Moonlight Fades, Passion Deepens; Hidden Intent to Kill

"Qiuyue-jie..." Qin Meng's eyes widened, and for some reason, his throat felt parched.

Shen Qiuyue kept her head bowed, not daring to look at Qin Meng. Her voice trembled like a thread of silk in the wind: "Mengzi, I... I'm afraid."

Afraid of what? Afraid that he wouldn't be able to pay off the debts?

Afraid of losing this home that had just started to show signs of improvement? Afraid that the scene before her was nothing but a bubble?

Qin Meng understood in an instant.

What she hadn't voiced was a deeper sense of insecurity and a desperate, all-or-nothing reliance on him.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here," Qin Meng uttered.

The woman did not hesitate. She walked to the edge of the kang and lay down close to him, her cool arms gently wrapping around his waist. Her soft body pressed against him, carrying the clean scent of soap and her own warm, natural fragrance.

Qin Meng's breath hitched.

He was not the boorish, oblivious man the original owner of this body had been. Having just consumed the potent snake gall and blood, his vitality was already surging. Now, with this soft, fragrant beauty in his arms, a wave of heat rushed straight to his lower abdomen.

His palm caressed her smooth, slightly cool back, feeling nothing but delicate warmth under his touch. With a slight pull, he drew her trembling body tightly into his embrace, lowering his head to kiss her lips, which were slightly chilled from nervousness.

Shen Qiuyue's entire body stiffened, then immediately softened. A whimper, half-sob and half-sigh, escaped her lips, only to be swallowed up by him.

She closed her eyes, burying her burning cheeks into the crook of his neck, her arms clutching him even tighter.

Qin Meng could feel her body trembling and her heart racing. He rolled over, placing her beneath him, his fingertips flicking open the ties of her water-red bodice.

The silk slid away, and the moonlight instantly spilled over her glowing white skin, the rise and fall of her curves dazzling to the eyes.

The woman was overcome with shyness and turned her face away, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, yet she submissively and proactively pressed herself closer to him, as if trying to embed herself into his very body.

Clothes rustled as they fell to the floor.

The moonlight shifted quietly, illuminating the intertwined figures rising and falling on the earthen kang, and the fragmented whimpers the woman couldn't suppress even as she bit down on the back of her hand.

Qin Meng's onslaught was like a tide. Her fingers unconsciously dug deep into the solid muscles of his back, leaving behind a few crescent-shaped marks.

The night was still long.

Outside the window, the moonlight was gentle, outlining the silhouette of the small courtyard in quiet peace, as if temporarily shielding them from the storms and encroaching gloom of the outside world.

The next day, before the sky had fully brightened, Qin Meng woke up.

Although they had been at it until the third watch last night, he felt full of energy, with no trace of fatigue. His blood and vitality were surging within him, as if he had an inexhaustible supply of strength.

This was the physique reinforced by both his fused talent and the improvement of his martial arts.

He clenched his fist, his knuckles popping softly. Estimating the strength in a single arm, he figured it was likely no less than a thousand jin.

Beside him, Shen Qiuyue stirred under the thin quilt, making a soft rustling sound.

She turned on her side, using the dim light to quietly gaze at the outline of the man's profile.

"Awake?" Qin Meng turned his head and asked with a smile.

"Mm." Shen Qiuyue replied softly, a blush rising on her pretty face. The events of last night flooded her mind, and, overcome with shyness, she turned her head away and shrank further into the quilt.

The two shared a moment of tenderness before Qin Meng finally rolled out of bed.

While washing up, he looked at his reflection in the water basin. He had a fine appearance.

Eighteen years old, with regular features, a sturdy and tall build, a well-defined jawline, and eyes that burned with spirit—a far cry from his former dejected and withered self.

He washed the rice to boil porridge, then went into the courtyard to practice his saber techniques.

As the sky began to brighten, the scent of porridge and flatbreads drifted out. Shen Qiuyue called out from the kitchen.

"Mengzi, time to eat."

Breakfast consisted of brown rice porridge, flatbreads, and the meat saved from the night before.

After eating, Qin Meng carefully checked his saber and bow, then pushed open the door to leave. He waved to the woman leaning against the doorway, turned, and vanished into the morning mist.

Walking along the dirt path inside the fort, he keenly sensed that someone was watching him.

Qin Meng's expression remained calm, acting as if he didn't notice, and he walked steadily toward the fort's exit. A glance from the corner of his eye swept over a house corner behind him—someone was tailing him.

He didn't turn around to alert them; instead, he quickened his pace, heading straight for Luming Mountain.

As soon as he entered the forest, Qin Meng noticed something unusual.

The air was filled with an abnormal restlessness, and signs of wild beasts were much denser than usual.

He hadn't walked more than a few dozen steps before he had already shot several pheasants.

[Life Essence +0.5%...]

He picked up the prey and tossed it into his basket, his gaze scanning his surroundings vigilantly.

The forest was exceptionally quiet, and that feeling of being watched remained like a shadow.

"They really followed me?" Qin Meng's eyes turned cold. He remained composed and continued searching through the woods.

He spotted a hare and drew his bow; he caught a glimpse of a pheasant and notched an arrow. The whoosh of arrows piercing the air sounded from time to time, and the prey in his basket gradually increased.

The proficiency of his [Chain Arrow - Mastery] was also steadily rising.

However, that feeling of being watched would still appear from time to time.

The opponent was clearly a veteran tracker. Several times, Qin Meng had tried to suddenly change direction while hunting, but he found no trace of them. Still, his intuition told him that the tail was still there.

"It must be Qin Lai!" Qin Meng immediately thought of that piece of trash. He figured that seeing him harvest so much over the past two days had finally made the man restless.

With a tail following him, he abandoned his plan to venture deep into the forest today.

However, the prey in the forest had clearly increased, and his luck seemed to be holding up well.

In the span of a single morning, he had hunted over a dozen pheasants and hares, plus a fat roe deer and more than twenty turtledoves and quails.

After eating some flatbread and resting, Qin Meng chased after some prey, intentionally diving into the dense woods. He successfully shook off his tail around the complex terrain of Eagle Beak Peak and discovered a patch of fresh soil overturned by wild boars.

In this area ravaged by the boars, many polygonatum tubers that hadn't been fully eaten were left exposed.

These were excellent medicinal herbs! Qin Meng suppressed his excitement and carefully searched and dug them up.

Most of the high-quality, aged ones had been chewed up, but he still managed to scavenge quite a few. Most were five to seven years old, which were still top-tier goods.

"At the very least, this should be worth a dozen taels of silver."

He weighed the heavy basket and a smile appeared on his face. Carrying the polygonatum and hauling his game, he turned back down the mountain and headed toward the market town.

He sold the polygonatum at Jisheng Pharmacy, receiving a total of eighteen taels of silver. He then went to Kexianju Restaurant to offload the game, netting over three taels.

As he turned out from the back alley of the restaurant, that feeling of being watched returned.

Using the flow of the street crowd as cover, Qin Meng suddenly ducked into a quiet alleyway.

Before long, two figures flickered past the alley entrance one after another. They appeared casual, but their eyes constantly scanned the crowd as if searching for something.

They cursed under their breath, then split up to continue searching the vicinity.

Qin Meng recognized them at a glance; both were subordinates of Qin Lai.

It was indeed that scoundrel playing tricks in the shadows.

If the pest isn't removed, the trouble will never end. A surge of killing intent welled up in Qin Meng's heart.

However, with his current strength, getting rid of Qin Lai wouldn't be difficult. But Qin Lai not only had many lackeys around him, he also had a troublesome older brother.

I need to speed up my progress. Qin Meng's thoughts raced as he weighed the gap between them. He quietly left from the other side of the alley and took a detour back to Luming Fort.

Upon returning home, he poured the rice and grain he had bought into the storage jar as usual, then handed the fabric, cotton, and the remaining silver to Shen Qiuyue for safekeeping.

"Oh my, this much?" Shen Qiuyue held the heavy money pouch, startled.

"You bet. I got lucky today..." While maintaining his bow and arrows, Qin Meng briefly explained his hunting trip and the discovery of the polygonatum.

"That's wonderful! Adding this to what we have saved, let me see... we're only a few taels short now." A joyful smile bloomed on Shen Qiuyue's face as she counted on her fingers.

"Mengzi, even if we don't harvest anything in the next two days, selling that snake skin and snake bones will be enough to scrape together fifty taels of silver."

Qin Meng looked at the happy woman and smiled without a word. He didn't mention being followed or his suspicions; he didn't want his wife to worry about it.

He had already guessed the intentions of his pursuers—they were simply anxious because of his recent bountiful harvests. Fearing their plans would fall through, they were bound to make a move.

And the most "reliable" way to do that, naturally, was to ensure he had an "accident" on the mountain.

You think that way, and do you think I don't? Qin Meng sneered inwardly.

As he chatted with Shen Qiuyue, he was busy calculating how to cut the weeds and pull up the roots.

Today, Qin Meng had returned early.

Just past two in the afternoon, Shen Qiuyue was already busy in the kitchen preparing dinner.

Qin Meng went to the courtyard as usual to continue practicing the eight blade breaking techniques.

Archery could be improved by hunting in the forest, but right now, the most important thing was to quickly grind his blade proficiency to gain greater bonuses and increase his strength.

Dinner was stewed chicken, braised rabbit meat, snake meat soup, and plenty of rice.

The scent of meat wafting from the small courtyard drew frequent glances and sighs of envy from the neighbors.

After the meal, Qin Meng helped clear the dishes and taught Shen Qiuyue a few stretches to loosen her muscles and bones, telling her to practice them daily to strengthen her body.

He picked up his blade once more and practiced tirelessly in the courtyard.

The night deepened, and moonlight spilled down.

Qin Meng swung his blade without fatigue, sweat soaking through his clothes. Two or three hours later, he sheathed his blade, exhaled a long breath of stale air, and checked his panel:

[Eight blade breaking techniques - Proficient (429/500)]

[Chain arrow - Proficient (286/500)]

"At this rate, my blade technique and archery should advance again in the next day or two."

He nodded in satisfaction. A steady increase in strength was the foundation for dealing with any crisis.

Back inside, Shen Qiuyue brought over a bowl of warm chicken soup. Qin Meng took it and drank it all. Seeing the woman's rosy complexion and sparkling eyes under the lamplight, she looked even more charming and moving.

His heart warmed. He scooped the startled woman up into his arms and headed toward the inner room.

The red silk curtains were warm, and the covers tossed and turned like red waves.

Spring blossomed within the room, and outside the window, the moonlight shyly hid behind the clouds.

Luming Fort, inside the grand Qin family residence.

After hearing Song Zhong's report, the flesh on Qin Lai's face twitched as he exclaimed in shock.

"What did you say? That Qin Meng has actually had a big harvest for three days in a row?"

He paced back and forth in the hall anxiously with his hands behind his back, a fierce glint flickering in his eyes.

He's grown capable since waking up, a bit uncanny... I can't wait any longer.

Qin Lai stopped in his tracks, stared at Song Zhong, and said in a gloomy voice:

"Skinny, tomorrow when he goes up the mountain again, take some men, find a quiet spot... and make sure he stays in the mountains forever."

"Yes, Brother Lai!" Song Zhong licked his lips, a trace of cruelty flashing in his eyes.