Six men emerged from the slope on the far side of the valley mouth. Four of them were outfitted in black armor of exceptional craftsmanship, far superior to the standard-issue armor worn by the mountain patrol team.
The other two wore ordinary iron armor that showed considerable wear, suggesting they were locals. One of them whistled sharply, and three robust raptors came bolting out from the dense woods. Their tawny feathers were fluffed, and their thick legs carried them forward at astonishing speed.
Qin Ming recognized them as mutated creatures bred at Golden Rooster Ridge. Only yesterday, he had seen three men riding ground fowl as they traversed the mountain forest.
"Impressive skills, brother. Holding the valley entrance all by yourself to slay blood snakes is bold and decisive indeed," spoke one of the young men in the finely wrought armor.
Qin Ming did not answer. The man had not yet lowered the stiff bow in his hands; only moments earlier, he had attempted to bring Qin Ming down with an iron arrow.
"Apologies for earlier. It was an impulsive move just to test your capabilities. It was certainly an offense."
Qin Ming looked at the young archer. "Do you even believe your own words?"
"Oh? Judging by your voice, you aren't very old. Reaching the second Newborn stage at such a young age means you have limitless prospects." Surprised, the young man stared at Qin Ming's black-cloth-masked face.
He knew very well that in a remote backwater like this, any youth with such an achievement had to possess extraordinary natural talent.
The young man stowed away his large black bow. Sensing that the youth before him was a rare talent, he said, "Brother, I was indeed reckless earlier. The main reason was that my elder brother was injured deep in the mountains and urgently requires spiritual matter to nourish his body. Worry clouded my judgment, and in my panic, I took action against you."
Qin Ming remained unmoved. A moment of panic was reason enough to shoot to kill? Such an explanation rang completely hollow. It was nothing more than a cold-blooded disposition that placed zero value on other people's lives.
Quickly stuffing the blood snakes from the ground into his beast-hide sack, Qin Ming asked, "Since it was a misunderstanding, may I leave now?"
"Brother, don't be in such a hurry. Perhaps we could become friends. You might not know this, but we hail from Chixia City..." The young man's intention to recruit him was plain.
Qin Ming stayed silent, quietly assessing the group. The young man whom the archer addressed as elder brother truly seemed to be in bad shape, his face tinged with a dark, livid hue.
Qin Ming felt a flicker of recognition. That dusky tint on his skin looked remarkably familiar—it was quite similar to how he himself had looked after falling into the chasm and falling gravely ill.
The young man smiled. "Brother, you see, the misunderstanding is resolved, and we genuinely need spiritual matter right now. But we won't take the blood snakes you hunted for nothing. I'd like to invite you to join us. We will certainly compensate you handsomely later."
Qin Ming sorely wanted to slap him across the face. Hand over the spiritual matter, and then go work for them on top of that?
Seeing that he received no enthusiastic response, the young man casually brushed his right hand against his saber hilt, while the others shifted their footing and fanned out.
Noticing their movements, Qin Ming said, "This isn't Chixia City, and there are no onlookers here. You don't need to speak with such hypocrisy. I will ask only once: now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, may I go?"
The young man's face chilled, and his words became concise indeed. "Ungrateful wretch!"
Qin Ming tore away the two layers of armor he wore to lighten his load, unwilling to let them hinder his speed. He slung the beast-hide sack onto his back and tied it securely in place.
He glanced down at the long saber in his hand. Hacking through the blood snakes had actually notched the blade, and the tips of several iron spears were damaged as well, showing just how tough the snakes' crimson scales truly were.
The newcomers looked cold and hostile. Some drew greatswords from their backs, while others drew longbows. Since all pretenses were dropped, they prepared to strike.
Only the livid-faced youth remained still. Looking toward the distant woods, he said, "You weren't in a hurry to run because you were waiting for the other blood snake to return, hoping it would launch an indiscriminate attack and indirectly help you deal with us? Well, I admit I need these blood snakes dearly. I won't let it escape back into the valley."
Just then, a crimson glow flared within the dense woods as the fiery serpent returned. It had not pursued its quarry indefinitely; after all, in such freezing cold, remaining exposed for too long would make its movements sluggish.
Seeing that his plan had been seen through, Qin Ming stopped concealing it. He hurled the iron spears in his hand with explosive force. The nearby men had been on guard all along, either dodging behind trees or preparing to parry with their weapons.
Yet they quickly realized the spears were not aimed at them at all. With dull thuds, three iron spears impaled the three ground fowl, sending wide sprays of blood into the air.
At that moment, the blood snake arrived nearby. Spotting the crowd blocking its path, it reared up like a man and attacked without hesitation.
The livid-faced youth spoke: "You handle that boy. I will slay this blood snake myself. Spiritual matter is always the more, the better."
"Elder Brother, can your body take it?" the young man who had spoken before asked, worried that something might go wrong.
The youth drew a longsword and replied, "I chose to enter a special node to explore; it's not as though I was wounded by accident. I can bear this level of exertion."
Seeing the blood snake arrive and launch into a frenzied onslaught, Qin Ming hesitated no longer. He spun around and fled along his predetermined escape route.
The others naturally gave chase, and the young man who had previously ambushed him with arrows began drawing his bow once more.
Qin Ming weaved through the dense woods, taking cover behind thick tree trunks. Once both sides broke into a full sprint, it became exceedingly difficult for the young man to keep drawing iron arrows from his quiver and firing accurately without slowing down.
The livid-faced youth was indeed formidable. Sword in hand, he met the blood snake head-on, unleashing brilliant sword light that instantly left several deep gashes across the serpent's body.
Glancing back at the sight, the men pursuing Qin Ming felt reassured.
Qin Ming ducked left and right through the dense forest, speeding through the night along a path he had scouted in advance. He could already tell this group would be tough to handle.
Among his pursuers, two had already achieved their second Newborn transformation. One of them was extremely fast, steadily closing the distance between them.
Qin Ming possessed ample strength, but because he was not truly a second Newborn, he still lacked a bit of pure speed.
The young man who had spoken earlier was also a second Newborn, but having stopped to shoot several arrows, he trailed slightly behind.
Reaching an area where the trees clustered tightly and tangled branches blocked the way, Qin Ming swept his gaze across the terrain and darted through the only unobstructed opening.
Naturally, his pursuers would not waste time swinging their blades to chop through blocking branches; they followed him closely along his path.
"Ah—!"
Suddenly, the second Newborn running at the very front let out a bloodcurdling scream. He collapsed painfully into the snow, his face contorted in agony.
An iron spear concealed beneath the snow had driven straight through his right foot. The sharp tip, dripping with gore, pierced fully through the bridge of his foot, creating a gruesome sight.
Qin Ming had planted three iron spears in this tangled tangle of branches beforehand purely as a precaution, preparing for the worst, never expecting they would actually prove useful.
The only clear opening had naturally been made by him snapping away the obstructing boughs. Still, planting iron spears upright in the snow and hoping an enemy stepped on them required a degree of luck.
The man had unwittingly bypassed two spears, only to step directly on the third. Sprinting at full speed, he suffered terrible consequences; his entire right foot was ruined.
Seeing this, the pursuers behind him felt their pupils contract. A phantom ache shot through their own right feet, followed by a wave of lingering dread.
The young man who had spoken earlier looked furious. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "Don't run blindly! Follow his footprints!"
He was a ruthless man. Leaving his wounded companion behind, he gripped a greatsword and gave chase alone, gradually closing the gap with his superior speed.
He had already noticed that the youth's speed was clearly inferior to his own, leading him to conclude that while the boy was also a second Newborn, his overall strength was inferior to theirs.
*He is only a Newborn from a remote backwater, lacking secret meditation arts and Yiqi Arts. Even after reaching the second Newborn stage, his upper limit won't amount to much.* That was his thought, and it was the foundation of his confidence to keep pressing the pursuit.
Qin Ming knew he would be overtaken sooner or later. Rather than letting that happen, he chose to seize the initiative, deliberately slowing his pace to eliminate one of his greatest threats first.
"Keep running, why don't you? Ungrateful trash! We only wanted a few blood snakes from you; isn't that better than throwing your life away?" The young man approached with a frosty expression.
As for the other man from Chixia City and the two from Golden Rooster Ridge, they had only undergone their first Newborn transformation. Lagging behind in speed, they had yet to catch up.
Qin Ming offered no reply. Gripping his long-handled dark-gold hammer, he charged forward. He had to end this swiftly; the person he feared most was still the youth fighting the blood snake alone. Despite whatever illness afflicted him, that man remained the most dangerous.
Snow exploded through the woods as Qin Ming struck with all his might. The very first blow from the dark-gold hammer dazed the young man completely, sending a numbing shock through the right hand gripping his sword.
This youth was slower and supposedly possessed inferior physical conditioning after his second Newborn transformation—how could his strength be so monstrous?
Qin Ming was intensely focused, giving everything he had. Although the long-handled dark-gold hammer was heavy, in his hands it was like black lightning weaving through the night.
The young man was formidable and clearly no easy foe, far more skilled than Fu Entao. After losing the upper hand in their initial clash, he mounted a swift counterattack.
Yet to his dismay, he discovered that this backwater youth was not the crude brawler he had imagined. The boy clearly commanded exceptional combat techniques. He wielded that ponderous hammer with dazzling agility, its astonishing movements carving through the dark in unpredictable arcs, every strike an efficient killing blow.
Then it dawned on him—the boy was executing hammer strikes using saber techniques!
*This guy is really tough. I must reach my second Newborn transformation as soon as possible!* Qin Ming thought to himself. And then, the dark-gold hammer suddenly slipped from his grasp.
With a resounding crack, the young man's world spun, tears and mucus bursting from his face. Right after their weapons clashed, the boy had seemingly "lost his grip." At such close range, the heavy hammer slammed into the young man's jaw, instantly shattering the bone.
Enduring the agonizing pain, the young man forced himself to remain conscious and slashed forward with his greatsword. He could not retreat now; he had to deny his opponent any chance of picking up the hammer.
Evidently, the blow had left him groggy, muddying his thoughts.
By the time he realized something was amiss, it was too late. Qin Ming drew the long saber at his side, deflected the greatsword, severed the young man's right sword arm in a single stroke, and sent him sprawling with a vicious kick.
Qin Ming retrieved his long-handled dark-gold hammer from the snow without a word. Rushing over, he smashed the man's head open with a single blow, took his weapons, and swiftly moved to intercept the remaining three.
***
The livid-faced youth had slain the blood snake without any surprise. His confidence had not been arrogance; his strength was genuinely terrifying.
Liu Huaishan and his surviving mountain patrollers had turned back, sprinting all the way to return to the valley mouth. He had reasoned that the blood snake was heavily spent, and in the freezing snow, even if it did not stiffen from the cold, its movements would surely slow.
Thus, he had doubled back, only to arrive just outside the valley in time to witness the youth slaughtering the blood snake.
The clearing instantly fell dead silent. Liu Huaishan and his men had never expected anyone else to be here, let alone succeed in killing the beast. Judging by appearances, the stranger's martial prowess was frightening.
The youth cast the dead blood snake to the ground. Eyeing the patrollers across from him, he stepped forward with his sword. He had entered this territory in secret, not wanting word to leak out because his rivals were nearby.
His condition was poor, making him even more determined to keep his presence hidden, causing killing intent to surge within him.
"Friend, we mean no harm! We are leaving right now—the blood snake is yours!" Liu Huaishan shouted hastily, leading his men in a rapid retreat.
He sensed that this man was excessively dangerous. If they clashed, his own side would undoubtedly be wiped out; this man alone could cut through all of them.
Seasoned veterans all, the mountain patrollers notched arrows to their bows, aiming forward defensively while quickening their retreat.
The youth suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. Exploring that special node had taken a toll on his body after all, leaving him intensely unwell. In the end, he took a deep breath, nodded, and allowed them to depart.
He rested for a brief spell until the sickening sensation subsided, then immediately set off along the trail of Qin Ming's flight.
Though snow drifted from the sky, it could not immediately bury the footprints. He dashed along the tracks, and before long, screams reached his ears.
There had been no suspense: Qin Ming had slain both Newborns from Golden Rooster Ridge along with the weakest man from Chixia City.
Carrying their weapons, Qin Ming had circled back to find the second Newborn whose right foot had been pinned by the iron spear.
When the livid-faced youth arrived, he found Qin Ming with his back turned, interrogating his companion.
In an instant, his blood ran hot with fury. He saw only one man being interrogated—where were the others? Where was his cousin? Had they all been killed?
"Speak up! Do you have an advanced Yiqi Art or not?" Qin Ming squatted there, hoisting the badly mauled man by the collar with one hand.
The man wanted to speak, but he could not open his mouth—he had already taken a hammer blow to the face. In truth, Qin Ming had no intention of letting him speak at all!
Unable to utter a word, the wounded man saw their strongest fighter appear and creep up silently. His pupils constricted, and he tried desperately to give warning.
With another dull crack, a hammer strike struck him again, turning his vision black as he nearly lost consciousness.
The livid-faced youth saw that the wounded man was drenched in blood from the waist up, with his lower half buried in snow—a truly miserable state. Hesitating no longer, he surged forward with explosive speed.
Then, he let out a muffled grunt and tumbled straight into the snowdrifts.
This time, what pierced his foot was not an iron spear, but his cousin's greatsword.
Only moments before, Qin Ming had meticulously prepared the area. The ground looked as though it had been swept by a fierce battle, littered with broken branches everywhere, leaving only a few open patches.
Those deliberately cleared spaces had naturally been seeded with buried iron spears, greatswords, and sabers. For now, the trap had yielded the ideal result.
With a thud, Qin Ming ended the life of the wounded man with a hammer blow, then calmly turned to face the youth whose foot was impaled by the greatsword.
The livid-faced youth was named Wang Nianzhu, a man of some renown in Chixia City. During his first Newborn transformation, he could heave a cauldron of five hundred and seventy jin, marking him as remarkably strong.
After his second Newborn transformation, his arms commanded nearly one thousand two hundred jin of strength. With such exceptional talent, how could he not feel burning hatred at being crippled in a place like this?
Above all, he had considered the masked youth before him nothing more than a rustic bumpkin, yet that very boy had inflicted such devastating injury upon him.
Qin Ming stepped back, raising the bow and arrow taken from Wang Nianzhu's cousin and aiming straight at him.
"Ah—!"
With his foot pierced through, Wang Nianzhu's mobility was crippled. Even with his immense strength, and though he could leap through the pain, he could not maintain his usual prowess. Before long, an arrow found its mark.
Moments later, Qin Ming closed the distance and used his long-handled dark-gold hammer to smash the head of the battered, dying Wang Nianzhu.
"To end up with an extra blood snake... thank you for the generous gift!" Qin Ming packed the second giant serpent into his beast-hide sack. His harvest today was immense beyond measure.
Chapter 23