Chapter 92 Times Change and World Changes

Everyone present knew that the relationship between Qin Ming, Wang Caiwei, Cui Chonghe, and Li Qingxu was complicated; it seemed that the four of them had never been together before.

Some people looked puzzled, waiting for the show to begin.

“Why don’t you go first?” Lu Zhenyi whispered to Qin Ming.

“Some things are better left unsaid.” Zheng Maoze walked over, placing his large, muscular hand on Qin Ming’s shoulder, appearing both friendly and righteous.

He spoke earnestly: “I heard you were injured two years ago, but it was just a misunderstanding. I’ll talk to Li Qingxu about it later; it had nothing to do with you in the first place.”

A group of acquaintances knew about the past. Li Qingxu had known Wang Caiwei for a long time, but the Wang family was married into the Cui family. That noble lady had traveled with Qin Ming, but Cui Chonghe was the real person.

Involving a family with a thousand-year history and such complex relationships, if word gets out, it will surely become a topic of conversation among ordinary people on the streets.

Even the old acquaintances present couldn’t suppress their gossip-loving hearts and were eager to see what it would be like for the four of them to meet.

Lu Zhenyi and Chen Bingyan were alright, but the others who arrived later didn’t have much contact with Qin Ming back then.

People who are not familiar with each other have no way to hide their true feelings; their eyes are burning with anticipation, waiting to see a spectacle that is destined to be undignified.

Qin Ming remained calm. Zheng Maoze placed his hand on Qin Ming’s shoulder so intimately, saying he was helping him, but actually he wanted to stop him from leaving.

“Da Zheng, since you’ve brought this up again, I’ll say something too. Your younger brother has been very active lately, constantly stirring things up and giving hints. I don’t know if he’s trying to get rid of me or to lure Cui Chonghe out of this secluded place to harm him. What exactly is your brother planning to do?” Qin Ming said this in public.

“What’s going on?” Some of the disciples from outside the sect were surprised. Did this involve Cui Chonghe? Even some young men and women who didn’t recognize him turned their heads to look.

Zheng Maoze regretted it a little. Even though this kid had been knocked down from the clouds and into the mud with one blow, his nature hadn’t changed and he was still not someone to mess with.

“Qin Ming, don’t talk nonsense!” He stopped speaking in a teasing tone, his expression turning slightly cold. This kind of thing really shouldn’t be spread around.

Qin Ming was only doing this in retaliation; sometimes it’s best to leave things unsaid.

He sighed inwardly, not really wanting to meet this group of people again.

At this stage, he has no desire to get involved in this circle at all.

He was only here to see Lingxu and report the latest news gathered by the bird brothers of the Sparrow. He would leave immediately after finishing his business.

Who would have thought that a group of reclusive people would appear at such a convenient time?

It seemed too coincidental. Qin Ming suspected that some people might have come here deliberately to obstruct Ling Xu.

He realized that the pool was quite deep and murky. If someone from beyond the mortal realm was supporting the Golden Thieves, then tonight would be difficult!

Qin Ming’s initial intention in returning to Black and White Mountain was simply to resolve the hidden dangers left over from Golden Rooster Ridge and to ensure that Shuangshu Village would not be involved in any trouble. He did not want to get involved in the complicated situation at hand.

This is no longer a “dangerous area” that he should venture into!

“If you have to leave early, I’ll see you off,” Chen Bingyan said to Qin Ming.

“What’s the rush? It’s rare for old friends to get together,” Zeng Yuan said with a smile, having not said much earlier.

Qin Ming gave him a deep look. Their relationship used to be okay, but now, like Zheng Maoze, he was trying to stop him from leaving.

Those present knew that Zeng Yuan and Li Qingxu were now very close friends.

There were also a few unfamiliar faces, all watching quietly. Although they knew that Qin Ming’s path to immortality was over, they wouldn’t presumptuously step forward to make any gestures. They just wanted to see the scene of the “four people on the same stage” that followed.

In the distance, Ling Xu looked over and said, “Xiao Qin, you should go. We’re short-handed tonight, so you’ll have to make another trip.”

Qin Ming responded, and then, facing the acquaintances present, said, “Everyone, it’s my duty, I have to go now.”

Although Zheng Maoze and Zeng Yuan wanted him to stay and “reminisce,” they dared not offend a city lord, let alone someone as notorious as Ling Xu.

“See Xiao Qin off.” Ling Xu waved, and a gray-clad man quickly approached from a distance.

“This child is good, I’ll escort him too.” The tabby cat said, carrying the red sword on its back, and walked forward with light and agile steps.

Qin Ming knew that even he had some guesses, and Ling Xu and the others must understand even better that the appearance of the outsider was not a coincidence, and that someone was waiting for him here.

After the three-foot-tall tabby cat arrived outside the town, its figure instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning as it searched the vicinity. Soon, it led a man in black, covered in blood, out of the woods.

“We’ve been ambushed. There are people nearby who are meeting up with the gold thieves. They’ll probably take this route,” the man in black weakly reported.

“We’re about to make our move. Send him away!” The tabby cat turned and said to the gray-clad man who had followed.

Without hesitation, Qin Ming immediately summoned the Crimson Eagle and leaped onto it. At this moment, he wouldn’t talk about staying behind to contribute; it was completely unnecessary. More people would only mean more bloodshed. Top-level battles should naturally be fought by high-level experts.

The gray-clad man stood on the back of a slightly smaller but more spirited silver raptor, escorting Qin Ming away from the Silver Vine Town area.

“clang!”

Under the pitch-black night, the sound of bells piercing the clouds echoed from the continuous mountain peaks.

The tolling of the bells rose higher and higher, and on the ink-black mountain, purple mist rose and the bells rang out continuously, as if a thousand troops were charging into battle.

It was like a set of chime bells, stirring up mysterious energy and sealing off that mountain range.

The gray-clad man atop the silver raptor turned around, looking somewhat nervous and watching closely.

“Has a major battle broken out? You don’t have enough manpower?” Qin Ming asked.

“The main problem is that we don’t know whether the Outer Lands are supported by one or two groups of gold thieves,” the gray-clad man replied with a deep frown.

“Then you can go back. Don’t worry about me. Experts won’t bother with a newbie like me,” Qin Ming said.

“Lord Ling asked me to escort you,” the man in gray hesitated.

Qin Ming urged, “I am extremely familiar with the Black and White Mountain area. You can go back without worry. I will be fine.”

“Okay!” The man in gray was uneasy, worried that he didn’t have enough manpower and that things would eventually go wrong.

In Silvervine Town, some reclusive people were gazing at the distant mountains. Someone asked, “Lord Ling, who is ringing the bell?”

“How would I know? Just listen attentively,” Lingxu replied.

The experts connected to the Golden Bandits were unsettled. Their original intention was to stop Ling Xu, but they never expected that the other party also wanted to hold them off here. Someone else wanted to kill the leader of the Golden Bandits.

It doesn’t matter that the bandit leader is dead. The key is that some things must be handed over and cannot fall into the hands of others.

…

The scout sparrow flew back anxiously and said, “The situation is bad! I saw a silly bird with an extremely fast flight speed carrying people and chasing after it!”

Qin Ming frowned as he stood atop the mountain. Was someone really “thinking about” him?

It was obvious that the great master had no idea who he was and looked down on a young man like him.

He sighed softly, “Times change, and people’s hearts are unpredictable.”

Qin Ming did not head towards Chixia City, but instead traveled in the opposite direction, hoping to avoid this storm.

“Wait a minute, I’m going to dig up some treasure.” As he passed through a certain area, he remembered something and asked Red Eagle to wait for him on a mountain peak.

He entered a dense forest, carefully identified the area, and began digging.

The Black and White Mountain area is at a higher elevation, so the snow melts more slowly, and even when you dig two meters underground, you can still find some ice fragments.

“Fortunately, it hasn’t rotted.” Qin Ming picked up a still-frozen wild rabbit and examined it carefully; there were no adverse changes.

On the contrary, it seems to retain a faint trace of freshness.

“Is it beneficial or harmless to the flesh and blood?” Qin Ming took out the scraps of cloth from the frozen soil.

It was only the size of a palm, with metallic threads woven into it and embroidered with cloud patterns. There should have been other patterns as well, but the piece of cloth was too small to tell what the main subject was.

In the past, he killed a young man who could turn into mist and obtained this piece of cloth. The man had used it to protect himself and almost escaped.

“Since there are no problems, I’ll accept it.” Qin Ming and Chi Ying reunited.

A bird flew over from afar and said, “Oh no! Some of my bird brothers have been forced to betray me. Some of my younger brothers are searching for us in the opposite direction. They have no choice but to submit to the methods of the outsiders.”

Qin Ming’s expression changed. These birds could be effective information nodes with great value, but now they were being used in reverse.

“Enter Black and White Mountain!” Qin Ming ordered.

He didn’t go looking for Lingxu and the tabby cat because he knew that it was more dangerous over there. He could already see a soaring crimson sword light appearing in the direction of Silver Vine Town.

“Fly along that mountain ridge and head towards the desert!” Qin Ming was walking a tightrope, treading on the red lines of dangerous areas.

Soon after, the red eagle soared into the night sky, using the night fog to conceal its movements.

“The Cloud Crane has been completely controlled and has been following us the whole time. We’re doomed. This guy is a master tracker. We can’t escape.” Yu Que panicked.

Behind us, a crane soaring through the clouds was leading the way, moving at a very fast speed.

Qin Ming drew his bow and nocked an arrow. With a bang, he shot one of the Cloud-Piercing Crane’s wings, causing a burst of blood mist and scattering feathers. The crane then fell erratically downwards.

“Master Qin is indeed kind; he didn’t kill my brother He at this critical moment, sparing his life,” Yu Que said.

Then it whispered, “Even after a thousand miles of travel, we must part ways. And so too…”

“You should leave now,” Qin Ming waved.

“Then I… will hold on a little longer!” Yu Que said through gritted teeth.

A black raptor followed, with a graceful figure perched on it, presumably a woman.

Qin Ming drew his bow again, and the arrow he fired was terrifying, scattering the night mist as it flew toward the head of the black raptor.

Under the cover of night, the woman’s crystalline fingers produced a stream of light that enveloped the powerful iron arrow.

“A person from beyond the mundane world!” Qin Ming’s pupils contracted slightly.

He urged Red Eagle, saying, “Keep going, we’ll only have a chance if we fly into the desert, otherwise we might die here.”

“Hmm? There’s another bird of prey in the distance, and the man on its back is gleaming gold. Is he a golden-armored guard?” Qin Ming knew that tonight would be quite difficult.

…

Outside Silvervine Town, Lingxu and the tabby cat went off to pursue the hermit who wanted to enter the mountains.

“What a lively night!” The young man in feathered robes, Li Qingxu, appeared, holding a purple bamboo staff, his white shoes spotless, exuding an ethereal and otherworldly charm.

His arrival drew attention from many outsiders, and many greeted him, knowing that he was truly a prodigy.

“Just now, Cui Chonghe’s double, Qin Ming, appeared,” Zeng Yuan told him, then laughed and said, “He has no special affinity for immortality; he has embarked on that naive new path of relying on physical mutation.”

“It’s hard to imagine that he used to walk alongside us, but now he can only carry a blood-stained hammer and travel in remote places.”

“I reckon his current physical condition isn’t good enough to be selected as one of the Golden Armor Guards.”

The people surrounding Li Qingxu spoke one after another.

…

This night was difficult for Qin Ming, as the pursuers behind him were getting closer and closer.

The red eagle has an excellent flying ability, but unfortunately, the raptors behind it have mutated even more times.

Qin Ming kept shooting arrows, effectively slowing down the opponent; otherwise, he would have been caught up long ago.

“My iron arrows can deplete her strength; this person cannot overwhelm me!” Qin Ming concluded.

But the situation is dire. This otherworldly person is not of low rank, and there is also a mysterious golden-armored guard further away. At present, it looks extremely ominous!

“Why haven’t there been more thunderous claps lately?!” Qin Ming had never longed for that terrifying lightning as much as he did now.

Not every rainstorm brings lightning to the Thunderfire Alchemy Palace; often it’s just a few rumbles in the sky, and that’s it.

“If we escape this calamity, we’ll have someone erect a tall iron pole in the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall. I don’t believe it won’t attract lightning!”

He knew it was unrealistic; if he dared to destroy the Golden Palace like that, Meng Xinghai would beat him up first.

Qin Ming was simply craving power. If he could return to Crimson Cloud City safely this time, he would definitely master all the extraordinary skills Ning Siqi had given him, as well as the rare books that Meng Xinghai was about to send him, to rapidly improve his physique.

“We’ve arrived in the desert!” he exclaimed with delight.

The darkness ahead was as black as ink, like an abyss that threatened to swallow everything.

The red eagle was terrified and dared not go in, because if it went any deeper, it would become blind and unable to see anything.

“It’s alright, descend quickly, let’s stay close to the ground!” Qin Ming instructed.

Suddenly, the black raptors behind them burst into dark light and began to accelerate, landing on the ground before them. The woman jumped down and blocked their path.

Qin Ming stood in the desert, threw down his hammer and bow, slowly drew the mutton-fat jade iron knife from his back, and said, “You won’t give me a way out, will you?”

He knew the masked woman was terrifying, surpassing any opponent he had ever fought before.

In an instant, Qin Ming accelerated, unleashing his strongest Heaven-Slaying Blade Intent, as if a rainy night had descended, with lightning and thunder tearing through the darkness, as he slashed forward with his strongest blade light.

“They don’t even quite qualify to be selected as Golden Armor Guards, yet they dare to…”

The veiled woman gently waved her right hand, and a golden light flew out, attempting to imprison the pitch-black iron knife.

The next instant, the black knife in Qin Ming’s hand suddenly cracked, the paint peeled off, revealing the pure white blade, and the dazzling light was like the sun burning, dispelling the darkness of the night.

With a soft thud, blood splattered across the desert!