Unconventional

The room was warm. At first, Old Man Liu did most of the talking while Qin Empire Ming listened quietly; only at the end did the two study it together.

Qin Empire Ming was full of anticipation, his heart somewhat stirred. In such a dangerous environment, he yearned for a Third New Life. He never wanted to experience being hunted by giant beasts again.

If he were strong enough, the people from Golden Chicken Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect would not dare force them into being expendable tools, sending them underground to scout for mines.

Old Man Liu took a sip of water and said, "Once we enter the mountains, we need to carefully observe the terrain and plan our escape route before making a move."

"Why do I feel like you aren't all that confident, sir?" Qin Empire Ming asked suspiciously. "Don't go dropping the chain at the critical moment and have all sorts of problems crop up."

"There's no fault in being cautious," Old Man Liu said. "We can't afford to lose. The place we're going has rare Spiritual Matter, and it's extremely dangerous. If we fail, people will die."

Qin Empire Ming became cautious as well. "Does Silver Vine Town have any homemade explosives? Let's buy some!"

"Now that you mention it, you've really opened up my thinking. We can consider a few other places too." Old Man Liu actually had backup plans.

"Let's hear them."

"In the mountains, there's a lake in the West Gully area. A Third Mutation Old Turtle is lying dormant there. Its entire body is treasure, and its turtle blood is brimming with Spiritual Matter. It's hibernating right now. If we can dig it out while it's sleeping heavily, toss homemade explosives into its burrow first, I think there's a good chance it'll work!"

Old Man Liu grew somewhat excited as he spoke, almost wanting to replace the first plan and go after that spirit turtle instead.

Qin Empire Ming cooled him down and reminded him, "Its shell has astonishing defensive power. Homemade explosives might not be able to blast it apart. More importantly, the lake is so huge—how are we supposed to find it? Are we going to dig until heaven and earth grow old?"

"You're right too. Spiritual Creatures are stronger than aberrants of the same level to begin with. A Third Mutation spirit turtle probably really can't be blown up, especially since this breed has long legs. If it goes mad, it isn't slow at all."

Old Man Liu calmed down and dismissed the idea himself. That spirit turtle had already undergone its Third Mutation twenty years ago; by now, it should be even more formidable.

Qin Empire Ming's expression changed at once when he heard that. Something felt wrong. "Sir, the information you've been giving me isn't all from ten or twenty years ago, is it?"

"Don't worry. I'm not that unreliable." Old Man Liu shook his head.

He brought up another backup plan: use homemade explosives to bomb the monkeys, using the enormous blast to frighten the entire troop of Long-Armed Apes away, then enter their nest and take the Spiritual Matter.

Qin Empire Ming looked at him strangely. Why were all these plans so unconventional?

"From the bottom of my heart, I really want to wipe out that troop of apes," Old Man Liu said. "They're utterly hateful!"

"Did monkeys bully you before, sir?" Qin Empire Ming asked. "Aren't they more than twenty li away? That's far from here."

Old Man Liu rapped the table. "Getting rid of harm for the people, understand? Over by Emei Town, plenty of people entering the mountains have had their prey stolen by Long-Armed Apes. They've even dragged people away."

The moment Qin Empire Ming heard that, he knew Old Man Liu had definitely run into that troop of monkeys before. He was still indignant about it now!

"I don't think it's reliable. What if we fail to scare the Long-Armed Apes away and instead provoke their ferocity? If they hunt us across every hill and valley, that'll be terrible. Monkeys are the most vengeful creatures."

"Though it isn't that safe, it's still feasible," Old Man Liu said. "Thirty years ago, someone made a huge commotion and lured the tiger away from the mountain. They successfully visited the Mountain Lord's tiger den using a similar method."

"That fierce? It really worked?" Qin Empire Ming could not help exclaiming. That Mountain Lord was more formidable than both Old Bear and the old bull of Wild Bull Ridge.

Old Man Liu shook his head. "The Mountain Lord is even more vengeful. Though it wasn't as powerful then as it is now, it was still extremely savage. Three months after the incident, it barged directly into Silver Vine Town one night and tore those two people to pieces."

Just moments ago, Qin Empire Ming had thought those two people were impressive, and his own thoughts had begun to stir. Now, he was forced to calm down. "I think none of your backup plans are reliable. The first one is still the most suitable. Let's enter the mountains!"

The moment the two left the house, they saw people from Golden Chicken Ridge entering the village. Their riding chickens made them far too conspicuous; there was no other group like them.

"Golden Chicken Ridge still has people to spare? Why didn't they all die in the Great Rift Valley?" Old Man Liu muttered.

After those two arrived, every villager became nervous. Golden Chicken Ridge had once been a bandit stronghold. Even after being recruited, its nature had not changed much.

"We're taking stock. How many New Life Evolvers are in your village? Come register," said a middle-aged man seated atop a riding chicken.

Everyone's hearts sank. Could they be seeking revenge?

Everyone knew that nearly all the people Golden Chicken Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect had sent into the Great Rift Valley had been wiped out. Yet not a single mountain villager had died; all of them had escaped.

Given Golden Chicken Ridge's usual style, it was entirely possible that they would vent their anger on the New Life Evolvers from the surrounding villages who had escaped.

Xu Yueping said quietly, "Some of the larger villages have been having their numbers checked since yesterday."

"What does Golden Chicken Ridge failing to escape have to do with us?" Qin Empire Ming said. "They held the stronger position, yet their ability to survive was worse than that of the mountain villagers they oppressed. Who can they blame?"

"They won't reason with you," Old Man Liu said. "That's just how the world is. If you're strong enough, even the Higher Aberrants in the mountains might personally attend any wedding or funeral you hold. If you're weak, even monkeys will bully you when you go into the mountains. People still have to make themselves strong."

He added, "The old monsters deep in the mountains have dealings with the upper ranks of Red Haze City. Don't disbelieve it. An old Mountain Patrol I knew back then said it himself."

After the two people from Golden Chicken Ridge finished registering them, they did not linger and immediately left.

"I reckon they might be trying to replenish their manpower," Xu Yueping said.

Everyone who heard this thought it made sense. Golden Chicken Ridge had suffered grievous losses this time and urgently needed to replenish its New Life Evolvers.

"Trouble is coming," Old Man Liu said. "Besides demanding people, they'll definitely ask for wealth and goods as well. Recruiting troops and buying horses again won't come cheap."

Everyone felt heavy-hearted. The bandits of Golden Chicken Ridge had always put enormous pressure on the villages in the surrounding region, and this state of affairs had always been difficult to change.

Qin Empire Ming and Old Man Liu entered the mountains. Along the way, both of them felt uneasy, and together they cursed the people of Golden Chicken Ridge, believing they had always been nothing but a pack of bandits, from the past until now.

"I really want to flatten Golden Chicken Ridge!" Qin Empire Ming said.

"Don't talk nonsense. If someone hears you, there'll be a Great Calamity," Old Man Liu stopped him.

"Oh, right, sir. You said the Higher Aberrants deep in the mountains have close dealings with Red Haze City's upper ranks. Is that true?"

"Someone said so, anyway," Old Man Liu said. "As for whether it's true, I don't know."

"Then why did the Great Rift Valley massacre happen?" Qin Empire Ming looked toward that silent place ahead. Three days ago, many humans and aberrants had died there, and the valley was filled with the smell of blood.

"I reckon the aberrants' siege of the Great Rift Valley may well have been the result of a tacit understanding between the upper ranks on both sides."

Qin Empire Ming looked at him. "Why do you say that?"

"There are more and more aberrants in the mountains, but there isn't that much territory to go around. Some of them need to be consumed," Old Man Liu said. "And the great lineages of Red Haze City have developed rapidly over the past few years. According to those traveling merchants, every family has its own monopolized industry. It certainly wouldn't be appropriate for the city lord to suppress them directly. Now that the Great Rift Valley bloodbath happened, it seems to make sense."

"Grandfather Liu, you really dare to think," Qin Empire Ming said, giving him a sidelong glance.

"This old man once traveled through Red Haze City too. I understand that place very well and have seen the world. If that Famous Beast in the mountains hadn't ruined my foundation with one swipe of its claw, how could I have fallen so low?"

The two chatted as they walked.

After going ten li deep into the mountains, Old Man Liu said, "Stop talking so much. Once we're here, we can't mention those old monsters of the deep mountains."

After walking for some more time, the two arrived amid a stretch of primeval old forest, then reached the foot of a mountain.

"There's a Fire Spring inside this mountain," Old Man Liu said. Only because he understood the mountains so thoroughly did he know the conditions of this place; anyone else would not have known.

Moreover, Old Man Liu had already scouted the route. He knew that because of the chaotic geomagnetism in the mountains, the Fire Spring here had become relatively dim. That was one reason he had chosen to strike here.

There was a nest of Silver-Headed Ants within the mountain, and they depended greatly on the Fire Spring. Otherwise, in the bitter cold, their activity would decline severely and they would not like to move.

From the Blood Snake to the spirit turtle, then the Long-Armed Apes, and now these Silver-Headed Ants, the targets Old Man Liu chose were all rather unconventional.

However, Qin Empire Ming had to admit that this truly was the best choice for now.

Silver-Headed Ants were fierce, and a single nest contained a terrifying number of them. Winter was the best time to deal with them.

There was another crucial reason: only one Ant Queen could exist in an entire nest. Although there was enough extra Spiritual Matter to allow other Silver-Headed Ants to undergo a Third Mutation, the Ant Queen would not permit it.

"Later, we need to get some steel plates to protect our bodies," Old Man Liu said. "Armor alone isn't reliable. If a Silver-Headed Ant bites you, it won't poison you to death, but half your body will go numb for a long time. Once they swarm over you, they'll bite you alive."

These Silver-Headed Ants were far stronger than the Black Ants Xu Yueping used for tea. They ranged from the size of a baby's fist to the size of an egg, and every one of them was incomparably fierce.

Their heads bore silver markings, which was how they got their name.

What was most astonishing about these ants was that they could brew honey wine. They gathered all kinds of pollen and fruit from the mountains, and even left the mountains to rob grain. Then, using the spirituality of the Fire Spring, they could brew a liquid that was both like wine and like honey.

They could extract the essence from the honey wine again and again, fermenting the concentrate anew. They would repeatedly purify it and ferment it many times, eventually producing a special Spiritual Matter—a pale golden liquid.

In some large cities, the honey wine brewed by Silver-Headed Ants sold for astonishing prices, let alone the Spiritual Matter fermented from essences purified again and again.

Qin Empire Ming and Old Man Liu followed a crack in the mountain and went deep inside to take a look. Qin Empire Ming's scalp tingled. Around the dim Fire Spring were giant ants everywhere. Anyone with trypophobia would certainly be unable to endure this place. Their silver markings flowed with cold radiance, and at this moment, they did not move at all.

The two silently withdrew and began observing the surrounding terrain, planning their escape route.

Over the next two days, they repeatedly entered and left the mountains, transporting all the supplies they needed inside.

"Success or failure hinges on this one move!" In the ice and snow, white mist filled the space before their mouths and noses as they prepared to act.

Qin Empire Ming's mind was unsettled, though not because he was nervous or afraid. His thoughts surged. If he succeeded here and achieved a Third New Life, his shattered memories of the past would reappear. What would he see this time?