Under the cover of night, the mountain forest was dim. Vast swathes of the region were quiet today; aside from herbivorous creatures, one could hardly encounter a single ferocious beast.
Qin Ming sprinted at full tilt, coming to an abrupt halt as he passed through a dense wood. Shedding his armor and setting down his long-handled dark-gold hammer, he dug out a set of gleaming refined gold armor from the snow.
These were the relics of the late Wang Nianzhu, who was still on the wanted list. Qin Ming quickly changed into them here. He worried that the places he was headed might have bear cubs or calves that, if endowed with high spirituality, might remember his appearance—which would be terrible.
Everyone knew that Wang Nianzhu had slain the blood snake and wiped out Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and the others from the mountain patrol team. For him to sneak into the anomalies' nests amidst the chaos now would be perfectly natural.
After hanging Wang Nianzhu's longsword—limpid and bright as a pool of clear spring water—at his waist, Qin Ming found a cloth to mask his face. There was no helping it; he wasn't strong enough yet and had to be cautious.
Then, in a single breath, he ran eight li to a stone forest encircled by woods. Boulders and rocks littered the area, some places piled up almost into stone hills.
"It stinks!" Qin Ming could barely stand it. The giant white bear made its lair here and clearly wasn't particular about hygiene; he had only just drawn near when the stench of bear droppings hit him.
Deep within the stone forest was a Fire Spring, shrouded in scarlet dawn mist, its waters rippling and glistening. Its scale was comparable to the Fire Spring in Silver Vine Town, both reaching Grade Two.
Although the giant white bear was immensely formidable after mutating multiple times, it still lacked the qualifications to enter the depths of the great mountains and could not claim an even more radiant Fire Spring.
Yet for the mountain folk, this was already a treasured sanctuary.
Yet such a fine place had been wrecked beyond recognition by that giant bear. Pelts, bones, and remnants of animals were strewn everywhere, while massive piles of bear dung lay scattered about, all left in the vicinity of the Fire Spring.
Evidently, its hibernation was far from sound, and it still frequently hunted in the mountains.
"Must be an old male bear—such a loner, living all by himself in such a vast territory, squandering this treasured land." Qin Ming poked around, but the foul-smelling place yielded practically nothing.
He was thoroughly exasperated. He had hurried all this way and taken an immense risk, only to find nothing at all aside from the foul stench of bear dung.
Qin Ming truly felt like setting a fire to burn the whole place clean!
Even if there had been some offspring of the old male bear around, he could have vented his frustration, or if nothing else, chopped off two bear paws to take home.
He couldn't even say the place was picked clean, because in reality it was so revoltingly filthy that the fumes nearly made him retch.
This was the first time Qin Ming had suffered a setback and found himself utterly helpless. Thoroughly stifled, he wanted payback, but ultimately pinched his nose and gave up, refusing to stay another moment.
Just as he turned to leave, a flash of glistening scales caught his eye in the Fire Spring, instantly lifting his spirits.
"That old bear actually knows how to raise fish?"
Qin Ming rushed to the edge of the Fire Spring and spotted silhouettes of fish in the pool, which spanned sixty or seventy feet across.
Before long, however, he could only stare in dismay—they were all just fingerlings.
"That reeking old bear is utterly shameful! The fish here probably never get the chance to grow before it scoops them up and eats them!"
In the end, he went after the fry anyway. Anything shorter than a finger was spared, but anything approaching palm-length was scooped up. The largest two were only seven inches long, making for twenty-some fish in total.
This was originally a type of spiritual fish, luminous blue and translucent in parts, capable of growing over a meter long. When mature, it would be rich in spiritual nature and vitality.
Alas, with that impatient old male bear around, there was no way they could ever grow that large.
"Small though they are, they still have some spiritual nature. They'll make for a great tonic."
Whenever Qin Ming entered the mountains, he always brought along animal-hide sacks. The harsh environment had instilled this practical habit in him, and now it came in handy.
This was also one of the reasons Huang Jingjun had smirked and mocked him under his breath earlier.
Without looking back, Qin Ming charged straight toward Wild Bull Ridge, seven li away. He was exploiting a window of time; speed was essential.
Under the night sky, undulating ridges stretched into the distance, covered in vast swathes of forest.
The moment Qin Ming set foot on the golden giant bull's territory, he was dumbfounded.
Deep in the forest lay a Grade Two Fire Spring. The glowing, fiery-red liquid was not pooled in a basin, but channeled to irrigate several disorderly plots of fire fields.
The Fire Spring wasn't hot, falling far below human body temperature, but it was enough to keep the bitter chill of wind and snow at bay. The fire fields were actually lush and green, blooming with brilliant colors.
"Now that old ox is truly diligent!" Qin Ming marveled.
The mountains were shrouded in snow with flakes still drifting from the sky, yet here one could behold such a vibrant scene—it was truly striking.
A green vine hung heavy with fire pears, twenty or thirty of which were already glowing brilliantly, exuding an enticing fruity aroma.
"These fruits nourish both qi and blood." Qin Ming picked them quickly.
Next, he spotted a patch of low-growing plants. Though merely a foot tall, each was clustered with purple berries that tasted deliciously sweet and tart.
"So many purple sun berries! Eating a few when exhausted quickly restores energy. That old bull planted good stuff!" Qin Ming's opinion of the golden giant bull soared.
Though these disorderly fire fields weren't meticulously tended, the Grade Two Fire Spring boasted rich spiritual nature, allowing all the plants to thrive.
Unfortunately, the old ox had a large household to support, leading a herd of wild cattle that inhabited this ridge. No spiritual substance that could aid a Newborn remained; presumably, it had all been devoured by its progeny.
Qin Ming felt disappointed. Braving the dens of multi-mutated creatures, he had naturally hoped to find something that would facilitate his third Newborn transformation.
"Can't count on the old bear or the ox. Looks like Old Man Liu is more dependable after all. I'll head into the mountains with him later!"
The fire fields held many melons and fruits, all carrying some spiritual nature and serving as great tonics for ordinary people, with some already ripe. Seeing such delectable fruit in this world of ice and snow, Qin Ming cast aside his disappointment, his eyes lighting up.
Whether bright red berries or golden melons, he harvested whatever was ripe, stuffing both animal-hide sacks to the brim.
"Are there any calves left behind?" Qin Ming looked toward the depths of Wild Bull Ridge.
"Hm?" Suddenly, his pupils contracted. He didn't see any calves, but he did spot a young donkey foal.
It looked a lot like the old weasel's mount, but probably wasn't, as this was only a little donkey foal. And it was actually stealing melons too!
In a distant fire field, with a soft plop, the melon in the donkey foal's mouth dropped to the ground. It was startled as well, frightened by the sudden appearance of an armored bipedal beast.
"Donkey foal, whatever you do, don't bray!" Qin Ming turned on his heel and fled.
The little donkey posed no threat, but it had a powerful backer. If it started braying here, who knew what monster it might attract?
Qin Ming reasoned that it had to be the offspring of the old weasel's mount. Otherwise, how would a mere donkey foal dare to sneak in here and steal melons?
Qin Ming dashed away at full tilt, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Amid the disorderly fire fields, the donkey foal was utterly bewildered. It had just been about to kick up its hooves and bolt, only for that bipedal beast to flee before it did.
Guilty as a thief, it didn't dare make a sound. Loitering about like a street loafer, it stuffed its face all along the way, let out a burp, swished its tail, and trotted off in a flash.
Long after, a large white bull poked its head out from the depths of Wild Bull Ridge—a triple-mutated creature. With such a large estate, the old ox naturally had to leave someone to watch the house.
The white bull had noticed the donkey foal the moment it appeared. Far from chasing it off, it had even hidden itself, aware of the little donkey's background and not wanting to disturb it.
"No need for the little guy to notice anything. As long as Senior Donkey learns later on that we've been treating its offspring to fine food and drink, that will suffice," the white bull muttered in bovine tongue. Even here in the mountains, a bull still had to observe worldly etiquette.
"I... Moo! Did a whole herd of donkeys show up?!" Drawing close to the fire fields, the white bull was completely dumbfounded!
Qin Ming dashed six li in one go. Noticing no commotion behind him, he finally let out a long breath, then continued on his way to change back into his own armor and retrieve his long-handled hammer.
In passing, he also retrieved the piece of mutton-fat jade iron he had hidden in the mountains. By now, all the dangerous experts had gone to the Grand Rift Valley, leaving the outside empty.
"Little Qin, you're finally back safe and sound! If something had happened to you, we would have felt guilty for the rest of our lives!" Xu Yueping, Yang Yongqing, and the others had been waiting at the village entrance all along.
"I'm fine, just a close call. I even brought back some mountain goods on the way," Qin Ming said, briefly recounting the events at the Grand Rift Valley.
Xu Yueping was stunned. A massive, organized counter-hunt by the anomalies left him speechless with shock.
Yang Yongqing also felt deeply shaken and terrified in hindsight; forget people like them, even the noble elites from Chixia City were bound to lose a layer of skin there.
Upon learning that all the mountain villagers had escaped safely, they fell silent again, caught between laughter and tears, able only to sigh at the fickle nature of life—the very people most likely to perish had all made it out.
"Little Uncle, it's wonderful that you're back safe! We were worried sick!" Wenrui rubbed his small hands, his breath billowing in white clouds. Standing in the snow before his front door, he leaped for joy upon spotting Qin Ming's return.
Over the past half-day, he had run outside a dozen times. Every time he saw the gate to Qin Ming's courtyard still locked, he had felt dejected, fearing something bad had happened to his uncle.
For he had learned from Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing that Little Uncle had been taken away by the people from Golden Rooster Ridge to do something very dangerous.
Though Lu Ze had suffered severe injuries, his constitution was remarkably robust, allowing him to venture outside now as Liang Wanqing supported him.
A quarter of an hour later, Qin Ming arrived in their small courtyard carrying a large bundle of crimson and golden fruit.
Usually when going into the mountains, one might occasionally find wild fruit left over from autumn beneath the snowdrifts, but it was never this fresh.
"Wow, it's not wild persimmons this time, it's my favorite red berries! Little Uncle, you're amazing!" Wenrui's face was flushed red as he munched happily and cheered.
Two-year-old Wenhui wrapped his arms around Qin Ming's neck, planted a loud, wet kiss on his cheek, and babbled his joy in slurred syllables.
Inside the iron cage, the fiery-red mutated squirrel was leaping up and down, practically crying from craving, staring eagerly with non-stop squeaks.
"Give me a bow, and I'll give you a little red fruit to eat," Qin Ming chuckled.
To his surprise, the squirrel actually stood up in the cage and clasped its paws toward him repeatedly. With each bow, it let out a squeak, as if keeping count.
"You really have turned into a spirit?" Qin Ming thought with a jolt.
...
The protracted absence of those who had entered the mountains naturally aroused concern among all factions. The various families who had left small contingents in Silver Vine Town and other places realized something had gone wrong.
After returning, Qin Ming had Xu Yueping go to Silver Vine Town to deliver the message. In fact, once the old hunters from other villages had recovered their wits, they had also gone to report the news.
Soon, birds of prey were released into the night sky as the contingents left behind by each family sent pleas for reinforcement to Chixia City, notifying them of the grave peril here.
That very night, experts from Chixia City set out. Saving lives was like fighting a fire—it brooked no delay; arriving even a quarter of an hour late could mean many more deaths.
The mountain anomalies had no intention of exterminating them completely, fearing bloody retribution from Chixia City. In the deep night, they began to withdraw. Before the experts from Chixia City even arrived, the crisis resolved itself.
Every family suffered casualties, varying only in severity.
Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and their group had been deeper inside the Grand Rift Valley, yet even so, they suffered losses.
Some families lost twenty to thirty percent, while others lost as much as forty to fifty percent, such as the Huang family. Of course, the most battered were Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Cult—stationed near the entrance, they were nearly wiped out entirely.
In the end, only a few blood-soaked old men from those two factions escaped, leaning on one another for support.
The two bandit chiefs of Golden Rooster Ridge were so enraged upon hearing the details that they nearly charged over in person, cursing their subordinates as useless trash inferior even to a band of mountain villagers.
The core figures of the Three-Eyed Cult in this region were equally dumbfounded upon hearing the news, nearly vomiting blood in fury.
The following day, Qin Ming, Old Man Liu, and others went to see them off. Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and the rest were departing. With the special juncture having manifested and the contest over the mysterious products concluded, this mountain-clearing operation was drawing to a close; the curtains were about to fall and the crowd would disperse.
"Qin Ming, leave this place sooner rather than later. It's simply too remote. You should enter a great city to study, interact, and broaden your horizons. Those places are blessed with natural treasures and illustrious talents..."
"Indeed. The world beyond is dazzling and diverse, with magnificent cities bustling with life. You can see all manner of living beings, and even gods walking among mortals in human guise—far beyond what you can imagine."
"Five hundred years ago, Black-White Mountain was renowned throughout the world, but not anymore..."
Before parting, they all urged Qin Ming to leave this region early.
Meanwhile, Qin Ming also saw Nie Rui, Shen Jiayun, and others, who came over warmly to greet him.
At last, they departed into the distance.
...
That night, Qin Ming brought a bundle of melons and fruit to visit Old Man Liu.
"Fire pears, purple sun berries, white silver melons... What powerful mutated creature's lair did you raid, brat? No monster that hasn't mutated at least four times would bother tending fire fields. You've really got guts!" Old Man Liu's eyelids twitched in shock.
"Let me think... That old bear definitely wouldn't do it; it's lazy, brutal, and filthy as hell. As for that mountain lord, monstrously powerful as it is, it rarely touches vegetarian food. That old ox is the most diligent... Don't tell me you went there?!" Old Man Liu was thoroughly astounded.
Qin Ming couldn't help but admire him; the old man knew every corner of the great mountains like the back of his hand.
It was precisely for this reason that he had come.
Qin Ming spoke up, "Old Master, I was bullied terribly by that bear and that ox—they almost got me killed in the Grand Rift Valley. When are we going to that place you mentioned to look for spiritual substance?"
Old Man Liu shot him a sideways glance. "Persecuted by multi-mutated creatures and you walked away unscathed? You definitely found an opening and raided their nest, and now you're acting innocent after getting all the benefits."
Then, he realized Qin Ming's strength had surely leaped forward; otherwise, why would he be so eager to find spiritual substance and yearn for another Newborn transformation?
"You reached the second Newborn?" he asked in a low voice.
"Mm. I've been feeling feverish lately; it should be almost complete. What about you?" Qin Ming asked.
"Give me two more days, and I should be nearly there as well," Old Man Liu said, shutting the door. Then he added, "Mind you, let's keep the matter of our second Newborn under wraps for now."
"Understood!" Qin Ming nodded.
The two exchanged a conspiratorial smile.
...
Two days later, Qin Ming and Old Man Liu huddled together and conferred for a long time, preparing to enter the mountains!
Chapter 47