Chapter 81 External Saint

“You two are both so unlucky!”

Soaked to the bone, Zhou Lin transformed back into Sister Fenfang, vowing never to go into the mountains with Qin Ming and Xu Sheng again for some time.

After Qin Ming returned to the city, he calmed his mind and did not find anyone suspicious. However, his instincts gradually kicked in and he sensed something was amiss.

There was indeed no one watching him near the inn, but the four-colored bird on the eaves was abnormal, and the little black bird on the roof ridge was also suspicious.

Qin Ming was alarmed; if even these birds were in trouble, his place would soon be riddled with holes.

In fact, he had always been wary of special species like sparrows and crows, because he had seen them before, and each one was more cunning than the last.

He hadn’t realized that some of the birds he’d overlooked also had a “thieving glint” in their eyes, which was quite abnormal.

Qin Ming secretly observed that, compared with ordinary birds, six of them were indeed quite unusual.

After his fourth rebirth, his instincts and awareness were enhanced, and he chose to believe this feeling. It turned out that he was being watched by a group of unruly birds.

“It’s not that Xu Sheng picked up anything from walking at night all the time, but rather that there’s a problem on my end.” Qin Ming closed the window, pondering who was targeting him.

He felt that this method was too “soft.” If someone were truly ruthless, they would have no scruples whatsoever and would definitely use overwhelming force to kill him directly.

At this stage, the Cui family certainly doesn’t want him to die suddenly, because if something really happens to him, everyone will think they are too ruthless, heartless, and cruel.

Moreover, the Cui family absolutely does not want other families to make a move against them at this time.

From this perspective, now is a relatively safe period for Qin Ming.

“If you have power, you should use it.” He now possesses a high-ranking token, and he plans to leverage the power of Crimson Cloud City to conduct his investigation.

“Young Master Qin, the city lord requests your presence.” A man in black came to the inn to see Qin Ming, and was very polite.

Qin Ming got up and went directly to the city lord’s mansion with him.

It was still that same old-fashioned living room, with some ancient bronze artifacts such as chime bells and tripods on display. Incense was burning slowly in the incense burner, and wisps of smoke rose gently.

Meng Xinghai greeted him with a smile and said, “Come, try the first tea of ​​the year from the old tea tree outside the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall that has been chopped many times but still lives tenaciously. It was just picked and roasted today.”

Qin Ming greeted him and sat down. While drinking tea, he chatted with him and felt that Old Meng was even more enthusiastic than last time.

Meng Xinghai wanted to speak several times, but he swallowed his words back. After all, what he wanted to do with Qin Ming was not simple, and he was destined to encounter a group of acquaintances from aristocratic families.

Although he had the means to conceal the true appearance of the boy before him for several days, Qin Ming’s cultivation level was somewhat low. He would take up one of Li Qingyue’s golden-armored guard positions, and it would be extremely dangerous for him to participate in the battle in that spiritual cave.

Meng Xinghai thought for a moment. There was still time, so he didn’t mention for the time being that a group of the most outstanding disciples from outside the sect would be competing for a legendary item.

“Are you settling in well in Crimson Cloud City? Have you encountered any problems?” he asked casually.

“Uncle Meng, I’m not being polite with you. I really have something to say. I’ve been being monitored and almost had an accident in the mountains.”

Meng Xinghai thought to himself, “This kid is too informal. Every time I ask him a question casually, he can naturally come up with something.”

However, Meng Xinghai was not bothered by the trouble at all; on the contrary, he was very happy. Otherwise, if he brought up the matter of the disciples of the outside world right away, it would seem that he was taking advantage of their kindness.

“Such a thing happens? How dare they do this in Chixia City? Investigate thoroughly!” Meng Xinghai ordered his trusted aides to find out the truth.

“Thank you, Uncle Meng.” Qin Ming stood up, poured him tea, and expressed his sincere gratitude.

“Why are you being so polite with me?” Meng Xinghai sipped his tea, then casually asked, “You took six or seven waves of Heavenly Light last time, and you weren’t hurt at all?”

“I was injured and it took me two days to recover.” Qin Ming wanted to talk for a few more days, but then he suddenly remembered that he had met Meng Xinghai two days later.

“You’re still holding back from me, kid. You must have been reborn those two days. That’s really amazing. You were able to withstand the erosion of the sunlight. I might really need your help in the future.”

“Uncle Meng, please give your instructions.”

Meng Xinghai waved his hand and said, “There’s no rush. Let’s see how things go. We’ll talk about it later.”

He looked at Qin Ming and sighed, “With your extraordinary talent, if you had the support of a powerful family and weren’t limited to your prime age, allowing you to embark on the path of new life earlier, you should already be able to shine brightly now.”

“An external saint?” Qin Ming asked.

“That terminology is no longer used. Whether it’s those esoteric sects or those outside the secular world, they all mock our field as ‘nephews’.” Meng Xinghai said with some emotion, “Thinking back to the pioneering days, when we were paving the way with the new method, how glorious and incredibly powerful the Outer Saint stage was! But who knew that our path would become more and more difficult, and narrower and narrower!”

Qin Ming nodded and said, “This is the path for ordinary people. What else can they do if they want to improve? They can only rely on physical mutation. Fortunately, thanks to the research of our predecessors, it is still controllable at the newborn level.”

Meng Xinghai said, “This path is difficult. After the rebirth stage, we can only move forward step by step. The body can no longer mutate.”

He looked at Qin Ming and said, “You should try to be a freshman nine times!”

After Qin Ming regained his memories, he naturally understood these things.

Even in a family with a thousand-year history, it is rare to find someone who has been reborn nine times; eight times is the maximum.

From a simple perspective, it means that it is already extremely difficult for a person to undergo eight transformations, so they have to find other ways to progress. At that time, by using certain drugs to break through, one can manifest divine light and enter the realm of the Outer Saint. After that, one can capture spiritual matter in the void and use it to embark on the journey.

In fact, being reborn seven times is the ultimate dream for many people, who want to enter that realm by consuming a great elixir and allowing their divine light to manifest.

Qin Ming said, “Uncle Meng, you flatter me too much. Nine freshmen, that’s been many years since I’ve done that, hasn’t it?”

Meng Xinghai’s eyes shone brightly as he said, “Right now it’s just the two of us talking, so you don’t need to be modest. Just based on the fact that you can withstand six or seven waves of Heavenly Light at this stage, I believe you have extraordinary talent and can be reborn nine times.”

After his old head injury was cured, Qin Ming naturally understood these things. For ordinary people, achieving nine rebirths was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Because, at the time of first birth, one’s arms must have a strength of nearly a thousand pounds; in that case, one can already be called a young extraordinary person.

The book Xu Sheng had read mentioned that reaching this level and being revered as a young extraordinary person was already legendary!

Meng Xinghai’s eyes were deep as he said, “How do you know that there isn’t a hidden dragon who has been reborn nine times in a thousand-year-old family?”

Then he sighed, “It is only because those beings who are close to the gods are too terrifying, and those who are close to immortals are unfathomably powerful, that it makes those who walk our path appear increasingly dim.”

“Are there any people who have been reborn ten times?” Qin Ming asked.

Meng Xinghai chuckled: “The number nine is already the final change.”

He then added, “Of course, there are differences among those who have been reborn nine times. There are unclear records, but some people have possessed the strength of a thousand catties when they were first reborn. Such people are even more powerful when they are reborn nine times.”

Qin Ming actually knew all this. Whether he was a young superhuman with nearly a thousand jin of strength during his first rebirth, or surpassed that legend, he would ultimately undergo nine rebirths. However, the benefits gained from the final rebirth differed; the more he surpassed the legend, the greater the rewards he would receive during his ninth rebirth.

The two got along very well, and Qin Ming was invited to stay for dinner. However, just as he finished eating and put down his chopsticks, Meng Xinghai’s confidant returned, saying that the results of his investigation had been found.

Qin Ming was surprised; the efficiency was truly remarkable.

“We used exotic birds to catch the problematic birds outside the inn, followed the clues to find the Xinyi Hall, and then found out the person behind it and arrested two deputy hall masters involved in the incident.”

“Where are the people behind the scenes?” Meng Xinghai asked.

“I brought it.”

Soon after, a pale-faced boy appeared, accompanied by an old man and a young man.

“Brother Cui, no, Brother Qin, I’m really sorry, I… I didn’t want this to happen either.” The young man apologized as soon as he came in, bowing and making obeisance.

Just as Qin Ming had predicted, it wasn’t some old guy or ruthless person.

He remembered this sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, whose name should be Zhao Jingshuo. He used to be at the very back of the group when they went on trips, and sometimes there wasn’t even a seat at the very back.

Qin Ming looked at him without saying a word.

When Zhao Jingshuo saw the face in front of him, even though he knew that the man no longer held his former noble status and was now just an ordinary person, he still felt a little intimidated when he got closer.

“Brother Qin, you should understand, how could I dare to get involved in such a mess? Among all my old acquaintances, I can only stand at the very back. I had no choice. With just a glance or a hint, I dared not refuse!”

It’s unclear whether Zhao Jingshuo was genuinely scared or just acting, but he put on a tearful voice.

“Who told you to do this?” Meng Xinghai asked.

“Lord Meng, I…” Zhao Jingshuo was truly trembling this time, because he knew that the other party was one of the young men released by a thousand-year-old family. Frequent changes of location were a kind of tempering.

“Speak!” Meng Xinghai glared at him.

“They’re all people Brother Qin knows. One is an old friend from the Zheng family, and the other is Li Qingxu’s cousin,” Zhao Jingshuo told him with a mournful face.

“They’re all so young, yet so restless, rotten to the core,” Meng Xinghai said, staring at Zhao Jingshuo, “Go back and tell the Cui family directly.”

“I…” Zhao Jingshuo was almost in tears. It was so difficult for him, but in the end he had no choice but to nod.

“Brother Qin, I only have two hundred gold coins left, and I’ve already spent them all. I’ll make it up to you next time.” Zhao Jingshuo took out a money bag and handed it over with both hands.

Qin Ming accepted it without hesitation.

Two hundred gold coins, if spent sparingly, would be enough for a family of three to live on in Black and White Mountain for two hundred years. In Crimson Cloud City, prices are higher, so the amount would likely need to be divided by three.

Zhao Jingshuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him take it. Even though more than two years had passed, he still felt a sense of awe upon seeing that face again.

“Leave that bow behind too,” Qin Ming said, pointing to the large bow the young man was carrying.

Clearly, this was a good bow, but the young man resisted it and was unwilling to accept it.

Zhao Jingshuo said anxiously, “Give it to Brother Qin quickly, I’ll make it up to you later.”

“You can leave now.” Qin Ming waved his hand. If he were to kill these three people violently, it would probably cause some problems. It would be more appropriate for them to go back and tell the Cui family about this.

The next day, someone secretly came to the inn to visit Qin Ming.

“Brother Qin, I am Dai Shifeng, the deputy leader of Xinyi Hall.” The old man introduced himself. After two deputy leaders were arrested, he was now considered the second most important person in the hall.

He quickly said, “Our leader, Ge Qianxun, wants to deal with you and has told us to find an opportunity to kill you in the mountains.”

Qin Ming looked at him and said, “None of you follow the usual path. Why did you come here to betray me?”

“Because I discovered that the head of the hall, Ge Qianxun, was quietly selling off real estate and secretly embezzling the private property of Xinyi Hall. He is most likely going to run away.”

Dai Shifeng was a steady person and had always been against taking on such a hot potato, but he found that Ge Qianxun was going his own way. After investigating, he discovered that his boss was planning to run away.

“He must have been forced into this situation, so with no other choice, he readily accepted a sum of money from the other party, intending to disappear after completing the deal and leave us with a mess.”

“He’s a sect leader, the head of a sect. How could he just abandon his legacy like that?” Qin Ming asked.

Dai Shifeng explained, “What major sects could there be in Chixia City? We’re just a small branch, so he doesn’t care at all. Besides, I suspect he’s one of the Gold Thieves and has already sensed that things are going wrong, so he’s trying to avoid the new city lord.”

“Hmm, how strong is he?” Qin Ming asked.

Dai Shifeng said, “He consumed spiritual substances more than twenty times, pushing himself to the sixth level of the Rebirth Realm. However, he failed after consuming the great elixir in the final stage and was unable to advance to the Outer Saint Realm of Radiant Heaven. In the end, he did not hesitate to deplete his potential and took forbidden drugs to push himself to the seventh level of the Rebirth Realm, where he remained for the rest of his life.”

“Where is Ge Qianxun now?” Qin Ming asked.

Dai Shifeng said, “He is very cautious. He is currently outside the city and has raised a bird of prey. He will flee if things go wrong. I suspect that after he and we get rid of you, he will immediately ride that bird of prey away.”

Qin Ming nodded and said, “Then let’s discuss it…”

Two days later, after Qin Ming had spoken with the relevant people, he left the city alone and entered the mountains. Soon after, Dai Shifeng appeared with his men and surrounded him.

At the same time, two raptors appeared in the sky. One of them, a black giant bird, had an old man standing on it, who should be Ge Qianxun, the leader of Xinyi Hall. The other, a silver exotic bird, had a young man on it, who was looking down indifferently.

“The employer himself has shown up. It’s another acquaintance. He must be someone important!” Qin Ming stared at the sky.

He sighed. As an ordinary person, all he wanted was to follow his grandfather’s wishes, grow up safely, and live a good life, but some people just wouldn’t give him a way out.

Qin Ming’s expression gradually turned cold as he said, “Since you’ve forced me to this point, I have no choice but to show you my true strength and make Lord Meng support me with unwavering resolve!”