Chapter 11: The Fall
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Feng Yian stood straight and tall, his beard like steel spikes sticking out from his chin. His eyes were sharp, and his voice was commanding, giving him the air of someone direct and straightforward. But Qin Ming, watching him carefully, saw the truth hidden beneath that act. He hated Feng Yian with a passion.
“We deeply regret what happened. We’ll hunt down that Blood Bear as soon as we can to make things right,” Feng Yian said, his face set in a look of sincerity that only made Qin Ming’s hatred burn deeper.
Old Liu, standing beside him, let out a tired sigh. He had already asked them to guard the mountain forest better to prevent any more mutated beasts from escaping and causing trouble. Even at his age, his anger was clear. These men had come to offer their apologies after committing murder. Who did they think they were fooling? Their empty show of regret, coming to the village like this, was an insult. It felt like they were rubbing salt into the wounds of the victims’ families. It showed that they didn’t take the village seriously and weren’t afraid of any consequences.
“Some of our brothers were injured, you see. We didn’t have enough people patrolling the mountains, which led to this mistake,” Feng Yian went on, repeating his excuses. Then, his tone shifted as he spoke to Xu Yue Ping. “Brother Xu, could you hurry up and plant the Black Moon Herb for us? The patrolmen need it for healing. It will help them guard the mountains better.”
Xu Yue Ping’s face reddened with barely controlled anger, but he held himself together.
“We’ll set off right away. We won’t leave the mountains until we’ve killed the Blood Bear. Brother Xu, could you help comfort the families of the dead and injured for us?” Feng Yian added, his tone polite but lacking in any real feeling.
To Qin Ming, this fake kindness was revolting. He couldn’t stand the hypocrisy dripping from every word Feng Yian spoke.
Xu Yue Ping gave Qin Ming a light tap on the arm, signaling him to keep calm. Then he stood up to see the patrolmen off, clearly worried that Qin Ming might do something rash in his youthful temper.
Qin Ming understood that if he were to kill any of these men now, it would lead to a bloodbath. Other patrol groups would come for revenge, and the whole Twin Trees Village would get caught in the crossfire.
He knew he had to hold back. Rising, he followed Xu Yue Ping and Yang Yong Qing, joining them in seeing the patrolmen off.
As the patrolmen disappeared into the dimness of the wild, Yang Yong Qing muttered under his breath, “I’m about to lose my mind with frustration!”
“Can we report this to the higher-ups?” Qin Ming asked, his brow furrowed with thought.
“What grounds do we have to complain?” Old Liu replied bitterly. “According to the rules, we’re supposed to provide four to eight Black Moon Herbs, and this time the patrol group only asked for the minimum of four. You say it’s mutated seeds, but how do we prove it? They look exactly the same. We can only guess based on last year’s poor harvest and the way Feng Yian and his men are acting that they’ve finally succeeded in cultivating the mutated seeds.”
Old Liu’s voice dropped lower as he continued, “And there’s another important reason—they wouldn’t act so boldly if they hadn’t already smoothed things over with the right people.”
Xu Yue Ping nodded. “The goodwill left by a highly respected patrolman is enough for their descendants to squander for ten generations.”
Feng Yian and his men had come with fake kindness just to pressure Xu Yue Ping into planting the herbs. They didn’t use threats; instead, they were overly polite, even gentle. But in this situation, their words stung worse than any threat could.
Qin Ming let out a long breath, his frustration simmering. “They’re really pushing it!”
He then asked, “Is the Black Moon Herb really that important?”
Xu Yue Ping’s face grew serious as he nodded. “After it mutates, its value becomes incredibly high. Some say that long-term consumption might even give someone a slim chance of experiencing a second awakening.”
Old Liu, still wiping blood from his hands, added, “Patrolmen like them, wandering in deep mountains for years, must have seen some high-level creatures. Who wouldn’t want to ascend further? Even an old man like me would want to experience a second awakening—to extend life and regain some youth. Who wouldn’t desire that?”
He paused, his eyes darkening as he continued, “But people need to have boundaries. Acting like this, they’re no longer worthy of being patrolmen—they’re worse than mountain monsters!”
“A second awakening…” Qin Ming murmured, lost in thought.
Xu Yue Ping placed a hand on his shoulder, his expression softening. “You’ve got a good chance, Qin Ming. According to local records, those with a solid foundation can achieve a second awakening in less than two months.”
The villagers who had gone into the mountains that day returned bloodied and battered. Some were severely injured, and it wasn’t clear if they would survive. The cries of their families filled the cold evening air. Xu Yue Ping moved from house to house, offering whatever help he could, his chest heaving with barely contained anger.
Wang Qing Lin, a middle-aged man, lay unconscious on a heated bed. Even though he was awakened, his injuries were among the worst. After resetting his shattered bones, Old Liu wiped his hands clean of blood and said gravely, “A broken bone piercing the internal organs—if it weren’t for our kind’s strong life force, this would’ve been a fatal wound.”
Qin Ming watched carefully, his suspicions sharpening. He was convinced that this was the work of someone disguised in a Blood Bear’s skin.
The village was steeped in sorrow. Children quietly wiped their tears, and the joy of the adults’ recent hunting success was gone. Some villagers had also run into mutated Snow Apes, their wounds ragged and raw.
“Two years ago, the patrol group seemed to have tamed one,” Yang Yong Qing whispered, his face dark.
Xu Yue Ping’s expression turned grim, and Old Liu sighed deeply.
As Qin Ming walked home, his heart felt heavy. He knew he had to do something, but what? The only good news was that Lu Ze had woken up. Given his strong constitution, he should recover without any lasting problems.
Qin Ming decided not to tell him the truth, fearing it would stir up his emotions and delay his healing.
“Brother Lu, how many people are usually in a patrol group?” Qin Ming asked, his mind turning over plans and possibilities, eager to understand their strength.
“Between eight and twelve,” replied Lu Ze, his voice steady despite the weight of his words. “The group watching our area has nine members now, and only their leader has achieved a second awakening—a very strong one.”
“What’s his name again?” asked Qin Ming.
“Fu En Tao,” said Lu Ze with a sigh. “He doesn’t show his face much.”
Lu Ze paused for a moment, his eyes clouded with thoughts. “For most, giving everything they’ve got just to achieve that first awakening is already a lot. But a second awakening… that’s beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. It’s like a bridge too far to cross.”
Qin Ming frowned. “Seems like this Fu guy’s got the others on a tight leash.”
Lu Ze nodded in agreement. “The first awakening gives a big boost in physical strength, but a second awakening? That doubles it.”
“In our area, those who’ve had their first awakening can lift about 500 pounds, tops. What about Fu En Tao?” Qin Ming asked, a curious look in his eyes.
Lu Ze thought back, his brow furrowing. “Back then, Fu En Tao wasn’t near that ceiling.”
He turned his gaze to Qin Ming. “You, though—you had your awakening at the perfect age and with such a strong foundation. When your second awakening happens, it’s going to be intense.”
Qin Ming nodded slowly, piecing things together in his mind. In terms of raw strength, even Fu En Tao, with his second awakening, might not match Qin Ming’s first.
He rose to his feet. “Alright, get some rest, Brother Lu. Don’t worry ‘bout anything. I’m here, aren’t I?”
He left Lu Ze to his rest and headed back to his yard. There, Qin Ming began practicing his combat techniques. Life in these perilous mountains had taught him much, and he was no stranger to survival. Even before his awakening, he could break green bricks with his bare hands. Now, his strength was even greater.
He swung his leg in a powerful arc, shattering a stump as thick as a man’s thigh with a single blow. When he switched to his long-practiced “wild strikes,” his focus sharpened to a razor’s edge. His muscles rippled with golden waves as he delivered a light but crushing blow to another stump, splintering it into pieces.
Later, after he had eaten his evening meal, Qin Ming made his way to Xu Yue Ping’s home. “Uncle Xu, still fuming?”
“They’ve crossed the line this time,” Xu Yue Ping growled, his face dark with anger.
“Come on now. Qin Ming, come talk some sense into him, would ya? He hasn’t even touched his dinner,” pleaded Xu Yue Ping’s wife, worry etched across her face.
“Auntie, leave it to me,” Qin Ming said with a nod as he took a seat inside.
Having calmed his mind with combat practice, Qin Ming was now ready to talk strategy with Xu Yue Ping.
“You’re saying I should agree to their demands?” Xu Yue Ping shot back, his eyes narrowing as he looked up at Qin Ming.
He was clearly frustrated, his face growing colder by the second. “Do you know what that means? Next year, the flame fields will take a heavy hit. That could mean famine!”
“Uncle, just listen to me first, okay?” Qin Ming said quickly, sensing he might have pushed too far too fast.
“Speak, then!”
“It’s early spring still,” Qin Ming began, his voice steady but urgent. “Why not agree for now? If something happens—like, say, those guys end up getting wiped out during the mountain sweep, or maybe some crazy beast shows up and takes them out tonight, or maybe the mountain’s magnetic field messes with their heads…”
Xu Yue Ping stared at him, his expression puzzled as Qin Ming rattled off these curses with a straight face.
Qin Ming went on to explain that if anything did happen to those men and an investigation followed, anyone holding a grudge against the patrol group would fall under suspicion. It’d be best to clear the air now to avoid unnecessary trouble later.
Xu Yue Ping wasn’t convinced. “How likely are those ‘what ifs’ you’re dreaming up? You’re letting your imagination run wild, boy.”
Qin Ming’s face turned serious. “Uncle Xu, all I’m saying is we play along for now and wait for the right moment.”
He explained his plan: they could toss the seeds into the Flame Spring for the time being and fish them out later after the patrolmen left, or use the mountain’s unique clear mineral gel to coat the seeds and cut them off from the effects of the Flame Spring.
Qin Ming added, “Right now, every family’s short on food. Let’s make sure the villagers can hunt safely in the mountains first.”
Xu Yue Ping let out a deep sigh. He could see the sense in what Qin Ming was saying—if they couldn’t survive the current crisis, there was no point in worrying about next year’s famine.
“Alright, but what happens after we get through this?” He still looked troubled. Feng Yian and his men were not the forgiving type; their revenge would be brutal.
Qin Ming’s eyes were fierce. “Uncle, in a bit, I might just get my second awakening. Then, we can have a proper chat with them.”
“They’ve got someone backing them, you know,” Xu Yue Ping said, rubbing his temples. Suddenly, his face lit up as if he’d remembered something. “Qin Ming, with your first awakening, can you lift nearly 600 pounds?”
“Yeah, I can.”
Xu Yue Ping jumped up from his chair. “That’s impressive, even for Scarlet Dawn City.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to Silver Vine Town.”
Qin Ming felt uneasy under Xu Yue Ping’s eager gaze. “Uncle Xu, shouldn’t we be focusing on fixing our problems here first?”
“Feng Yian mentioned that if we reconsider, we could meet him in town. Besides, there’s someone in Silver Vine Town who might be a good match for you.”
“What?” Qin Ming blurted out, caught off guard.
Xu Yue Ping explained that a mysterious old nobleman had recently settled in the town, and he had a very beautiful daughter who was of marriageable age.
Qin Ming shook his head. “Uncle Xu, I think we’re just askin’ to be laughed at here.”
Before, Xu Yue Ping wouldn’t have dared to even think about it, but the nobleman had spread word that he was looking for a son-in-law based not on background, but on personal qualities.
Given Qin Ming’s extraordinary foundation, even in a far-off city like Scarlet Dawn, he’d be considered exceptional. This gave Xu Yue Ping confidence.
He whispered, “If this works out, we could solve our problem with the patrol group once and for all.”
Qin Ming grumbled but went along with it. Xu Yue Ping kept him up late, drinking to seal the plan.
The next day, before the night mist had even lifted, Xu Yue Ping came to fetch Qin Ming.
“Uncle Xu, isn’t this a bit too early?”
“I know you’re not all in yet, but don’t worry. When we get there, you don’t have to go to their house right away. I’ll go talk to the old noble first and see what he says.”
Xu Yue Ping reckoned that taking a chance was better than doing nothing at all.
The shallow night was still dark, and the thick woods lined the road. The cries of wild beasts and strange birds echoed from afar.
Qin Ming and Xu Yue Ping trudged through the snow, making their way toward Silver Vine Town, about a dozen miles away. They stopped suddenly halfway there. In the distance, the forest erupted in a bright red light, piercing through the night fog and lighting up the surroundings.
A swarm of “Red Butterflies” had appeared, their fiery wings painting the dark sky in blazing hues, fluttering in all directions.