Chapter 11 The Fall

Feng Yian was tall, his beard stood up like steel needles, his eyes were bright, and his voice was firm. He looked like a straightforward man. However, after learning the truth, Qin Ming felt nothing but intense disgust for him.

"This time, we truly failed. We'll kill the blood bear as soon as possible to make up for our mistake," Feng Yian said sincerely.

Old Liu sighed and urged them to properly guard the mountains, not to let mutated creatures run rampant again. Despite his age, he was furious. Killing someone and then coming to apologize. Who were they trying to impress?

This kind of insincere courtesy after personally visiting the victims' families was no different from rubbing salt into a wound. It showed no respect and no fear of provoking retaliation.

"Some of our brothers were injured, and we were short on hands during patrol, which led to the accident," Feng Yian explained. Then he brought up the old issue again, asking Xu Yueping to quickly plant the Black Moon seeds, saying the patrol team needed them to heal, to better protect the mountains.

Xu Yueping was fuming inside but had to keep it in.

Feng Yian added, "We're heading out now. We won't leave the mountains until the blood bear is slain. Brother Xu, please help us visit the families of the injured and fallen."

Qin Ming found this fake earnestness absolutely disgusting.

Xu Yueping accidentally brushed Qin Ming's arm, then got up to see the patrol members off. It was clear that he feared that Qin Ming, young and hot-blooded, might do something reckless.

Qin Ming knew that even if he killed a few of the patrol members now, it would bring brutal retaliation. After all, there were others in their group—other teams, too. If anything happened to these men here, the entire Shuangshu Village could be dragged down.

Of course, he wouldn't act recklessly. He stood up and, with Xu Yueping and Yang Yongqing, saw the patrol members out. Once they disappeared into the dim wilderness, Yang Yongqing gritted his teeth and said, "I'm suffocating from the anger!"

"Can we report this to the higher-ups?" Qin Ming asked.

"What grounds do you have? By the rules, we're supposed to provide four to eight Black Moon plants. This time, the patrol team only asked for the bare minimum—four. You say the seeds are mutated, but how do we prove it? They look exactly the same. All we have are guesses. All based on last year's poor firefield harvest, their personalities, and daily behavior. This time, they've succeeded in cultivating the mutated variant."

Old Liu added, "And let's not forget, they wouldn't dare act like this if they hadn't already greased the right palms."

Xu Yueping said, "The goodwill left behind by a respected patroller is enough for their descendants to exploit for ten years."

In the end, Feng Yian and the others had only come to push Xu Yueping to plant the seeds under a guise of politeness. They didn't make threats. They were polite and gentle. But in this situation, their behavior was even worse than intimidation.

Qin Ming let out a long breath. "They've gone too far." He then asked, "Is the Black Moon herb really that important?"

Xu Yueping nodded seriously. "After mutation, it's extremely valuable. Long-term use might give someone a chance at a second rebirth."

Old Liu said, "For patrollers who spend their lives in the deep mountains, some of them have likely seen higher lifeforms. Who doesn't want to go further? Even an old man like me dreams of a second rebirth. It can extend life, restore vitality. Who wouldn't desire that?"

He went on to explain the patrol group's motives for corruption, then said, "But people must have a bottom line. What they've done—do they even deserve to be called patrollers? They're worse than the monsters in the mountains!"

"Second rebirth…" Qin Ming murmured, lost in thought.

Xu Yueping patted him on the shoulder. "You'll definitely make it. According to local records, those with a golden foundation have achieved a second rebirth in as little as two months."

…

That day, all the villagers who went into the mountains came back with blood on them. Several were seriously injured, and no one knew if they would survive. Cries echoed from household after household.

Xu Yueping visited every family, offering help and treating the wounded, while suppressing the anger boiling in his chest.

Wang Qinglin, a middle-aged man, lay unconscious on a heated bed. Though he was reborn, his condition was the worst of them all.

After realigning his bones, Old Liu wiped the blood from his hands and said, "Broken bones pierced internal organs. If not for the vitality of rebirthers, this would've been a fatal injury."

Qin Ming closely examined him. He was convinced this was the work of someone wearing the blood bear's skin.

Every household was gloomy. Some children quietly wiped away tears. The joy and satisfaction from the recent hunts had completely vanished. Some villagers had also been attacked by a mutated snow ape, their wounds were horrific.

"Two years ago, the patrol team seemed to be raising one," Yang Yongqing whispered.

Xu Yueping's face turned ugly. Old Liu just kept sighing. Qin Ming returned home with a heavy heart. He wanted to act, to do something.

The only good news was that Lu Ze had woken up. Given his physical resilience, he likely wouldn't suffer long-term effects. Qin Ming didn't tell him the truth, fearing it would stir up emotions and hinder recovery.

"Brother Lu, how many people are in a patrol unit?" Qin Ming asked, wanting to gauge their strength.

"Anywhere from eight to twelve," Lu Ze replied. The unit guarding their region currently has nine members. Only the leader had undergone a second rebirth, and he was very powerful.

The leader's name was Fu Entao, rarely seen in public.

Lu Ze sighed, "For many people, giving everything just to gain a first rebirth is already the peak. Second rebirth is a barrier few even dream of crossing."

"So that leader can completely suppress the others," Qin Ming noted.

Lu Ze nodded. "After the first rebirth, physical strength increases significantly. Second rebirth doubles that again."

"In our region, lifting a five-hundred-pound cauldron is the upper limit for first rebirth. How strong was Fu Entao back then?" Qin Ming probed.

Lu Ze thought carefully. "He was still some way from the ceiling back then." He looked at Qin Ming. "You were reborn in the golden age, and you broke past the usual limits. When your second rebirth comes, it'll be tremendous."

Qin Ming understood that physically, even after Fu Entao's second rebirth, he still wouldn't surpass Qin Ming's current level. He stood up to leave. "Rest well, Brother Lu. Don't worry, I've got this."

Returning to his courtyard, he began practicing close-combat techniques. Life in the dangerous mountains required such skills, and he knew plenty.

Before rebirth, he could already split bricks with his bare hands. Now, he was even stronger. He swept out with a whip kick—bang—snapping a stump as thick as a thigh. When he activated his long-trained "wild methods," his focus sharpened. Golden ripples shimmered faintly through his flesh, and a light body slam reduced a tree stump to splinters.

After dinner, Qin Ming visited Xu Yueping. "Still brooding, Uncle Xu?"

"They've gone too far," Xu Yueping muttered bitterly.

"Please persuade him," his wife said anxiously. "He didn't even eat dinner."

"Auntie, leave it to me." Qin Ming entered and sat down. After venting through combat training, he was now calm. He wanted to discuss what to do next with Xu Yueping.

"You're telling me to agree with them?!" Xu Yueping suddenly looked up, furious. His face darkened. "Do you understand what that means? Next year, the firefields will yield nothing. Famine!"

"Uncle, please hear me out," Qin Ming said quickly, worried he'd push him too far.

"Speak!"

"There's still time before early spring. What harm is there in agreeing for now? If anything unexpected happens, like they die during the mountain sweep, or the heavens punish them tonight, or a magnetic shift drives them all mad…"

Xu Yueping gave him a strange look as Qin Ming earnestly cursed their enemies.

Qin Ming's point was, if something did happen to the patrol team, the higher-ups would investigate and likely suspect anyone who had a conflict with them. They needed to stay out of it and appear compliant for now.

Xu Yueping grumbled, "There's no way any of those things will happen. You're overthinking."

Qin Ming's tone turned serious. "Uncle, my point is we stall for time and wait for change." He explained that they could toss the seeds into the fire spring for show, then fish them out later. Or coat them in mountain-made transparent mineral gel to insulate them from the spring's energy. He added, "Every household is short on food. First, let's ensure people can safely hunt."

Xu Yueping sighed. He had a point. If they couldn't survive the present, who could worry about next year?

"But what about after this passes?" He was still uneasy. Feng Yian and the others were ruthless, surely, they would retaliate.

Qin Ming's eyes were firm. "Uncle, soon I might undergo a second rebirth. Then we can talk to them on even terms."

"They probably have someone backing them," Xu Yueping muttered, rubbing his temples. Suddenly, he looked up. "Qin, during your first rebirth, were you able to reach the six-hundred-pound threshold with full strength?"

"I was."

Xu Yueping shot to his feet. "That's impressive even in distant Chixia City!" A smile slowly spread across his face. "Come with me to Yinteng Town tomorrow."

Qin Ming was uneasy under his gaze. "Uncle, shouldn't we deal with our current crisis first?"

"Feng Yian told me, if I change my mind, I can find him in town. Also, there might be a good marriage prospect waiting for you."

"…Huh?" Qin Ming was stunned.

Xu Yueping explained that a mysterious old nobleman had recently moved into the town, and his stunningly beautiful daughter was of marriageable age.

Qin Ming shook his head. "Uncle, let's not embarrass ourselves."

In the past, they wouldn't have dared. But now, the nobleman had said publicly that he cared not for family background, only the person.

Qin Ming's golden foundation was so exceptional, even in that distant, brilliant city he'd be considered a genius. Xu Yueping now had confidence. He whispered, "If this marriage works out, the patrol team's threat could be resolved."

Qin Ming objected, but Xu Yueping dragged him off to drink all night. The next morning, the night fog hadn't even cleared when Xu Yueping came to fetch Qin Ming.

"Uncle Xu, isn't it a bit early?"

"I know you might still feel reluctant. It's fine. Once we arrive, I'll check the situation with the nobleman first."

To Xu Yueping, this was worth a try. If it worked, great. If not, nothing is lost.

It was the Shallow Night. The sky was dim, dense forests lined the road, and strange calls of beasts and birds echoed from afar.

Qin Ming and Xu Yueping trudged through thick snow, heading toward Yinteng Town, several miles away. Halfway there, they suddenly stopped. In the distant forest, a brilliant red light burst forth, piercing the night mist, illuminating everything around.

A swarm of Scarlet Butterflies appeared, fluttering through the air, painting the sky red as they flew in every direction.