Once the Colorful Clouds Shone on My Return

In this era, night shrouded heaven and earth.

Luminous creatures were rare. Once one appeared, it likely meant something fearsome and deadly, and one needed to leave its territory as soon as possible.

In the vast wilderness, no one knew how many dangerous creatures lay dormant.

Daring to expose itself amid an environment fraught with peril, radiating light without restraint—this was undoubtedly a display of confidence. It was most likely immensely powerful.

Qin Ming silently slid down beneath the tree, hiding amid the shadows of the dense forest, his heart unable to settle.

That was no ordinary glowing creature. It illuminated this stretch of night sky.

In an age without sun, moon, or stars, such a wondrous sight had appeared in the pitch-black world.

"Moon Insect!" He had heard of it.

The elders often told later generations that, in a distant ancient age, there had once been a sun and a moon. Seeing the confusion in the children's eyes, the elders would use the Moon Insect as an example.

"If one day you happen to glimpse a Moon Insect, you'll know what the moon looked like."

If the Moon Insect appeared, no one needed to identify it. It would be the only thing in the night sky.

When that cluster of light had first begun to rise, it had been relatively gentle. Qin Ming did not know whether it was because he had been influenced by preconceived notions, but he vaguely seemed to see the blurred shadow of an insect.

Now, however, it was too dazzling. Where was there any insect-like shape? Light interwove like a brilliant round disk, as though blessed by a Divine Crown, shining over the night sky.

A cicada knew nothing of spring or autumn. Under normal circumstances, few insects could survive winter and live into the next year.

According to the elders, the Moon Insect had migrated to this region more than fifty years ago. It dwelled deep within the magnificent mountain range and rarely appeared in the outer areas.

By local custom, it had long since been entered into the records, recognized as a Famous Insect that had stood unwavering in the mountains for fifty years.

People had reason to believe that its true foundation might not be inferior to ancient exotic beasts and mountain lords that had existed for even longer.

Qin Ming was lost in thought. In that far-off ancient age, had the moon looked like this?

In the night sky, it was as though a lamp from the Celestial Tower hung high above, glittering brilliantly as it scattered pure light over the black mountain forests and spread across the shadowy ridges. In an instant, the entire region was dyed a pale silver.

This was completely different from what he had seen before. The heavy ink-blackness of the mountains had been utterly driven away.

The whole world had changed. Gazing upon such beauty, Qin Ming could not help yearning serenely for the ancient age with sun and moon. What sort of world had that been?

He knew that the Moon Insect only illuminated the two low hills nearby and was far inferior to a true bright moon. After all, legend spoke of radiance stretching for ten thousand miles, a vast sight suspended in the sky—the true great light.

At this moment, all was silent. Whether it was the Boar King, the mysterious creature hunting it, or any other birds and beasts, all lay quietly dormant.

Suddenly, a stream of light tore through the sky. The Moon Insect departed, and the nearby land swiftly lost its luster. The mountain forest sank once more into boundless darkness.

Qin Ming felt hollow inside. Then a powerful aspiration surged within him. When would he be able to come and go as freely as the Moon Insect, with Eternal Night unable to obscure the road ahead?

There was no time for further thought. While the various fierce beasts were still intimidated and did not dare roam freely, he sprang into action, dragging the Saberhorn Deer and Donkey-Headed Wolf over the low hills and quickly leaving.

From deep within the mountains came a shrill howl, abruptly cut short. It seemed that a powerful creature had been slain where the Moon Insect had dived.

The mountain forest was silent. Whether unusually powerful mutant beasts or repeatedly mutated Famous Birds, none wished to make a sound.

Double Tree Village came into view, and Qin Ming returned smoothly with his prey.

As he neared the village entrance, he looked back. The four fields were vast, blackness stretching without end.

The dazzling scenes from not long ago still floated through his mind. He was somewhat dazed. In ancient times, the bright moon had once shone upon colorful clouds as they returned—where was it now?

"Grrr!" His stomach rumbled. Intense hunger dragged him back to reality. He laughed soundlessly. Why think of such ethereal things? Right now, he needed to solve the problem of food and warmth.

In such cold weather, only a few children were chasing one another around the village entrance, unwilling to stay indoors.

"Brother Qin, you went into the mountains... and hunted a Saberhorn Deer by yourself?" A skinny boy's eyes widened in astonishment.

The children's little faces were red from the cold. They all crowded closer, and upon seeing the black Donkey-Headed Wolf weighing several hundred pounds, they jumped in fright.

Staring at the two prey animals, they could not help swallowing secretly.

"Come to my house for meat later," Qin Ming said with a smile.

Like a gust of wind, he dragged the two prey animals home.

He had held back all the way and had nearly wanted to experience a life of eating raw flesh and drinking blood. He immediately boiled water and called Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing over to help.

"Little Qin, you're hurt?" Liang Wanqing was observant and spotted the bloodstain on his shoulder at once.

"A minor injury. It's nothing." Qin Ming shook his head.

Lu Ze helped inspect him. Seeing that the wound was not deep and had already formed a blood scab, he relaxed.

Before long, rich fragrance wafted from the little courtyard. Huge chunks of meat boiled in the iron pot, while deer legs dripped with sizzling fat over the fire.

Thunder rumbled in Qin Ming's belly. He could wait no longer. He used a small knife to slice off a thin piece from the deer leg and put it directly into his mouth without fearing the heat.

"It's cooked, and it tastes great! Wen Rui, I fulfilled your wish today, didn't I?"

Wen Rui took a bite, his eyes curving into crescents in bliss. Nodding like a chick pecking at grain, he said, "It smells so good! I don't even remember how long it's been since I had meat. Little Uncle, you're amazing!"

Qin Ming called Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing over, telling them to eat first and deal with the remaining meat later.

Wen Hui, who was just over two years old, could not bite through the roasted deer leg. He could only eat cooked meat mashed into a paste. He pouted miserably and watched longingly, making them all laugh.

Qin Ming was at a critical stage of New Life. His body had repeatedly sent intense signals, craving meat beyond measure. He now devoured food like a wolf swallowing a tiger, finally feeling satisfied.

At that moment, several children poked their heads in through the courtyard gate. Their little faces were grimy, and as they smelled the meat in the courtyard, their eyes shone with longing, but they were too embarrassed to enter.

Qin Ming immediately beckoned to them. "Didn't I call out to you at the village entrance? Hurry in, all of you. Eat together."

"Thank you, Brother Qin."

"Little Uncle, you're so nice..."

The children called him all sorts of things as they shyly entered the courtyard. Soon, their cheeks puffed up like little hamsters as they mumbled indistinctly about how delicious it was.

"Slow down, there's plenty more." Afraid that they might choke, Liang Wanqing ladled each of them some meat broth.

Qin Ming felt as though his flesh and blood were cheering. It was like sweet rain falling upon land parched by a great drought, countless fresh shoots breaking through the soil, all things being born anew as limitless vitality surged forth.

He clearly felt his sinews and channels growing. His joints cracked from time to time, while his hearing and vision sharpened and his spirit became exceptionally vigorous.

Acquired Fetal Transformation—his body was truly being reborn!

Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing had long since put down their bowls and chopsticks, but Qin Ming was still eating great mouthfuls of meat. His appetite seemed bottomless. The way he ate was rather frightening, and sweat continually poured from his body, steaming into white mist.

"His body is being reborn. It's undergoing an intense transformation!" Lu Ze was astonished. He had not expected Qin Ming's changes, which had continued since yesterday, to still be unfinished—and to be accelerating. What level was he about to reach?

The children could not eat another bite. Their bellies were round and swollen, their little faces full of utter contentment.

Qin Ming saw that they were somewhat restrained here and smiled. "All full? Then go play."

Before long, news spread that he had hunted a Saberhorn Deer and Mountain Ruffian.

The villagers were astonished. The wilderness was extremely dangerous at this stage, and many people no longer dared enter the mountains, yet he had returned with such a haul.

Moreover, the Mutated Donkey-Headed Wolf was infamous. Ordinary people would struggle to survive an encounter with one.

Qin Ming was barely sixteen. How could he deal with a fierce beast weighing several hundred pounds?

"Could he have undergone New Life during the Golden Age?"

For a time, many people came to Qin Ming's little courtyard to ask about the conditions in the mountains.

If it was safe, they too intended to go mountain hunting.

"Mother, I'm hungry," a little girl wearing patched clothes said softly.

In this winter of scarce food, the roasted meat in the courtyard smelled all the richer. Some children hid behind the adults, gazing over with longing in their eyes.

Qin Ming knew what hunger felt like. Looking at those little faces reddened by the cold, so pitiful and helpless, he hurriedly waved them over. "Come, all of you. Eat together."

The children did not sit down immediately. Instead, they first looked toward their parents, simple and reserved.

Qin Ming continued, "Uncles, I won't invite you to eat here, but later, every household can take five pounds of meat home."

"Little Qin, how can we accept that..."

"It's settled," Qin Ming said. There were only a few dozen households in the village, so there was enough to share.

"Little Qin truly is such a good person. Everyone should keep an eye out and quickly find him a pretty wife. He's about the right age too."

"There's no rush for that." Qin Ming hurriedly waved his hands.

The courtyard filled with laughter and cheerful voices. A group of children were happiest of all, sitting in a circle and eating until their little faces gleamed with oil.

"Little Qin, tell your uncle the truth. Have you undergone New Life?" Yang Yongqing came over.

Before Shallow Night had arrived, he had seen Qin Ming. They had only been apart a short while, yet Qin Ming had already killed a Mutated Donkey-Headed Wolf. It truly gave him a fright.

Qin Ming smiled and nodded. "Didn't Uncle Yang say that a noble young lady would be coming down, and tell me to work hard on improving myself and make a good showing? Then I ran into danger in the mountains and was stimulated. My body kept heating up, and I suddenly underwent New Life."

"You brat, you're not honest enough." Yang Yongqing smiled as he pointed at him.

Everyone present knew that it was all because Qin Ming's physical constitution was extraordinary and his accumulation sufficiently deep.

"Undergoing New Life in the Golden Age—for decades, this is the first case in our Double Tree Village!" Old Man Liu, who lived at the village entrance, sighed.

Everyone knew what that meant. He was dazzling even across this entire region, with limitless possibilities ahead.

In this extreme cold, where even one's breath could freeze into ice crystals, Qin Ming's body was like a furnace, growing hotter and hotter. Great amounts of sweat flowed out, soaking him through, and white mist nearly enveloped him.

"Such powerful vitality in his flesh and blood. It's far more intense than mine was back then." Yang Yongqing's bushy beard trembled as he was thoroughly startled.

He understood clearly that Qin Ming, from head to toe and from inside to out, was accelerating through New Life. First, like autumn and winter, he swept away all withered leaves; then, like spring and summer, he sprouted branches and buds.

The sticky substance on his body was like cutting away yellow leaves and expelling Old Turbidity. Within him, life flourished in abundance. His blood glowed, and he seemed to have returned to the womb, nurturing vigorous New Life Power and reopening the limits of his body.

Drowsiness swept over Qin Ming. Full and satisfied, he seemed about to fall into a special kind of Hibernation and could barely keep his eyes open.

He asked Lu Ze to distribute the meat to each household, while he followed his body's instinct and prepared to go inside for a deep sleep.

"Grandma Zhou is being buried today. Go in my place and bring more meat to the Zhou Family." Qin Ming fought off his drowsiness, washed his body with ice water, and then lay down on the heated kang bed.

The others found this strange, but they did not grasp its significance as deeply.

Yang Yongqing had seen much of the world. He discovered that Qin Ming seemed shrouded in white Immortal Mist, while his strong, forceful heartbeat sounded like war drums. Yang Yongqing's heart shook violently!

Most crucially, Qin Ming was still undergoing New Life. It was far from over.

Could it be that after this New Life, Qin Ming might have a slim chance of approaching the few famous youths in that distant Bright City?

Soon, Yang Yongqing shook his head again. No matter how good one's innate frame was, how could it compare to another's accumulation across three generations? Not to mention that those people were already exceptionally outstanding themselves.

As for the young man and woman who had recently dazzled that city, surpassing New Life Evolvers of the Golden Age throughout the years, he believed there was no need even to think about them. They were not suitable for comparison at all.