How Much Do I Look Like Who I Used to Be?

The Fire Spring flowed along irrigation channels into the sprawling fire fields outside the village, spreading like small streams of lava. All the crops flourished vigorously. The night mist was dyed crimson by the scarlet clouds, resembling sunset clouds ablaze. The houses at the head of the village were outlined with golden edges, their roof ridges and tiles gleaming. "It's nearly a second-rank Fire Spring," Qin Ming noted in surprise. He had only been away for roughly half a year, yet far more fire fields had been cultivated outside the village, vastly surpassing the past. Cao Qianqiu had visited twice, and the Fire Spring's grade had clearly risen as a result. Many villagers often spoke fondly of the "Old Immortal's" kindness. The few who knew the truth, however, felt uneasy. That Old Immortal had left drenched in blood every time, meaning he had likely "paid" a steep price. Shallow night had just fallen. The sounds of chickens and dogs drifted about, and wisps of hearth smoke curled from the homes. The remote village was steeped in the warm bustle of everyday life. Qin Ming slipped back quietly, not wanting to make a scene known to everyone. He made his way to a slope and gazed down at Twin Trees Village. He felt that the Cui clan and certain people from the outer realm had precious few moral scruples. If his ties to this place grew too deep, it might summon "storms" down upon it. A streak of red light flashed across the village and dashed toward the village entrance at high speed. It turned out to be a red squirrel whose fur was smooth as silk. It swiftly perched on one of the Black-White Twin Trees. Immediately, it began throwing punches, kicking its legs, flicking its tail, and then performing aerial cartwheels. Its movements were remarkably precise; it had been practicing since early morning. "Heng heng ha hei!" it actually grunted out. "A second mutation. Quite impressive," Qin Ming nodded. This was truly an inspiring squirrel. It leaped and bounded through the black-white tree, diligently drilling its hand-to-hand techniques with proper form. Finally, it sat cross-legged, quiet as an old monk, about to meditate. Inadvertently glancing toward the high ground in the distance, its eyes suddenly went blank. The red squirrel left an afterimage in the tree, leaped down, and bolted toward Qin Ming. "This little fellow is certainly enthusiastic. Still fond of me, remembering me after half a year," Qin Ming smiled. Suddenly, his smile froze. The red squirrel jumped with all its might, reaching midair at head height, and threw a punch straight at his face. At the same time, he sensed the fluctuations of its emotions. The red squirrel possessed such burning fighting spirit and drilled its fist techniques tirelessly every day just so it could spar with him one day and beat him black and blue. It had sworn to raid his nest in return! "Through wind and rain, I will rise... Squeak!" The red squirrel's body stiffened, having landed right in the boy's grip. Striking second but arriving first, Qin Ming pinched the scruff of its neck between two fingers and dangled it in the air. "You're this inspiring just to challenge me?" Qin Ming found it absurd. This squirrel certainly held a grudge. The red squirrel was dumbstruck. After its second mutation, it was strong enough to knock down an adult man in the village, yet it still couldn't do a thing to the youth before it. It immediately deflated, slumping listlessly. Every morning after finishing its fist practice with Xiao Wenrui, it would do extra drills on the black-white tree at the village entrance, yet it remained utterly powerless. Qin Ming smiled. "The method you're practicing is no good—far too ordinary. Later, I'll leave an extraordinary technique in the village; you can study along with them." The red squirrel was full of spirituality. Hearing this, its eyes darted about, and its fighting spirit surged once more. It felt like it was capable again. "Do you know where there is baleful qi in the mountains? If you don't understand, that's fine, let me describe it: the sort of dangerous place where your skin prickles like needle pricks when you get close..." A moment later, Qin Ming headed into the deep mountains with the red squirrel. Black-White Mountain seemed somewhat different now. The lush forest teemed with even richer vitality, and towering mountain after towering mountain seemed to breathe, as if gradually awakening. Although Qin Ming's cultivation had increased greatly, reaching the middle stage of the second realm, he remained relatively cautious and did not barge about recklessly. For he knew very well that the old demons in the mountains possessed extraordinary strength. That white-furred mountain lord, the old weasel, and the Moon Insect were surely in the fourth realm. He searched for a whole day without finding any baleful ground. Qin Ming frowned. Such places were exceedingly hazardous; they shouldn't have been occupied by the old demons deep in the mountains. "Are there places like dragon pools or abysses in the mountains?" he asked. The red squirrel blinked its large eyes and shook its head, indicating it didn't know. Its cultivation was limited; in the past, it had only dared roam within its own territory. After thinking for a moment, however, it led Qin Ming to a location where a pond lay with murky black water, surrounded by reeds. The red squirrel's ancestors had told it that beneath the water here was very dangerous. Qin Ming's spirits lifted. Bringing out his special fishing gear, he began angling here. In the end, he actually caught something. He reeled in a large turtle. It had mutated four times and was a spiritual creature; the moment its head broke the surface, it bared its ferocity and lunged to bite Qin Ming. "This will make a fine gift to bring back to the village." Qin Ming had entered the mountains intending to gather some spiritual substances in the first place. Watching him harvest the ferocious turtle's spiritual blood, the red squirrel immediately drooled. It began bowing with clasped paws, squeaking incessantly. "You certainly are pragmatic, aren't you?" As dusk fell, Qin Ming hunted several more spiritual creatures. In the past, he and Old Man Liu had resorted to all kinds of methods just to obtain spiritual substances that could allow someone to achieve the third Newborn, barely breaching the silver-headed ant nest. Now, creatures mutated three or four times were nothing to him. His only concern was that certain spirit beasts in the mountains were registered on the mountain lord's roster. At night, Qin Ming returned. The night mist was thick. Entering the village at this hour wouldn't attract attention. "Uncle!" Wenrui, nearly six years old, widened his eyes in disbelief, suddenly seeing his uncle after their long separation. "Unca..." Wenhui, nearly three, was still tongue-tied as he wrapped his arms around Qin Ming's leg. "Xiao Qin!" Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing were overjoyed, hurriedly welcoming him inside. "Keep it quiet. I'll be leaving shortly," Qin Ming said. He possessed a bit of fame now and didn't want the people close to him dragged into his grievances or targeted by others. Qin Ming handed a jar of spiritual substance to Lu Ze and told him he would also leave behind an extraordinary technique, which Lu Ze could study together with Old Man Liu. Finally, he patted the heads of the two children and stepped out into the night. "Uncle, I'm going to look for you in the future and slowly catch up to your footsteps in the night mist world!" Xiao Wenrui called out softly from behind. In the quiet of the late night, Qin Ming sent a secret voice transmission to call Old Man Liu. "Uncle Liu!" "My mountain god! Has my lifespan run out? How can I hear someone calling me? It couldn't be the underworld runners, could it?" Old Man Liu's eyes widened, looking thoroughly spooked. Qin Ming pondered: Was this old man truly connected to that high-ranking deity in Kunling? No matter how he looked at him, he didn't resemble one at all. "Uncle Liu, it's me!" Qin Ming popped his head over the courtyard wall. "Hiss, you brat didn't kick the bucket, did you? How can you transmit your voice into my heart?" Old Man Liu came into the courtyard, sucking in a breath of cold air. Qin Ming couldn't discern his true state, so he smiled and said, "Don't jinx me, old sir. Your mouth hasn't been consecrated, has it? Hurry and wish me immortality." "It really is you!" Old Man Liu widened his eyes. Then, grabbing a jar of fine wine and two cups, he quickly walked out of the courtyard. Behind him, the mutated big yellow dog wagged its tail, about to follow, but Liu kicked it back into its kennel. Eventually, the two arrived beside the fire fields outside the village entrance. "Don't want people to know you're back?" Seeing his behavior, Old Man Liu immediately understood what was going on. Qin Ming said, "I'm afraid of bringing trouble to the village. Better to keep a low profile." "Looks like you've stirred up quite a massive splash out there, kid," Old Man Liu remarked. By now, his hair was jet-black and his complexion ruddy; his earlier white hair was entirely gone. Qin Ming teased, "After your third Newborn, you didn't really have a child in your old age, did you?" "You just got back and you already know?" "Holy crap!" Qin Ming was dumbfounded. "Squeak, squeak..." The red squirrel had followed them and was clutching its belly with laughter. Old Man Liu glared. "What are you laughing at? You've already turned into a spirit, yet you haven't even managed to land a wife. Every day as soon as shallow night falls, you punch and squawk in the tree outside my gate, you bachelor squirrel." The red squirrel wanted to leap up and punch his old face, but clearly knew it couldn't win, having learned its lesson before. In the end, it was reduced to a wine-pouring boy, lugging the big jar to serve them drinks. "Take it," Qin Ming handed it a jar of spiritual substance. Even so, the red squirrel didn't leave, waiting eagerly to learn the extraordinary technique. "Uncle Liu, are you a god?" Qin Ming came straight to the point, asking out of the blue. "What did you say?" Old Man Liu was stunned, having never expected such a question. Then, he stood up and said, "Wait a moment, let me get into character." He smoothed his clothes, took a deep breath, and said, "All right. How much do I look like who I used to be?" Qin Ming started in surprise. But seeing the poorly suppressed grin on the old face, he realized the old codger was mimicking the weasel folklore and just clowning around. Old Man Liu answered his own question: "Am I a god? Yes!" Qin Ming quickly corrected him: "No, you aren't. In this lifetime, you want a fresh start. You cannot hastily become a god and enter Yujing." As he spoke, he carefully observed the expressions on Old Man Liu's face. His features were identical to the human skin lantern seen by the thatched cottage. Especially now that Old Liu had a head of black hair, there was practically no difference between the two. "What's wrong with you? Talking so weirdly, confusing this old fellow." Old Man Liu looked at him suspiciously. Qin Ming felt that the master of the thatched cottage was not a malevolent god; otherwise, he wouldn't have obtained such great fortune from that place. Regardless of whether Old Man Liu had a special background, he decided to speak the truth. Qin Ming then laid out everything he had witnessed in the Kunling baleful ground in one breath. Old Man Liu was flabbergasted. Could things really be this absurd? "My hair is standing on end. For me, that's just too terrifying!" Old Man Liu's astonished expression didn't seem feigned. He was thoroughly creeped out. Out by the thatched cottage, there was a human skin lantern, an escape from Yujing... It was utterly preposterous and horrifying. He hurriedly drank large bowls of wine to drive the chill from his back. The red squirrel was likewise dumbstruck. Then, it jumped onto Old Man Liu's shoulder and began massaging his shoulders. In the blink of an eye, the inspiring squirrel had turned into a brown-nosing squirrel. Old Man Liu said, "What you're talking about happened five hundred years ago. I'm only in my seventies right now, nowhere near that old!" Qin Ming couldn't judge his true state either. He appeared to be just a rustic old village man. Though shrewd, he truly bore no resemblance to a godkin creature. Then, Old Man Liu frowned and said, "Five hundred years ago was also when the illustrious Black-White Mountain collapsed." "Right!" Qin Ming looked at him with bright, searching eyes. Old Man Liu said, "Don't look at me. It really had nothing to do with me." He recalled his past, lamenting his awful luck. Even flying a kite ended with it stained in blood. When he went hunting, a famed beast wiped out his entire team, leaving only him to escape by sheer fluke. He had once traveled to Chixia City to apprentice under a renowned master, only for his teacher to encounter an enemy and drop dead suddenly. "Uncle Liu, what's going on up there?" Qin Ming pointed toward the sky above the village. "You ask me, but who am I supposed to ask?" Speaking of this, Old Man Liu inevitably brought up the Old Immortal Cao Qianqiu, saying, "He's a good man. Every time he stirs things up, our Fire Spring brightens a bit." "Would it work to train a bird to fly up and take a look?" Qin Ming asked. "Haven't tried it. Why don't you toss it up to take a look?" Old Man Liu pointed at the red squirrel. The inspiring squirrel's fur instantly bristled. Although it didn't know what was up there, it certainly had no desire to take flight into the sky. "Why'd you stop pounding my shoulders? Bristling over such a little thing?" Old Man Liu kept drinking to steady his nerves, now somewhat tipsy. Burping with wine, he said, "If I really am a Heavenly God, and you run errands for me, I'll confer a divine post on you in the future." The red squirrel's eyes widened instantly. Its fur smoothed down, looking eager to try. It even pointed toward the night sky, indicating it wanted to participate. "Forget it. I'll find a bird to try it later," Qin Ming said, shaking his head. The red squirrel scribbled crookedly on the ground: "Riches and honor are sought amidst peril! I am begging the god for a conferment!" Then it added: "Don't throw into the center. Just at the village entrance, toss into midair, test it cautiously." Qin Ming threw with force, tossing the wine jar upward, and finally neutralized its falling momentum with gentle heavenly light, catching it steadily. Finally, the red squirrel took to the sky, vanishing into the pitch-black night mist, far from the critical spot. In the night sky, a squeak of fright sounded, and then all fell silent. The squirrel... hadn't come back down? A chill ran through Qin Ming. Had something really gone wrong? "It's coming down," Old Man Liu said. Like a fallen leaf, the red squirrel drifted and fluttered downward. Fine threads were tangled around its body. Above it, a kite—seemingly still dripping blood—drifted down in tow, bearing faintly glowing script.