Chapter 36 Having accomplished his task, he departed without a trace.

Qin Ming stopped peeling away the stone skin. The environment in the mountains and forests did not allow him to act impulsively. If a beam of light suddenly appeared here, his life would be in danger.

After the stone shrank by two sizes, it could barely fit into the sleeve of his animal-hide robe, but he didn’t do that.

Qin Ming walked out of the mountain, leaving the stone in the dense forest.

He noticed that someone was watching the exit from the mountain. All the major organizations were keeping a close eye on the special products in the node.

Soon after, he saw a woman wearing a fur cloak, tall and slender, standing in the wind and snow, her black hair fluttering in the wind, but he still could not see her face.

“He is indeed unharmed.” The crow was also there and had already spotted Qin Ming. A symbol flashed in its purple eyes as it glanced at him a few more times.

Qin Ming’s expression remained calm, but his heart was slightly uneasy. He knew that countless eyes had scanned those who came down from the mountain along the way, and if he brought stones with him, he would definitely give himself away.

The purple-eyed crow circled in the sky, wishing it could also storm into the mountains, saying, “This place is beyond comprehension! How can there be a ten-colored node? And it’s even merged with the five-colored misty land! I’m almost crying with envy. If I had known, I should have had your master come in person and invited Lord Crow out of the Black Mist World. Let’s see who dares to stop us then!”

The woman in the black cloak said, “Don’t act rashly. All the higher beings are bloodthirsty right now. Let’s wait for the right opportunity.”

Qin Ming found Mu Qing, Cao Long, and others outside the mountains. He discovered that these noble descendants were quite cautious and did not make any rash moves.

“Where have you been, kid? It’s too dangerous in the mountains now,” Black Sheep Knight Yang Yongqing asked him.

“We chased after that magpie, but lost it,” Qin Ming replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Cao Long immediately asked him where he had lost track of the bird. The bird had offended him badly and he was still angry.

The commotion deep in the mountains that day was so great that even the ordinary villagers nearby were watching in awe, having never seen such a dazzling spectacle in their lives.

The night was almost over, and there was still no result in the mountains.

After diligently checking with his employers and confirming that they wouldn’t be going into the mountains, Qin Ming called out, “Uncle Xu, Grandpa Liu, we should go back now.”

“Ah, why are you going back so early?” Old Liu hadn’t seen enough yet.

Qin Ming said, “Let’s go back and eat. We’ve been starving all day!”

Wei Zhirou, Cao Long, Mu Qing and the others couldn’t help but glance at him, thinking to themselves that this young man was truly pure of heart and simple enough. Even with such a big event happening in the mountains and attracting attention from all sides, it couldn’t affect his mood to go back and eat.

“That’s true. Even if we watch for three days and three nights, it’s none of our business. Let’s go back and have dinner,” said Old Liu.

Black Sheep Knights Yang Yongqing and Xu Yueping also left. Although the mountains were colorful, it was not their world.

At night, Qin Ming arrived at the village entrance, sat under the black and white twin trees, and looked towards the mountains. The area was as bright as day, with all the colorful lights still shining. It was so refreshing that it made people yearn to get closer.

“This is Black and White Mountain. Since it collapsed 500 years ago, it has never regained its former black and white landscape. It’s a pity.”

Qin Ming was surprised to see two women in the snow and hear such words.

He was a local and didn’t even know the old name for Black and White Mountain. When he went into the mountains, he just referred to the different mountain areas as East Ridge and West Gully. The two women from out of town, however, knew it better than he did.

In the wind and snow, the two women stood gracefully, their clothes fluttering. They were dressed very lightly, and it was still far from the hottest part of summer when the fire spring was most active.

As the two approached the village entrance, they examined the black and white twin trees in the fire spring.

“It’s interesting that this village has black and white twin trees. They’re probably seeds left over from Black and White Mountain that have sprouted.” The woman who spoke earlier spoke up again.

Dressed in white, she stood out against the fiery glow of the night. A light mist clung to her, but her slightly chubby face was still clearly visible. She appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, with delicate, arched eyebrows and bright, sparkling eyes. She was very beautiful.

If it were Qin Ming, he definitely wouldn’t choose to wear white. Going hunting in the mountains would be too conspicuous and unsuitable for survival in the mountains.

He soon noticed that the girl in white was led by the other woman and was always following her.

Qin Ming realized something was wrong. The girl in white was clearly two steps behind, so why had he ignored the woman in front of him? Something was strange.

The woman in front of them, dressed in simple blue, stood quietly in the wind and snow, carefully observing the two old trees in the fire spring.

Thick clouds surrounded her, making her appear hazy and indistinct, her face unclear, giving her an ethereal quality, like an immortal about to ride the wind and return home.

Qin Ming stood up, realizing he could no longer sit by the fire spring, and greeted the two women.

They nodded in response, and the woman in blue spoke for the first time: “What is the name of this village?”

“Shuangshu Village,” Qin Ming informed her, then took the opportunity to ask, “Is there any story behind the former Black and White Mountains?”

The woman in green spoke softly and melodiously, saying, “Half of the land is pitch black, and the other half is as bright as day. The middle is blocked by a thick fog. It was once a forbidden land, but it collapsed later.”

“Young man, it’s quite rare that my young lady has talked to you for so long.” The girl in white seemed to have a very lively personality, and her relationship with the woman in green didn’t seem to be purely that of master and servant, given that she dared to make such a joke.

The woman in green said nothing more, took one last deep look at the black and white twin trees, turned and left, walking towards the mountains. Although her steps were light and agile, her belief seemed very firm.

“How should I address you, ladies?” Qin Ming asked from behind.

The girl in white chuckled softly: “Young man, don’t overthink it. We’ll disappear soon, and we’ll be separated from you by mountains and seas, infinitely far away.”

“I was just asking for your name. How far is ‘infinite distance’? Don’t you usually live among humans?” Qin Ming said.

The girl in white smiled and said, “Oh, you are so simple and lovely. Judging from the path you have taken, when you stand atop the mountain, there might still be a slight chance that you will see us from afar on some occasions.”

“Shut up, you speak without thinking,” the woman in green scolded.

Qin Ming watched their departing figures, speechless. What kind of people were they? For a moment, he really wanted to punch the girl in white and ask her what nonsense she was spouting.

“Go back now and summon Jinpeng. I’m going into the mountains,” the woman in green said.

“Alright!” The girl in white turned and walked in another direction.

Qin Ming’s pupils contracted. The white-clad girl had left too fast, even absurdly so. A misty white fog flowed in front of her, isolating her from all the wind and snow, and gradually enveloped her entire body. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared into the horizon.

The next day, Qin Ming took the lead and acted as the guide, because Mu Qing, Cao Long, Wei Zhirou and others finally couldn’t sit still and began to explore the nodes of the outer area of ​​the mountain.

Previously, four organizations had harvested the mysterious product after some of their members were severely corroded by the light mist.

All the newcomers were restless, searching carefully. Their figures were everywhere in the mountains, eager to venture into the dangerous underground node space.

As for the deepest part of the mountains, it was still as bright as day. The high-ranking members of the large organization and those superior aliens had been tormented for a day and a night, and their eyes were red.

They came to capture mysterious creatures, initially as if patiently fishing, but now the fish have gotten away with it.

The two wonders merged into one, and continued to shift, sometimes sinking underground for a long time before emerging again, accompanied by blinding light and thick fog.

To date, no one has been able to get close enough to see what it is.

Finally, these people went all out, braving the terrible erosion, and ventured deep underground from the node space, preparing to cut off the path in the spiritual veins created by the heavenly light.

People like Lingxu and Old Weasel, who used to set up schemes, are no longer in the mood for fishing. Instead, they’ve “buried” themselves in the net, plunging headlong into the nodes and entering the underground world.

They had a feeling that the two mysterious resources, after merging, might have completed their final transformation and were about to be born, so they had to go all out.

This competition became increasingly fierce, with some higher beings dying directly underground and never being able to rise again.

They disappeared from the ground, and those outside the mountains breathed a sigh of relief.

“Old Wang, don’t go too far! I’ve already acquired this spirited little tree. Are you going to try and steal it from me?!” In the distance, an old man covered in blood escaped from the node, clutching a small tree about a foot tall, shrouded in purple mist.

“Stop him! That old scoundrel from the Cao family has dug up a longevity tree that can extend one’s life by ten years!” shouted the old man surnamed Wang behind him, and chased after him.

“Seventh Uncle, come over here! Let’s see who dares to stop us!” Cao Long shouted, sitting on a giant, crimson bull that was taller than an adult, holding a large, gleaming spear in his hand.

“Good nephew, quickly take some men to help me hold them off.”

An old man in tattered black armor ran over. In the process, he ate the sapling whole, even chewing up and swallowing the roots with a little soil stuck to them.

“You old scoundrel Wang, I’ve already eaten it, what can you do about it?” the old man from the Cao family laughed.

“Everyone, cut open his abdomen, the medicine is still effective!” the old man surnamed Wang shouted.

Nearby, six or seven elderly men approached, their eyes filled with a frightening intensity. To them, longevity was more precious than any mysterious treasure.

“You old scoundrel Wang, you’re wicked from head to toe! No wonder your youngest son, Wang Nianzhu, has committed so many evils and become a wanted criminal—because you yourself are no better!” Cao Long’s seventh uncle was very agitated, looking at the approaching elders, and said, “If you really want to kill me, don’t blame me for disgusting you to death!”

He looked at the big yellow dog sitting on Old Liu’s back, then glanced at Yang Yongqing’s black goat, and said, “If you really want to force me, I’ll cut open the goat’s belly right now and drink its urine. Then you can all take this longevity medicine!”

Old Liu and the others were stunned. This guy was really ruthless. But why was he staring at the big yellow dog?

Beside him, Yang Yongqing’s black goat urinated directly, clearly sensing that something was wrong.

The big yellow dog that Old Liu was sitting on also reacted and immediately defecated.

“Why are you all reacting so strongly?” Old Cao was furious.

“Fine, Cao Laoqi, if you’re that ruthless, we’ll turn around and leave. We’ll just stay here and watch. Do you dare to do that?!”

“Enough!” Cao Long moved, urging the giant bull to charge forward, wielding a large spear and slashing directly at the old man surnamed Wang.

“Young man, I know you’re powerful, but… Ah!” The old man from the Wang family had his long sword cleaved away, his hands covered in blood, and he himself was sent flying.

“Good nephew, you’ve become so amazing! You didn’t waste your time learning in that giant city!” Cao Laoqi was both shocked and delighted.

Immediately, the old men all left.

Cao Long’s defeat of the older generation of figures made everyone wary and dare not approach, making their area quite safe.

During this time, Qin Ming consulted with the Mu, Cao, and Wei families about the types and characteristics of the mysterious products.

For the people of Chixia City, this is already common knowledge; there are no secrets. A few casual words from them can broaden the horizons of Qin Ming, Xu Yueping, and others.

“Plants, earth fluids and other spiritual products are easy to pick and collect, but the troublesome ones are the special products wrapped in stone skin, which are often overlooked and can be missed if you are not careful.”

Qin Ming learned a lot of useful knowledge, and some of his doubts were resolved.

Unless a special product is inherently dazzling and radiant, once it is peeled away, the glimmer of light dissipates and it returns to tranquility.

Qin Ming figured he could cut the stone he found open to take a look; there didn’t seem to be any major problems.

As the night was drawing to a close, he hid in a snowdrift and peeled away the stone’s outer layer. Sure enough, wisps of sunlight emanated from the stone and seeped into his body.

Beneath the stone’s outer layer, a gleam of pure white jade shone through, crystal clear and translucent.

“Could this be the mutton fat jade iron they were talking about?” Qin Ming had only overheard a few words about it, but he knew it was a rare material and that weapons made from it were shrouded in mystery.

Of course, while mutton fat jade is rare, it is not priceless. Every time the sun sets, some materials of similar quality can be collected.

Even in the same location, multiple samples of mutton fat jade iron may be collected.

He buried the stone again after peeling off a corner of it. Once he was sure it wasn’t some spiritual substance that could be directly ingested, he decided there was no need to rush and he could retrieve it later.

It was already late, and Qin Ming had finished his guiding duties and was preparing to leave the mountains.

boom!

The earth shook violently, and boundless rays of light burst forth from the distance, even more dazzling than before, so bright that they hurt the eyes and brought tears to the eyes of those who gazed upon them.

“What happened?” Everyone was shocked.

Deep in the mountains, amidst a kaleidoscope of colors, a mysterious substance emerges, is seized, and bursts forth from an underground fissure.

A woman was moving swiftly through the mountains and forests, but she could not conceal her figure at all. Although the special item she had obtained was sealed by the stone skin, the strong energy still spread in all directions and was constantly glowing. It seemed that it would take some time for the energy to completely go out.

During this time, she summoned a giant golden bird, immediately leaped onto it, and the bird carried her into the sky, about to disappear into the distance.

However, six higher beings—a moon worm, a winged humanoid, and a winged woman standing on the back of a bluebird—blocked her path.

“Is it her?” Qin Ming was surprised. It was the woman in green he had seen at the village entrance last night. She was very young, yet so strong that she dared to snatch food from the mouths of a group of higher beings.

The woman in green was suppressed by the six masters and forced back into the mountains.

Qin Ming turned and ran, displaying his “blending in with the world” to the fullest extent, because he wasn’t far away.

“Swoosh!” The woman in green broke off a foot-long stone in mid-air and took out the mysterious object from it.

The light in her hand intensified, a kaleidoscope of colors intertwining in the void and tearing through the night.

The object was surrounded by a mist of light, containing something dazzling, which she pressed against a crystalline red mole between her eyebrows.

The dazzling ball of light actually disappeared directly into it, and she, standing on the back of the golden bird, was not suppressed and landed in the forest, skimming along the forest as she sped away into the distance.

“Chase!” All the powerful members of the major organizations and the advanced aliens gave chase.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before Qin Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief and emerged from the dense forest. He walked forward in the thick darkness and found the two broken pieces of stone.

“Huh?!” He was stunned. After experiencing the erosion, baptism, and adaptation of the sunlight in the crevice, he had a special perception. There seemed to be a slight fluctuation in the stone in his left hand.