Chapter 38: Sleepless Night

Qin Ming was thoroughly startled. His fingertips were freezing, and the chill was actually beginning to seep into his hand. How could he remain calm?

He immediately shook his hand violently, then tried to scrape and pull at it.

A day had passed, and the Sun Stones in the bronze basin were no longer as bright, leaving the room rather dark. But even so, Qin Ming felt he shouldn't have failed to notice the mysterious product immediately. He had only realized its presence through the sensation on his hand.

He walked over to the bronze basin, took out a Sun Stone, and examined it by the last lingering glow of the fiery light.

"A piece of ice melted?"

This ice-cold liquid was colorless and odorless, making it easy to overlook. When Qin Ming had crushed the stone, there had been no unusual signs.

"Could this be water that seeped into the stone after it rained, froze, and was then nourished by Sky Light, turning into a mysterious product?" He was somewhat skeptical.

Because this frigid liquid really didn't have any unique characteristics.

The most precious products produced ten-colored pillars of light that pierced the heavens, drawing attention from all directions, destined to spread through many magnificent cities, spark heated discussions, and be recorded in books.

"Are you just its scrap material? Aside from being so freezing cold that it stings my hand, why isn't there anything miraculous about you?" Qin Ming frowned as he studied it.

After he shook his hand violently, the liquid stopped seeping. Strangely enough, it didn't splash onto the ground, yet it didn't seem to be sticky to the touch either.

"What is it used for?" Qin Ming stared at it. The liquid had no defining features, which made him frown because he had absolutely no idea how to use it.

Should he just let it seep into his flesh? He felt that was filled with uncertainty.

He already knew from Mu Qing and Cao Long that there was a vast variety of mysterious products nourished by Sky Light, and some were not only useless to the body but actually harmful.

"Hmm?" Qin Ming's expression changed slightly. He had thought he had already forced the chill out of his body earlier and that after violently shaking his hand, he hadn't let the liquid enter his flesh.

Now, he saw that wasn't the case. An odd sensation came from his right hand, but the place that had just been penetrated by the frigid cold was now turning warm.

Moreover, that warm current was spreading rapidly—more precisely, it was swimming. It flowed along his fingers into his arm, then quickly traveled from his shoulder to his neck.

Although it was very comfortable, this unexpected development still put Qin Ming on high alert. He immediately circulated the Rebirth Technique recorded in the Silk Book to resist it.

But it was useless. On the contrary, that warm current began to "go to his head"!

Crucially, the portion of the freezing liquid he hadn't managed to shake off also began to seep fully into his fingers, turning from cold to hot, traveling up his arm.

"I admit you aren't a pool of stagnant water, and you're somewhat special, but can we stop first? Let me catch my breath!" Facing this unknown and unpredictable situation, Qin Ming used every method at his disposal, but nothing could change a thing.

"It all got in?" He swung his arms and rubbed his hands continuously. Ripple-like gold patterns surfaced on his body, but it was completely useless; instead, it only accelerated the process.

The bone-chilling liquid quickly transformed within his flesh, and warmth billowed. Then, whether from his left hand or his right, it all traveled upward like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, eventually reaching the space between his brows.

Qin Ming stared at himself in the mirror. Since he couldn't stop it, he could only observe calmly.

At the center of his forehead, the warmth grew more and more intense. Once all the warm currents had gathered, his entire forehead bone began to glow, then the light spread deep into his head.

He felt no discomfort; that dense warmth eventually dissolved.

Qin Ming sensed his condition carefully. Aside from feeling extremely energized, there didn't seem to be any other abnormalities.

Carrying his Long-handled Darkgold Hammer, he went out into the courtyard and practiced a set of saber techniques. His strength hadn't increased, and there were no obvious changes to his physical constitution.

But Qin Ming knew this liquid definitely wasn't that simple. It couldn't possibly leave no trace at all. The changes it had caused had likely not been discovered by him yet.

He looked up at the night sky. It was slightly clearer, and the night fog didn't seem as thick. His vision had improved slightly, but it wasn't particularly obvious.

Qin Ming grabbed a quick bite to eat and then went to the entrance of the village, standing by the Fire Spring beneath the Twin Black-and-White Trees.

He rubbed his hands against the rough trunks. One giant tree was as black as ink, while the other looked as if it were carved from white jade. Their leaves did not wither even in the depths of winter.

"The liquid came from the Black-and-White Mountain, and you are seeds that drifted out from there..."

Clearly, Qin Ming was overthinking. Even when he put one black leaf and one white leaf in his mouth, nothing unusual happened.

"Let's leave it at that for now," he comforted himself. In any case, his body felt fine. On the contrary, he was full of energy, so there shouldn't be any disastrous side effects.

Suddenly, he noticed something. Noise was coming from Old Man Liu's house near the village entrance, accompanied by the crying of a child and a woman.

Across a distance of only several dozen meters, Qin Ming entered the courtyard gate in the blink of an eye. His brow furrowed instantly as he saw three massive Ground-runners.

One of them was rather special: its feathers were pale yellow and faintly glowing, its two legs were exceptionally thick and muscular, and its talons were incredibly sharp, leaving faint scratches on the bluestone ground of the courtyard.

It was much stronger than the other two Ground-runners and was likely the so-called twice-mutated Golden Chicken.

Inside the courtyard stood a gloomy-faced man. Although he spoke in a lowered voice, it was obvious he was on the verge of losing his temper.

Qin Ming realized this was a Golden Chicken Rider from Golden Chicken Ridge. Why had he come to Old Man Liu's house?

Two other men accompanied him, and they were also whispering to Old Man Liu.

Old Man Liu's family stood off to the side, at a loss, clearly frightened by these people just now.

What kind of hearing did Qin Ming have? Naturally, he heard everything loud and clear. They were using rather pushy language to persuade him, wanting to "buy" the small red grass Old Man Liu had obtained from the Fire Bat Cave.

During the Shallow Night, people from Golden Chicken Ridge had seen Old Man Liu emerge from the Fire Bat Cave and noticed a red glow flash across his chest. Knowing what was going on, they had now come to target his home.

"Old Liu, you're already of such an advanced age, and you suffered a severe injury in your early years. Your foundation was ruined long ago, making it very difficult for you to undergo a Second Rebirth. You might as well sell it for a high price and leave some inheritance for your children and grandchildren."

"Indeed. Consuming that small red grass is like being burned by raging fire. You are old and physically weak; you won't be able to withstand it at all. If you fail the Second Rebirth, the consequences will be terrifying."

Old Man Liu was utterly helpless. His expression was indescribably despondent, carrying a trace of sorrow. He said, "This old man has worked hard my whole life and struggled for more than half of it, all for this one opportunity!"

Without a doubt, this was his obsession. Furthermore, he had already prepared some cold-natured auxiliary herbs to slowly condition his body recently. By dividing and consuming the red grass gradually, it wouldn't be much of an issue, and he stood a very good chance of success.

But substances that aided a person's Rebirth primarily did so because they contained rich vitality and spirituality. The so-called overly intense medicinal properties, described as being burned by raging fire, were an exaggeration.

...

Hearing this, Qin Ming felt extremely furious. Wasn't this just bullying? A senior in his seventies had been yearning for a Second Rebirth for decades. Under the strength of this obsession, he had finally seen a ray of hope, only for someone to come and force a purchase!

He heard the price the other side offered. How was that any different from outright robbery?

A few dozen Night Silvers was indeed a sizable fortune for ordinary people, but this was a spiritual substance that could help someone achieve a Second Rebirth. They were insulting him too much.

The small red grass grew in a dangerous cave guarded by thrice-mutated Fire Bats, making it extremely difficult to harvest. Even the Golden Chicken Riders themselves wouldn't dare to enter.

"Brothers..." Qin Ming spoke up and stepped forward.

"Who are you? Stand aside!" one of them barked, completely showing no respect and not wanting him to speak at all.

As for the Golden Chicken Rider, he merely cast a cool glance at him. His eyes were cold, and although he said nothing, his warning intent was clear: do not meddle.

"Xiao Qin, don't say anything more. Let me go inside and think about it," Old Man Liu said, not wanting to drag Qin Ming into this. Golden Chicken Ridge was too difficult to provoke; they used to be a band of bandits, and even though they had been pacified and recruited, their way of doing things remained extremely brutal.

Once targeted by them, the consequences would be unpredictable.

"Brothers, Uncle Liu's red grass was given to him by Cao Long and Mu Qing of Crimson Cloud City..." Qin Ming spoke up again.

His implication was obvious: by mentioning the direct descendants of Crimson Cloud City's nobility, who were currently on very good terms with Old Man Liu and had even given him spiritual substances to condition his body, and whom Old Man Liu was supposed to wake up early to guide tomorrow.

"Old Liu mentioned these things himself. Heh, in the end, you guys are just..." The Golden Chicken Rider sneered. He didn't outright accuse Qin Ming of using powerful names to intimidate them, but that was clearly his meaning. He didn't believe people from Crimson Cloud City would associate closely with a few hunters.

"Young man, you need to know your place. Don't go sticking your nose into matters that don't concern you," the person next to him warned directly.

Old Man Liu turned and walked into the house. He retrieved a pouch of glowing red grass from a hidden compartment in the wall. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth. Instead of slowly conditioning his body with auxiliary herbs, he consumed more than half of it directly.

He left only a tiny portion and carried it out to the courtyard.

"Only this much? You didn't eat it beforehand, did you?" The Golden Chicken Rider's face darkened instantly. His intuition was quite sharp.

"There really is only this much left," Old Man Liu said.

"What use is this tiny amount? Old Liu, you've done well!" The Golden Chicken Rider patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

After the three of them disappeared past the village entrance, Old Man Liu opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Uncle Liu, what's wrong?" Qin Ming was startled.

Old Man Liu said, "That Golden Chicken Rider is incredibly sinister. He has practiced the Yellow Clay Palm. Suspecting that I had eaten the spiritual substance beforehand, he tried to secretly shatter my blood vitality to stop me from achieving a Second Rebirth."

Looking through the courtyard gate into the wind and snow outside the village, Qin Ming really wanted to give chase and treat each of them to a blow from his hammer and saber.

He knew he couldn't act rashly. Behind the other party was Golden Chicken Ridge, home to a band of great bandits. Taking revenge for a moment of satisfaction might bring disaster to the entire village. He would have to "plan carefully" once they entered the mountains.

"Old man, are you alright?"

"Grandpa!"

Old Man Liu's family anxiously crowded around him.

"How do you feel, elder?" Qin Ming asked.

Old Man Liu said, "I know how Golden Chicken Ridge operates, so I was prepared in advance. Although my condition isn't great, it's not that severe. I'll be fine after a few days of recovery."

In fact, Golden Chicken Ridge wasn't the only group to show up and try to force a sale. The local Three-Eye Cult had also sent someone, with a Second Reborn coming in person as well.

Ultimately, when the people from the Three-Eye Cult realized they couldn't force a purchase, they also flung their sleeves and left, casting several cold, sweeping glares before leaving. The encounter had ended on a very sour note.

"It is hard enough for ordinary people to survive in such a harsh environment, yet it is just as difficult even after becoming a Reborn..." That night, Qin Ming sighed in his courtyard.

Soon, he realized what changes had occurred in him. His surging mental energy remained unchanged even now. It was already very late, yet he had absolutely no sleepiness.

After lying down, he endured it for a long time, only to find that he simply couldn't fall asleep. The more he closed his eyes, the more awake he became.

It was deeply frustrating in the middle of the night. What was going on? It wasn't like he had become an immortal. How could he not sleep? Besides, if there were immortals and gods in this world, they would have raised the sun long ago; how could the night fog still be so thick and the world be pitch black?

In the latter half of the night, Qin Ming truly had no options left. He got up to take a walk. As a result, after walking eighteen laps around the village, he became more and more energized.

"What is wrong with me?" Returning to the courtyard, he practiced the Rebirth Technique from the Silk Book, then practiced the combat techniques from the Saber Manual. He could feel physical fatigue, but he simply wasn't sleepy.

He went out again in the Deep Night, eventually returning to the village entrance. Having absolutely nothing to do, he cleared away the snow burying the stone tablet.

"I heard the elders say this tablet weighs eleven hundred catties. I estimated that I have a thousand catties of strength in a single hand, but I've never actually tested it. Let's give it a try now."

In the end, Qin Ming forcefully wrenched the stone tablet out of the frozen earth and actually lifted it above his head with a single hand.

"Although it was very difficult, I could do it. This means my two arms actually possess twenty-two hundred catties of strength, which is even higher than I estimated."

The next day, Xu Yueping saw Qin Ming and asked, "Xiao Qin, did you cry?"

Qin Ming was taken aback and said, "No."

"Why are your eyes a bit red?" Xu Yueping asked.

"I didn't sleep well last night," Qin Ming replied.

Old Man Liu accompanied them into the mountains as usual, showing no sign of injury.

Upon meeting Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and the others, Qin Ming didn't hide anything and directly told them about Golden Chicken Ridge and the Three-Eye Cult trying to force a sale the night before.

"That's a bit too much," Mu Qing said.

Half an hour later, that Golden Chicken Rider from yesterday was found. Mu Qing slapped him across the face, sending him flying six or seven meters away and knocking out several of his teeth.

"This is someone I hired, who has been working for me. You want to steal the spiritual grass we gave him?" Mu Qing asked coldly.

"No... it was a misunderstanding," the Golden Chicken Rider said in a trembling voice.

With a sharp clang, Cao Long's great lance grazed the rider's ear. Changing direction, it sliced through a large tree nearby. He said coldly, "Even after we leave, none of you are allowed to retaliate, or else you won't have a good end."

"I understand!"

A moment later, the people from the Three-Eye Cult were also warned.

However, Mu Qing and Wei Zhirou also privately told Qin Ming and the others that while the Three-Eye Cult's stronghold here didn't matter, their main sect far away was very powerful and had branches in many cities.

"Golden Chicken Ridge isn't simple either. It's a foothold established here by the Golden Bandits."

Old Man Liu was extremely grateful for this. He had not expected them to stand up for him.

That day, Qin Ming found an opportunity to dig up the Saber Manual. Since Wang Nianzhu had become a wanted fugitive, he didn't need to worry too much anymore and could take the Secret Volume home to study.

Once the Shallow Night ended, he returned to the village.

"I hope I can sleep tonight and not stay this energized!"

After dinner, using the glowing light of the Sun Stone, he began to flip through the leather Saber Manual. The very instant he opened it, he was dumbfounded.

Qin Ming looked up outside the room, then looked back down at the worn ancient volume. What was going on? The world seemed to have changed for him!