A Major Case

Under the faint night sky, mountains stood side by side, and gleaming white snow blanketed the forest. Strange birds circled low overhead, while the cries of mountain beasts drifted over from time to time. Letting icy snowflakes settle on his hair, Qin Ming felt deeply satisfied. Though entering the mountains today had been exceedingly perilous, the gains had far surpassed his expectations. He had gathered enough "provisions" for his Second New Life, which meant his strength would rise dramatically.

Qin Ming stood amid the wind and snow, looking toward the woodland stained a deep crimson. He had not originally wanted to do this, but they had left him no other choice.

Since they had bestowed such a generous gift upon him, he should give them a proper burial. Let the dead rest in peace; once dead, there was no need to keep wearing cold armor.

He stripped off the Black Gold Armor, searched the body from head to toe along the way, then placed the corpse deep within the woods, where mountain beasts would naturally send him off.

"What a fine sword!" Qin Ming ran his hand over the longsword, clear as a pool of spring water, and lightly swept it through the night. Brilliant sword-light stretched across the sky like a bolt of silk.

Unfortunately, he could not take it out of the mountains, which left him greatly regretful.

This sword was far stronger than Fu Entao's long blade. After he had hacked at the Blood Snake, Fu Entao's blade had become covered in chips. Yet after the blue-black-faced man had used this sword to kill the Blood Snake, its edge remained sharp, its surface smooth as a mirror.

Qin Ming swiftly cleaned up the battlefield. What needed Stomach Burial received Stomach Burial, and what needed burying was buried. These people came from Red Haze City, so he had to leave no traces behind.

Whether it was the longsword or its owner's black armor, both were the finest weapons and armor Qin Ming could currently lay his hands on. Yet they could only remain in the mountains. "I'll dig them up when I need them."

Clearly, the weapons left behind by Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and the others could all be discarded. They had been badly damaged in the fight against the Blood Snake.

All of them carried Night Silver, while the strongest man had another thirteen Day Gold coins on him.

"As expected, a man cannot grow rich without windfall wealth, just as a horse cannot grow fat without night grass." Qin Ming sighed. But those Day Gold coins were stained with blood, and he did not wish to go through such experiences too often.

Unfortunately, the Meditation Technique and Willpower Skill he valued most were nowhere to be found. Thinking about it, that was understandable. Who would carry scripture books and secret manuals while venturing into the mountains?

Qin Ming started for home. On the way, he hunted a huge wild bull, cleaned out its internal organs, stuffed the Blood Snake inside, then stitched up its belly.

Nothing unexpected happened along the way, and he returned home without incident.

"Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and the others have been dead for two days already. Why hasn't the matter come out yet?" Qin Ming estimated that it should happen soon.

After all, the Mountain Patrols who had gone to deal with the Blood Snake had sent people to spy on Fu Entao's stronghold, only to discover that several wooden cabins had vanished without a trace.

In truth, the day after Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and the others disappeared, someone had already sensed that something was wrong. The Catalytic Liquid needed for the Black Moon planted in Fire Spring had been prepared, yet when the time came, the person in charge of that Mountain Patrol Group had not gone to collect it.

When Fu Entao still failed to appear for two consecutive days, and Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and the others had not gone to fool around in Silver Vine Town either, those involved realized something might have happened.

After lunch, Qin Ming began practicing his saber in earnest.

Standing in the courtyard, he swung the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer, gradually stirring up all the snow in the yard. He had artificially created a blizzard of goose-feather snowflakes. The great hammer tore through the air with faint sounds of wind and thunder. Only when his body was burning hot and he unleashed his strongest Hammer Saber strike, blasting apart the wind and snow filling the sky, did he finally lower the hammer. Drenched in sweat, he stood in the courtyard, feeling utterly exhilarated.

Qin Ming gained new insights into the killing saber forms recorded in the Sword Manual. He stood still for a long while, seizing those sensations and carefully pondering them.

Afterward, he began studying "Light Harmony and Dust," visualizing Still Void, concealing his vitality, dimming his spirit and energy. As he gradually delved deeper, he found himself gaining ever more understanding.

As Shallow Night neared its end, Xu Yueping returned from outside with an incomparably grave expression, then summoned every New Life Evolver in the village.

"Something major has happened!" The few simple words immediately made everyone tense.

"What happened?" someone asked.

"Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and the others were most likely... wiped out in one nest by a Mountain Monster. Pfft!" At the end, Xu Yueping could not hold it in and let out a laugh.

He quickly restrained himself again. After all, he could not make his delight too obvious. If word got out, it might cause trouble. Yet the corners of his eyes and brows had relaxed, and even his movements as he brewed Black Ant tea became lighter.

"Really?" Yang Yongqing sprang to his feet. This truly was a huge event.

Xu Yueping nodded. "They've been missing for two days. I estimate they're more likely dead than alive."

Old Man Liu was advanced in years and did not care about such things. He directly said, "Hiss, the mountains really are terrifying! Those bastards Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng are all dead? That Mountain Monster might be about to become the Mountain God!"

"How did you find out, Uncle Xu?" Qin Ming asked. As someone personally involved, he could not appear overly calm, and he genuinely wanted to learn the latest developments. Xu Yueping said, "Not long ago, a huge group of Mountain Patrols, dozens of them, swarmed into Green Mulberry Village looking for Xu Kong, Er Bingzi's distant relative. Why were they looking for him?"

"Because Green Mulberry Village was the only village that had not planted Black Moon this time, and Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and the others had gone there to see Xu Kong the day before they met with trouble."

Qin Ming was somewhat lost in thought after hearing that.

In Green Mulberry Village, Xu Kong was utterly bewildered. What sort of rotten business was this? For no reason at all, how had he become one of the suspects?

That day, Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and the others had all politely paid him a visit. Even if given twice the courage, they would not have dared threaten him. There could be no mortal enmity between them, because they were not on the same level.

Yet now, the Mountain Patrol Group had mobilized in full force, all armored and armed, iron arrows nocked on bowstrings.

Several great experts had personally arrived as well, leading sixty or seventy Mountain Patrols to surround the place.

At the same time, the Mountain Patrol Group that had once attacked the Blood Bamboo Forest was also placed under scrutiny. Their leader, Liu Huaishan, was trapped by several leaders of equal rank.

"Everyone, what are you trying to do? Though I don't get along with Fu Entao and the others, I could never directly wipe them out and throw my own life away," Liu Huaishan said quickly.

Someone said in a deep voice, "Then explain why your group has lost several members, why you recently took twelve extra sets of armor, and why you bought a large amount of poison. Do you still refuse to admit it?"

"I... I've been wronged to death!" Liu Huaishan was sweating profusely with anxiety. "We took the armor and bought medicinal powder so we could hunt Spiritual Creatures in the Blood Bamboo Forest."

An elder shouted, "Then everything fits! The Blood Bamboo Forest lies within Fu Entao's territory, and their group had always wanted to hunt the Blood Snake. After you crossed into their territory, bloodshed must have broken out between you. There is an even worse possibility: when they and the Blood Snake were both badly wounded, you launched a secret attack and harmed them. Is that not so?"

"I..." Liu Huaishan nearly spat blood. Even to his own ears, every link seemed to fit together, as if it all made perfect sense.

"You have nothing to say now?!"

Liu Huaishan hurriedly shook his head and loudly explained, "Sir, don't make a move. Fellow colleagues, please hear me out. We truly did not commit this bloody crime. But I think I know who dealt the killing blow. We once saw a blue-black-faced man wielding a longsword alone and killing the Blood Snake. Over the past two days, he was probably the only one in that area with such strength..."

Then, with a solemn expression, he added, "Most importantly, we clearly sensed that he bore intense hostility toward us Mountain Patrols. He once approached us with sword in hand, intending to kill us!"

"Take them all away and interrogate them thoroughly!" an elderly man ordered with a grim face.

Several powerful older experts wore ugly expressions. How many years had it been since something this severe had happened? An entire Mountain Patrol Group had been wiped out. If it had been done by human hands, it was undoubtedly a major case.

Every Mountain Patrol Group in this region had been mobilized, each acting separately.

One Mountain Patrol Group came to Double Tree Village. Not only did they summon Xu Yueping, Qin Ming, and the other New Life Evolvers for questioning, they also cornered several idle men from the village.

"Does anyone here have a grudge against the Mountain Patrol Group? For example, did any of your village's New Life Evolvers have conflicts with Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, or the others?"

A Mountain Patrol sternly questioned several idle men, including Ma Yang, Wang Youping, and Hu Yong, the three who had once wanted to intercept Qin Ming's prey outside the village when he had just recovered from his serious illness.

"What are you staring at? We're asking you questions. Answer honestly!" The Mountain Patrol had no patience for them.

"Uncle Xu has always been kind, and Old Man Liu's legs are so weak..." Ma Yang answered.

In the distance, Old Man Liu heard this and became so furious that his beard stood on end. He wished he could roll up his sleeves and go over to beat Ma Yang up.

"Qin Ming—Brother Qin did beat us before, but I can't slander him for no reason. He's the least likely suspect. He only underwent New Life not long ago, and he's very kind and peaceful. He gave much of the prey he brought back from the mountains to the villagers, and he even shared meat with us despite our past grievances."

Ma Yang, Wang Youping, and Hu Yong answered one after another, saying that the village's New Life Evolvers were all good people and had never had any disputes or conflicts with anyone.

The group of Mountain Patrols turned and left without lingering. Their group was merely following routine procedure and still had to hurry to the next village.

That night, Liu Huaishan and his few surviving subordinates, though none were skilled at drawing, still gritted their teeth and sketched away, revising their work again and again. At last, they drew Wang Nianzhu's heroic bearing as he wielded a sword to kill the Blood Snake.

A stack of portraits of Wang Nianzhu was sent out at once and swiftly distributed to every town.

That night, Qin Ming and Xu Yueping leisurely drank a jar of aged wine that Old Man Liu had dug out from beneath his bed. The three drank together, all in excellent spirits. "Heh, Little Qin was cursing them last time, talking about so many 'what ifs.' It really came true—they were actually dragged away by a Mountain Monster!"

Xu Yueping was delighted. Wine did not intoxicate the drinker; the drinker intoxicated himself. After only a few cups, he was already woozy.

"I told you, even heaven wouldn't be able to stand them. Sooner or later, something would happen," Qin Ming said without his face reddening or his heart skipping a beat, using heaven as a stand-in for himself.

He was in a splendid mood now, because he was about to undergo his Second New Life. Suddenly, he found that this aged wine actually tasted rather good.

Old Man Liu said painfully, "Ah, this is aged wine I've treasured for ten years. There's only this one jar. After this, there won't be a single drop of wine left in the house."

"Grandfather Liu, don't feel bad. I'll give you ten jars in the future. Let's talk about Second New Life. I've had some new sensations lately. My body seems to be heating up." "Damn... are you some kind of monster?!"

Late at night, Qin Ming took all the Blood Snakes out at home.

The wound on the second great snake was very deep. Qin Ming judged that apart from the blue-black-faced man's longsword being sharp, the man himself must have been extremely strong. His strength was likely greater than Qin Ming's.

Coupled with the man's greater speed, if they truly met on a narrow road and fought to the bitter end, Qin Ming might really be in danger.

A trace of gloom arose in Qin Ming's heart. With all manner of demons, monsters, and freaks emerging from the mountains now, the place was truly growing more and more dangerous.

But when he thought of how the blue-black-faced man had already undergone Second New Life, his mindset became calm again. His arms currently possessed the strength of a thousand jin. If he underwent Second New Life, then he would be able to lift a two-thousand-jin cauldron, far surpassing the records of those gifted individuals from Red Haze City.

At the very least, Red Haze City had seen no such appalling record in recent centuries.

"Everything is ready. It's time for me to undergo my Second New Life..."