Harvest

"Only one New Life..." Fu Entao was deeply shaken. He had undergone his Second New Life many years ago and had accumulated enough depth, yet he had been defeated by a youth who had only just undergone New Life.

He braced himself on his long saber with one hand and violently pulled out the Iron Spear that had pierced through his thigh with the other, bringing out a great gush of blood. Already utterly exhausted, he swayed.

Shao Chengfeng had lost an arm and was nailed to the ground by an Iron Spear through his abdomen. He struggled to pull out the spear, only to see Qin Ming turn to look at him. Powerlessly, he lowered his remaining arm again.

"The entire Mountain Patrol Group... was wiped out by one person." Shao Chengfeng knew he could not escape death. No matter what, the other side could not possibly leave any survivors.

"He only underwent New Life once. How could he be this strong?" Feng Yi'an muttered as he wiped the bloody froth from his mouth.

Qin Ming spoke. "Tell me something that interests me."

"Dream on!" Fu Entao answered with unyielding grit. He understood that he would not meet a good end. Even lowering his head would change nothing.

On the other side, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng showed no intention of speaking again.

Normally, they had hearts like wolves and natures like jackals, all vicious men. But if humbly begging could have saved their lives now, they would not have minded groveling on the ground. Yet that was unrealistic. Both knew they could not escape death.

"Tell me about the Blood Bamboo Forest." Qin Ming came before Shao Chengfeng.

Shao Chengfeng said nothing. His hollow eyes stared into the night sky as he began looking back on his past, for he knew clearly that his life was about to end.

"You won't talk?" Qin Ming did not waste words. The Firewood Chopping Knife in his hand fell. With a puff, his head was separated from his body.

Shao Chengfeng's eyes were wide open. He died with unclosed eyes, unable to rest in peace. His opponent had been decisive, chopping him down without a second word.

Qin Ming had come to deal with the Mountain Patrol Group. He had no interest in tormenting them. Since they were tight-lipped and nothing could be pried from them, he would simply cut them down.

He wanted to see whether the other two would soften up and open their mouths in such a life-or-death predicament.

Fu Entao's face twitched slightly, but his gaze became even fiercer. He tightened his grip on the long saber in his hand and slowly shifted his feet, actually preparing to attack again.

A Second New Life Evolver who had run rampant through this region for many years, he did not fear the threat of death. After all, he was a ruthless man forged through slaughter in the deep mountains.

Meanwhile, Feng Yi'an lay prone on the ground. The Iron Spear had entered through his back and pinned him there. He could not rise, only trembling slightly.

Wind and snow raged. Fu Entao charged over like a human-shaped beast, exhausting every last ounce of strength as he swung out his sharpest saber light in one final struggle.

After the fierce clash, he panted heavily, utterly exhausted. By now, he had truly reached the end of his strength, yet that youth still seemed full of life, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit brimming.

Pfft!

After another exchange, Fu Entao's right arm was severed with one slash, and his long saber fell to the ground with it. His face turned deathly pale as he staggered backward.

Combined with the leg that had earlier been pierced through by the spear, his severe injuries made him lose his balance. He dropped to one knee in the snow and gasped for breath. His naturally curly long hair clung wetly to his head, and his face was written all over with unwillingness and despair.

"Is there anything you want to say?" Qin Ming asked.

"Use my own saber to give me a quick death." Cold sweat covered Fu Entao's head. His left hand trembled as it pressed over the wound at his severed arm, but blood had already dyed half his body red, turning even the snow crimson.

"What makes you think I would grant you that wish?" Qin Ming walked forward with the Firewood Chopping Knife in hand.

"You... want to humiliate me?" Fu Entao struggled to stand.

"You think you deserve that?" Qin Ming rushed past, and the Firewood Chopping Knife swept across his neck. A head bearing an unwilling expression flew up as the body collapsed to the ground.

Feng Yi'an lay there with a deathly pale face, struggling to get up. But the Iron Spear lodged in him only trembled slightly, impossible to pull from the frozen earth.

He felt deeply humiliated, because the other side was already standing in front of him, one foot planted on his head.

"What do you want to tell me?" Qin Ming lowered his head and looked down at him.

Feng Yi'an clenched his fist, then let it fall weakly open again. Breathing heavily, he said, "You want to find Spiritual Creatures? I won't tell you."

Qin Ming applied a little pressure with his foot, and Feng Yi'an's skull gave a soft crack. Part of the bone fractured, and the agonizing pain twisted Feng Yi'an's face.

Qin Ming did not hesitate. He brought his blade down directly, beheading him as well and ending the bearded man's life.

As for where the Blood Bamboo Forest was, he could just ask Old Man Liu after returning. In his younger days, Old Man Liu had possessed great ambition and often entered the mountains with the older generation of the Mountain Patrol Group. He knew the distribution of Fire Springs in the mountains extremely well.

Only the sound of wind remained on the mountain. The piercing clamor of blades and spears colliding was gone. This group of Mountain Patrols had been completely wiped out, dealt with by Qin Ming alone.

He murmured, "I actually killed so many people, and I didn't hold back at all."

Qin Ming stood still in reflection. Perhaps it was because he had not regarded these people as his own kind, but as Mountain Monsters that endangered the villagers.

He began cleaning up the battlefield. The bodies only needed to be thrown down the mountain into "Stomach Burial." All kinds of fierce beasts prowled the dense forest, and not even bones would remain.

Qin Ming had long made thrift and frugality a habit. He searched Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and the others. Under the glow of the Fire Spring, some dazzling objects appeared in his hand—Night Silver.

These were coins with purchasing power far greater than copper coins, seen during merchant trading in town.

The coins were round with a circular hole at their center, representing the missing sun. They were called Night Silver.

Afterward, Qin Ming discovered something even more valuable—Day Gold.

It was brilliant golden-yellow throughout, a complete round coin shaped like the vanished sun, carrying people's beautiful hopes.

The Mountain Patrols did not carry much Day Gold into the mountains. Altogether, there were only eleven coins, but to ordinary people, this was already an enormous fortune.

This was not the first time Qin Ming had "picked up" Day Gold. Before contracting the Strange Illness, he had seen several corpses near the fallen Earth Fissure. Not only had he found Day Gold, but he had also obtained a bottle of extremely precious Mineral Essence.

Day Gold circulated relatively little in Silver Vine Town, so he had never spent it. Otherwise, it would have drawn too much attention.

As for that crystal vial, exquisitely crafted and delicately engraved, he had not touched it for the time being either. After recovering from his illness, he had undergone New Life by relying on himself.

Furthermore, he knew little about Mineral Essence and still needed to understand it thoroughly, lest he use it carelessly and waste its true value.

Most crucially, the events before him would soon erupt. It was best for him to keep a low profile while maintaining the identity of a First New Life Evolver.

"I only underwent New Life once. I don't have the strength to deal with the Mountain Patrol Group. Once this 'storm' ferments, it will be fine if I am a Second New Life Evolver."

Qin Ming continued searching the mountain for spoils.

"Fine armor, hundred-forged long sabers—these are all good things!" He inwardly lamented the waste as he stroked the armor and weapons. Later, he planned to scatter and bury them throughout the forest, then dig them out when he needed them to explore the Blood Bamboo Forest.

He was just that plain and unadorned. He searched everyone from head to toe, not even sparing the Golden Mastiff. He picked it up, sorely tempted to swing his blade and cut off a huge chunk of dog meat to make a dog meat hotpot in the wooden cabin.

He had come out in the middle of the night, waited in the forest until the night mist dispersed, then fought fiercely with the Mountain Patrol Group until now. The drain on him had been immense, and he had long been starving.

But he sighed and gave up, tossing the mastiff into the snow. To be cautious, he truly could not linger here. He had to clean up the battlefield quickly.

Qin Ming entered a wooden cabin and found it comfortably furnished for living. Thick beast-hide rugs covered the floor, silver bowls and chopsticks sat on the dining table, and the little knives for carving roasted meat were exquisite and attractive.

Opening any of that row of wine jars released a rich fragrance of alcohol. At a glance, they were far better than the pungent old wine in Xu Yueping's home, whose jar had long been drunk dry.

His gains from searching here were limited. Instead, in the wooden cabin that had collapsed during the fierce battle, he found a Sword Manual. Its old leather pages were worn and curled at the edges.

It was clear that people frequently read and studied it. There were even dense notes and annotations, written in different hands and carrying mottled traces of antiquity.

As he flipped through it, Qin Ming saw familiar sword forms. Fu Entao's saber techniques were only part of what the Sword Manual recorded. Later, it mentioned "Heavenly Light," along with even deeper descriptions.

He did not continue reading. He quickly closed it and carried it with him. This old leather-bound ancient book was worth more than that Day Gold.

After Qin Ming thoroughly searched the place, Shattered Gold Ripples emerged across his body. As his fists and feet struck out, the remaining wooden cabins exploded one after another.

The wind was strong now, immediately sweeping wooden fragments into the air and carrying them down the mountain with the gale.

Even the snow on the ground was swept up from time to time, mixing with the goose-feather snow falling from the sky. It would be difficult for any traces to remain at the scene.

"What a pity about my Firewood Chopping Knife." Qin Ming inspected its edge. It was riddled with dense chips. Although it had been forged from refined iron, it was ultimately no match for the Mountain Patrol Group's weapons.

"It can still be used." He found the whetstone there and quickly ground away the chipped sections before sharpening the edge anew. The blade was somewhat narrower than before.

Qin Ming carried all the bodies down the mountain and threw them into the dense forest. With his own eyes, he saw several fierce beasts emerge and swiftly drag the corpses away.

As for the four people he had intercepted and killed on the road earlier, when he went back to look again, not even fragments of bone remained.

Qin Ming moved aside heavy stones and took his bundle from the snow cave. He removed his tattered, bloodstained outer clothes and armor, changing into the clean clothes he usually wore.

What should be burned was burned, and what should be buried was buried. This included the Day Gold and Sword Manual, which he left in the mountains. Soon, he disappeared into the dense forest.

Qin Ming returned quietly, dragging a piece of prey behind him. No one knew that this gentle youth, who looked no different from usual, had just fought a bloody battle.

He boiled a pot of water. Rarely, he did not use cold water, instead taking a comfortable hot bath. His well-proportioned, tall body glowed with crystalline luster, his muscle lines smooth. He washed himself meticulously, making sure no strange odor remained after the bloody battle.

Not long afterward, he appeared at Lu Ze's home.

"Uncle, what kind of meat is this?" Wen Rui came over eagerly.

Qin Ming carried a large chunk of fresh meat and smiled. "This is delicious. Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground. Your uncle caught a wild donkey today."

Mainly, he could not stop thinking about that copper-pot dog meat. Having failed to eat the Golden Mastiff, he felt considerable regret. Now, he was preparing copper-pot donkey meat to compensate himself.

Soon, laughter and cheerful voices drifted from the house.

"Uncle, donkey meat really is delicious!"

Before the steaming copper pot, the injured Lu Ze spoke. "Little Qin, you have already laid down a Golden Foundation. You should carefully consider your Second New Life."

Qin Ming nodded. "Don't worry, Brother Lu. I know what I'm doing."

After the meal, he returned home and pondered how to ask Old Man Liu about the Blood Bamboo Forest without leaving any trace.

If he could undergo his Second New Life early, he naturally did not want to delay. He wanted to make a trip to the mysterious Blood Bamboo Forest as soon as possible.