Chapter 67 The Precious Pig

“Chonghe, why don’t you come back with me? There might still be a chance for this to turn around,” Cui Hong said.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming immediately took several steps back. The dark desert seemed to swallow him up, and even his outline could no longer be seen.

How could he possibly go to the Cui family? The two years after his memories faded meant that he had to abandon all his original thoughts and re-examine the past. Now, his perspective and his judgment are completely different from before.

It’s as if he has jumped off his original life trajectory, broken free from a turbulent and dangerous river that was carrying him forward. Now he has a brand new start, and there is no way he will ever step back.

Retreating repeatedly in the desert was Qin Ming’s instinctive reaction; he absolutely could not get stuck in the quagmire of the Cui family again, or he would be in real danger.

“Chonghe, why are you reacting like this, with that expression?” Cui Hong sighed as he saw him retreating as if facing a formidable enemy.

It’s obvious that Cui Chonghe sees the Cui family as a monstrous threat, something he doesn’t want to get involved with or associate with, and has already declared that he only lives for himself.

“Are you trying to force me?” Qin Ming asked, drawing his mutton-fat jade iron knife. “Even if I am no match for you, I will not sit idly by and wait to die.”

“Hmm?” Cui Hong was surprised because Qin Ming’s sword stance had the air of a master swordsman, which was quite remarkable.

He even had a misconception that the young man in front of him, regardless of his true strength, vaguely possessed the demeanor of a master swordsman!

“Huh?” On the rugged mountain road, Meng Xinghai, shrouded in mist, looked ahead with surprise. It was just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy. How could he have such an aura in the field of swordsmanship?

Cui Hong did not use the Heavenly Light, but simply stretched out his long arm and casually struck forward, wanting to see if Qin Ming had really achieved anything in the field of swordsmanship.

The mutton-fat jade iron knife, coated with mineral pigments, was slightly shorter than an arm including the hilt. In Qin Ming’s hand, it drew a blade of light accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, like a blinding lightning bolt suddenly tearing through the night when a dark rainy night descends.

With a tearing sound, a piece of Cui Hong’s clothes was cut off and fell onto the yellow sand, leaving him somewhat stunned.

Although he concealed the light of the heavens and casually reached out, suppressing himself for fear of hurting the young master before him, the other party should not be able to strike him under any circumstances.

What kind of person is he? That a mere teenager who has only recently entered the realm of newcomers could have a corner of his sleeve torn off is something no one would believe if word got out.

Cui Hong looked at the tall figure that had completely disappeared into the darkness ahead with a complicated expression.

In the distance, Meng Xinghai also showed a surprised expression and whispered, “The Cui family is truly remarkable. I thought I was seeing things, but I didn’t expect that, judging solely from pure swordsmanship, this young man can indeed be called a master. His attainments in the way of the sword are extremely profound!”

Li Qingyue was surprised. She knew very well that Meng Xinghai himself used a knife as a weapon, so to receive such praise from him meant that he was truly outstanding.

She thought of that night when Qin Ming single-handedly conquered Jinji Ridge and killed two bandits who had been reborn four times. Afterwards, an old patrolman analyzed the situation and said that there were at least three people who made the move, each skilled in using a knife, a gun, and an arrow.

Li Qingyue realized that the word “skilled” was not enough to express the true value of Qin Ming’s expertise in the field of swordsmanship.

“Chonghe, you’ve surprised me greatly. Come back with me and let’s give it a try,” Cui Hong said.

“Give it a try?” Qin Ming would never entrust his fate to the “goodwill” of others. The Cui family could cut off his path to a new life with a single thought, so why take the risk?

He said, “You’ve already tacitly agreed that even if I master the techniques on the silk scroll, it won’t be of any use, let alone my limited skill in swordsmanship. I won’t go with you.”

Cui Hong remained silent. He wanted to deal with Qin Ming first. Staying in this dark desert made him feel uneasy, and he didn’t want to break any taboos or get involved in any “legends”.

“Stop!” Meng Xinghai shouted, his figure flashing into the desert as he tried to stop them.

Li Qingyue appeared before me, like a fairy walking on water, stepping on the yellow sand.

Cui Hong had already noticed them and, not wanting to cause any further trouble, quickly reached forward to grab Qin Ming.

When Meng Xinghai tried to intercept him, he suddenly stopped, revealing a strange expression, and took a few steps back.

“Didn’t you say you were going to repay my kindness? I’m almost crippled, and you’re still not going to help me?” Qin Ming whispered rapidly in the dark desert.

Bang!

Cui Hong felt a sharp pain in his right hand, as if he had been kicked by a savage dragon. He lost his footing and waded through the yellow sand, retreating more than ten meters.

“Hiss!” He gasped for breath, his right hand throbbing with pain, a sensation reminiscent of when he was a child and was kicked by a donkey.

He looked down at his right hand. Thanks to his powerful senses, he could see things up close even in the desert. His right hand looked like it had been stamped, and it was so red that it was almost bleeding.

Upon closer inspection, Cui Hong discovered that it was actually a hoof print.

“That’s a really hard hand.” A groaning sound came from the darkness, then the creature spoke again: “How do you humans describe this situation? Something like a rock in a latrine, right?”

Qin Ming remained silent and offered no comment.

No matter what, Cui Hong had saved his life back then, regardless of whether it was his duty.

Cui Hong stared into the darkness and saw that Qin Ming was holding a miniature wild boar in his right hand, slightly longer than his palm. He had clearly been kicked by the boar!

Li Qingyue stared at the little wild boar through her special pupil technique, feeling a great sense of danger, as if a huge creature was lurking in the night fog.

“The master of Black and White Mountain?” Meng Xinghai asked.

Cui Hong’s expression changed drastically. It was actually that mountain lord. He had come with a request, and now it had transformed into a pet pig and appeared here.

The wild boar spoke up: “Alas, what a loser! I am already the former mountain lord. You must have met the new mountain lord. He is unfathomable, isn’t he? He has already replaced me, but he has done so quietly and without making a fuss.”

Qin Ming had some confidence in standing here and talking to Cui Hong.

Last night, although the wild boar was snoring loudly, it did say something to him: “Since we’ve met by chance, let’s repay the kindness on the way and settle a karmic debt in the mountains.”

Qin Ming still doesn’t know what debt it owes, but since it can change size and speak human language, it must be very strong.

Without this wild boar, he would have no choice but to take drastic measures, resorting to extreme methods to “offend” this terrifying desert.

“Lord of the Mountain, are you going to interfere in the affairs of my Cui family?” Cui Hong asked.

The old wild boar said, “How dare I? Our family has been established for a thousand years, renowned throughout the vast and boundless dark world, and awe-inspiring to all creatures. How could I be so presumptuous? I only promised to help him get through this part of the journey.”

Cui Hong’s expression was uncertain; he knew he was no match for it. Moreover, these old mountain lords who had lost their territory were the most difficult to deal with. If he didn’t give them face and angered them, they were capable of anything. Since they no longer had any territory, they would simply disappear into the dark depths of the earth afterward, making them very difficult to hunt down.

He nodded and said, “Alright, since the mountain lord has spoken, let’s talk about it after we get through this part of the road.”

Meng Xinghai said, “What is your name, brother from the Cui family? You’re willing to cripple such a swordsmanship prodigy? Since you don’t want him, name your terms and let me take him away.”

Soon, Cui Hong learned the other party’s identity. No wonder the other party had the confidence to speak like that, because they also came from a thousand-year-old family.

Furthermore, Cui Hong recognized the girl opposite him as Li Qingyue.

He had a deep impression of the fact that back then, the scions of some of the top clans were all waiting in the same giant city for the outsider to come and select disciples. In the end, Li Qingyue was taken away by a very famous person.

Meng Xinghai showed a strange expression. At this moment, he already knew who Qin Ming was. He had also heard about the incident two years ago, and he actually met this Cui Chonghe.

“I’ve overheard snippets of conversation. If your Cui family were to keep him here in this remote place until he dies, it would likely earn you a reputation for being cruel and ungrateful, which wouldn’t be good,” Meng Xinghai said.

At the same time, he pointed at Li Qingyue and said, “Your Cui family can’t just kill both of us, can you? After all, we saw it all.”

Cui Hong’s expression changed. What was he thinking, that a thousand-year-old family was going to have a bloody conflict, or even go to war? That would cause a huge problem.

In Qin Ming’s fragmented memories, scattered and broken threads appeared, and now they were connecting. He quickly spoke: “From now on, even if I die, I will never mention that I am a member of the Cui family again, and I will never enter your circle again. From now on, I am just Qin Ming.”

Two years ago, he couldn’t understand or see through certain things, but now he’s different. Even if he only catches a few clues, he can sense something.

Now, what Qin Ming wants to do most is to undergo a fourth rebirth as soon as possible, see through all the fog, know about his past experiences, and no longer need to ask others.

Cui Hong spoke up: “When has the Cui family ever been mean and ungrateful? I have a feeling that in a few years, the young master will be invited back.”

Qin Ming didn’t want to say anything after hearing those words.

Meng Xinghai said, “Since that’s the case, you should ask your Cui family for permission before releasing the birds. It’s not good if people find out that you’re doing this; it will damage the reputation of our thousand-year-old family.”

Then, he looked at Qin Ming and said, “I have heard that more than two hundred years ago, a remarkable swordsmanship prodigy emerged in this area. Unfortunately, because he did not receive a suitable method of rebirth in his early years, he wasted half his life. Even though he had master-level swordsmanship skills, that senior could not remain in the world for long. I observe that your temperament in the swordsmanship seems to contain the Heaven-Slaying Sword Intent of that senior.”

Qin Ming bowed to him to thank him for speaking up for him, and then told him, “That is my master.”

The scene fell silent instantly.

Meng Xinghai felt that this young man was talking nonsense and was a bit unreliable!

According to what he knew, although that master of swordsmanship had gone into seclusion after his blood and energy were depleted and disappeared, he was not expected to live for many more years.

Li Qingyue also showed a strange expression, looking at this former friend. How come he has changed so much in the two years since she last saw him?

“Chonghe, don’t talk nonsense,” Cui Hong said.

“Although my master lost an arm back then, after creating the Heaven-Slaying Blade Intent, he killed all his opponents and had no more obsessions in his heart. In his later years, he went to the mountains and accidentally discovered a rare spiritual substance, which extended his lifespan and allowed him to walk the path of rebirth. He has indeed lived to this day, but now he has indeed reached old age again.”

Qin Ming spoke calmly, recounting some of the real scenes he had seen in the sword manual, reproducing many of the one-armed old man’s words, and even describing his appearance.

The old wild boar was the first to be stunned, exclaiming, “It really is that person?!”

Meng Xinghai was also somewhat lost in thought. He thought of some predecessors. If there was no way forward, or if one could not see any hope in old age, some people would choose to go into the deep mountains and marshes to seek opportunities. Could this master of swordsmanship have some extraordinary destiny?

Cui Hong was also taken aback. If it were true, a sword master who was over two hundred years old would be no ordinary person!

Qin Ming didn’t care whether they believed him or not. He was in such a bad situation that he might as well brag about it; he wouldn’t lose anything anyway.

“How about we leave this matter as it is for today?” the old wild boar said, leaping from Qin Ming’s hand to the ground and calling for him to join them on their journey.

Cui Hong watched quietly, preparing to take the young master away after they had walked this distance.

However, the next moment he lost his composure and smelled a familiar fishy smell.

Meng Xinghai and Li Qingyue frowned instantly, held their breath, and then backed away.

In the depths of darkness, Qin Ming witnessed firsthand that after the Ming Pig in his palm reached the ground, it urinated a huge amount, turning a patch of yellow sand into a large puddle.

Rumble!

The entire desert erupted once more, with black mist churning violently.

“Let’s go, what are you still standing there for? I’ll see you out.” The old wild boar turned around, gestured to Qin Ming with his chin, and signaled him to follow.