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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 77: [Blowing Away the Mist]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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Qin Ming gazed at the night sky, lost in silent contemplation.
Most of his memories had returned, though some details remained hazy.
"If my suspicions are correct, then even without Qin Ming, there would have been Zhang Ming, Zhao Ming, or someone else. The Cui Family needed an 'identity' to stand in that position."
Standing by the window, Qin Ming felt a tightness in his chest.
"The Li Family's sudden rise and clash with the millennium-old Cui Family can't be related to me. The Cui Family couldn't have foreseen this scenario a decade ago."
Qin Ming reasoned that his role within the Cui Family had likely reached its natural conclusion.
It was always meant to end, and the Li Family's attack merely accelerated the process, sweeping him along in its wake.
Clearly, in this massive collision between the Cui and Li Families, he was originally irrelevant.
He just happened to be caught in the crossfire, allowing him to expend his "remaining heat."
Like those old men, he was destined to be consumed.
But the Cui Family elders had willingly embarked on that path, knowing it was a near-certain death path.
They were already nearing the end of their lives, and they chose to burn brightly for the Cui Family in their final moments.
Qin Ming's heart churned with conflicting emotions, a complex mix of feelings he couldn't quite define.
"Every spring, when the flowers bloomed, they would receive a special letter..." This was the first clue that something was amiss, Qin Ming realized.
Year after year, reading these letters was the happiest time for Mr. Cui and Madam Cui.
Even the stern and rigid Mr. Cui would reveal an uncharacteristic, barely concealed smile.
"One year, I vaguely overheard something, but it was so long ago that I didn't pay much attention to the detail at the time," Qin Ming frowned.
However, he was currently undergoing his fourth awakening, which was still ongoing.
There was still hope of recalling even the smallest details.
"This fourth awakening involves the five senses, the subconscious, and primal instincts," Qin Ming thought, feeling confident he could finally tear down the veil of the past.
He had already noticed that this time's consumption of spiritual substance was unusually high.
"If I hadn't entered the Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall and endured six or seven waves of Heavenly Light, obtaining a massive amount of extremely rare and precious spiritual substance, this awakening might have been turbulent."
Qin Ming realized that his head injury was far more severe than he had initially thought.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been on the brink of death with complete amnesia.
Fortunately, this awakening would completely resolve all lingering issues.
"By eradicating the old ailments and embracing the new life, I've consumed twice the spiritual substance," he murmured.
He had a premonition that this awakening would be far more intense than any previous one.
"Perhaps when I wake up tomorrow, all the lingering uncertainties in my heart will finally become clear," Qin Ming suddenly realized.
He hadn't even eaten, having locked himself in his room all day.
He rose and went out to grab a quick meal.
That night, as Qin Ming slept, golden needles threaded themselves across his body, weaving through his flesh like stitches.
Simultaneously, Silver Mud enveloped him from head to toe, as if applying the final, potent medicine.
The fractured parts of his skull were no longer specifically targeted, indicating that the underlying threat had been completely eradicated.
Qin Ming had entered the final stage of his fourth awakening.
In the middle of the night, he woke up drenched in sweat, muttering unconsciously,
"I am Qin Ming. I have a Grandpa. I am not a member of the Cui Family."
As he calmed down, the scene felt strangely familiar.
Qin Ming sat up quietly.
Then he remembered: he had woken up exactly like this in a family's home in Yinteng (Silver Vine) Town.
Back then, he had bolted out in a frenzy, charging into the freezing snow, screaming wildly.
"Li Qingxu dealt me a severe blow to the head, leaving me unconscious for a long time. Cui Hong and the woman with a red mole on her right eyebrow arranged for me to stay in Yinteng (Silver Vine) Town. I survived that winter, but I nearly went mad..."
Qin Ming pondered.
Two years ago, he had been plagued by nightmares while unconscious, seeing visions of his younger self and his grandfather.
It was then that he learned his true name was Qin Ming. Had the Awakening Techniques from the Silk Book already begun to take effect at that time?
After lying down, he quickly fell asleep again, reliving those dreams from two years ago.
"These aren't dreams—they're memories of my childhood," Qin Ming's subconscious murmured.
Through these dreams, he confirmed that the old man was indeed his grandfather, and that his own name was Qin Ming.
"Child, the Awakening Techniques from the Silk Book is a dead end. I've practiced it my whole life without success," the old man sighed, yet still opened the Silk Book for him, explaining each page in detail.
His true family knew the technique was flawed.
Although they taught him, they also earnestly warned him that continuing to practice it would only hinder his progress.
The old man said, "I've practiced this my entire life and pondered it endlessly. I suspect that mastering it requires dying once, but not completely. Finding that balance is impossible."
Qin Ming's grandfather murmured, "What is Awakening? Perhaps true awakening begins only after death."
Decades ago, Qin Ming was too young to grasp the immense difficulty and danger involved.
The old man shook his head. "These are just the ramblings of an old fool. After all, the sages who obtained the Silk Book before me were far more capable, yet none could master it. Even the original cultivators and their disciples, the source of the Silk Book, all perished, leaving the book to gather dust and its practice abandoned."
"Grandpa, when I master it, you won't have to suffer anymore," young Qin Ming said innocently. "I'll take good care of you."
"Alright, then you need to grow up quickly," the old man replied, stroking his head with a mixture of affection and worry.
"Life beyond seventy is rare. I'm already over fifty, and given our circumstances, I might only have another ten years left. My greatest concern is you. What will you do when I'm gone? You're still so young, unable to support yourself."
The old man sighed wistfully.
"My whole life has been consumed by this Silk Book," he said. "I poured my heart and soul into it, and it's been a complete failure. Now that I'm here, at least you can eat your fill, even if your clothes are worn. If I feel my time is near, I'll find you a good home."
"Grandpa... do you really only have ten years left?" Qin Ming protested, clutching the old man's rough, calloused hand.
"I don't want that! You can live to be a hundred! I'll grow up soon!" He paused, then asked, "Where are my parents? Let them come and take care of you."
The old man's face fell.
"They too were consumed by the Silk Book," he said. "They left long ago to practice the techniques within. By now, they're likely gone—they probably passed even before me. I didn't want to hide this from you, but my time is short. You need to grow up quickly, be strong, so you can survive when I'm gone."
"Grandpa, when I grow up, I'll take care of you!" Qin Ming urged, his eyes reddening.
"What do you want? What are your wishes? Tell me!"
"I used to dream of mastering the techniques in the Silk Book," the old man replied. "Now, all I want is for you to grow up safe and sound. Nothing else matters."
...
At dawn, Qin Ming awoke, whispering, "Grandpa, where are you now?"
Over a decade had passed.
He sat motionless for a long time before finally speaking, "Is my last remaining family member gone too?"
"Grandpa, you were right."
"One must die once to master the Silk Book's Techniques. I can fulfill all your wishes. I long to see you again," Qin Ming murmured softly.
He rose and rinsed his body with cold water.
His fourth awakening was now complete.
Not only was his consciousness clear, allowing him to recall every detail of his past, but he also felt his physical strength had improved once more.
"I might now possess nearly five thousand catties of strength. The severe head injury had a profound impact on me. The reason I consumed so much spiritual substance this time wasn't just to heal the old wound, but also to compensate for the incomplete awakenings caused by injuries in the past."
Qin Ming pondered.
Based on his current condition, he estimated that without the head injury, his initial awakening would have allowed him to lift a cauldron weighing over twelve hundred catties.
With the hidden danger resolved, he felt light and agile from head to toe, completely relaxed, and stronger than ever.
Yet, when he thought of his grandfather and the Cui Family's affairs, he couldn't bring himself to smile.
"After I entered the Cui Family, the direct descendants personally taught me to write the name Cui Chonghe and made sure I remembered it well. For a long time, I had no contact with outsiders."
Qin Ming recalled a detail from his early days in the Cui Family.
He had once overheard someone whispering, "He does resemble him somewhat."
In truth, the Cui Family had never publicly acknowledged that he had ever been lost.
As a child, Qin Ming had found this puzzling.
Now it seemed he had been seamlessly inserted into the family. Someone had just left, and he had arrived to take their place.
No wonder his mature and composed elder brother, Cui Chongxiao, had shown an unusual expression when they first met, scrutinizing him closely.
In hindsight, it was all a foreshadowing.
Qin Ming also remembered a "detail" from when his parents received a special letter.
Now, after four awakenings, the fog had cleared, allowing him to see things clearly.
Recalling that unusual incident, he remembered Mr. Cui and Madam Cui being overjoyed and excited, whispering while holding the letter, "Chonghe is precocious, blessed with divine talent..."
Thinking about it now, a chill ran down his spine.
There really was another Cui Chonghe!
Even prodigies like Li Qingxu, Li Qingyue, and the Wang Clan's eldest daughter had only been taken away by Outsiders and accepted as disciples after reaching their teens.
But the real Cui Chonghe had been sent away at just three or four years old!
"Just how terrifying is his talent? Perhaps Second Master Cui's drunken ramblings held some truth, but those words shouldn't apply to me. They belong to the real Cui Chonghe, whose future is destined to approach immortality."
Qin Ming believed that the renowned elder Mr. Cui had mentioned, whose name shook the Night Mist World, undoubtedly existed, and Cui Chonghe had already become his disciple.
"Mr. Cui and Madam Cui are exceptionally cautious. Even Cui Chongxiao, their eldest son, only returns home once every few years. They forbid family members from discussing which Dao Tradition he belongs to, fearing trouble."
Given Cui Chonghe's even more astonishing talent, they would naturally protect him even more fiercely, concealing every trace of his existence.
In truth, this was understandable.
All the great families sent their descendants to Beyond the Mortal Realm. Like the Cui Family, they had young direct descendants joining the ranks of Outsiders every year.
Some of the Cui Family's elders were themselves Outsiders, residing there year-round.
It was likely that many powerful figures from other major clans also resided in Beyond the Mortal Realm.
Far from being a pure land, that realm was a tangled web of power, where the influence of various families intertwined, each embedded within the others.
Mr. Cui and Madam Cui feared that if Cui Chonghe's true identity were revealed, he would become a target, and they worried about his safety there.
That was why they had raised another Cui Chonghe in this world.
"After carefully selection, my appearance might even resemble his somewhat," Qin Ming mused.
He believed that given Mr. Cui and Madam Cui's extreme caution, it would have been abnormal not to take measures to protect the real Cui Chonghe.
"Two years ago, Cui Chonghe either exposed himself or grew too confident, preparing to step into the spotlight and reveal his true self. That meant it was time for my role to end."
As Qin Ming recalled the past, his eyes grew profoundly deep.
"The clash between the Cui Family and the Li Family... I was just there to play out my remaining purpose," he thought, remembering Cui Hao's grandfather.
"If Seventh Uncle's grandfather hadn't been in that village, those old geezers would have taken me away before the Feather-Robed Youth Li Qingxu even appeared."
Qin Ming vividly remembered Seventh Uncle's grandfather twice scolding the elders, ordering them to stay away and not approach.
Without Seventh Uncle Cui Hao, Cui Hong and that woman likely wouldn't have appeared to rescue him either.
"Though some details remain unclear, this is roughly how it must have been. Everything happened because I had completed my assigned 'mission' and it was time for me to leave the stage. The near-immortal Cui Chonghe was ready to step into the limelight."
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END OF CHAPTER
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