Fallen

Feng Yi'an was tall, with a beard whose bristles stood straight like steel needles. His eyes were bright and his words forceful; he looked like a frank, straightforward man.

Yet after learning the truth, Qin Ming loathed him to the extreme.

"We truly owe you an apology this time. We'll kill that Blood Bear as soon as possible and make up for our mistake." Feng Yi'an wore an utterly sincere expression.

Old Man Liu sighed and asked them to make sure they guarded the forests well, not letting mutated creatures wreak havoc again.

At his age, he had been angered badly. They had killed people, then come to apologize afterward—who was this performance supposed to be for?

This false sincerity after personally coming to the door was no different from rubbing salt into the wounds of the bereaved. They had never taken them seriously and had no fear of provoking an extreme reaction.

"Ah, mainly because some of the brothers were injured, leaving us short-handed during mountain patrols. That's what led to this accident." Feng Yi'an explained.

He brought up the old matter again and asked Xu Yueping to plant the Black Moon as soon as possible. The Mountain Patrol needed it to treat injuries, so they could guard the mountains better.

Fire surged in Xu Yueping's heart, but he had no choice but to swallow it.

Feng Yi'an said, "We'll set out immediately. We won't leave the mountains until we've slain the Blood Bear. Brother Xu, sorry for the trouble, but please visit the families of the dead and injured for us and offer them some comfort."

Qin Ming felt that such a hypocritical face was uglier than ugly.

Xu Yueping casually touched his arm, then rose to see the Mountain Patrol members off.

Clearly, he was afraid that Qin Ming's youthful hotheadedness would make him do something extreme.

Qin Ming knew that even if he could kill these Mountain Patrol members now, it would bring bloody retaliation. After all, there were other members, and other groups besides.

If anything happened to these men here, all of Double Tree Village would be dragged down with them.

Naturally, he would not act rashly or speak recklessly. He rose with Xu Yueping and Yang Yongqing and saw them out together.

Once those men vanished into the dim wilderness, Yang Yongqing spoke angrily. "I'm suffocating from holding it in!"

"Can we report this to the higher-ups?" Qin Ming asked.

"What fault can you possibly point out? By the rules, we should provide four to eight Black Moon plants. This time, the Mountain Patrol Group only demanded the minimum four. You say they're mutated seeds, but how can you prove it now? They look exactly the same. We only guessed it because last year's Fire Field harvest failed, combined with Feng Yi'an and the others' temperaments and usual conduct. This time, they've completely succeeded in cultivating the mutated seeds."

Old Man Liu continued, "There's another crucial reason. Since they dared act like this, how could they possibly have failed to grease the right palms?"

Xu Yueping said, "A favor left behind by a highly respected Mountain Patrol member is enough for his descendants to squander for ten years."

In the end, Feng Yi'an and the others had come with their false affection and fake intentions only to keep urging Xu Yueping to plant the medicine.

They had not directly threatened them. They had been polite and gentle. Yet in this situation, such words and actions were even more excessive than open intimidation.

Qin Ming let out a breath of stale air. "They've gone too far in bullying people!"

Then he asked whether Black Moon medicine was truly that important.

Xu Yueping nodded solemnly. "After mutation, it becomes incredibly valuable. Taking it over a long period gives someone a small chance at undergoing a Second New Life."

Old Man Liu said, "As Mountain Patrol members, they walk through deep mountains all year round. They've probably seen higher lifeforms. Who doesn't want to take another step forward? Even an old man like me wants to revive once more. A Second New Life can extend one's lifespan and restore some youthful vigor. Who wouldn't long for that?"

He explained some of the reasons and motives behind the Mountain Patrol Group's corruption, then said, "But people need a bottom line. How are they worthy of being Mountain Patrol members when they act like this? They're more harmful than Mountain Monsters!"

"Second New Life..." Qin Ming drifted into thought.

Xu Yueping patted his shoulder. "You definitely can. According to local records, among New Life Evolvers who laid a Golden Foundation, the fastest achieved a Second New Life in less than two months."

The villagers who had entered the mountains today were all bloodied. Several were severely injured, and no one knew whether they would survive. Cries echoed from many households.

Xu Yueping went from house to house, visiting them and helping treat their wounds. He restrained his anger, but his chest heaved violently.

The middle-aged man Wang Qinglin lay on the heated kang bed, unconscious the entire time. As a New Life Evolver, his condition was worse than anyone else's.

After Old Man Liu set his bones again, he wiped the blood from his hands and said, "Broken bones pierced his internal organs. If people like us didn't possess vigorous vitality, this would have been a fatal injury."

Qin Ming observed carefully and felt that this had still been caused by someone acting in a Blood Bear hide.

Every household was steeped in sorrow. Some children secretly wiped away tears. The sense of gain and joy from the adults' hunting hauls over the past two days had vanished without a trace.

Some villagers had also encountered mutated Snow Apes, and the torn wounds on their bodies were a horrifying sight.

"Two years ago, the Mountain Patrol Group seemed to have raised one." Yang Yongqing spoke in a low voice.

Xu Yueping's expression was ugly, while Old Man Liu sighed again and again.

Qin Ming headed home, feeling stifled in his chest and wanting to do something.

The only good news was that Lu Ze had awakened. Given his physical condition, he should not be left with any lasting problems.

Qin Ming did not tell him the hidden truth, afraid that he would become too agitated and hinder his recovery.

"Brother Lu, how many people are in a Mountain Patrol group?" Qin Ming asked, wanting to understand the strength of its members.

"Anywhere from eight to twelve," Lu Ze told him. "The group guarding our area currently has nine people. Only the leader is a Second New Life Evolver, and he's very strong."

Fu Entao was the name of that leader. He rarely showed himself in ordinary times.

Lu Ze sighed. "For many people, exhausting everything they have and reaching the finish line is only to obtain one New Life. As for a Second New Life, they don't even dare think about it. That is a boundary no one can cross."

"It seems that leader can completely suppress the other members," Qin Ming said.

Lu Ze nodded. "During the First New Life, the improvement in physical ability is extremely obvious. A Second New Life then doubles that foundation."

"In our area, five hundred jin is already the limit for someone in their First New Life to lift. What was that Leader Fu like back then?" Qin Ming was sounding him out.

Lu Ze thought carefully before saying, "Fu Entao was still some distance away from the ceiling in those days."

He looked at him. "You underwent New Life during the Golden Age, and with that foundation of yours that breaks past the limits, your Second New Life is destined to be fierce."

Qin Ming had a rough measure now. In terms of physical ability alone, even after Fu Entao's Second New Life, he was still inferior to Qin Ming after only one New Life.

He rose to say goodbye and told Lu Ze to recover in peace and not worry about anything else. He was here.

After returning to his own courtyard, he began practicing several methods of close-quarters killing. Making a living in dangerous mountains, he naturally understood many such things.

Even before his New Life, he could chop through green bricks with his bare hand. Now, he was naturally even stronger.

He swept out with a whip kick. With a bang, he snapped a tree stump as thick as his thigh.

When he used the Wild Style he had trained in for years, his mind became intensely focused. Ripples like shattered gold appeared beneath his flesh, and with a light bump of his body, the tree stump broke apart.

After dinner, Qin Ming went to Xu Yueping's home.

"Uncle Xu, are you still stewing in anger?"

"They've bullied us beyond all reason." Xu Yueping felt so stifled that it hurt.

"Hurry and talk him into it. He hasn't even eaten dinner." Xu Yueping's wife looked worried.

"Auntie, leave it to me." Qin Ming entered and sat down.

After practicing a round of killing techniques at home, he was calm now. He discussed with Xu Yueping what they should do next.

"You want me to agree to them?" Xu Yueping abruptly raised his head.

He was furious, his expression turning cold. "Do you know the consequences? Next year's Fire Field harvest will plummet, and there will be famine!"

"Uncle, listen to me first." Qin Ming spoke quickly, truly afraid of angering him too badly.

"Go on!"

"It's still early before the beginning of spring. What harm is there in agreeing to them first? If something happens in the meantime—for instance, they all die during the Mountain Sweeping Operation; or Heaven itself cannot stand the sight of them and Mountain Monsters wipe them out in one go tonight; or the magnetic field in the mountains fluctuates violently and everyone in the Mountain Patrol Group goes mad..."

Xu Yueping watched him curse them with a completely serious face, and his gaze immediately turned strange.

According to Qin Ming's meaning, if those people met with trouble and the higher-ups came to investigate, they might suspect those who had conflicts with the Mountain Patrol Group. If they did not clear themselves in advance, they might end up covered in muck from head to toe.

Xu Yueping was displeased. "How could any of those 'what ifs' happen? You're overthinking it."

Qin Ming's expression became solemn. "Uncle Xu, what I mean is that we agree for now and wait for a change in circumstances."

He explained that they could first toss the seeds into the Fire Spring, then fish them back out after the Mountain Patrol Group left. Or afterward, they could coat the seeds in a transparent mineral glue unique to the mountains, separating them from the Fire Spring.

Qin Ming added, "Every household is short of food now. We should first ensure that the villagers can hunt safely in the mountains."

Xu Yueping sighed. He felt Qin Ming's words made some sense. If they could not even survive the immediate crisis, what was the point of talking about next year's famine?

"Once we drag through this period, what then?" He still had a headache. Feng Yi'an and the others were ruthless; afterward, they would certainly retaliate in a terrifying manner.

Qin Ming's eyes were firm. "Uncle, after some more time, I may undergo a Second New Life too. Then I can have a talk with them."

"There should be people behind them as well." Xu Yueping rubbed his temples.

Suddenly, as though remembering something, he said, "Little Qin, when you use both arms with all your strength after your First New Life, can you reach the six-hundred-jin threshold?"

"I can."

Xu Yueping sprang to his feet. "That result would stand out even in distant Red Haze City."

A smile slowly spread across his face. "Come with me to Silver Vine Town tomorrow."

Qin Ming felt uncomfortable under his stare. "Uncle Xu, shouldn't we solve the immediate predicament first?"

"Feng Yi'an told me that if I change my mind, I can go find him in town. Besides, when we go to Silver Vine Town, perhaps a fine marriage match will be waiting for you."

"Huh?" Qin Ming was stunned.

Xu Yueping explained that a mysterious Old Noble had moved here from afar and was living in seclusion in town. He had an exceptionally beautiful daughter who had reached marriageable age.

Qin Ming immediately shook his head. "Uncle Xu, let's not humiliate ourselves."

In the past, Xu Yueping would never have dared to call at their door. But the other party had put out word themselves: when choosing a son-in-law, they would not look at family background, only the person.

Qin Ming's Golden Foundation was astonishingly deep. Even in that distant Bright City, he would count as someone endowed with extraordinary talent. That gave Xu Yueping confidence.

He said softly, "If this marriage can succeed, the threat from the Mountain Patrol Group can be resolved."

Qin Ming objected, but Xu Yueping forcibly pulled him into drinking all night.

The next day, before the night fog had fully dispersed, Xu Yueping came to find Qin Ming and set out.

"Uncle Xu, do we have to leave this early?"

"I know you may still feel somewhat resistant right now. It's fine. Once we get there, you don't need to call on them for the moment. I'll go to the Old Noble's home first and sound them out."

Xu Yueping felt it would be best if this worked out, but there would be no real loss if it did not. Trying their luck there was better than doing nothing at all.

In the Shallow Night, the sky was still extremely dim. Dense forests lined both sides of the road, black and oppressive, while the cries of beasts and Strange Birds drifted from afar from time to time.

Qin Ming and Xu Yueping trudged through thick snow toward Silver Vine Town, more than ten li away.

After reaching the halfway point, they suddenly stopped. Brilliant red light erupted from the distant forest, tearing through the night fog and illuminating the surrounding area.

A vast number of Red Butterflies appeared, dancing gracefully as they dyed the night sky red. They filled the heavens and flew in every direction.

Some readers said flying kites at night did not feel quite right. But think about it—if a kite had several thin Sun Stone fragments embedded in it, wouldn't that give it the right feeling?