Xu Yueping did not say a word until they left Silver Vine Town. Rushing into the dark depths of the dense woods, he slammed his fist into a large tree, sending snow rustling down from the branches.
"If I didn't have a wife, children, and elderly kin to care for, or if I were twenty years younger, I would have dragged Feng Yi'an down to the grave with me today even if it cost me my life!" He panted heavily, suffocated by the pent-up anguish in his chest, his arms trembling faintly.
He had been humiliated in that private room; the finger marks still lingered on his cheek. As a man, he could hardly swallow such disgrace.
Yet he had a family, and he was no longer young. The burdens and responsibilities weighing upon him forced him to endure it. Clenching his fists, he whispered, "Life has ground away all the fire in my blood."
Qin Ming did not know how to comfort him. Even his own emotions churned in sympathy.
"Uncle Xu, don't make yourself sick with anger. Those who commit evil like this will face retribution sooner or later."
Only after a long while did Xu Yueping exhale a breath of foul air and say, "Let's head back."
Flakes of snow still drifted down from the night sky. The two spoke little along the way, so Qin Ming tried his best to find topics to ease the suffocating gloom.
"Why haven't they swept the mountains yet?"
Xu Yueping said, "The higher-ups are probably still negotiating with the mysterious creatures in the mountains."
Then his expression turned grim as he brought something up: the mountain patrol team had a catalytic fluid that was currently being concocted. In three days, it would be delivered to Twin Trees Village and poured into the Fire Spring.
One did not need to think twice to know that a catalytic fluid beneficial for Black Moon germination would harm the fire field.
"Did the other villages all agree?" Qin Ming asked.
Xu Yueping sighed. "Three of the villages pushed back. Given how fire field yields have declined year after year, they guessed that something was wrong with the seeds too, but in the end they couldn't withstand the pressure and agreed. That leaves only neighboring Qingsang Village. The patrol team was wary of the person who taught Erbingzi that high-grade cultivation technique, so they didn't dare push too hard there."
"The middle of the month is almost here," Qin Ming said, looking up at the pitch-black sky.
He already knew that the members of the mountain patrol team only gathered together in the mountains around the middle and end of the month.
Just then, a colossal bull with scarlet fur emerged from a fork in the road ahead, impossible to miss.
The ridge of its back was considerably taller than a grown man. Its thick, long coat shone with a crimson glow, and in addition to two ordinary curved horns, a sharp horn as straight as a sword thrust out from the center of its forehead.
Clearly, this was a mutated creature.
Yet what drew the eye most was the man riding atop it. He was extraordinarily tall; standing on the ground, he would easily exceed three meters. Shoulder-length black hair draped over him, and his blade-sharp eyes swept over the two of them.
The fiery-red mutated bull trampled through the snow, hurtling toward Silver Vine Town at tremendous speed.
"To think a person could be that tall," Qin Ming murmured in astonishment.
"He walks a different path," Xu Yueping said, gazing after the departing figure.
"A bodily spurt brought on by an early Newborn transition?" Qin Ming asked.
According to the experience accumulated by predecessors, undergoing the Newborn transition at fifteen or sixteen was optimal, laying down a golden foundation.
If it happened too early, balance was easily lost. The body was already in a stage of rapid growth, and having a Newborn transition accelerate it further could disrupt growth hormones, ultimately turning someone into a giant.
Worst of all, most such giants died young.
For after such drastic physical changes, their bodies usually spiraled out of control.
Xu Yueping said, "Only prominent clans possess the legacy of ancient masters and can pile massive resources into such individuals to allow them to grow to maturity."
The few giants who survived became terrifyingly formidable once they rose, capable of subduing ten arts with pure strength.
"Men like him follow the Giant Spirit path," Xu Yueping said, emphasizing that ordinary households could never afford to nurture one.
He guessed that the rider and mount just now likely came from Chixia City.
Turning to the topic of Newborn transitions, Qin Ming smoothly brought up Fu Entao, the captain of the mountain patrol team.
Xu Yueping turned to look at him. "Xiao Qin, you aren't thinking of going after them, are you? You must never do that."
Qin Ming shook his head. "Uncle Xu, you're overthinking it. I'm just a newcomer. What qualifications or strength do I have to take on a second Newborn?"
Xu Yueping breathed a sigh of relief. He had genuinely feared that Qin Ming might throw his life away on an impulse.
"Though the first Newborn transition is comprehensive, its emphasis is primarily on strength. A second Newborn leans slightly toward physical qualities like flexibility and speed."
As they chatted along the way, Qin Ming gradually pieced together Fu Entao's standout strengths and his level of power.
On their way back, the two ventured into the dense woods multiple times. Unwilling to return empty-handed, they hoped to bring back some game to give to families short on food.
"That was close. Even a Newborn like me was nearly injured. The creatures out in the wilds are getting restless more and more often; the mountains truly need clearing," Xu Yueping said with lingering dread.
Just moments ago, a mutated thorn leopard had ambushed him from behind like a streak of black lightning, nearly impossible to ward off. If Qin Ming had not intervened, it would have pinned him to the ground.
"A mutated plant just bloomed in this area, making it rather dangerous. We shouldn't linger here."
The two wasted no time, hauling the mutated thorn leopard onto the road. It weighed four hundred and fifty jin, with five-inch-long black spikes running all the way from its belly to its head.
Upon returning to the village, Qin Ming immediately felt a heavy, stifling atmosphere; even the children who usually loved chasing each other through the snow were fewer in number.
Xu Yueping distributed the thorn leopard meat among the households before heading home. He was utterly exhausted, mostly on a psychological level.
Qin Ming stood beside the bright Fire Spring, gazing out at the wilderness where the faint silhouettes of distant mountains loomed.
"In three days, they'll deliver the catalytic fluid to pour into the Fire Spring. Pushing like this... you truly aren't giving people any time at all," he murmured under his breath.
He walked toward the wilderness, preparing to head into the mountains.
"I'll scout the path first." It was still shallow night; he was not planning any rash action.
Most importantly, it was still two days until the middle of the month.
"Must you drive people to a dead end? Caring nothing for next year's famine, heedless of whether others live or die." Qin Ming strode into the mountain forest.
This time, he did not carry a hunting spear; after completing his full Newborn transition, he no longer needed one. He brought only a bow, arrows, and a woodchopping knife.
Knowing where the patrol team's stronghold was, he walked steadily in that direction.
The wind was howling, and snow was still falling. Such conditions in the mountains worked to his advantage, wiping away any tracks he left behind.
Each mountain patrol team was responsible for a territory covering six to eight villages. The resting outpost used by Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and the others lay just ahead, not requiring one to venture deep into the mountains.
Whenever Qin Ming spotted mutated beasts along the way, he avoided them where possible, unwilling to invite unnecessary complications.
Traversing vast stretches of forest and crossing several peaks, he approached his destination.
Red light flickered atop a mountain peak. A miniature Fire Spring was located there, barely approaching grade one and not even as bright as the one in Twin Trees Village, but as a base for the patrol team, it was more than adequate.
Earlier on, this place had been occupied by a formidable mutated beast, until Fu Entao had led a group to surround and slaughter it years ago.
Deep within the mountain range lay high-grade Fire Springs where the environment was exceptional; the mysterious beings dwelling there looked down on the dim Fire Springs of the outer regions.
Qin Ming observed from an adjacent peak. Across the gap, fiery dawn-glow drifted, and several wooden cabins stood on a level clearing, figures moving inside and out.
Normally, at most two or three mountain patrollers frequented the area.
They only operated together when hunting for mutated plants or spiritual creatures in their pursuit of a second Newborn transition.
"They're keeping a mutated beast with a sharp sense of smell." Qin Ming frowned. A massive golden mastiff was there, its build rivaling that of a tiger.
Soon after, anger surfaced on his face as he spotted a snow ape with glistening fur—plainly a captive monstrosity—soaking in the Fire Spring.
Some villagers had been attacked by a snow ape; some had broken ribs, and others had nearly had their arms torn off.
Qin Ming watched the peak quietly for a long while before vanishing silently into the night.
He emerged from the mountain forest and looked toward Twin Trees Village in the distance.
Beneath the night, fiery glow rippled at the village entrance, outlining the nearby houses in shimmering gold and casting hazy silhouettes as wisp after wisp of cooking smoke rose from several chimneys.
It should have been a scene of serene beauty, yet as Qin Ming stepped into the village, he heard weeping.
"Uncle Qian couldn't hold on. He just passed away... sigh!"
Many villagers stood before the Qian family home, someone letting out a heavy sigh.
"Old Qian was well along in years, and that snow ape nearly snapped his neck. He only barely hung on until now."
Qin Ming listened in silence without uttering a word. This was already the third person to die from this incident.
Xu Yueping and Old Man Liu arrived as well, their faces heavy. Knowing the truth, their hearts burned with utter hatred for Feng Yi'an and his cohort.
The next day, during Uncle Qian's funeral procession, members of the mountain patrol team appeared at the village entrance. Feng Yi'an stepped forward with a sigh, handing a river deer to the Qian family.
Watching his hypocritical posturing as he offered comfort to the Qian family, young and old, even the eldest, Old Man Liu, felt sickened and turned his face away.
The Qian family, oblivious to the truth, even felt grateful to him.
Qin Ming quietly clenched his fists. A single river deer to pay for a human life?
The underlying truth was drenched in blood; had Uncle Qian's life really been deemed so worthless?
A tall man clad in armor spoke up: "Whether it was that blood bear or the savage snow ape, both have already been slain by us. Everyone may safely enter the mountains to hunt now."
Qin Ming recognized him: his name was Shao Chengfeng.
During one trip into the mountains, Qin Ming and Yang Yongqing had run into this man along the way.
Back then, he had even thought Shao Chengfeng was very responsible and hardworking, patrolling the mountains deep into the night.
Now the man was lying through his teeth, heaping credit onto himself after doing evil—it was truly despicable.
Afterward, the patrollers sought out Xu Yueping. They had not come to comfort the villagers at all; they had come to see the planting of the Black Moon with their own eyes.
"Brother Xu, you've worked hard." This time, Feng Yi'an was well satisfied, clapping Xu Yueping on the shoulder.
Qin Ming stood by the Fire Spring as well. Though Feng Yi'an smiled, Qin Ming could sense no goodwill whatsoever.
Xu Yueping remained expressionless, but the memory of being humiliated in Silver Vine Town sent a sharp sting through his cheek and into his heart.
Shao Chengfeng smiled. "My eyes played tricks on me last time. I never expected Little Brother Qin to be a Newborn who laid down a golden foundation. Once the mountain-clearing operation begins, we'll likely be fighting side by side. Why not join our mountain patrol team directly? That way, you'll be one of us in advance."
Qin Ming politely declined at once, pretending not to notice as the man's smile gradually faded.
Shortly after, the mountain patrollers departed.
"No need to test him further—it's obvious the kid harbors hostility toward us. Find a chance to get rid of him once the mountain clearing starts!"
"Don't waste him. The Fire Spring over in the Blood Bamboo Forest is about to go out; we can use him to scout the way."
They conversed casually as they disappeared into the wilderness.
That day, Qin Ming sat in the courtyard, meticulously whetting his woodchopping knife.
Chapter 13