Chapter 56: The Triple Threat
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“Why should we do it? What right do they have to demand our night silver?” Qin Ming fumed.
“We were barely surviving not long ago. Things have just started to improve. How could we endure Golden Rooster Ridge bleeding us dry like this?” someone else added, their voice filled with frustration.
Everyone was enraged.
Even though food had recently been brought in from outside using giant beasts, they still had to pay for it. Times were tough, and now there was no money left to pay tribute to Golden Rooster Ridge.
More importantly, they were expected to pay tribute to a bunch of thieves.
In this remote area, a family of three could barely get by on a single night silver coin for a month. And now, these two men sent by Golden Rooster Ridge were lounging around on the backs of chickens, demanding the equivalent of a month’s living expenses from each family. It was just too much.
And worst of all, no one even knew if this was a one-time demand or if it would become a regular occurrence. Would they come back for more later?
“These bandits truly have no shame!”
The villagers were incensed, ready to resist.
The two knights from Golden Rooster Ridge had already informed the villages and were now heading away from the village gate, but they could still hear the furious voices behind them.
“These peasants are way too riled up. We’d better let the higher-ups know. We don’t want them rebelling,” said one knight.
“Yeah, our fortress is vulnerable right now. Too much going on—got to keep things under control,” the other agreed.
…
“Isn’t Scarlet Dawn City going to do something about this?” someone asked, frustration thick in their voice.
The nearby villages were in turmoil. Everyone was talking about the situation, some even suggesting they contact the mountain patrol to step in, or at least report to Scarlet Dawn City to stop Golden Rooster Ridge from doing whatever they wanted during this tough winter.
An elderly man sighed. “The folks in Scarlet Dawn City probably don’t have time for this right now.”
“Why’s that?”
“A traveling merchant brought news. Two large groups are accusing the Scarlet Dawn City Lord, Ling Xu, of working with the higher beings of Black and White Mountain. They think he betrayed them in the last incident up in the mountains.”
According to the merchant, things were tense in Scarlet Dawn City. While there wasn’t any direct evidence, the groups believed Ling Xu had manipulated events against them, using one group against another.
Chances were this would all blow over eventually, but for now, the city’s leaders were too occupied.
Qin Ming stood in the dark of night, listening to the discussions, feeling his emotions boiling. No one could always stay calm—everyone had feelings.
After a moment, the glow surrounding Qin Ming faded, and he turned to go inside the cellar. He picked out two blood snakes, each about six or seven feet long, mutated once already.
He then took up a long-handled black hammer and started pounding the two snakes into paste on an iron plate, cooking them himself into a big pot of snake stew.
He had some things to settle before he left.
Not long after, Qin Ming found himself at his neighbor’s courtyard.
“Brother Lu, feeling any better? I caught a spirit beast in the mountains—it might help you heal,” Qin Ming said as he walked in.
He didn’t want to hide everything, so he told Lu Ze that the stew might not only help his injuries heal faster, but could even help him regenerate his strength.
Lu Ze, an honest man, was touched. He didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded heavily.
Liang Wan Qing, Lu Ze’s wife, had tears in her eyes. In a harsh world like this, for her husband to regain his strength would mean no longer living in fear each time he ventured into the mountains.
Qin Ming turned to her. “Sister-in-law, you should have some too. There’s plenty, and even if it doesn’t give you new strength, it’ll help you get healthier.”
“It smells amazing, Uncle Qin! I want some too!” Wen Rui, who hadn’t gone to sleep yet, sniffed the air like a little cat, practically drooling.
“You’re still too young, kiddo. It’s not good for you just yet. But look, Uncle brought you some fresh wild fruits—the best kind old Huang cultivated,” Qin Ming said, smiling as he ruffled Wen Rui’s hair.
Wen Rui’s eyes lit up, but he pouted a bit. “Uncle, last time you said these were grown by Uncle Niu.”
“Well, kind of,” Qin Ming laughed. The fruits were indeed from the Wild Ox Domain.
“Uncle, I want some too…” Wen Hui, barely two years old, woke up groggy.
And then, Qin Ming heard the squirrel chirping, bowing towards him in its little cage, its eyes fixed on the snake stew.
…
The next day, Qin Ming polished the white jade-iron knife—a weapon that, if drawn, must always taste the enemy’s blood.
He carefully concealed its shine, sheathing it properly.
Then, Qin Ming picked up a long wooden staff to use as a spear. He also found his old bow—today, he will be ready with both a spear and a bow.
Soon, he showed his incredible spear technique in the courtyard. The wooden staff moved like a dragon in his hands, spiraling through the air, almost as if it could soar to the heavens.
With a small shake of his hands, the staff split into dozens of afterimages, striking different points around him. Snowflakes drifting in the air were pierced through in an instant.
But as Qin Ming increased his force, the sturdy wooden staff couldn’t withstand his power and snapped into pieces.
He tried the bow and arrows next, but it was the same—either the string snapped, or the bow itself would break.
“Seems like this double threat of spear and bow isn’t going to work if I don’t have proper weapons,” Qin Ming muttered to himself.
He decided to head back into the mountains to find suitable weapons.
The great ravine was quiet, and the thieves from Golden Rooster Ridge had long left.
Qin Ming ventured into the gloomy underground caves, wandering for a while along the web of tunnels. He found broken armor, shattered weapons, and pools of dried blood. There were also severed horns and bones from various creatures.
Eventually, deep in the cavern, he discovered an altar shrouded in dark mist. Without hesitation, he kicked it over, releasing thick clouds of black fog.
But when the celestial glow from his body shone, the mist quickly dissipated.
“What were they doing here?” Qin Ming wondered aloud. He suspected that the two big bandit leaders were in league with the otherworldly beings who used fog to mask their actions.
After searching a bit more, he found some well-preserved weapons—a spear and a long knife—along with a bow that could just barely withstand his strength. He also gathered a bundle of iron arrows, enough to fill six quivers.
“Tonight, I’ll be a blade master, a spear saint, and an archery god—the triple threat!” Qin Ming whispered to himself.
He donned a set of shining armor, slung the bow across his back, gripped the heavy spear, and carried the engraved phoenix-blade as he stepped out of the cavern.
“Huh?” Qin Ming was surprised to see Old Liu outside the great ravine.
He made no effort to hide himself, approaching directly.
Old Liu’s expression was serious. “I heard you’d gone into the mountains, figured you might come here. You’re not planning on taking on Golden Rooster Ridge, are you?”
Ever since their last expedition together—when they destroyed the ant nest—Old Liu had seen Qin Ming’s strength far above his level. It had been a wake-up call, making a lot of things suddenly make sense.
In addition, Old Liu witnessed Qin Ming quickly mastering the Celestial Light Technique at Old Wu’s place. It was shocking, but it also made Old Liu realize that Qin Ming could probably handle the four-time awakened ones—and seemed keen to do so.
Qin Ming noticed that the old man was sharp, having guessed quite a bit.
“If you really want to take on Golden Rooster Ridge, I know I can’t stop you. But don’t rush. Wait another day or two,” Old Liu advised.
“Why?”
Old Liu’s face was grave. “Golden Rooster Ridge became what it is because the infamous Golden Bandits used it as a base while traveling between two major areas. Though they’ve almost abandoned it, if you’re unlucky enough to run into them, it could get messy.”
Qin Ming took a deep breath of the cold air, and snowflakes swirled around him. “Old man, are you some kind of bad luck charm? Now that you’ve said that, it feels like I’m bound to run into trouble.”
Of course, he didn’t really believe in luck—just his own strength.
Old Liu continued, “Let me gather some intel first. You can wait a day or two, can’t you?”
“How could you have connections that can track the Golden Bandits?” Qin Ming asked, puzzled.
“It’s not that I’ve got connections. It’s more about reading the situation. It’s said that whenever the Golden Bandits plan to show up, the two leaders from Golden Rooster Ridge will send people ahead to prepare rare ingredients, buy fine wines, and even invite the most beautiful dancers.”
Qin Ming nodded immediately. That sounded reliable. He’d wait for Old Liu’s word.
After hiding his weapons in the mountains, he went back to the village with Old Liu, carrying some game as a cover.
The village was in an uproar again—Golden Rooster Ridge had returned.
“Who do you think we’re doing this for? We’re just trying to protect you all, which is why we’re recruiting new fighters.”
Golden Rooster Ridge already knew the villagers were angry, and they had come to try to smooth things over, offering some weak explanations.
“The other day, we fought those creatures in the great ravine to keep the outer villages safe. We took heavy losses for you—nearly wiped out!”
The villagers only glared at them. Everyone knew Golden Rooster Ridge had gone in for the rare resources and had just been unlucky. Now they wanted to claim they’d done it for the villagers?
“Our leaders are being understanding. They’ve decided to collect the night silver next month instead, giving you more time to prepare.”
It was obvious their excuses were useless, only making the villagers angrier. In the end, Golden Rooster Ridge was still extorting them. The “protection tax” wasn’t going anywhere, and many were ready to fight.
“These peasants are just too much!” The men from Golden Rooster Ridge eventually left in a hurry.
Later that day, Old Liu returned with news: Golden Rooster Ridge wasn’t making any major moves, and only the two leaders and their close allies were in the fortress.
“Also, two traveling merchants showed up in Silver Vine Town with news that Scarlet Dawn City is getting a new city lord. Ling Xu isn’t in any trouble, but he’s being reassigned.”
Qin Ming nodded. Now was the perfect time to make his move.
“Some big organizations suspect the Scarlet Dawn City Lord was colluding with those otherworldly beings. They might also suspect that Golden Rooster Ridge had inside help. They can’t touch Ling Xu, but they sure could wipe out Golden Rooster Ridge,” Qin Ming mused.
He then continued to himself, “The two leaders of Golden Rooster Ridge colluded with those outside, and now one of their allies is mysteriously dead. Wouldn’t his peers and elders suspect Golden Rooster Ridge?”
The shallow night was ending as Qin Ming set out for the mountains once more. He changed into his armor, grabbed his weapons, and headed fifty miles towards Golden Rooster Ridge.
The darkness was thick, and the journey was long. Most people wouldn’t dare travel alone after the shallow night ended.
Sure enough, Qin Ming faced danger along the way. A beast, its body glowing with purple light, suddenly lunged at him from the woods.
It had a horse-like head but was clearly not a horse. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth, and its body was like that of a tiger or leopard, with long, powerful limbs ending in hooves.
Its silky coat shimmered with purple light, giving it an almost regal appearance. As it leaped at Qin Ming, its huge hooves aimed straight for his head.
“A Thunder Beast?” Qin Ming exclaimed, recognizing the creature.
The Thunder Beast was a newly mutated creature known for its incredible speed—even faster than most four- or five-time mutated beasts.
It seemed spooked, fleeing the mountains, and lashed out at Qin Ming simply for being in its way.
Qin Ming sidestepped the massive hoof, then quickly moved closer, brushing against its shimmering coat.
The Thunder Beast was stunned. What kind of freak was this? How could just a touch stick to it like glue?
The adhesive property of Qin Ming’s Celestial Light Technique had kicked in. Once his finger brushed its coat, there was no escape. He then planted his whole hand on it, and soon swung himself up, sitting astride the beast.
“Quit struggling, just give me a ride!” Qin Ming said.
The Thunder Beast, known for being untamable, bucked wildly, trying to throw him off.
Without hesitation, Qin Ming drew his gleaming knife and pressed it to the creature’s neck. “Keep it up, and I’ll just kill you,” he warned, the beast’s glowing purple mane already in tatters.
The Thunder Beast tensed, casting a glance towards the depths of the mountains before finally giving in, charging forward instead.
In the dark of the deep night, Qin Ming rode on, the beast’s purple glow lighting his way as they sped toward Golden Rooster Ridge.