The night sky was like an abyss, and the world seemed turned upside down.
Something was actually up in the air, not falling on ordinary days.
Like someone descending with a parachute, the red squirrel drifted back and forth. The blood kite attached to it by a slender thread gleamed within the dense night mist, exceptionally conspicuous.
A chill ran through Qin Ming. With a casual throw, he had actually struck down a bloodstained object from the sky.
He glanced sideways at Old Man Liu. Under the dark cover of night, the old man's face was dim and obscure.
With pitch-black eyes, Old Man Liu looked up into the night sky.
Qin Ming wondered if the inspiring squirrel had died. Not a single sound came from it.
Moments later, it drifted down, wrapping its fluffy big tail over its face in typical escapist fashion.
"You're fine now." Qin Ming lifted it up.
Yet the red squirrel's eyes remained squeezed shut. It had already passed out from fright. What on earth had it experienced?
Old Man Liu stared at the blood kite, his face turning pale. He parted his lips, wanting to say something.
"What is it?" Qin Ming asked in a low voice.
He replied, "It looks very much like a kite I flew when I was very young, but it shouldn't be the same one."
Shielding himself with black-and-white heavenly light, Qin Ming quickly untangled the slender thread wound around one of the red squirrel's little paws. He shook it and said, "Wake up."
The inspiring squirrel opened its eyes, only to see the blood kite slowly touching down, stopping not far before it. With a squeak, its eyes rolled back, and it fainted once more.
Wasn't this little fellow way too timid?
Qin Ming picked it up, gave its little face two gentle slaps with a pat-pat, and then gave it a vigorous shake, waking it up again.
This time, however, he did not let the cowardly squirrel face the kite.
"Squeak, squeak... g-ghoust!" it shrieked, finally blurting out human speech with slurred diction.
Qin Ming and Old Man Liu understood—it had probably meant to yell "ghost."
The kite settled onto the ground. In a few torn spots, the blood staining it gave off a faint glow, and several lines of characters were faintly visible.
Qin Ming did not dare touch it. In his eyes, this thing was exceedingly ominous!
Old Man Liu was also creeped out. The blood kite was a shadow from his childhood; he had never expected to see it again in his old age.
Qin Ming looked at the red squirrel and said, "No need to be afraid. Just stand beside me. Tell me, what did you see in the night sky?"
With a whoosh, the inspiring squirrel leaped onto Qin Ming's shoulder, staying far away from the ground, lingering fear evident in its stance toward the ragged kite.
It traced characters in the air with its little claws, recounting what it had seen.
"In the pitch-black night mist, I saw a bloody person lunging at me. It was too terrifying..."
Fear covered its face, and its tiny paws trembled.
Still, its terror was understandable. After all, abruptly encountering such a sight after being hurled alone into the depths of the night mist would terrify an adult man as well.
And after that... there was nothing else. It had simply passed out cold.
Qin Ming looked down at the kite that carried a heavy sense of antiquity. Even though he harbored deep wariness, he had to face it, carefully studying the writing upon it.
"How much remains that resembles the past? Returning, still the body of a youth."
This line of characters matched what he had seen in the thatched cottage at the Kunling baleful ground. It was the exact same script: exceedingly intricate phoenix seal script.
Only by relying on the lingering brand attached to the writing could Qin Ming decipher their meaning.
His mind was shaken, far from calm.
He looked toward the man beside him with a complex expression. Could it truly be this old fellow?
Old Man Liu immediately shook his head and said, "Don't look at me. It says returning, still the body of a youth. Do I look like one to you?"
Qin Ming said, "A youth can also refer to a pure, innocent heart, a vibrant and lively state of mind."
Then he paused, startled. "You recognize this ancient script too?"
Old Man Liu said, "What's so strange about that? Characters that were still in use a millennium ago—with some guessing and piecing together, I can pretty much make them all out."
His expression was unnatural. In truth, the style of this kite resembled the one he had flown back then far too closely. His own, of course, had long been lost.
"Could it be, Old Master, that you flew a kite from your past life in this one?" Qin Ming asked.
"Mine had my name on it. It had the characters 'Liu Mo' written on it." Old Man Liu shook his head.
"There are words on the back too." Shielding himself with the Yin-Yang Dao diagram, Qin Ming released heavenly light outward to flip the kite over.
On the other side, there was even more writing.
"Half a life drifting through an absurd dream, beholding neither the Divine Heavens nor the immortals. Why journey to Yujing in search of truth? Rather seek the true canon amidst mortal hearthfire."
Qin Ming was certain that this was something left behind by the master of the thatched cottage.
In fact, after careful observation, he believed even the material matched the human-shaped lantern.
It looked thin and light, like paper, but Qin Ming and Xiao Wu had strongly suspected that it was fashioned from human skin.
A high-ranking god had fled Yujing, and in order to return to the past and walk the mortal path once more, that entity had subjected itself to cruel torture, flaying immortal skin and stripping divine bone.
"This is a five-hundred-year-old blood kite? That's ancient indeed!" Old Man Liu sighed upon learning of it.
Qin Ming was sorely tempted to say: You two might be just as old as each other.
The matter came to a temporary close. Qin Ming reckoned that even if Old Man Liu was not the true principal, he was at least connected, or perhaps a smokescreen pushed to the forefront.
Qin Ming asked, "How do you plan to handle this kite? Take it home as a keepsake?"
Old Man Liu gave him a sidelong glance. "You little rascal, you're too wicked. If I take it back, will I ever get a wink of sleep again?"
Qin Ming said, "But I reckon it most likely came for you."
Uncle Liu nearly lost his temper. "Stop talking! The older one gets, the less courage one has. I still want to enjoy my twilight years in peace!"
Qin Ming pondered and said, "If it really is related to you, throwing it away would be improper."
"It has nothing to do with me!" Old Man Liu looked at the inspiring squirrel and suggested, "Why not tie it to this red squirrel and toss it back into the night sky?"
"Squeak, squeak..." The red squirrel cried incessantly, protesting vehemently and feeling this old man was far more wicked.
"You're burning the bridge after crossing it—sacrificing the squirrel to heaven!" it wrote in the air.
"How about burying it under the black-white trees? It's bright there, which will put one's mind at ease," Old Man Liu said.
He worried that if it were buried in a pitch-black spot and suddenly popped out, it could genuinely scare someone to death.
Qin Ming examined the blood on the kite. Although it gleamed, its spirituality had long been exhausted; it could not be used as auspicious blood.
"How many years have these two trees been here?" Qin Ming personally buried the ancient kite beneath the trees.
Old Man Liu said, "About as old as me, I reckon. Don't look at me with that gaze. I heard that originally, two old mulberry trees stood here. After too many years passed, they died. Later, birds probably carried seeds back from Black-White Mountain, allowing the black-white trees to take root and sprout here."
Qin Ming looked up toward the night sky. "Is it possible that the seeds fell from above?"
"Quit it!" Old Man Liu hurriedly stopped him.
Hearing that, the red squirrel felt uncomfortable all over. Should it even come to the trees to practice its skills in the future?
Qin Ming handed a jar of spiritual substance and a copy of the Golden Cicada Scripture to Old Man Liu. After thinking for a moment, he also left behind a copy of the Dragon Snake Scripture, telling him to pass it down if he found a suitable person.
Then he asked Old Man Liu about baleful energies—which areas in the mountain were suspicious.
"Mm, there are indeed a few such places."
In this regard, Old Man Liu was an authority, having the deepest understanding of Black-White Mountain. Back when the two of them had searched for spiritual substance, they had relied on him to guide the way.
He spoke up, "Come inside the house and rest for the night."
Qin Ming shook his head, agreeing to head into the mountains with him once shallow night arrived.
The inspiring squirrel hopped onto Old Man Liu's shoulder, its eyes glued to the two extraordinary manuals, unable to look away. In the end, it followed him into the courtyard.
That night, Qin Ming did not return to his former dwelling. Instead, he sat cross-legged beneath the black-white trees, studying scriptures and comprehending cultivation methods.
He had not expected that the village where he had lived for two years would hold so many bizarre secrets.
Soon, he quieted his mind, immersing himself in meditating on the scriptures he had cultivated.
The black-and-white yin-yang diagram emerged, spinning and enveloping him within, making him appear serene and detached beside the Fire Spring, imbued with an ineffable Dao rhythm.
In the pool measuring sixteen feet square, the Fire Spring's surface rippled with gleaming light, spewing crimson clouds. The Black-White Twin Trees swayed in the gentle breeze, rustling softly.
Before long, the yin-yang diagram outside Qin Ming's body seemed to connect with the Black-White Twin Trees, resonating with one another.
A larger yin-yang diagram appeared, encompassing the two trees within it as well.
That night, Qin Ming's understanding of the Black-White Classic reached an entirely new level. It could be said that he had achieved complete clarity. Across twelve densely written pages of scripture, the countless tiny black-and-white figures held no more secrets from him.
He had truly and thoroughly comprehended the scripture.
Black and white light intertwined, transforming into yin-yang fish. They no longer spun at high speed, but rotated steadily and smoothly at a distinct, measured tempo.
Yet the Dao rhythm grew even richer.
At the same time, black and white fish eyes appeared within the yin-yang fish.
At this point, the yin-yang diagram seemed to come alive, truly receiving the dotting of the eyes and gaining spirituality. A completely perfected black-and-white yin-yang diagram emerged.
Qin Ming integrated into heaven, earth, and nature, as though becoming one with the entirety of Black-White Mountain, breathing in unison with the mountains and rivers.
As shallow night drew near, Qin Ming rose, as if draped in a black-and-white robe. His eyes were deep and profound, his Dao attuned to nature.
"In the second realm, who can I not slay?" he stated calmly.
While the sky was still dark, the red squirrel arrived. In a proper, ceremonious manner, it cupped its paws toward Qin Ming, then leaped onto a branch and began practicing its skills.
Soon, Old Man Liu stepped out of his house, kicking back the old yellow dog that had followed him out.
The old and the young entered the mountains, with the inspiring squirrel trailing stealthily behind.
Old Man Liu led the way like a living map.
Except for the high-grade Fire Spring region where the ancient demons dwelt, which he had never visited, he was familiar with every other territory.
He brought Qin Ming before a sinkhole—pitch-black and bottomless. When a stone was tossed down, quite some time passed before the sound of water splashing rose up.
Standing there, one felt wisps of stinging pain, indicating that the baleful energy was quite potent.
Qin Ming unleashed his fishing tackle, controlling it with heavenly light. After fishing for a long time, he felt slightly disappointed. Strong yin baleful energy was present, yet there was nothing that had taken form.
For many Outer Sages, this would have been sufficient, and even if they managed to harvest it, they might not be able to refine it.
For Qin Ming, however, anything short of a legendary heterogeneous substance could hardly catch his eye.
At the second location, several bare, stony hills bore charred traces. Drawing near, one could feel wisps of scorching heat.
"Thunder baleful energy?" Qin Ming was surprised. This area looked as though it were frequently struck by lightning, and a certain baleful energy was exceptionally intense.
Yet the baleful energy here had not gained sentience; it could only be described as standard. Nevertheless, some heavenly light substance drifted loosely about.
Qin Ming sat quietly for two hours refining heavenly light, which counted as some harvest.
Old Man Liu said, "There's only one last place. If that doesn't work either, all that remains is the deep mountain where the ancient demons dwell."
However, neither of them could approach such a place.
This was a swampland, appearing exceptionally dark and gloomy under the night mist.
Upon arriving here, Old Man Liu halted at the outer edge. The trailing red squirrel bristled even more, feeling as though it were being pricked by needles, completely terrified of taking another step forward.
Qin Ming was pleasantly surprised. There must be an extraordinary heterogeneous substance here.
"As expected of Black-White Mountain—it has nurtured something of legendary rank!"
Though he had yet to see it, Qin Ming's intuition told him that an extraordinary baleful energy resided here.
He scouted the area and ultimately staked out a moderately sized perimeter.
Throwing caution to the wind, he began digging directly into the swampland.
Without heavenly light protecting his body, he would have turned into a mud monkey long ago. In mere moments, he had already dug out a large pit.
Throughout the day, Qin Ming riddled the ground with holes, some tunnels reaching a hundred zhang deep, causing even groundwater to flood upward. Yet he still failed to discover the baleful energy he sought.
"Strange." Only after night grew thick did he call it a day, empty-handed.
Yet this territory clearly harbored an intensely potent baleful energy.
"Could it be that after taking form, its spirituality is so great that it has been hiding from me all along?" Qin Ming frowned. That was the only explanation.
Fearing that the formed baleful entity might flee if he departed, he remained behind and continued excavating through the night.
"Xiao Qin, take it easy." Old Man Liu returned home with the inspiring squirrel.
When he arrived the next day, he was dumbfounded. A miniature chasm had appeared before him.
"Could it have shed its shell like a golden cicada, leaving only baleful energy behind while the formed entity fled long ago?" Suspecting as much, Qin Ming began searching the surroundings.
That day, he still found nothing.
On the third day, after combing the entire mountain and wilderness, Qin Ming abruptly looked up into the night sky.
He felt it was absurd. Even if it were a formed baleful entity, would it really be floating in the sky like the blood kite? Still, he could not resist testing the idea.
He cast out his fishing gear. The sparkling fishhook sliced through the night mist, plunging into the pitch-black sky.
The hook vanished into the night alongside the line. It did not fall back down, remaining taut as it stretched high into the air.
Seeing this scene, Old Man Liu's scalp went numb.
The inspiring squirrel was dazed. One could actually fish in the sky?
"Did I really guess right?" Qin Ming felt this was utterly bizarre; Black-White Mountain was exceedingly strange.
After half an hour, the fishing line pulled taut, and a tremendous commotion traveled down. It felt as though he had hooked a massive monster pulling violently upward, nearly lifting both of Qin Ming's feet off the ground.
"Th-this... there's really a 'behemoth' up in the night sky?" Old Man Liu hurriedly ran over to help.
Qin Ming immediately circulated the Wuji Classic. His feet seemed rooted into the earth, and yellowish-brown essence steamed upward as he pulled down fiercely on the line.
Old Man Liu said, "Little squirrel, climb up along the line and see what it is."
The red squirrel bared its teeth at him. Tricking it once wasn't enough; he wanted to use it as groundbait again?
Qin Ming unleashed his heavenly light force, applying sustained power, gradually hauling the prey down from the night sky.
Vaguely, he heard the sound of iron chains snapping.
The night mist surged violently, and immense commotion erupted high above.
"Whatever you do, don't hook down some disheveled, wild-haired ghost..." Old Man Liu said.
"Uncle, don't jinx it!" Qin Ming was rather wary of the man's mysterious background and worried his words might carry prophetic weight.
Old Man Liu readily obliged, quickly changing his tune. "Ah, then hook an immortal maiden down instead!"
The red squirrel, which had been trying to learn human speech, grew exceedingly agitated. Pointing toward the night sky, it babbled indistinctly, "Holy... crap..."
Qin Ming stared deep into the churning night mist, where the prey had already revealed a hazy silhouette.
Chapter 268