The furrows of the fields were neat and orderly. From root and stalk to leaf and ear of grain, the crops gleamed brilliantly like ornaments crafted from pure gold, strikingly conspicuous amidst the pitch-black mountains and steeped in mystery.
Everyone present was captivated by Feng Yi'an's words. Could such a marvelous sight truly exist in these mountains cloaked in thick night fog?
"Who is tending those fields?" Xu Yueping asked.
Feng Yi'an shook his head. The mountain patroller who had lost his way and stumbled upon the place had not dared to approach.
Afterward, they immediately reported it up the chain. High-ranking officials had come in person, but no matter how they searched, the fields could not be found again.
Old Man Liu, who was past seventy, sighed. "The black night is boundless. The deep mountains and great marshes hold far too many unknown things. The vast uninhabited zone is extremely dangerous; even if the distant city lord were to come in person, penetrating deep into it would be terribly difficult."
"Uncle Liu, have you also encountered bizarre things like that?" Qin Ming asked.
Old Man Liu nodded, a reminiscent look appearing on his face. "Never mind the wilderness—there are strange happenings even right near our settlement."
Back then, he had still been a youth, flying a kite with his companions at the village entrance. When he finally reeled in the line, he found it sticky; there was actual blood on the kite.
"Right at our village entrance?" Yang Yongqing was taken aback, unable to resist glancing toward the night sky outside the window.
After a moment's hesitation, Qin Ming said, "Could an injured bird have crashed into the kite?"
"Perhaps. But back then, when my grandfather saw the bloodstained kite string, his expression changed on the spot. He told me to carry the matter to my grave. In the blink of an eye, several decades have passed," Old Man Liu said.
Having such things happen right at one's doorstep always left people feeling uneasy.
Xu Yueping spoke up: "Let Brother Feng tell us more about the mountains instead."
"Have any of you ever heard of mountain beasts weeping at a grave?" When Feng Yi'an brought this up, he sounded cautious and reverent, his expression complicated.
"Weeping at what kind of grave?" someone asked. They spent their lives walking through the mountains, yet they had truly never encountered such a thing.
"A beast's grave," Feng Yi'an replied.
"Beasts hold burials too?" Xu Yueping asked in astonishment.
Feng Yi'an nodded. "The uninhabited zone shrouded in night fog inspires dread. Anything bizarre can happen there."
On that day, the mountain patrol team's former leader noticed an abnormality in the mountains. Fearing that some mysterious creature was undergoing further metamorphosis and might bring about disaster, he crept closer in secret.
"The old team leader wanted to obtain firsthand intelligence to see what kind of 'wondrous insect' or 'renowned beast' was elevating itself, so that our side could prepare and counter it precisely."
Beings that had undergone multiple mutations each possessed different abilities. Countering them required preparing tailored measures and tactics.
Along the way, the old team leader was startled to realize that the abnormal commotion was actually the sound of weeping. Yet he did not stop. Soon after, he saw an old white-furred beast sobbing mournfully in the night, weeping over a grave—a thoroughly chilling sight.
Feng Yi'an said, "That ruined earthen mound had existed for at least a thousand years, because the ancient cypress sprouting from it had lived for a millennium at the very least."
The old team leader watched as the white-furred beast kowtowed like a human. A rain of light rained down near the earthen grave, illuminating the pitch-black forest.
Soon after, birds of prey descended from the night sky, and monstrosities from the marshes crawled ashore, all joining in the worship.
At this point, Feng Yi'an paused.
"And then what?" someone urged.
Feng Yi'an said, "The old team leader risked drawing closer, wanting to see the true face of that white-furred beast so he could consult our records back home and see if the local region had any accounts of it, allowing us to prepare targeted defenses."
The old white-furred beast kowtowed, shedding tears, and then inexplicably began to mutate. Weeping at the grave was like a mysterious ritual that elevated its state of life.
The old team leader quietly retreated. But on the way back, he began coughing up blood, and his entire body itched as though pierced by needles. Though he made it back alive to report what he had seen, his flesh and blood rotted away, and he died.
"The higher-ups mobilized a large force and fought a massive battle in the mountains. It's said that thanks to the timely warning, they prevented great calamity before the white-furred beast could fully consolidate its power."
A heavy silence fell over everyone. Outside the mountains, life usually seemed peaceful enough, but in places beyond sight lay hidden perils, where people quietly guarded the mountains and fought to the death.
Old Man Liu, white-haired and wrinkled, sighed. "There's more than one or two men like that old team leader. A close friend of mine from my youth guarded the mountains for years, turning back dangerous aberrations. In the end, when he grew old, he disappeared into the mountains and never showed himself again—no one knows if he died in there."
Feng Yi'an nodded. "Most members of our patrol team have suffered severe injuries. Some meet tragic ends, leaving not even their bones behind."
Taking the old team leader's master as an example, he said, "Back then, that senior possessed extraordinary skill and commanded immense respect. Having lost an arm, he had already retired with honor. Yet when word came of a dangerous mountain aberration, he worried the younger generation couldn't withstand it. He stopped the others from throwing away their lives, dragging his crippled body to fight it himself."
In that single battle, although the old leader's master severely wounded the mountain aberration, he perished tragically. Aside from vast splatters of blood, only half a severed blade remained.
"In life, that senior's greatest wish was to be buried outside the mountains alongside his late wife and child. In the end, his wish went unfulfilled; his soul could not return, left behind in the pitch-black mountains." Feng Yi'an shook his head and sighed.
The old man's wife and child had died prematurely years before during a mountain aberration's rampage, and he had never remarried.
The patrol team brought back his bloodstained broken blade and buried it beside the graves of his wife and child.
Hearing all this, Qin Ming felt even the pungent, aged liquor lose its flavor, and fell silent.
Feng Yi'an grew dejected. "In the end, for mountain patrollers, aside from the crippled and the dead, some lose their minds and wander deep into the mountains, devouring bloody, fur-covered raw meat like wild beasts, turning into monsters through and through. Who knows what fate awaits our own group? Perhaps the mountains will be our final resting place as well."
The atmosphere around the table was stifling. With changes occurring in the mountains and a sweeping campaign likely imminent, no one knew what lay ahead.
Feng Yi'an drained his cup in one gulp. "Brother Xu, I must trouble you to plant the medicinal seeds."
With great solemnity, he produced a wooden box from his breast pocket. Opening it revealed four black seeds, each about the size of a kidney bean.
Xu Yueping froze. "You want them planted in winter?"
Feng Yi'an looked grave. "Nurture them in the Fire Spring now, and by early spring they will flourish. When this battle begins, the patrol team will have to hold the front line. The countdown on some of our brothers' lives has probably already begun. Even if they survive, they might be crippled. Who knows if they can hold out until the Black Moon matures? This is life-saving medicine for many men. Old Xu, you must take this to heart!"
The Black Moon took root in the Fire Spring, its leaves resembling orchids. When its plump buds burst into full bloom, every petal resembled a black crescent moon, shedding dark light and drifting white mist.
Feng Yi'an wiped a trace of liquor from his thick beard and stood to take his leave. "Thank you for your hospitality, Brother Xu. If we survive the mountain sweep, we'll drink together again."
"Brother Feng possesses great skill. You will surely turn danger into fortune," Xu Yueping said.
Those present escorted Feng Yi'an to the village entrance, watching him vanish into the night.
"Times are hard, but the patrol team is considerate enough—they only sent four seeds. The spirituality drawn from the Fire Spring is bearable," someone remarked.
The patrollers not only monitored danger in the mountains but guarded them as well; villages everywhere were willing to grow life-saving herbs for them without resentment.
By agreement, each village was supposed to provide four to eight stalks of Black Moon annually. With only four, the impact on the crops in the fire fields would not be too severe.
The gathering dispersed.
Old Man Liu had not yet left. Staring at the four black seeds, he muttered, "They actually cultivated them."
As Qin Ming departed, he noticed that Xu Yueping seemed weighed down by heavy thoughts.
...
More people appeared on the street, carrying bows, arrows, and hunting spears as they prepared to head into the mountains.
Yesterday, they had asked Qin Ming in detail about the mountain's conditions, and early this morning they set out.
The main issue was that food stores were running low, and provisions were growing scarce.
"A great haul! We took down two saber-horned deer!"
A returning group brought good news and a bountiful catch.
"For now, the outer edges of the forest have calmed down. As long as we don't go deep, we can hunt with caution."
The next day, even more people banded together to enter the mountains, bringing back a fair amount of game.
Many children cheered, paying no heed to the cold as their breath puffed white mist, running up and down the street like it was the new year. The village atmosphere improved markedly.
"Uncle Ming, come over to our house for fresh game! We're having river deer meat today!" Wenrui called happily to Qin Ming.
After sharing the meal, Qin Ming walked out of Lu Ze's courtyard, just in time to see Xu Yueping returning from the village entrance with a deep scowl.
"Uncle Xu, did you go see someone off?"
"Yeah. Someone from the patrol team came, pressing me to plant the Black Moon seeds," Xu Yueping said.
Qin Ming reflected that mountain patrollers truly had a hard lot, constantly facing perils where they could be crippled or killed at any moment.
Seeing Xu Yueping lost in thought with tightly furrowed brows, he refrained from saying more.
That evening, the last group to return from the mountains caused a commotion—most were wounded, covered in blood, and their prey had all been lost.
"That was close. We ran into a mutated snow ape. Old Chen nearly had an arm torn off," a villager who had escaped said, lingering fear plain on his face.
"A blessing in disguise that our arrows drove it off and we escaped." Feeling lucky to have survived, they admitted they had pushed too deep into the mountains and could not afford to be so reckless next time.
The dense night fog cleared, bringing a new day. Though people had been injured yesterday, it had not deterred the others, for this time a Newborn accompanied them.
Yet before long, one of the groups returned. Many were bleeding, and the Newborn among them was the most severely wounded.
His left shoulder blade was shattered, one leg bent unnaturally, his chest partially caved in, and bloody foam bubbled from his mouth. It was uncertain whether he would survive.
"What happened?"
"We ran into a blood bear!" someone said with trembling lips.
A blood bear was a formidable mutated creature, its fur the color of blood—violent and ferocious. Even a Newborn had no guarantee of surviving an encounter with one.
"Where is Brother Lu?" Qin Ming rushed into the adjacent courtyard.
"He went into the mountains," Liang Wanqing said, overcome with anxiety once she learned of the situation.
"I'll go find him!" Qin Ming spun around and left.
Upon learning that another group had not yet returned, Xu Yueping grew frantic and called for all the Newborns to enter the mountains together.
Qin Ming ran at the very front, kicking up great waves of snow on either side of his body. His speed left Xu Yueping, who was closest behind him, momentarily dazed, while the others were swiftly left far out of sight.
Near the edge of the forest, Qin Ming halted, as a group was stumbling out.
At a glance, he saw Lu Ze being carried on a stretcher.
"Brother Lu!" He rushed over.
Lu Ze's face was as pale as golden paper. His eyes were closed, his clothes tattered and soaked in blood. His chest and abdomen had suffered the worst damage, with at least three ribs broken.
Wailing arose beside them; two of the severely injured men being carried back had already breathed their last.
"Did the blood bear do this to you?" Qin Ming asked.
One man replied with lingering dread, "Yes. If the mountain patrollers hadn't shown up, many more of us would have died."
Qin Ming stared into the gloomy forest, drawing his bright, gleaming short blade.
Xu Yueping arrived and held him back. "Don't take risks. Head back first!"
Seeing Lu Ze carried back, Liang Wanqing turned pale with fright and came stumbling over, while their two children burst into loud sobs.
"Sister-in-law, Brother Lu has only passed out," Qin Ming assured her.
He had examined him carefully. Lu Ze's broken ribs had not pierced his internal organs. Once Qin Ming set the bones and treated the wounds, the condition would not be critical.
Many had been hurt this time; standing on the street, one could hear the weeping of the elderly and children.
The atmosphere in the village turned oppressive. Xu Yueping ordered that from this moment on, no one was permitted to enter the mountains.
Qin Ming entered Xu Yueping's courtyard and found Old Man Liu and Yang Yongqing there as well.
"Do you intend to go kill that blood bear?" Xu Yueping asked inside the house.
Qin Ming kept his voice low. "Although Lu Ze has wounds left by bear claws, several of his ribs look more like they were broken by a fist."
"You noticed it too? Then it most likely was done by a human hand." Xu Yueping stood abruptly, his face filled with rage. "Some people have gone too far!"
Qin Ming had already suspected as much, piecing together a few clues.
Ever since Xu Yueping received those four seeds, he had looked weighed down by worry.
"Why?" Qin Ming asked. Suspecting it was one thing, but accepting it was another matter entirely.
Xu Yueping said in a low voice, "The patrol team pressured me to bury the Black Moon seeds immediately. I refused. I never imagined they would retaliate like this."
Old Man Liu said, "There's something wrong with the seeds. They must have mutated; they'll absorb vast amounts of the Fire Spring's spirituality, ruining the harvest in the fire fields. Come next year, there could be a famine."
Qin Ming's emotions churned. That bearded Feng Yi'an had seemed so bold and hearty, recounting the tragic past of mountain patrollers in a way that moved the heart. Yet behind the scenes, he would do something like this.
Yang Yongqing said, "The tales Feng Yi'an told are all true, but they have nothing to do with the main members of this current team!"
Qin Ming recalled Yang Yongqing's earlier words: *Some patrollers are very responsible.*
Even then, he had felt that Yang Yongqing was subtly hinting that others were utterly irresponsible, phrasing it with great tact.
Old Man Liu lowered his voice. "This patrol team previously hunted down a blood bear. I strongly suspect someone is wearing that bear hide to commit atrocities."
Hearing this, fury surged within Qin Ming. Mountain patrollers were supposed to guard the mountains and protect the region, commanding respect. Yet what were they doing? On the surface, they acted hearty and dutiful, but in secret, they committed evils, their hands stained with the blood of villagers. Where had their conscience gone?
"Is Brother Xu home?" Feng Yi'an called out, leading four patrollers into the courtyard.
"It's all our fault. We failed in our duty this time and couldn't protect our elders and kin." The bearded Feng Yi'an looked remorseful, declaring that they would hunt down the blood bear immediately.
Beneath his sleeves, Xu Yueping clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, yet he could not lash out and had to maintain his composure to deal with them.
His heart ached with unbearable bitterness. To kill someone and then come to the door to apologize was nothing short of stepping on their necks and looking down with a mocking smile.
Qin Ming sat quietly, holding back the urge to draw his blade for the moment.
Chapter 10