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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 19: [Relentless March]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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Qin Ming stood in place, feeling no embarrassment at not being chosen.
His demeanor was calm.
Xu Yueping, however, was anxious for him, though there was nothing he could do. Yang Yongqing also felt sorry for him, recalling their earlier conversation where he'd joked about Noble Ladies joining the Mountain Sweep Operation and urged Qin Ming to make a good impression.
Wei Zhirou, skilled with words, greeted Qin Ming warmly, showering him with praise.
She expressed her regret that Cao Long and Mu Qing wouldn't allow her to invite him to join their group, but suggested he visit her in Chi Xia City after the operation.
Qin Ming, never one to put on airs, smiled and replied that if he left the area, Chi Xia City would be his first choice.
"I choose Qin Ming," Mu Qing announced.
Qin Ming's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
He'd been perfectly composed when he wasn't chosen earlier, but now he felt a twinge of unease.
The person before him, whose gender was uncertain and whose humanity was questionable, made him hesitate about entering the mountains with them.
He suspected Mu Qing might be a higher-level being who had joined Chi Xia City.
Otherwise, no matter how much a human body evolved, it shouldn't sprout a fluffy golden tail.
What could he do?
In this situation, there was no room for hesitation.
He nodded his agreement without delay.
Mu Qing seemed pleased with his response.
Noticing he carried only a wood-chopping knife, he asked, "You lack a proper weapon. What type do you usually prefer?"
Qin Ming replied, "Nothing's been decided yet."
Mu Qing pondered for a moment before saying, "Some monsters in the mountains have tough scales and thick hides that ordinary swords and blades can't cut through. I'll give you a long-handled hammer. If you use it well, it's incredibly powerful - you can crush a monster's head with a single blow. But it's a heavy weapon. I don't know if you'll find it easy to handle."
Mu Qing gestured to someone behind him, and a long-handled hammer forged from Black Gold was immediately brought forward.
Qin Ming took it and casually swung it a few times, leaving afterimages that hummed through the air.
He moved with the effortless grace of someone twirling a spear or dancing with a sword.
"Excellent!" Mu Qing nodded, impressed by Qin Ming's immense strength.
Wei Zhirou was inwardly startled. Her standards were high, but just from the way he handled the heavy hammer with such ease, she estimated his strength already approached the six-hundred-jin threshold.
Earlier, she had sent people to assess the two youths who had established a Golden Foundation.
She had always thought Xu Yueping had exaggerated Qin Ming's abilities, but now she realized he hadn't.
However, she didn't feel regret. Zhou Wubing, the youth she had chosen, had suffered a Qi injury in his early years.
As he underwent Awakening, his original essence was gradually recovering, giving him immense potential.
She estimated that once stable, he could lift at least six hundred jin — a truly exceptional talent, especially since even Xu Kong valued and personally mentored him.
Cao Long remained calm.
He followed the Giant Spirit God path, blessed with innate divine strength.
Mu Qing said, "I'll give you another short sword. In case you're caught in close-quarters combat with a supernatural creature, you'll need a sharp short weapon."
"Thank you!" Qin Ming accepted the sword, finally armed with a weapon superior to those of the Mountain Patrol Group.
Next, Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing quickly selected their teams.
Old Liu, in his seventies, initially went unchosen.
But he volunteered, claiming to know the Great Mountain like the back of his hand.
Suddenly, he became highly sought after, with all three factions vying for his expertise.
"I want to be on Xiao Qin's team," Old Liu said. "We're from the same village and know each other, so we can watch out for each other."
Soon, the Cao Family, Wei Clan, and Mu Family completed their selections.
"Everyone, the higher-ups will soon begin the final negotiation with the mysterious supernatural creatures in the Great Mountain. For now, we can only wait patiently."
Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing led their teams back to Yinteng (Silvervine) Town, where they were currently staying.
They instructed the selected Awakeners to prepare thoroughly.
Then, dozens more people emerged from the dense forest, joining the three teams as they departed.
These were young men in full armor.
On the journey back, Xu Yueping sighed. "It seems the people of Chi Xia City are just using us as guides. They're being polite and courteous, but they clearly don't respect our strength."
Yang Yongqing spoke first: "The youths from those three teams are indeed here to hone their skills, but the dozens of experienced young and middle-aged men are the true backbone of the three families' Mountain Sweep Operation and exploration of the mysterious land."
Old Liu took a more pragmatic view. "They possess an Advanced Intent Qi Cultivation Techniques. How can we possibly compete with them?"
Xu Yueping shook his head. "I've been to Chi Xia City. Only a handful of core members of the noble families possess complete Advanced Cultivation Scriptures."
Based on his assessment, the so-called generous rewards wouldn't include the families' most closely guarded secrets.
That would undermine their very foundations.
"I suspect they'll offer fragments of Advanced Scriptures they've collected from the outside world, not their own family treasures. But even those fragments would be more than enough for someone in the Nascent Realm to achieve full mastery."
Yang Yongqing's voice was filled with longing. "Advanced Intent Qi Cultivation Techniques are incredibly rare. Even an incomplete version, one that only charts the path to the Nascent Realm, would drive anyone mad with desire."
Qin Ming murmured, "If Advanced Scriptures are so precious, why would the three great families of Chi Xia City be willing to offer them? What hidden motives lie behind their interest in the Four-Radiance Mist-Haze Land?"
"You're mistaken," Old Liu corrected. "There were actually over a dozen families present."
Shortly after, they returned to the village.
As Shallow Night neared its end, Qin Ming arrived at Old Liu's door carrying a large chunk of donkey meat, claiming he was there for dinner.
In truth, he wanted to ask about the Blood Bamboo Forest.
Old Liu lived at the village entrance, close to the Fire Spring.
In the twilight, his gray-tiled, blue-brick house was tinged with a faint crimson glow.
As Qin Ming entered the courtyard, a yellow dog burst from its doghouse. It stood as tall as an adult's shoulder, its golden fur shimmering with a glossy sheen, revealing snow-white fangs.
Qin Ming immediately thought of the Golden Mastiff from the Mountain Patrol Group and couldn't help but glance at the dog again. Its plump, muscular build suggested excellent meat quality.
The yellow dog seemed to sense Qin Ming's gaze. One moment it was baring its teeth, the next it tucked its tail between its legs and dove back into its doghouse, refusing to come out.
"Xiao Qin, why are you bringing meat to my house?" Old Liu, though old, remained sharp.
He appeared in the courtyard immediately.
Qin Ming chuckled. "Grandpa Liu, how about I trade you two Blade Horned Deer for your Big Yellow Dog?"
"Woof, woof..." The dog in the doghouse barked, tail tucked, head tilted toward its master as if pleading.
"This old dog is very Spiritual," Old Liu said. "It's afraid of you, which means your recent hunting trips have cultivated a killing Qi."
Old Liu shook his head with a smile. "I wouldn't trade with you. This dog is on the verge of mutating, and it's been supporting our family. It often brings back wild prey."
"Its spiritual nature is so high?" Qin Ming exclaimed in surprise.
Old Liu stroked his goatee. "Of course. Two months ago, it was so old it could barely walk. It disappeared for a few days, and when it returned, it started to improve. It'll definitely mutate before Yang Yongqing's Black Goat."
"The saying about old dogs returning to the mountains, either dying there or returning stronger... it actually has a real-life example," Qin Ming marveled, staring at the Big Yellow Dog.
Old Liu chuckled. "Speaking of which, you almost died when you fell into that crevice in the mountains last time. After a serious illness, you quickly experienced awakening. It's almost like an old dog returning to the mountains and coming back alive."
Qin Ming wanted to punch him.
This old man really didn't know how to speak.
His mouth was too sharp, which explained why he never married the prettiest girl back then.
Old Liu lowered his voice. "That crevice you found is worth paying attention to."
The major families of Chi Xia City were all searching for those special nodes. There must be a deeper meaning behind it.
Qin Ming shook his head. "Unless I experience a Second Awakening, I won't approach that area again."
He seized the opportunity to ask Old Liu, "Grandpa Liu, you know so much about the legends of spiritual creatures in the Great Mountain. Tell me about them."
"You little rascal, I knew you had something to ask me," Old Liu chuckled, pointing at him.
But his expression quickly turned serious. "If spiritual treasures were so easy to obtain, why would I still be stuck here? You've laid a Golden Foundation. You're destined for Second Awakening. There's no need to risk your life."
Qin Ming replied, "Didn't you say young people should have ambition? What's the point of living if you don't dare to be bold in your youth? I want to achieve Second Awakening as soon as possible and see the scenery from a higher vantage point."
"Did I really say that?" Old Liu eyed him suspiciously.
They hadn't gotten drunk the previous night, each having only half a cup of strong, aged liquor.
"Something like that," Qin Ming chuckled.
"It's true that young people should have grand ambitions," Old Liu said. "Because dreams tend to shrink with age. You need a high starting point."
A biting wind whipped snow against the windows.
Inside the Liu family's home, the dinner table steamed with a hearty meal centered around donkey meat.
Qin Ming and Old Liu talked late into the night, learning the names of some spiritual treasures, all located in extremely dangerous areas.
Qin Ming also learned the location of the Blood Bamboo Forest.
Qin Ming had already suspected that the Blood Bamboo Forest Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng were after likely fell within the Mountain Patrol Group's jurisdiction.
Sure enough, Old Liu mentioned that the Blood Bamboo Forest was only six miles from the Mountain Patrol Group's base.
That place was home to a species of snake whose entire body was a lustrous crimson, like it had been carved from red agate. Its flesh and gall bladder were brimming with vitality and Spiritual energy.
But these snakes were incredibly dangerous, even deadly.
They possessed potent venom that could kill even an Awakener with a single bite.
"If you're lucky enough to catch one, you must chop off its head and remove its venom glands. Otherwise, it won't be a tonic, but a death potion," Old Liu warned.
"Besides its deadly venom," he explained, "the Blood Snake's body is as hard as iron, possessing extraordinary strength and the ability to leap and fly. Even a small snake just a few feet long is more dangerous than many mountain beasts, capable of shooting through the air like an iron arrow, instantly piercing its opponent's body."
"That's why some calls it the Blood Snake, while others calls it the Arrow Snake."
"If you ever encountered a Blood Snake over ten feet long in the mountains, the best course of action is to flee immediately."
Old Liu recalled that the snake's nest had already existed when he was young.
Decades later, it was certain that Blood Snakes had undergone secondary mutations.
Qin Ming said, "Let's hope we don't encounter an even more powerful old snake."
"Swords and blades can't necessarily cut through a Blood Snake's body. They'll just spark against it. Among creatures of its level, it's incredibly fierce, with almost no weaknesses," Old Liu said, suddenly leaping to his feet and nearly overturning the table.
His startled wife jumped, and his youngest grandson nearly burst into tears.
"What's wrong with you, old man?" the old woman glared at him.
Old Liu's face flushed crimson, as if he had regained his youth.
He waved his arms excitedly, saying, "How could I have forgotten this? Now that something's gone wrong in the Great Mountain, if the Fire Spring in the Blood Bamboo Forest goes out, all the Blood Snakes there will freeze stiff. Wouldn't they be just lying there for anyone to pick up?"
He wished he had wings so he could fly into the Great Mountain to see for himself.
Qin Ming immediately said, "How about we go into the mountain tonight, Grandpa, and collect the spiritually potent Blood Snakes?"
"Yes!" Old Liu nodded vigorously.
But then, as if struck by a sudden realization, he slumped back down, sighing. "I should have known. Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and those other bastards are guarding the Great Mountain, desperately seeking a Second Awakening. How could they possibly overlook the spiritual treasures within their own territory?"
The old man looked utterly dejected, his earlier joy and excitement completely deflated.
He sat there, slapping his thigh until it was nearly black and blue, furiously cursing the Mountain Patrol Group.
"Those dog-faced bastards are just plain lucky. Are we about to get another Fu Entao? They stumbled upon such a golden opportunity. I'd love to give them a faceful of golden excrement to leave them smelling sweet forever!"
...
That day, Qin Ming was relentless.
He braved the snowstorm in the middle of the night to enter the Great Mountain, where he used a wood-chopping knife to kill Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and their men.
Then, he met with the nobles of Chi Xia City, followed by an evening of Old Liu's bragging about his mysterious encounters and bizarre experiences in the Great Mountain.
Qin Ming returned home feeling slightly weary and soon fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, he woke early, quickly ate breakfast, and immediately headed back into the mountains.
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END OF CHAPTER
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