On the other side, Ye Qin had no idea what kind of commotion he had caused the police.
He knew even less that, through the police's wild conjectures, a murderer had been conjured out of thin air and had committed this perfect murder.
After dealing with the two poachers, he sensed someone coming up the mountain. Seeing that they were police officers, he finally let down his guard and returned to his cave to continue cultivating in earnest.
As for the rest, he believed the police would handle it.
After this incident, those poachers would probably disappear for a while and stop disturbing him.
Although quite a few animals had fallen victim to their evil deeds, fortunately, the damage was not severe enough to cripple the ecosystem. After some time to recover, it should be able to return to its former state.
Snowflakes drifted thick and fast. Between heaven and earth lay utter silence, as though every sound had been swallowed by this world of pure white.
The lush green mountain had become a snowy mountain. From afar, it looked like a white dragon roaming through the firmament, coiling around this place.
Not far away, a branch had already been bent beneath the heavy snow and hung with ice crystals, becoming a distinctive sight.
A figure darted through the snow. Suddenly, it stopped. Its small black nose sniffed vigorously at the air, as if distinguishing scents.
Then it continued toward the southeast.
Few creatures were active outdoors in winter, but that did not mean there were none. The path this creature was following led straight to the cave where Ye Qin lived.
Ye Qin, who had been cultivating with complete concentration, also heard the rustling sounds outside.
When he went out to look, several wild fruits lay on the snow-white ground, standing out starkly. He looked around, but there was not a creature in sight.
He supposed some animal had left them there before departing.
His tongue lingered in the air for a moment. The scent was somewhat familiar and could not have left long ago.
Ye Qin was rather helpless. These things had been appearing at the entrance of his cave every day lately. Sometimes they were unknown wild fruits, and sometimes small animals such as Field Mice.
All living things possessed a spirit.
He guessed that these things had been brought by the wild animals he had rescued from the poachers.
Wild animals had a strong sense of territory, so the creature only delivered the gifts without ever showing itself. Ye Qin had no idea what kind of creature it was.
It was winter to begin with, and these animals found it difficult enough to obtain food for themselves, let alone take some out to give him.
Ye Qin accepted their goodwill, but he did not take the offerings, leaving them in the snow. The creature evidently thought that Ye Qin disliked eating them, because it brought different things the next day.
After several days of this, the creature in the shadows seemed to understand something and never came to deliver food again.
The matter was like a small stone tossed into a tranquil lake, stirring faint ripples before the surface soon returned to calm.
The matter of the poachers had come to an end, and Ye Qin devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation.
Most snakes hibernated. During this period, the weather was cold and food was scarce, so snakes' metabolism and energy levels also decreased. For the sake of survival, they entered a state of hibernation.
Perhaps because of his cultivation, Ye Qin did not feel any different from before. If anything, he seemed even livelier.
"I have already cultivated the First Realm to perfection. I can now enter the Second Realm."
According to Ye Qin's deductions at the time, the Second Realm was Creation Body Tempering. As the name implied, it required borrowing objects from heaven and earth to temper his source visualization object—the white bones.
For example, he could borrow the sun and moon for visualization, then temper the white bones with them, allowing their power to flow back into his own body.
After all, Ye Qin's cultivation method ultimately centered on visualization, especially in the early stages.
The white bones were Ye Qin's source visualization object, and they were extraordinarily difficult to change. Otherwise, all his previous work would be wasted.
But there was nothing else in the cave, and Ye Qin had yet to find inspiration. He did not know what object of heaven and earth he should borrow for creation.
So Ye Qin decided to go outside and take a look.
Once he stepped out of the cave, he had become so engrossed in cultivating in the mountains that he had forgotten the difference between day and night.
Only then did he realize that it was already night.
The mountain night was especially silent in winter. It was as if every sound had vanished, leaving only Ye Qin standing proudly between heaven and earth.
Wherever Ye Qin looked, the landscape was wrapped in silver. Only a cold crescent moon shone in the firmament.
Perhaps because it had snowed, the sky appeared exceptionally low, and the crescent moon was unusually bright, as though it were within reach.
A thousand mountains painted white, the silver moon curved like a hook.
In the dark sky, this sole streak of brightness adorned the long night and lent the snowy landscape an entirely different charm.
As he gazed at the moon overhead, Ye Qin suddenly felt as if he had grasped something.
He knew what he should visualize next.
The moon was also known as Lunar Yin.
In ancient mythology, Pangu Creating the Heavens transformed into all things after creating the heavens and earth. His left eye became the Sun Star, and his right eye became the Moon Star. The Moon Star was the moon.
China had practiced moon worship since ancient times. The earliest historical record appeared in the Book of Documents: Canon of Yao: "The sun, moon, and stars are the spirits of heaven."
People worshiped the moon to pray for abundant harvests. The many surviving relics throughout China, such as Moon-Worship Altars, Moon-Worship Pavilions, and Moon-Viewing Towers, were proof of this.
As for why he did not choose the sun, it was because the sun was the essence of fire and contained Solar True Fire. Golden in color, it was supremely yang and supremely hard, capable of burning all things.
But snakes belonged to yin. Given Ye Qin's current cultivation, choosing the sun for visualization would be rather difficult. Moreover, once it materialized, he could easily be scorched by the Solar True Fire.
Therefore, starting with the moon and advancing step by step was the wiser choice.
The moon was the splendor of water and contained Lunar True Water. Silver in color, it was supremely yin and cold. This also suited snakes' natural preference for yin. Its attributes did not clash, and it was gentler.
Most importantly, cultivation also emphasized timing and terrain. One had to follow nature and accord with the changing seasons.
Practitioners of yin-yang and the five elements believed that the north belonged to water and governed winter. Lunar Yin belonged to the north and therefore also referred to winter or water.
The Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals: The Official System Models Heaven also recorded: "Thus, spring is the season of Lesser Yang; summer is the season of Greater Yang; autumn is the season of Lesser Yin; winter is the season of Lunar Yin."
Thus, in the current season, Lunar Yin was the best choice for Ye Qin. It might even produce twice the result with half the effort.
Looking at the crescent moon overhead, Ye Qin instinctively straightened his body. His snake head curved slightly upward, as if worshiping the moon, and his eyes were filled with reverence and awe.
The moon held a special meaning. In modern times, it was mostly used to represent homesickness, but humanity had never ceased exploring it from ancient times to the present.
In ancient times, the moon was called Lunar Yin and was filled with divinity. Not to mention the household tale of Chang'e flying to the moon—
Even in the many tales of strange spirits in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, numerous creatures worshiped the moon and absorbed the essences of the sun and moon to cultivate. There was reason for this.
Daoists said that the essence of the moon contained Emperor's Flowing Sap.
An ancient text once said that on the night of Gengshen, the moon's essence contained Emperor's Flowing Sap. It took the form of countless olives and ten thousand strands of golden silk, hanging down to the human realm in dense strings. When plants and trees received its essence, they could become demons.
Whenever spirits, monsters, plants, or trees became demons, they had to receive the moon's essence. If the moon's essence contained Emperor's Flowing Sap, then plants and trees in the human realm could become demons upon receiving it, while foxes and ghosts could display divine abilities after consuming it.
These were only legends, and even now it was uncertain whether something like Emperor's Flowing Sap truly existed.
But one thing was certain: the moon's essence was extraordinary.
The so-called moon essence was actually moonlight. The air and evening breeze, combined with the moonlight, could be called moon essence.
But if one asked what moon essence actually was—
That was somewhat profound. No one could say for certain, because the term was too broad. In any case, bathing in moonlight counted as absorbing moon essence.
It was just like absorbing the qi of heaven and earth by breathing air every day.
At that moment, Ye Qin's entire body was bathed in moon essence. His black-and-green scales were coated in a faint silver radiance.
(The End of This Chapter)