First Kill

"Sharp enough!" Qin Ming rose from beside the whetstone. The rust had been ground from the Firewood Chopping Knife in his hand, leaving it smooth as a mirror, like a pool of autumn water.

"People like Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng deserved to die, but if any good people got caught up in it and met with an accident, that would be far too regrettable." He wanted to get to the bottom of it.

That evening, Old Man Liu was drinking with Xu Yueping. They had only one cup each, taking tiny sips at a time to savor the taste. That was all they had left; the jar of fiery old wine at Xu Yueping's home had nearly run dry.

"One muntjac for one human life—they truly have no humanity at all!" Old Man Liu cursed as he drank. His chest felt stifled, yet he could not tell the Qian Family these things.

What Xu Yueping feared most was that people like Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng might truly achieve Second New Life in the end. That would be even worse.

"Isn't there a single good person in the Mountain Patrol Group?" Qin Ming had arrived.

Old Man Liu sighed. "If more than half the pears in a basket have rotted, then if you leave them alone, the rest will be hard-pressed to keep. A Mountain Patrol Group can have twelve members at full strength, but they only have nine now. Those who didn't fit in were either forced out or met with accidents in the mountains."

"Can no one restrain them, or deal with them?" Qin Ming asked casually.

Xu Yueping shook the wine jar hard before managing to pour out only a little liquor for him, then pulled him down to sit and drink with them.

After thinking for a moment, Old Man Liu said, "Some teams from other Mountain Patrol Groups are on bad terms with them, either because they can't stand them or because they compete over Spiritual Objects in the mountains. Blood has been spilled between them before."

Xu Yueping said, "There's also the neighboring Green Mulberry Village. They weren't forcibly made to plant Black Moon. It seems that Er Bingzi's relative is quite capable."

As he spoke, he looked at Qin Ming. "Little Qin, you have a solid Golden Foundation. You should make some plans. Once early spring arrives, go out and see the world. Don't trap yourself here."

He understood the temperaments of Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and the others. He feared that Qin Ming would be harmed by those wolfish Mountain Patrols.

Qin Ming pondered it. "Plans? I'd really like to know where I fled from during that famine."

"Ah, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have nearly forgotten. I've always treated you as one of the locals." Xu Yueping did not know how to comfort him and could only change the subject.

He spoke of Red Haze City's splendor, its incomparable prosperity, its outstanding people and blessed land. Perhaps there, one might have the chance to obtain an Advanced Meditation Method, a Willpower Skill, and more.

Old Man Liu chimed in as well. "I also support you going out, Little Qin. Young people should have drive and dreams. Otherwise, by the time you reach my age, even your legs will go soft and you won't be able to go anywhere, leaving nothing but regrets and sighs over your fading years."

Xu Yueping laughed. "Uncle Liu, I heard your ambitions were lofty back then."

Old Man Liu was not embarrassed when some Past Events were brought up. "Who hasn't been young?"

"What were your ambitions back then?" Qin Ming asked with great interest.

Old Man Liu recalled, "It was only natural to be young and reckless, to dare to dream and dare to act. For instance, I wanted to rise up and tame a Famous Beast in the mountains. I wanted even more to marry the prettiest girl nearby."

"And what happened?"

"Once, while cooperating with a Mountain Patrol Group, we unexpectedly encountered that Famous Beast. It charged past us, and merely passing through nearly wiped us all out. That injured my vitality, and I could no longer even touch the threshold of Second New Life. I gave up that dream completely. As for that girl, she married one of my rivals instead."

Qin Ming raised his cup to him. What else could describe it but misery?

Old Man Liu chuckled. "Later, I was so furious that I married that rival's Elder Sister and made him call me brother-in-law for the rest of his life."

"Still, it had to be you!"

The three of them had only half a cup of wine each, yet they drank all night long.

After Qin Ming returned home, he wiped down the Iron Bow engraved with strange beast patterns. Unfortunately, it was no longer a stiff bow to him; if he used too much force, he would snap it.

"It'll do for now."

Then he filled the quiver wrapped in beast hide with iron arrows and took out a change of clothes, placing them into his bundle.

"Tomorrow is midmonth." He looked up at the deep night sky.

That night, he went to sleep early in order to adjust his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their best state.

He woke in the latter half of the night. He had slept enough, and although it was still far from Shallow Night, he silently pushed open the Courtyard Gate.

In the Deep Night, all things were still. The darkness was so deep it chilled the bones, and Ordinary People could barely see anything at all.

After his New Life, Qin Ming's physical qualities had improved in every aspect, including his eyesight. Even in such extreme conditions, he could make out hazy shapes, and it did not hinder his journey.

He did not pass by Fire Spring. Instead, he took the most remote small path and made a detour.

Snowflakes had drifted down for days on end, and the snowfall only seemed to be growing heavier.

His black hair, hanging over his shoulders, fluttered in the night wind. His tall frame was not at all thin but strong and powerful, his steps incomparably firm as he headed toward the mountains.

The faces of those injured villagers surfaced before his eyes one by one. The scene of Feng Yi'an handing over a muntjac during Uncle Qian's funeral kept circling in his heart as well. He had endured all he could endure. Today, he was going to deal with the people of the Mountain Patrol Group! Qin Ming entered the mountains steadily and calmly. He had long held this wish in his heart, and now he felt neither tension nor unease, as though he were walking the road home.

In the Dense Forest, the howls of every kind of creature rose and fell one after another, while black shadows streaked through the air. Within the dark forest like an abyss, many malicious eyes appeared—some blood-red, some ghost-fire green, some cold silver-white—all staring fixedly at him. He could even hear the breathing of strange beasts and the air-rending cries of fierce birds, all very near. The mountains were exceptionally dangerous in the Deep Night.

Qin Ming suddenly accelerated. This was physical prowess that had Surpassed the Golden Foundation. In an instant, he rushed at a large strange beast. The Firewood Chopping Knife flashed through the air like a gleaming ribbon. With a puff, a massive head was severed, blood gushing out as the headless corpse weighing over six hundred jin crashed to the ground.

At once, the nearby area fell silent. Those ghostly green pupils and blood-red eyes in the darkness all vanished.

Qin Ming continued On the Way, his target clear as he advanced unwaveringly toward that stronghold.

A short while later, the headless mountain beast was torn apart and devoured by a pack of carnivorous creatures. The sounds of Fierce Beasts fighting over food and guarding their meals echoed from there.

As Qin Ming neared his destination, he stood on an adjacent mountain peak and watched the stronghold opposite, where Fire Spring was located.

There was still some time before Shallow Night, yet people were already moving about there. A nearly two-meter-tall man with naturally curly black hair fed bloody chunks of meat to the fierce Golden Mastiff.

"Fu Entao!" Qin Ming realized who it was. He had heard of the man's physical traits—his hair had been naturally curly since birth. The strongest group leader was actually already at the stronghold.

Afterward, he saw another four people emerge from the wooden huts one after another, including Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng.

"They arrived early." Qin Ming frowned, guessing that they had likely arrived yesterday.

He descended the mountain at an unhurried pace and lay in wait on the only road leading to the stronghold. Four people had yet to arrive, and he decided to cut them down first.

Snowflakes dyed even his black hair white. He stood motionless. Shallow Night had arrived, the mountain mist gradually dispersed, and the sky was no longer so dark.

For those who had undergone New Life, their vision became even broader. Qin Ming saw a man appear, wrapped in a beast-hide cloak and walking in from outside the mountains.

The face was very familiar. That Day, when Feng Yi'an humiliated Xu Yueping in Silver Vine Town, this man had been following at his side.

Qin Ming, standing behind the tree like an ice sculpture, moved. His hair cracked like thunder as he reached the man in an instant and slammed into him with a dull impact.

Many bones throughout the man's body broke on the spot. His eyes bulged, and under the excruciating pain, he could not even howl, because his neck had been attacked first and seized in the grip of a slender yet powerful hand.

With a crack, this Mountain Patrol's neck was snapped. Qin Ming used so much force that after crushing his neck bones, he nearly tore his head off.

The man's head flopped weakly to one side, then hung down. His neck seemed to be held together by only a layer of skin. Even in death, his face bore terror and despair.

Qin Ming carried the man into the depths of the Dense Forest. He smelled alcohol and a suffocating odor of cosmetics on him. No wonder the man's reaction had been so slow. After a night of wine, women, and drunken sleep, he had not died unjustly.

After searching him, Qin Ming tossed the man far away and took a deep breath. His emotions were rising and falling rather noticeably; after all, this was his first time killing someone.

Though he had long prepared himself mentally, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

But he quickly adjusted. He often entered the mountains to hunt and had fought dangerous creatures to the death. He had seen blood long ago, and his mental endurance was exceptionally strong.

"To plant Black Moon in Fire Spring, you killed villagers again and again. You are more harmful than the fierce birds and beasts of the mountains. Today, I'll kill every last one of you and rid this place of evil. This is the fulfillment of my heart's desire!"

Qin Ming calmed down. In his heart, he regarded this group of Mountain Patrols as evil beasts and vicious monsters, regaining his steadiness and resolve.

After waiting for a long while, the second man came through the wind and snow. In the Shallow Night, his tall figure seemed particularly imposing. He wore armor similar to that on Shao Chengfeng.

Qin Ming, covered in snowflakes, slowly drew the Firewood Chopping Knife, ready to test its edge.

When the man came close, a flash of snow-bright blade light erupted from the darkness. Qin Ming shattered the snow beneath his feet and shot forward like lightning, crossing ten meters in an instant.

This Mountain Patrol reacted far better than the first. Sensing a fatal threat from behind and to the side, his hairs stood on end. He quickly shifted sideways, then dove toward the ground, trying to evade the danger.

As someone whose physical qualities had improved in every aspect after New Life, his instincts and adaptability were adequate. If he had been facing another opponent at the same level, he should have been able to dodge this strike.

However, Qin Ming had been faster from the start, charging with the force of racing thunder. He had anticipated it as well. The sharp Firewood Chopping Knife swept through the air. With a puff, the man's head flew away, severed by a single stroke!

Blood spurted a great distance in an instant, staining the snow red. The headless corpse maintained its original forward momentum as it toppled into the snowdrift.

Qin Ming sheathed his knife. This time, he remained calm, and there were not so many ripples in his heart.

The goose-feather snow did not seem to drift down but crash down, growing ever heavier. Driven by the cold wind, it struck his face with considerable force. Qin Ming Looked Up at the Sky and said, "Fine snow!"

The stronger the wind and the heavier the snow, the better they could wipe away the Traces he had left behind.

He stood amid the wind and snow like an unmoving statue holding a blade. He waited for the third and fourth men in turn. There were no surprises; both Mountain Patrols were cut down with thunderous force in the dim mountain forest.

He no longer felt any discomfort. He could smile gently at Xiao Wenrui, and he could also bring a blade into the mountains to slaughter a pack of Mountain Patrols more harmful than tigers.

Qin Ming's steps were powerful, neither hurried nor slow, as he headed alone and steadily toward the Mountain Patrol Group's stronghold.

Qin Ming's first kill. Calling for next month's votes.