Chapter 54 Secrets and Real Names

Qin Ming entered the dense forest on one side of the road, dug a deep pit with his mutton-fat jade iron knife, and buried a palm-sized piece of cloth inside.

“Afraid of causing trouble?” Old Liu asked.

Qin Ming nodded and threw the rabbit he had hunted into the pit as well.

The young man formed from the black mist was cold and icy, giving him a very bad feeling. He should be cautious about the only item the man carried with him.

The two ate a hot breakfast in Yinteng Town, wandered around the streets for half an hour, and then headed towards the house they had arranged to meet.

The Wu family’s house was not small, but it was already showing signs of dilapidation. The red paint on the gate had peeled off, and the brass rings had lost their luster.

“Old Wu, open the door!” Old Liu banged on the door knocker.

“You’ve arrived.” An old man appeared and invited the two into his home.

The courtyard is large, but it no longer has the grandeur it once did. Some of the bluestone paving stones are cracked, and a large flower bed has long been converted into a vegetable garden. The artificial hill is covered with withered gourd vines.

The Wu family was once wealthy, but has now declined. The house has four courtyards, but the buildings are old and dilapidated, giving it a desolate feel.

Otherwise, they probably wouldn’t have agreed to show their ancestral secret manual to outsiders.

Old Wu’s body has only undergone one rebirth, so he no longer has any airs of a wealthy family and is just like any other ordinary old man.

The Wu family had few servants; a young boy from the household brought them coarse tea.

“Old Wu, let’s not beat around the bush. You know why we’re here. Name your price.” Old Liu got straight to the point, not wanting to waste any more time.

“To be honest, my feelings are very complicated. My Wu family was so glorious back then. Four generations ago, we even had a great master who was reborn five times, looking down on this region, not to mention our ancestors. Now, am I… selling my ancestral land? Sigh, thinking about it carefully, I feel extremely guilty.” Old Wu sighed.

He glanced at the spacious living room, which was once ornately decorated, but now the table corners were broken and the gold and silver threads inlaid on the thick pillars had disappeared.

Old Liu took a sip of tea and said, “Old Wu, people should be more open-minded. Which family hasn’t had its glory days? If we trace our lineage back, my Liu family was once a royal family. Have I, a descendant of the dragon, ever said anything?”

Old Wu said, “What kind of mess are you talking about? Besides, are you even related to the same ‘Liu’? Sigh, I haven’t been able to sleep peacefully these past few days.”

“Uncle Wu, we’re just borrowing it; we promise not to share it with anyone.” Qin Ming was very direct, taking out five gold coins and placing them on the broken table.

This is already quite a generous offer, because in this remote place, a single gold coin can solve the problem of food and clothing for a family of three for a year.

“Not enough,” Old Wu shook his head.

Old Liu said, “Old Wu, don’t go too far. We’re only borrowing it here for a day, and we promise not to spread it around. Do you really think this is some kind of divine book?”

Old Wu sighed, “When I was young, I climbed the Bright Moon Tower in Crimson Cloud City and spent two gold coins in one night.”

Old Liu chuckled and said, “Don’t bring up the old days again, be careful your wife doesn’t overhear!”

Qin Ming finally understood why the Wu family had fallen so quickly. Old Wu seemed to be very carefree and willing to spend money when he was young.

He didn’t say anything, but placed two more gold coins on the table.

Old Liu sighed, “Old Wu, Qin and I have been risking our lives lately, killing some mutated creatures and picking up some broken weapons from the Great Rift Valley. After selling them, all our belongings are here. Don’t exploit us too much.”

Old Wu remained silent, calmly sitting there drinking tea.

It wasn’t until Qin Ming increased the gold to fifteen that Old Wu sighed, “This unworthy descendant is burdened by life and has no choice but to show the secret book to outsiders.”

He took out a book made of animal hide from his pocket; it looked very old. After placing it on the table, he walked out with a look of melancholy and dejection.

Qin Ming held the animal hide book, his expression extremely focused, his mind completely absorbed in it. He was currently in a sensitive and special phase, and he wanted to improve his strength as soon as possible.

Old Wu wasn’t fooling anyone; this ancestral secret manual is the culmination of the Wu family’s ancestors’ hard work and carries a certain strong emotion.

Qin Ming studied it carefully. The part about the new life method could not be compared with the silk manuscript, but it was of some reference value.

Much later, he handed the animal skin book to Old Man Liu, then closed his eyes and began to process what he had learned.

Old Liu didn’t stand on ceremony. He took it and read it carefully, page by page, comparing and verifying it with what he had learned from the old mountain patrolman.

Suddenly, he realized something, looked up at the opposite side, and immediately became uneasy.

Qin Ming sat there with his eyes closed, wisps of sunlight appearing at his fingertips, revealing his sharp edge.

Old Liu thought he learned things very quickly and had a great talent, but now he almost broke through his defenses. What did he see? Qin Ming had only just started practicing and had already mastered the Heavenly Light Force recorded in the book.

“You can take your time looking around here, since I’ve already paid for it. I’ll go home and reflect on it.” Qin Ming stood up.

Old Liu was completely stunned. People really can’t be compared. He almost became an apprentice in Chixia City back then, so why is his talent not good enough now?

“Young man, are you going back already?” Old Wu in the courtyard asked in surprise, not expecting Qin Ming to come out so quickly and bid him farewell.

Qin Ming nodded and said, “Yes, the content of this book is difficult and the style is not suitable for me.”

Old Wu’s dejected expression finally improved, and he smiled, walked over, patted Qin Ming on the shoulder, and said, “This is normal. The secret manual left by my ancestors is extremely profound. Don’t think that you have only read it for such a short time. I have studied it for half my life and still haven’t figured it out.”

“Yes, it’s a remarkable book!” Qin Ming nodded and walked out of the Wu family’s gate.

“Crack!”

There was a commotion in the living room, so Old Wu quickly strode in and found that Old Liu was a little out of sorts and had accidentally knocked his teacup to the ground.

When Qin Ming returned, he saw Yang Yongqing, who lived at the village entrance, gently patting the tall black goat and whispering, “Yonghei, in four days we’ll be going to Jinji Ridge…”

Qin Ming returned to his courtyard and began practicing the new Heavenly Light Force.

Mang Jin, as recorded in the animal skin book, is a kind of penetrating force that can easily break through armor with bare hands and is indestructible.

Undoubtedly, it has a large overlap with the nail-strength technique. It is estimated that if the two are practiced together, they can complement each other and be effectively integrated.

The ancestors of the Wu family were known in this area as masters of both spear and arrow. They were skilled in archery and used a large spear, all of which were based on the practice of “mang jin” (a type of internal energy). When the “tian guang jin” could be released externally, the arrows they shot and the spear they thrust out were extremely terrifying.

In addition, the relevant records and some experiential insights in the animal skin book broadened Qin Ming’s knowledge, such as the mention of the medicinal effects of the tricolor flower.

According to the book, the three-colored flower produced in Lingshan is of the highest quality. It has a mild medicinal property and can nourish and strengthen the body’s natural light, thus enhancing its power.

Ultimately, everything originates from the light of heaven. The light of heaven that gives birth to the human body is normally peaceful and gentle, nourishing itself. However, when it is released outwards and exerted in different ways, its violent side is brought out.

The beast-hide book warns that one must be extremely cautious when fusing various celestial energy techniques. If they are not compatible, it may trigger a massive explosion of celestial energy within the body, with dire consequences.

Mang Jin is also a Tian Guang Jin that integrates three common Jin techniques. If there were too many, the ancestors of the Wu family would not have dared to try it.

Qin Ming seemed to be deep in thought. He had never encountered such a problem before, and he felt that his Heavenly Light Force was extremely inclusive.

The book mentions that the three-colored flowers nurtured by the light of the heavens piercing through the night are of the highest quality, far more precious than the finest flowers from Mount Ling.

However, because this tricolor flower contains sunlight from the outside world, its medicinal properties are too strong and highly corrosive, which the human body cannot withstand. It needs to be taken with something rich in vitality to ensure that it will not cause any harm.

Of course, there are exceptions for a very few individuals with exceptional endowments, who may be immune to the potent medicinal properties of the top-grade three-colored flower.

Qin Ming guessed that the so-called erosion was probably related to the spiritual essence left in the tricolor flower by the light of day that pierced through the night.

Back in the underground cave, Huang Jingde was all smiles and seemed to answer every question, but he didn’t mention these things, ultimately habitually hiding some of them.

Qin Ming pondered that since his body could withstand the erosion of the sunlight and survive, it should be able to withstand the medicinal properties of the top-grade three-colored flower, so he didn’t need to seek out anything with abundant vitality.

…

In the mountains, near the Great Rift Valley, two notorious bandits from Jinji Ridge personally led their men to guard the area.

“Is he going to target young adults again? I’ve reminded him several times. These repeated deaths are bound to cause trouble. If it attracts the attention of the higher-ups in Crimson Cloud City, it will be a huge problem.”

“Is he really a hermit? He’s cold and aloof, not at all like someone who’s like a god or an immortal.”

“He doesn’t manifest himself, so you and I can’t see him at all. This is definitely the method of someone outside the secular world, but judging from his methods, he is not following the orthodox path.”

The two bandits were talking in the shadows, unaware that the young man who had been formed from the black mist was already dead.

Earlier, the young man arrived with a token given to him by the Golden Thief. He asked the bandits of Golden Rooster Ridge to help guard the area and prevent anyone from approaching.

“This person promised that he would only target elderly people, making it appear as a natural death so as not to cause trouble, but it’s long past midnight, why hasn’t he returned yet?”

Let’s wait and see.

“Back then, the old beast in the mountains cried at the grave, and with each bow, a strange scene appeared. It mutated rapidly and advanced in several stages, causing a huge commotion. Afterwards, the higher-ups of Crimson Cloud City blocked any further news about the incident. Now this recluse has come to the same place to cause trouble again. Do you think he’s trying to imitate that old beast? If so, and the matter is exposed, you and I wouldn’t be able to survive even if we died a hundred times over.”

“He’s a person outside the secular world, he shouldn’t follow the path of those heretics, right?”

The two bandits looked serious and clearly didn’t want to deal with the sinister-looking young man.

“Could it be that some powerful figure from beyond the secular world wants to use him to test Black and White Mountain?”

“No, I think he’s about to leave. He looks like he’s in a hurry, so he’s probably just passing through and doing something on the way.”

…

Qin Ming sat in meditation, and he practiced the Silk Reeling Force, Intercepting Force, Nail Force, and Sharp Force. In addition, he added his own strange Heavenly Light Force. He felt that he could consume the Three-Colored Flower and then completely integrate all of them. His strength would definitely improve significantly!

“This scene seems familiar…” He stared at the tricolor flower in the jade box, somewhat lost in thought.

The layers upon layers of tricolored petals, resembling willow leaves or swords, emitted a large amount of colorful mist, and a flowing spiritual light enveloped him.

Since his three rebirths, Qin Ming has not only recalled some things from his childhood, but also some other vague and fragmented memories have begun to appear in his mind.

“Abandon.” He whispered, uttering the word, and wrote it down on the table with his tea.

At this moment, as he looked at the tricolor flower, it was as if he were seeing a similar scene from the past.

“Cui Chonghe.” Then, he wrote these three characters on the table, stared at them carefully, and said, “Chongqi is the origin of harmony, which comes from the classics of the recluse who has been scattered abroad. Cui surname, Cui Chonghe, is that my real name? But I am very disgusted with the recluse now.”