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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 38: [Sleepless Night]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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Qin Ming was genuinely startled.
The tips of his fingers felt icy cold, and the chill began to seep into his hand.
How could he possibly remain calm?
He immediately shook his hand vigorously, then tried to pull the sensation away.
A day had passed, and the sunstones in the bronze basin no longer glowed as brightly, casting the room into twilight.
Even so, Qin Ming felt he should have noticed the mysterious substance sooner; he had only detected it through the sensation on his hand.
He approached the basin, retrieved a sunstone, and examined it under the fading twilight.
"Did a piece of ice melt?"
The colorless, odorless liquid was easy to overlook. When Qin Ming crushed the stone, it showed no unusual signs.
"Could this be rainwater that seeped into the stone, froze, and was then nourished by Heavenly Light to become this mysterious substance?" he wondered skeptically.
After all, the frigid liquid possessed no distinctive characteristics whatsoever.
The most precious substance — the ten-colored pillar of light piercing the heavens, drawing the gaze of all — was destined to spread throughout the resplendent cities, sparking fervent debate and etching itself into the annals of history.
"You're just scrap material," Qin Ming muttered, frowning as he examined the liquid. "Apart from being so cold it stings, there's nothing remotely divine about you."
He vigorously shook his hand, but the liquid didn't seep in further.
Strangely, it didn't drip to the ground either, yet it didn't feel sticky to the touch.
"What use are you?" Qin Ming pondered, his brow furrowing.
The liquid's utter lack of distinguishing features left him clueless about how to use it.
Should he just let it seep into his flesh?
He felt a deep sense of uncertainty.
From Mu Qing and Cao Long, he had learned that the mysterious products nurtured by the Heavenly Light were incredibly diverse.
Some were not only useless to the body but actively harmful.
"Hmm?" Qin Ming's expression shifted slightly.
He had thought he had forced the cold out of his body earlier, preventing the liquid from penetrating his flesh by shaking his hand violently.
But now it seemed that wasn't the case.
An odd sensation emanated from his right hand.
The area previously chilled to the bone was now growing warm.
Moreover, this warmth was spreading rapidly — or rather, flowing — up his fingers, into his arm, and swiftly from his shoulder to his neck.
Though the sensation was comfortable, this unexpected development put Qin Ming on high alert.
He immediately activated the Awakening Technique recorded in the Silk Scroll to defend against it.
But it was useless.
On the contrary, the heat surged upward, intensifying!
Worse still, the cold liquid he hadn't managed to shake off began to fully permeate his fingers, transforming from icy cold to searing heat as it traveled up his arm.
"I admit you're not just stagnant water — you're something special. Can we pause for a moment? Let me catch my breath!" Qin Ming pleaded, facing this unpredictable situation.
He tried every technique he knew, but nothing could alter the course.
"It's all inside me now?" He swung his arm, rubbed his hands frantically, and golden ripples shimmered across his skin, yet none of it helped.
In fact, it seemed to accelerate the process.
The bone-chilling liquid rapidly transformed within his flesh, radiating warmth.
Then, both the left and right streams converged upward, like rivers flowing to the sea, until they finally reached the center of his forehead.
Qin Ming stared at his reflection in the mirror.
Since he couldn't stop it, he could only observe calmly.
The warmth at the center of his forehead intensified, drawing all the heat inward until his entire frontal bone began to glow, the light spreading deeper into his skull.
He felt no discomfort as the concentrated warmth gradually dissipated.
Qin Ming carefully examined himself.
Aside from feeling unusually energetic, he detected no other abnormalities.
He carried his long-handled Black Gold Hammer into the courtyard and practiced his sword techniques.
His strength hadn't increased, and his physical condition remained unchanged.
Yet Qin Ming knew this liquid couldn't be so simple, leaving no trace behind.
The changes it had wrought must be subtle, still eluding his detection.
He gazed up at the night sky, which seemed slightly clearer, the Night Mist less dense.
His vision had improved marginally, though not noticeably.
After a quick meal, Qin Ming headed to the village entrance, standing by the Fire Spring beneath the Black and White Twin Trees.
He ran his hand over the rough bark of the trees.
One was as black as ink, the other sculpted from white jade, their leaves remaining vibrant even in the dead of winter.
"The liquid came from Black and White Mountain. You must be seeds that drifted from there..."
Qin Ming had clearly been overthinking things.
Even with a black leaf and a white leaf in his mouth, nothing seemed amiss.
"For now, this will do," he reassured himself.
His body felt no discomfort; on the contrary, he felt invigorated.
There shouldn't be any impending calamity.
Suddenly, he sensed movement coming from Old Liu's house near the village entrance, accompanied by the cries of children and a woman.
Less than fifty meters away, Qin Ming blinked and was through the courtyard gate.
His brow furrowed slightly as he spotted three massive ground chickens.
One stood out — its pale yellow plumage shimmered faintly, its legs were exceptionally thick, and its claws were razor-sharp, leaving faint scratches on the courtyard's bluestone pavement.
Significantly larger and stronger than the other two ground chickens, this must be the so-called Second-Stage Mutation Golden Rooster.
A man with a grim expression stood in the courtyard, his voice low but radiating barely suppressed anger.
Qin Ming realized this was a Golden Rooster Knight from Golden Rooster Ridge.
What was he doing at Old Liu's house?
Two companions stood beside him, also whispering to Old Liu.
Old Liu's family stood to the side, bewildered and clearly frightened by the group's sudden arrival.
Qin Ming's keen hearing picked up every word. The men were pressuring Old Liu, trying to "purchase" the small red grass he had obtained from the Fire Bat Cave.
Shallow Night residents had seen Old Liu emerge from the cave at dusk, noticing a red glow flashing from his chest.
Now they knew what it was, and their covetousness had followed him home.
"Old Liu, you're getting on in years. You suffered a severe injury long ago, and your foundation has been weakened beyond repair. A Second Awakening is unlikely for you. Why not sell it for a good price and leave your descendants a substantial inheritance?"
"Exactly! That red grass burns like wildfire when consumed. Your frail body can't withstand it. If the Second Awakening fails, the consequences would be catastrophic."
Old Liu looked utterly helpless, his face etched with indescribable desolation and a hint of sorrow.
"This old man has worked hard his entire life, struggled for most of it," he said. "All for this one chance!"
This was clearly his obsession.
He had already prepared cooling auxiliary herbs and was gradually conditioning his body, planning to consume the red grass in small doses.
With careful preparation, he believed his chances of success were high.
The substance that aids Awakening primarily contains abundant vitality and Spiritual energy.
The claims of its "overwhelming medicinal potency," likened to being burned by raging flames, are greatly exaggerated.
...
Qin Ming's anger flared as he listened.
"This is blatant bullying!" he thought.
An elderly man in his seventies, who had yearned for a Second Awakening for decades, had finally seen a glimmer of hope, only for these thugs to try and force him to sell.
The price they offered was highway robbery.
While a few dozen Night Silver coins might seem like a substantial sum to ordinary people, this was a Spiritual substance capable of granting a Second Awakening.
It was an insultingly low offer.
The crimson grass grew in a dangerous cave guarded by Third-Tier Mutated Creatures — Fire Bats — making it extremely difficult to harvest.
Even the Golden Rooster Knight himself dared not enter.
"Brothers..." Qin Ming began, stepping forward.
"Who are you? Get lost!" one of the men snapped, showing no courtesy and cutting him off before he could speak further.
The Jin Ji (Golden Rooster) Knight merely glanced at Qin Ming with icy indifference.
Though he said nothing, his warning was clear: Stay out of this.
"Xiao Qin, don't say another word," Old Liu urged, not wanting Qin Ming to get involved.
Jin Ji (Golden Rooster) Ridge was notoriously dangerous, once a band of notorious bandits.
Even after being incorporated into the government, their methods remained brutal.
Once they set their sights on you, the consequences were unpredictable.
"Brothers, Grandpa Liu's red grass was given to him by Cao Long and Mu Qing of Chi Xia City," Qin Ming said again.
His implication was clear: mentioning the direct descendants of Chi Xia City's noble families, who were now on good terms with Old Liu, even going so far as to provide him with spiritual substances to improve his health.
Tomorrow, Old Liu was even scheduled to lead them on an early morning expedition.
"Old Liu has already told us all this," the Jin Ji (Golden Rooster) Knight sneered. "In the end, you're just..."
He didn't explicitly accuse Qin Ming of bluffing, but his meaning was clear: he didn't believe that the nobles of Chi Xia City would genuinely associate with a few hunters.
"Young man, you need to learn your place," the man beside him warned bluntly. "Don't meddle in matters that don't concern you."
Old Liu turned and went inside, retrieving a packet of crimson-glowing grass from a hidden compartment in the wall.
With a final grimace, he grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth.
Instead of slowly regulating his body with auxiliary herbs, he consumed more than half the packet at once.
He left only a small portion, which he carried outside.
"Is that all you have left? You didn't eat some beforehand, did you?" The Jin Ji (Golden Rooster) Knight's face darkened instantly, his intuition proving accurate.
"That's all I have," Old Liu insisted.
"What good is this measly amount? You're doing great, Old Liu!" The Jin Ji (Golden Rooster) Knight clapped him on the shoulder and turned to leave.
As the three figures disappeared beyond the village entrance, Old Liu spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Grandpa Liu, what's wrong?" Qin Ming asked, startled.
"That Golden Rooster Knight is ruthless," Old Liu said. "He's trained in the Yellow Mud Palm technique. He suspects I consumed Spiritual substances beforehand and tried to secretly disrupt my Qi to prevent my Second Awakening."
Qin Ming glared through the courtyard gate at the swirling snow outside the village, itching to chase after them and deliver a hammer-blade strike to each.
He knew, however, that such rash action could bring disaster upon the entire village.
The Golden Rooster Ridge was home to a band of formidable bandits.
He would have to "plan carefully" after reaching the mountains.
"Are you alright, old man?"
"Grandpa!"
Old Liu's family rushed to his side, their faces etched with concern.
"How are you feeling, Grandpa?" Qin Ming asked.
"I know the Golden Rooster Ridge's methods and took precautions," Old Liu replied. "It's not ideal, but it's not too serious. A few days of rest should do the trick."
In truth, the Golden Rooster Ridge wasn't the only group attempting to strong-arm the villagers.
The local Three-Eyed Sect had also sent representatives, including a Second Awakener.
In the end, the Three-Eyed Sect realized they couldn't force the purchase and left with a flick of their sleeves, casting cold, resentful glances before departing.
The encounter had been deeply unpleasant.
"Ordinary people struggle to survive in harsh environments, and even after becoming Awakeners, life remains just as difficult..." Qin Ming sighed in his courtyard that night.
He soon realized what had changed within him.
His vigorous spirit remained unchanged, even as the night deepened, and he felt no sleepiness whatsoever.
After lying down and tossing and turning for hours, he discovered he couldn't fall asleep at all.
The harder he tried to close his eyes, the more awake he became.
"What's going on?" he wondered, frustrated. "I haven't become an immortal! How can I not need sleep? Besides, if gods and spirits truly existed, they would have long since lifted the sun into the sky. Why would the Night Mist still be so thick, shrouding the world in darkness?"
In the dead of night, Qin Ming, left with no other option, got up for a walk. After circling the village eighteen times, he found himself feeling even more energized.
"What's happening to me?" he thought, returning to his courtyard.
He practiced the Awakening Techniques from the Silk Scroll, then honed his combat techniques from the Sword Manual.
He could feel physical fatigue, but sleep remained elusive.
Driven by restlessness, he ventured out again late at night, eventually arriving at the village entrance.
With nothing better to do, he cleared the snow-covered stone tablet, revealing its weathered surface.
"The old-timers say this stele weighs 1,100 jin. I've always estimated my one-handed strength to be around 1,000 jin, but I've never actually tested it. Now's my chance."
In the end, Qin Ming forcibly yanked the stele from the frozen earth and, to his surprise, lifted it overhead with a single hand.
"It was a struggle, but I managed it. That means my combined arm strength is actually 2,200 jin, even higher than I estimated."
The next day, Xu Yueping noticed Qin Ming and asked, "Xiao Qin, have you been crying?"
Qin Ming blinked in surprise. "No, why?"
"Your eyes are a bit red," Xu Yueping pointed out.
"I didn't sleep well last night," Qin Ming replied.
Old Liu joined them on their mountain trek as usual, showing no signs of injury.
When they met Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and the others, Qin Ming didn't hold back, immediately recounting the previous night's incident at Golden Rooster Ridge, where the Three-Eyed Sect had tried to force a sale.
"That's outrageous," Mu Qing exclaimed.
An hour later, they found the Golden Rooster Knight from the previous day.
Mu Qing slapped him so hard he flew six or seven meters, several teeth dislodged.
"This man is working for me, helping me with my tasks. You think you can just steal the spiritual herbs we're giving him?" Mu Qing demanded coldly.
"No... it was a misunderstanding," the Golden Rooster Knight stammered, his voice trembling.
With a clang, Cao Long's great spear grazed his ear, then swung around to cleave through a nearby tree.
His voice was cold as he warned, "Even after we leave, you're forbidden from retaliating. Otherwise, you'll face dire consequences."
"Understood!"
Moments later, the Three-Eyed Sect members received the same warning.
However, Mu Qing and Wei Zhirou privately told Qin Ming and the others that while the Three-Eyed Sect's local stronghold was insignificant, their distant sect was powerful, with branches in many cities.
"Golden Rooster Ridge isn't simple either," Old Liu added. "It's a foothold established by the Golden Bandits in this area."
Old Liu was deeply grateful.
He never expected anyone to stand up for him like this.
That day, Qin Ming seized an opportunity to dig up the Sword Manual.
Now that Wang Nianzhu had become a wanted criminal, he no longer needed to worry about being discovered.
He could finally take the secret manual home and study it.
After Shallow Night ended, he returned to the village.
"I hope I can sleep tonight. I can't keep staying this alert!"
After dinner, using the fiery glow of the sunstone, he opened the leather-bound Sword Manual.
The moment he did, he froze in shock.
Qin Ming looked up at the night sky outside, then back down at the ancient book.
What was happening?
The world suddenly felt different to him!
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END OF CHAPTER
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