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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 75: [Lamenting the Past]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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As daylight faded, a hazy night enveloped Chi Xia City.
Qin Ming sat quietly in his room, watching fragmented memories of the past coalesce and solidify before him.
"So you were Li Qingxu," Qin Ming murmured, recognizing the Feather-Robed Youth in the vision.
They had known each other before, although they were hardly close friends—merely nodding acquaintances.
"As a direct descendant of the Li Family, he possessed an extraordinary innate talent. While others struggled to gain entry into the ranks of Outsiders, he was perfectly suited for that path. A renowned elder from the Dark Night World recognized his potential and, breaking all precedent, accepted him as his final disciple."
Qin Ming frowned.
This elder from Beyond the Mortal Realm seemed formidable; even millennium-old aristocratic families treated him with utmost reverence.
Li Qingxu's image reappeared before him—his Feather Robe ethereal, his aura otherworldly and refined.
Even the luminous purple bamboo staff in his hand was no ordinary object, crafted from rare bamboo from a blessed land that had once absorbed Otherworldly Heavenly Light.
Soon, Li Qingxu's figure faded, replaced by a flood of fragmented scenes.
The shattered memories reassembled themselves, surging toward Qin Ming in a relentless torrent.
Though some minor details remained hazy, the core memories of his past had returned.
Qin Ming massaged his temples, trying to alleviate the mental strain.
A torrent of images and scenes surged through Qin Ming's mind, from his childhood to his adolescence, the past experiences crashing over him like relentless waves.
He rapidly absorbed and processed the memories, his emotions a tangled mess.
The weight of his past threatened to drown him like a sea of fog.
Activating the technique from the Silk Book, he stilled his mind, shattered the confines of the scene, and broke free, gazing down upon his past.
He needed a new perspective to examine his former self.
Certain events had always puzzled him, and he wanted to scrutinize those bygone experiences with a critical eye.
"I am Cui Chonghe, the direct descendant of a thousand-year-old noble family," Qin Ming affirmed, establishing his identity through the recovered memories.
The past unfolded before him like a slightly yellowed book, unearthed from a dusty old room and now reopened.
Turning the first page, Qin Ming seemed to cross the mottled years, returning to a time more than a decade ago.
"Poor child, you've suffered so much out there," a young man with thick eyebrows and bright eyes said, stroking Qin Ming's head.
His gentle smile revealed teeth so white they seemed to glow.
"Remember, I'm your Seventh Uncle."
Qin Ming recognized him instantly: Cui Hao, one of his closest relatives. From childhood to adulthood, he had always been close to this Seventh Uncle.
He gazed ahead, this was his earliest childhood memory.
"Was I ever lost?" Qin Ming murmured.
In the vision, he was no more than three or four years old, his small clothes tattered. He desperately wanted to recall more, but it was impossible.
A normal person's earliest memories rarely begin before the age of three or four.
He was bathed, dressed in clean clothes, and adorned with beautiful jade, as if transformed into a different person.
Although slightly uneasy, his stubborn nature seemed determined to avoid showing fear. The small figure stood ramrod straight, silently enduring the ordeal.
The scene shifted rapidly.
He moved into the Cui Family residence, where someone taught him to read and write, and explained the family rules, which he diligently memorized.
At times, he secretly cried, but he never wanted anyone to see.
"Chonghe, remember your name. Never forget it again. Come, I'll teach you how to write these characters." An elder personally instructed him in calligraphy.
"Chonghe, come here. This is your younger brother, Cui Chongxuan. You must protect him in the future. He is one of your closest relatives." Madam Cui appeared.
She looked remarkably young, her bearing regal and elegant, her face exquisitely beautiful. A feather shimmering with golden light was tucked into her hair, serving as an ornate hairpin that radiated an ethereal glow, clearly not of this world.
The child holding her right hand was very young, barely two years old, but he seemed remarkably intelligent, his dark, round eyes curiously studying Qin Ming.
"He's a year and a half younger than you," Madam Cui said. "You must love and care for each other. As the elder brother, you need to look after him."
"Okay!" Qin Ming, nearly four years old, nodded.
He settled into the Cui Family, completely adapting to their way of life.
Mr. Cui was strict and highly respected within the household.
Young Qin Ming always remained quiet in his presence.
Perhaps that was why he grew so close to Cui Hao, his Seventh Uncle.
Unlike the other elders, Cui Hao never acted superior. He would often take Qin Ming to bustling streets, ride exotic beasts with him outside the city, and even take him on painted barges on the Ink Mo Yun River at night.
For these escapades, Seventh Uncle Cui Hao was often scolded by Father Cui.
The dust-covered pages of the Book of Time turned once more.
As Qin Ming gazed into the past, he saw his eldest brother, Cui Chongxiao, who was eight years older than him.
Although still a youth, Cui Chongxiao already possessed a mature and steady demeanor, much like Mr. Cui.
Only when he saw young Qin Ming did Cui Chongxiao's eyes light up with youthful radiance. He would smile warmly, walk over, and carefully examine him.
It was said that Cui Chongxiao had become a disciple of a great master, but Mr. Cui forbade anyone from discussing the master's location or spreading rumors.
All that was known was that their eldest brother returned home only once every few years.
This revealed the cautious nature of Mr. Cui and Madam Cui, who wished to keep their eldest son's extraordinary master a secret.
Qin Ming overheard their hushed conversations and learned that his elder brother had likely joined an ancient Dao Tradition connected to deities.
However, this tradition didn't involve worship or contemplation of gods. Instead, it possessed a grand ambition: to subdue these special "phenomena" and "realms," harness them for its own purposes, and ultimately achieve godhood.
Every spring, when the flowers bloomed, Mr. Cui and Madam Cui would receive a peculiar letter. They would carefully decipher it using several ancient texts, treating it with utmost seriousness, as if it were heavily encrypted.
During these moments, even the stern Mr. Cui would smile, his expression softening into warmth and radiance.
Qin Ming and his younger brother, Cui Chongxuan, both suspected these letters came from their eldest brother, explaining their parents' joy.
Cui Chongxuan once tried to steal a letter to read its contents, but he couldn't understand the coded language.
Mr. Cui gave him a severe beating, and he never dared to try again.
The Cui Family's Main Branch was home to many white-haired elders, each possessing unfathomable power.
Some had ventured Beyond the Mortal Realm and remained absent from the clan for years.
One elder, who had embraced the path of Awakening, once amused the younger generation by drawing a Four-Colored Sparrow from a tree with a single breath.
These elders, whether kind or strict, all deeply valued nurturing their descendants.
Whenever these elders greeted Qin Ming with a smile, urging him to call them "Fifth Uncle" or "Seventh Uncle," he would recall a hazy figure from his childhood memories—a grandfather he had once clamored to find.
"He's gone on a long journey! He's gone to the Imperial Capital of the Great Yu Kingdom. He nearly went mad practicing the Awakening Techniques from that Silk Book. Now, having severed all ties, he seeks his own path."
"I miss him," Qin Ming said, his eyes reddening despite his growing comfort in the Cui Family.
"I miss that grandfather."
He then asked for the Silk Book.
"No," they replied. "The Silk Book is an ancient artifact. Handling it carelessly could damage it. Practice the first few pages first, but... it's an incredibly difficult technique to master."
From that day forward, Qin Ming devoted himself wholeheartedly to practicing the Awakening Techniques from the Silk Book.
He became utterly determined, practicing daily without fail, regardless of wind or rain.
He had many cousins, both male and female.
During this time, a few were chosen by Outsiders and embarked on vastly different paths.
Some siblings entered secret sects, while others joined more renowned sects.
Still others remained at home, pursuing the path of physical awakening.
"The Silk Book has a formidable origin, once being one of the most renowned scriptures?"
As Cui Chongxuan grew older, he learned what his elder brother was practicing and wanted to follow suit.
Mr. Cui rebuked him: "The Silk Book is exceedingly difficult to master. One person on this path is enough. You can choose another secret manual."
Growing taller, Cui Chongxuan grew envious, demanding why he couldn't practice it too.
He even harbored resentment toward his brother for a time.
"I want to know—is the Silk Book the most powerful Awakening Technique?" Cui Chongxuan rarely defied his father, but this time he pressed for an answer.
Mr. Cui's expression softened considerably.
"Who dares to claim to be the greatest? There isn't just one Silk Book in the world. There are equally formidable lineages, such as the Six Sovereigns Heart Scripture, Tathagata Technique, and Heaven-Severing Strategy."
"Focus on mastering our family's secret manuals and build the strongest foundation. In the future, I might be able to obtain a scroll of the Six Sovereigns Heart Scripture for you. If you become powerful enough, it's even possible to formally join that old man's sect."
Qin Ming spoke up, "Father, I also want to study the Six Sovereigns Heart Scripture someday and compare it with the Silk Book. The Awakening Techniques in the latter half of the book is too difficult; it seems impossible to master."
"What? Are you losing confidence in yourself?" Mr. Cui asked, his gaze piercing through Qin Ming's heart.
"No!" Qin Ming snapped, his frustration rising.
He turned and left, later borrowing secret manuals from his cousin to examine other Awakening Techniques.
Fifth Uncle of the Main Branch watched him with a knowing smile.
"The choice of Awakening Techniques for establishing your foundation is crucial," he said. "It will greatly impact your ultimate achievements. If you practice these ordinary manuals and then switch back to the Silk Book's Technique after entering the Awakening Domain, the results will never match the benefits of sticking to your original path."
After hearing these words, Qin Ming sought advice from Mr. Cui and Madam Cui, receiving similar answers.
After reviewing his cousin's Visualization Technique and Intent Qi Cultivation Technique, he discarded them all, his resolve to master the Silk Book's Awakening Techniques unshaken.
In the quiet inn room, Qin Ming felt like an outsider, watching his own past unfold.
He turned the page once more.
The entire Cui Family held him in high regard. They praised him openly, not only within the family but also to outsiders, making it clear to everyone that he was a core member of the direct lineage.
From a very early age, it was widely known that Cui Chonghe was likely to become the future leader of the Main Branch, and he was being groomed accordingly.
During a drunken slip-up, Second Master Cui revealed that Cui Chonghe possessed a unique aptitude, making him exceptionally suited to tread the Beyond the Mortal Realm.
Whether he mastered the Silk Book or not was irrelevant; he was destined to become a near-immortal being.
Second Master Cui further disclosed that Cui Chonghe hadn't been sent away yet because they were awaiting the seclusion of a renowned elder from the Night Mist World to end.
An agreement had already been made for Cui Chonghe to become his disciple.
When Mr. Cui learned of his brother's drunken ramblings, his expression turned thunderous.
Second Master Cui, realizing his transgression, was overcome with shame and self-imposed seclusion as punishment.
Although Second Master Cui's indiscretion occurred within the Cui Family, word eventually leaked to the outside world.
Qin Ming's safety was briefly threatened, with several attempts made against him, all of which were thwarted by the Cui Family.
Qin Ming received exceptional treatment within the Cui Family.
As he grew older, his mount was immediately changed to an extraordinary creature—a four-times mutated beast.
While four mutations represented the mutant creature's maximum potential, providing such a creature to someone who had yet to undergo awakening was considered extravagant, akin to having top-tier equipment.
The Cui Family protected him meticulously.
Despite repeated attempts at surveillance, no incidents ever occurred.
Moreover, when Qin Ming was still young, Mr. Cui had already made an agreement with the Wang Clan of Qian Xing City: a direct descendant of the Wang Clan would marry Cui Chonghe, forging a marital alliance between the two families.
Qin Ming had even met the young woman—exceedingly beautiful and always smiling.
However, as he grew older, Mr. Cui and Madam Cui began to caution him during their gatherings, urging him to maintain proper decorum and avoid close contact with her.
Once, when he and the Wang Clan's daughter were exploring Qing He City together, Mr. Cui grew furious and reprimanded him afterward.
As Qin Ming matured, the Cui Family continued to value him highly, praising their "prodigy son" before esteemed guests. Yet they rarely allowed him to meet such figures, fearing distractions that might divert his focus from the Silk Book's teachings.
By his teenage years, Qin Ming had come to know many influential figures, from prominent members of major clans to direct descendants of ancient noble houses and disciples of Outsiders.
It must be said that the ancient noble houses possessed profound foundations. Even the most venerable Dao Traditions, powerful sects, and Outsiders sought alliances with them.
In those years, rumors circulated that several prominent figures from Beyond the Mortal Realm would soon emerge from seclusion to select suitable disciples in the mortal world, with Qing He City designated as the selection site.
The rumors proved true.
Families across the land mobilized, with Li Qingxu, Li Qingyue, the Wang Clan's eldest daughter, and others arriving in Giant City, eager to become disciples of the legendary figures.
It was during this time that Qin Ming first sensed Li Qingxu's hostility.
Eventually, some of the most renowned Outsiders revealed themselves, selecting a small number of disciples.
One particularly influential elder took a strong liking to Li Qingxu, gifting him a purple bamboo staff nourished by Heavenly Light upon their first meeting.
Afterward, Qin Ming was puzzled.
Hadn't he been told that a legendary elder from the Night Mist World would choose him?
Why had Li Qingxu been selected instead?
"Don't worry," Mr. Cui said. "The elder who has his eye on you is still in seclusion."
In the following months, Qin Ming survived multiple assassination attempts unscathed.
No one could have predicted that the rapidly rising Li Family would suddenly declare war on the Cui Family.
Perhaps Qin Ming hadn't noticed it at the time, or perhaps the Cui Family elders had long anticipated this and prepared accordingly.
"The Li Family has an old man who has broken through to the verge of immortality. Meanwhile, our Cui Family Ancestor hasn't appeared in two centuries. The Li Family aims to achieve several objectives by clashing with us: demonstrating their strength, elevating themselves to the ranks of true millennium-old clans, and proving their worth through battle. They need this war."
"What's most terrifying is the backing they have. They might even be puppets being pushed forward by someone else."
...
As the two great families were on the verge of clashing, members of the Cui Family were discussing the situation.
Qin Ming, overhearing their conversation, grew deeply concerned for his family's fate.
"Our Ancestor still hasn't emerged. The situation is dire; we may not be able to hold out much longer. We must secure our foundations and withdraw immediately. We also need to search for the Ancestor's secluded retreat again. I believe he's still alive and we must ensure his swift return."
Under the cover of darkness, the Cui Family secretly evacuated a group of key members.
Another group was to take a different route, likely facing encirclement by a large force of Li Family experts.
"Chonghe, you are my son. As the Main Branch, we must bear responsibility. I need to oversee the overall situation and cannot take that route for now. Your younger brother is still too young and inexperienced. You will represent me and take the second route with the elders," Mr. Cui said personally.
That night, Mr. Cui's expression was complex as he patted his second son's shoulder.
Qin Ming gazed at his parents, knowing the path he was about to tread was fraught with peril, a near-certain death sentence.
His primary mission was to draw the attention of the Li Family's elite forces.
The men accompanying him were all elderly members of the Cui Family, their lives already nearing their end.
"Father, Mother, Brother!" Qin Ming nodded through tears, bidding them farewell.
He boarded the bronze chariot and, as it rumbled into the night, turned back to see only the receding figures of his parents.
In the inn, Qin Ming sighed deeply.
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END OF CHAPTER
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