Honor and disgrace scattered on the wind

Without saying a word, Qin Ming took out ten Day Gold and quickly put the ancient book into his pocket.

The Mountain Monster, covered in black fur, was quite discerning and not so easily fooled. It wasn't just staring at the Violet Lightning Beast; it was also chatting with Qin Ming: "Sir, are you going to buy this book without even reading it carefully?"

Qin Ming stroked his thick beard on his chubby face and said, "I buy ancient books purely out of a desire to appear cultured. Having these old objects with a sense of history on the bookshelf is something I do to fill in the gaps in my reading. It makes my study look more sophisticated and gives it a certain air of refinement."

The Mountain Monster stall owner laughed and said, "You are too modest. All book lovers are refined gentlemen."

Qin Ming laughed it off, but he felt like he had a thorn in his side. Staying in a place like this, he was constantly being watched by strange people, and he could easily run into trouble.

He wanted to leave immediately, but what did he see? On a street stall some distance away, there was a huge pile of books!

He was a book lover, truly unable to look away or take his steps, experiencing immense inner turmoil and struggle.

"I'll give it my all!" Qin Ming thought. He was already here, and he had come across a bunch of ancient secret manuals. However, he knew that if he went to take a look, he would definitely regret it for years to come.

Besides, what's a few more minutes? This place is just full of mutated creatures anyway. If something unexpected happens, he can fight his way out by bathing in the alien blood.

Qin Ming felt a little nervous, and some of the other individuals also felt pressured. Could the person personally accompanied by a noble lady from Blessed Land be simple?

Especially considering how close the Violet Lightning Beast was to him, and how incredibly serious it was, it was immediately clear that this human man was someone of great importance.

Many of the other creatures noticed that even the two henchmen of the Violet Lightning Beast were standing on the human man's shoulders, grinning foolishly as if associating with this man would pave the way to heaven. They didn't even care about their own master, laughing so hard they were practically unrecognizable!

In truth, the two birds were bitter inside. Who the hell wanted to laugh? They were forced into it. Sticking to their shoulders, they couldn't escape. If they dared not cooperate, they would be beaten into a pulp!

Before they came in, they were asked to wash the bloodstains off their wings, since they can't be seen now that they're folded up.

Qin Ming looked at the books scattered on the floor, each one bearing the marks of time, and touched them one by one before casually flipping through a few pages.

He was somewhat suspicious; why wasn't there a spiritual resonance?

He quickly realized that this was a large-scale fabrication!

Qin Ming looked up at the seemingly simple-minded, grinning monster and sighed inwardly, "Is the competition in the mountains this fierce? This bear-like Mountain Monster is no good; it's clearly trying to scam humans."

"These were all left by my father. I don't know anything about them, and I can't understand this writing." The alien grinned, his gaping maw emitting a pungent odor, quickly absolving himself of any responsibility.

Qin Ming didn't want to waste time talking to it. Time was of the essence; he could be caught in a bloody battle with numerous mutated creatures at any moment, so he had to hurry and search the area.

He was obsessed with finding old objects, hoping to acquire rare heirlooms.

Qin Ming felt no guilt. The relationship between humans and other beings is complex. There are times when they coexist peacefully, but they also often betray and kill each other. When they meet in the mountains, they will hunt each other whenever the opportunity arises.

The fact that some books ended up here must mean there's a bloody story behind them.

Qin Ming finally made another discovery: a manual on leg techniques. This delighted him, as it was the first time he had received such a type of inheritance.

The Violet Lightning Beast was merely a background character, accompanying him the Entire Process. This fatso was clearly using it as a shield, relying on it to fleece everyone he could. It was utterly despicable!

"Caw caw..." After Qin Ming made his new acquisition, the Talking Finch and the myna bird laughed even more heartily.

They felt that their master's expression was not well-controlled, being too serious. The two of them were terrified of death and worried about revealing any flaws. They were helping the Violet Lightning Beast to fill in the gaps, not wanting the problem to be exposed immediately, fearing that the fat man would kill the beast to silence them, resulting in a lose-lose situation.

At first, Qin Ming was so nervous that his palms were sweating. After all, more and more Mountain Monster were looking at him with burning eyes. But as time went on, he realized that these strange creatures had made a big misunderstanding!

Because he noticed that the way these Mountain Monster were looking at him was also quite unusual.

"This lord is my master's close friend!" Talking Finch said firmly while grinning foolishly.

Some of the other creatures scoffed, thinking that the thieving bird had surely switched allegiance and was now following that human man.

Qin Ming quickened his pace; the feeling of getting freebies was quite enjoyable, and he felt a sense of satisfaction as he kept doing so.

"Boss, I saw a book here from far away, where did it go?" Qin Ming asked, stopping in front of a peculiar stall.

This wasn't an ordinary street stall, but a large, flowing Silver Light animal-hide tent. Judging from this, the Mountain Monster was clearly quite wealthy, selling extraordinary items.

This is a third-generation beast with a distinguished background. He came out of the deep mountains to relax and occasionally exchanges special items with humans based on his preferences.

"You saw us coming and deliberately hid?" Qin Ming pointed it out directly, since even if there was a problem, all the blame would fall on the Violet Lightning Beast.

This humanoid anomaly had long, flowing silver hair and two jade horns on its head, one in front of the other, one long and one short, which looked exactly like rhinoceros horns.

The Violet Lightning Beast glanced sideways, somewhat displeased. Had it started hiding as soon as it saw it approaching, perhaps to guard against a thief?

It recognized the White Rhinoceros; it was the grandson of the Spiritually-Aware Jade Rhinoceros deep in the mountains. Was it harboring prejudice against it?

When Bai Xi saw that look in its eyes, sweat immediately broke out on its forehead. Although it came from one of the strongest families in the area and was a descendant of an Old Rhinoceros that was famous throughout the region, it was still no match for this one that came from the Blessed Land.

"Here it is. I just noticed it was dusty, so I took it and wiped it clean." Bai Xi smiled as she took the book, bound in gold animal hide, from the silver tent.

Qin Ming accepted it with a slightly reserved air, displaying a commanding presence that made the surrounding group of Mountain Monster somewhat wary, because this man dared to put on airs even in front of Bai Xi.

Qin Ming is now fully immersed in his role. He is the close friend of the powerful Violet Lightning Beast, and he needs to show some "style" now.

He only focused on flipping through two pages before realizing this book was extraordinary; no wonder the rhinoceros monster had put it away immediately—he certainly wouldn't give away such a book for free.

"How many Day Gold?" Qin Ming asked calmly.

"Talking about Day Gold is vulgar. I, Bai Xi, am willing to make friends with someone like you. Here you go!" Bai Xi said generously. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get a high price for this person, so it's better to make a good connection.

Qin Ming said, "My name is Zheng Maorong. I will definitely visit Brother Bai in the deep mountains when I have some free time."

The Violet Lightning Beast then realized that its disapproving glare had indirectly helped this fatso!

Deep down, Qin Ming was indeed under pressure. Having encountered this situation and reached this point, it was already too big to turn back, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take another chance.

At this moment, he arrived at another stall with a tent, but unfortunately, there was no secret manual there.

"Boss, do you have any Spiritual Matter?" Qin Ming asked casually.

On a recliner in the tent, a woman with a figure as supple as a willow, dressed in a black dress, with a delicate, snow-white oval face, stiffened slightly upon hearing the words. Had they tried to fleece her? She thought that without the secret manual, nothing would happen.

Qin Ming then noticed that her lower body was not legs, but a black snake tail.

"Is there a Spiritual Matter that can allow a person to Seventh New Life?" Qin Ming felt that this must also be a third-generation beast from deep in the mountains.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yiyi wanted to slap him. This was outrageous! The worst part was that he wasn't actually buying; he was trying to extort money from her.

She calmly shook her head and said, "No, there was only one level-five Spiritual Matter, which a friend ordered last month and picked up this morning."

Qin Ming was very disappointed.

"Level 5 is out of the question, not classy enough," he said calmly. Although he hadn't obtained it, he couldn't lower his standards, after all, he was now a friend of the Violet Lightning Beast.

"Then there's nothing I can do. I only have level two Spiritual Matter left," Wu Yiyi said with a smile.

Qin Ming remained calm and said, "Let me see the level two one. I just remembered, I need to enlighten some birds recently, and it might come in handy."

Wu Yiyi's face stiffened; this way of eating was just too unsightly!

Where did your class go? Even the Violet Lightning Beast felt ashamed, forced to follow him around—it was so humiliating!

Qin Ming was satisfied with buying a jar of Spiritual Matter at cost price. Even a mosquito is still meat, no matter how small. What did style or face have to do with him? Let all honor and disgrace go with the wind. Let the storms fall on Zheng Maorong and the Violet Lightning Beast.

He knew he had completely offended the Violet Lightning Beast today, so he might as well let it do its last bit of damage before making a quick escape!

"Something's not right!" Qin Ming was very alert, noticing that some Mountain Monster were quite perceptive, such as the snake woman Wu Yiyi, whose eyes held a strange look.

"Boss, give me a stack of waterproof paper." Before leaving, Qin Ming wasn't trying to take advantage of anyone; this kind of paper was indeed useful to him.

The Mountain Monster was dumbfounded.

The Violet Lightning Beast thought he was so poor he was even resorting to scavenging things like this.

"Let's go, it's so boring, there's nothing of value here!" Qin Ming restrained his desires and decided he couldn't wander around any longer.

He decisively walked away, taking the Violet Lightning Beast and two birds with him, and escaped the Black Market in the Night Mist.

"My lord, is it over so quickly?" Talking Finch asked.

"Haven't you heard the old saying? 'Contentment prevents disgrace, knowing when to stop prevents danger, and thus longevity is assured.'" Qin Ming finished speaking, then flipped over and sat on the back of the Violet Lightning Beast, urging, "Hurry up, give me a ride!"

The Violet Lightning Beast is about to explode on the spot; it's become a mount again!

"Hurry!" Qin Ming urged, sensing that something bad might be about to happen.

Sure enough, as he rode on the back of the Violet Lightning Beast, he had only galloped for a mile when a thick fog inexplicably rose in the mountains and forests, making it extremely dark and cold.

Qin Ming gasped, taking a deep breath of the fresh, early spring air, filled with the scent of tender grass and budding trees. What kind of monster had he encountered? It seemed to be the work of Beyond the Mundane People.

A white Owl perched on a tall tree, looking very anxious. Its kind preferred to sleep during the day and be active at night. It had only taken a nap while its master was soaking in the hot springs, and this had happened!

If the guardian "Four-Toothed Old Elephant" were to return from drinking deep in the mountains and learn of this, he would surely place all the blame on it.

The Owl's eyes gleamed, and it opened its beak to exhale a thick fog, pressing towards the forest, eager to quickly capture the audacious human.

Qin Ming felt as if mountains were pressing down on him from all directions, making him feel suffocated. He knew he had encountered Beyond the Mundane People.

The two birds had already rolled their eyes back and fainted.

Qin Ming didn't make things difficult for them; he untied them and released them onto the ground.

He glanced down and saw that the Violet Lightning Beast was completely unaffected; the black mist was simply surging wildly towards his body.

With a loud slap, he gave the Violet Lightning Beast a slap on the back.

"If you don't stop, I'll kill it!" Qin Ming threatened, drawing his sword fiercely.

The unseen Beyond the Mundane People seemed unaffected, continuing to manipulate the black mist, which transformed into a black mountain range that pressed down on his flesh and blood.

Qin Ming's bones cracked and popped, as he endured immense pressure.

His entire body erupted with Heavenly Light, its dazzling brilliance tearing through the night. He had originally intended to wield the Mutton Fat Jade Iron Saber, but now he discovered that the unified Heavenly Light Force had actually dispersed the Black Mist. He then unleashed a palm strike with all his might.

This place was as if struck by a thunderbolt!

The Black Mist was actually struck by his palm and surged like a raging wave, violently breaking many trees.

Seeing that it was effective, Qin Ming waved his palm repeatedly, shattering one black mountain after another in the vicinity!

Back then, when he encountered that young man who could turn into mist, his Heavenly Light Force was completely ineffective. He could only escape by relying on the unexpected attack of the Mutton Fat Jade Iron.

After integrating various power techniques, his fully unleashed Heavenly Light Force was actually able to counter some of the methods used by those Beyond the Mundane People!

As the Black Mist dissipated, the silhouette of a white Owl appeared on the ancient tree opposite.

It was surprised and said, "Whose Heavenly Light Force is this? It's so domineering."

"Let me go!" Qin Ming held the knife to the neck of the Violet Lightning Beast.

"Alright, as long as you don't hurt it!" The white bald eagle readily agreed, not daring to take any more risks than it could capture the person immediately.

A moment later, Qin Ming appeared at the Red Mist Cave, only two miles away. Several days ago, he, Xu Sheng, and Sister Fenfang had come here to fish for Spirit Eel, where they had been "attacked" by a swarm of Fire Bat.

He stood there, patted the Violet Lightning Beast, and said, "As the saying goes, even after a thousand miles of escorting someone, we must eventually part ways. Go back now."

The Violet Lightning Beast gritted its teeth, it was so infuriating, its eyes practically spitting fire.

Qin Ming asked suspiciously, "You look familiar. Your bared teeth and glaring eyes are exactly the same as the last Violet Lightning Beast. Could it be the same beast? Did you follow me all the way from Black White Mountain to here?"

"Get out of here!" the Violet Lightning Beast roared, finally unable to bear it any longer, and even spoke in human language.

"You can actually speak human language!" Qin Ming was taken aback. He slapped it out of the Red Mist Cave and then quickly detonated the place, attracting a swarm of Fire Bat.

He turned and ran towards the icy pool, wrapping several ancient books in waterproof oil paper along the way before diving into the frigid water.

Qin Ming emerged from a lake about twenty miles away. By then, he had plucked out his beard, taken off his loose clothes, and lost weight.

He was wearing a loose set of clothes underneath, which were now dried by the Heavenly Light, making his sleeves flutter and transforming him back into a handsome young man.

Qin Ming didn't rush back. He continued hunting, and when it was almost time, seeing people emerging from the forest, he followed suit and began his journey home.

"You big, fat guy with the beard, come here!"

"Hey you bald fat guy, stop right there. Did you shave your beard?"

At the only intersection leading to Red Haze City, the overweight man was severely offended by words. He was repeatedly called "fat man" by a flock of birds and a terrifying Mountain Monster, and was stopped and questioned.

Qin Ming's robes fluttered, his long, black hair was lifted by the spring breeze, and his handsome face and clear, untouched eyes made him enter the city with an air of elegance.