Night Without End-Chapter 13 - 8: Once Returned with the Glow of Sunset Clouds

In this era, the night shrouds the land and sky.

Glowing creatures are rare, and their appearance often signifies fear, lethality, and the necessity to avoid the area where they reside.

In the vast wilderness, countless dangerous creatures are hidden.

Those who dare to expose themselves in such a perilous environment and emit light freely, undoubtedly display confidence, and most likely possess tremendous strength.

Qin Ming silently slid down to the base of the tree, hiding in the shadows of the dense forest, his heart unable to calm down.

That was not an ordinary glowing creature; it illuminated the night sky.

In an era without sun, moon, and stars, such a spectacle appeared in a pitch-dark world.

"Moon Worm!" he had heard of it.

The elders often told their descendants that in the ancient times when there was a sun and a moon, when children looked puzzled, elders would use the Moon Worm as an example.

"If one day, you unexpectedly see a Moon Worm, you'll know what the moon looked like."

If a Moon Worm appears, it's unmistakable as it becomes the only one in the night sky.

Initially, the light rose slowly and was gentle. Qin Ming, perhaps influenced by prior knowledge, vaguely thought he saw a blurry insect shape.

Now, it was too dazzling, where was the shape of an insect? The light intertwined, resembling a splendid disk, almost as if graced by a Divine Crown, illuminating the whole night sky.

Cicadas ignore the changing seasons and usually, few insects can survive the winter to see the next year.

According to the elders, the Moon Worm migrated to this area over fifty years ago, living in the deep, expansive mountains, and rarely appearing in the outer areas.

According to local customs, it has been documented as a "famous insect" that has stood in the mountains for fifty years.

People have reason to believe its true essence might not be any lesser than that of ancient strange beasts or the Mountain Master.

Qin Ming was lost in thought, was the moon in that distant ancient time like this?

In the night sky, there seemed to be a light from the Heavenly Que hanging aloft, shining brilliantly, casting pure light upon the pitch-black forest, covering the gloomy ridges, and instantly turning this region into a pale silver.

This was completely different from what he had seen before, the dense blackness of the mountains was completely dispelled.

The whole world was different; Qin Ming admired such beauty and couldn't help but yearn for the ancient times with the sun and the moon—what kind of world was that?

He knew, the Moon Worm only illuminated the nearby two hills, nowhere near the real moon; after all, legends said the real moon was a vast, bright presence dominating the sky.

At this moment, all was silent, whether it was the Wild Boar King, the mysterious creature pursuing it, or other birds and beasts, all were quietly hiding.

Suddenly, a streak of light shot across the sky— the Moon Worm departed, the nearby area quickly losing its luster, plunging the forest back into boundless darkness.

Qin Ming felt an emptiness in his heart, and then he strongly wished, when could he be like the Moon Worm, moving freely, not hindered by the Eternal Night?

Without time to ponder further, taking advantage of the stunned wild beasts still not daring to roam free, he made his move, dragging the Horned Deer and the Donkey headed Wolf over the hill, quickly disappearing.

Deep in the mountains, a pitiful howl rose and then abruptly stopped, as if a powerful creature had been killed where the Moon Worm had swooped down.

The mountain forest was quiet, both the mighty mutant beasts and the "famous birds" with multiple mutations remained silent.

Shuangshu Village was in sight, and Qin Ming successfully returned with his prey.

Approaching the village entrance, he looked back. The wilderness was vast and utterly dark.

The splendid visions of just moments ago still floated in his mind, leaving him somewhat dazed. The ancient moon once illuminated the path home—where was it now?

"Gurgle!" A rumbling stomach pulled him back to reality. He laughingly thought, why ponder such elusive thoughts? Right now, he needed to solve the problem of food and clothing.

In such cold weather, only a few children at the village entrance were chasing each other, unwilling to stay indoors.

"Brother Qin, you went into the mountains... Did you hunt the Horned Deer alone?" a thin boy asked, eyes wide with astonishment.

The children's little faces were red from the cold, and they all came closer, startled at the sight of the several hundred-pound black Donkey headed Wolf.

They stared at the two prey, unable to help but secretly swallow their saliva.

"In a while, everyone come to my place to eat meat," Qin Ming said smilingly.

He was like a gust of wind, dragging his two catches back home.

Having held back all the way, he was ready to experience the life of eating raw meat and drinking blood. He immediately boiled water and called Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing for help.

"Xiao Qin, are you hurt?" Liang Wanqing, ever observant, spotted the blood on his shoulder straight away.

"It's a minor injury, doesn't matter," Qin Ming shook his head.

Lu Ze helped him inspect it and seeing the wound was superficial, already crusting with a blood scab, relaxed.

Soon, a rich aroma wafted through the small courtyard as a large pot boiled with big chunks of meat, and the fire roasted deer legs dripping with fat.

Qin Ming's stomach was roaring; he couldn't wait any longer, slicing a thin piece from the deer leg with a small knife, too impatient to fear the scald, popped it into his mouth.

"It's cooked, tastes great! Wen Rui, has your wish been fulfilled by your little uncle today?"

Wen Rui took a bite, eyes blissfully curving like crescent moons, nodding vigorously, "It's delicious, I've forgotten how long it's been since I last ate meat, little uncle, you're amazing!"

Qin Ming invited Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing to eat first, and they would tidy up the remaining meat later.

Two-year-old Wenhui couldn't chew the roasted deer leg and could only eat the boiled meat that was later mashed. Bummed, he pouted and watched, causing everyone to laugh.

Qin Ming was at a critical period of rebirth, his body often sending intense signals, having a great craving for meat. Now, he devoured his meal, finally feeling satisfied.

At that moment, a few children peeked from outside the courtyard, their little faces dirty, sniffing the aroma of meat inside. They looked desirous, their eyes bright and yearning but too shy to come in.

Qin Ming immediately beckoned and said, "Didn't I call you all when I was at the village entrance? Come in quickly and let's eat together."

"Thank you, Brother Qin."

"Little uncle, you're really kind..."

The children shyly entered the courtyard, and soon they started stuffing their cheeks like little hamsters, mumbling about how delicious it was.

"Eat slowly, there's plenty more." Liang Wanqing, worried that the children might choke, served them some meat soup.

Qin Ming felt his flesh and blood cheering, as if raindrops were falling on drought-stricken land, countless new sprouts breaking through the soil, all things being born, bursting forth with limitless vitality.

He clearly felt his muscles and tendons growing, his joints occasionally cracking, and his senses becoming sharper, his spirit exceptionally robust.

His body was truly experiencing a rebirth from post-natal transformation!

Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing had already put down their chopsticks, but Qin Ming was still devouring meat, his appetite seemingly endless. This way of eating was a bit frightening, and he was continuously sweating, steaming up a white fog.

"His body is rebirthing, undergoing intense changes!" Lu Ze was astonished. He hadn't expected that Qin Ming, continuous from yesterday till now, was still not done and was even accelerating. To what extent would this go?

The children could eat no more, their bellies round and swollen, their little faces showing great satisfaction.

Seeing them somewhat restrained here, Qin Ming smiled and said, "All full? Then go play."

Soon, the news of his hunting the Horned Deer and Mountain Scoundrel spread.

The villagers were shocked. The wilderness was very dangerous at this stage, many dared not enter the mountains, yet he had made such a catch.

Especially, as the Mutated Donkey headed Wolf was notoriously fierce, ordinary people could hardly survive an encounter.

How could Qin Ming, just over sixteen, deal with such formidable beasts weighing hundreds of pounds?

"Could it be that he has rebirthed during his golden years?"

Suddenly, Qin Ming's courtyard was crowded with people inquiring about the situation in the mountains.

If it was safe, they too were prepared to go hunting.

"Mom, I'm hungry," a little girl with patches on her clothes whispered.

In this food-scarce winter, the aroma of the roasted meat in the courtyard was particularly enticing. Some children hid behind adults, their eyes fixed on it longingly.

Qin Ming knew the taste of hunger. Seeing their tiny faces, red from the cold and pitiful, he quickly beckoned, "Come over, let's eat together."

The children didn't sit down immediately; instead, they first looked towards their parents, showing their simplicity and restraint.

Qin Ming continued, "Folks, I won't invite you to eat here, but I'll cut five pounds of meat for each household to take back."

"Brother Qin, how can this be..."

"That's settled." Qin Ming declared. The village had only a few dozen households, enough to share some meat.

"Brother Qin is really too good. Let's find him a beautiful wife; he's at the age anyway."

"No hurry." Qin Ming hurriedly waved his hands.

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The courtyard was filled with laughter, the children the happiest, gathered together with their little faces shiny with grease.

...

"Brother Qin, tell your uncle the truth, have you rebirthed?" Yang Yongqing came.

Before coming to Shallow Night, he had met with Qin Ming. It hadn't been long since they parted when the latter could kill the Mutated Donkey headed Wolf, which truly startled him.

Qin Ming smiled and nodded, "Uncle Yang said a noble lady would be descending, told me to strive to improve myself, to perform well, plus the dangers in the mountains stimulated me, my body kept heating up, and suddenly it rebirthed."

"You kid, not quite simple, huh?" Yang Yongqing smiled and pointed a finger at him.

Those present knew very well, it was all because of Qin Ming's exceptional physical constitution and deep accumulation.

"Rebirthing during the golden years, it has been decades since we've seen this in Shuangshu Village!" Old Man Liu, who lived at the entrance of the village, exclaimed.

Everyone understood what this meant. In this region, it was very brilliant, the future held boundless possibilities.

In this weather so cold that exhaled breath could freeze, Qin Ming's body was like a furnace, getting hotter and hotter, a large amount of sweat pouring out, his body drenched, soon enveloped in white fog.

"The vitality in his flesh is so strong, much more violent than in my time," Yang Yongqing's mutton-chop beard trembled, shocked.

He was clear, from head to toe, inside out, Qin Ming was accelerating the rebirth, first like autumn and winter, sweeping away dead leaves, then like spring and summer, sprouting new branches.

His sticky skin was shedding old leaves and expelling old impurities, internally vibrant, his blood shining, his body as if returning to the womb, nurturing robust rebirth energy, reopening his body's limits.

Qin Ming felt drowsiness overcoming him, having eaten and drunk his fill, as if about to plunge into a special kind of "hibernation", barely able to keep his eyes open.

He asked Lu Ze to distribute meat for each household, while he followed his body's instinct, preparing to sleep deeply in his room.

"Granny Zhou is buried today, help me make a trip there, give the Zhou family more meat," Qin Ming resisted the drowsiness, doused his body with ice water, then lay on the kang.

Although the others were surprised, they didn't feel as deeply.

Yang Yongqing, having seen much of the world, noticed Qin Ming enveloped in a white immortal fog, and his strong, vigorous heartbeat sounded like drumbeats, which deeply shocked him!

Most crucially, he was still undergoing rebirth, far from finished.

Could it be, after this rebirth, Qin Ming might stand a chance to get close to the few young famous individuals in that distant brilliant city?

Soon, Yang Yongqing shook his head. As good as his constitution was, how could it stand a chance against others endowed with three generations of accumulation? Moreover, those others were exceptionally outstanding themselves.

As for the recent sensations in that city, a man and a woman who surpassed every past golden age newcomer, he thought there was no need to consider comparing them.