Chapter 24: The Great Case
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Under a cold, moonlit sky, the distant mountains shimmered with a gentle, silvery light. The forest below was thick with snow, and curious birds swooped low over the treetops, their wings rustling softly in the stillness. From time to time, the growls of mountain beasts rumbled through the chill air. Snowflakes danced down, landing on Qin Ming’s dark hair, though he hardly noticed them. He was feeling pretty good about himself tonight. After all, he’d managed to gather far more supplies than he’d ever imagined for his second Awakening. His strength would soon reach new heights.
Standing alone in the snowy clearing, Qin Ming glanced at the blood staining the forest floor. This scene wasn’t exactly what he’d planned, but it wasn’t as if anyone had given him a choice. Since his enemies had been so “generous” with their final offering, he figured he could at least put them to rest with some respect. He knelt down and tugged at the cold armor of his fallen foe, searching through the man’s belongings before dragging the body deeper into the forest. The beasts of the wild would handle the rest of the burial.
“Rest easy, mate,” Qin Ming murmured, doing his best to sound sincere. As he turned away, he tested the fine sword he’d picked up, feeling its perfect balance in his hand. The blade’s silvery gleam reminded him of a mountain spring—smooth and sharp. Qin Ming gave it a few experimental swings, watching as it caught the moonlight and sliced through the cold air. It was a real treasure, much better than that clumsy long knife Fu En Tao once had. Fu’s blade had been chipped and dull after tangling with a blood snake, but this sword was flawless. The man he’d taken it from had used it to slay that same snake, and it remained mirror-bright.
“Man, this thing is sweet,” Qin Ming said, sounding like a thrilled teenager. “Too bad I can’t risk taking it home. Leaving it here is such a waste.” He sighed, disappointed but practical. If people asked too many questions, he’d be in trouble. A special weapon like this would attract notice.
He carefully buried the sword and the black armor, marking the spot in his mind. “If I ever need them again, I’ll just come dig ’em up,” he told himself, shrugging. As for the battered gear that Fu En Tao and Feng Yi An had left behind? Useless junk now. The blood snake fight had ruined most of it.
Still, he’d found some night silver and even thirteen pieces of Daylight Gold on the strongest of the bunch. Qin Ming grinned as he pocketed them. “Guess I hit the jackpot today,” he muttered, though the feel of the blood-stained gold left a shiver in his spine. It felt a bit eerie. Sadly, there were no meditation manuals or secret breathing techniques stashed away. But that wasn’t surprising. Who would carry precious scrolls into the dangerous mountains?
On the way home, he hunted down a massive wild ox. He gutted it and tucked the dead blood snake’s body inside the ox’s belly, stitching it closed again. It was a clever bit of camouflage. No one seemed to notice him bringing it back into town, and he arrived safely without any trouble.
Two days slipped by after Fu En Tao and Feng Yi An vanished, and so far, no one seemed to have caught on. Qin Ming knew it was only a matter of time. After all, the Mountain Patrol had already sent scouts to Fu En Tao’s hideout, only to find that the wooden huts had mysteriously vanished without a trace.
The day after Fu En Tao, Feng Yi An, and their group went missing, folks started to realize something was off. There was a Black Moon catalyst ready and waiting at Flame Spring, prepared with perfect care. Yet nobody came to pick it up. Neither Fu En Tao nor Feng Yi An nor Shao Cheng Feng had shown up at Silver Vine Town to stir up the usual trouble. Suspicion began to spread like wildfire: what on earth had happened to that troublesome crew?
After a quick lunch, Qin Ming wandered into his courtyard and picked up his long-handled Black Metal Hammer, determined to sharpen his skills. Snow floated around him as he swung the massive weapon, sending white powder flying until it almost seemed like a blizzard had kicked up around him. The hammer’s weight and the force of his strikes created a low, thunder-like rumble. It felt good—his muscles burned pleasantly, and he could feel every fiber of his body heating up from the effort.
At last, he ended with a mighty swing, shattering the curtain of snow that swirled in the air. He stood still, breathing heavily, sweat soaking through his clothes. Qin Ming smiled, happy with his progress. The blade techniques he’d studied were starting to feel more natural, and he wanted to lock these new insights into his memory.
Later, he practiced “Light Shroud,” a skill meant to quiet the spirit and cloak one’s presence. He closed his eyes, imagining emptiness, and felt his thoughts grow dim, his mind sinking into stillness. He was improving nicely, and it left him feeling quietly proud.
Just as the first light of dawn began to color the horizon, Xu Yue Ping returned to the village, his face grim and worried. He wasted no time, summoning every awakened individual in the community to gather.
“We’ve got serious trouble,” he said, voice low and tense. Everyone stiffened, bracing for bad news.
“What happened?” asked someone in the crowd.
Xu Yue Ping let out a strange chuckle, then quickly cleared his throat to hide it. “Feng Yi An, Shao Cheng Feng, and their crew… they might’ve all been wiped out by some monster in the mountains,” he said. The corners of his eyes crinkled, and though he tried to stay serious, a hint of relief danced on his face. He carefully poured himself a cup of Black Ant Tea, as if savoring this news.
Yang Yong Qing nearly jumped out of his seat. “You’re kidding! That’s huge!”
Xu Yue Ping nodded. “They’ve been missing for two days. I’d say it’s pretty likely they won’t be turning up again.”
Old Man Liu, who was too old to bother hiding his feelings, just muttered, “Ain’t that something. The mountains got ’em. Feng Yi An, Shao Cheng Feng, and their gang of bullies gone, just like that. That beast’s practically a mountain god now!” His words were blunt, but no one disagreed.
Qin Ming tried to keep a calm face, as if he was just as surprised as everyone else. He asked, “Uncle Xu, how do you know all this?” He tried to sound casual, maybe even a bit curious. After all, he couldn’t appear too relaxed, considering he had something to do with their disappearance.
Xu Yue Ping took a measured sip of tea. “A while ago, a whole squad of Mountain Patrol agents—dozens of ’em—burst into Green Mulberry Village. They were looking for Er Bing Zi’s distant cousin, Xu Kong.”
“Why him?” Qin Ming asked, puzzled.
“Green Mulberry Village didn’t plant any Black Moon seeds this time around, and Feng Yi An and Shao Cheng Feng visited Xu Kong right before they vanished,” Xu Yue Ping explained. “Seems suspicious, doesn’t it?”
Over at Green Mulberry Village, poor Xu Kong stood there, baffled. “What’s all this nonsense?” he grumbled to himself. He knew Feng Yi An and Shao Cheng Feng had never threatened him. They were way above his level, no reason to cause him trouble. Yet here he was, surrounded by a heavily armed patrol. Experts had joined in, too—sixty or seventy of them—encircling the place like they meant business.
Meanwhile, another squad, the one that went hunting blood snakes in Blood Bamboo Grove, found itself under suspicion. Their leader, Liu Huai Shan, was being grilled by several other squad captains, all glaring at him.
“What’s going on?” Liu Huai Shan yelped, looking cornered. “Sure, I wasn’t fond of Fu En Tao, but I’d never be stupid enough to kill him. That’d just bring a world of trouble on me.”
“So you claim,” someone retorted, narrowing his eyes. “Then why has your squad lost a few members lately? Why did you withdraw twelve sets of armor and buy so much poison? Are you denying that?”
Liu Huai Shan’s face went pale, and he spluttered, “That’s… that’s ridiculous! We got the armor and poison to hunt magical beasts in Blood Bamboo Grove.”
An elderly patrolman sneered. “Oh, really? Fu En Tao’s team was guarding that grove. You’ve admitted stepping into their territory. Of course there was a fight. Let me guess: after the blood snake battle weakened both sides, you seized the chance to finish off Fu En Tao’s group. Am I right?”
“I… I didn’t do that!” Liu Huai Shan exclaimed, nearly choking on his words. Yet he realized everything sounded terribly convenient. It was almost as if this story had been prepared just to blame him.
“Nothing to say, then?” the elder snapped.
“Wait!” Liu Huai Shan cried. “We saw someone else—a dark-faced man with a long sword. He cut down a blood snake right before our eyes. He’s been lurking around there for days! We could feel it—he hated the Mountain Patrol and even tried to kill us!”
“Take them all in for questioning,” another elder ordered, his tone icy.
The older experts in the Mountain Patrol frowned darkly. This was serious. No one had seen an entire patrol squad wiped out in years. If it was murder, it was a crime of the highest order. At once, they spread out, investigating every village in the area. One team came to Twin Trees Village, where Qin Ming, Xu Yue Ping, and the other awakened villagers lived. They even rounded up a few local loafers—troublemakers like Ma Yang, Wang You Ping, and Hu Yong—just to ask questions.
“Any of you have problems with the Mountain Patrol?” demanded a patrol agent, glaring at the group. “Any fights with Feng Yi An or Shao Cheng Feng?”
Ma Yang cleared his throat nervously. “Uh, well, Uncle Xu is always nice to everyone, and Old Man Liu’s legs aren’t exactly fit for fighting…”
From a distance, Old Man Liu flushed with anger, his mustache twitching furiously. If he were younger, he’d have given Ma Yang a swift kick for that comment.
“And Qin Ming,” Ma Yang continued, stumbling over his words, “I mean, he’s… he might’ve beaten us up once, but he’s actually a nice guy. He’s always sharing his hunts with the villagers, even people like us who don’t deserve it.” Wang You Ping and Hu Yong nodded quickly, backing him up.
The patrol agents eyed them suspiciously, but these were just ordinary villagers. Finding nothing out of place, they left without a word, moving on to check the next village.
By that evening, Liu Huai Shan and his few remaining men were forced to try drawing a likeness of the dark-faced swordsman they’d described. They weren’t much good at sketching, so they had to redo it several times until they were somewhat satisfied. Then they sent out copies of the drawing all over, hoping someone would recognize the culprit.
…
Later that night, Qin Ming, Xu Yue Ping, and Old Man Liu gathered around a small table, sipping from an old jar of wine that Old Man Liu had been saving for a decade. Even a few sips had them feeling warm and cheerful.
Xu Yue Ping couldn’t help laughing. “Remember when Little Qin kept cursing those bullies, saying something bad was bound to happen to them sooner or later? Seems like he was right after all! The mountain’s beast did them in!”
“Told ya,” Qin Ming said, grinning confidently. He tried to sound cool, like a teenage boy who’d just gotten the last laugh. “Even Heaven couldn’t stand those guys.” Of course, he meant himself as “Heaven,” but he didn’t say that out loud.
He was feeling fantastic. The second Awakening was nearly in his grasp. He could feel it—his strength was going to climb to incredible heights. Even the old wine tasted sweeter now.
Old Man Liu sighed, looking at the empty wine jar. “My last jar, gone at last. Ten years I waited, and now it’s finished.”
“Ah, don’t sweat it, Grandpa Liu,” Qin Ming said, sounding eager and confident. “I’ll get you like ten more jars once I’m done with all this Awakening stuff. By the way, I’ve been feeling really hot inside lately—like my body’s heating up. Is that normal for the second Awakening?” He sounded excited and a little impatient, like a boy waiting for a long-promised gift.
Old Man Liu’s eyes widened. “What? Already? You’re unbelievable, kid!”
…
Deep into the night, Qin Ming took out the blood snakes he’d hidden in his home. One of them bore deep wounds. He knew the man with the sword must’ve been unbelievably strong to cut down a blood snake so cleanly. That man was probably even more powerful than Qin Ming, and definitely faster. If they ever met again, Qin Ming would have to be careful. A fight with that swordsman wouldn’t be easy.
The thought cast a shadow over his mind. The mountains were getting more dangerous. Each passing day seemed to bring stronger enemies. Still, Qin Ming had already reached a point where his strength surpassed ordinary men. His second Awakening would push him even further, allowing him to lift unimaginable weights, maybe even doubling his power. It was something no one in Red Glow City had seen in centuries.
“Everything’s ready,” he said quietly, determination shining in his eyes. “Time for my second Awakening.”
Beyond the walls of the village, the moon shone high and bright, as though celebrating a silent festival of its own. And though Qin Ming didn’t know it, this would mark the start of a new chapter in his life—one where his strength and skill would soar beyond all common limits.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! May everyone enjoy good health and fortune.