Three Paragons

"On what grounds? What right do they have to demand we hand over night silver?" "People were on the brink of starvation not long ago, and things have only just begun to turn around! How can we endure this kind of extortion from Golden Rooster Ridge?!" Everyone was seething with indignation. Although grain from the outside world had been hauled in by giant beasts, it still cost money to buy. In a year as wretched as this, who had spare coin to pay tribute to Golden Rooster Ridge? Worst of all, they were being forced to feed a gang of bandits. In an isolated frontier like this, if a family of three pinched every copper, a single piece of night silver could practically cover a month's food and warmth. Yet now, two men sent from Golden Rooster Ridge sat insolently on their roosters' backs, flapping their lips to demand an entire household's monthly living expenses. It was sheer tyranny. Moreover, no one knew whether this was a one-time levy or the start of a recurring routine, demanding payment every few weeks. "These bandits truly never act like human beings!" Public fury flared; the villagers wanted to resist. The two Golden Rooster knights had only come to notify the settlements. Though they were already far from the village entrance, the angry shouts of the people still echoed behind them. "These mud-legs' reaction is far too extreme. We should mention it to the higher-ups so we don't provoke them into a desperate revolt." "Yeah. The stronghold's strength took a heavy blow, and in troubled times like these, we do need to mind the fallout." *** "Are the people from Chixia City just doing nothing?" The villages outside the mountains were in an uproar, with everyone talking about the matter. Some suggested seeking out the mountain patrol team to intervene, or reporting this to Chixia City as soon as possible—Golden Rooster Ridge could not be allowed to run rampant during such an exceptional winter. An elderly man sighed. "The higher-ups in Chixia City probably don't have the energy to care about this right now." "Why?" "An itinerant merchant brought the latest word from over there. Two major organizations suspect that Ling Xu, the city lord of Chixia City, conspired with high-order anomalies from Black-White Mountain to set them up in the mountains last time." According to that traveling trader, the atmosphere in Chixia City was exceedingly tense. There was no direct evidence, but the two major factions suspected Ling Xu of being thoroughly sinister, having turned their own momentum against them to play them for fools. In all likelihood, the matter would end up unresolved, but for the moment, Chixia City's leaders were too preoccupied to look elsewhere. Qin Ming gazed into the pitch-black night, listening to the villagers' discussions. A brilliant radiance of heavenly light rippled across his body, and his emotions surged violently. As long as one was human, one possessed seven emotions and six desires; it was impossible to remain tranquil forever. After a moment, the heavenly light on Qin Ming receded. He entered the cellar and selected two six-to-seven-foot-long blood snakes that had each mutated once. Then, lifting his long-handled dark-gold hammer, he pounded the two spiritual creatures into a paste on an iron plate and personally simmered a jar of thick meat broth. Before departing, he needed to make arrangements. Shortly after, Qin Ming arrived at the small courtyard next door. "Brother Lu, are you feeling any better? I hunted a spiritual mountain beast in the wilds. It might help you achieve Newborn." Qin Ming did not want to hide everything. He told Lu Ze that consuming this broth would not only hasten the recovery of his injuries, but might also allow him to complete a Newborn in the coming days. "Xiao Qin!" Lu Ze was an honest, straightforward man. At a loss for words, he could only nod vigorously. Liang Wanqing's eyes reddened. She understood what it meant for one's body to undergo Newborn in an environment like this; it meant she would no longer have to live in terror every time Lu Ze ventured into the mountains. Qin Ming said, "Sister-in-law, you should have some too. There is more than enough broth. Even if it doesn't trigger Newborn for you, it will bolster your constitution." "It smells so good, Uncle! I want some too!" Wenrui had not yet gone to sleep. Catching the distinct fragrance of the blood snakes, she looked like a little greedy cat, practically drooling. "You are still small, so you can't eat this yet, or it could trigger precocious development. Here, Uncle brought you the freshest wild fruit. This variety was cultivated by Old Huang." Wenrui's big eyes lit up, though she asked in slight confusion, "Uncle, last time you said Uncle Ox worked hard to grow those fruits." "Mm, pretty much the same thing." Qin Ming smiled. These fruits had naturally come from Wild Ox Ridge. "Uncle, me too..." Little Wenhui, barely two years old, woke up drowsily. Next, Qin Ming heard the squirrel squeaking inside its cage, clasping its paws in a bow toward him. This time, its sights were set on the blood-snake broth. *** The following day, Qin Ming polished his mutton-fat jade iron saber. It was simply too conspicuous; unless drawn to kill every opponent who saw it, it had to remain sheathed. After disguising and concealing the blade, he slipped it into its scabbard. Qin Ming picked up a long wooden staff to use as a spear, then retrieved a bow and arrows he had once used. He could now be considered a dual paragon of spear and bow! Soon, he unleashed astonishing spear technique in the courtyard. The wooden staff in his hands resembled a flood dragon coiling through the air, looking ready to soar into the heavens. With a light flick of his wrist, the staff split into dozens of overlapping afterimages stabbing in different directions. In an instant, every single drifting snowflake within range was pierced through. However, as Qin Ming increased his force and shook the shaft, the hard wooden staff failed to withstand his immense strength and snapped into more than a dozen pieces. He picked up the bow and arrows, tested them only once, and immediately set them aside. The moment he exerted even a fraction of his power, either the bowstring snapped or the bow limbs threatened to crack. "At this rate, my claim to being a dual paragon of spear and bow is hollow. I don't even have suitable weapons." Qin Ming decided to head into the mountains to find proper armaments. The Grand Rift Valley lay utterly silent, the guards from Golden Rooster Ridge long gone. Qin Ming descended into the deathly quiet underground caverns. Wandering through the web of tunnels for a long time, he saw battered armor, broken weapons, copious bloodstains, and the severed horns and shattered bones of anomalies. Deep within the caverns, Qin Ming discovered an altar radiating a sinister chill. With a single kick, he shattered it, sending billows of black mist tumbling outward. Yet the moment heavenly light blazed across his body, the eerie fog rapidly dissolved, evaporating into nothingness. "What were they doing here?" Qin Ming suspected that the two bandit chiefs had colluded with the mist-wielding person beyond the mundane world, and that nothing good had taken place here. After searching for a long while, he uncovered several intact weapons and managed to piece together a few sets of armor. Naturally, whatever had survived undamaged was of fine quality. He selected a heavy spear and a long saber, found a recurve bow barely sturdy enough to withstand his strength, and gathered a pile of iron arrows, filling six quivers. "Tonight, I shall be the Saber Immortal, the Spear Saint, the Bow God—a threefold paragon of saber, spear, and archery!" Qin Ming murmured to himself. Donning a suit of polished armor, equipped with the bow and arrows, carrying the heavy and razor-sharp spear, and strapping a long saber inscribed with phoenix patterns across his back, he strode out of the underground caverns. "Hm?" Qin Ming was slightly surprised to spot Old Man Liu outside the Grand Rift Valley. Making no attempt to hide, he walked straight over. Seeing him, Old Man Liu put on an exceptionally grave expression. "I heard you headed into the mountains and guessed you might come here. You aren't planning to strike at Golden Rooster Ridge, are you?" Ever since entering the mountains with Qin Ming to exterminate the ant nest, Old Man Liu had witnessed strength far surpassing his peer level. Like an epiphany, many things had clicked into place. Coupled with seeing Qin Ming rapidly develop heavenly light force at Old Wu's home, Old Man Liu had been profoundly shaken, realizing that Qin Ming could likely contend with four-time Newborns—and was eager to do so. Qin Ming realized the old man was quite sharp to have pieced together so much. "If you really intend to go to Golden Rooster Ridge, I know I can't stop you. But don't rush into action. Wait another day or two." "Why?" Old Man Liu said solemnly, "Golden Rooster Ridge was originally established because the renowned Golden Bandits used it as a foothold when traveling between two great regions in years past. Although they rarely use it now, if you happened to cross paths with them, how unlucky would that be?" Qin Ming drew in a breath of the chill air fluttering with snowflakes. "Old man, is your horoscope truly cursed? Nothing was going to happen, but hearing you say that, something just might go wrong." Naturally, he did not believe in such superstitions; he was merely joking, trusting solely in his own strength. Old Man Liu said, "Let me ask around first. Waiting a day or two won't hurt you." "What kind of connections do you have to track the Golden Bandits?" Qin Ming asked in surprise. "How could I possess connections or skills like that? But I can deduce things from past habits and current details. It's said that whenever someone from the Golden Bandits is due to arrive, the two bandit chiefs of Golden Rooster Ridge order rare ingredients prepared, fine wine purchased, and stunning dancers hired a day or two in advance." Qin Ming nodded at once, finding the logic sound. He could wait for Old Man Liu's word. Afterward, he concealed the armor and weapons in the mountains and returned to the village alongside Old Man Liu, carrying a hunted beast. By then, the village was seething with anger once again, for the men from Golden Rooster Ridge had returned. "Who are we doing this for? Isn't it to protect you all? That's why we urgently need to recruit Newborns!" Golden Rooster Ridge already knew of the fierce resistance brewing in the villages, so they had sent men to ease tensions and offer necessary explanations. "Days ago, for the sake of the villagers outside the mountains, our Golden Rooster Ridge fought a bloody battle against anomalies in the Grand Rift Valley, slaying hordes of mutant creatures attempting to seize the outer perimeter! We were practically wiped out in the process!" Several villagers glared with undisguised hatred upon hearing this. Everyone knew Golden Rooster Ridge had entered the mountains chasing mysterious resources, only to suffer near-annihilation due to their own incompetence and wretched luck. How dare they now claim it had been to protect the villages? "Our two chiefs sympathize with your plight and have decided to collect that piece of night silver next month instead, giving you time to prepare." Without a doubt, Golden Rooster Ridge's flimsy excuse only fueled greater resentment. In the end, they still intended to bleed every household dry; the protection levy would not be waived. Many were ready to fight them to the death. "These mud-legs' reaction is far too intense!" In the end, the men from Golden Rooster Ridge beat a hasty retreat. That same day, Old Man Liu sent word: there were no unusual movements at Golden Rooster Ridge. Reliable sources confirmed that only the two bandit chiefs and their trusted henchmen remained in the stronghold. "Also, two traveling merchants arrived in Silver Vine Town with fresh news. Chixia City is getting a new city lord. While Ling Xu hasn't been stripped of rank, he is being reassigned to another city." Qin Ming nodded upon hearing this. Now was the ideal moment to strike. He murmured to himself, "If the major organizations suspect Chixia City's lord plotted alongside anomalies, they might easily suspect local groups of acting as informants and colluding with them. If they can't touch Ling Xu, would they hesitate to wipe out Golden Rooster Ridge?" He continued in thought, "The two bandit chiefs colluded with someone beyond the mundane world, and that mist-shifting man died under mysterious circumstances. Wouldn't his sect brothers and elders suspect Golden Rooster Ridge?" By now, the shallow night had drawn to a close. Qin Ming headed straight into the mountains, donned his armor, gathered his weapons, and set out toward Golden Rooster Ridge, fifty li away! The night was deep and the distance substantial. Few ordinary people would dare travel alone once the deep night arrived. Indeed, Qin Ming encountered an unexpected incident along the way: a beast rippling with purple light abruptly lunged out of the mountain forest, trampling straight toward him. Its head resembled a horse's, yet it was no equine creature. A maw full of razor-sharp white teeth glinted with a cold sheen, plainly marking it as a carnivorous predator. It possessed the torso of a tiger or leopard, but with elongated limbs terminating in heavy, solid hooves. Its coat was sleek as satin, shimmering with hazy purple light, exceptionally magnificent. Leaping into the air, its massive hoof came stomping down right toward Qin Ming's skull. "A purple lightning beast?" Qin Ming was astonished to encounter such a creature. Having learned a great deal about mountain anomalies from Old Man Liu recently, he recognized it immediately. The purple lightning beast was a newly emerged, three-times-mutated anomaly that ran like wind and lightning, outpacing even creatures that had mutated four or five times. It seemed to have fled from the deep mountains in terror. Finding Qin Ming in its path, it had simply lashed out with a hoof. Had he failed to dodge, a gaping hole would have been kicked straight through his skull. Qin Ming shifted sideways, evading the massive purple hoof, and swiftly closed the distance, his fingers brushing against its glowing purple flank. The purple lightning beast was startled. What kind of monster was this? How had a mere graze of his fingers stuck to its fur like an adhesive plaster? The sticking property of Qin Ming's heavenly light force proved its worth. Once he made contact, there was no escaping. First his fingertips, then his entire palm latched firmly onto the beast's coat, until he swung himself directly onto its back. "Stop thrashing and give me a ride!" Qin Ming commanded. The purple lightning beast was enraged. As an anomaly notoriously difficult to tame, it tossed its head, lashed its tail, and bucked violently, intent on throwing him off. Qin Ming wasted no words. With a crisp rasp, he drew the gleaming saber and rested it against its neck. If it refused to cooperate, he would simply slaughter it. Glowing purple mane hairs drifted through the air, sheared clean by the edge. The purple lightning beast stiffened, not daring to act up any further. Glancing toward the depths of the mountains, it broke into a frantic gallop. Beneath the heavy shroud of night, Qin Ming rode atop the magnificent beast enveloped in flowing purple mist, rapidly closing the distance to Golden Rooster Ridge!