Night Without End -
Chapter 139 - 88: The Future Positioning of the Newcomer
Chapter 139: Chapter 88: The Future Positioning of the Newcomer
"You cannot go!" Meng Xinghai opposed immediately. In his eyes, Qin Ming was still a budding talent, just showing the tip of his potential, and needed growth. If anything were to happen, the regret would be inconsolable.
"Meng Uncle, I really must return to Black and White Mountain. I have a premonition that after the eradication on Jinji Ridge, I may be targeted by the Golden Thieves. If anything happens in that area, my conscience will not be at ease." Qin Ming spoke gravely.
His solo night raid on Jinji Ridge had been well-intentioned, aiming to obliterate all the local bandits. But if this act brought disaster to the mountain people, he would be filled with immense guilt.
Meng Xinghai, who was stroking the bronze furnace in the living room, said, "I will consider placing some hands over there. At your age, if you were from the direct lineage of a major family going out for experience, you would still be within the stage of being protected."
The two of them had a disagreement.
Having gone through many bloody battles, and having recently captured one of the Golden Thieves, Qin Ming did not wish to remain uninvolved.
"There are stronger figures among the Golden Thieves. Though their activity patterns have been detected, I fear the unexpected. I see such promising potential in you, I don’t want you to come across any mishaps," Meng Xinghai said seriously.
He added some new Calming Incense into the Purple Copper Incense Burner, and continued, "To be honest, although I still wield my blade and work on enhancing my Heavenly Light, I’m no longer a part of this path. I see certain qualities in you and remember my own past. Thus, I want to see whether you, with talent surpassing that of a young mutant, can travel further down the path of rebirth."
Qin Ming was astonished; Old Meng was stronger than he had thought, traveling not just one path.
He asked, "Is our path really so difficult later on?"
Meng Xinghai nodded, "Yes, I was very keen on pursuing this path, but now wielding my sword and enhancing my Heavenly Light are merely the inertia from my obsession, also hiding my true strength. Not just me, but also Cui Lao qi, he didn’t go to the Outer World to enhance his Heavenly Light or purify his ’Spirit Field’, but to play his cards outright, solidifying his cultivation on another path."
Qin Ming frowned. Both Meng Xinghai and Cui Hao had already given up on this path. The future was unpredictable and seemed quite ephemeral.
Meng Xinghai sighed, "In our generation, many who shone on this path have either fallen silent or used the path of rebirth as a cover for their main cultivation on a different path. As I see it, now there isn’t a single prominent figure left."
Qin Ming inquired, "If I persist on this path, not to mention Esoteric Buddhism, compared to my peers from the Outer World, how large will the gap be at the end?"
"The disciples from the Outer World, at their initial stages, always have some Golden Armor Guards by their side. Once they cannot keep up with them, Jade Armor Guards will soon replace the previous ones, all selected from our path. Do you understand this kind of positioning?" Meng Xinghai informed calmly.
Qin Ming nodded, pondering for a long time.
After he embarked on the path of rebirth, his progress had been remarkably swift, especially in rapidly comprehending the essence of various secret techniques. He had thought himself quite extraordinary.
Now, as he gazed at the road ahead for the first time, he realized there were few companions, and he had to confront the mountainous pressure of other dazzling systems, leaving no room for complacency or laxity.
"I have not practiced so diligently just to enter into Esoteric Buddhism or become a follower in the Outer World!" Qin Ming thought to himself.
Then he asked, "Meng Uncle, has that extremely rare Spiritual Material you were preparing for me arrived yet? If I take it, there will definitely be no problem with me going to Black and White Mountain."
Meng Xinghai sat down, took a sip of tea, and answered, "Don’t rush, it will be delivered along with that Miracle Technique."
Qin Ming smiled and said, "Why don’t you give me the Spiritual Material that allows the body to experience rebirth six times? As for the fifth rebirth, I will take care of it myself."
"Calm down," Meng Xinghai said as he gave Qin Ming some Calming Incense. "No matter which path you take, do not be hasty. You must remain calm, even if the Spirit Mountain collapses before you, you must remain unfazed."
The next day, Meng Xinghai became agitated and couldn’t maintain his composure anymore, as a bloodbath instigated by the Golden Thieves erupted in the neighboring Fengye City.
The Golden Thieves weren’t a small group, and they weren’t confined to a single city or place, with their presence spanning several nearby cities.
This time, Meng Xinghai reached out to many people, including the City Lord of Fengye City, and they were ready to take action together to entirely uproot the Golden Thieves.
However, word leaked in Fengye City, and they were forced to make a move ahead of time. Indeed, they managed to eliminate some notorious Golden Thieves, but provoked their mad reprisal.
"They wouldn’t dare to massacre the town, nor have the strength for it, but they set two towns on fire and let loose beasts to kill many people."
Qin Ming arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion, listening in and learning part of the situation.
Not all of the people called upon by Meng Xinghai, as well as the experts sought after, had arrived.
Qin Ming learned that the former City Lord Ling Xu would also come to help, and the striped cat carrying the Chixia Sword had been asked to move again, but it would still take time.
"Some of the Golden Thieves fled along the roads, it’s likely they’ll pass by our area, and I don’t know if they will make a frightening impact. Fengye City is truly unreliable; the Golden Thieves have even infiltrated their ranks!"
Qin Ming strongly requested to go to Black and White Mountain.
This time, Meng Xinghai agreed. He received confidential information that the high-ranking Golden Thieves would not take the path through Black and White Mountain and had been spotted elsewhere.
Now, with urgent times and no room for hesitation, Meng Xinghai swiftly instructed the great families of the city at the City Lord’s Mansion. They must deploy experts to sit tight in various locations.
"Be careful!" Meng Xinghai advised and procured a raptor for Qin Ming capable of carrying a passenger in flight.
It was a Crimson Eagle, covered in blood-red feathers. When it spread its wings, it could span six meters long. It had mutated twice and could transport people over long distances, though it wasn’t considered a true flying mount.
Under ordinary circumstances, experts wouldn’t easily ride it because they preferred flying mounts that matched their own abilities. Otherwise, if attacked in the air, it could be a dire situation.
Fully prepared, Qin Ming donned a black outfit with bat-like wings, imitating Ge Qianxun from the Xinyi Hall, and kept the Crimson Eagle flying low.
The direct distance between Chixia City and Black and White Mountain was actually less than three hundred miles, but traveling on the ground took days because they had to constantly detour to avoid the territories occupied by many powerful creatures.
Night fog envelops the land, with layers of mountain shadows cast upon it; the Fire Springs scattered across various locations twinkle like fireflies. Qin Ming stands upon the back of the Crimson Eagle, overlooking everything below.
In some areas, it is necessary to fly through the night fog at high altitudes; otherwise, the High-Level Abnormalities deep in the mountains would take it as an offense.
Even when riding raptors capable of ferrying passengers through the skies, one must still avoid certain dangerous territories, such as the pitch-black deserts resembling abysses and the central region of Black and White Mountain.
Not much time had passed before Qin Ming arrived; this is why many experts yearn to have flying mounts with strength comparable to their own.
The Yewu World is vast and boundless. Many hazardous regions require detours, and without exotic birds to ride across the night sky, traveling would indeed be inconvenient.
Qin Ming had the Crimson Eagle descend on a hillside with a higher elevation outside Shuangshu Village. He did not enter the village, instead, quietly watching in the dim night.
By now, his life could never be as peaceful as before. He dreaded getting too involved here, fearing that adversaries would later cast their gaze upon this place.
"Brother Lu, Wen Rui, Old Man Liu..." Qin Ming sighs softly in the breeze, merely gazing from a distance.
In the end, he only alerted the cunning talking sparrow that had already mutated; it was drawn over to him.
"My Mountain God, why have you suddenly returned, Master Qin?" The talking sparrow, larger than its peers, once infuriated Cao Long so much he wanted to roast it alive.
"Cut the idle talk. Can you carelessly mention ’Mountain Master’? What if the real deal hears it and decides to send me away?"
"This is my way of showing respect. In my heart, you are already shoulder to shoulder with it!" The talking sparrow continues to flatter.
True to its word, even though its mate was released early from the cage, regaining its freedom, it did not leave but even nested at Lu Ze’s house.
Qin Ming says, "Don’t tell others I’ve come back. Gather your little brothers and help me with something."
"At your command!" The talking sparrow is energized, its use of formal speech mainly because the Purple-Eyed Crow, Master Wu, once instructed it to keep a close watch on Qin Ming in the mountains and inform him in advance, which it neglected. Now, it’s naturally eager to make amends.
Qin Ming whispers, "Dispatch one of your little brothers to each nearby town. Keep a close watch, and once there’s any news of the Golden Thieves, notify me immediately. If bloodshed erupts, there shouldn’t be a moment’s delay."
"Roger that!" the talking sparrow vanishes in an instant.
In just half a day, Qin Ming has heard news about the Golden Thieves. It is a warning spread by raptors from Chixia City, permeating through Black and White Mountain.
Two major figures among the Golden Thieves are planning a breakout, with a group of loyal underlings stirring up trouble everywhere—killing and arson—to create a distraction, aiming to attract attention from all sides and restrain some experts.
"Fengye City and several nearby villages are in severe condition; many people have died, and even some areas under the jurisdiction of Chixia City have seen bloodshed," the talking sparrow informs promptly.
Now, Qing Song Town, Yinteng Town, and Emei Town residents are alarmed, fearing that some of the Golden Thieves might strike this remote area.
"Let me know the latest news at Jinji Ridge!" Qin Ming commands as he and the Crimson Eagle traverse the night sky, heading towards an old haunt fifty miles away.
He has a hunch that if any of the Golden Thieves have any attachment to Jinji Ridge, they might set foot here again.
During his last intervention, Qin Ming had already discovered that the Old Golden Chicken, mutated five times, was a practitioner who had once been personally instructed by one of the Golden Thieves.
Back in the day, several Golden Thieves lived at Jinji Ridge for long spells.
In the region of Black and White Mountain, the overall terrain is high. While other places have entered early spring, snow still lingers atop the mountains here, not yet fully melted.
Under the cover of night, Qin Ming revisits old haunts, standing on Jinji Ridge and gazing at the mountain ranges.
"Go hide behind the mountain."
Although the Crimson Eagle has only mutated twice, it has achieved a degree of human understanding. Hearing the instruction, it immediately moves away from this highland dotted with ruined wooden huts.
Chixia City lights up brightly, in contrast to Black and White Mountain’s region, which lacks the bright Fire Springs and is considerably darker. But Qin Ming doesn’t mind; after all, he lived here for two years and feels a sense of kinship.
As the night grows darker, the talking sparrow rushes to inform him that the Golden Thieves have gone insane to cover their leader, and they have been initially spotted in Black and White Mountain.
"That’s a relief. Eighty miles away, in a town, a powerful master that Chixia City dispatched successfully killed one of the Golden Thieves."
Qin Ming nods at hearing the good news.
There is a Fire Spring at Jinji Ridge. Qin Ming stays away from there, settling into an old, decrepit wooden house.
The following day, as Shallow Night falls, the mountains remain deeply dark, with only the center of Jinji Ridge radiantly illuminated by the Earth Fire.
A tall, slender old man begins to scale the mountain, stepping through the lingering snow, and arrives at the highlands. With his advanced age, he is well preserved. Although his hair is completely white, his face bears only a few wrinkles and no trace of ferocity, resembling an old scholar.
"Having convalesced here for five years, it’s unexpected to return and find this place in ruins. Who did this?"
Sure enough, a Golden Thief has come to mourn; moreover, the intention is to cause havoc in the nearby territory.
"Golden Thieves were once renowned and dominated this vast land for decades. Now, having faced calamity, do many assume we’re weak and easily bullied? I’m going to cleanse one area with blood, aiding the leader’s escape," the elderly man speaks calmly, paying his respects to Jinji Ridge, then turning to leave.
"A bunch of vile and extreme wretches, you describe it as if it’s something extraordinary and tragic. In reality, it’s nothing but infamy!" Qin Ming approaches from afar.
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