Chapter 77 Blowing Away All the Fog

Qin Ming gazed at the night sky, lost in thought.

The majority of his memories have returned, but some details are still somewhat blurry.

“If my guess is correct, then even if it’s not me, Qin Ming, there will be Zhang Ming, Zhao Ming, and so on. The Cui family needs an ‘identity’ to stand there.”

Qin Ming stood by the window, feeling a tightness in his chest.

“The rise of the Li family and their sudden clash with the ancient families is definitely unrelated to me. The Cui family could not have foreseen this ten years ago.”

Qin Ming pondered that his identity in the Cui family should have come to an end, and it was supposed to be over by now. At this final stage, the Li family attacked, so he was taken along with them.

Clearly, in a massive and terrifying collision like that between Cui and Li, he wouldn’t normally have been involved; he just happened to be there and was given a chance to “contribute his remaining energy.”

Like those old men, he was destined to be worn down.

But the elders of the Cui family all voluntarily embarked on that path, knowing that it would inevitably lead to their deaths. They were already old and dying anyway, and were willing to contribute to the Cui family in their final moments.

Qin Ming felt a mix of emotions, a complex mix of feelings churning within him.

“Every spring when the flowers bloom, they receive a special letter…” This is where Qin Ming first noticed something was wrong.

Every year is the same. Reading the letters is the happiest time for Mr. and Mrs. Cui. Even Mr. Cui, who is so strict and even old-fashioned, will show an undisguised smile.

“One of those years, I vaguely heard something, but it was so long ago that I don’t think I paid attention to the details back then,” Qin Ming frowned.

However, he is undergoing his fourth rebirth, which is not over yet, and there is still hope that he can remember the details.

“The fourth rebirth is related to the five senses, subconsciousness, and instinctual intuition.” Qin Ming felt that he could completely tear off the curtain of the past.

He had noticed that the amount of spiritual matter consumed this time was far too much.

“If I hadn’t entered the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall and been subjected to six or seven waves of heavenly light, which allowed me to obtain a large amount of extremely special and rare spiritual substances, my rebirth this time would probably have been somewhat turbulent.”

Qin Ming realized that the head injury was more serious than he had imagined; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been on the verge of death and suffered complete amnesia. Fortunately, this rebirth would completely resolve all the problems.

“Slaying old ailments and adding new ones, I’ve consumed double the amount of spiritual matter.” He had a premonition that this rebirth would be more intense than ever before.

“Perhaps when I wake up tomorrow, all those blurry things in my mind will become completely clear.” Qin Ming suddenly realized that he hadn’t even eaten and had locked himself in his room all day.

He got up and went outside, where he ate something simple.

That night, after Qin Ming fell asleep, golden needles were used to weave threads all over his body, as if mending and patching. At the same time, silver mud covered him from head to toe, like applying a final, powerful medicine.

The area of ​​his fractured skull was no longer being targeted, indicating that the potential threat had been completely eliminated.

Qin Ming has entered the final stage of his fourth rebirth.

He woke up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat, and muttered unconsciously, “I am Qin Ming. I have a grandfather. I am not a member of the Cui family.”

He calmed down, and the scene seemed familiar, almost déjà vu.

Qin Ming sat up and then remembered that he had been awakened in the same way in a family’s house in Yinteng Town. That time, he ran out like a madman, rushed into the icy snow, and shouted.

“I was severely injured in the head by Li Qingxu and was unconscious for a long time. Cui Hong and the woman with a red mole in her right eyebrow arranged for me to stay in Yinteng Town. I survived that winter, but I almost went insane…”

Qin Ming pondered. Two years ago, he had a series of nightmares in a daze, in which he saw his younger self and his grandfather. That’s how he learned that his real name was Qin Ming. Did the rebirth method on the silk scroll work at that time?

After lying down, he quickly fell asleep again and relived the dreams he had had two years ago.

“It’s not a dream, it’s an experience from my childhood.” Qin Ming’s subconscious was still active.

In these dreams, he became certain that the old man was his grandfather, and that his own name was Qin Ming.

“Child, the methods in the silk scroll are truly ineffective. I’ve practiced them my whole life and still haven’t succeeded.” The old man sighed, but still opened the silk scroll for him and explained it to him page by page.

His real relatives knew there was something wrong with this practice. Although they were explaining it to him, they were also seriously warning him that continuing to practice it would harm him.

The old man said, “I have practiced and pondered this my whole life. I suspect that to master it, I might have to die once, but I can’t really die completely. There is no way to grasp this balance.”

Qin Ming’s grandfather whispered, “What is rebirth? Perhaps being born from death is the first step.”

More than a decade ago, Qin Ming was too young to understand how difficult and dangerous it was.

Then the old man shook his head and said, “This is just my old man’s wild thoughts. After all, those predecessors who obtained the silk scroll were much more powerful than me, and they still couldn’t get through it. Even the original source of the silk scroll, the original people and their disciples, all died, leaving the silk scroll completely covered in dust and unable to be practiced anymore.”

“Grandpa, once I’ve mastered the skill, you won’t have to suffer anymore. I’ll take good care of you,” young Qin Ming said innocently.

“Okay, then you have to grow up quickly. It’s rare for someone to live to seventy. Grandpa is already over fifty. Given our circumstances, I can only live for another ten years at most.” The old man stroked his head, with affection and worry, and said, “Grandpa is most worried about you. What will you do if I’m gone? You’re still so young and can’t support yourself.”

The old man said sadly, “Grandpa’s whole life has been wasted on the silk manuscript. He devoted all his energy to it and lived a very unsuccessful life. Now that I’m here, even though you’re dressed in rags, at least you can still eat your fill. If I feel I’m not doing well, I’ll find you a good family to marry into.”

“Grandpa… do you only have ten more years? I don’t want this. You can live to be a hundred. I’ll grow up soon.” Qin Ming held the old man’s rough hand and asked one last time, “Where are my parents? Let them come and take care of Grandpa.”

The old man was very disappointed upon hearing this, and said, “They were also delayed by the silk scroll. They have already traveled far away to practice the methods on it. If you calculate the time, they may no longer be around. They should have passed away even before Grandpa. I don’t want to hide it from you because Grandpa doesn’t have much time left. You have to mature early and be strong so that you can survive when Grandpa is no longer here.”

“Grandpa, when I grow up I’ll take care of you. What do you like? What are your wishes? Tell me quickly!” Young Qin Ming urged, his eyes reddening.

“Grandpa used to want to master the magic on the silk scroll, but now he only hopes that you will grow up safely. Nothing else matters.”

…

Early in the morning, Qin Ming woke up and whispered, “Grandpa, where are you now?”

More than a decade has passed, and he sat there motionless for a long time before finally speaking: “Is my last remaining relative also gone?”

“Grandpa, you guessed right. A person has to die once to master the magic in the silk scroll. I can fulfill all your wishes. I really want to see you again,” Qin Ming said softly.

He got up and rinsed his body with cold water; his fourth rebirth was now complete. Not only was he clear-headed, but recalling the details of the past, he also felt that his physical abilities had improved once again.

“I probably have a strength of nearly 5,000 jin now. The severe head injury has had a great impact on me. The reason why I consumed so much spiritual matter this time was not only to repair old injuries, but also to make up for the regret that my body’s several regenerations were not fully completed due to injuries.”

Qin Ming pondered that, based on the current situation, if his head had not been injured, he should have been able to lift a cauldron weighing over 1,200 jin (approximately 600 kg) during his first rebirth.

With the hidden danger resolved, he felt light and relaxed from head to toe, and he became stronger.

However, when he thought of his grandfather and the Cui family, he found it difficult to smile.

“After I entered the Cui family, the direct descendants personally taught me how to write the name Cui Chonghe, and made me remember it firmly. For a long time, I did not come into contact with outsiders.”

Qin Ming recalled the details of that time. He had overheard people whispering in the mansion, “They do look somewhat alike.”

In fact, the Cui family never told anyone that he had gone missing, and Qin Ming had some doubts about this when he was young.

It now appears that he was a “seamless successor”; someone had just left when he arrived and took their place.

No wonder the mature-beyond-his-years elder brother, Cui Chongxiao, showed a strange expression when he first met him and scrutinized him closely. Now it seems that everything was foreshadowed.

Then, Qin Ming also recalled the “details” of when his parents received a special letter.

Now, after his four rebirths, the fog has cleared, and he can see clearly. Recalling that unusual time, Mr. and Mrs. Cui were overjoyed and excited, whispering in a letter, “Chonghe is precocious and intelligent, a gift from heaven…”

Thinking about it carefully, it’s a bit chilling, because there really is a Cui Chonghe!

Even the most stunning talents like Li Qingxu, Li Qingyue, and the eldest daughter of the Wang family were only taken away and accepted as disciples by people from outside the secular world after they were teenagers.

The real Cui Chonghe was sent away when he was only three or four years old!

“Just how terrifying is his talent? Perhaps Master Cui was drunk and said some things that were true, but they shouldn’t be applied to me. They should be applied to the real Cui Chonghe, who is destined to be close to immortality in the future.”

Qin Ming believed that the renowned senior figure mentioned by Cui’s father must exist, and that Cui Chonghe had already become his disciple.

“Cui’s father and mother were extremely cautious. Their eldest brother, Cui Chongxiao, only returned home once every few years. They forbade the clansmen from discussing which lineage their eldest brother had joined, fearing that something might happen.”

Cui Chonghe’s talent was even more astonishing, so naturally they would protect him even better, and not a word of it would leak out.

Actually, these things are understandable.

Because all the major families are sending their descendants to secluded places, like the Cui family, which sends young direct descendants to become disciples of those living outside the world every year.

Some of the older men in the Cui family were originally reclusive people who lived there year-round. It’s likely that many powerful figures from other prominent families also resided in these secluded places.

It can be said that the area is not a pure land. The various factions within those traditions are deeply intertwined, with each faction having its own influence over the other.

Mr. and Mrs. Cui were afraid that if someone knew Cui Chonghe’s identity, he would be “targeted” and they worried that something might happen to him over there.

So, they raised another Cui Chonghe here.

“After careful selection, I might even resemble him somewhat.”

Qin Ming believed that given how cautious Cui’s father and mother were, it would be abnormal if they didn’t do something to protect the real Cui Chonghe.

“Two years ago, Cui Chonghe was perhaps exposed, or perhaps he was too confident to face the world. He was about to step into the limelight and truly appear before everyone, so it was time for me to step down.”

Qin Ming recalled the past, his eyes becoming incredibly deep.

“I’m just going to contribute my remaining energy in the clash between the Cui and Li families.” He thought of Cui Hao’s grandfather.

“If it weren’t for my seventh uncle’s grandfather being in that village, I might have been taken away by those other old guys before the young man in feathered robes, Li Qingxu, even appeared.”

Qin Ming clearly remembered that his seventh uncle’s grandfather had twice scolded those old men, telling them to stay away and not to come near.

Without Uncle Seven Cui Hao, Cui Hong and that woman probably wouldn’t have appeared and rescued him.

“Although there are still some things I have doubts about, that should be the general idea. It’s all because I’ve completed my ‘task’ and it’s time for me to leave. The near-immortal Cui Chonghe is about to step into the spotlight.”

Thanks to: 133fev, Sleeping Under the Stars, Boeing Bro Says, Love Drinking Organic Milk Powder, and Yunlu Laomo, many thanks to the guild leaders for their support!