The snow ape being cleaved in two by a single strike chilled Shao Chengfeng and Feng Yian to the bone. They instinctively stepped back, once again doubting—could the captain really handle him?
Fu Entao's expression changed slightly, but his attack didn't falter. He took advantage of the opening Qin Ming left while dodging the snow ape, his gleaming long blade slicing through the wind and snow in a powerful horizontal slash.
But Qin Ming seemed to have anticipated this. His left hand brought the spear behind his back to block the blow. Using Fu Entao's powerful downward chop against the spear's shaft as propulsion, he leapt forward with increased momentum.
An ordinary person wouldn't dare try this; at best, they'd be wounded by the force, possibly even vomiting blood from the shock.
Qin Ming was unharmed, his body vaulting forward, arriving right in front of his next target.
The burly patrolman's hair stood on end, and he realized this attack was aimed at him! The youth rushed down like a mountain beast, and the gleaming blade came slashing right as he landed.
He immediately swung his sword to counterattack, trying to go head-to-head in a direct clash, but in an instant, he felt like he couldn't even hold on to his weapon. The opponent's strength was too overwhelming.
Just two brief, intense exchanges, and the soft flesh between his fingers split open, blood pouring down and staining the hilt. He no longer had the strength to hold his weapon.
Thud!
Under the glow of the Fire Spring, a brilliant arc of steel flashed, and his head was severed, flying through the air. His body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thump.
Qin Ming spun around sharply. With the spear blocking Fu Entao's long blade, he turned his murderous gaze toward Feng Yian and Shao Chengfeng.
The two men were rattled. They were ruthless figures in normal times, cunning and vicious, but this youth was something else. He hadn't said a single word. He'd just killed. It was terrifying.
Even Fu Entao felt a shadow loom in his heart. This second-reborn youth was pressuring him heavily. Each slash and thrust left his arms slightly numb. Right now, he wanted to retreat into the dark forest, but he feared that turning his back would mean instant death.
Then Qin Ming spoke, "There are seven heads on this mountain that need to be cut. I've taken four. That leaves just you three."
Fu Entao froze, his face darkening. This boy was equating him, Feng Yian, and Shao Chengfeng with the golden mastiff and snow ape? Treating them like mere beasts? Shao Chengfeng and Feng Yian gripped their weapons tightly. Normally, anyone who dared to insult them like this would be considered suicidal.
But that was exactly Qin Ming's intent—to provoke them. He could sense their hesitation, perhaps even a will to flee. He was especially wary that he might not be able to catch a second rebirther like Fu Entao if he tried to escape.
Sure enough, the shadow of doubt in Fu Entao's mind vanished with the insult. Not even other veteran patrol captains in this region dared mock him like that. Fu Entao had spent years climbing the ranks, nearly reaching the next level.
"Is he Qin Ming from Shuangshu Village?" Fu Entao asked the others. Earlier, when discussing the Blood Bamboo Forest, Feng Yian and Shao Chengfeng had indeed mentioned Qin Ming. They had wanted to use the golden-foundation youth as a scout and eliminate him in the process.
"It's him," said the bearded Feng Yian, nodding.
Fu Entao nodded as well, then said coldly, "Fine. We'll raze Shuangshu Village. Leave no man, woman, or child alive. In special circumstances, a rogue 'notable beast' slaughtering a village during a patrol sweep is... justifiable." His smile was cold, tinged with bloodlust. He slowly raised his blade.
Qin Ming wasn't enraged. This was exactly what he wanted: for their emotions to rise, so they wouldn't lose their nerve and flee.
He added fuel to the fire. "Did I say anything wrong? Chixia City pays you high wages. The villagers revere you, even sacrificing their firefield harvests to help you grow Black Moon crops. And what do you do? Strip the land bare, suck every drop of blood they have, desperate to consume all the spiritual essence from the Fire Spring without caring how many will starve in next year's famine. You kill innocent villagers to instill fear. In your eyes, their lives mean less than a deer, less than your golden mastiff. Do you even have hearts? Humanity? Is it wrong to rank you alongside vicious beasts? You're far worse than they are. Think of the patrol group's former leaders, those responsible patrollers from other teams. You're not even fit to stand beside them."
Qin Ming spoke calmly. No rage, no raised voice. Just quiet condemnation. Yet Fu Entao's hand gripping his sword bulged with veins. He didn't say a word but advanced with killing intent. Even Feng Yian and Shao Chengfeng were now seething. This youth's calm voice struck deep into their guilt. They wanted him dead immediately.
Qin Ming struck first, wielding the heavy spear in one hand like an extension of himself. Its tip danced with afterimages, churning through the falling snow. When Fu Entao dodged, the spear pierced straight through a tree trunk as thick as a bowl. Qin Ming twisted the shaft, and the trunk snapped with a crack.
Immediately, his machete followed with a slash.
In just moments, the two exchanged a flurry of deadly blows, flattening trees all around them, the destruction shocking.
As their battle raged near the Fire Spring, a large wooden cabin exploded into splinters with a thunderous crash under their blades.
Fu Entao, nearly two meters tall and typically oppressive in presence, was now gasping for air. Mist billowed from his tangled hair. He was exhausted, his arms numb from the repeated shocks, while the boy remained fierce as ever.
If not for his speed, he would've already lost. He realized his opponent had a flaw in speed and saw his opportunity. As Qin Ming thrust and slashed, Feng Yian and Shao Chengfeng both exploded into action, attacking in unison.
Clang!
Screeching steel rang out. Qin Ming blocked Shao Chengfeng's spear with his machete, then parried Feng Yian's blade with the flat of it.
At that moment, Fu Entao charged like a tiger, hair flying in the storm, eyes sharp as blades. He gripped his sword with both hands and unleashed a relentless flurry of blows. He realized that Qin Ming's one-handed spear thrusts were weakening as he was being pushed back.
"Kill him with everything you've got!" Fu Entao roared.
Qin Ming used his machete to fend off the others, but his spear was pinned by Fu Entao's repeated slashes. He appeared to be in danger. Several times, he chose risky trades, ignoring incoming strikes to continue his attacks, forcing Fu Entao to retreat.
Fu Entao smirked coldly. He wasn't afraid of a brutal exchange. He lunged forward, avoiding vital spots, and swung his blade straight down.
At the same time, Feng Yian and Shao Chengfeng smiled grimly, blocking all escape routes. Their blades and spears hemmed Qin Ming in, forcing him to defend with his machete.
Qin Ming had no room to retreat and no time to dodge Fu Entao's slash. He didn't hesitate. Instead, he charged forward, with no time to raise the spear. The tip stayed on course—thud—piercing Fu Entao's thigh completely through.
Fu Entao flinched, his face twitching but he became even more ruthless. In this brutal trade, only his leg was wounded. His descending blade could still slice the boy in half.
At the critical moment, Qin Ming's right hand was still fending off the others. He abandoned the spear and raised his left arm to block the blade.
Fu Entao sneered. He'd cleave both the arm and the boy in two.
Feng Yian and Shao Chengfeng grinned. No one knew better than they how terrifying Fu Entao's full-force slash could be.
Clang! A high-pitched metallic screech cut through the air, completely different from what they expected.
Qin Ming's sleeve tore, revealing armor worn by patrol members, and he wore three layers of it. While not as fine as Fu Entao's, the triple armor blocked the fatal blow. If it hadn't been too bulky, Qin Ming might've worn all the armor from the four patrollers he'd already killed.
Thud! Fu Entao stumbled upon landing, blood gushing from his pierced thigh. The spear was still embedded, and he could barely stand.
Feng Yian turned to flee without hesitation. He knew they were done. Shao Chengfeng realized the same thing, that Qin Ming's earlier desperation was just a ploy. He too ran immediately.
Qin Ming picked up a fallen spear and leapt into the air, hurling it mid-flight. At such close range, he never missed.
Thud! The spear pierced Feng Yian's back, pinning him to the ground.
"Aaagh…!" he screamed in agony, unable to die immediately, struggling where he lay.
As Qin Ming landed, he rushed the other. He might've been slower than Fu Entao, but catching Shao Chengfeng was easy.
Shao Chengfeng tried to resist by spinning his spear, but it was useless. Qin Ming cleaved off his right arm.
The spear dropped. Qin Ming picked it up and, without mercy, drove it into Shao Chengfeng, nailing him to the ground. Blood splattered everywhere.
Qin Ming stood tall and said, "If none of you had tried to flee, if you had stayed and fought to the death, I think I would've had a harder time. I had to divide my attention to prevent anyone from escaping. Even one getting away would've meant this mission was a failure."
"You…" Fu Entao braced himself on his blade, nearly coughing up blood in rage, thinking that Qin Ming was boasting.
"Fighting you with my focus divided was tough, yes," Qin Ming said calmly, "but I've only recently been reborn. That's understandable."
"What?!" Fu Entao's expression froze, heart trembling. He couldn't believe it, couldn't accept it.
"You haven't had your second rebirth yet," Feng Yian coughed blood, laughing bitterly. "We're finished. We ran into a monster…"