The Land of Eternal Night

Feng Yian was tall, his beard bristled like steel needles, his eyes were bright, and his words carried force, making him appear like a straightforward man.

However, after Qin Ming learned the truth, his disgust for him grew to the extreme.

"This time, it's truly our fault. We'll kill that blood bear as soon as possible to make up for the mistake," Feng Yian said with a face full of sincerity.

Old Liu sighed, urging them to guard the mountains well and not allow mutant creatures to wreak havoc again.

He was already old, yet he was enraged to such a degree. Killing people and then coming to apologize—who was this performance for?

This fake sincerity, shown only after coming in person, was like rubbing salt on the wounds of the deceased's family. It showed they didn't care and weren't afraid of extreme reactions.

"Alas, some of our brothers were injured, so we lacked manpower during patrols, which led to this incident," Feng Yian explained.

He brought up the old matter again, asking Xu Yueping to plant the Black Moon as soon as possible. The patrolmen needed it to heal their wounds so they could better guard the mountains.

Xu Yueping was fuming inside but had no choice but to suppress his anger.

Feng Yian continued, "We'll leave immediately. If we don't kill the blood bear, we won't leave the mountains. Brother Xu, please comfort the families of the deceased for us."

Qin Ming found their false faces disgustingly ugly.

Xu Yueping accidentally touched Qin Ming's arm before standing up to see the patrolmen off.

Clearly, he was worried that Qin Ming, being young and hot-blooded, might do something impulsive.

Qin Ming understood that even if he could kill a few patrolmen right now, it would only invite bloody revenge. After all, there were other members and other squads. If these few died here, the entire Shuangshu Village would be implicated.

He naturally wouldn't act recklessly and followed Xu Yueping and Yang Yongqing to see the patrolmen out.

Once those men disappeared into the dim wilderness, Yang Yongqing spoke furiously, "I'm so stifled I could explode!"

"Can we report this to higher authorities?" Qin Ming asked.

"What could you point out? According to the rules, we should provide four to eight Black Moon plants, and the patrol team only asked for the minimum—four plants. You say it's a mutant seed, but how do you prove it right now? The shape is identical. We're only guessing that they've successfully cultivated the mutant seed based on last year's poor firefield harvest, their character, and past behavior."

Old Liu added, "And there's another important reason: How could they act so boldly if they hadn't greased the right palms?"

Xu Yueping spoke up, "A favor left behind by a highly respected patrolman is enough for his descendants to squander for ten years."

In the end, Feng Yian and his group's hypocritical visit was merely to continue pushing Xu Yueping to plant medicine.

They didn't make any direct threats and were polite and gentle. But under such circumstances, their words and actions were more offensive than outright intimidation.

Qin Ming exhaled heavily and said, "They're pushing us too far!"

He then asked, "Is Black Moon medicine really that important?"

Xu Yueping nodded solemnly, "After mutation, its value becomes extremely high. Long-term use offers a slight chance of secondary rebirth."

Old Liu chimed in, "As patrolmen, they roam the deep mountains all year round and have likely seen higher-level creatures. Who doesn't want to go a step further? Even an old man like me wishes to recover my youth. Secondary rebirth can extend one's lifespan and restore some vitality. Who wouldn't yearn for that?"

He explained the reason and motivation behind some patrolmen's corruption, adding, "But people need to have limits. How do they deserve to be patrolmen if they act like this? They're worse than the mountain beasts!"

"Secondary rebirth…" Qin Ming muttered, lost in thought.

Xu Yueping patted his shoulder and said, "You'll definitely achieve it. According to local records, those who built a golden foundation achieved secondary rebirth in as little as two months."

…

Today, the villagers who went into the mountains returned bloodied. Some were severely injured, and it was uncertain whether they would survive. Cries came from many households.

Xu Yueping went door-to-door to visit and help with treatments, holding back his anger while his chest heaved violently.

Middle-aged man Wang Qinglin lay unconscious on the kang bed. Though he was a newly reborn, his condition was the most severe.

After Old Liu reset his bones and wiped the blood from his hands, he said, "A broken bone pierced his internal organs. If not for the vitality of our kind, this would've been a fatal wound."

Qin Ming observed carefully and suspected that someone disguised as the blood bear was behind this.

Every household was filled with sorrow. Some children quietly wiped their tears. The joy of the past two days, when adults brought back game from the hunt, had completely vanished.

Some villagers had also encountered mutant snow apes, and the gashes on their bodies were horrific.

"Two years ago, the patrol team seemed to have raised one," Yang Yongqing whispered.

Xu Yueping's face darkened, and Old Liu sighed repeatedly.

Qin Ming walked home with a heavy heart, feeling the urge to do something.

The only good news was that Lu Ze had woken up. Given his physique, he probably wouldn't suffer any lasting damage.

Qin Ming didn't share the hidden truth with him, fearing that his emotions would get too agitated and affect his recovery.

"Brother Lu, how many people are in a patrol team?" Qin Ming asked, trying to gauge the members' strength.

"Between eight and twelve," Lu Ze replied. "The team guarding our area currently has nine people, with the leader being a secondary reborn—he's very strong."

The leader's name was Fu Entao, who rarely showed himself.

Lu Ze sighed, "For many, giving everything they have just to reach rebirth is the ultimate goal. Secondary rebirth is an insurmountable boundary for most."

Qin Ming said, "It seems that leader can fully suppress the others."

Lu Ze nodded, "The physical enhancement during the first rebirth is very noticeable, and secondary rebirth doubles that."

"In our area, those who achieved first rebirth can lift five hundred pounds at most. How was Fu Entao back then?" Qin Ming probed.

Lu Ze thought for a moment and said, "Fu Entao fell short of the ceiling back then."

He looked at Qin Ming and said, "With your golden foundation and breakthrough physique, your secondary rebirth will be astonishing."

Qin Ming understood now. In terms of physical strength alone, even Fu Entao in his secondary rebirth wouldn't surpass Qin Ming's current first rebirth.

He left Lu Ze to recover and assured him not to worry—he was there to handle everything.

Back at his own yard, Qin Ming began practicing combat techniques. Living in the dangerous mountains, he naturally knew many survival skills.

Even before rebirth, he could shatter green bricks with his bare hands. Now, he was even more powerful.

His whip kick swept out with a bang, breaking a tree stump as thick as his thigh.

When he employed his self-taught "wild style," his focus heightened, and golden ripples appeared between his flesh and blood. With a light impact, the tree stump disintegrated.

After dinner, Qin Ming visited Xu Yueping.

"Uncle Xu, are you still brooding?"

"They've gone too far," Xu Yueping said, clearly frustrated.

"Talk some sense into him. He hasn't even eaten dinner," his wife said worriedly.

"Auntie, leave it to me." Qin Ming sat down.

After practicing his combat techniques, he had calmed down and discussed their next steps with Xu Yueping.

"You want me to agree to their demands?" Xu Yueping's face darkened as he looked up sharply.

"You know what that will lead to? The firefields will drastically decrease next year, and we'll face famine!"

"Uncle, hear me out first," Qin Ming quickly said, worried he'd anger him further.

"Speak!"

Qin Ming proposed temporarily agreeing to their demands while waiting for a change in circumstances, whether it was during the patrol's mountain sweep or some other unforeseen event.

Xu Yueping thought it over and sighed, reluctantly agreeing for the sake of the villagers' survival.