Sleepless Night

Qin Ming was really taken aback. His fingertips were icy cold, and they were actually starting to seep into his hand. How could he possibly remain calm?

He immediately shook his hand vigorously, and then started tugging at it.

A day had passed, and the Sun Stone in the copper basin was no longer as bright. The room was rather dim. But even so, Qin Ming felt that he should have noticed the mysterious product immediately. He had only become aware of it through the sensation in his hand.

He went to the copper basin, took out a Sun Stone, and watched it in the last afterglow of the fire.

"A piece of ice melted?"

This kind of cold liquid was colorless and tasteless, making it easy to overlook. When Qin Ming crushed the stone, it showed no unusual signs.

"Could this be water that seeped into the stone after the rain, froze, and then was nourished by the Heavenly Light, becoming a mysterious product?" he wondered.

Because this cold liquid really had no special characteristics.

The most precious products had ten-colored light pillars reaching the sky, attracting attention from all directions, destined to spread throughout many splendid cities, causing heated discussions, and would certainly be recorded in history.

"You're just its scraps. Apart from being icy and a little prickly to the touch, how can you not have any magical qualities?" Qin Ming frowned as he examined it.

After he shook his hand violently, the liquid did not seep in again. Strangely, it did not scatter on the ground, but it did not seem to be sticky either.

"What's it for?" Qin Ming wondered, frowning because this liquid had no special characteristics, and he had no idea how to use it.

Should he let it seep into his flesh? He felt uncertain.

He had already learned from Mu Qing and Cao Long that the mysterious products nourished by the Heavenly Light were diverse, and some were not only useless to the body but even harmful.

"Hmm?" Qin Ming's expression changed slightly. He thought he had forced the cold out of his body just now, and the liquid hadn't entered his flesh after he shook his hand vigorously.

Now it didn't seem to be the case. His right hand felt strange. The place that had been permeated by the cold just now had become warm.

Moreover, the warm current was spreading rapidly, or rather, moving, entering his arm along his fingers, and quickly reaching his neck from his shoulder.

Although it was comfortable, this accident still made him feel as if he was facing a formidable enemy. He immediately used the New Life Method recorded on the Silk Book to resist.

But it was useless. On the contrary, the warm current began to "get to his head"!

The most crucial thing was that the part of the cold liquid that he hadn't shaken off also began to fully penetrate into his fingers, turning from cold to hot, and moving up his arm.

"I admit you're not a pool of stagnant water, you're a bit special. Can we stop for a moment? Let me catch my breath!" Faced with this unknown and unpredictable situation, Qin Ming used all kinds of methods, but nothing could change anything.

"It's all in?" He swung his arms, constantly rubbed his hands, and golden ripples appeared on his body, but it was useless, and instead accelerated the process.

The icy liquid quickly transformed in his flesh, and warmth rose. Then, whether it was from his left hand or his right hand, it went all the way up, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, and finally reached his forehead.

Qin Ming stared at himself in the mirror. Since he couldn't stop it, he could only observe calmly.

At the center of his forehead, the warmth became stronger and stronger, until all the heat flowed together. His entire frontal bone began to glow, and then spread to the depths of his head.

He felt no discomfort. The rich warmth eventually melted away.

Qin Ming carefully experienced it. Apart from being full of energy, there seemed to be nothing else unusual.

He carried the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer to the yard and practiced a set of sword techniques. His strength did not increase, and his physique did not change significantly.

But Qin Ming knew that this liquid was definitely not that simple. It was impossible for it to end without a trace. The changes it caused should not have been discovered by him yet.

He looked up at the night sky, which was a little clearer. The night fog didn't seem to be as thick, and his vision had improved slightly, but it wasn't particularly obvious.

Qin Ming ate something casually, then came to the village entrance, standing by the Fire Spring under the Black White Twin Trees.

He used his hand to caress the rough tree trunks. One large tree was as black as ink, while the other seemed to be carved from white jade. Its leaves did not wither in the cold winter.

"The liquid comes from Black White Mountain, you are seeds that drifted from there..."

Clearly, Qin Ming was overthinking it. Even with one black and one white leaf in his mouth, nothing unusual happened.

"Let's leave it at that for now." He consoled himself. Since his body felt no discomfort, and on the contrary, he felt energetic, there shouldn't be any dire changes.

Suddenly, he sensed something. There was a commotion coming from Old Man Liu's house at the village entrance, accompanied by the crying of children and a woman.

Only a few dozen meters away, Qin Ming entered the courtyard in the blink of an eye, and immediately frowned. He saw three large Walking Chickens.

One of them was quite special, with light yellow feathers that glowed faintly. Its legs were very thick, and its claws were exceptionally sharp, leaving slight scratches on the bluestone ground in the courtyard.

It was much stronger than the other two Walking Chickens, and should be the so-called Second Mutation Golden Chicken.

In the courtyard, there was a man with a gloomy face. Although he was speaking in a low voice, it was clear that he was about to lose his temper.

Qin Ming realized that this was a Golden Chicken Knight from Golden Chicken Ridge. How did he come to Old Man Liu's house?

There were two other people accompanying him, also whispering to Old Man Liu.

Old Man Liu's family stood aside, at a loss, obviously frightened by these people.

How sharp were Qin Ming's ears? Naturally, he heard everything clearly. They were persuading him, with a hint of coercion, wanting to "buy" the red grass that Old Man Liu had obtained from the Fire Bat Cave.

During Shallow Night, people from Golden Chicken Ridge had seen Old Man Liu come out of the Fire Bat Cave and noticed a flash of red light on his chest. They knew what was going on and had come to covet it.

"Old Liu, you're already so old. You suffered serious injuries in your early years, and your foundation has long been damaged. It's difficult to achieve Second New Life again. You might as well sell it for a high price and leave some family fortune for your children and grandchildren."

"That's right, that kind of red grass burns like a raging fire after consumption. You're old and weak, and you can't bear it at all. If Second New Life fails, the consequences will be terrible."

Old Man Liu was very helpless, with an indescribable look of loneliness and a hint of sadness on his face. He said, "This old man has worked hard all his life, struggled for most of his life, just for this opportunity!"

Without a doubt, this was his obsession, and he had already prepared some cold auxiliary medicines. He had been slowly conditioning his body recently, and taking the red grass in portions shouldn't be a big problem. He had a great chance of success.

Substances that can help people achieve New Life mainly contain rich vitality and spirituality. The so-called excessive medicinal properties, like burning in a raging fire, was an exaggeration.

Qin Ming was very angry when he heard this. Wasn't this bullying? An old man in his seventies, who had been thinking about Second New Life for decades, had finally hoped for a glimmer of dawn under this obsession, but someone came to force a sale! He heard the price they offered. What was the difference between this and robbery? Dozens of Night Silver were indeed a considerable fortune for ordinary people, but that was a spiritual substance that could help people achieve Second New Life. They were looking down on people too much.

The red grass grew in a dangerous cave guarded by the Third Mutation creature, the Fire Bat. It was very difficult to pick, and even the Golden Chicken Knights themselves didn't dare to enter.

"Three big brothers..." Qin Ming spoke and walked forward.

"Who are you? Stand aside!" One person said, showing no mercy and not wanting him to say anything more.

The Golden Chicken Knight just glanced at him faintly, his eyes very cold. Although he didn't say anything, the warning was obvious, telling him not to interfere.

"Little Qin, don't say anything. Let me go inside and consider it." Old Man Liu said, not wanting Qin Ming to get involved, because Golden Chicken Ridge was too difficult to deal with. They used to be a group of bandits, and even though they had been recruited, their behavior was still very rough.

Once they were targeted, the consequences would be unpredictable.

"Three big brothers, the red grass that Grandpa Liu has was given by Cao Long and Mu Qing of Red Haze City..." Qin Ming said again.

His implication was clear, mentioning the direct descendants of the Red Haze City nobles, who now had a good relationship with Old Man Liu and were willing to give him spiritual substances to condition his body. Old Man Liu would also have to get up early tomorrow to lead the way for those people.

"Old Man Liu himself has mentioned these things before. Heh, when it comes down to it, you're just..." The Golden Chicken Knight sneered. He didn't say Qin Ming was using a big banner as a tiger skin, but that was clearly what he meant, not believing that the people of Red Haze City would have deep friendships with a few hunters.

"Young people need to be discerning. Don't meddle in things that don't concern you," someone next to him warned directly.

Old Man Liu turned and walked into the house, taking out a package of red, glittering herbs from a hidden compartment in the wall. He gritted his teeth and grabbed a handful, stuffing them into his mouth. Instead of slowly conditioning his body with auxiliary medicines, he directly ate most of them.

He left only a little, bringing it to the courtyard.

"Just this little bit? You didn't eat it all beforehand, did you?" The Golden Chicken Knight's expression immediately darkened. His intuition was quite accurate.

"This is really all there is," Old Man Liu said.

"What's the use of so little? Old Man Liu, you're very good!" The Golden Chicken Knight patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

After the three disappeared at the village entrance, Old Man Liu opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Uncle Liu, what's wrong?" Qin Ming was shocked.

Old Man Liu said, "That Golden Chicken Knight is very sinister. He has practiced Yellow Mud Palm. He suspected that I ate the spiritual substance in advance, and he wanted to secretly disrupt my blood energy to prevent my Second New Life."

Through the courtyard gate, Qin Ming looked out at the wind and snow outside the village, really wanting to chase after them and give each of them a hammer blow.

He knew that he couldn't act so rashly. The Golden Chicken Ridge behind them had a group of bandits. If he really sought momentary satisfaction, it might bring disaster to the entire village. He would "consider it carefully" after entering the mountains.

"Old man, are you alright?"

"Grandpa!"

Old Man Liu's family anxiously surrounded him.

"How are you feeling?" Qin Ming asked.

Old Man Liu said, "I know the style of Golden Chicken Ridge and took precautions in advance. Although the situation isn't great, it's not that serious. I just need to recuperate for a few days."

In fact, Golden Chicken Ridge wasn't the only one who came to forcibly buy things. People from the local Three-Eyed Sect also came, with a Second New Life expert personally present.

In the end, the people from the Three-Eyed Sect realized that they couldn't force the purchase, and they also left with a flick of their sleeves, casting cold glances before leaving, making it a very unpleasant scene.

"It's not easy for ordinary people to live in harsh environments, and it's just as difficult after becoming New Life beings..." At night, Qin Ming sighed in his own courtyard.

Soon, he knew what changes had occurred in him. His vigorous spirit hadn't changed until now. It was already very late, but he still didn't feel sleepy.

After lying down, he stayed there for a long time, discovering that he simply couldn't fall asleep. The more he closed his eyes, the more awake he became.

He was troubled for most of the night. What was going on? He hadn't become an immortal, so how could he not sleep? Besides, if there were immortals and gods in this world, they would have lifted the sun up long ago. How could there still be heavy night fog and a pitch-black world?

In the second half of the night, Qin Ming really had no choice but to get up and take a walk. As a result, he became more and more energetic after walking around the village eighteen times.

"What's going on with me?" Returning to the courtyard, he practiced the New Life Method from the Silk Book, and then practiced the fighting skills from the Sword Manual. He could feel fatigue, but he just wasn't sleepy.

He traveled at Deep Night, and finally came to the village entrance again. With nothing to do, he cleared the snow-covered stone tablet.

"I heard from the old people that this tablet weighs eleven hundred pounds. I estimate that I have a thousand pounds of strength in one hand, but I haven't actually tested it. I'll try it now."

In the end, Qin Ming forcibly pulled the stone tablet out of the frozen soil, and then actually lifted it over his head with one hand.

"Although it's very difficult, I can do it. So, my arms actually have two thousand two hundred pounds of strength, which is higher than I estimated."

The next day, Xu Yueping saw Qin Ming and said, "Little Qin, have you been crying?"

Qin Ming was stunned and said, "No, I didn't."

"Why are your eyes a little red?" Xu Yueping asked.

"I didn't sleep well last night," Qin Ming replied.

Old Man Liu followed them into the mountains as usual, not showing any signs of injury.

When he saw Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and the others, Qin Ming didn't hide anything and directly told them about the Golden Chicken Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect wanting to force a sale last night.

"That's a bit much," Mu Qing said.

Half an hour later, the Golden Chicken Knight from yesterday was found. Mu Qing slapped him directly, sending him flying six or seven meters away, knocking out several of his teeth.

"This is the person I hired, and he has been helping me with things. You want to steal the spiritual herbs we gave him?" Mu Qing asked coldly.

"No... it's a misunderstanding." The Golden Chicken Knight's voice trembled.

With a clang, Cao Long's Great Spear brushed past his ear, changed direction, and split a large tree next to him, as he said in a cold voice, "Even after we leave, you are not allowed to retaliate, otherwise you will not have a good end."

"I understand!"

A moment later, the people from the Three-Eyed Sect were also warned.

However, Mu Qing and Wei Zhirou also privately told Qin Ming and the others that the Three-Eyed Sect's stronghold here didn't matter, but their distant lineage was very strong and had branches in many cities.

"Golden Chicken Ridge is actually not simple; it's a foothold that the Golden Bandit people set up here."

Old Man Liu was very grateful for this. He didn't expect that they would stand up for him.

That day, Qin Ming found an opportunity to dig out the Sword Manual. Since Wang Nianzhu had become a wanted criminal, he didn't need to worry too much and could take the secret manual home to study.

After Shallow Night ended, he returned to the village.

"Hopefully, I can fall asleep tonight and not continue to be so energetic!"

After dinner, he used the Sun Stone's Fire Haze to start looking at the leather Sword Manual. The moment he opened it, he was dumbfounded.

Qin Ming looked up at the outside of the house, then looked down at the old ancient book again. What was going on? This world seemed different to him!