A Generous Gift

Six figures emerged from the slope on the other side of the valley entrance, four of whom were clad in black armor, their equipment far superior to the standard armor of the Mountain Patrol Group.

The other two had rather ordinary iron armor, quite worn, and appeared to be locals. One of them whistled, and three very strong raptors immediately dashed out of the dense forest, their tawny feathers ruffled, their thick legs moving at great speed.

Qin Ming recognized them as mutated creatures bred in Golden Chicken Ridge, and he had even seen the three people in front riding Walking Chickens across the mountains and forests yesterday.

"Brother, impressive skills. Guarding the valley entrance alone and slaying the Blood Snake, truly brave and decisive," said a young man in well-made armor.

Qin Ming ignored him, as this man was still holding a hard bow in his hand, not yet lowered, and had moments ago intended to shoot him with an iron arrow.

"Sorry about that earlier, a moment of impulse. I wanted to test your skills, indeed a bit of an offense."

Qin Ming looked at the young man holding the bow and said, "Do you even believe those words yourself?"

"Oh, judging by your voice, you're not old. To have achieved Second New Life at such a young age, your future is limitless," the young man said in surprise, staring at Qin Ming's face, which was covered by a black scarf.

He knew very well that in such a remote area, a young man with such achievements must be exceptionally talented.

The young man put away his black bow, feeling that the young man before him was a talent, and said, "Brother, I was indeed reckless earlier. It's mainly because my elder brother was injured in the mountains and urgently needs Spiritual Objects to nourish his body. I was so concerned that I lost my composure and attacked you."

Qin Ming remained unmoved. Losing composure to the point of shooting others at every turn? Such an explanation was pale and weak, nothing more than a cold-blooded and unfeeling nature, not caring about the lives of others at all.

He quickly stuffed the Blood Snake on the ground into a animal skin bag and said, "Since it's a misunderstanding, can I leave now?"

"Brother, don't rush. Maybe we can become friends. Perhaps you don't know, we are from Red Haze City…" The young man's intention to win him over was obvious.

Qin Ming didn't speak, silently observing the group. The young man, referred to as elder brother, seemed to really be in bad shape, his complexion somewhat greenish-black.

His heart stirred slightly. That dark complexion looked quite familiar. When he fell into the crevice, he was similar to this person, and had a serious illness.

The young man smiled and said, "Brother, you see, the misunderstanding is resolved, and we do need Spiritual Objects now, but we won't take your hunted Blood Snake for nothing. I'd like to invite you to join us, and we will definitely compensate you in the future."

Qin Ming really wanted to slap him in the face. Was he supposed to hand over the Spiritual Objects and then work for them?

Seeing that he didn't get an enthusiastic response, the young man inadvertently touched the hilt of his knife with his right hand, and the others also moved their feet and dispersed.

Seeing this, Qin Ming spoke, "This is not Red Haze City, and there is no one else watching. You don't actually need to speak so hypocritically. I'll just ask one question. Since the misunderstanding is resolved, can I leave?"

The young man's face turned cold, and his words were indeed more concise, "Don't be so shameless!"

Qin Ming tore off the two layers of armor on his body to reduce his burden, fearing it would affect his speed, and quickly tied the animal skin bag on his back.

He looked at the long knife in his hand, which had actually been chipped when he slashed the Blood Snake, and the tips of several iron spears were also damaged, showing how hard the Blood Snake's scarlet scales were.

The others had cold expressions, either drawing the great swords from their backs or holding long bows, etc. Since they had turned hostile, they had to prepare to fight.

Only the young man with a greenish-black complexion did not move. He looked in the direction of the distant dense forest and said, "You weren't in a hurry to escape, so you were waiting for another Blood Snake to return, wanting it to attack indiscriminately and indirectly help you deal with us? Okay, I admit I really need these Blood Snakes, and I won't let it escape back into the valley."

At this moment, a Red Haze appeared in the dense forest. The fiery red snake had returned. It hadn't been chasing all along. After all, it was freezing cold, and it would become sluggish if it took too long.

Seeing that he had seen through him, Qin Ming didn't hide it anymore. He threw the iron spear in his hand at top speed. The nearby people had been on guard, either hiding behind trees or preparing to block with weapons.

But they found that it wasn't aimed at them at all. With a series of "poof" sounds, three iron spears pierced into the bodies of three Walking Chickens, bringing up large patches of blood.

Just then, the Blood Snake arrived not far away. Seeing a group of people blocking its path, it immediately stood up and attacked without fear.

The young man with a greenish-black complexion said, "You deal with that young man, I'll kill this Blood Snake. The more Spiritual Objects, the better."

"Brother, is your body up to it?" The young man who had been speaking earlier was afraid he would have problems.

The young man drew a long sword and responded, "I voluntarily entered a special Node for exploration, it's not an accidental injury. I can still handle this level of injury."

Seeing the Blood Snake arrive, Qin Ming began to attack almost frantically. Without any hesitation, he turned and fled, rushing towards his planned route.

The others naturally took action, and the young man who had fired the cold arrow earlier began to draw his bow at him again.

Qin Ming dodged in the dense forest, using various large trees as cover. Once both sides started running at full speed, it became difficult for the young man to continuously draw iron arrows from his quiver and nock them without slowing down.

The man with the bluish-black face was indeed strong, holding a long sword, resisting the Blood Snake, and slashing out brilliant sword light, instantly leaving several wounds on the snake's body.

The few people who went to hunt down Qin Ming were relieved when they saw this scene.

Qin Ming turned left and right in the dense forest, speeding through the night along the path he had scouted in advance. He had already seen that this group of people was difficult to deal with.

Among those chasing him, two had already undergone Second New Life, and one of them was very fast, getting closer and closer to him.

Qin Ming was strong enough in terms of strength, but after all, he was not a true Second New Life being, and he was still somewhat lacking in speed.

The young man who had been speaking earlier was also a Second New Life being, but because he had fired several cold arrows, he was slightly behind.

When he rushed to an area with dense trees and branches blocking the way, Qin Ming carefully scanned the area and chose the only unobstructed spot to rush through.

Obviously, the people behind him would not swing their knives to chop down the branches blocking the way, but would follow him all the way to hunt him down.

"Ah..."

Suddenly, the Second New Life being rushing in the front let out a scream, and the whole person fell painfully into the snow, his face twisted.

His right foot was pierced by an iron spear hidden in the snow. The blood was dripping, and the sharp spear tip was stained with blood, completely penetrating the instep of his foot, which looked very frightening.

Qin Ming was just preparing for the worst as a precaution, and had buried three iron spears in advance in this area where branches blocked the way. He didn't expect them to actually be used.

The only easy path was naturally the result of him breaking the nearby blocking branches and clearing them himself. However, it also took luck to set up the iron spear in the snow and make the opponent fall for it.

This person accidentally avoided two iron spears in a row, and only stepped on the third one. Running at full speed like this, his end was naturally miserable, and his entire right foot was crippled.

The people behind him saw this scene, their pupils contracted, and they felt as if their right feet were also aching, followed by a burst of fear.

The young man who had been speaking earlier looked ugly, gritted his teeth, and said, "Don't run around, follow his footprints."

He was also a ruthless person, ignoring his injured companion, and chased after him with a large sword, gradually closing the distance with his speed advantage.

He had already seen that the other party's speed was obviously not as good as his. He therefore judged that although the other party was also a Second New Life being, his strength was weaker than theirs.

"After all, he is a New Life being from a remote small place. Without secret Meditation Technique, Willpower Skill, etc., even if he has undergone Second New Life, his upper limit will not be too high." This was his inner thought, and it was also the reason and confidence he dared to continue chasing.

Qin Ming knew that he would be caught up sooner or later. Instead of that, he might as well take the initiative and start to deliberately slow down, wanting to eliminate one of the people who posed a threat to him first.

"You're still running? You don't know what's good for you. We just want a few of your Blood Snakes, it's better than losing your life." The young man walked over with a cold face.

As for the other person from Red Haze City and the two from Golden Chicken Ridge, they had only undergone New Life once, and their speed was not as good as his, so they were all behind and had not yet arrived.

Qin Ming did not answer, and rushed up with his Long-handled Black Gold Hammer. He had to make a quick decision. What he was most afraid of was the young man who was dealing with the Blood Snake alone. Don't look at the problems with his body, but he was still the most dangerous.

Snow exploded in the forest. Qin Ming used all his strength to strike. The first blow of the Black Gold Hammer stunned the young man. He felt his right hand holding the sword go numb.

How could this young man, who was slower and whose physical fitness should obviously be inferior to his after Second New Life, have such great strength?

Qin Ming was highly focused and went all out. The Long-handled Black Gold Hammer, despite being heavy, was like black lightning weaving through the night as he wielded it.

The young man was strong, clearly not someone to be trifled with, far more formidable than Fu Entao. After an initial setback, he quickly launched a counterattack.

However, to his shock, he discovered that the youth from this remote place was not as unskilled as he had imagined. He clearly possessed extremely powerful combat techniques, and the heavy hammer was almost a blur in his hands. His hammer techniques were astonishing, each strike tearing through the night in an unbelievable manner, every one a highly efficient killing move.

Then, it dawned on him that the youth was wielding the hammer as if it were a blade.

This guy is really strong, I need to undergo Second New Life as soon as possible! Qin Ming thought to himself, and then, the Black Gold hammer in his hand suddenly slipped.

With a bang, the young man felt the world spin and tears stream down his face. In the instant after their weapons collided, the other party actually "slipped," and at such close range, the heavy hammer smashed into his jaw, shattering the bone on the spot.

He endured the excruciating pain, forcing himself to stay conscious, and thrust his greatsword forward. He absolutely could not retreat now, or give the other party a chance to pick up the Black Gold hammer.

Clearly, he had been dazed by that hammer blow, his mind not as clear as it should be.

By the time he sensed something was wrong, it was already too late. Qin Ming drew the long saber from his waist, parried his greatsword, and then with a single stroke, severed his sword-wielding right arm, before kicking him to the ground.

Qin Ming picked up the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer from the ground, said nothing, rushed over, and smashed his head open with a hammer blow. Then, taking his weapons, he quickly went to meet the other three.

The youth with the bluish-black complexion effortlessly killed the Blood Snake. It wasn't arrogance; his strength was indeed extremely formidable.

Liu Huaishan led the surviving Mountain Patrol back in a surprise attack, rushing back to the outside of the valley after a mad dash. He judged that the Blood Snake would be greatly weakened, and even if it didn't freeze in the icy snow, it would likely be sluggish.

So he chased back, just in time to see the youth killing the Blood Snake outside the valley.

The scene fell silent instantly. Liu Huaishan and the others had not expected anyone else to be here, and to have succeeded. He looked to be quite formidable.

The young man threw the Blood Snake on the ground, looked at the people opposite him, and walked forward with his sword. He had entered this area quietly, not wanting word to get out, because there were opponents here.

His current situation wasn't great, and he wanted to maintain secrecy even more, so he was now filled with killing intent.

"Friend, we mean no harm, we'll leave immediately, the Blood Snake is yours!" Liu Huaishan shouted quickly, and led his men to retreat rapidly.

He felt that this person was too dangerous. If they really fought, they would surely be the ones to die. The other party could cut through them all alone.

These Mountain Patrol were all experienced middle-aged men, already drawing their bows and aiming at the front, defending themselves as they retreated.

The young man suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. Exploring the special Nodes had ultimately damaged his body, and he was very uncomfortable now. Finally, he took a deep breath and nodded, letting these people leave.

He rested for a while, and the uncomfortable feeling finally subsided. Then, he immediately set off, chasing after the direction Qin Ming had fled.

Although snowflakes were falling in the sky, they couldn't immediately cover the footprints. He sped along, and soon heard screams.

There was no suspense. Qin Ming had killed the two New Life from Golden Chicken Ridge and the young man from Red Haze City who had only undergone New Life once.

Taking their weapons, he turned around and rushed back, and once again saw the Second New Life who had his right foot pierced by an iron spear.

When the bluish-black faced man appeared, he saw Qin Ming with his back to him, interrogating one of his men.

Instantly, the blood flow throughout his body accelerated, and he was filled with rage. He only saw one person being forced to talk, where were the others, where was his cousin, had they all been killed?

"Hurry up and talk, do you have any advanced Willpower Skill?" Qin Ming squatted there, holding the severely injured man with one hand.

At this moment, the man wanted to say something but couldn't open his mouth, because his mouth had already taken a hammer blow. In fact, the other party simply didn't want him to speak! Unable to open his mouth, the man saw the strongest member of his group appear, approaching silently, and his pupils contracted, as if he wanted to say something.

As a result, with a bang, he took another hammer blow, his vision went black, and he almost fainted.

The bluish-black faced man saw that the injured man's upper body was covered in blood, and his lower body was buried in the snow, incredibly miserable. Without any further hesitation, he suddenly accelerated and rushed over.

Then, he gave a muffled groan, and fell to the ground in the snow.

This time, the young man didn't step on an iron spear, but rather his cousin's greatsword.

Just a short while ago, Qin Ming had meticulously arranged this place, making it seem as if it had been struck by a great battle. Broken branches littered the ground everywhere, with only a few areas left empty.

And the areas intentionally left empty were naturally where iron spears, greatswords, long sabers, and the like were buried. Currently, it seemed to have achieved the most ideal effect.

With a bang, he ended the life of the earlier person with a hammer, and then calmly faced the man whose foot had been pierced by the greatsword.

The young man with a bluish-black face was named Wang Nianzhu. He was also somewhat famous in Red Haze City. During his First New Life, he could lift a five hundred and seventy jin tripod, which was considered quite strong.

After his Second New Life, his arms possessed nearly one thousand two hundred jin of strength. Being so extraordinary, how could he not feel great hatred at being trapped here? Especially since he considered the masked youth in front of him to be nothing more than a country bumpkin, yet the youth had inflicted such heavy damage upon him.

Qin Ming retreated, directly using Wang Nianzhu's cousin's bow and arrow to aim at him.

"Ah..."

After Wang Nianzhu's foot was pierced, his movements were inconvenient. Even though his strength was very high and he could endure the pain to leap, he ultimately couldn't maintain his original state, and he was hit by an arrow before long.

Soon after, Qin Ming stepped forward and used the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer to smash the head of the heavily injured, dying Wang Nianzhu.

"I unexpectedly gained another Blood Snake. Thank you for the gift!" Qin Ming put the second large snake into the animal skin bag. Today's harvest was truly too great.