"Skill never weighs a man down. Learn all you can — it could save your life, and you pick things up faster than anyone I know." Old Liu approved, though he sighed. Lineage families with real history were pitifully few in such a backwater, and even the fallen ones clung to their teachings, refusing outsiders a glance at their collections.
"I'll ask around and see if anyone will oblige," Old Liu promised. Qin Ming was delighted; another aged manual bearing a predecessor's labor would gain him much, and surely some keeper would not stay hidebound. "And your health, Old Liu?" he asked with concern.
For half a lifetime the old man had drawn a red herb heavy with numinous spirit from the fire-bat cave, only to be marked out by the people of Golden Ridge, who slipped him a Yellow Mud Palm. "It won't take my life," he sighed. "But a Second New Life is no longer within my grasp."
Qin Ming returned home, stripped meat from the fire-serpent, and pounded it to pulp with his long-handled black-gold hammer. Half an hour later he brought Old Liu a jar of meat porridge. "I hunted a small numinous creature — a tonic, cooling by nature, just the thing to offset that red herb's heat." Come the next evening, the moment the Shallow Night fell, Old Liu came rapping at the gate. "Xiao Qin, what did you give me to eat?" The fire-serpent bore a flesh unlike any snake's, and he could not say what he'd eaten — yet he felt better than he had in years. "With a body like this, I might still father a son in my old age!"
That day all agreed Old Liu was full of vigor. "Black-and-White Mountain has made us famous far and wide. The great cities are abuzz — that ten-colored light pillar tore open the night sky." Searching the mountains for special nodes, Cao Long, Mu Qing, and Wei Zhirou talked; their news came quickly, kept up by letters carried on a fierce bird of prey. Qin Ming's ears pricked up; he hungered to know the world.
"Many great organizations are kicking themselves for not taking this place seriously. They've called the crop of mysterious produce a god-given treasure worth more than gold. Even ancient sealed sects have stirred and sent people to learn every detail." In a single morning the long-quiet mountain became the talk of everywhere.
"Two hundred years ago, when the heavenly light blasted through Black-and-White Mountain, of the masters who raced in from the royal capital, some still live. They say one old codger flew into such a rage he went two days and nights without sleep, then ran crimson-eyed into the deep forest, dead set on hunting that legendary six-tusked white elephant." "Isn't that the mount of a god worshipped by some secret sect — and beyond the night mist, at that?"
"Forget the royal capital — there's word even courtiers at the mighty Yu Kingdom's imperial city have been shaken, and the royal preceptor has looked into it. The ten-colored pillar and five-colored haze fusing is something no text records." Some coveted the produce but could not trace it far, facing the resistance of recluses of the highest standing. Qin Ming wished they would say more, but their relations were not yet so close, so he held his peace.
When no special nodes were found that day, Xu Yueping conferred with Old Liu about leading three squads to the nest of the scythe-beak birds. It was a fine place to temper the newly New-Born, he said, devoted to the village as he asked Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing to rid them of the pest — the winter's grain shortage owed much to them, stripping whole ears with a single bite of their sickle bills.
Wei Zhirou nodded. "The mountain sweep was meant to clear the harmful beasts. Since these foul birds exist, let's look." Xu Yueping was grateful — everyone knew the sweep was a pretext, and hunting the mountain's special produce the true purpose. "The youths who took New Life this year have only seen a little blood in the fire-bat cave," said Cao Long. "The scythe-beak birds will do nicely."
They reached a cliff where droppings streaked the snow and crevices riddled the rock — the birds nested there. Mu Qing and Cao Long came prepared with metal-wire nets, hurling a dozen over the densest stretches. Even so a vast host burst loose, at least a thousand slipping the nets. A foot long, with enormous razor-edged mouths, they flung themselves at the attackers with no thought for death. Happily all wore armor, and even those that broke through were turned aside; Qin Ming and Xu Yueping had each been given a suit for guiding the squads. In the end great numbers were slain, the ground buried under carcasses, until the survivors fled and dared not return. The black-ram rider Yang Yongqing was sent to tell the villagers to bring sacks and gather the bodies — so much flesh could not be wasted.
These past days Qin Ming had watched the parties moving through the mountains, yet found no trace of the people he sought — the woman just past thirty with a mole at the inner end of her right brow, the man with unusually long arms. Long ago those two had rescued him from the youth in feathered robes, led him here, and left him at Silver Elm Town; this time they had not come.
Meanwhile he kept his word, contacting the old aristocrat's household to report what he saw and which organizations gained the exceptional produce. Old Aristocrat Xie Jingrui sighed; nothing he needed had surfaced. That day the old man entered the mountains himself and marched into their deepest heart, startling the elders of Redcloud City — for since Ling Xu and the tabby cat left, none dared so far. Half a day later Xie Jingrui slipped out again, two short rootlets pinched between his fingers, one black, one white. "So the roots of the Black-and-White Tree linger in the depths after all, fed by heavenly light."
"Did you find what you wanted?" Qin Ming asked. "Findings, yes — but someone got there before me. I carry an old wound and can't fight long." "It wouldn't be City Lord Ling Xu, would it?" The old aristocrat nodded; out in the deep mountain, Wei Mo, who walked the giant-spirit path, had told him Ling Xu lingered there long. "No wonder he hurried back after missing the mightiest produce. They say he near slapped his thigh at not buying a flying mount — but truly he feared others learning he'd taken a different prize. The old bandit! White robes like a scholar? He ought to wear black."
Qin Ming marveled the old man would speak to him at such length. "That violet-eyed crow has high hopes for you. Strive on — this place is too remote. Leave it as soon as you can." "Will Miss Xie be leaving with you?" "Mm. If fate wills it, we'll meet again!" With that Xie Jingrui vanished into the forest.
From afar a great commotion rolled in. When Qin Ming hurried over, he found a bevy of aristocrats in fine mounts standing off against Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing. The great families were no single happy clan; as the Cao, Wei, and Mu had joined, so other houses flocked in their own blocs. Someone had just crossed weapons with Cao Long and lost fast. A youth in golden armor on a mutated golden leopard pressed forward. "Feng Xing, don't start trouble," Cao Long said coldly. "The old Wang tried to seize my seventh uncle's life-extending tree, and I drove him off. You want to champion the Wangs?" "Word is your strength has soared. Let's spar." "Don't you just want a bout? Think I'm afraid of you?"
Some neutral aristocrats spoke in conciliation — whoever dared in such a moment carried weight. The speaker was a handsome youth in silver armor riding a white rhinoceros, a girl beside him upon a black tiger, sleek in purple-gold, radiant beyond measure. When this pair appeared, many greeted them warmly, even their elders. From their talk Qin Ming learned these two, on taking New Life this year, had shaken all of Redcloud City — the brightest in twenty years.
Once the youth spoke, Feng Xing fell back with grace and sheathed his weapon. "Who here is Qin Ming?" asked the silver-armored Nie Rui from his white rhinoceros.
Qin Ming frowned; how did this one know of him? "I went to call on Master Xu Kong and thought to spar with his disciple. But Zhou Wubing said he was unwell and instead praised you — swore you were the stronger. I'm curious whether any lad here could best the disciple schooled by Master Xu Kong." Qin Ming was dumbfounded. That Er Bingzi really was out of his mind!