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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 10: [The Invisible Zone]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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The fields were neatly furrowed, and the crops—from their roots to their leaves and golden ears—shone brilliantly, like golden ornaments standing out starkly against the deep black mountains, shrouded in an aura of mystery.
Everyone present was captivated by Feng Yi'an's words.
Could such a strange sight truly exist in the dense night fog of the mountains?
"Who cultivates these fields?" Xu Yueping asked.
Feng Yi'an shook his head.
The Mountain Patrolman who had stumbled upon the place while lost had dared not approach.
They had immediately reported the discovery, and high-ranking officials had personally investigated, but they could never find it again.
Old Liu, who was over seventy, sighed. "The night is boundless, and the deep mountains and vast marshes hold countless unknown things. The vast, uninhabited wilderness is extremely dangerous. Even the distant city lord would find it difficult to venture deep within."
"Old Liu, have you ever encountered anything strange yourself?" Qin Ming asked.
Old Liu nodded, a nostalgic look in his eyes. "Strange things aren't limited to the wilderness. Even near our village, there have been odd occurrences."
Back then, he was just a boy, flying kites with his friends at the village entrance.
When they reeled in the string, they found it sticky, and the kite was covered in blood.
"Right at the edge of our village?" Yang Yongqing exclaimed, involuntarily gazing out the window into the night sky.
After a moment's hesitation, Qin Ming suggested, "Could it have been an injured bird that collided with the kite?"
"Perhaps," Old Liu replied. "When my grandfather saw the bloodstained kite string back then, his face immediately turned pale. He told me to keep the matter buried deep within me. Decades have passed since then."
Such an incident happening right at their doorstep made everyone feel uneasy.
Xu Yueping said, "Brother Feng, why don't you tell us some stories from the mountains?"
"Have you ever heard of Mountain Beasts crying at graves?" Feng Yi'an asked cautiously, his expression a complex mix of reverence and apprehension.
"Crying at what kind of graves?" someone asked.
They spent their lives traversing the mountains but had never encountered such a thing.
Feng Yi'an replied, "Beast Tombs."
"Wild beasts practice burial?" Xu Yueping was astonished.
Feng Yi'an nodded. "The fog-shrouded, uninhabited zones inspire awe. Anything bizarre is possible there."
"That day, the Old Team Leader of the Mountain Patrol Group sensed something amiss in the mountains."
"Fearing that some mysterious creature might be undergoing further transformation, potentially leading to disaster, he quietly approached."
"The Old Team Leader wanted firsthand information to identify the specific 'Strange Insect' or 'Renowned Beast' undergoing this transformation, allowing us to prepare preventive measures and precise countermeasures."
"After all, mutant creatures with multiple mutations each possess unique abilities, requiring different preparations and tactics to handle them."
"Midway through his approach, the Old Team Leader suddenly realized the abnormal sound was crying."
"He didn't stop, and soon he saw a White-Haired Old Beast sobbing in the night, weeping at a grave—a truly eerie sight."
Feng Yi'an said, "That dilapidated earthen tomb has stood for at least a thousand years, as the Ancient Cypress growing from it has lived for at least that long."
"The Old Team Leader watched the White-Haired Mountain Beast kowtow like a human."
"Near the tomb, a rain of light poured down, illuminating the dark forest."
"Then, fierce birds of prey descended from the night sky, and monstrous creatures emerged from the swamp, all joining in the worship."
Feng Yi'an paused here.
"What happened next?" someone urged.
Feng Yi'an continued, "The Old Team Leader risked approaching to get a clear look at the White-Haired Mountain Beast's true form, intending to research local records for targeted countermeasures."
"The White-Haired Old Beast kowtowed, tears streaming down its face. Then, for no apparent reason, it began to mutate. The ritual of weeping at the grave seemed to elevate its life form."
"The Old Team Leader quietly retreated, but on the way back, he began coughing up blood and his entire body became unbearably itchy. Though he managed to return and report what he had seen, his flesh rotted away, and he died."
"The higher-ups mobilized a large force and fought a fierce battle in the mountains. They say that if the news hadn't reached them in time, and the White-Haired Old Beast had fully matured, it would have brought great disaster."
The crowd's hearts grew heavy.
While the world outside the mountains seemed peaceful, unseen battles raged in the shadows.
Someone was silently guarding the mountains, fighting and dying in the process.
Old Liu, his white hair and wrinkled face etched with age, sighed. "The Old Team Leader's fate isn't unique. When I was young, I had a close friend who spent years guarding the mountains, blocking dangerous mutant creatures. In his old age, he disappeared within the mountains, never to be seen again."
Feng Yi'an nodded. "Most members of the Mountain Patrol Group have suffered serious injuries. Some never meet a peaceful end, leaving not even their bones behind."
He cited the Old Team Leader's master as an example: "Back then, that old senior was incredibly skilled and highly respected. He had already retired in honor after losing an arm. But when he heard about a dangerous mountain monster, fearing the younger generation couldn't withstand it, he stopped others from risking their lives and went to confront the monster himself, despite his crippled body."
"In that battle, the Old Team Leader's master severely wounded the mountain monster but was mortally wounded himself. All that remained of him was a large bloodstain and half a broken blade."
"His greatest wish in life was to be buried outside the mountains, alongside his deceased wife and children. But his wish was never fulfilled. His soul couldn't return home and was trapped in the dark mountains," Feng Yi'an sighed, shaking his head.
"The old man's wife and children had died prematurely due to the mountain monster's rampage, and he had remained unmarried for the rest of his life."
"The Mountain Patrol Group brought back his bloodstained broken blade and buried it beside his wife and children's graves."
Qin Ming fell silent, the spicy old wine losing all its flavor as he listened.
Feng Yi'an's mood darkened. "In the end, the Mountain Patrolmen either end up crippled, dead, or driven mad, lost in the mountains, reduced to eating raw, bloody meat like wild beasts, becoming monsters themselves."
"Alas, who knows what fate awaits us?"
"Perhaps the mountains will be our final resting place as well."
The atmosphere at the wine table was heavy.
With the recent changes in the mountains and the impending sweep, no one knew what the future held.
Feng Yi'an drained his cup in one gulp and said, "Brother Xu, I'll need you to plant these medicinal seeds."
He solemnly retrieved a wooden box from his chest and opened it to reveal four black seeds, each about the size of a kidney bean.
Xu Yueping was taken aback. "You want to plant them in winter?"
Feng Yi'an's expression was grave. "If we place them in the Fire Spring now, they'll flourish by early spring. The Mountain Patrol Group will undoubtedly be at the forefront of the upcoming battle. Some of our brothers' lives are already on a countdown, and even if they survive, they may be left crippled. I don't know if they'll even live long enough to see the Black Moon bloom. This medicine could save many lives, Old Xu. You must take this seriously!"
Rooted in the Fire Spring, the Black Moon's leaves resembled orchids.
When its plump buds finally burst into bloom, each petal would unfurl like a crescent moon, casting off a black, lustrous glow and swirling with white mist.
Feng Yi'an wiped a few drops of wine from his thick beard and rose to take his leave.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Brother Xu. If I survive the sweep, we'll gather again."
"Brother Feng is highly skilled; he'll surely turn danger into fortune," Xu Yueping said.
Everyone present escorted Feng Yi'an to the village entrance, watching him disappear into the night.
"The harvest isn't good this year, but the Mountain Patrol Group has shown some consideration, sending only four seeds. The spiritual energy drawn from the Fire Spring can handle that," someone remarked.
Mountain Patrolmen not only monitored dangers in the mountains but also guarded them.
Villages across the region were willing to cultivate life-saving medicinal herbs for them without resistance.
According to their agreement, each village was to provide four to eight Black Moon plants annually.
With only four, the impact on the crops in the Fire Fields wouldn't be too significant.
The crowd dispersed.
Old Liu, still lingering, stared at the four black seeds and muttered, "They really did manage to cultivate them."
As Qin Ming left, he noticed Xu Yueping seemed preoccupied with something.
...
The streets were bustling with people carrying bows and hunting forks, preparing to enter the mountains.
Yesterday, they had questioned Qin Ming in detail about the mountain's conditions, and they began their hunt early this morning.
The main reason for this urgency was that most families had little grain left, and food was becoming scarce.
"Big haul! We took down two Blade Horned Deer!"
A group returned with the good news, their harvest bountiful.
"For now, the outer areas of the mountain are relatively calm. As long as we don't venture too deep, we can hunt cautiously."
The next day, even more people ventured into the mountains in groups, returning with a substantial amount of prey.
Children erupted in cheers, unmindful of the cold.
They ran through the streets, their breath forming white clouds, as if it were New Year's.
The atmosphere in the village had noticeably improved.
"Uncle, come to my house and try some fresh meat! We're having deer today," Wen Rui called out happily to Qin Ming.
Qin Ming had just finished eating wild prey at Lu Ze's house when he saw Xu Yueping returning from the village entrance, his brow furrowed in worry.
"Uncle Xu, were you seeing someone off?"
"Yes, the Mountain Patrol Group came. They're urging me to plant the Black Moon seeds," Xu Yueping replied.
Qin Ming couldn't help but feel sympathy for the Mountain Patrolmen.
They faced constant dangers, risking injury or even death at any moment.
Seeing Xu Yueping's troubled expression, Qin Ming refrained from pressing him further.
That day, the last group of people who had entered the mountains returned, causing a commotion.
Most of them were injured and covered in blood, and they had lost all their prey.
"That was close! We encountered a mutated Snow Ape. Old Chen almost lost an arm," one of the villagers who had escaped recounted with lingering fear.
"Fortunately, we managed to drive it back with our bows and arrows and escape," they said, relieved to have survived.
They agreed that they had ventured too deep into the mountains this time and wouldn't be so reckless again.
As the thick night fog dissipated and a new day dawned, the injuries from the previous day hadn't deterred the others, especially since they had a Awakened member with them.
However, it wasn't long before another group returned, many of them covered in blood.
The Awakened member was the most severely injured. His left scapula was shattered, one leg was bent at an unnatural angle, his chest had partially collapsed, and his mouth was filled with bloody foam. It was unclear whether he would survive.
"What happened?"
"We encountered a Blood Bear!" someone stammered, their lips trembling.
The Blood Bear was a powerful Mutant Creature with blood-red fur, known for its ferocity and aggression.
Even a Awakened member would struggle to survive an encounter with it.
"Where's Brother Lu?" Qin Ming rushed to the neighboring courtyard.
"He went into the mountains," Liang Wanqing said, her face immediately etched with worry upon hearing the news.
"I'm going to find him!" Qin Ming turned and ran.
Xu Yueping, upon learning that some of the survivors hadn't returned, grew anxious and ordered all the awakeners to enter the mountains together.
Qin Ming sprinted ahead, sending up waves of snow on either side of him.
The sight startled Xu Yueping, who was closest to him, into a momentary daze.
The others had long since been left far behind.
As he neared the forest, Qin Ming stopped abruptly.
A group of survivors was staggering out, barely able to stand.
He spotted Lu Ze among them, being carried out on a stretcher.
"Brother Lu!" Qin Ming rushed forward.
Lu Ze's face was ashen, his eyes closed. His clothes were torn and bloodstained, and his chest and abdomen bore the worst injuries—at least three broken ribs.
Cries of grief filled the air. Two of the critically wounded survivors being carried back had already succumbed to their injuries.
"Did the Blood Bear do this?" Qin Ming asked.
One survivor, his face pale with lingering fear, replied, "Yes. If the Mountain Patrolman hadn't appeared, many more of us would have died."
Qin Ming stared into the dark forest, drawing his gleaming short knife.
Xu Yueping arrived and blocked his path.
"Don't take any risks! Let's go back first!"
Liang Wanqing, seeing Lu Ze being carried back, turned deathly pale and stumbled toward him.
The two children burst into tears.
"Sister-in-law, Brother Lu has only fainted," Qin Ming said.
He had examined Lu Ze carefully.
The broken ribs hadn't pierced any internal organs.
After Qin Ming set the bones and treated the wounds, the situation wasn't too serious.
Many people had been injured in the attack, and the cries of the elderly and children echoed through the streets.
A heavy atmosphere hung over the village.
Xu Yueping issued an order: from now on, no one was to enter the mountains.
Qin Ming walked into Xu Yueping's courtyard and found Old Liu and Yang Yongqing already there.
"You want to kill the Blood Bear?" Xu Yueping asked from inside the house.
Qin Ming replied softly, "Although Lu Ze has claw marks from the bear, his broken ribs look more like they were caused by a fist."
"You feel it too? Then it's likely the work of a human," Xu Yueping said, rising abruptly with a furious expression. "Some people have gone too far!"
Qin Ming had suspected as much for a while, having formed some theories of his own.
Ever since Xu Yueping had obtained the four seeds, he had been burdened with worry.
"Why?" Qin Ming asked, though he had already guessed the truth, he found it hard to accept.
Xu Yueping's voice was low. "The Mountain Patrol Group pressured me to plant the Black Moon seeds immediately. When I refused, they retaliated like this."
Old Liu said, "The seeds are the problem. They've mutated and are absorbing an excessive amount of the Fire Spring's spiritual energy, which will disrupt cultivation in the Fire Fields. Next year, there might be a famine."
Qin Ming was deeply troubled.
He had initially found Feng Yi'an, the burly man with the long beard, to be quite heroic.
Feng Yi'an had shared some of the Mountain Patrolmen's tragic past, which had moved Qin Ming. Yet, Feng Yi'an had turned out to be capable of such a despicable act.
Yang Yongqing said, "Everything Feng Yi'an mentioned was true, but it has nothing to do with the current core members of this group!"
Qin Ming recalled Yang Yongqing's earlier words: "Some Mountain Patrolmen are very responsible."
At the time, Qin Ming had sensed that Yang Yongqing was subtly hinting that others were far from responsible, expressing his meaning with considerable restraint.
Old Liu lowered his voice. "This group once hunted a Blood Bear. I strongly suspect that someone is now wearing that bear's hide to commit evil deeds."
Upon hearing this, Qin Ming felt a surge of anger rise within him.
Mountain Patrolmen were supposed to guard the mountains and protect the people, earning their respect.
But what were they doing?
Presenting a facade of generosity and responsibility, while secretly committing evil deeds, their hands stained with the blood of villagers.
Where had their conscience gone?
"Brother Xu, are you home?" Feng Yi'an led four Mountain Patrolmen into the courtyard.
"It's all our fault. We failed in our duty this time and couldn't protect our fellow villagers," said Feng Yi'an, the burly leader, his face etched with guilt.
He immediately vowed to pursue and kill the Blood Bear.
Xu Yueping's knuckles, hidden beneath his sleeves, turned white from clenching his fists. Yet he couldn't lash out. He had to maintain a composed demeanor.
His heart ached.
After committing murder, they had the audacity to come here and apologize.
It was like they were standing on his neck, looking down at him with mocking smiles.
Qin Ming sat quietly, temporarily suppressing the urge to draw his sword.
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END OF CHAPTER
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