"The two of you are jinxed, each worse than the other!"
Looking like a drowned rat, Zhou Lin let loose another barrage of curses, swearing she would not venture into the mountains with Qin Ming and Xu Sheng again anytime soon.
After Qin Ming returned to the city, he focused his mind and calmed his thoughts, but noticed no suspicious people. Gradually, however, his instincts stirred, sensing an anomaly.
Near the inn, there truly was no one watching him, but the four-colored sparrow on the eaves was unnatural, and the small black bird on the roof ridge had something wrong with it as well.
Qin Ming was inwardly shocked. If these birds were all compromised, his surroundings had practically been riddled into a sieve.
In truth, he had always been on guard against speech sparrows, crows, and other such special varieties, having seen firsthand how cunning each was compared to the last.
He had not expected that even some ordinary birds he had overlooked possessed a sly gleam in their eyes, thoroughly abnormal.
Qin Ming observed them covertly. Compared to regular birds, six of them were indeed behaving unnaturally.
After his fourth Newborn transformation, his instinctual awareness had heightened. He chose to trust this sensation—he was actually being monitored by a flock of suspicious birds.
"It wasn't that Xu Sheng picked up something from always traveling at night; the problem lies on my end." Qin Ming closed the window, pondering who was targeting him.
He felt this approach was too weak-handed. If it were a truly ruthless figure, they would have no qualms whatsoever and would directly crush him with overwhelming force.
At this current stage, the Cui clan definitely did not want him to die suddenly, because if something happened to him, everyone would consider them excessively vicious, cold-blooded, and unrighteous.
Furthermore, the Cui clan certainly would not want another family to make a move on him right now.
Considering this aspect, Qin Ming was currently in a relatively safe period.
"If you have authority, you should use it." He held a high-grade medallion in his hands now and intended to use Chixia City's power to investigate.
"Young Master Qin, the city lord invites you." A man in black came to the inn to meet Qin Ming, behaving very politely.
Qin Ming rose and went directly with him to the city lord's manor.
It was still that ancient, unadorned reception hall, arranged with antique bronzes like chime bells and tripods. Calming incense slowly burned in the censer, wisps of fragrant smoke rising in delicate threads.
Meng Xinghai greeted him with a smile. "Come, taste this year's first flush from the old tea tree outside the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace. Struck by lightning multiple times, it still tenaciously survives. The leaves were just harvested and roasted today."
Qin Ming paid his respects, sat down, and chatted with him while drinking tea, sensing that Old Meng was even warmer than last time.
Several times Meng Xinghai opened his mouth only to swallow his words. After all, the matter he wanted Qin Ming to handle was no simple task and was bound to involve running into familiar faces from the prominent clans.
Although he possessed methods to conceal the youth's true face for a few days, Qin Ming's cultivation was somewhat low. Taking up one of Li Qingyue's golden-armored guard slots to clash inside that spirit cave would be exceptionally dangerous.
Meng Xinghai considered that there was still time, so for now he did not mention that a group of the most outstanding disciples from beyond the mundane world would soon compete for a certain legendary item.
"Are you settling into Chixia City? Have you run into any trouble?" he asked casually.
"Uncle Meng, I won't stand on ceremony with you—something really has come up. My movements are being watched, and I nearly met with an accident in the mountains."
Meng Xinghai thought to himself that this kid truly didn't stand on ceremony; every casual inquiry naturally yielded some trouble.
Even so, Meng Xinghai did not find it bothersome at all right now. In fact, he was quite pleased; otherwise, bringing up the matters regarding the disciples from beyond the mundane world right off the bat would look like he was using a favor to demand repayment.
"There is actually such a thing? Daring to pull something like this in Chixia City—we'll investigate to the bottom!" Meng Xinghai ordered a trusted aide to look into it thoroughly.
"Thank you, Uncle Meng." Qin Ming stood and poured him more tea, expressing genuine gratitude.
"Why be so formal with me?" Meng Xinghai took a sip of tea, then asked casually, "Last time you took six or seven waves of heavenly light—you really weren't injured at all?"
"I did sustain some injuries, but I recovered after two days of rest." Qin Ming had wanted to say more days, but suddenly remembered he had met Meng Xinghai just two days after that incident.
"You brat, still hiding your light under a bushel with me? You were definitely undergoing a Newborn transformation during those two days. Truly remarkable, being able to resist the erosion of heavenly light. Who knows, I really might need your help in the future."
"Uncle Meng, just give the word."
Meng Xinghai waved his hand. "No rush yet. We'll see how things develop and talk about it later."
He looked at Qin Ming and sighed. "With natural talent as extraordinary as yours, if you had the backing of a prominent clan's resources and weren't constrained by the golden window, starting on the Newborn path earlier, you would probably already be able to project heavenly light outward by now."
"The Outer Sage realm?" Qin Ming asked.
"That term has fallen out of favor. Whether it's the esoteric sects or those people beyond the mundane world, they all mock our realm by calling it 'nephew' instead." Meng Xinghai felt a touch of emotion. "Thinking back to the pioneering era, when the Newborn method was first used to blaze a path, how glorious and formidable the Outer Sage stage was! Who would have guessed our path would only grow harder and narrower as we went!"
Qin Ming nodded. "This is the path for ordinary people. How else can one advance? We can only rely on physical mutations. Fortunately, through the research of our predecessors, the Newborn realm has become relatively controllable."
Meng Xinghai said, "This path is arduous. Once past the Newborn stage, one can only advance step by step; the body can no longer mutate."
He looked at Qin Ming. "Strive for nine Newborn transformations!"
Having recovered his memories, Qin Ming naturally understood this.
Even in a millennial clan, a person who attained nine Newborn transformations was exceedingly rare; eight was usually the ceiling.
Understood simply, for a person to mutate eight times was already immensely difficult, leaving them no choice but to seek other methods to advance. At that point, by relying on certain medicines to break through, they could manifest heavenly light externally and reach the Outer Sage realm, after which they could capture spiritual substances from the void to continue their journey.
In truth, seven Newborn transformations were the ultimate dream for many people—swallowing great medicines to manifest heavenly light outwardly and step into that realm.
Qin Ming said, "Uncle Meng, you flatter me too much. It has probably been many years since a ninth Newborn transformation has appeared."
Meng Xinghai's eyes gleamed brightly. "It's just the two of us talking right now, so there's no need to be modest. Based purely on the fact that you can withstand six or seven waves of heavenly light at your current stage, I believe your talent is exceptional and you can achieve nine Newborn transformations."
With his old head injuries completely cleared, Qin Ming naturally understood this. Achieving nine Newborn transformations was as difficult as ascending to heaven for ordinary people.
Because during the initial Newborn transformation, one's arms had to possess nearly a thousand jin of strength. At that point, one could already be called a juvenile extraordinary.
In the book Xu Sheng had read, there was a record: reaching this level earned the revered title of juvenile extraordinary, something that was already legendary!
Meng Xinghai's eyes turned deep. "How do you know there are no hidden dragons with nine Newborn transformations in the millennial clans?"
Then he sighed again. "It's only because those creatures approaching the divine are so terrifying, and those near-immortals are unfathomably powerful, that the people walking our path seem dimmer and dimmer by comparison."
"Has anyone ever undergone ten Newborn transformations?" Qin Ming asked.
Meng Xinghai broke into a laugh. "The number nine represents the ultimate transformation."
Then he added, "Of course, there are differences even among those with nine Newborn transformations. There are vague records of people who possessed a full thousand jin of strength during their initial Newborn transformation; for such individuals, the nine Newborn transformations were even more formidable."
Qin Ming actually knew this. Whether one was a juvenile extraordinary possessing nearly a thousand jin during the initial Newborn transformation, or someone who had surpassed that legend, both ultimately culminated in nine Newborn transformations. The difference lay in the benefits reaped during the final transformation: the further one surpassed the legend, the greater the feedback received during the ninth Newborn transformation.
The two had a congenial conversation, and Qin Ming was invited to stay for dinner. Just as he finished eating and set down his chopsticks, Meng Xinghai's trusted subordinate returned, reporting that the investigation was complete.
Qin Ming was surprised; the efficiency was truly remarkable.
"We used mutated birds to capture those suspicious birds outside the inn, followed the trail to Xinyi Hall, rooted out the mastermind, and arrested two involved vice hall masters of Xinyi Hall."
"Where is the person behind this?" Meng Xinghai asked.
"Brought here."
Before long, a pale youth appeared, flanked by an old man and a young man.
"Brother Cui—no, Brother Qin, I'm truly sorry. I... didn't want this either." As soon as the youth entered, he bowed and clasped his hands repeatedly in apology.
Just as Qin Ming had suspected, it was neither an old schemer nor a ruthless expert.
He had an impression of this sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth, whose name was likely Zhao Jingshuo. During past outings, Zhao Jingshuo had always lagged at the very rear, sometimes without even a seat at the lowest table.
Qin Ming watched him without speaking.
Seeing the face before him, even though Zhao Jingshuo knew Qin Ming had lost his former noble status and was now an ordinary person, standing so close still made him somewhat intimidated.
"Brother Qin, you should understand, with my status, how could I dare wade into such muddy waters? Among those old acquaintances, I could only stand at the very back. I was forced into this! When someone gives a look or a hint, how could I dare not comply?"
Whether Zhao Jingshuo was genuinely terrified or putting on an act, his voice carried a weeping tone.
"Who told you to do this?" Meng Xinghai asked.
"City Lord Meng, I..." Zhao Jingshuo truly trembled this time, knowing that the man before him was one of the prime figures sent out by a millennial clan, frequently rotated between postings as a form of tempering.
"Speak!" Meng Xinghai glared at him.
"They're all people Brother Qin knows—one is an old acquaintance from the Zheng family, and another is Li Qingxu's cousin," Zhao Jingshuo confessed with a downcast face.
"Every single one of them is so young, yet so restless, rotten to the core," Meng Xinghai remarked. Glaring at Zhao Jingshuo, he said, "When you return, report this directly to the Cui clan."
"I..." Tears almost streamed down Zhao Jingshuo's face; his position was exceedingly difficult, but in the end, he had no choice but to nod.
"Brother Qin, I only have two hundred day gold left on me, having spent the rest. I'll make it up to you next time." Zhao Jingshuo took out a money pouch and offered it with both hands.
Qin Ming did not stand on ceremony and accepted it.
If spent frugally, two hundred day gold was enough for a family of three in the Black-White Mountain area to live for two hundred years. In Chixia City, where prices were higher, that duration would probably need to be divided by three.
Seeing him take it, Zhao Jingshuo breathed an inward sigh of relief. Even after more than two years, seeing that face again still instilled some awe in him.
"Leave that bow behind as well," Qin Ming said, pointing at the large bow slung across the young man's back.
Clearly, it was a fine bow, and the young man looked reluctant and resistant.
Zhao Jingshuo urged anxiously, "Hurry up and give it to Brother Qin! I'll compensate you later."
"You may leave," Qin Ming waved his hand. If he brutally eliminated these three, it would likely cause complications; having them return and report the matter to the Cui clan was much more suitable.
The next day, someone secretly visited Qin Ming at the inn.
"Little Brother Qin, I am Dai Shifeng, a vice hall master of Xinyi Hall." The elderly visitor announced his identity. After two vice hall masters had been arrested, he had practically become the second-in-command of the hall.
He spoke quickly. "Our hall master, Ge Qianxun, intends to deal with you. He instructed us to find an opportunity to kill you in the mountains."
Qin Ming looked at him. "None of you follow the ordinary script. Why did you come to tip me off?"
"Because I discovered that Hall Master Ge Qianxun has been quietly liquidating properties and secretly embezzling Xinyi Hall's private assets. He is most likely planning to flee."
Dai Shifeng was cautious and had originally opposed accepting such a troublesome job, but when he saw Ge Qianxun stubbornly persist, he looked into the matter and realized the boss was preparing to bolt.
"He was certainly pressured by someone as well, so with no other choice, he readily took a sum of day gold from them, intending to disappear immediately after completing this job, dumping a mess on us."
"He's the hall master, the leader of a faction. Is he just going to abandon his foundation like that?" Qin Ming asked.
Dai Shifeng explained, "What kind of major faction could exist in Chixia City? We are merely a minor hall; it doesn't pain him at all. Besides, I suspect he is one of the Golden Bandits and had already noticed the wind shifting, wanting to avoid the new city lord."
"I see. How strong is he?" Qin Ming asked.
Dai Shifeng said, "He consumed spiritual substances over twenty times, pushing himself into the sixth Newborn transformation realm. But during the final stage, after taking a great medicine, he failed and could not advance to the Outer Sage realm where heavenly light is projected outward. In the end, at the cost of his potential, he took forbidden medicine to force himself into the seventh Newborn transformation realm, permanently halting his progress there for life."
"Where is Ge Qianxun right now?" Qin Ming asked.
Dai Shifeng replied, "He is very cautious and is currently outside the city. He keeps a flying creature and will flee if anything goes wrong. I suspect that once he cooperates with us to finish you off, he will immediately ride that raptor far away."
Qin Ming nodded. "Then let us discuss a plan..."
Two days later, after giving word to the relevant people, Qin Ming left the city alone. Not long after entering the mountain forests, Dai Shifeng led his men to appear and surrounded him.
At the same time, two birds of prey appeared in the sky. Standing atop one massive black bird was an old man, who had to be the leader of Xinyi Hall, Ge Qianxun. Atop the other, a silver mutated bird, stood a youth gazing downward with indifference.
"The employer has personally shown up. Another familiar face, and one with quite a background!" Qin Ming fixed his gaze on the high sky.
He sighed. As an ordinary person, he only wanted to fulfill his grandfather's wish—to grow up safely and live a good life. Yet some people simply refused to grant him a way out.
Qin Ming's expression gradually grew cold. "Since you have driven me to this point, I can only reveal my true strength and give City Lord Meng an absolute reason to support me!"
Chapter 81