Chapter 61 A Fake Life Pieced Together

Qin Ming rubbed his temples. Every time he tried to recall those fragmented memories, he would feel a slight headache and mental exhaustion.

It’s easy to imagine how severe his injuries were back then. He’s been reborn time and time again, constantly improving his physique, but he hasn’t fully recovered yet.

However, he was certain it would be soon; with each subsequent birth from the womb, he would eventually resolve the last remaining minor issues in his body.

“The picture is so disjointed. My life feels like it’s pieced together, almost unreal,” Qin Ming frowned.

In his early childhood, he lived a life of poverty, his clothes were tattered and patched, but by the time he was thirteen or fourteen, everything had changed.

In those fragmented images, he once galloped wildly outside the giant city on a beast. His mount was tall and mighty, and its scales shimmered with a hazy glow, clearly an extraordinary creature.

In addition, he once lived in a huge mansion, where all the objects were exquisite and luxurious.

Important figures there wore fine clothes and adorned themselves with beautiful jade, and their daily lives and travels were all meticulously arranged. Even the women’s hair ornaments were extraordinary, some using rare feathers that flowed with shimmering golden light as hairpins, and others inserting a bunch of peach blossoms that were swirling with crimson light and looked delicate and beautiful into their hair.

In this magnificent mansion, his name was Cui Chonghe, and he should be considered a direct descendant. He had personally witnessed a boy named Cui Chongxuan, who was about a year younger than him, consume the Three-Colored Flower and successfully integrate the four Heavenly Light Forces, which caused astonishment.

“It’s puzzling,” Qin Ming muttered to himself.

He was a direct descendant there, and he could sense that his situation wasn’t bad. He lived a life of luxury, and even when he traveled, he had rare and exotic creatures to ride with him. So why didn’t he embark on the path of cultivation?

After Cui Chongxuan fused the four single Heavenly Light Forces, he caused an uproar and was highly praised by the elders of the Cui family, who thought he was remarkable. For this reason, they even helped him find the priceless “Six Imperial Heart Sutra”.

“Combining the four types of Heavenly Light Force doesn’t seem like much,” Qin Ming pondered. In this remote place, he had easily surpassed them on his own.

There were some things he couldn’t understand, and the fragmented scenes he had witnessed were still too few.

“The year I turned fourteen should have been a watershed moment.” Qin Ming thought of some other fragmented images.

At that time, he lived a life of poverty again. His clothes were no longer fancy, but ordinary, even worn out. He became a village boy.

Until one late night, the boy in feathered robes appeared with his men. A raging fire engulfed the entire village, killing almost everyone there, and he was also severely injured.

Qin Ming used tea to write several numbers on the table: three, thirteen, fourteen, sixteen, corresponding to his different age groups, each with a completely different life, like a pieced-together fake life.

Meanwhile, as he searched through his fragmented past, he learned the name of the woman in the feathered robe he had seen the previous night—Li Qingyue.

When he was thirteen or fourteen, he often went out with some peers, all riding rare and exotic beasts. Li Qingyue was often in those scenes, and she was one of his good friends.

“We met in a remote place, but she didn’t recognize me. Is it because I’m now down on my luck and have left the Cui family? Or is it because of the changes that happened two years ago, and there are deeper reasons that I can’t yet understand?”

Qin Ming sorted out the timeline, but the more he tried to recall and dig deeper, the more he felt that some fragments of his life were very unreal, like rootless duckweed, as if they did not belong to him.

He shook his head, no longer thinking about it. What difference would it make if he knew more? He had long since left that giant city and was now stranded here. He couldn’t change anything at the moment.

The most important thing now is to accumulate strength, and as his level of life increases, he will naturally be able to recall those things.

Qin Ming calmed himself down and looked at the yellowed books in front of him again.

“Although the name ‘Yellow Mud Palm’ sounds unpleasant, according to ancient records, it is a very orthodox and unique martial art…”

Qin Ming was surprised. The notes behind him showed that everyone who had practiced this palm technique highly praised it, considering it extremely powerful. However, due to their limited aptitude, many people could not reach the advanced stages.

Some of the comments, judging from their tone, sounded like those of very old masters, actually saying that Huangni Palm is no less powerful than the ultimate techniques in advanced Qigong.

This completely piqued Qin Ming’s interest, and he began to calm down and prepare to study the book in detail.

Gradually, a thick fog appeared before his eyes, followed by an old man demonstrating various free-style fighting techniques on the ground, from the transformation of life level to the development of the Heavenly Light Force, and then to the miraculous transformation of the Yellow Mud Palm…

Upon reaching the end, Qin Ming was amazed, his thoughts soaring as he left that wondrous realm.

He was so engrossed in reading this ancient book that he couldn’t help but clap his hands in admiration.

“If one could reach that level, one’s skill would be close to the Dao!”

The name “Yellow Mud Palm” comes from the creator’s excessive humility. This palm technique, once mastered to a minor level, can penetrate bones, pierce internal organs, and shatter the body’s interior through the skin and flesh.

“This is the wonderful application of soft force.” Qin Ming was certain that this Heavenly Light Force was definitely not a single force technique, but must have integrated multiple secret forces, otherwise it wouldn’t be so strong.

“Upon further progress, the gentle force of the heavenly light will emanate from the fingertips, easily piercing armor, tearing apart skin, fur, scales, and horns, and crushing the withered and decaying.”

Then, Qin Ming flipped directly to the last page, and those scenes appeared one by one.

“The highest level of the Yellow Mud Palm is to develop a special power, where the Heavenly Light Force condenses wisps of earth energy, greatly increasing its power.”

In the scene Qin Ming saw, the old man stood on the ground, his feet able to absorb the earth’s energy and merge with the heavenly light. Finally, the earth’s essence between his hands became more and more concentrated, gradually solidifying, like a piece of yellow mud adhering to his hands.

He waved his right hand, and a colossal creature, the size of a small mountain, a terrifying behemoth, was struck by his palm with a light touch and shattered into pieces, like a mountain of flesh being cut and torn apart, staining the earth red.

“Incredible!”

This has transcended the realm of conventional fighting techniques and is quite unusual. The saying “skill approaches the Tao” is precisely triggered by this sublime method of breaking free from constraints.

“It’s very difficult to reach the highest level.” Qin Ming sighed. He was very confident in his comprehension, and with the emotional resonance, he could gain the old man’s experience and insights, so this aspect was not a problem at all.

Ultimately, it comes down to the accumulation of the total amount of celestial light. Only when it is sufficiently abundant can the gentle force of celestial light bring out the essence of the earth.

Qin Ming stood in the courtyard practicing, starting with the mysterious soft force, because it was the essence of the book and supported everything.

Except for meals, he spent all his time pondering and practicing deeply, from the gentle strength of the heavenly light to the yellow mud palm.

Qin Ming was eager to master it as soon as possible because the Yellow Mud Palm had a proven track record of killing people from other worldly realms.

After most of the day had passed, he was quite tired and finally stopped.

While resting, Qin Ming pondered silently. Among the various secret techniques he had obtained, only the last move of that sword manual could rival the Yellow Mud Palm. That sword technique seemed to cut through the sky and tear apart the night.

Similarly, the requirements for fully unleashing the power of the strongest sword intent are also extremely high.

“I’m leaving soon, and I need to fulfill my promise to others.” Qin Ming values ​​his promises; once he’s made one, he has to keep it.

Not long after, he took a net into the mountains.

The coldest days of winter are actually over. In just over a month, the ice and snow will begin to melt, and the season of spring warmth and blooming flowers is not far away.

Some birds are already becoming more active, and they will probably start building nests soon.

Qin Ming was already very familiar with the mountains and knew the habits of certain creatures. With his current skills, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to sneak around and capture some small creatures.

Half an hour later, he spotted his target and quickly threw the net at a clump of thorns.

“Help! Birds are being killed!” A small creature cried out in the large net, panicked and struggling to escape but unable to.

Qin Ming was overjoyed and rushed over. Inside was a small, pale blue bird.

It was slightly shorter than a palm, with large, jewel-like eyes that shone brightly. It spoke in human language: “Two-legged beast sir, spare my life, let the little sparrow go, I’ll take you to catch a bear, it has lots of meat.”

Before leaving, Qin Ming finally caught a magpie, fulfilling his promise to Xiao Wenrui.

Right now, he couldn’t possibly let go of that pale blue bird.

As Qin Ming approached the village entrance, he suddenly heard an angry voice from behind: “Who kidnapped my wife? You stop right there, do you want to die?!”

Qin Ming glanced back and recognized it. It was much larger than the other babbling sparrows, more intelligent, and had a sly look on its face. It was very cheeky and had once angered Cao Long quite a bit.

“Two-legged beast, release that magpie, or I’ll summon a giant bear from the mountain, storm your village, and tear you to pieces. You don’t know who I am, do you? I’m a renowned magpie from the mountains; I can even summon the mountain king to wipe out your entire village!”

The mutated magpie with its sharp tongue had red eyes and chased after them, constantly intimidating and threatening them.

However, when it saw that it was Qin Ming, it was immediately stunned and quickly changed its attitude, saying, “Brother, this is a misunderstanding… we’re family.”

Qin Ming looked at the talkative sparrow in the night sky with surprise. It was arrogant at first but humble later, and it was also a bit talkative.

“Master Wu instructed me to deliver messages and scout the way for you in the mountains before he left, but I’ve been a bit busy lately. I just got married and haven’t had time for these things.”

“What nonsense!” Qin Ming didn’t understand.

“Master Wu is that crow, following a woman whose entire body is covered in a black cloak. Let me tell you, that woman’s name is Tang Jin. She has a fantastic figure and her looks are absolutely stunning. I can draw her for you…”

Qin Ming suspected that this was a human who went into the mountains and transformed into an anomaly.

“Brother, please have mercy and let my wife go.”

…

Soon after, at Lu Ze’s home, the two children jumped and skipped happily.

“Uncle, you’re amazing! You actually caught Yuque! I’m so happy. The little squirrel just needed a companion.”

“That’s my wife! Squirrels should be paired with weasels!” the mutated chatterbird on the eaves chirped, correcting the statement.

The mutated red squirrel immediately set its sights on it, its eyes filled with hostility.

The Lu couple felt that these little animals had become sentient!

Qin Ming said, “Let’s keep it for a few months and then release it. I’ve already talked to it. It will help warn when Brother Lu goes into the mountains. Don’t worry, it won’t have any bad intentions. Otherwise, I’ll go find that Master Wu.”

The next day, Yang Yongqing sighed and led his black goat to find Qin Ming, preparing to set off together for Jinji Ridge.

Qin Ming was speechless. He really didn’t want to make another trip. It was a hundred miles round trip. Why hadn’t things come to a head yet?

“Uncle, there’s no rush. We just need to get there before dark. Why are you so eager to join the thieves?”

“Alright then.”

Even after lunch, Qin Ming was still unwilling to set off. In the end, Yang Yongqing couldn’t wait any longer. He was worried that if they were late, the bandits would cause trouble. Unable to persuade Qin Ming, he had no choice but to set off first.

However, in less than half an hour, he returned triumphantly, riding like a swift sheep.

As soon as he reached the village entrance, he shouted with a smile, “Big news! Heaven has opened its eyes and led all the bandits of Jinji Ridge to heaven! Hahaha…”

“What?!” Everyone was alarmed and ran out.

When Yang Yongqing heard the news on the way, he was completely stunned.

He was cursing yesterday, saying he wouldn’t stop reporting on it unless all the bandits there were wiped out. But today, before he even reached Jinji Ridge, it truly became a deathly silent ridge!

Qin Ming drank a cup of coarse tea, looked out the window, and realized that the matter here had come to an end, and it was time for him to travel far away.

…

In a renowned and magnificent city, there are rows of grand buildings. In the huge hall, carved beams and painted rafters, a dignified middle-aged man sits there and says, “Recently, many Yin-Yang Elixirs have flowed out of Black and White Mountain, attracting the covetous eyes of many powerful families and hermits. Cui Hong, you are quite familiar with that place. You went there to observe two years ago. Go and see if you can find a Yin-Yang Elixir.”

A man with long arms was standing in the hall. He nodded in agreement after hearing this.

“Back then, you left that child near Black and White Mountain, didn’t you?”

“Yes, if they survive, they will probably settle down there,” the man with long arms replied.

“Take a look while you’re at it,” the dignified middle-aged man instructed.

“What do you have to say?” the man with long arms asked cautiously. He knew that the imposing man sitting there couldn’t possibly just let him pass by and take a look.