"I've stirred the nest today and alerted them. I'll come back tomorrow," Qin Ming said and retreated. Though time was tight, one day wouldn't make a difference.
"Am I capable of handling this nest of blood snakes?" he wondered on his way back. Feng Yian, Shao Chengfeng, and the others had planned to seize the Blood Bamboo Forest, but he had wiped out their entire group.
Still, he knew he couldn't afford to be careless. He needed to be cautious.
On the way back, he saw three large raptors running through the forest at high speed, each carrying a person on its back as they dashed across the dense woods ahead of him.
"People from Golden Rooster Ridge?" Qin Ming hid behind a large tree and, upon seeing this, guessed their identity.
There were three mutated ground-birds, each taller than a person and powerfully built, capable of carrying riders at high speeds through the mountains. Only Golden Rooster Ridge could breed such creatures.
Qin Ming had heard of the place. It housed a near-tier-two Fire Spring. In the early days, it had been home to a group of notorious bandits, but they were later recruited into the system. After all, the mutated ground-birds they bred were extremely useful. Even mountain patrols sometimes hired Golden Rooster Knights to scout dangerous areas.
"Golden Rooster Ridge is far from here. What are their people doing this far out?" He watched the three riders vanish into the distance. One of them wore fine armor, unlike the other two, and didn't look local.
"Someone from Chixia City?" Qin Ming noticed a man's black armor had a different style from the Cao, Wei, and Mu families. He's likely from another noble clan.
Seeing that they weren't heading toward the Blood Bamboo Forest, Qin Ming continued his way. But just as he was dragging a hunted animal out of the mountains, he came across four unfamiliar rebirthers.
They weren't wearing armor, but their clothing—black robes woven with metallic threads—covered their entire bodies, even concealing their faces. Not ordinary people, obviously.
Qin Ming was suspicious. The mountain sweep hadn't even started yet, and already things were getting lively. Who were these people? The other two appeared to be locals, both in their early thirties. One of them smiled and asked, "Hey, bro, do you know of a nearby crevice that gives off a silver glow?"
Qin Ming realized they were looking for a special node. The two black-robed men were most likely from Chixia City.
"Go that way for three miles and you'll reach it," Qin Ming pointed them in the right direction. It wasn't a hidden place. Many already knew about it.
"Why don't you lead us there? We'll reward you with a piece of night-silver," the man who asked directions said with a friendly smile.
Qin Ming took two steps back and replied, "I'm scared of that place. The crevice is dangerous. Besides, I need to hurry home. It's been days since I brought back some meat. My old mother's nearly starving."
"Let's go," one of the black-robed men said. He sounded quite young. Hearing that, Qin Ming also turned to leave. But then the black-robed man said something that made Qin Ming freeze. "Get rid of him. Our presence here must remain unknown," he said lightly, casually determining the fate of a "young hunter."
Qin Ming was stunned. What kind of monstrous arrogance was this? To decide someone's life and death in one sentence. What utter disregard for human life. He'd seen Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing, who were also from Chixia City. They were all relatively courteous. Whether or not it was just a noble's façade, at least on the surface, they treated people respectfully without causing disgust.
But these black-robed men were far too ruthless. With no emotional fluctuations, they simply ordered the local guides to kill.
"Bro, we're all locals. This isn't right," Qin Ming said.
"Sorry, brother," one of them smiled, "We've been ordered to escort these esteemed guests into the mountains. We must follow all their commands."
"And you are…?" Qin Ming asked.
"We're from the Three-Eyed Sect," the two locals replied as they stepped forward threateningly.
In the next moment, Qin Ming moved like a lightning-fast predator, leaving only a blur where he had stood. He charged forward, slashing both men's throats with the short sword in his left hand.
The two from the Three-Eyed Sect were stunned, terrified, and disbelieving. They had thought he was just a regular hunter, as he hadn't caught much, just a rock goat. But somehow, they were now bleeding out on the ground. He was far too fast.
When the two black-robed men saw Qin Ming charging towards them and realized he had just pulled out a massive black steel hammer from his back, their expressions immediately changed.
Qin Ming swung the black steel hammer at one man's head, while his left-hand short sword thrust at the other. Since they had already decided to kill him to cover their tracks, there was no point in talking anymore. He had to go all out to kill them first.
Instantly, the sound of metal weapons clashing rang out, harsh and violent.
After just a few exchanges, Qin Ming gauged their strength. One of them had undergone a second rebirth; the other was weaker, having only been reborn once.
He focused all his attacks on the stronger one—the only real threat.
If this had been before, he might've had to fight for a long time. But his progress was remarkable after studying the blade manual. His combat skills had significantly improved, even if he didn't have a complete epiphany.
Clang!
After several clashes, the strong, black-robed man's long blade was knocked high into the air by the black steel hammer. His arm went numb from the impact. At that moment, his pupils shrank. The hammer, light as a feather in Qin Ming's hands, moved like a bolt of lightning and slammed into his chest with a force he couldn't evade. His chest caved in. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, clearly done for.
"You want to spar blades with me?" Qin Ming gripped the long-handled black steel hammer, using it like a blade. He didn't even spare the man a glance before turning to the remaining black-robed figure.
The other man was horrified. He had just been knocked back a moment ago, and his partner was already dead. That was too fast. How could a young hunter be this terrifying?
Knowing he was no match, he turned and bolted into the forest, trying to escape.
"Throwing Blade Form," Qin Ming said softly.
Boom! The long-handled black steel hammer flew out, smashing the man's head like a rotten watermelon.
Without hesitation, Qin Ming cleaned up the scene, used snow to wipe the blood from the black steel hammer, then dragged his prey and headed home.
But he felt uneasy now. All sorts of people were entering the mountains. He couldn't afford to stay away from the Blood Bamboo Forest for long. After eating, he quietly returned to the mountains.
"Every day that passes, the Fire Spring dims a little more, and that's to my advantage. But I must be careful about others trying to seize the spirit materials," Qin Ming muttered. For now, he had to stay close and keep watch.
He didn't leave until close to midnight. No one would choose to strike at such a time. Darkness didn't affect the snakes much, but it greatly limited the rebirthers.
The next morning, he entered the mountains early again and found that the red glow at the center of the valley had indeed faded significantly. With that confirmation, he decided to wait a little longer; at the latest, he would act before the end of tonight's shallow night.
An hour later, the entire mountain area suddenly burst into brilliance. Endless "earthglow" surged up, and rain-like beams of light fell from the sky, illuminating the area.
Light surged from the ground, and multicolored rays flowed everywhere. The spectacle was so stunning that even Qin Ming was briefly entranced. Especially here, the fiery red bamboo grove and the pristine snow complemented each other, creating a pure and dazzling contrast. It was breathtaking and otherworldly beauty.
"Hmm?" At that moment, Qin Ming noticed a group of people approaching in the distance. He didn't panic. Instead, he calmly withdrew into the shadows. That was fine too. If they were here for the spirit materials in the Blood Bamboo Forest, he'd let them go first to test the waters.