Qin Ming and Old Liu busied themselves with every manner of task—felling firewood, laying trails, trapping beasts—and now all was ready.
"Silver-headed ants eat anything, their noses are keen, and they're most sensitive to scents they like. It's showing its worth right now!" Qin Ming said.
He and Old Liu had paid a high price for honey, and besides that they had prepared an ample supply of beast blood. They spilled blood all the way along, smearing a little honey now and then, working from the far to the near.
The instant Qin Ming and Old Liu slipped in along the fissures of the mountainside, the two scents roused those silver-headed ants that had lain utterly still, and they began to stir again.
"Some of them are moving—light the fire, quick!"
"Careful, don't burn yourselves!"
The two hurled over several casks of fire oil, then flung their torches and turned to flee.
BOOM!
Flames shot up, waking every silver-headed ant in the mountain's belly. The fire oil burned a great many of them to death, but here they clustered thick on thick—there were simply too many, packed together, squirming and writhing, and the nest was a complex structure, with stretches no flame could reach at all.
In an instant the silver-headed ants were roused to fury and came pouring out along the ground fissures like a tide.
"Come on, then! Best call your queen out too!" Old Liu shouted, hefting his thick-backed great blade.
"Hurry, they're already here!" Qin Ming gave him a pull and began to race up the mountain.
The two did not worry that the silver-headed ants might not follow, for honey and beast blood had been spilled all along the way, and besides, these creatures were no ordinary ants any longer—their sense of territory was fierce, they were crueler than cruel, and to invade their nest was to invite vengeance on the spot.
"How is it some silver-headed ants can fly?" Qin Ming had not run a hundred paces when his back began to ring with thuds and clatters.
"What's going on?" Old Liu was at a loss as well. At the very least a hundred flying ants, each the size of a fist, had come surging over—and they were far fiercer than their kin.
"You're asking me?" Qin Ming sensed something was off. This old man was a bit unreliable, was he not? Had he not claimed to know the state of the mountains like the back of his hand? And yet he had not even known there were flying silver-headed ants!
Old Liu hacked at the flying ants with his thick-backed great blade even as he answered: "It should be that the spiritual substance inside the nest ran too rich, and some silver-headed ants evolved. Five years ago they had none!"
"You... your information is five years out of date?" Qin Ming struck them one hammer apiece, knocking at those fist-sized flying ants, and found them rather hard—a single blow from an ordinary man would never crack them.
The flying ants were a dark red, the silver markings on their heads brighter and more numerous, their wings transparent, and their buzzing filled the air above the snow with a sound somewhat dreadful.
Their mandibles were like a pair of great pincers, blood-red, and when they landed on a man they bit at his armor with ringing clangs—imagine, then, how fierce their attacks were.
The mere hundred-odd that had appeared would be enough to gnaw an ordinary man clean to the bone in a moment.
"No matter—there aren't many flying ants. These hundred-odd aren't enough for us to kill." Old Liu hacked away in succession, careful all the while to protect his face.
No sooner had he spoken than several hundred more flew out from the fissure in the mountainside, the terrible buzz of their wings like sheets of metal grating together—rather gruesome to hear.
Qin Ming's face changed. What if they came on without end, ten thousand of them flying forth? Then there would be real trouble.
The two had fine stamina and ran all in one breath to the top of the low hill.
Around them several hundred flying ants threw themselves at them in a frenzy, and in this bitterly cold environment they could not even slow down.
It was like beating iron here—Qin Ming struck them one hammer apiece, smashing to pulp those savage insects that rushed at him.
Old Liu was no slouch either, swinging his great blade in hand, and in the blinding gleam the crunching sounds rang out without pause. Beneath their feet dropped a floor of ant corpses.
They stood atop the low hill and looked down: streaks of dark red spread in sheets, truly dizzying to the eye, as a great host of silver-headed ants crawled up over the snow.
In truth, they had not needed to spill beast blood and honey at all—these savage insects' thirst for vengeance ran too deep, their sense of smell was astonishingly developed, and they came chasing after the mere scent of the two men.
"In weather this bitterly cold, why hasn't their speed slackened?"
"It has slowed a little. There isn't time enough yet—we have to hold on a while longer."
Standing atop the low hill, the two did not flee. They fought off the fierce flying ants even as they watched the great army of silver-headed ants climb the mountain, drawing nearer and nearer.
"They're slowing. Give it a bit more time and they might well stiffen from the cold."
"Let's burn a batch first, warm their bodies a little, and see if we can lure still more silver-headed ants out of the nest."
The two swung blade and hammer, yet did not forget to light their torches. To get into the nest they would first have to wipe out the great army of silver-headed ants below.
"Careful! Don't toss the torch in the wrong spot!" Old Liu cautioned, half fearing that Qin Ming, with his hasty hands, might ignite the crude blasting powder ahead of time.
That powder was a by-product of the outworlders distilling their pills and medicaments, and it had spread to every region, gradually taken up by the people.
"Rest easy!"
Before long, the stretches of the low hill where firewood had been laid caught flame, and because fire oil had been poured over them the blaze burned fierce and high.
A great many silver-headed ants were burned to death, yet it stirred the ferocity of the ant army—fearless of death, they came charging ever upward like a tide.
"The second wave of the ant army has burst out of the nest!" Old Liu said.
The worst outcome did not come to pass; the flying ants were not as many as imagined.
All at once Old Liu gave a great cry. With a clang he was knocked flat by a giant flying ant and pitched headfirst into a snowdrift, where a swarm of flying ants pounced at once and buried him.
Qin Ming's heart lurched. He saw a flying ant larger than a man's head, its body predominantly blood-red yet threaded all over with silver markings—not only had it mutated, it must have gone through two rounds of mutation.
He dashed over at once and swung his hammer to smash it, but this doubly mutated flying ant was so swift it dodged in an instant and dove instead toward old Liu in the snowdrift.
Qin Ming moved like lightning, closing in fast and striking at this extraordinary flying ant.
The doubly mutated flying ant, unwilling to be hit from behind while it lunged at old Liu, evaded swiftly. Roused to fury, it flew at Qin Ming, darting left and right, attacking without pause.
Old Liu stood up cursing and sputtering, climbing out of the snowdrift and swinging his blade at those fist-sized flying ants.
"The likes of me, knocked flat by an ant! I've lost all face today. Can it be that I'm old with weak legs, can't lift my blade anymore? Sigh... a powerfully mutated flying ant of two rounds. Little Qin, can you hold out?"
Qin Ming answered swiftly and warned him: "I'm fine. Guard yourself—there may be other doubly mutated flying ants!"
Old Liu's face turned grave. "Right. The queen ant is a thrice-mutated creature, but she's no fighter—she's bound to go all out raising this sort of flying battle-ant."
Qin Ming swung his long-handled black-gold hammer in succession, striking the flying ant several times. It was like beating iron, the crisp clatter of impact ringing out, so formidable was the thing.
But in the end it could not withstand Qin Ming's great strength. Every time it was struck, cracks appeared in its body, until with a wet pop it was blown apart.
"Not good—three more of those ferociously strong flying ants have appeared." Old Liu's face changed.
At the foot of the mountain, three flying ants of markedly oversized build gave off a fearsome buzz as they flew upward, and behind them followed six smaller ones—yet these, too, far surpassed the ordinary flying ant.
"Three of two rounds of mutation, six of one round—this sort of insect nest is truly no easy foe!"
As for the ordinary silver-headed ants, some had already crawled to the summit of the peak, and though the main body behind had slowed, discovering the two men so close at hand, they still surged upward.
"About time!" Qin Ming said, and he moved to block those three most powerful flying ants.
At his words Old Liu lit the fire at once. With a boom, the crude blasting powder buried ahead of time did its work, setting off an avalanche that, in its rumble, buried a great host of silver-headed ants beneath it.
They had calculated the timing, judging that the ant army had all but frozen stiff already; buried within like that, most would not crawl free—nine out of ten would die of cold.
"You, a little ant, want to send me flying? I could not bear that shame!" Old Liu blocked one doubly mutated flying ant and fought a great battle with his blade.
"Hard, is it! One slash won't cut it!" Old Liu was all flustered, for other ordinary flying ants surrounded him too.
Qin Ming gave his all, the broken-gold ripples even rising over his body, and in a clang and clatter he burst two doubly mutated flying ants one after another, then whirled his long-handled black-gold hammer like a wind-wheel, and with wet pops ant corpses dropped all about him.
"Leave it—let me do it myself!" Old Liu was a proud man; in the end he killed that doubly mutated flying ant himself.
Once the two had also dealt with the silver-headed ants that had climbed the peak and not yet frozen stiff, they let out a long breath.
"This counts as ridding the people of a scourge ahead of time, right? Had the queen ant mutated a fourth time, the silver-headed ant population would have swelled enormously, and nothing would be left wherever they passed." Old Liu plopped himself down on the snow and said.
"It's not over yet—out of the fissure in the mountainside has come another great swarm." Qin Ming warned.
At that, Old Liu's face went green. Fortunately there were no doubly mutated flying ants this time—just the common silver-headed ants, packed close, crawling up once more.
"Not as many as that wave. Kill these off and that should be just about it."
Now they could not trigger another avalanche. The batch of silver-headed ants below seemed to have received a command, and would return to the nest early before freezing stiff.
"Let's go down the mountain, lure them out just outside the nest, and kill the ants at close range."
Even Qin Ming felt worn out that day, killing ants without cease.
And yet the Shallow Night was almost at an end, and still great swarms of silver-headed ants were crawling out.
As for Old Liu, he was long since listless, his blade almost too heavy to lift.
Luckily this stretch was remote, and no other creature dared nest within reach of the silver-headed ants, so no mutant had come sniffing around.
"Let's continue tomorrow!"
...
In the past two days, some villagers had gone into the underground caverns of the Great Rift Gorge and brought back some fine weapons, causing a stir, so that more and more people flocked there to prospect for treasure.
Many of the weapons and suits of armor had been left behind by the dead scions of the great families of Redcloud City, and naturally all were excellent pieces.
Qin Ming and Old Liu could never have imagined that, since the first day they began wiping out great numbers of silver-headed ants, they would fight on for three whole days without cleaning them out.
"I think today is about enough—we're fit to storm the nest itself."
"You're a real crow's mouth, old man. Best say no such thing!"
On the fourth day the two talked as they walked. As they passed the Great Rift Gorge, Qin Ming started, then rubbed his eyes, certain he was not mistaken—there in the gorge a wisp of black mist was darting swiftly to and fro like a spirit-snake.
"Old man, look over there, at the Great Rift Gorge..." Qin Ming gestured.
"Look at what? There's nothing." Old Liu was puzzled, utterly at a loss.
Qin Ming said no more, feigning blurred vision. His heart was far from calm, and he guessed privately that it was because he had absorbed that mysterious liquid that he could now perceive the abnormal black mist.
"Old man, I asked you to help me get in touch with those once-established families that have since fallen on hard times. Any word?"
Old Liu said: "One household has relented. I think it won't be a problem."
"That's wonderful!" Qin Ming was overjoyed.
"You two, come over. What were you staring at just now?" A voice came suddenly from afar, and near the mouth of the Great Rift Gorge two figures appeared, one after the other.
The two exuded a powerful presence; plainly they were very dangerous experts, enough to make even Qin Ming's heart sink.
Old Liu looked at the insignia on the two's cuffs and lowered his voice: "There are golden patterns on their sleeves, which means the Golden-tinged Brigands have preliminarily accepted them. Those two should be the chiefs of Golden Ridge—the two mightiest great brigands there."
Then he shut his mouth, gave Qin Ming a tug, and walked forward.
Qin Ming naturally knew these two great brigands—especially recently, he had heard no little talk of them. They were four-time New Lifers, among the strongest of the local organizations.
What were these two doing at the Great Rift Gorge? Had that wisp of black mist anything to do with them? He grew suspicious.
"Shuffling along like that—get over here quick!" One great brigand barked.
"We meant to go hunting in the mountains; we were only passing through here." Old Liu kept his posture very low.
The two great brigands looked to be around forty, their gazes cold and sharp. One of them snatched Old Liu up by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
"A New Lifer for all that, but too old, and of no use!" This great brigand commented, and tossed Old Liu to one side, so that he staggered and nearly fell to the ground.
He came before Qin Ming. "To have taken your New Life so young—not bad."
Then, grabbing Qin Ming by the collar, he said: "Golden Ridge will be recruiting in the next couple of days. Be sure to sign up, hear me? I've got your face memorized!"
This great brigand spoke flatly—he did not raise his voice, yet the tone brooked no argument.
"Right, master, rest easy—when the time comes I'll take him to sign up." Old Liu said hastily, afraid that young Qin Ming, with his hot blood, would talk back to the great brigand, and that would surely bring a slaughtering disaster!
"You're so old—you think we'd keep you to eat for nothing?" The great brigand cast him a glance.
"I mean I'll send him to sign up." Old Liu explained.
"Mmph!" The great brigand nodded, at the same time releasing Qin Ming's collar.
"I asked you a question just now. Are you yourself a mute—did you hear me, or not?" The other great brigand suddenly spoke up, coldly reprimanding Qin Ming.
"I was slow to come round, is all. Very well, I'll go sign up when the time comes." Qin Ming nodded and said.
...
"May they..." When they reached the vicinity of the ant nest, Old Liu let loose a string of profanity, cursing loudly, full of pent-up fury. He had swallowed a bellyful of anger.
Then he hurried to counsel Qin Ming, urging him on no account to act rashly—this time he must swallow it and go sign up first.
"You're still young, and already this strong. You'll grow more powerful still, and anything will be possible. When the time comes..."
Qin Ming picked up the thread: "When the time comes, I'll ride out alone, slip into Golden Ridge by night, and put every last brigand there to the sword!"
Old Liu rushed to stop him. "Quiet! Such words must not be spoken aloud. Wait until you've taken your fourth or fifth New Life before you think of it!"
Next they proceeded very smoothly. Breaking into the nest, they found that the great army of silver-headed ants had indeed been all but wiped out over the previous three days.
At last the queen ant made her appearance—a silver worm. Though a creature of three rounds of mutation, she was truly no fighter; only the luminous liquid she spat from her jaws was murderous, its penetrating power astonishing, and it could eat through armor.
Meeting her for the first time, Qin Ming and Old Liu were nearly caught by a wild jet of that liquid; even the first layer of their armor was pierced through. Fortunately there was still a sheet of steel over their chests.
After that, the battle held no suspense. The mightiest war-ants had long since been done away with, and the queen, stripped of her horde of silver-headed ants as protection, was soon dispatched by the two.
"We're rich!" Old Liu came to the depths of the nest and saw the honeyed wine sealed in the ant wax, his eyes gleaming. Though most of it had been consumed over the winter, even the small amount that remained was worth a fortune.
Qin Ming said: "Let's bury it for now. If we truly sell it, the news that we've become three-time New Lifers is sure to get out, and with those brigands of Golden Ridge behaving as they are, it would spell trouble if they learned of it."
Old Liu understood all this naturally, and nodded there.
Presently they discovered a pale golden spiritual substance, and both at once showed looks of delight and excitement—enough for the two of them to use.
...
Back home, looking at the pale golden liquid in the porcelain jar, Qin Ming's emotions surged and his heart stirred.
So much had happened lately that he could not keep his mind at peace—yet so long as he grew strong enough, every trouble that came his way would cease to be a problem.