Chapter 88 The Future Position of Newcomers

“You can’t go!” Meng Xinghai objected immediately. In his eyes, Qin Ming was still in the early stages of development and needed to grow. He would regret it if something happened to him.

“Uncle Meng, I really have to go back to Black and White Mountain. I have a feeling that after Golden Rooster Ridge was destroyed, the Golden Bandits might have set up a record on it. If something happens in that area, I won’t be able to live with myself,” Qin Ming said solemnly.

His solo night raid on Jinji Ridge to wipe out all the bandits was originally well-intentioned, but if it brought disaster to the local mountain people, he would feel extremely guilty.

Meng Xinghai stroked the bronze cauldron in the living room and said, “I will consider arranging manpower there. At your age, if you are a direct descendant of a major family, you would still be in the stage of being protected when you go out to train.”

The two disagreed.

Qin Ming had already experienced many bloody battles along the way, and recently he even took down one of the gold thieves. He didn’t want to stay out of it.

“There are even stronger individuals among the Gold Thieves. Although their activities have been discovered, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’ve finally found a promising talent like you, and I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Meng Xinghai said earnestly.

He added new calming incense to the bronze incense burner and said, “To be honest, although I am still using a knife and still improving the light of heaven, I am no longer a person on this path. I see some qualities in you and am reminded of myself back then, so I want to see if you, with your talent that surpasses that of a young extraordinary person, can go further on the path of rebirth.”

Qin Ming was astonished; Old Meng was even stronger than he had imagined, having taken more than one path.

He asked, “Will this path really be that difficult later on?”

Meng Xinghai nodded and said, “Yes, I originally wanted to take this path, but now using the knife to enhance the light of heaven is just a kind of inertia brought about by obsession, and at the same time it is also concealing my true power. Not only me, but also Cui Laoqi is like this. He went to the land beyond the mortal world not to enhance the light of heaven and purify his own’spiritual field’, but to completely reveal his hand and strengthen his cultivation on another path.”

Qin Ming frowned. Even Meng Xinghai and Cui Hao had long since given up and were no longer on this path. Their future was uncertain and seemed quite bleak.

Meng Xinghai sighed, “In our generation, those who were very prominent on this path in their early years have either faded into obscurity or used the path of new life as a cover in their early years, when in fact they were mainly cultivating another path. Looking closely, there is not a single person who can stand on the pedestal now.”

Qin Ming asked, “If you persist on this path, putting aside the esoteric sects, how big will the gap be in the end compared to your peers in the secluded lands?”

“Disciples of the Outer Realms, in their initial stages, will always have some golden-armored guards by their side. Later, when they can’t keep up with their pace, they will soon be replaced by jade-armored guards. They are all people selected from our path. Do you understand this positioning?” Meng Xinghai calmly explained.

Qin Ming nodded and pondered for a long time.

After embarking on the path of rebirth, he made remarkable progress, especially in quickly grasping the true meaning of various secret manuals, which he originally thought was already quite extraordinary.

Now, looking ahead, he realizes that there are few fellow travelers. He faces immense pressure from other brilliant systems, leaving no room for complacency or self-satisfaction.

“I have gone through all this hardship in my spiritual practice, not to join a secret sect or go to some otherworldly place to become someone else’s follower!” Qin Ming thought to himself.

He then asked, “Uncle Meng, has that extremely rare spiritual substance you prepared for me arrived yet? If I take it, I’ll definitely be fine going to Black and White Mountain again.”

Meng Xinghai sat down, took a sip of tea, and said, “Don’t worry, it will be delivered together with that extraordinary skill book.”

Qin Ming smiled and said, “How about you give me the spiritual substance that can regenerate my body six times? As for the fifth rebirth, I’ll take care of that myself.”

“Calm down. I’ll give you some calming incense. No matter which path you take, don’t be impatient. You must keep your mind at peace. Even if Mount Ling collapses before your eyes, you must remain calm.”

The next day, Meng Xinghai became agitated and could no longer remain calm, because a gold theft had broken out in the neighboring Maple Leaf City.

The Gold Thieves were a large organization, not limited to one city or region, but with a presence in several nearby cities.

This time, Meng Xinghai contacted many people, including the city lord of Maple Leaf City, to work together to completely eradicate the Gold Thieves.

However, word got out in Maple Leaf City, forcing them to act prematurely. They did manage to kill some notorious gold thieves, but were met with fierce retaliation.

“They didn’t have the guts or the strength to massacre the city. They set fire to two towns and unleashed wild animals to kill many people.”

Qin Ming arrived at the city lord’s mansion and listened in, learning part of the situation.

The people Meng Xinghai has dispatched, as well as the experts he has invited, have not yet all arrived.

Qin Ming learned that the former city lord Ling Xu would also come to help, and the tabby cat carrying the Crimson Cloud Sword had also been invited again, but it would take some time.

“Some of the gold thieves have fled by roadside and may pass through our area. I wonder if this will cause a terrible impact. Maple Leaf City is really unreliable; gold thieves have even infiltrated our middle-level members!”

Qin Ming strongly requested to go to Black and White Mountain.

Meng Xinghai agreed this time. He had already received information that the higher-ups of the Gold Thieves would not take the route through Black and White Mountain, but had appeared elsewhere.

Time was of the essence, and there was no room for hesitation. Meng Xinghai quickly instructed the major families in the city from the city lord’s mansion that they must send out experts to various places to take charge.

“Be careful!” Meng Xinghai warned, and arranged for Qin Ming to bring over a raptor capable of carrying people.

This is a crimson eagle, entirely blood red, with a wingspan of six meters. It has mutated twice and can carry people on long journeys, but it cannot yet be considered a true flying mount.

Under normal circumstances, experts will not easily ride on them, because they only recognize exotic birds of similar strength as true flying mounts. Otherwise, if they are ambushed in the air, they may suffer a very tragic fate.

Qin Ming was well-prepared. He followed the example of Ge Qianxun of Xinyi Hall, wearing a black outfit with bat wings and making sure the red eagle flew at a low altitude.

The straight-line distance between Crimson Cloud City and Black and White Mountain is actually less than 300 miles. The reason why it takes several days to travel by land is because you have to take detours to avoid the territories of many powerful creatures.

The night was shrouded in mist, and the shadows of the mountains loomed over the land. Fire springs in various places resembled fireflies twinkling in the sky. Qin Ming stood on the back of the red eagle, looking down at the scene below.

In some areas, one must fly through the night fog high in the sky; otherwise, some advanced beings in the deep mountains will consider it an offense.

Even when riding on a raptor capable of carrying people, one must avoid certain dangerous areas, such as the pitch-black desert and the central area of ​​the Black and White Mountains.

Not long after, Qin Ming arrived. This is why many experts yearn for a flying mount that matches their own strength.

The world of night fog is too vast and boundless, and many dangerous areas need to be detoured. Without exotic birds that can cross the night sky, travel is really inconvenient.

Qin Ming had the red eagle land on a higher slope outside Shuangshu Village. He did not enter the village, but simply watched quietly in the dark night.

Now, his life could no longer be as peaceful as it used to be. He feared that if he got too deeply involved here, his rivals would set their sights on this place in the future.

“Brother Lu, Wenrui, Old Man Liu…” Qin Ming sighed softly in the breeze, gazing into the distance.

In the end, he only disturbed the mutated and cunning magpie, luring it over.

“My mountain god, Lord Qin, why have you suddenly returned?” This magpie was much larger than its kind, and it had once angered Cao Long so much that he wanted to roast it alive.

“Stop talking nonsense. Do you think you can just casually mention the title ‘Mountain Lord’? What if the all-powerful master hears this? Do you want him to send me away?”

“This is my way of showing you respect. In my heart, you are already on par with him!” Yu Que flattered him.

It kept its promise. Even though its wife was released from the birdcage ahead of time and regained her freedom, it did not go far away. Instead, it built a nest at Lu Ze’s house.

Qin Ming said, “Don’t tell anyone I’m back. Call all your little brothers and have them do something for me.”

“Please speak!” Yu Que perked up and even used honorifics, mainly because Master Wu, the purple-eyed crow, had instructed it to keep a close eye on Qin Ming in the mountains and give him advance notice, which it had neglected. Now, it naturally wanted to make amends.

Qin Ming whispered, “Send one of your little brothers to each of the nearby towns to keep a close watch. If there is any news of the gold thieves, notify me immediately. If there is any bloodshed, there can be no delay.”

“Alright!” Yuque disappeared in an instant.

In just half a day, Qin Ming heard news about the Gold Thieves. This was a warning sent by Crimson Cloud City to various places through raptors, and the news had spread throughout Black and White Mountain.

The two big shots in the Gold Thief are trying to break out of the encirclement. A group of loyal subordinates are trying to create opportunities for them by deliberately stirring up trouble in various places, killing and burning, causing a lot of chaos, in order to attract the attention of all parties and restrain some of the masters.

“Several villages and towns in Maple Leaf City are in serious condition, with many people dead. Even some areas in Crimson Cloud City have experienced bloodshed,” Yuque quickly informed them.

The towns of Qingsong, Yinteng, and Emei are now filled with fear, worried that some gold thieves will try to invade this remote area.

“Tell me when you have any new information!” Qin Ming stood on the back of the red eagle, traversing the night sky, heading towards that old place fifty miles away.

He had a feeling that if some gold thief had any affection for Golden Rooster Ridge, he would probably return to the place.

When Qin Ming made his move last time, he already knew that the old golden rooster that had mutated five times was a “master” and had been personally taught by a certain gold thief.

In the past, several gold thieves lived in Jinji Ridge for a long time.

The Black and White Mountain area is located at a high altitude. While other places have already entered early spring, there is still snow on the high mountains here, which has not completely melted.

Under the cover of night, Qin Ming revisited the old place and stood on Jinji Ridge, gazing at the surrounding mountains.

“Go hide in the back mountain.”

Although the red eagle had only mutated twice, it was already quite intelligent and immediately moved away from the highlands filled with dilapidated wooden houses upon hearing this.

Crimson City was as bright as day, while the Black and White Mountain region lacked bright fire springs and was much dimmer overall. However, Qin Ming felt no discomfort, having lived here for two years and feeling a sense of familiarity.

As night deepened, Yuque arrived and told him that the Golden Bandits had truly gone mad in order to cover for their leader, and their presence was beginning to appear in Black and White Mountain.

“Fortunately, there were experts sent by Chixia City in the town eighty miles away, and they successfully killed a gold thief.”

Qin Ming nodded upon hearing this; it was indeed good news.

There was a fire spring at Jinji Ridge, but Qin Ming stayed away from it and found a dilapidated wooden house to live in.

The next day, as night fell, the mountains remained dark, except for the central area of ​​Jinji Ridge, which was illuminated by the glow of fire.

A tall, thin old man climbed the mountain, trudging through the snow to reach the high ground. He was very old, but well-preserved; although his hair was completely white, his face had few wrinkles and he was not fierce at all, looking more like an old scholar.

“I recuperated here for five years, but when I returned, it was a desolate place. Who did this?”

Sure enough, a gold thief came to pay his respects and planned to make a move in the nearby area.

“The Golden Thieves were once renowned, dominating this vast land for decades. Now, faced with this calamity, do many people think we are weak and easily bullied? I will go and slaughter them all to help the leader escape this predicament.” The old man spoke calmly, and after paying his respects at Golden Rooster Ridge, he turned to leave.

“A group of vicious scoundrels, described by you as so extraordinary and tragic, are actually notorious!” Qin Ming walked over from a distance.