Qin Tiexin stood on the ridge, breathing heavily.
It felt like there was a handful of sand in his throat, the air he sucked in was so thin, and his chest felt so tight. He looked down at his hands - none of the ten fingers were good, all were broken and scabbed, and the scabs were broken again in some places., blood and mud mixed together, making it dark. The clothes could no longer be called clothes. There was a hole on the left and a hole on the right, and some strips of cloth were barely hung. The mark of the wolf bite on the calf was still bleeding, but he was too lazy to care.
He just stood there, panting for half a cup of tea.
Then he raised his head and looked forward.
When I saw it, I was stunned.
This side of the mountain ridge and the side he had just climbed over seemed like two different worlds. There were bare gray-black rocks with thick snow, and the wind blew over them like a knife scraping bones. But here -
tree.
It's all trees.
The tree was so tall that it was scary, so thick that several people could hug it. The leaves were green and black, and they were densely packed together. The mountain wind blew by, and there was a rustling sound in the forest. The sound was thick and long, and it was completely different from the rustling sound of dead grass blown by the wind in the Northern Frontier wilderness.
Qin Tiexin squinted his eyes.
It's not just the trees. The air is also different.
Spirit Severing Mountain The air over there was dry, cold, and stinging when he breathed it into his lungs. But the air here - he took a deep breath - was moist and cool. As he breathed it in all the way down, the burning feeling in his lungs actually eased a little.
He took another puff.
This time I tasted it carefully. No, it's not just "moist" and "cool". There is something in the air.
I can't tell what it is. It's not the smell of flowers or grass, but it seems... like the refreshing feeling that comes from the heat that hits your face when you stand next to a red-hot iron in winter. It's just not that hot, it's warm, and it wraps you up tightly.
Qin Tiexin subconsciously made Old Qin Household Body Tempering Method's starting move.
The feet are shoulder-width apart, the knees are slightly bent, and the back is as straight as loose. He has practiced this posture for more than ten years, and he can get it right with his eyes closed. He usually practices in the shop, and it takes half an hour before the body slowly warms up, and the "heat" penetrates into the seams of the bones.
But now--
As soon as I got into my stance and breathed evenly, a warm breath came from all directions. It wasn't a drill, it was a surge. It was like my whole body was soaked in hot spring water. The "hot air" seeped in along the skin, mouth and nose, more than ten times faster than at Ink City.
No, more than ten times.
Qin Tiexin maintained his posture and slowly performed eight movements, from the start to the end. Normally, after this set, the muscles would be slightly sore, and he had to take a breath before continuing. But now, as soon as the soreness came to the head, it was suppressed by the warm breath coming from all around. Not only was he not tired, but he felt that his muscles and bones were more relaxed.
He stopped and stood there, looking down at his hands.
The wounds and bloody cuts on my hands still hurt. But the pain is not that severe. No, it's not that it doesn't hurt, it's that there's a strange "itch" mixed in with the pain - it's like something is crawling and healing under the wounds.
"This place..." Qin Tiexin murmured.
He remembered what Lin Feng said in the letter, "Spirit-Severing Mountain Range, Spiritual Qi is so thin that a monk entering it is like a mountain bearing a heavy load..." This side of the mountain should be a place of plenty for Spiritual Qi.
It turns out that Spiritual Qi is like this.
It wasn't the crackling lightning in my imagination, it wasn't the fairy aura that soared in the clouds, it was just a warm, comfortable... aura that could make wounds heal faster.
Just as I was thinking about it, my chest suddenly felt slightly warm.
It was the black ring, attached to the chest. It was warm, not hot, but had a strong sense of presence. Qin Tiexin put his hand into his arms and touched the ring. The metal texture was slightly warm, as if it was coming to life.
He put down his hand and patted Edgeless on the back.
The blade was cold. But as I touched it, Qin Tiexin frowned.
No.
Edgeless has always been cold, like a piece of dead iron. But at that moment - when he was running Body Tempering Technique - the blade seemed to... move? It wasn't really moving, it was a feeling. It felt like this knife, this black iron knot that he had punched out with his own hands, had accompanied him on the battlefield, and chopped down wolves, seemed to... wake up.
Hungry?
Qin Tiexin was stunned. This idea came out of nowhere, but he just felt that Edgeless was "hungry". Ever since he finished beating the knife, it had been quiet. Except that it was extremely heavy and hard, it was just like an ordinary iron block. But now, it seemed to be saying: I want to eat.
What to eat?
He doesn't know.
After standing for a while, Qin Tiexin shook his head and shook off the messy thoughts. The top priority was to find water, find food, and figure out where he was. He touched the water bag on his waist - it was empty. The dry food bag was also deflated, leaving only some dregs.
He walked down the mountain.
The forest was dense and it was difficult to walk. But compared to the bare cliffs on Spirit Severing Mountain, the path here was smooth. Qin Tiexin hung Edgeless as a walking stick and moved down one foot at a time. After walking for about an hour, I heard the sound of water.
It is a stream that flows out from a crack in the mountain rocks. The water is so clear that you can see the bottom. There are some short shrubs beside the stream with small red fruits. Some of them have been pecked by birds, and the rest are still hanging.
Qin Tiexin squatted by the stream, holding a cup of water to drink first. The water was so cold that it stung his teeth, but he felt comfortable all over after drinking it. He drank until he was full, filled up his water bag, and then looked at the fruits.
I picked one and put it under my nose to smell it. There was no strange smell. I hesitated and stuffed it into my mouth.
It was sweet and sour, juicy and had big seeds. He smacked his lips and picked a few more. While eating, he suddenly heard footsteps.
It's people.
Qin Tiexin immediately put down the fruit, put his hand on the Edgeless Saber handle, and slowly stood up.
Two people came out of the forest. One was old and the other was young. The old man was about fifty years old and was carrying a bamboo basket. The younger man was thirteen or fourteen years old and was also carrying a small basket. They were wearing coarse cloth clothes with tied trouser legs and straw sandals on their feet. When they saw Qin Tiexin, they were both stunned.
Especially the young man, his eyes widened as he stared at Qin Tiexin and looked up and down - no wonder, Qin Tiexin looked really scary right now: a tall man nearly two meters tall, in rags, covered in wounds, carrying a big black knife on his back, standing there like a hill.
The old man came to his senses first, pulled the young man behind him, and cupped his hands at Qin Tiexin: "This... hero, we are collecting herbs from the village down the mountain, and we passed by here."
Qin Tiexin loosened the handle of the knife and cupped his hand. "Old man." His voice was hoarse, the result of not speaking for too long and lack of water.
The old man's expression softened slightly when he heard his polite words. Then he looked at his injuries and asked, "Where did this good man come from? How did he get injured like this?"
Qin Tiexin was silent for a moment and pointed to the high mountain ridge behind him. "Over there."
The old man looked along his finger and his expression changed. "Spirit Severing Mountain? Did you turn it over?"
"Hmm."
"Good boy..." The old man took a breath and looked at Qin Tiexin with a look of awe, "I have seen no more than five people who can overcome Spirit Severing Mountain in the past few years. Last year, there was a prince from some country. I heard that he came with more than a dozen guards, but there were only two left. Is there only one hero?"
"A person."
The old man shook his head and smacked his lips. "You are lucky, you are really lucky." He put down his backpack, took out a cloth bag, opened it, and found a few pancakes, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Here, clean ones."
Qin Tiexin was not polite and took it over. The cake was hard and made from grains, but it was real. He thanked him, squatted by the stream and ate with water. It didn't look good, he swallowed half a cake in one bite and chewed it until his cheeks bulged. The old man and the young man looked on, their eyes wide open - Qin Tiexin ate all three cakes in less than a stick of incense, and even licked his lips after eating.
"Good man... he has a good appetite." The old man laughed dryly.
Qin Tiexin was a little embarrassed. "I've been hungry for a long time."
The old man waved his hand, sat down by the stream, took out his cigarette rod and lit it. "What do you call a good man?"
"Surname Qin."
"Brother Qin." The old man puffed out smoke, "Is this a way to make a living by going over the mountain? Or..."
"Looking for someone." Qin Tiexin said, "Old man, let me ask you about a place. Heavenly South Domain, do you know?"
"Heavenly South Domain?" The old man frowned, thought for a while, and shook his head, "I haven't heard of it. Our place is Azure Xuan Continent, Azure Xuan Region. Heavenly South Domain... sounds like a big place in the south?"
"Very far?"
"That's far away." The old man knocked the ashes from his cigarette, "Our Azure Xuan Region is in the northwest corner of the Azure Xuan Continent. If Heavenly South Domain is in the south, it would have to span the entire Azure Xuan Region. A mortal would not be able to reach it in a few lifetimes. Unless we take the 'teleportation array' of the immortal masters, or take a big ship that can fly in the sky - but that is not something we can think of."
Qin Tiexin listened in silence.
According to what Lin Feng said in his letter, he should have arrived at Heavenly South Domain by following the route on the map. It seemed that his journey had deviated in the last few days. After all, there was no reference at the time.
In other words, he climbed over mountains and ridges, from the edge of one domain to the edge of another domain.
"Well, old man, is there any place nearby where I can get more information?" he asked.
"Yes." The old man pointed to the northwest, "Go there, about fifty miles away, there is a Green Cliff Town. The town is a mixed town of immortals and mortals. There are shops opened by immortal masters, inns, and places with business information. If you want to inquire about Heavenly South Domain, go there and ask, there may be some connections."
"Green Cliff Town..." Qin Tiexin wrote it down.
The old man looked at his injuries again. "Your injury needs to be treated. There are medical clinics on Green Cliff Town, both for mortals and immortals. However, the immortals are expensive, and a consultation costs Spirit Crystal."
"Spirit Crystal?"
"This is the money used by the immortal masters." The old man took out a small cloth bag from his arms and poured out a piece of milky white Shitou the size of a grain of rice. "Well, this is it. We mortals use gold and silver, but the immortal masters only recognize this. If you exchange ten taels of gold for one grain of Spirit Crystal, there may not be anyone who can exchange it."
Qin Tiexin took it and looked at it. Shitou was warm, and there seemed to be mist flowing inside. He held it in the palm of his hand, and vaguely felt a faint something that had the same origin as the "warm breath" in the air.
"Thank you, old man." He returned Spirit Crystal.
"You're welcome." The old man put away Spirit Crystal and stood up, "Brother Qin, if you want to go to Green Cliff Town, you'd better leave as soon as possible. There are wild beasts in the mountains at night, and... unclean things. You can't delay your injury."
Qin Tiexin nodded. "Let's go now."
The old man gave a few more instructions on what to do on the way, and then he took the young man away. After walking far away, you could still hear the young man's voice. "Grandpa, that man is so tall..."
"Shh, stop talking. Can someone who can translate Spirit Severing Mountain be an ordinary person?"
The sound gradually became distant.
Qin Tiexin stood there, touched the ring in his arms, and patted Edgeless on his back.
Edgeless is still cold. But the feeling of "hungry" is clearer. It's not an illusion, it's real. This knife is asking for food.
He looked up to the northwest.
Fifty miles.
He tightened his luggage, stuffed the empty dry food bag, and hung the water bag securely. Edgeless wrapped it in cloth again and carried it on his back.
Take a step.
He walked very steadily, step by step, toward the unfamiliar mountain forest. The injuries on his body were still hurting, but he was used to it. He was also used to being hungry. The road was still long, but he was not in a hurry.
There's always a time to get there.