It was just getting light when a commotion of footsteps sounded outside the forestry station dormitory. Qin Youming snapped his eyes open. Before he was fully awake, he saw several people frantically carrying Zhao Dabiao out. Zhao Dabiao’s face was flushed, his whole body burning with fever, his mind muddled, and he was muttering nonsense that no one could understand—clearly, a wound infection had triggered a high fever. Company Commander Yang stood to one side, his face iron-gray. He gave a single glance and, without a word, urged them to rush him down the mountain for emergency treatment.
Watching Zhao Dabiao being carried away, Qin Youming subconsciously touched the wounds on his own body. Though the gashes looked frightening, they were neither inflamed nor suppurating; they didn’t even hurt much anymore. Instead, he felt brimming with energy, showing no sign of being an invalid. Still, given last night’s harrowing turn of events and the fact that he had indeed “taken a hit,” his superiors had specially granted him a day off to recuperate.
With all the commotion, Qin Youming was wide awake. He simply got up, washed briefly, and while the others hadn’t yet gone out to work, went alone to the open ground outside the dormitory. The morning mist hadn’t fully dispersed, and the cold was biting, yet he felt a heat all over his body. Unable to resist, he assumed a stance and began practicing grappling and killing techniques.
With every move and form, the thrilling scenes from last night flashed through his mind again.
“That old forest keeper…”
Qin Youming threw a punch, his emotions surging. That old man looked as if he were one foot in the grave, yet when he moved he was as fast as a ghost; even the ferocious Northeastern leopard had been killed with a single palm strike before it could react. Such methods seemed hardly possible for a living person.
“Can practicing martial arts really turn one into an immortal? Or is that old man a monster in human skin?”
Though his mind churned with wild guesses, the fire in his eyes could not be suppressed. Immediately afterward, another figure surfaced in his heart—Third Master Xie.
Qin Youming was a smart man; a little thought was all it took to link cause and effect. Last night, the beasts had come suspiciously and retreated suddenly—clearly a planned, organized probe. And as for the mastermind behind it all, who else could it be but that White Lotus Sect demon lurking among the masses, disguised so well?
What Third Master Xie was clearly after was the old forest keeper. For a peerless expert to be willing to guard these deep mountains and old forests for sixty or seventy years, he must be guarding some earth-shattering secret. Third Master Xie was black-hearted and ruthless; having lain dormant for so many years without daring to act, he simply knew he was no match and could only wait. Wait until the other grew old and frail, wait until the other’s oil ran dry and lamp flickered out.
And last night, Third Master Xie had used them, the educated youths, as bait to probe how many trump cards the old forest keeper still had left.
At this thought, Qin Youming felt a chill down his spine and couldn’t help shivering; his gaze darkened.
If the old forest keeper had shown fear last night, or if he simply wasn’t Third Master Xie’s match, wouldn’t everyone at the forestry station be slaughtered?
No.
The casual look on Qin Youming’s face vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented gravity.
The old forest keeper had actually shown signs of flagging last night. Since he knew the other was a mortal enemy, had he been in his prime, he would surely have eliminated the roots and never let the tiger return to the mountain. But he hadn’t pursued; he had chosen to retreat and defend. This meant his current strength was no longer enough to guarantee victory.
That was the most terrifying part.
Last night was only a probe. Since the probe had revealed the old forest keeper to be outwardly strong but inwardly weak, Third Master Xie would soon move to kill. When that time came, these unarmed ordinary people at the forestry station would, in the eyes of those martial artists, be no different from grass to be mowed. Add to that Third Master Xie’s beast-driving technique, silent and untraceable, and perhaps even accomplices…
No.
Qin Youming felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, a fishbone stuck in his throat. A strong sense of crisis made him restless. When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. He had no intention of dying senselessly in these deep mountains and old forests.
Since he had seen through the clues, he could not sit and wait for death.
Qin Youming swallowed hard, his gaze turning sharp. He turned and walked toward the open space behind the canteen. Skulking wasn’t his style; better to speak plainly and go straight to the old forest keeper to lay everything on the table. No matter how fierce that old man was, he wouldn’t kill someone to silence them just over a disagreement, would he?
By now the sky was bright. Though Qin Youming had steeled his courage, the moment he thought of the old forest keeper’s ferocious, malevolent appearance, he couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy.
“Kid, what are you doing here?”
Before he could approach, a gloomy voice drifted out as if from a drain. The old forest keeper stood in a patch of shadow like a ghost, those cloudy yet sharp eyes fixed straight on him.
Qin Youming halted his steps, took a deep breath, and said, “Senior, may I come inside to speak?”
The old forest keeper’s face remained expressionless. After a moment of silence, he coldly spat out two words: “Come in.”
Qin Youming secretly exhaled and carefully stepped into the earthen room. The furnishings inside were rudimentary to the extreme: only a rush cushion, a dying lamp, and a wooden table with several spirit tablets on it—there wasn’t even a bed to sleep on. He surreptitiously scanned the tablets and could faintly make out the characters “Yang Panchan.”
“Speak if you have something to say; fart and get out if you don’t.” The old forest keeper stood with his hands behind his back, his tone extremely impatient.
Qin Youming met those eyes that seemed as if they could devour a person and tentatively said softly, “I can help you.”
The old forest keeper paused, then a sneering look spread across his face. “Kid, with your patchwork, half-baked tricks, go back and piss in the mud to play. You’re not fit to join forces with me.”
“So you knew all along?” Qin Youming keenly caught the information in those words, his eyes flashing. “Then why didn’t you make a move last night?”
The old forest keeper walked over to the rush cushion and sat down, saying indifferently, “I might as well tell you. Last night there was more than one person lurking nearby—one in the open, another hidden, their aura concealed extremely deeply. Once I made a move, it would have set off a chain reaction. I do not fear death, but you people would be in grave danger.”
At this, the old man added with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “Besides, human hearts are treacherous. Who knows if you, kid, have designs of your own?”
Qin Youming frowned tightly and said nothing for a long while, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. The old man faced the wall, his back to the door, sitting like a clay statue.
“However, you are a smart man. You didn’t go to that Yang kid immediately, nor did you think of fleeing down the mountain.”
Qin Youming raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t stupid. Third Master Xie had been lurking for years; he must have long since gotten familiar with Company Commander Yang and the others. Going to Company Commander Yang now might not only startle the snake, but if the other had accomplices, a cornered beast might bite back and bring disaster upon himself. As for going down the mountain… setting aside the risk of freezing to death if he got lost in this weather, the mere fact that the old forest keeper had specifically mentioned the words “White Lotus Sect” when saving him last night showed that Third Master Xie would never let him bring reinforcements.
“So you deliberately endangered me.” Qin Youming’s face was dark as water.
The old forest keeper gave a
Qin Youming also lost his temper, his face cold as he said, "You saw I knew some boxing and kicking last night, so you wanted to tie me to your broken-down boat. I guess you don't have a guaranteed win either, so you're in a hurry to find help. It's a pity there's no expert, just a charlatan."
Having his thoughts exposed, the Forest Keeper narrowed his eyes slightly, his beard and hair bristling as if truly moved to anger. Qin Youming's heart tightened; just as he was about to retreat, the old man before him smiled again.
"You've got a clever streak, but you're using it in the wrong place. To be honest, I never thought of joining forces with anyone. Saving you was merely done in passing. As for dragging you into this, it was simply because I suspected you were cut from the same cloth as that Xie Third Master, and I wanted to test you... Now it seems, you're not."
Qin Youming took a deep breath, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "What exactly are you guarding this place for?"
The Forest Keeper's smile vanished instantly, his gaze terrifyingly calm, his tone light and airy. "Easy enough. Whoever knows about this thing has to die. Are you sure you want to know?"
Though there was no loud shouting, Qin Youming felt an indescribable, terrifying killing intent rushing toward him, like a maggot attached to bone. His face turned pale, and he quickly waved his hand. "Can you stop posturing like an expert for now? Just tell me what we should do now. Will they kill those people at the forestry farm?"
"Hard to say." The Forest Keeper shook his head, then dropped a bombshell. "That expert hiding in the shadows is shrinking right there among your people."
"What?"
Qin Youming was greatly shocked. The old man meant there was an internal martial arts expert hidden within the educated youth team?
"How can this be?" Qin Youming's expression shifted uncertainly.
The Forest Keeper scoffed. "You're easily surprised. That person must have used some bone-locking disguise technique to fool eyes and mix in."
Qin Youming said in a low voice, "What should I do?"
The Forest Keeper shook his head. "You'd better pray for your own luck. Others might not die, but you're in some danger... Or, you could help me kill Xie Third Master."
Qin Youming stared wide-eyed. "How is that any different from sending me to my death?"
The old man glanced at him sideways. "Idiot, there are many ways to kill someone. Who told you to do it openly?"
Qin Youming frowned. "What do you mean?"
The Forest Keeper's eyes flickered. "If it works, it works; if not, find a place to hide."
Qin Youming said coldly, "Then I'll go find Company Commander Yang and tell him the truth."
"No." The Forest Keeper glared at him. "If they don't know, they might live, but if they get dragged into this, they're dead for sure."
Qin Youming frowned tightly. "Anyway, I don't want to get mixed up in your affairs. But no matter what, I won't just sit and wait for death. Whoever wants to kill me, I'll kill."
As soon as the words fell, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Otherwise, I'll use a gun. When I go into the mountain with him, I'll fire a shot from behind. Guaranteed to blow his head open."
Hearing this, the Forest Keeper fell into silence. After a long while, he said, "How certain are you? That Xie Third Master is an expert with guns. You only have one chance. Once you fail, if he flies into a rage and starts a massacre, everyone at the forestry farm will die."
Hearing there was a risk, Qin Youming pondered for a while longer. "I've thought of a brilliant idea."
"Let's hear it!"
The Forest Keeper looked over with burning eyes, seeming somewhat expectant. Meeting that weathered gaze, Qin Youming said with a solemn and serious face, "That is... you pass on everything you've learned to me. Once I practice invincible martial arts, I guarantee to wipe them out one by one."
At these words, the Forest Keeper's cheeks twitched, his lips fluttering, opening and closing silently, as if cursing some foul language.
Seeing the old man had no reaction, Qin Youming continued without changing his expression, "Then I'll take a step back. You teach me a couple of ultimate skills. I don't want common ones; I want the kind that stuns the crowd, something absolute enough..."
Just then, the Forest Keeper's breathing suddenly became chaotic, and his body began to tremble. The color drained from his aged face, covered by a gray pallor belonging only to the dead, and his withered body seemed to shrink, becoming shriveled.
Qin Youming was startled. "Senior, I was joking with you. Rest assured, since it's a matter of life and death, even if I only have one chance, I have to try."
The Forest Keeper didn't speak; he simply sat cross-legged on the rush cushion, taking deep breaths continuously. As he breathed in and out, an unspeakable rotten qi instantly filled the air, as if his internal organs had all decayed. But strangely, with the circulation of breath, his originally ashen complexion visibly became a bit ruddier, and his shriveled body swelled up again.
Only after exhaling a wisp of foul breath like gray smoke did the old man open his eyes again. "Fine, I can teach you... Come here every night at two o'clock from now on. You don't have much time; how much you learn depends entirely on your talent..."
...
By the time Qin Youming returned to the dormitory, the others had already gone out to work. The languidness on his face was long gone, replaced by a look of solemnity.
Truly unlucky. He wanted to learn martial arts, but he hadn't wanted to get dragged into this kind of deadly Jianghu strife. Although Xie Third Master wasn't a good person, this Forest Keeper couldn't be fully trusted either. That man had guarded the secret for so many years; who knows if he wouldn't kill everyone to silence them in the end.
He couldn't gamble; he still had to rely on himself.
Qin Youming sat on the bed, two pieces of brocade spread out before him. Although he had figured out some of the tricks to this thing, he hadn't truly tried it yet. After a slight hesitation, he slowly began to adjust his breathing.
"Three Yin Earth Fiend Art."
Three Yin, according to the annotations on the human figure, referred to the six meridians of "Hand Three Yin" and "Foot Three Yin," encompassing the vital points of the Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, and Kidney—the five viscera.
"Tongue touches the upper palate, cheeks bulging, holding saliva and swallowing fluid, qi enters the throat and tongue, spirit roams the Three Yin..."
Reciting the formula once, Qin Youming tried again. He held his breath and focused his mind, his breath going straight into his throat and tongue. In an instant, he felt his chest and abdomen bulging incessantly, as if even his heart and lungs were trembling along with them. His originally steady breathing became chaotic in a matter of moments. In just a few seconds, Qin Youming was dripping with sweat.
His eyes snapped open. Without any hesitation, he closed them and tried again. This time he slowed his breathing as much as possible, cleared the distracting thoughts in his heart, and began circulating breath once more.
Then came the third time, the fourth time...
Strange, truly strange.
After several attempts, Qin Youming's face grew paler, but his eyes grew brighter. As he repeatedly circulated breath into his abdomen, he discovered that within that invisible breath, there was actually a peculiar rhythm. This rhythm rose and fell, was now heavy, now light, now fast, now slow, born from the surging breath, birthing a strange force, like invisible little hammers incessantly striking the muscles through which the breath flowed.
However, this force was weak when light and injured the internal organs when heavy. The further down it sank, the deeper that surging rhythm spread, causing even the five viscera and bowels to faintly resonate along with it.
"Is this the mystery within it?"
Although he had sensed the wondrous nature of this breathing method, Qin Youming still could not find the rhythm that suited it best. The strange force it generated rose and fell without pattern. When it was weak, he could still endure it, but once the rhythm grew heavy, his throat and tongue felt as though he had swallowed steel blades, and his heart and lungs seemed to be pierced by needles.