Under the cover of night, as the subterranean fire springs continually revived, ice and snow melted into gurgling streams that converged through the mountains.
The patch of mountain woods Qin Ming had chosen was relatively open, making it suitable for a fight. At this moment, he was already surrounded by Dai Shifeng and ten of his trusted men.
"They've all arrived!" Dai Shifeng could not help but whisper a warning. The hall master had already approached astride a raptor—why had the City Lord's Manor's people still not shown up?
Qin Ming said nothing. At this stage, if he wanted someone's full support, hiding his abilities certainly would not do. He had to display his rare value to the absolute fullest!
The black raptor circled in the sky. Ge Qianxun looked down, not descending immediately; he was observing the surrounding woods, exceedingly cautious.
With the arrival of early spring, the weather was no longer so cold. The youth standing atop the silver mutant bird was clad in white robes that whipped and fluttered in the wind, appearing quite handsome and refined.
Looking down below, he spoke calmly, "Having arrived at such a position now, how does it feel?"
"Feet firmly on the ground. Quite good," Qin Ming replied, looking at this old acquaintance.
The white-robed youth nodded. "In the past, you sat among the high clouds, but now you have fallen into the dust. Your mindset is actually not bad."
Qin Ming's expression remained tranquil. "You don't need to put on such airs with me. Neither of us is a stranger to who the other is."
"Yet you truly are no longer who you once were. I am speaking to you entirely with equanimity—is there anything improper about that?" The white-robed youth was sixteen or seventeen years old, speaking impassively.
Qin Ming looked at him and said, "For the sake of our past acquaintance, and giving face to a certain someone, I offer you a word of advice: everything has already passed. Do not stir up trouble now, or it won't end well for anyone."
"Past acquaintance? There is no need for further words. Between you and the rest of us, there is no face left to speak of either," the white-robed youth said, hands behind his back as he looked at the tall, slender figure in the mountain woods.
"Sick of the sight of each other," Qin Ming said, a chill surfacing on his face.
"Indeed. I also find you an eyesore, more and more. Some among our old circle have said that you have returned to the place where you belong."
Qin Ming abandoned all courtesy. "Since there is no friendship left and our paths will never cross again, what are you putting on airs for here? Trying to play the noble aristocrat and flaunt your dashing clan scion's grace before me? It isn't as if I haven't seen you before in the past. Scram."
The white-robed youth brushed it off. "In the past, whenever you ventured out, you were the moon surrounded by stars—even your mount was a beast mutated four times. Yet now, you've actually picked up a sledgehammer. Heh!"
Qin Ming did not get angry; instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips. "It seems I made you very uncomfortable back then. Does Wang Caiwei know you came here? If she heard about it, would she personally break both your legs?"
"Shut your mouth!" Standing on the silver mutant bird's back, the white-robed youth spoke in an eerily cold voice. "Returning to your current station is not enough. Only if you disappear completely and never appear again will things truly be settled. It will be better for all of us."
"Listening to you say so much has disgusted me thoroughly." Qin Ming shook his head and tossed the sledgehammer onto the ground.
"Do you understand what is meant by the difference between clouds and mud? That is the gulf between your world and mine now." In robes white as snow, with hands behind his back, standing high in the air atop the mutant bird, the youth did indeed possess a somewhat ethereal grace.
However, his words were exceedingly unpleasant, and his aloof expression was equally grating. He looked down below and said, "Do you understand now?"
"The difference between clouds and mud? I understand it quite well. I'm afraid you are the one who doesn't grasp it thoroughly enough. Let me help you." Qin Ming took down the long parcel from his back.
Then, he swiftly tore it open and retrieved a heavy greatbow. There was nothing more to say; he drew the carved bow like a full moon, gazed toward the northwest, and as the bowstring twanged, an iron arrow shrieked forth, piercing straight into the sky!
When the white-robed youth saw him produce the bow, he had already urged the silver raptor to ascend rapidly, while still not caring much. He knew Qin Ming had been cast away in a remote place for two years, having failed to embark on the Newborn path the entire time, and had only recently shown signs of improvement. Having been delayed for so long, how formidable could his archery possibly be?
Thwack!
The silver mutant bird was struck. The white-robed youth's expression changed drastically. Though only one wing had been injured, it disrupted the bird's balance, causing it to wobble.
With a whoosh, Qin Ming loosed a second iron arrow. Plumes shattered, its underbelly soaked in blood, the silver mutant bird had no strength left to climb; it spiraled downward limply, barely keeping itself from plummeting straight out of the sky.
On the other side, Ge Qianxun, Hall Master of Xinyi Hall, made the exact opposite choice, urging his black raptor to dive toward the ground.
"You are experienced indeed!" Qin Ming drew his bow. The iron arrow shot forth like a rainbow piercing the sun, blasting the black mutant bird's head apart in a single shot and killing it instantly.
In the sky, the white-robed youth's face changed completely. He realized Qin Ming had the power to kill his flying mount in a single shot all along—he was merely controlling the pacing on purpose.
He looked down. A mire of muddy ground formed by melted ice and snow stretched below—the exact zone toward which the silver mutant bird was heading.
On the other side, Ge Qianxun was surprisingly well-prepared. He controlled the dead raptor's wings, keeping them spread and guiding the glide toward the mountain woods.
Most importantly, he was very close to the ground.
Even so, when Qin Ming's second iron arrow flew his way, he was thrown into flustered disarray. In evading the arrow, he mishandled the dead raptor's wings, and he and the carcass plunged headlong into the dense woods.
Ge Qianxun's subsequent performance once again surprised Qin Ming. He was actually wearing bat-winged black garments; abandoning the bird's carcass, he glided low through the air and hurtled directly into the dense forest.
Fortunately, he truly was very close to the ground, and protected by heavenly light, he suffered no serious harm. Snapping numerous tree branches, he managed to land more or less safely.
Meanwhile, the white-robed youth tried to steer the silver mutant bird, attempting to alter course toward a nearby peak.
However, the rhythm was entirely in Qin Ming's hands now. He loosed an arrow that pierced the base of the bird's right wing, correcting its heading once again.
"You..." The white-robed youth panicked. This was high up in the air; the flying mount was shuddering violently, on the verge of flipping over.
He could no longer stay calm, nor did he dare keep his hands behind his back or put on haughty airs. He pressed himself flat against the silver bird's back, clutching its neck, and urged, "Steady, hurry and land!"
Qin Ming fired two more arrows, flawlessly dictating the tempo and picking the silver raptor's crash site. When it was not far from the ground, he let fly one final arrow, which pierced straight through its skull with a hiss.
"Ah..." the white-robed youth shrieked, crashing down alongside the dead flying mount with a heavy splash into the muddy bog beside the stream.
Even though he did everything he could to protect himself with heavenly light, the impact still left him dizzy and disoriented, his internal organs aching sharply. Now caked in mud, his white robes filthy and disgraced, even his handsome face was plastered in muck.
"Ahhh..." he wailed—not because of broken bones, but mostly out of sheer rage. Look at what he had been reduced to!
"The difference between clouds and mud—do you understand it now?" Qin Ming asked from afar.
"Cui Chonghe—no, Qin Ming!" Although he had not coughed up blood from the fall, stars swam before the white-robed youth's eyes. In such a pathetic state, he was consumed by fury.
In the past, he and like-minded friends had loved refinement and elegance, inviting one another into the mountain forests to chant poetry, compose verses, and lie drunken beside pine groves and fire springs, exuding unrestrained ease.
Now, he had tumbled into the mountain woods as a mud man, experiencing a rather unconventional "floating cups along the winding stream."
With a crack, an arrow from Qin Ming shattered the hair clasp atop the mud-stained youth's head, instantly sending his hair disheveled over his shoulders, stripping away the last vestige of his noble scion's elegance.
In the woods, after landing safely, Ge Qianxun let out a long breath. That had been far too close.
Dai Shifeng arrived on the scene immediately, leading his ten trusted men.
"Old Dai, why didn't you go..."
"Hall Master, you are already surrounded by us!" Dai Shifeng stated solemnly.
Ge Qianxun wanted to gouge out his own ears. He was certain he hadn't misheard. What was going on? This band of subordinates was surrounding him?
"Dai Shifeng, have you gone mad?" he bellowed.
Dai Shifeng said in a deep voice, "Former Hall Master, you are the one who has gone mad!"
Ge Qianxun truly was going mad. Not only had this deputy brought men to surround him, but he was also calling him "Former Hall Master." This was an outright rebellion to seize power!
"Former Hall Master, you have betrayed Xinyi Hall! Do you even know the meaning of the words 'trust and righteousness' anymore?" Dai Shifeng rebuked.
Ge Qianxun was about to explode with fury. Before he could even discipline the man, a massive accusation had been slapped right onto his head. Was there any law left in this world?
"You dare commit treason and rebellion!" Ge Qianxun slowly stretched his muscles and bones, preparing to purge the sect first. After killing Dai Shifeng, he would decide what to do next.
Dai Shifeng raised his voice even louder than his: "Ge Qianxun, you embezzled Xinyi Hall's private assets, seeking to abscond with our day gold! You are the traitor who has committed rebellion! What's more, you are actually a notorious Golden Bandit who infiltrated our Xinyi Hall with harbored malice, usurping authority for years and ruining our foundation! Your crimes are unforgivable!"
"Old Dai, being my deputy truly was beneath your talents. But you won't have another chance—I'll get rid of you first!" Ge Qianxun turned ruthless. He didn't bother trading accusations any further; right now, eliminating him physically was more effective than anything else.
Qin Ming strode over and said, "Every debt has its debtor. Ge Qianxun, let me settle an account with you first!"
"Between you and me, there is no grudge—only the bill promised by my employer," Ge Qianxun said, staring at him.
"The Sun family's secret manual was taken by you, wasn't it? You killed Old Man Sun, and even now you have people making life difficult for that old woman and her grandson. I learned the Sun family's hammer technique, so I can be considered one of the heirs to that secret manual. Today, I've come specifically to collect this blood debt from you on behalf of the Sun family." Qin Ming approached with his sledgehammer in hand.
Cautious by nature, Ge Qianxun did not bother testing the true strength of his opponent upon seeing how domineering Qin Ming was. With a swish, he plunged into the woods, seeking to escape.
The next moment, however, his face changed. The youth's speed was astonishingly swift; like a ghost, he barred the way before him, swinging his sledgehammer and crashing it down!
Chapter 82