Chapter 18: People from Crimson Cloud City

As Qin Ming was pondering, Xu Yueping came knocking on his courtyard gate.

“Little Qin, hurry out, there’s something urgent.”

Qin Ming’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the news of the Mountain Patrolling Group’s annihilation had already broken out?

“We’ll set out in an hour,” Xu Yueping told him. People from Crimson Cloud City had arrived and wanted to meet the New Lifers from the nearby villages.

Xu Yueping lowered his voice, “It’s said they are all direct descendants of noble families, here to help us sweep the mountains and also to temper themselves.”

Qin Ming said, “Is it finally starting?”

Xu Yueping spoke solemnly, “You have to perform well this time. The people who have come have extraordinary statuses. Strive to use this opportunity to enter Crimson Cloud City.”

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An hour later, Xu Yueping’s house became lively.

Old Man Liu was in high spirits, carrying a thick-backed large saber. He had also put on old leather armor and a refined iron helmet, fully armed.

Qin Ming went up to him. “Grandpa Liu, what are you doing? We’re just meeting today, not going into the mountains.”

Old Man Liu replied, “Getting used to it in advance.”

Yang Yongqing also took this matter very seriously. He carried two blades on his back.

“Although nothing should happen during the Shallow Night, we still need to leave someone to watch the house. Uncle Liu, you’ve damaged your vital energy and you’re so old…” Xu Yueping was interrupted by Old Man Liu before he could finish.

“An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand li. What’s more, I’m full of vigor right now, I can take on both you and Yang Yongqing at once!” Old Man Liu insisted on going.

Not everyone dared to risk it. For example, the other two New Lifers in the village, and the injured Wang Qinglin, had no choice.

The destination was not far, just at a crossroads seven li away.

Under the dim night sky, the surrounding area was all dense forest.

A total of more than a dozen villages had received the notice. The New Lifers all traveled quickly and arrived one after another.

Smaller villages like Twin Tree Village only sent four people, while larger ones sent more than ten. In total, there were less than a hundred people.

The people from Crimson Cloud City had arrived even earlier. They were divided into three teams, almost all wearing armor, their equipment exquisite. They were waiting quietly ahead.

The New Lifers from the various villages also quieted down, intimidated by the gleaming armor and sharp blades ahead, and also out of reverence for the noble elites from the splendid city.

The three teams each had their own unique clan emblems. Each team had more than a dozen people. The three team leaders standing at the very front were the most eye-catching.

One of the men was actually three meters tall, wearing dark gold armor. His black hair fell past his shoulders, and his eyes were as sharp as blades, giving people an extremely strong sense of pressure.

His mount was also eye-catching. It was a fiery red giant bull, its back a head taller than an adult man. In addition to two normal curved horns, it also had a horn like a sharp sword pointing forward.

The three-meter-tall man, seeing the arrival of the New Lifers from the various villages, did not act arrogantly and continue to sit on the bull’s back. He dismounted and nodded to everyone. “My name is Cao Long.”

He gave a simple introduction, saying that many experts had come from Crimson Cloud City this time. A total of more than a dozen families were helping to sweep the mountains, and the young people of their three families were responsible for this area.

“I am from the Wei family, my name is Wei Zhirou,” the woman among the three spoke. She was not standing next to the giant Cao Long, but on a bluestone.

She wore a pure white fox fur coat, her black hair fluttering in the wind. Her fair, melon-seed-shaped face had a sweet and brilliant smile. This kind of beauty was quite lethal to the young men from the various villages.

In the eyes of the young people who guarded the great mountains and had never traveled far, this noble lady from the splendid city was like a graceful and otherworldly fairy in white. It would be difficult for them to forget her even after many years.

Wei Zhirou was slender and elegant, and indeed very beautiful. She tidied her hair that had been blown by the wind and said a few things about sweeping the mountains. At the same time, she also brought a piece of news.

“This winter, the blizzard has blocked the roads, and it’s difficult to transport grain from outside. But please rest assured, Crimson Cloud City is already using giant beasts to pull grain carts. It won’t be long before it arrives.”

This immediately caused a commotion. The people from the various villages all showed looks of joy.

However, some were also worried. If grain was transported this way, would the price be very expensive?

“My name is Mu Qing,” the last of the three team leaders spoke. His entire body was wrapped in a black cloak, even his face was covered, making him seem quite mysterious. Even after speaking, it was difficult to tell if he was male or female; his voice was rather androgynous.

Mu Qing said frankly that they were not familiar with the great mountains and needed the local New Lifers to guide them.

This was the most fundamental reason why the three teams had appeared here to meet with the New Lifers from the various villages.

If they acted together with them, there would be a generous reward.

Cao Long mentioned that if one performed outstandingly, they could obtain relatively precious Qi-intent arts, meditation techniques, and the like.

This immediately sparked a heated discussion. Many people’s eyes were fervent, because the “New Life methods” circulating in this region were all relatively low-level.

“What counts as outstanding performance?” someone couldn’t help but ask.

“Providing important information to avoid casualties on our side, hunting special anomalies, discovering places that nurture spiritual substances…”

People realized that the rewards were not easy to obtain. The noble elites from Crimson Cloud City were not just here to temper their new bodies, but also wanted to explore the more mysterious areas of the mountains.

Wei Zhirou added, “If you discover any abnormal phenomena in the mountains and inform us immediately, it can also be considered as providing important information.”

“I know of a fissure in the ground. Silver threads once spread inside. People who fell in by mistake had a hard time surviving even if they managed to escape. Does this count?”

Qin Ming noticed that it was someone from the neighboring Green Mulberry Village who had spoken up first.

Clearly, people from the nearby villages had also died there.

Old Man Liu slapped his thigh and looked at Qin Ming, meaning that someone had beaten them to it.

Wei Zhirou nodded. “The magnetic field in the mountains is chaotic. The place you mentioned should be a smaller node. If you find another similar place, I will give you an intermediate-level secret manual on New Life.”

She explained that these special nodes would probably exist for several years. They would search for them one by one and map them out, leaving a mountain terrain map for the locals to avoid people accidentally entering dangerous areas in the future.

Cao Long spoke, “If you discover a place where white mist steams and five-colored rosy clouds shine in all directions, do not approach it under any circumstances. That kind of area is even more dangerous. Anyone who can provide such a clue will be heavily rewarded with a high-level Qi-intent art.”

Hearing this, many people’s breathing became heavy. A secret manual of this level was too distant for them, very ethereal. Who wouldn’t desire it?

Some people realized that the noble youths from Crimson Cloud City tempering themselves was just a facade. They definitely had another important purpose. The abnormal phenomena in the mountains involved secrets that the local people did not know.

However, the New Lifers from the various villages were relatively calm. So what if they understood there was a hidden story? Those dangerous domains were not places they could set foot in.

Furthermore, regardless of the purpose of the nobles from Crimson Cloud City, they would ultimately help them sweep the mountains and resist the threat of the anomalies from the mountains. That was enough.

Cao Long informed everyone that the higher-ups of Crimson Cloud City and the mysterious beings in the depths of the mountain range had one last negotiation. This time it would be held outside the mountains, and there would be a result soon.

The New Lifers from the various villages all whispered and discussed. Although they lived in this region, they had only heard legends of a small number of high-level beings. Their deepest impression of the great mountains was mystery, the unknown, and fear. It was a place full of awe-inspiring mist.

“Negotiating outside the mountains, can we see it?”

The one who spoke was a youth from one of the three teams. His face was still slightly immature. A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, as they say. He wanted to know what the top-level anomalies from the deep mountains looked like.

The three teams were originally very quiet, but now there was a commotion. They were all very young and had a very strong curiosity and desire for exploration.

Cao Long was a head taller than an ordinary person, his burly figure exuding a strong sense of pressure. He just glanced at them lightly, and those people quickly quieted down.

He did not reprimand them and nodded in response, “Perhaps there will be a chance.”

Instantly, a heated discussion broke out here.

Qin Ming was also not calm. Apart from accidentally glimpsing the “Moon-Bug,” he was completely in the dark about other top-level anomalies. He also wanted to take this opportunity to see their true forms.

The tall and slender Wei Zhirou stood on the bluestone, her pure white fox fur coat fluttering in the wind, making her look elegant and otherworldly. She announced another piece of news.

“The situation is rather delicate right now. You may not know, but the chaos in the mountain range is not only caused by the chaotic magnetic field, but also because another batch of high-level beings has migrated from afar, bringing their families with them, to seize some of the resources in the mountain range.”

Hearing this, everyone’s expression changed.

Wei Zhirou continued, “Now that there is an additional batch of high-level beings, oppressed by them, many dangerous species have no choice but to expand outwards, to squeeze the living space of the people outside the mountains.”

Xu Yueping asked, “That is to say, the outer areas of the mountain forest, which have just calmed down for a short while, will become very dangerous in the future?”

“It’s no big deal. Who allowed them to expand? We’ll just fight them back. We’re sweeping the mountains to solve this problem,” Mu Qing said. Although his voice was androgynous, his words were very domineering.

The New Lifers from the various villages all secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The figure completely wrapped in a black cloak had boosted their confidence.

Mu Qing said loudly, “They have trespassed into a domain they should not have set foot in, forgotten the pain of the past. Then we will forcefully wake them up, let them understand that the dominance of the two-legged man-beasts in this region has never declined…”

At first, people’s hearts surged with excitement, their morale high. Even though the term “two-legged man-beasts” sounded strange, it only felt a little odd in their hearts. But when they saw Mu Qing continue to speak with impassioned eloquence, and a fluffy golden tail was revealed from behind the black cloak, many people were instantly unsettled.

What species was this?!

“Mu Qing,” Cao Long reminded him.

Wei Zhirou said, “Mu Qing is human.”

The three teams behind them were very calm, as if they had long known Mu Qing’s state.

Qin Ming was lost in thought, staring ahead for a long time.

Old Man Liu whispered, “Perhaps he has chosen a divine and strange path. Whether he is still human, what state he is in now, it’s a bit hard to understand.”

This was another different choice Qin Ming had seen, after Cao Long’s giant spirit god path.

Cao Long said, “Now we need to select suitable companions who will act with us during the mountain sweep and guide us in the mountains. But please rest assured, your safety will be guaranteed.”

He emphasized that it was not compulsory. If one was unwilling, they could leave on their own now.

At the same time, Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing once again made it clear that the rewards during the mountain sweeping process, including spiritual substances, high-level Qi-intent arts, and the like, would be very generous. They would absolutely not be stingy.

The New Lifers present had not stayed behind in their villages; they had already made a choice, so no one left now.

Qin Ming naturally went with the crowd and did not act unconventionally.

Wei Zhirou smiled at Cao Long and Mu Qing. In the eyes of the crowd, it was brilliant and bright, with a kind of otherworldly sweetness. She shook the roster in her hand at the two of them, wanting to choose first.

“One person at a time. You go first,” Cao Long said, letting her choose first. Mu Qing had no objections either.

Wei Zhirou smiled and nodded. “Then I won’t be polite. Our Wei family is very keen on recruiting youths with a golden foundation.”

“Which family isn’t!” Mu Qing said, and then whispered with Cao Long, negotiating who would choose first.

Wei Zhirou looked at the roster, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. She had some difficulty choosing. Finally, she called out two names. “Who is Zhou Wubing, and who is Qin Ming?”

“You can only choose one person at a time,” Mu Qing reminded her.

Wei Zhirou smiled. “I know, I just wanted to have a look.”

Zhou Wubing stepped forward. He was half a head taller than an ordinary person, his body very sturdy and powerful.

His original name was not this. Because he was weak and sickly in his youth, his parents changed his name to Zhou Wubing [No-illness]. But it wasn’t until his distant relative returned that he was cured, and he achieved New Life in the golden age.

Qin Ming was surprised. Er Bingzi’s temperament had changed drastically. In the past, his face was sallow and gaunt, his yellow hair like the wild grass of autumn. Now, his black hair was thick, and his essence, qi, and spirit were exceptionally vigorous.

Qin Ming stepped out and stood there calmly. He was a little taller than Er Bingzi.

“Both of you have a golden foundation. I want to invite both of you,” Wei Zhirou said, smiling at them.

Er Bingzi was not the same as before. Although he was dazzled by the brilliant smile of this otherworldly noble lady, he quickly regained his composure.

At this moment, a youth walked out of the forest and quickly came to Wei Zhirou’s side, whispering to her.

Only then did people realize that the people who had come from the three families were not just three teams of young youths, but also others.

“Zhou Wubing was weak and sickly in the past, but his strength has been slowly increasing after his New Life, and he was taught by Xu Kong?” Wei Zhirou was surprised. After talking with the youth in a low voice, she looked up, her beautiful eyes looking at Er Bingzi. She smiled and beckoned to him, choosing him.

(End of Chapter)