Blowing Away All the Mist

Qin Ming gazed at the night sky, lost in thought.

The majority of his memories returned, but some details remained somewhat blurry.

"If my guess is correct, then even if it weren't for me, Qin Ming, there would be Zhang Ming, Zhao Ming, or someone else. The Cui Household needs an 'identity' to establish itself."

Qin Ming stood by the window, feeling a tightness in his chest.

"The rise of the Li Household, and their sudden clash with the Millennium Aristocratic Family, is definitely unrelated to me. The Cui Household couldn't have foreseen this ten years ago."

Qin Ming pondered that his status in the Cui Household should have come to an end, and it was supposed to be over by now. This final stage just happened to coincide with the Li Household's attack, so he was taken along with them.

Clearly, in a massive and terrifying collision like that between Cui and Li, he wouldn't normally have been involved; he just happened to be there, allowing him to "contribute his remaining energy."

Like those old men, he was destined to be worn down.

But the elders of the Cui Household all voluntarily embarked on that path, knowing that it would be a perilous journey with a slim chance of survival. They were already old and dying anyway, and were willing to contribute to the Cui Household in their final moments.

Qin Ming felt a mix of emotions, a complex mix of feelings churning within him.

"Every spring when the flowers bloom, they receive a special letter..." This was where Qin Ming first noticed something was wrong.

Every year is the same; reading the letters is the happiest time for Father Cui. and Mother Cui. Even Father Cui, who is so strict and even old-fashioned, will show an undisguised smile.

"One of those years, I vaguely heard something, but it was so long ago that I don't think I paid attention to the details back then." Qin Ming frowned.

However, he is undergoing his Fourth New Life, which is not yet over, and there is still hope that he can remember the details.

"The Fourth New Life concerns the five senses, the Subconscious, and instinctual intuition." Qin Ming felt that he could completely tear away the veil of the past.

He had already noticed that the amount of Spiritual Matter consumed this time was indeed excessive.

"If I hadn't entered the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall and endured the impact of six or seven waves of Heavenly Light, obtaining a large amount of extremely special and rare Spiritual Matter, my New Life this time would probably have been somewhat turbulent."

Qin Ming realized that the head injury was more serious than he had imagined; otherwise, he wouldn't have been on the verge of death and suffered complete amnesia. Fortunately, this New Life would completely resolve all the problems.

"Slaying old ailments and initiating New Life, I've consumed double the amount of Spiritual Matter." He had a premonition that this New Life would be more intense than ever before.

"Perhaps when I wake up tomorrow, all those blurry things in my mind will become completely clear." Qin Ming suddenly realized that he hadn't even eaten and had locked himself in his room all day.

He got up and went outside, where he ate a simple meal.

That night, after Qin Ming fell asleep, golden needles were used to weave threads all over his body, as if mending and patching. At the same time, Silver Mud covered him from head to toe, as if applying a final, Great Medicine.

The area of his fractured skull was no longer being specifically targeted, indicating that the potential threat had been completely eliminated.

Qin Ming has entered the final stage of his Fourth New Life.

He woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, and muttered unconsciously, "I am Qin Ming. I have a grandfather. I am not a Cui Household."

He calmed down, and the scene seemed familiar, almost déjà vu.

Qin Ming sat up and then remembered that he had been awakened in the same way in a family's house in Silver Vine Town. That time, he ran out like a madman, rushed into the icy snow, and shouted.

"I was severely injured in the head by Li Qingxu and remained unconscious for a long time. Cui Hong and the woman with the red mole in her right eyebrow arranged for me to stay in Silver Vine Town. I survived that winter, but I almost went insane..."

Qin Ming pondered. Two years ago, he had been plagued by nightmares in a daze, where he saw his younger self and his grandfather. That's how he learned that his real Qin Ming. Did the New Life Method in the Silk Scripture work then?

After lying down, he quickly fell asleep again and relived the dreams he had two years ago.

"It wasn't a dream; it was an experience from my childhood." Qin Ming's Subconscious was still active.

In these dreams, he became certain that the old man was his grandfather, and that his own name was Qin Ming.

"Child, the methods in the Silk Scripture are truly ineffective. I've practiced them my whole life and still haven't succeeded." The old man sighed, but still opened the Silk Scripture for him, explaining it to him page by page.

His real family members knew there were problems with this practice. Although they were explaining it to him, they were also seriously warning him that continuing to practice it would harm him.

The old man said, "I've practiced and pondered this my whole life. I suspect that to master it, I might have to die once, but I can't truly and completely die. There's no way to grasp that balance."

Qin Ming's grandfather whispered, "What is New Life? Perhaps being born from death is only the first step."

More than a decade ago, Qin Ming was too young to understand how difficult and dangerous it was.

Then the old man shook his head and said, "This is just the wild speculation of an old man like me. After all, those predecessors who obtained the Silk Scripture were far more powerful than me, and even they couldn't get through it. Even the original source of the Silk Scripture, those people and their disciples, all died, leaving the Silk Scripture completely covered in dust and impossible to practice."

"Grandpa, once I've mastered the skill, you won't have to suffer anymore. I'll take good care of you," young Qin Ming said innocently.

"Alright, then you must grow up quickly. Life expectancy is rarely seventy years; Grandpa is already over fifty. Given our circumstances, I might only live another ten years at most." The old man stroked his head, his expression a mixture of affection and worry, and said, "Grandpa's biggest worry is you. What will you do if I'm gone? You're still so young; you can't support yourself."

The old man said sadly, "Grandpa's whole life has been wasted on the Silk Scripture. I've devoted all my energy to it, and my life has been a failure. Now that I'm here, even though your clothes are a bit tattered, at least you can still eat your fill. If I feel I can't go on, I'll find you a good family to marry into."

"Grandpa... do you only have ten more years? I don't want this. You can live to be a hundred. I'll grow up soon." Qin Ming held the old man's rough hand and asked one last time, "Where are my parents? Let them come and take care of Grandpa."

The old man was saddened upon hearing this and said, "They were also delayed by the Silk Scripture. They've already traveled far away to practice the techniques on it. Judging by the time, they're probably gone now, likely even before I, your grandfather, have passed away. I don't want to hide it from you, because I don't have much time left. You need to mature early and be strong so you can survive when I'm no longer here."

"Grandpa, when I grow up I'll take care of you. What do you like? What are your wishes? Tell me quickly!" Young Qin Ming urged, his eyes reddening.

"Grandpa used to want to master the magic described in the Silk Scripture, but now he only hopes you grow up safely; nothing else matters."

At dawn, Qin Ming woke up and whispered, "Grandpa, where are you now?"

More than a decade has passed, and he sat there motionless for a long time before finally speaking, "Am I no longer my last remaining relative?"

"Grandpa, you guessed right. A person has to die once to master the magic in the Silk Scripture. I can fulfill all your wishes. I really want to see you again," Qin Ming said softly.

He got up and rinsed his body with cold water; his Fourth New Life was now complete. Not only was he fully conscious, but recalling the details of the past, he also felt that his physical abilities had improved once again.

"I probably have a strength of nearly 5,000 jin right now. The severe head injury has had a great impact on me. The reason I consumed so much Spiritual Matter this time was not only to repair old injuries, but also to make up for the regret that my body's several New Life were not fully completed due to injuries."

Qin Ming pondered, estimating based on the current situation, that if his head had not been injured, he should have been able to lift a cauldron weighing over 1,200 jin (approximately 600 kg) during his First New Life.

With the hidden danger resolved, he felt light and relaxed from head to toe, and he became stronger.

However, when he thought of his grandfather and the Cui Household, he found it difficult to smile.

"After I joined the Cui Household, the direct descendants personally taught me how to write the name Cui Chonghe, and made sure I remembered it well. For a long time, I didn't have any contact with outsiders."

Qin Ming recalled the details of that time; he had overheard people whispering in the mansion, "They do look somewhat alike."

In fact, the Cui Household never told anyone that he had gone missing, Qin Ming had some doubts about this when he was young.

It now appears that he "seamlessly filled the gap"; someone had just left when he arrived and took their place.

No wonder the mature-beyond-his-years elder brother Cui Chongxiao, showed a strange expression when he first met him, scrutinizing him closely. Now it seems that everything was foreshadowed.

Then, Qin Ming also recalled the "details" of when his parents received a special letter once.

Now, after his Fourth New Life, the fog has cleared, and he can see clearly. Recalling that unusual occurrence, Father Cui. and Mother Cui. Cui were overjoyed and excited, whispering in a letter, "Chong He and intelligent, a gift from heaven..."

Thinking about it carefully, it's a bit chilling, because there really is a Cui Chonghe!

Even the most stunning talents like Li Qingxu, Li Qingyue, and the eldest daughter of the Wang Family were only taken away and accepted as disciples by Beyond the Mundane People after they were teenagers.

The real Cui Chonghe was sent away when he was only three or four years old!

"Just how terrifying is his talent? Perhaps what Second Master said in his drunken stupor was true in part, but it shouldn't be applied to me. It should be applied to the real Cui Chonghe, who is destined to be Near-Immortal in the future."

Qin Ming believed that the renowned Old Senior Night Mist World by Father Cui must exist, Cui Chonghe had already become his disciple.

"Father Cui. and Mother Cui were extremely cautious. Their eldest brother Cui Chongxiao, only returned home once every few years. They forbade the clansmen from discussing which lineage he belonged to, fearing something might happen."

Cui Chonghe's talent was even more astonishing, so naturally they would protect him even better, and not a word of it would leak out.

Actually, these things are understandable.

Because all the major Aristocratic Clan are sending their descendants to Beyond the Mundane, like the Cui Household, which sends young direct descendants to become disciples of Beyond the Mundane People people every year.

Some of the older men in the Cui Household were originally Beyond the Mundane People who lived there year-round. It's likely that many powerful figures from other prominent Lineage also resided in Beyond the Mundane.

It can be said that the area is not Pure Land; the various factions within those traditions are deeply intertwined, each with its own influence over the other.

Father Cui. and Mother Cui. Cui were afraid that if someone knew Cui Chonghe's identity, he would be "targeted" and they worried that something might happen to him over there.

So, they took in another Cui Chonghe here.

"After careful selection, I might even resemble him somewhat."

Qin Ming believed that given how cautious Father Cui and Mother Cui were, it would be abnormal if they didn't do something to protect the real Cui Chonghe.

"Two years ago, Cui Chonghe was perhaps exposed, or perhaps he was too confident to continue, and was about to step into the limelight and truly appear before everyone, so it was time for me to step down."

Qin Ming recalled the past, his eyes becoming incredibly deep.

"I'm just going to contribute my remaining energy as the Cui Household and Li Household clash." He thought of Cui Hao's grandfather.

"If it weren't for my seventh uncle's grandfather being in that village, I might have been taken away by those other old guys before the Feather Robe Youth, Li Qingxu, even appeared."

Qin Ming clearly remembered that his seventh uncle's grandfather had twice scolded those old men, telling them to stay away and not to come near.

Without Uncle Seven Cui Hao, Cui Hong and that woman probably wouldn't have appeared and rescued him.

"Although there are still some things I don't understand, that's roughly how it is. It's all because I've completed my 'mission,' and it's time for me to leave. The Near-Immortal Cui Chonghe is stepping into the limelight."

Thanks to: 133fev, Sleeping Under the Stars, Boeing Bro Says, Loves Organic Milk Powder, and Yunlu Old Devil, many thanks to the guild leaders for their support!