Piercing the Night

For a split second, Qin Ming felt as if his innermost secrets had been laid bare. The raging inferno that had swallowed his entire village that night two years ago seemed to burn its way from his memory into reality. The scorching heat, the pungent stench of charred ruins, the broken walls and scattered corpses, and that ethereal youth in the feathered robe all surfaced one after another. Yet the moment he turned around, he had already regained his composure, his heart calm and steady. Though the woman before him had seen his destitute, desperate state two years ago when he was on the brink of death, she could not possibly know what he had actually been through. If there had been any deeper connection between them in the past, it made no sense that they would cross paths again only today when both were near Silver Vine Town. With a sincere expression, Qin Ming said, "Miss Xie, would you please tell me what happened back then? Who was looking after me at the time? As you might have noticed, I suffered severe head trauma and still have no memory of that period." Xie Lingxi planted the greatsword—over three meters long—into the ground, glanced back at him, and said, "Back then, a man and a woman in their early thirties were traveling with you. From the sound of it, you were barely hanging on, and if worse came to worst, they were just going to leave you to fend for yourself." Qin Ming pondered this and murmured softly, "If I was already on the verge of dying, why did they bother bringing me on such a long journey?" Xie Lingxi’s dark hair was a full seven feet long, framing deeply sculpted facial features and a pair of beautiful eyes as bright as starlight. "I only caught a few words from a distance. They wanted to take you somewhere remote, far away from the dazzling cities. If you managed to survive, it would be best for you to take root here." Just then, a slender maid arrived with tea. The two cups on her tray differed noticeably in size. She spoke up, "My lady gave you a pill back then to nourish your qi and blood. While it wasn't priceless, it was still a gesture of goodwill." "Ah... thank you, Miss Xie." Qin Ming immediately bowed in gratitude. She had done him a kindness without ever bringing it up; if the maid had not come to the rear courtyard, he never would have known. "You may leave," Xie Lingxi said with a wave of her hand, stopping the pretty, clear-featured maid before she could say more. Qin Ming cupped his hands. "Could I trouble Miss Xie to think back carefully? Were there any other details from that day? I would be endlessly grateful for anything you can share." "You were in tattered, bloodstained clothes back then. Even when they were new, they couldn't have been anything special." Qin Ming nodded. During his second Newborn transformation, he had glimpsed his childhood self, wearing little patched-up garments. It was hardly surprising that his youth had been destitute. What eluded him was why such calamity had befallen him, consuming the entire village in flames. After a moment's thought, Xie Lingxi continued, "The two traveling with you had mainly come to investigate the spiritual mountains in this region activated by heavenly light. Since they discussed on the road wanting you to settle in a remote area, they probably just brought you along on the way." She explained that their paths had crossed only twice on the road. What she shared now was merely her best guess based on the few words exchanged in haste. Hearing this, Qin Ming fell into a brief daze. What was his relationship to that man and woman? They did not seem particularly close, yet they had saved his life. At the same time, what was the story behind these spiritual mountains activated by heavenly light? He was eager to ask, but felt it would be improper to pry further. *** "Hehehe." In the front courtyard, inside a smaller sitting room, a purple-eyed crow let out a chuckle. Looking at the woman draped in a black fur cloak, it cackled, "Those two boys actually took you for the Xie family's young lady! Cackle, cackle..." "Your laugh is hideous!" The woman extended a slender, elegant finger, pointing toward the crow with a hazy light. The bird took flight instantly, deftly dodging her touch. The purple-eyed crow said, "Who would've thought such a remote backwater would produce two decent saplings? I get the feeling that if that sick, foul-mouthed boy heals completely and his origin recovers, he won't be half bad either." The woman remarked, "That boy with the sharp tongue already has a master. You can tell someone is using extraordinary methods to nurse his body back to health." The crow added, "Everyone says that when heavenly light tore through the night sky two years ago, this place received the dimmest glow of the dozens of blessed regions, with very little spiritual radiance bestowed. But it seems things might not be so simple after all—finding two passable youths in neighboring villages one after the other." The woman took a light sip of tea and said, "Teacher's scholarship encompasses heaven and earth. His intuition should be accurate. The heavenly light from two hundred years ago most likely never burst forth here; instead, it has been accumulating until now. Now that two different colors of heavenly light have intertwined, the rare resources born here will probably be astonishing!" Pulling the hood of her cloak lower, the woman rose to her feet. "We should go. Senior Brother Xie will have his hands full today. Who could have imagined his daughter would act on her own without asking, taking the Giant Spirit God path and leaving him with such a headache now?" *** In the end, Qin Ming could not resist asking the noble young lady before him. She was under no obligation to clear up his doubts. If she turned him down, he would simply thicken his skin and leave; so long as he didn't feel embarrassed, it was no big deal. Xie Lingxi said, "After the sun set, it never rose again. The moon and the sea of stars all vanished. Heavenly light is the light that occasionally pierces down through the night sky. It happens irregularly, every few decades or centuries, appearing purely by chance. It is truly extraordinary, capable of bringing forth rare resources around the place it lands." Qin Ming was genuinely grateful. She hadn't put on airs and had told him directly. "Miss Xie, you are not only beautiful, but even kinder of heart—unlike..." he began, realizing that if Xie Lingxi were scaled down proportionally, her face would be no larger than a palm, boasting golden-ratio curves. It was only because she walked the Giant Spirit path that everything about her was far larger than normal. "Unlike what?" Xie Lingxi asked. "Unlike certain people who glare back twice just because you happen to glance their way," Qin Ming said offhandedly. "You couldn't be talking about my junior martial aunt in the front courtyard, could you?" Xie Lingxi asked, a look of intrigue crossing her face. Outside the old nobleman's residence, the cloaked woman suddenly paused in her tracks, while the purple-eyed crow hovering low in the air burst into laughter. "Cackle, cackle..." "Shut up, you sound awful!" *** Qin Ming did not have the cheek to stay for a meal at the old nobleman's estate. He felt he had gained plenty today; the information alone made the trip worthwhile. As he neared Twin Trees Village, Xie Lingxi's words still echoed in his mind. He spent the entire journey lost in thought. "I believe that as I undergo my third Newborn transformation, those lost memories will eventually be recovered," he murmured, his gaze resolute. Qin Ming realized the old noble was far from ordinary. His daughter was exceptionally powerful, already nearly five meters tall at such a young age, proving she had walked far down the Giant Spirit path. *The two who traveled with me... the woman had a red mole in her right eyebrow, and the man had unusually long arms. I wonder if they'll come to harvest resources from the special nodes in the mountains this time,* Qin Ming mused. He had also learned that Luoyue City was vast and lay an immense distance away. Soon after, word arrived from Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing: they were entering the mountains in two days! Definite news had arrived. The high-level figures of Chixia City had reached an agreement with the higher beings in the mountains. The anomalies would entirely relinquish the territory they had previously expanded into. The places where people from outside the mountain used to hunt and gather medicinal herbs were now open for free passage once more. However, anyone wishing to push deeper into the mountains' dangerous zones would have to rely on their own ability. Naturally, the higher beings promised they would not hunt from the shadows, but warned that other dangerous creatures within the mountains were not few in number, leaving those from outside to look after themselves. The leadership of Chixia City made the same pledge—they would not carry out stealthy slaughters either. Clearly, even after driving off that group of outside higher beings, the mountains would not be peaceful. Even if the top figures refrained from bloody slaughter, there were still the old fogies from various clans and other terrifying anomalies lurking in the deepest night mist, bound to clash. Venturing deep meant unavoidable bloodshed, regardless of status or origin. "I can guide you, but only in the outer perimeter. I won't set foot in unknown territory!" Qin Ming informed Mu Qing and the others immediately. "Sigh, we don't dare take the risk of going deep either. That's the old fogies' playground; it's going to turn into a bloodbath," Mu Qing, Cao Long, and Wei Zhirou sighed in resignation. More importantly, many people from other regions were rushing over as well, making even the outer zones far from safe. Word had spread that rare resources had already matured in certain special nodes, ready for harvest. Over the next two days, Qin Ming witnessed all manner of maneuvers from every faction. Not only outside powerhouses, but local organizations were also actively mobilizing, such as the Three-Eyed Cult and Golden Rooster Ridge. The Three-Eyed Cult was very mysterious. It was said they had members in distant cities, and their presence here was merely an outpost. Ordinarily, local members loved using the authority of their higher-ups to bully others. Before a conflict, they would always announce that they belonged to the Three-Eyed Cult and had top experts backing them, warning others to weigh their options. Today, however, their attitude had changed. Someone came to speak with Xu Yueping, taking a much less crude approach. "We're all locals. If we find anything special, we should share information. Local rarities should naturally stay local. Look at that mountain standing there—it will never move. It keeps us company for a lifetime, and even in death, we'll sleep alongside it. And the Three-Eyed Cult has taken root here, just as enduring as that mountain, meant to last forever..." Old Man Liu looked at the scarred man and could listen no longer. "Scarface the Second, you might as well speak plainly like you used to! You ought to roll up your sleeves, slam your blade into the table, rest your foot on a stool, and threaten us to report any special nodes we find in the mountains. Otherwise, once the people from Chixia City leave, you'll still be rooted here like the mountains to take revenge on us. Isn't that what you mean?" "Yeah, that's what I wanted to say, but the higher-ups told us not to be rough this time. So long as you get the point, I'm off!" Scarface the Second of the Three-Eyed Cult turned and walked away. Soon after, people from Golden Rooster Ridge arrived as well. They used to be major bandits, and even though they had accepted amnesty, nearby villages and towns remained deeply wary of them. That was because the Golden Rooster knights trained by Golden Rooster Ridge were ferocious and exceptionally suited for forest assassinations. Their golden ground fowls were second-tier mutated creatures, and combined with the riders on their backs, they were extraordinarily dangerous. *** "It's almost time to enter the mountains..." You Liangyun sat in a quiet meditation room. On the table before him rested a jade jar containing a spiritual substance. Consuming it would allow him to undergo his second Newborn transformation. With two days left before entering the mountains, there was plenty of time to elevate his life tier. Originally, he hadn't wanted to rush it, wishing to further hone his foundation. Now, his expression flickered between cold resolve and hesitation. If he failed to accompany that woman to Liuguang City, he would never accept it. "Have you investigated everything thoroughly?" You Liangyun asked the person outside the meditation room. "Yes, everything is clear. Once we're in the mountains, it's best not to seek him out during the first two days. He'll likely stick close to Mu Qing and Cao Long. Once that group familiarizes themselves with the terrain, that should be our chance." "Good!" Two days later, various forces began entering the mountains. To Qin Ming's speechless amusement, Old Man Liu was armored up, carrying a heavy-backed broadsword, and riding atop the large, yellowish hound he had raised. He wasn't the only one. Yang Yongqing carried twin sabers and sat astride a black mountain goat that stood taller than an adult's shoulder, transforming into a black-goat knight. "Into the mountains!" Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, Mu Qing, and their companions led their group forward. They were merely a small contingent of youth from Chixia City; far larger forces from various major organizations and clans had also mobilized. "Attention, attention! Humans here! Two-legged beasts on the move!" Not long after they entered the mountains, a speech sparrow began shrieking above Qin Ming and the others. It was a species of bird capable of mimicking human speech—exceedingly clever and incredibly fast. Right now, it was alerting the creatures in the mountains. The key words were "humans" and "two-legged beasts," terms that mutated anomalies in the mountains understood. "Shoot it down!" Cao Long barked. "There's a massive clump of two-legged beasts here, bigger than a three-meter bear!" Without doubt, this speech sparrow had mutated. It wasn't just alerting the mountain beasts; it was also feeding information to other human squads, hoping to incite infighting. Furious, Cao Long drew his bow and notched an arrow himself. *** *Rumble!* Suddenly, five-colored clouds and haze surged into the sky from the mountain depths, instantly stunning everyone. They had only just entered the mountains—had the most mysterious resource already matured and revealed itself?! "By the Mountain God! The land illuminated by five-colored haze has appeared! Charge!"