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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 90: [First Encounter with Cui Chonghe]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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Under the cloak of night, Qin Ming stood atop the Crimson Eagle's back, hearing Cui Chongyi's desperate shouts.
Turning, he saw Cui Chongyi sprinting wildly through the town, his figure racing toward them.
At the same time, Qin Ming noticed Cui Hong standing at the town's entrance, bathed in the flickering firelight.
He gently patted the Crimson Eagle, signaling it to descend slightly and wait at the opposite end of Yinteng (Silvervine) Town.
"Cousin, I swear on my life, I mean you no harm! Why don't you trust me anymore? We used to be so close!" Cui Chongyi shouted, his voice cracking with emotion.
Finally, he saw the Crimson Eagle circling outside the town, not flying away.
He sprinted toward it with renewed urgency.
"Get on!" Qin Ming ordered, helping Cui Chongyi leap onto the Crimson Eagle's back.
With a deafening roar, the Crimson Eagle soared into the night, carrying the two figures toward the towering mountain peaks.
Cui Chongyi knew Qin Ming didn't fully trust Cui Hong, fearing he might suddenly attack.
"Chonghe... Ah, Qin Ming, I still can't get used to calling you that," Cui Chongyi muttered, his face troubled as he gazed at his junior brother in the darkness.
Qin Ming reflected on the past.
Back in the Cui Clan, before he knew the truth, the younger generation had all been friendly toward him, especially Cui Chongyi, who had been his closest companion.
Now that he was awake from his dream, Qin Ming carefully recalled those years. His older cousins, both male and female, had always treated him with lukewarm indifference, likely because they already knew the truth.
"Sigh, I've learned some things too," Cui Chongyi said, his voice filled with indignation. "The family truly went too far. They actually sent you along with a group of elders who were already destined to die, to face the Li Family's elite experts!"
Cui Chongyi's expression grew increasingly resentful as he spoke.
How could he not realize now that the family had intended for Qin Ming to die in the chaos, eliminating him once and for all?
If Cui Qi hadn't returned, learned the truth, and turned against the clan, Cui Hong and the woman would never have gone to rescue Qin Ming.
Everything would have vanished without a trace.
"Let's not dwell on the past," Qin Ming said.
Standing atop the mountain peak, he gazed into the distance as the night wind whipped his green robes, causing them to flutter wildly.
Cui Chongyi's voice lowered. "Chong... Qin Ming, I know many of our siblings will likely turn against you in the future. But as far as I'm concerned, no matter what happens, you'll always be my brother. That will never change. If you ever need anything, just say the word, and I'll come charging in!"
"There's no need for that," Qin Ming said, shaking his head.
He knew his cousin was a good person and didn't want him to get caught up in any unnecessary trouble later on.
Qin Ming wasn't afraid of being targeted by others; his only concern was that someone might try to exploit their familial ties in the future.
Hearing the general consensus now, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
From now on, no one could stop him from reclaiming his Silk Scroll.
Cui Chongyi sighed softly, understanding Qin Ming's feelings.
He didn't know what to say but was reluctant to leave just yet.
"Cousin, your performance tonight was truly astonishing. Uncle Hong told me you've only been on the path of awakening for a short time, yet you've already achieved such formidable power."
His words came from the heart, genuinely shaken by what he had witnessed.
He continued, "I always knew that once you embarked on this path, you would become incredibly powerful. Back when we were studying at home, you mastered everything so quickly—music, chess, you surpassed us all with just a casual effort."
"Those things don't matter anymore," Qin Ming replied. "I haven't touched them in over two years. My skills have grown rusty, and I've nearly forgotten everything."
Cui Chongyi understood the unspoken message—Qin Ming didn't want to dwell on the past or the people associated with it.
"You should focus on your cultivation path. As long as you stay focused, there's nothing you can't achieve. But that Silk Scroll... Sigh, you were too obsessed with it back then. That thing is truly impossible to cultivate. If you had turned back sooner, you would have already reached the Outer Sage realm."
Qin Ming glanced at him but remained silent.
Some people had deliberately pushed him to cultivate the Silk Scroll, intentionally misleading him.
As a child, how could he have seen through their schemes?
He was no match for them.
Normally, such an awakening technique would be utterly impossible to cultivate.
Fortunately, he had actually succeeded in cultivating the Silk Scroll!
Qin Ming asked, "Can you do me a favor?"
Cui Chongyi nodded eagerly. "Tell me!"
Qin Ming spoke solemnly, "Could you try to retrieve the Silk Scroll for me? It was the last thing my grandfather left me."
"Seventh Uncle mentioned this. They say the Founding Ancestor took the Silk Scroll to study it," Cui Chongyi said, his voice lowering toward the end.
Upon hearing this, Qin Ming couldn't help but curse inwardly. Retrieving it would be even more difficult now!
Seeing Qin Ming's darkening expression, Cui Chongyi quickly added, "When Seventh Uncle emerges from seclusion, we'll ask him to help you retrieve it. It shouldn't be too much trouble."
"Let's hope so." Since experiencing certain events, Qin Ming no longer placed all his hopes on others.
"Cousin, this region you live in is truly remote. I've been completely cut off from the outside world recently and have no idea what's been happening. Where have you been? And how did you become so strong? You haven't undergone more than five awakenings, have you? That's not good—you need a recovery period within a year..."
Cui Chongyi was clearly trying to make conversation, mentioning how he had been abducted by a white owl, humiliated by a Purple Lightning Beast, and even forced to clean dentures for a toothless elephant, which had kept him awake for two nights in a rage.
Hearing this, Qin Ming couldn't help but glance at him twice.
Why did it feel like Cui Chongyi's misfortunes were somehow related to him?
"Cousin, that person... is also at Black and White Mountain," Cui Chongyi said in a low voice, his expression awkward. "Cui Chonghe from Beyond the Mortal Realm."
A ripple of emotion stirred within Qin Ming's heart, but it quickly subsided.
"The Black White Grand Medicine harmonizes yin and yang," he replied calmly. "It seems to be of great importance to the Outsiders."
"He's seeking it for a fellow disciple; he doesn't need it himself," Cui Chongyi explained, then said earnestly, "Though the clan values him immensely, he means far less to me than you do. To me, he's just a symbol of dazzling brilliance."
He added in a low voice, "Almost all our old friends who entered the Beyond the Mortal Realm have arrived."
After Li Qingyue obtained the Yin-Yang Grand Elixir at Black and White Mountain, other renowned disciples from the Beyond the Mortal Realm, fearing to be left behind, rushed to join the competition.
Cui Chongyi whispered, "Tensions are running high among the various factions in the Beyond the Mortal Realm. The most outstanding new disciples are actively preparing for battle because a legendary artifact has appeared—one perfectly suited for younger cultivators, promising to bring them closer to immortality. Some of our old friends will likely enter the fray as well."
This wasn't the first time Qin Ming had heard about these events, but they still felt distant and detached.
Cui Chongyi continued, "Wang Caiwei, Zheng Maoze, and others are nearby, each accompanied by powerful guardians. Be especially cautious of Li Qingxu when traveling here. Though he appears ethereal in his Feather Robe, he's extremely dangerous..."
"Okay!" Qin Ming nodded.
After their conversation, Qin Ming prepared to leave.
"The Golden Thieves have gone mad," he said. "I need to check other areas."
The Crimson Eagle sliced through the Night Mist, carrying him away into the distance.
Cui Chongyi stood on the official road, watching the figure disappear into the night sky.
Lost in thought, his emotions were a tangled mess.
"Now that his Cousin has left the Cui Clan, he's striking out across remote regions to prevent the Golden Thieves' rampage from causing widespread bloodshed."
Cui Chongyi was deeply moved, his heart a mix of conflicting emotions. His younger cousin was tirelessly working himself to the bone, while he himself was being groomed under the protection of the clan elders.
"In Black and White Mountain, Cui Chonghe, Zheng Maoze, Wang Caiwei, and the others are even being accompanied by experts from Beyond the Mortal Realm as they seek the Yin-Yang Grand Elixir. People's fates differ so greatly... I hope Cousin finds success in all his endeavors."
Cui Chongyi wondered what would have become of him if he had faced such trials. He likely would have been crushed by the weight of it all.
Emotionally, he felt closer to Qin Ming, but he knew that some within the clan were exploiting his cousin, showing him no kindness even now.
And since these were his elders, he could only exhale a heavy sigh of frustration.
Cui Chongyi remained worried.
Though he had warned his junior brother and told him about old acquaintances in the area, he still feared something might happen if Qin Ming encountered certain individuals.
"The experts guarding Emei Town repelled two Golden Thieves, but failed to kill them. The two bandits have vanished into the mountains," Talking Sparrow reported with the latest news.
Qin Ming frowned.
The presence of multiple Golden Thieves in this remote region was unsettling.
Could more bandits be using this route?
A chill ran down his spine.
Could a group of Golden Thieves be planning to enter Black and White Mountain?
He recalled that some experts from Beyond the Mortal Realm were accompanying core disciples there.
Could there be some kind of transaction or connection between them?
The young man he had killed earlier with his Jade Iron Sword, who could transform into mist, had been associated with the Golden Thieves.
He had been escorted into the mountains by a Great Bandit from Golden Rooster Ridge.
This was a major event beyond his ability to intervene.
Qin Ming traveled to Silvervine Town and wrote a letter, instructing the locals to send it to Chi Xia City via raptor.
"The two Golden Thieves who escaped from Emei Town are fleeing wildly through the mountains," Talking Sparrow informed him. "They're still several miles from Twin Tree Village. I doubt they'll enter the village; they'll likely end up in Black and White Mountain."
"Let's go intercept them!" Qin Ming leaped onto Crimson Eagle's back once more.
The Golden Thieves were vicious criminals, their hands stained with the blood of countless innocents.
Though their hair had turned white with age, they were simply evil men who had grown old.
In the dense forest, two Golden Thieves abruptly halted, spotting a blood-red raptor circling overhead.
A young man wielding a massive hammer fearlessly leaped down.
The forest erupted with violent wind and thunder as countless trees shattered instantly.
Qin Ming attacked without a word, slaughtering every Golden Bandit he encountered—not a single soul among them deserved mercy.
The two bandits roared, unleashing their full Heavenly Radiance Force in a desperate attempt to fight to the death.
But they were no match for Qin Ming, who crushed them both with his hammer.
"Someone's fighting in the mountains," a disciple from Beyond the Mortal Realm remarked, appearing nearby.
The group consisted of both men and women, each accompanied by a skilled guardian.
"The dead weren't strong enough to qualify for the Golden-Armored Guards," a young man concluded after using a secret technique to sense their power.
They glanced indifferently at the raptor disappearing into the night sky.
Only Wang Caiwei cast a lingering glance at the darkness.
In that fleeting moment, she thought the tall figure on Crimson Eagle's back looked strangely familiar.
Qin Ming had no intention of acting rashly.
He had already done what needed to be done.
"Truth and lies, it's impossible to tell. They say the Golden Thieves are massacring villages to draw attention and create an opportunity for their leader to break through. But if their leader is also taking this route, things will become incredibly dangerous. I hope I'm wrong."
Crimson Eagle pierced through the Night Mist and landed on the slope outside Twin Tree Village.
Qin Ming stood guard here, hoping that a true expert from Chi Xia City would arrive.
"Hmm?" His keen eyesight caught movement near the village.
Under the glow of the Fire Spring at the village entrance, the young man leading the group radiated a celestial aura.
Wisps of white mist swirled around him, accompanied by shimmering motes of light, creating an otherworldly and transcendent presence.
The young man gazed at the Black and White Twin Trees at the village entrance, seemingly sensing something.
He turned and looked toward the slope where Qin Ming stood.
Qin Ming realized this person's perception was extraordinarily sharp.
Then he recognized him.
The young man's face bore a striking resemblance to Mr. Cui.
Combined with his Feather Robe, the aura of an Outsider, and the celestial light swirling around him, it all pointed to one person: Cui Chonghe!
Qin Ming never imagined he would encounter Cui Chonghe under such circumstances.
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END OF CHAPTER
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