Night Without End-Chapter 8 - 5 Rebirth_2

"Wow, it's alive again, which is even better; the meat will be much fresher than frozen." Qin Ming examined it closely, holding it in his hands.

"This squirrel is so beautiful, somewhat cute." Wen Rui blinked his big eyes, genuinely fond of this fluffy little creature.

"It'll be even cuter once stewed, and you'll enjoy it a lot," Qin Ming said with a laugh.

Wen Rui was immediately conflicted. He was indeed a glutton who hadn't had meat in a long time, but seeing this small creature with its shiny, fiery-red fur, he found it hard to take his eyes off it and wished to be near it, hoping to keep it.

Little Wenhui followed behind his older brother, imitating him, his bright eyes reflecting the image of the red squirrel, and mumbled unclearly, "Squirrel... cute."

Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing watched the two children and both laughed.

Qin Ming acknowledged it, saying: "It is indeed cute and handy. You see, it has so much food stored for winter—pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, jujubes, nearly a dozen types, even mushrooms. Now it's great, squirrel stew with mushrooms will be delicious and very nutritious."

"Really...really? But, I don't want it to die," Wen Rui said, grabbing the hem of his shirt, his little face full of distress, though he didn't forget to swallow his saliva.

"Of course, look at these mushrooms, there are even Tiger's paw mushrooms and Yangque mushrooms, both famous delicacies from the mountains. You guys are in for a treat. Indeed, mutant creatures are always a top choice," Qin Ming exclaimed.

The red squirrel was quite upset, and its fur stood on end.

Qin Ming pulled out the Short Blade, grabbed the squirrel, and prepared to go to the courtyard to skin it, as such a bloody scene was not suitable for the children to see.

"Squeak squeak!" The mutant little mountain beast was terrified and frantically calling out non-stop, violently struggling; the iron wire wrapped around it was almost cutting into its flesh.

"Uncle, how about... we keep it," Wen Rui stopped him, trying hard to forget the taste of the stew and seemed determined, pleading here.

"What great ingredients, mutant creature meat is the most delicious," Qin Ming said, tempting him with a smile.

"Let's not eat it this time, wait until uncle is reborn, surely you can hunt some fierce, big mutant creatures. I'll wait for uncle's success," Wen Rui mustered up sympathy, resisting the temptation of food.

The mutant squirrel was extremely nervous, looking at the knife in Qin Ming's hands one moment, and squeaking at Wen Rui the next, as if asking for help.

Liang Wanqing was surprised, "This little mountain beast is full of spirit, it's like it can understand what you guys are saying, look at its little face all wrinkled up from nervousness."

Qin Ming put away the Short Blade, being such a small creature it didn't have much meat on it, it was originally just to satisfy the children's craving. Since they liked the living creature, they might as well keep it.

Lu Ze frowned slightly, saying, "This winter is unlike before, we don't have extra food for it."

The mutant squirrel eagerly looked at the bulging Beast Skin Bag, which contained all its hoarded food!

Qin Ming also noticed, this little mountain beast was unusually spirited.

He picked out a portion of acorns from the pile of dried fruits, saying, "These nuts need to be processed before eating as they are slightly toxic and a bit bitter, just right to keep for feeding the squirrel."

The red squirrel didn't make a sound, only stared at him with wide eyes, breathing slightly rough.

"You should be thankful to be alive; besides, if you dare bite anyone, I guarantee you I'll stew you," Qin Ming warned, locking it in a birdcage designed for keeping birds.

Lu Ze felt it would be better to sell the mutant squirrel, as its fiery red, bright fur was quite valuable, keeping it wasted food and required effort.

But when he saw the children's immense joy, laughing and jumping around, he no longer spoke out against it.

At the time of departure, Lu Ze took the cage and a pile of acorns, not wanting other dried goods.

Qin Ming didn't say much, stuffing bags of walnuts and pine nuts into Liang Wanqing's arms, for the children as snacks.

...

Temporarily relieved from the predicament of lacking food, Qin Ming began to seriously consider the issue of rebirth.

Lu Ze said Wild Technique delayed him, indeed stirring some ripples in his heart.

He vaguely remembered some hazy fragments from his childhood, when someone told him that although those movements had origins, it was estimated they couldn't be mastered.

Moments later, he arrived in the courtyard, following his own rhythm, practicing the Wild Technique that he had trained for over a decade, seeing no reason not to continue.

Qin Ming stretched his joints and tendons, twisting, rotating, turning, and flowing smoothly.

Suddenly, he leapt from the ground, swift as an Iron Arrow, and when he landed, he was as light as a swallow, making no sound upon landing.

In his movements, he alternated between stillness and motion, sitting like a tiger crouching, walking as if wading through mud, turning smoothly and naturally.

Then he spun around, kicking swiftly like lightning, resembling a serpent tail whipping in the mid-air, creating a dull sound.

After a simple warm-up, Qin Ming began performing various high-difficulty maneuvers.

"Exhale deeply, inhale fresh; Bear Posture and Owl Glance..."

He stretched his body powerfully, even generating a strong wind, picking up the snow from the ground, swirling and dancing around him.

Soon, a familiar feeling arrived, with incredibly faint Silver Threads intertwining among Qin Ming's pores, rippling into waves and forming a subtle layer of flowing light on his skin.

Gradually, mist steamed around his body.

A heat flowed within his flesh, like the long-awaited rain after a drought, the parched land greedily absorbing the droplets.

Qin Ming's movements consumed a lot of energy, but he didn't feel tired; on the contrary, he felt revitalized.

His body seemed to cheer, as if starving for a long time, eager to be satisfied, continuously absorbing the silver ripples.

His flesh itched, his whole body growing stronger—was this the rebirth?

Qin Ming felt a heat, an urge to run, to fully vent his vigorous energy, and so he did.

He sprinted across the wilderness, like a shooting star streaking under the night sky, speeding toward the mountainous region.

In the distance on the snowy ground, a slender and tall woman stood quietly, a black Fur Cloak with gentle Black Gold luster covering her fair neck, revealing only her delicate chin, carrying a mysterious aloofness.

A crow perched on the brambles beside her, speaking in human tongue: "Eh, rebirth spontaneously occurring in the body, early phase showing unusual phenomena, like moonlight spilling on his body, raising layers of fine golden ripples."

"I sense this is a good seedling, quite rare indeed, appearing in such a remote place." It, adorned in black feathers akin to Black Gold with a pair of purple eyes, watched ahead, saying, "Isn't your teacher choosing a Closed-door Disciple? Perhaps this youth could be a candidate."

The woman stood on a larger bluestone, the cold wind blowing, her loose cloak hugging her body, highlighting her extraordinarily beautiful curves, her voice slightly cold: "There's someone more suitable than him."

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Qin Ming, sensing something, turned his head toward the distance, already holding a bow and arrow in hand.

"Very sharp intuition," the crow commented, already in the dense forest, speaking to the woman beside it: "Your teacher's path is very special, don't truly miss out on a seed with potential for vigorous growth."

"Overlooked and unknown, that's his misfortune, what can I possibly miss? I've already got the best candidate." The mountain wind howled, her lustrous black hair fluttering, partially covering her glowing white cheek. Dressed in black, her beauty stood out even more as cold and extraordinary, she walked forward, saying: "It's more urgent to explore the mountain right now."