Chapter 60: A Familiar Stranger?
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The two men were tall, their golden armor shimmering even under the dim moonlight, reminding Qin Ming of the legendary six Ding and six Jia warriors he’d heard about in old tales. There was something extraordinary about them, an energy of life that seemed to burst out from their bodies, and even their armor couldn’t hide it.
Qin Ming watched them closely. He’d never seen these four before, but the one who really caught his attention was the woman leading them.
“Wow, she’s beautiful,” he thought. The more he looked, the more her beauty seemed to stand out—not just a surface-level attractiveness, but something deeper. Her black hair flowed like a waterfall, and she stood calmly by the roadside, her figure slender like a willow tree swaying gently in the breeze. Even in the dark, without the light of a bonfire, there was something about her that seemed to want to banish the darkness, like she was ready to rise up and take the misty night with her.
Qin Ming didn’t linger. He urged his Lightning Beast forward, ready to zoom past.
The young maid by the woman’s side opened her mouth as if to say something but then remembered what her lady had said—this wasn’t the time to reconnect—and she closed it again. Qin Ming’s sharp eyes caught the hesitation in the maid’s expression. Nothing could escape him now, not even in the dead of night.
He also noticed that the lady seemed to be watching him. Curious, Qin Ming glanced at her. They were so close that he could even see the details of the patterns on her hair ornaments. Her silver feathered dress flowed effortlessly, her face untouched by makeup yet flawless, like a bright moon cutting through the clouds. She stood there in such quiet elegance, seemingly glowing under the night sky.
He frowned slightly. Not long ago, he had been attacked by some outsider capable of turning into mist, and two years back, he was nearly killed by a young outsider in a feathered cloak. It was what led him to this distant place.
Naturally, Qin Ming was wary of anyone from outside his world. The woman in the silver dress, for all her beauty, only received two calm glances before he rode away on his beast.
Li Qing Yue turned, watching his departing back. She had thought it best not to see him again, yet fate had brought them here. She considered whether to say something, but he had just rushed by, unaffected, calm—as though she hadn’t even been there.
Li Qing Yue frowned, puzzled. She wasn’t wearing a veil—he should have recognized her—but his gaze had been so calm, so deep, like still water. Had things really changed that much in just over two years? Did everything familiar truly seem so different now?
The maid spoke up, “Miss, is there something between you two? It feels kind of odd. You said you didn’t want to meet him, but he seemed even colder, even indifferent. If we hadn’t looked his way first, it’s like he wouldn’t have even noticed us. He’s so cold, so heartless!”
Li Qing Yue shook her head. “You’re overthinking. He and I were friends once, nothing more.”
The maid nodded in understanding. “He’s from the same circle as you, right? Just that.”
Li Qing Yue sighed. “A lot happened two years ago. All the people we knew went their separate ways. Some became outsiders, others forged new paths, some became figures of influence, while others faded into ordinariness, even if their families were still prominent. I just don’t know why he’s here.”
“Which group is he in?” the maid asked cautiously.
“He’s like a shadow, a person almost unreal. Let’s move on.” Li Qing Yue started walking toward Silver Vine Town.
…
“Weird, she seemed kind of familiar,” Qin Ming muttered to himself as he rode on.
He evaluated the lady in his mind. She was so delicate-looking; if she didn’t use any of those unpredictable outsider techniques, Qin Ming figured he could probably knock her flying with a single punch. He shook his head, tapping his beast with a broken spear to speed up their journey.
“Alright, you’re free to go now,” Qin Ming called out after riding in a big loop. They were now about eighty miles away from Twin Trees Village. He planned to let the beast go.
The Lightning Beast looked surprised. It had been ready for the worst—to put up with things for now, and maybe take its revenge later. But being set free was the last thing it expected.
“Still standing there? What are you waiting for?” Qin Ming shouted, kicking the beast’s rear.
The beast leaped forward, angered, and ran dozens of meters away before turning back, raising a hoof to point at him while growling low as if trying to say something.
“What are you whining about? Wanna die?” Qin Ming hefted his broken spear menacingly.
The beast shivered, then bounded away into the forest, disappearing from sight.
Qin Ming started his journey back, not taking the same path. Instead, he went through the woods, where he buried his armor, weapons, and bows deep in the ground, abandoning them entirely.
He figured he wouldn’t need armor anymore. With multiple types of Celestial Light energy coursing through him, coating his skin, his natural defenses were now better than armor. Even the mutated old golden chicken, with its deadly Phoenix One-Winged Attack, could cut through his old armor but couldn’t pierce his Celestial Light shield.
With just a jade metal knife strapped to his back, Qin Ming traveled light and moved much faster. He slipped back into the village, snowflakes falling around him, and it wasn’t even that late yet—he had only been out for a few hours.
His mood was light; after all, he had single-handedly taken down Golden Rooster Ridge!
“After such a long night—traveling and fighting—I’m actually feeling a bit hungry.” He grabbed some fruits from Wild Ox Ridge, and soon enough, he had a hot pot of beef boiling before him.
In the mountains, the Lightning Beast was fuming, ramming into trees—thick trunks splintering under its rage.
A white owl flew by, urging it to calm down. “No need to lose your temper,” it said.
Then it asked quietly, “Did you see the mountain lord? Did you get the yin-yang elixir?”
“That old boar is hiding something. I didn’t even get close before I turned and ran,” the beast said.
The owl was surprised. “Why call it a boar? It’s the mountain lord. What could be wrong?”
“The mountain lord’s been replaced!” the beast declared.
“By who?” the owl asked, stunned.
“I think it’s that old white-haired beast that used to cry by the graves. It didn’t die. Didn’t run away either. Instead, it took over as the mountain lord.”
“So, what now? Everyone knows the ancient tree remnants on Black and White Mountain—its roots, trunk, and all—were nourished by Celestial Light, turning into a yin-yang elixir. Every group wants it, especially the outsiders. They crave it, with its yin-yang energy. If too many people eye it, will you still get a chance?”
“Get an elder involved. I can’t handle this alone,” the beast sighed.
Then, shaking with fury, it added, “And you—go find out about a young man. Looks like he’s had four or five awakenings. He’s not local—his accent gives him away as being from a big city. Find out who’s been coming to the Black and White Mountain area lately. When I get my hands on him, I’m gonna crush his head!”
Recalling what had happened earlier, the beast still felt like exploding, and it rushed off to soak in a Flame Spring as if trying to wash away its shame.
Qin Ming spoke in the local accent most of the time. But since he’d started getting flashes of those fragmented memories—those hazy images—he had picked up the far-off accent as well. Tonight, he’d been pretending to be an outsider.
As he sorted through his spoils, Qin Ming found some papers tucked inside a book. They were letters between two infamous bandits and an old master from the Golden Thieves.
“The Golden Thieves are colluding with the outsiders? Could that mist guy even be one of their beasts?”
Qin Ming didn’t dwell on it—all the leads had ended at Golden Rooster Ridge anyway.
The next morning, Qin Ming felt refreshed. After finally dealing with the bandits, he figured it was time to move on.
“Hey, Qin!” Old Liu was knocking on his door early. When he saw Qin Ming at home, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“All done,” Qin Ming said simply.
Old Liu knew what he’d done the previous night—gone off to deal with something big. Hearing those words, Old Liu was so excited that he took a deep breath, trying not to shout in joy.
“You’re really something else!” Old Liu marveled. After just three awakenings, Qin Ming had taken down the notorious bandits at Golden Rooster Ridge all by himself!
Satisfied, Old Liu went back home, opened a jar of good wine he’d brought back from the mountain patrol group, and happily sipped it. He knew it wouldn’t be long before things got really interesting around here.
“Yong Qing! Come have a drink with me!” he called to his neighbor, Yang Yong Qing.
“Uncle Liu, I’m about to become a mountain bandit! How can I think about drinking?” Yong Qing sighed.
Old Liu laughed. “You haven’t left yet. Might as well drink while you can. Who knows? Maybe they’ll change their minds and not force people to join Golden Rooster Ridge.”
Yong Qing sighed again. “Not unless they all drop dead. No way they’re changing their minds with how forceful they are.”
Qin Ming was waiting for things to unravel. If he disappeared right away, it might seem suspicious to some. For now, he was examining the three books he’d picked up. Two were written by the bandits to teach the newbies at Golden Rooster Ridge. Qin Ming found them beneath him.
The third book, though—an old, yellowed one—caught his interest. It described an awakening technique focused on using soft power to overcome strength. It also mentioned a martial art called Yellow Mud Palm Strike.
Qin Ming hadn’t delved into it yet, only skimmed through it, but the name didn’t sound particularly impressive. Still, someone who had mastered it had left notes in the book, saying they had once killed an outsider using Yellow Mud Palm.
“Seems like outsiders really put a lot of pressure on others who choose different paths,” Qin Ming mused. “Killing one was such a big deal to this master that he had to write it down as a major achievement.”
He hadn’t even left this remote area yet and had already encountered outsiders twice. Naturally, his thoughts drifted to the woman in the feathered dress he had met last night. She did seem familiar.
Qin Ming pondered, her elegant, refined face appearing in his mind. Her unique grace wasn’t something you saw every day. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he knew her from somewhere.
Finally, fragmented memories surfaced. He did know her!
“No wonder she stopped and looked at me. She must have recognized me. I had forgotten things after being badly hurt, but now I’m starting to remember. She stood there, not acknowledging me, as if purposely avoiding something.”