Chapter 79: True Friends
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
No matter how mature Qin Ming tried to be, he was still just a teenager. He didn’t hide his feelings at all. “Why should I?” he snapped, his frustration clear in his voice.
Meng Xing Hai chuckled and said, “You have to hold the ‘rules’ to speak reason, right?”
At that moment, Qin Ming held the White Jade Alloy Blade in his hand. He wasn’t really unable to control himself, but he did want to let a bit of his youthful spirit show, especially in front of an elder.
“I saved him from trouble, and in the end, he was unhappy with me. Where’s the justice in that?” Qin Ming muttered, clearly irritated by everything that had happened.
“It seems that although you’ve lived with the Cui family for more than ten years, you’ve never really seen yourself as one of them,” Meng Xing Hai observed.
Qin Ming froze for a moment before realizing what Meng meant.
“Is it because the Cui heir seems so noble and unreachable?” he asked calmly.
“Exactly. From his perspective, understanding his feelings might make you even angrier,” Meng said with a faint smile.
Qin Ming thought about it for a moment and decided it was best to just ignore Cui Chong He altogether. Why bother trying to understand why the guy was upset?
From Cui Chong He’s point of view, Qin Ming’s status was so low it could be ignored. Walking alongside his fiancée was a serious overstep.
Meng Xing Hai added, “You think you saved him from trouble, but to someone like Cui, a true son of a millennial clan, your feelings aren’t something he’d ever care about.”
Qin Ming laughed bitterly. “Guess I’m just an ordinary guy. I’ve lived with the Cui family for years but never picked up that air of nobility. I can’t just slip into that kind of mindset.”
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. His so-called maturity and calmness had vanished; he could barely suppress the fire burning inside him. Clearly, in Cui Chong He’s eyes, he was just a disposable servant, raised by the Cui family to die for them. How could someone like that walk alongside a direct descendant of the Wang family?
Qin Ming thought back on his time at the Cui family—the hierarchy was as strict as ever. He risked his life to save someone, and in the end, he “offended” them for it?
Meng Xing Hai said, “To be fair, Cui Chong He is exceptionally talented, almost like an immortal in the making. The old master hadn’t taken a disciple in over a hundred years but made an exception for him, taking him away when he was just three or four.”
Meng was subtly reminding Qin Ming not to be too rash. There was a huge difference between their circumstances and capabilities. Qin Ming nodded, suddenly realizing that Cui Chong He’s senior brothers and sisters were all over a hundred years old now. If they were still alive, that was terrifying.
At that moment, he felt a strong urge to become stronger, to head into the deep mountains and marshes in search of spiritual substances. He also longed for another spring thunder.
There was a saying that it was safest to enter the Thunderfire Refinement Temple when the first spring thunder rolled each year, as it created the richest spiritual substances. But Qin Ming was determined to try at other times too.
“The Li family, Wang family, and Cui family—they’re like three immovable mountains. And I’m just an ordinary guy. I don’t want to get involved with them,” Qin Ming sighed.
Meng Xing Hai told him that the Wang family was furious when they found out they’d been deceived. The Cui family had originally planned to eliminate the fake Cui Chong He quickly to calm things down.
“Cui Old Seventh is a sentimental person. He said he treated you like his own nephew, and he refused to kill you. He almost fell out with some people in the Cui family over it.”
It was only because Cui Hao stepped in, and the situation got a bit out of hand, that the Cui family had to hold back. They didn’t want to gain a reputation for being ruthless and unkind.
“So, I’ve been at death’s door many times without even knowing it,” Qin Ming murmured. The millennial clans were simply too vast and powerful for him. He even thought about leaving and traveling far away.
Meng Xing Hai seemed to read his thoughts. He said, “You should stay in Red Glow City for now. When spring comes, those ancient sects and some special academies will start recruiting disciples. You could look into it. Some organizations aren’t very fond of the noble families.”
Being from a noble family himself, Meng didn’t want to say too much on the subject.
Qin Ming’s mind wandered. The Night Fog World was vast but full of dangers. Where could someone like him fit in?
Meng Xing Hai reassured him, “Don’t worry. The token I gave you is still useful. In Red Glow City, you won’t need to worry about safety for a while.”
Qin Ming examined the token. It was made of dark jade, with the character “Meng” on one side and “Patrol” on the other.
“Thanks, Uncle Meng!” Qin Ming immediately stood up to show his gratitude.
This token was something Meng had brought from the Meng family, and it was no ordinary token. Meng Xing Hai had carved the patrol character himself to give Qin Ming authority—he could patrol the city and even the mountains.
With this token, Qin Ming was temporarily under Meng’s protection.
Meng Xing Hai added, “I’ve told you all of this because Qing Yue asked me to look out for you. Some people don’t care who Cui Chong He is; they just know someone they used to call a friend once used that name. But I must also warn you—many others do care about that name. You must be very cautious if you meet any old acquaintances.”
Qin Ming nodded solemnly. “If Qing Yue ever gets in trouble, no matter how far away, as soon as I hear about it, I’ll rush over to help.”
If it hadn’t been for Li Qing Yue, Meng Xing Hai wouldn’t have known who Qin Ming was. Even if he’d heard of him, there’d have been no reason to look after him.
Back when Qin Ming was living in Clear River City under the name Cui Chong He, he’d had many friends. But now, there were only a few who could still be called true friends.
Meng Xing Hai said, “Qing Yue told me that real friends, the closer they are to you, the more trouble they can bring.”
“I understand!” Qin Ming nodded. The Cui family had wanted to make him disappear to appease the Wang family. If he got back into that circle, and interacted with familiar people, it would surely lead to trouble.
Qin Ming felt a dull anger in his chest, but the circumstances were beyond his control. They’d already drawn the line—there were places he couldn’t go and people he couldn’t meet.
“With my talent, I should be able to rise quickly. Once I’m strong enough, I’ll go to the Cui family and get that silk script. But if I re-enter that circle, Cui Chong He, Li Qing Xu, and even some from the Wang family will likely target me. The road ahead will be full of challenges, but I need to grow fast,” Qin Ming thought to himself.
The path ahead was anything but smooth—it was full of obstacles—but it also filled him with determination. There was a fire in his eyes.
If he didn’t have confidence in himself, he might as well go back to Black and White Mountain and hide away in that remote place.
Meng Xing Hai said, “And I’m not just telling you this because of Qing Yue. I think you have potential. Last time, I noticed you entered the Thunderfire Refinement Temple.”
His honesty startled Qin Ming. Hadn’t he managed to keep that a secret?
Meng Xing Hai smiled. “Relax, I’m the only one in Red Glow City who noticed. I saw you leave alive.”
“That’s a relief!” Qin Ming let out a breath.
“Besides you, that boy Qian Cheng also made it out, but he disappeared mysteriously the next day.”
Qin Ming knew who he meant—the quiet boy who wasn’t really stupid.
“I’m not joking. Look into those ancient sects and special academies. There are places where even the noble families can’t exert too much influence,” Meng Xing Hai said again as Qin Ming got up to leave.
“Thanks, Uncle Meng!”
Qin Ming left the City Lord’s Mansion and returned to the inn. He played with the dark jade token, lost in thought. If he went into the mountains, he’d be part of the Mountain Patrol Group, and at a pretty high level, too.
He had mixed feelings because the first time he’d ever killed someone, it had been members of the Mountain Patrol Group, Fu En Tao and Feng Yi An.
In a box on the upper floor of a nearby restaurant, a group of men closed the window. They had just been watching Qin Ming head to the inn.
“He dares meddle in Hall of Righteousness’s business. Seems like he really does have connections in the City Lord’s Mansion. Leave him alone.”
“Not only that, look at this. Someone gave us this drawing and told us to keep an eye on him. The boy might be someone important.”
“If we can’t figure someone out, better to stay away. Keep an eye on him, but if a client wants us to make a move, we’ll have to decline.”
“For now, it doesn’t look like anyone wants us to make a move, and it seems like he’s from far away.”
——
Over the next two days, Qin Ming and Wu Zheng looked through records of the groups and sects that had selected disciples in Red Glow City over the years.
Qin Ming suspected that Meng Xing Hai was referring to the special academies. They held public exams, open to everyone, even noble children, who couldn’t just enter without going through the tests.
Unless someone had extraordinary talent and could prove it through real feats, everyone had to go through the same testing process.
Afterward, Qin Ming began studying the map of the mountain range outside Red Glow City. He wanted to look for spiritual substances—the Cui, Wang, and Li families had provoked him, and he wanted nothing more than to rise up immediately.
The next day, he went to an old weapons shop and bought a Black Metal Hammer. It still had a long handle, but it was much heavier than the one he used before.
“Brother Qin, looks like you really wasted those fifteen pieces of Daylight Gold at my place. Didn’t learn anything from the Dual Art of Spear and Arrow and switched to the hammer?” Wu Zheng sounded disappointed. There was no one to spar with. Unlike Old Man Wu, Wu Zheng wasn’t that conservative—he really wanted Qin Ming to train him.
Qin Ming smiled. “I actually know a bit about spear techniques. If you’ve got questions, you can ask me anytime. But right now, I’m training with the hammer to deal with tough-skinned beasts. Lighter weapons are too soft to handle those massive creatures.”
He was preparing to head into the mountains. With nearly five thousand pounds of strength, he could take on someone who had awakened six or seven times without much trouble.
If anyone tried to snatch his opportunity again, he’d show them what it meant when one strike opened up ten thousand blossoms!
——
Three days later, Xu Sheng showed up. His face was pale, and he was clearly injured.
“Brother Xu, what happened to you?” Qin Ming and Wu Zheng both asked with concern.
Xu Sheng sighed. “Sigh, Zhou Lin and I went to help a friend. We got ambushed in the forest. I suddenly feel like being a spiritual hunter isn’t worth it. Might be better to be a traveling merchant.”
“As long as you made it back alive and mostly okay. How about Sister Fen Fang?” Qin Ming asked.
“Sister Fen Fang?” Xu Sheng looked puzzled.
“Uh… Sister Zhou Lin.”
Xu Sheng laughed. “Haha, she’s fine. Dodged faster than me.”
“Did you get snatched again?” Qin Ming asked.
Xu Sheng sighed. “Not even that. We’d just entered the area where the spiritual creature lived. Didn’t even find its nest before we were ambushed.”
“Should we go check it out again?” Qin Ming suggested.
Xu Sheng was about to say something, then realized that Qin Ming was now stronger than him! Xu Sheng had awakened five times and could lift a little over three thousand pounds, but Qin Ming was far ahead of that now.
“Alright, let’s go again!”
Soon, Sister Fen Fang, Zhou Lin, heard the news and joined Qin Ming and Xu Sheng for another trip into the mountains.