Chapter 23: A Generous Gift

On the other side of the valley entrance, six people walked out from the slope. Four of them were wearing black armor, their equipment extremely fine, far superior to the standard-issue armor of the Mountain Patrolling Group.

The iron armor of the other two was very ordinary, quite worn. It seemed they were locals. One of them whistled, and three very strong birds of prey immediately came running from the dense forest. Their yellowish-brown feathers were fluffy, and their sturdy legs could run at an extremely fast speed.

Qin Ming recognized that these were mutated creatures cultivated by Golden Rooster Ridge. Moreover, yesterday he had seen the three people in front of them riding ground-running chickens across the mountain forest.

“Brother, your skills are not bad. To guard the valley entrance alone and kill the Blood Snakes, you are truly brave and decisive,” one of the young men in fine armor spoke.

Qin Ming ignored him, because the man was still holding a stiff bow in his hand and hadn’t put it down. A moment ago, he had even wanted to shoot him with an iron arrow.

“Sorry about just now. It was a moment of impulse. I wanted to test your skills. I was indeed offensive.”

Qin Ming looked at the young man holding the bow. “Do you believe those words yourself?”

“Eh, listening to your voice, you’re not old. To have undergone a second New Life at such a young age, your future is limitless,” the young man said in amazement, staring at Qin Ming’s face, which was covered by a black cloth.

He was very clear that in such a remote area, a youth with such an achievement was definitely exceptionally talented.

The young man put away his large black bow. He felt that the youth before him was a talent. “Brother, I was indeed reckless earlier. It’s mainly because my big brother was injured in the mountains and urgently needs spiritual objects to nourish his body. When you care, you get flustered. In my desperation, I attacked you.”

Qin Ming was unmoved. In desperation, he would shoot and kill others at will? This explanation was pale and weak. It was nothing more than being cold-blooded and indifferent by nature, not caring about the lives of others at all.

He quickly put the Blood Snakes on the ground into a hide bag. “Since it’s a misunderstanding, can I go now?”

“Brother, no hurry. Perhaps we can become friends. You may not know, we are from Crimson Cloud City…” The young man’s intention to win him over was obvious.

Qin Ming didn’t speak, silently observing this group of people. The young man who was called “big brother” by the young man seemed to really have a problem with his body. His face was a little bluish-black.

His heart stirred slightly. That slightly dark skin color looked quite familiar. Back then, after he fell into the fissure, he was about the same as this person and had a serious illness.

The young man smiled. “Brother, you see, the misunderstanding is resolved, and we really need spiritual objects now. But we won’t take the Blood Snakes you hunted for free. I want to invite you to join us. We will definitely compensate you in the future.”

Qin Ming really wanted to slap him hard. This was asking him to hand over the spiritual objects and then work for them?

Seeing that he didn’t get an enthusiastic response, the young man’s right hand inadvertently touched the hilt of his blade, and the others also moved their feet and spread out.

Seeing this, Qin Ming spoke, “This is not Crimson Cloud City, and there’s no one else watching. You actually don’t need to speak so hypocritically. I’ll just ask one thing: since the misunderstanding is resolved, can I go?”

The young man’s face turned cold, and his words indeed became concise. “You’re asking for it!”

Qin Ming tore off two layers of armor from his body to reduce his burden, afraid it would affect his speed. He put the hide bag on his back and quickly tied it.

He looked at the long blade in his hand. A notch had actually appeared when he was killing the Blood Snakes, and the tips of several iron spears were also damaged. It showed how hard the red scales of the Blood Snakes were.

The few people’s faces were cold. They either drew the greatswords from their backs or held longbows. Since they had fallen out, they were ready to make a move.

Only the young man with the bluish-black face didn’t move. He looked in the direction of the distant dense forest. “You didn’t rush to escape. It turns out you were waiting for the other Blood Snake to return, wanting it to attack indiscriminately and indirectly help you deal with us? Alright, I admit I need these Blood Snakes very much. I won’t let it escape back into the valley.”

At this moment, a crimson cloud appeared in the dense forest. The fiery red large snake had returned. It hadn’t continued to chase, after all, the weather was freezing cold. If it took too long, its movements would become sluggish.

Seeing that he had been seen through, Qin Ming no longer concealed it. He threw the iron spear in his hand at extreme speed. The few people nearby had been on guard, either hiding behind trees or preparing to block with their weapons.

But they found that it wasn’t aimed at them at all. With a pfft pfft sound, three iron spears plunged into the bodies of the three ground-running chickens, bringing up large splashes of blood.

Just then, the Blood Snake arrived not far away. Seeing a group of people blocking its path, it immediately reared up and attacked without fear.

The young man with the bluish-black face spoke, “You deal with that youth. I’ll kill this Blood Snake. The more spiritual objects, the better, naturally.”

“Big brother, is your body up for it?” The young man who had been speaking earlier was afraid something would happen to him.

The young man drew a long sword. “I entered the special node to explore on my own initiative, it wasn’t an accidental injury. I can still bear this level for now.”

Seeing the arrival of the Blood Snake, which began to attack almost madly, Qin Ming no longer hesitated. He turned and fled, rushing along a predetermined route.

The others naturally attacked, and the young man who had shot the cold arrows earlier began to draw his bow at him again.

Qin Ming dodged in the dense forest, using various large trees as cover. Once both sides started running at full speed, it became difficult for the young man to continuously draw iron arrows from his quiver and shoot while not slowing down.

The man with the bluish-black face was indeed very strong. Holding a long sword, he resisted the Blood Snake, slashing out a brilliant sword light, instantly leaving several wounds on the snake’s body.

The few people who went to chase Qin Ming were relieved after looking back and seeing this scene.

Qin Ming turned left and right in the dense forest, galloping through the night along a pre-scouted path. He had already seen that this group of people was rather difficult to deal with.

Among the people chasing him, two had already undergone a second New Life. One of them was very fast and was getting closer and closer to him.

Qin Ming’s strength was strong enough, but he was not a true second-time New Lifer after all, and his speed was still somewhat lacking.

The young man who had been speaking earlier was also a second-time New Lifer. Because he had shot a few cold arrows, he was slightly behind.

When he rushed to an area where the trees were dense and the branches blocked the path, Qin Ming scanned it carefully and chose the only unblocked area to rush through.

Obviously, the people behind him would not swing their blades to cut the branches blocking the path but would follow him and chase him down.

“Ah…”

Suddenly, the second-time New Lifer at the very front let out a miserable scream. His whole person fell painfully into the snow, his face contorted.

His right foot had been pierced by an iron spear hidden in the snow. It was dripping with blood. The sharp spear tip, stained with blood, had completely penetrated the top of his foot. It looked very scary.

Qin Ming had only taken precautions, making the worst preparations. He had buried three iron spears in advance in this area where branches blocked the path. He didn’t expect to actually use them.

The only easy path was naturally caused by him breaking the nearby blocking branches, clearing it out himself. However, to make the opponent fall into the trap of the iron spears set up in the snow also required luck.

This person had unintentionally avoided two iron spears in a row and only stepped on the third one. Running at full speed like this, his end was naturally very miserable. His entire right foot was crippled.

The few people behind saw this scene, their pupils contracting. For a moment, they felt as if their own right feet were in intense pain, followed by a wave of lingering fear.

The young man who had been speaking earlier had an ugly expression. He gritted his teeth. “Don’t run around randomly, follow his footprints and chase.”

He was also a ruthless person. He didn’t care about his injured companion and chased after him with a greatsword. With his speed advantage, he gradually closed the distance.

He had long seen that the opponent’s speed was obviously not as fast as his. He therefore judged that although the opponent was also a second-time New Lifer, his strength was weaker than theirs.

“He’s a New Lifer from a remote, small place after all. Without secret meditation techniques, Qi-intent arts, and the like, even if he undergoes a second New Life, his upper limit won’t be too high.” This was his inner thought, and also the reason and confidence for him to continue the chase.

Qin Ming knew he would be caught up sooner or later. Rather than that, it was better for him to take the initiative. He began to intentionally slow down, wanting to get rid of a person who was a threat to him first.

“Still running? You ungrateful thing. I just want a few Blood Snakes. It’s better than losing your life, right?” the young man said, walking over with a cold face.

As for the other person from Crimson Cloud City and the two from Golden Rooster Ridge, they had only undergone one New Life. Their speed was not as fast as his, and they were all behind, not having caught up yet.

Qin Ming didn’t answer. He rushed up with the long-handled dark gold hammer. He had to fight a quick battle. What he was most wary of was still the young man who was dealing with the Blood Snake alone. Although his body had a problem, he was still the most dangerous.

The snow in the forest exploded. Qin Ming attacked with all his strength. The first blow of the dark gold hammer stunned the young man. He felt his right hand holding the sword go numb.

This youth, whose speed was slower and whose physical quality after a second New Life should obviously be inferior to his, how could his strength be so great?

Qin Ming’s concentration was at its peak. He went all out. The long-handled dark gold hammer, although heavy, was like one black lightning bolt after another weaving through the night when he swung it.

The young man was very strong, obviously not an easy opponent, much more formidable than Fu Entao. He quickly launched a counterattack after losing the initial exchange.

However, he was shocked to discover that this youth from a remote place was not as unskilled as he had imagined. He had clearly mastered an extremely formidable combat method. The heavy hammer was almost being danced into a flower by him. His hammer technique was astonishing. Each time, it could cut through the night in an unbelievable way, all efficient killing moves.

Then, he was somewhat enlightened. This was being executed according to a blade technique.

“This person is very formidable. I need to undergo a second New Life as soon as possible!” Qin Ming thought to himself. Then, the dark gold hammer in his hand suddenly slipped.

With a thump, the young man felt the world spin. Tears and snot flowed freely. In the instant after their weapons collided, the opponent had actually “slipped his hand.” At such a close distance, the heavy hammer smashed into his chin, and the bone shattered on the spot.

He endured the intense pain, forcing himself to stay clear-headed, and slashed forward with his greatsword. He absolutely could not retreat now, not giving the opponent a chance to pick up the dark gold hammer.

Obviously, he was dizzy from this blow, his consciousness not so clear anymore.

By the time he felt something was wrong, it was already too late. Qin Ming had drawn the long blade from his body, blocked his greatsword, and then with one slash, he chopped off his right arm holding the sword, and with one kick, he sent him flying.

Qin Ming picked up the long-handled dark gold hammer from the ground, said nothing, rushed over, and smashed his head with one blow. Then, taking his weapon, he quickly met the other three.

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The young man with the bluish-black face killed the Blood Snake without any surprise. He was not conceited; his strength was indeed very tyrannical.

Liu Huaishan, with the few surviving Mountain Patrollers, made a surprise return. After running wildly, they returned to the outside of the mountain valley. He judged that the Blood Snake had consumed a lot of energy. In the ice and snow, even if it wouldn’t be frozen stiff, its movements might be sluggish.

So he chased back and happened to see the scene of the young man killing the Blood Snake outside the mountain valley.

The scene was instantly quiet. Liu Huaishan and the others had not expected anyone else to be here, and to have succeeded. It seemed his strength was quite terrifying.

The young man threw the Blood Snake on the ground, looked at the people opposite him, and walked forward with his sword. He had entered this area quietly and did not want the news to leak, because he had an opponent here.

His situation was not very good now, and he hoped even more to keep it a secret. Therefore, his killing intent was now steaming.

“Friend, we have no ill intentions. We will retreat immediately. The Blood Snake is yours!” Liu Huaishan shouted quickly and led his men to retreat rapidly.

He felt this person was too dangerous. If they really fought to the death, it would surely be them who died. The other person could kill them all by himself.

These Mountain Patrollers were all experienced middle-aged men. They had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows, aiming ahead, on the defensive, and accelerating their retreat.

The young man suddenly felt a little tightness in his chest. Exploring the special node had ultimately injured his body. He was very uncomfortable now. In the end, he took a deep breath and nodded, letting these people leave.

He rested for a while, and the uncomfortable feeling subsided. Then he immediately set off, chasing in the direction Qin Ming had fled.

Although snowflakes were falling from the sky, they could not immediately cover the footprints. He galloped all the way and soon heard a miserable scream.

There was no suspense. Qin Ming had killed the two New Lifers from Golden Rooster Ridge and the youth from Crimson Cloud City who had only undergone one New Life.

He took these people’s weapons, turned around, and rushed back. He once again saw the second-time New Lifer whose right foot had been pierced by an iron spear.

When the man with the bluish-black face appeared, he happened to see Qin Ming with his back to him, interrogating his own people there.

In an instant, the blood flow in his whole body accelerated. He was extremely furious. He only saw one person being forced to confess. Where were the others? His cousin? Had they all been killed?

“Hurry up and say it, do you have a high-level Qi-intent art or not?” Qin Ming squatted there, holding the seriously injured man with one hand.

At this time, the man wanted to say something but couldn’t open his mouth, because his mouth had already been hit by an iron hammer. In fact, the other party simply didn’t want him to speak!

The man who couldn’t open his mouth saw that the strongest person on his side had appeared and was approaching silently. His pupils contracted, as if he wanted to say something.

But with a thump, he was hit by an iron hammer again. His vision went black, and he almost fainted.

The man with the bluish-black face found that the injured man’s upper body was all blood, and his lower body was buried in the snow, extremely miserable. He no longer hesitated and rushed over abruptly.

Then, he let out a muffled grunt, and his whole person fell into the snow.

This time, the young man had not stepped on an iron spear, but his cousin’s greatsword.

Just a short while ago, Qin Ming had carefully arranged this place. It was as if it had experienced the impact of a great battle. Broken tree branches were everywhere on the ground, with only a few areas empty.

And the intentionally empty areas were naturally all buried with iron spears, greatswords, long blades, and so on. At present, it had achieved the most ideal effect.

With a thump, he finished off the previous person’s life with one blow, and then calmly faced the man whose foot had been pierced by the greatsword.

The young man with the bluish-black face was named Wang Nianzhu. He was also quite famous in Crimson Cloud City. During his first New Life, he could lift a five-hundred-and-seventy-jin ding, which was also very strong.

After his second New Life, his two arms had nearly one thousand two hundred jin of strength. He was so extraordinary, how could he not be filled with great hatred to be trapped here now?

Especially, the masked youth in front of him was considered by him to be just a country bumpkin, but in the end, he had suffered such a heavy blow.

Qin Ming retreated and directly used Wang Nianzhu’s cousin’s bow and arrows to aim at him.

“Ah…”

After Wang Nianzhu’s foot was pierced, his movement was inconvenient. Even if his strength was very strong and he could endure the pain to leap, he ultimately could not maintain his original state. He didn’t last long before he was hit by an arrow.

Not long after, Qin Ming went forward and smashed the head of the heavily injured and dying Wang Nianzhu with the long-handled dark gold hammer.

“I actually got an extra Blood Snake. Thank you for the gift!” Qin Ming put the second large snake into the hide bag. Today’s harvest was really too great.

(End of Chapter)