and dust. Screams rang in his ears, and all he could see was the ruthless light of the fire. Behind him, the beams of a house snapped from the heat and crashed down with a roar.

He saw many familiar people die. The entire village was trapped in a sea of fire.

The youth in feather garments held a glowing purple bamboo rod. He stepped over the rubble and approached Qin Ming. Although he possessed an extraordinary temperament and eyes that seemed to flow with starlight, his actions were heartless.

The youth swung the glowing bamboo rod. A single strike hit Qin Ming on the head. Blood flowed instantly, making his head spin; it felt as if the very night sky was on fire.

Qin Ming’s clothes were tattered, and he had been injured earlier. With this additional strike, he coughed violently from the smoke in the sea of fire, unable to stand up.

Following that, the feather-clad youth’s slender hand gripped the bamboo rod and swung it repeatedly. Every strike landed on Qin Ming’s body, accompanied by the sound of cracking bones.

"I thought I had only suffered a severe head injury. I didn't expect that within those forgotten memories, there were scenes like these."

Qin Ming whispered in his heart. Looking back at these past events, he remained calm, as if watching someone else's history.

Many figures were moving through the village, quickly delivering finishing blows. Only the youth in feather garments stood still, using nothing but his glowing purple bamboo rod to beat Qin Ming.

"I can tell he could have crushed my skull with a single strike, but he didn't. What kind of hatred did he have for me? He insisted on making me experience that agonizing pain over and over."

Qin Ming firmly memorized the face of that youth. Though the boy was handsome and ethereal, he showed a truly cold side amidst the firelight.

"My arm was broken, yet I didn't even know it afterward. Just how long was I unconscious during that fourteenth year?" Qin Ming wondered to himself.

"My chest hurts... he probably cracked my ribs by stabbing me with that bamboo rod." Qin Ming quietly watched the bloody scenes in the firelight.

"Torture me first, then kill me?" Two years had passed, but recalling it now, Qin Ming could still vividly feel that sense of helplessness and intense pain.

The youth in feather garments seemed to find him repulsive; he never made physical contact, using only the bamboo rod. Finally, he struck Qin Ming’s head two more times.

Qin Ming clearly heard the sound of bone cracking. Blood splattered onto his neck, some sliding down his cheek.

They were both youths, yet one was as elegant as jade and ethereal, while the other was burned, dressed in rags, his face covered in blood as he lay in the dust. The contrast was stark.

Finally, the fourteen-year-old Qin Ming’s consciousness began to fade. He vaguely saw two figures rush out of the ruins, suddenly repelling the youth in feather garments before grabbing him and sprinting into the darkness.

On the way, his hazy eyes saw a massive city stretching across the land, incredibly brilliant.

"Luoyue City... let’s avoid it," the two whispered. They didn't take him into the city but made a wide detour, leaving quickly.

In his blurred state, he heard a sigh. "Three fractures in the skull, and the scalp and flesh have been beaten to a pulp. It’s too severe; he probably won’t live. His arm and chest..."

Finally, Qin Ming plunged into total darkness.

Now, he quietly experienced that boundless darkness, remaining motionless.

"Someone took me away and sent me to this remote region. My head suffered heavy trauma in three places and nearly shattered. No wonder I forgot so much and only remembered the wandering after I woke up."

He realized he might have been unconscious for more than three months, because by the time he woke up, the fractures in his arm and chest had already healed.

If he hadn't seen someone wearing feather garments again today, he still wouldn't have remembered this. He would have only remembered the heavy blow to his head and the image of blood splashing amidst the fire.

Though he felt a slight tightness in his chest, he didn't feel excessive anger. What was done was done; what use was grief, indignation, anger, or irritability?

What he needed was to effectively solve the problem in the future—to find and deal with that youth in feather garments!

"Ethereal feather garments... his background isn't simple. Seeing so many experts appearing in that sea of fire, this likely involves a very powerful organization," Qin Ming sighed softly.

Then, he regained his composure.

He even began to reflect from the other's perspective. If he were that youth in feather garments, he wouldn't have tortured an opponent he intended to kill. He would have ended it with one strike to eliminate all future trouble.

"Luoyue City!" Qin Ming’s eyes seemed ready to pierce through the night sky as he silently repeated the city's name in his heart. The village where the incident occurred shouldn't be too far from Luoyue City.

Old Man Liu was quite excited. He whispered, "So strong. What is the background of this woman in feather garments? She actually doesn't fear the Moon Bug and is standing her ground in the night sky."

The others in the snow felt the same. Moreover, she was the only female powerhouse to appear, making everyone curious about her identity. She stood on the back of the massive green bird, suspended in the air. The area around her was shrouded in a hazy, mysterious light.

An old man said, "They probably won't actually fight. High-level experts are usually there for deterrence. If they really start fighting, both sides will have crossed the line, and it'll be a fight to the death."

Just as he finished speaking, amidst the towering mountains covered by the faint night, the Moon Bug above the endless wild forest suddenly emitted a blinding light. It looked like brilliant arrows of lightning, shooting out and piercing toward the woman on the green bird.

The expressions of many people changed. Was a great battle about to break out?!

Only the four beings sitting in the snow remained calm; none of them stood up.

In the night sky, the woman on the green bird raised her fair hand. She drew in the wind and snow, transforming them into a dense flurry of crystal-clear raindrops. In an instant, a curtain of rain formed in the sky, blocking the light arrows fired by the Moon Bug.

Amidst a series of metallic clangs, all the light arrows were blocked, revealing their true forms. They were actually silver-white insects that looked as if they were cast from Essence Gold. They were incredibly hard, shooting through the night sky in an attempt to tear through the rain curtain.

The rain curtain became translucent. All the raindrops stretched infinitely, turning into glowing threads that sliced through the night. Finally, with a series of popping sounds, the dense swarm of silver insects was either sliced apart or pierced through.

The vast majority of the silver flying insects eventually burst like a dream or a bubble, dissolving into nothingness.

Only two light-formed insects remained undamaged. They fell toward the mountain, and with a loud boom, it felt as if a violent earthquake had occurred. An avalanche followed, turning the area into a white expanse.

Everyone watched in shock, not daring to comment.

The Moon Bug hung high like a bright moon over the forest, making no further moves.

The woman on the green bird also stood still, her clothes fluttering. She remained calm and took the initiative to retreat a short distance.

Clearly, this was a probe by the higher-ups. If one side was truly found wanting, the so-called final negotiation would be unnecessary.

Qin Ming gazed at the woman in feather garments on the green bird, thinking it wasn't necessarily such a coincidence. Someone wearing feather garments might not be related to that youth from his past.

However, he couldn't help but want to ask someone. He turned to look at Mu Qing and asked, "Does wearing feather garments signify a great background?"

Mu Qing, whose entire body was shrouded in a black robe, glanced at him and said, "Transcendentalists are generally very detached, existing beyond the secular world. As for her specific background, I don't know either."

Qin Ming nodded and asked no more.

Ahead, the atmosphere between the four figures sitting in the snow actually softened, and they even began to smile at each other.

Although the crowd couldn't hear their conversation, they assumed the talk was going well.

Of course, people believed this likely had to do with the probing clash between the Moon Bug and the woman in feather garments, which facilitated the smooth progress of the negotiations.

Ling Xu spoke, "We will help you drive away that group of migrating Heteromorphs. We aren't greedy; if those special Nodes produce resources, we want a share. That's all. Additionally, any Heteromorphs that have expanded recently must retreat."

The snowy-white old yellow weasel sat cross-legged, fingering a string of beads. He said, "Why should we give you a share? Wouldn't it make more sense for us to ally with the newly migrated high-level beings to deal with you?"

Ling Xu sat there calmly and replied, "There’s no need for us to test each other. Our time is precious. I have only a few simple words; listen and see. We only want the special products that might be born in those Nodes. But those newly migrated high-level beings don't just want those; they're eyeing your old nests. They say they have no place to stay, that they're just passing through and will stay for a few months—do you believe them?"

"Fine, we agree."

"Good, straightforward!"

Both sides stood up. The general direction had been settled quite decisively without any dragging of feet. As for the details, others would handle them; it was no longer their concern.

"The talk is finished just like that?" People were stunned to see the high-level figures rising, not expecting it to be so fast.

"Go back and wait for now. Be ready to enter the mountains at any time," the tabby cat said, turning to the crowd with the red longsword on its back.

The people from Crimson Cloud City were immediately invigorated. The deal had truly been struck!

Qin Ming noticed a crow flying nearby. It was quite eye-catching as it landed on a large, protruding blue stone in the snow.

There stood a woman covered in a fur cloak, her black hair fluttering. She actually glanced over toward him twice.

The crow spoke, "How is that kid's aura even weaker than last time? Something's wrong. I reckon he's practiced some method to hide his vitality; he must feel he stands out too much himself. I told you he wasn't simple. Just what kind of suitable candidate did you find? Are you not going to look at this person anymore?"

"The person I chose is like a bright sun waiting to break through black clouds, but it's not suitable for them to be exposed too early, or they might suffer from Heavens' Envy. I've already sent them away in advance." After the woman spoke, she glanced toward Qin Ming again and said, "I'll find someone to test him later and see if he can become one of the candidates."