Chapter 38 Sleepless Nights

Qin Ming was genuinely startled. His fingertips were icy cold, and the coldness was even starting to seep into his hand. How could he possibly remain calm under such circumstances?

He immediately shook his hand forcefully, and then tried to pull it.

A day passed, and the sunstone in the copper basin was no longer as bright, making the room rather dim. Even so, Qin Ming felt that he shouldn’t have failed to discover the mysterious object immediately; he only noticed it through the touch of his hands.

He went to the bronze basin, took out a piece of sunstone, and looked at it in the last rays of the fiery sunset.

“Did a piece of ice melt?”

This cold liquid is colorless and odorless, making it easy to overlook. When Qin Ming crushed the stone, it showed no unusual signs.

“Could this be water that seeped into the rocks after rain, froze, and was then nourished by sunlight, becoming a mysterious product?” he wondered.

Because this cold liquid has absolutely no special characteristics.

The rarest and most precious product, the ten-colored pillar of light that pierced the heavens, attracted attention from all directions. It was destined to spread throughout many magnificent cities, sparking heated discussions, and would surely be recorded in books.

“You’re just scraps from it. Aside from being so cold it’s a bit prickly to the touch, what’s so special about you?” Qin Ming frowned as he examined you.

After he violently shook his hand, the liquid stopped seeping in. Strangely, it didn’t spill onto the ground, and it didn’t seem sticky to the touch.

“What’s it for?” Qin Ming examined it closely. The liquid had no special features, which made him frown because he had no idea how to use it.

Should he let it seep into his flesh and blood? He felt uncertain.

He already knew from Mu Qing and Cao Long that the mysterious products nurtured by the heavenly light were of many kinds, and some of them were not only not beneficial to the body, but also harmful.

“Hmm?” Qin Ming’s expression changed slightly. He thought he had expelled the chill from his body just now, and after violently shaking his hand, he did not let the liquid enter his flesh.

Now it seems that’s not the case. I feel something strange in my right hand, except that the place that was just chilled is now warm.

Moreover, the heat was spreading rapidly, or rather, moving, along his fingers into his arms, and then quickly from his shoulders to his neck.

Although it was very comfortable, this unexpected event still made Qin Ming feel like he was facing a formidable enemy. He immediately activated the rebirth technique recorded on the silk scroll to resist it.

But it was no use; on the contrary, the heat started to get to my head!

Most importantly, the cold liquid he hadn’t shaken off began to seep into his fingers, warming up as it traveled up his arm.

“I admit you’re not stagnant, you’re a bit special. Can we stop for a bit? Let me catch my breath!” Faced with this unknown and unpredictable situation, Qin Ming tried everything he could, but nothing could change anything.

“They’re all in?” He swung his arms and rubbed his hands together, causing ripples of gold to appear on his body, but it was of no use and only accelerated the process.

The icy liquid rapidly transformed within his flesh, releasing warmth, and then, whether from his left or right hand, it all flowed upwards like rivers converging into the sea, finally reaching his brow.

Qin Ming stared at himself in the mirror. Since he couldn’t stop it, he could only observe calmly.

The warmth in the center of his forehead grew stronger and stronger until all the heat flowed in, and his entire forehead began to glow, then spread deep into his head.

He felt no discomfort, and the intense warmth eventually dissipated.

Qin Ming carefully examined the situation and found that apart from being full of energy, there seemed to be nothing else unusual.

He carried the long-handled black gold hammer into the courtyard and practiced his swordsmanship. His strength did not increase, and his physique did not change significantly.

However, Qin Ming knew that this liquid was definitely not that simple and could not possibly disappear without a trace in the end. He probably hadn’t yet discovered the changes it caused.

He looked up at the night sky, which became a little clearer. The night fog seemed less thick, and his vision improved slightly, but not significantly.

Qin Ming ate something casually and then came to the village entrance, standing by the fire spring under the black and white twin trees.

He ran his hand along the rough tree trunks; one tree was as black as ink, while the other looked like it had been carved from white jade, its leaves remaining even in the cold winter.

“The liquid comes from Black and White Mountains; you are the seeds that flowed down from there…”

Clearly, Qin Ming was overthinking it; even though he had two leaves, one black and one white, in his mouth, nothing seemed amiss.

“Let’s leave it at that for now,” he reassured himself. Since he felt fine and in high spirits, nothing bad should happen.

Suddenly, he sensed something coming from Old Liu’s house at the village entrance, along with the sounds of children and women crying.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Ming entered the courtyard from a distance of only a few dozen meters. He immediately frowned as he saw three huge free-range chickens.

One of them was rather special, with pale yellow fur that shimmered slightly, very thick legs, and exceptionally sharp claws that left a few scratches on the bluestone ground in the yard.

It was much stronger than the other two free-range chickens, and should be the so-called second-mutated golden chicken.

There was a man in the courtyard with a gloomy face. Although he was speaking in a low voice, you could tell he was about to get angry.

Qin Ming realized that this was a Golden Rooster Knight from Golden Rooster Ridge. How did he end up at Old Man Liu’s house?

There were two other people beside him, all whispering to Old Liu.

Old Liu’s family stood aside, at a loss, clearly frightened by these people.

Qin Ming, with his exceptional hearing, naturally heard everything clearly. They were trying to persuade him, albeit with a slightly forceful tone, to “purchase” the red herb that Old Liu had obtained from the Fire Bat Cave.

In the early hours of the night, the people of Jinji Ridge saw Old Man Liu emerge from the Fire Bat Cave and noticed a flash of red light on his chest. They realized what was going on; he had come back home with a purpose.

“Old Liu, you’re so old now. You suffered a serious injury in your youth, and your foundation is already damaged. It’s hard for you to be reborn. You might as well sell it at a high price and leave some wealth for your children and grandchildren.”

“Yes, that red herb burns like fire after you ingest it. You are old and frail, and you simply cannot withstand it. If your second rebirth fails, the consequences will be terrible.”

Old Liu looked helpless, his face showing an indescribable desolation and a hint of sorrow. He said, “I’ve worked hard all my life, struggled for most of my life, all for this opportunity!”

Without a doubt, this is his obsession, and he has already prepared some cold-natured auxiliary medicines. He has been slowly conditioning himself and taking the red herb in portions. There shouldn’t be any major problems, and he has a great chance of success.

The substances that can help people regenerate are mainly because they contain abundant vitality and spirituality. The so-called excessive medicinal properties, like being burned by a raging fire, are exaggerations.

…

Qin Ming was furious when he heard this. Wasn’t this bullying? A man in his seventies had been longing for a second chance at life for decades, and with this obsession, he had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel, only to be forced to sell his property!

He heard the price quoted by the other party. What’s the difference between that and outright robbery?

Dozens of Night Silver coins are indeed a considerable fortune for ordinary people, but they are spiritual substances that can help people be reborn. It’s too disrespectful to people.

The red grass grows in a dangerous cave guarded by fire bats, creatures that have mutated three times. It is very difficult to pick, and even the Golden Rooster Knight himself dares not go in.

“My three elder brothers…” Qin Ming began, and walked forward.

“Who are you? Get out of here!” one of them said, showing no mercy and not wanting him to say anything more.

The golden rooster knight merely glanced at him indifferently, his gaze cold. Although he said nothing, the warning was clear: he should stay out of it.

“Little Qin, stop talking. Let me go inside and think about it.” Old Liu said, not wanting Qin Ming to get involved, because Jinji Ridge was too difficult to deal with. They used to be a group of bandits, and even though they had been recruited, they were still very violent.

Once they set their sights on you, the consequences are unpredictable.

“Brothers, this little red grass that Uncle Liu is wearing was given to him by Cao Long and Mu Qing from Chixia City…” Qin Ming spoke again.

His implication was clear: he was referring to the noble lineage of Chixia City, who now had a very good relationship with Old Man Liu and were even going so far as to provide him with spiritual substances to improve his health. Tomorrow, Old Man Liu would have to get up early to guide those people.

“Old Liu himself has said these things. Heh, in the end you are nothing more than…” The Golden Rooster Knight sneered. He didn’t say that Qin Ming was using his position to intimidate others, but that was clearly the meaning. He didn’t believe that the people of Crimson Cloud City would have a close relationship with a few hunters.

“Young people need to be discerning; don’t meddle in things that aren’t your business,” someone nearby warned directly.

Old Liu turned and went into the house. He took out a packet of bright red herbs from a hidden compartment in the wall, gritted his teeth, grabbed a handful and stuffed them into his mouth. Instead of taking supplementary medicines to slowly regulate his body, he ate most of them directly.

He kept only a small amount and took it to the courtyard.

“Just this little bit? You didn’t eat it beforehand, did you?” The Golden Rooster Knight’s face immediately darkened; his intuition was quite accurate.

“That’s really all,” Old Liu said.

“What’s the use of such a small amount? You’re great, Lao Liu!” The Golden Rooster Knight patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave.

After the three men disappeared at the village entrance, Old Man Liu spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Mr. Liu, what’s wrong?” Qin Ming asked in surprise.

Old Liu said, “That Golden Rooster Knight is very ruthless. He has practiced the Yellow Mud Palm. He suspects that I consumed spiritual substances in advance and wants to secretly disperse my blood energy to prevent me from being reborn a second time.”

Qin Ming peered through the courtyard gate into the snow outside the village, wishing he could catch up and give each of them a blow with a hammer and knife.

He knew he couldn’t act so hastily. There was a band of bandits behind the other party at Jinji Ridge. Acting rashly might bring disaster to the entire village. He decided to “plan carefully” after obtaining the mountain.

“Old man, are you alright?”

“grandfather!”

Old Liu’s family anxiously surrounded him.

“How are you feeling?” Qin Ming asked.

Old Liu said, “I know Jinjiling’s style, so I took precautions in advance. Although the situation is not very good, it is not that serious. I can recover in a few days.”

In fact, Jinjiling was not the only one who came to force a sale; the local Three-Eyed Cult also sent people, who were also second-generation members.

Finally, the Three-Eyed Cult members, realizing they couldn’t force a sale, stormed off, giving each other a cold, gloomy look before leaving, making the whole affair quite unpleasant.

“Ordinary people have a hard time living in harsh environments, and it is just as difficult for newborns…” Qin Ming sighed in his courtyard at night.

Soon, he realized what had changed in him. His vigorous energy remained unchanged, and even though it was very late, he was not sleepy at all.

After lying down, he stayed there for a long time, only to find that he couldn’t fall asleep at all; the more he closed his eyes, the more awake he became.

What’s going on with this disturbance in the middle of the night? He’s not some immortal, how can he not sleep? Besides, if there were immortals and gods in this world, they would have already lifted up the sun, so there wouldn’t be such a thick fog and the world in complete darkness.

In the middle of the night, Qin Ming had no choice but to get up and take a walk. After walking eighteen laps around the village, he felt more and more energetic.

“What’s wrong with me?” Back in the courtyard, he practiced the new techniques on the silk scroll, and then the fighting skills on the sword manual. He could feel tired, but he just couldn’t fall asleep.

He went out late at night and eventually came to the village entrance. Having nothing better to do, he cleared out the stone tablet that had been buried in the snow.

“I heard from the old folks that this stone tablet weighs 1,100 jin. I estimate that I can lift 1,000 jin with one hand, but I have never actually tested it. Now I’ll try it out.”

In the end, Qin Ming forcefully pulled the stone tablet out of the frozen soil, and then raised it above his head with one hand.

“Although it was very strenuous, I was able to do it. So, my arms actually have a strength of 2,200 pounds, which is higher than I expected.”

The next day, Xu Yueping saw Qin Ming and said, “Little Qin, have you been crying?”

Qin Ming was taken aback and said, “No.”

“Why are your eyes a little red?” Xu Yueping asked.

“I didn’t sleep well last night,” Qin Ming replied.

Old Liu followed along into the mountains as usual, showing no signs of injury.

Upon meeting Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and the others, Qin Ming didn’t hide anything and directly recounted the incident from the previous night when Jinji Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect attempted to forcibly purchase his property.

“That’s a bit much,” Mu Qing said.

Half an hour later, the Golden Rooster Knight from yesterday was found. Mu Qing slapped him across the face, sending him flying six or seven meters away, knocking out several of his teeth.

“This is the person I hired. He’s been working for me. You want to steal the spiritual herbs we gave him?” Mu Qing asked coldly.

“No…it’s a misunderstanding.” The Golden Rooster Knight’s voice trembled.

With a clang, Cao Long’s spear grazed past his ear, then changed direction and cleaved a large tree in half. He said coldly, “Even after we leave, you are not allowed to retaliate, or you will suffer a terrible end.”

“I see!”

A moment later, the Three-Eyed Cult members were also warned.

However, Mu Qing and Wei Zhirou also privately told Qin Ming and the others that the Three-Eyed Sect’s stronghold here was not important, but their lineage in distant places was very strong, with branches in many cities.

“Jinji Ridge is not simple either; it was a foothold set up here by the Huang Jin Kou.”

Old Liu was very grateful for this; it was truly beyond his expectations that these people would stand up for him.

That day, Qin Ming found an opportunity to dig out the sword manual. Now that Wang Nianzhu had become a wanted criminal, he no longer needed to worry too much and could take the manual home to study it.

After the early night ended, he returned to the village.

“I hope I can fall asleep tonight and stop feeling so energetic!”

After dinner, by the light of the sunstone’s glow, he began to peruse the leather-bound sword manual. The moment he opened it, he was stunned.

Qin Ming looked up outside, then looked down at the old, worn-out books. What was going on? This world seemed different to him!