Chapter 41: Chapter 40: News of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures
From Qin Feng’s memories, he knew that the core of most Crystal Jade Ore veins had a chance of producing one or two treasures nurtured by the ore itself. These treasures were called Spirit Treasures and were exceptionally valuable.
Qin Feng didn’t have high hopes for this abandoned Crystal Jade Ore mine. He wasn’t expecting any naturally formed, Innate Spirit Treasures; he would be satisfied with just a single, common Crystal Diamond.
A Crystal Diamond was the lowest grade of Spirit Treasure produced by a Crystal Jade Ore mine, but one should never underestimate it. A Crystal Diamond was saturated with Spiritual Qi, making it a Spiritual Object with powerful auxiliary effects for Cultivation, especially for Martial Artists at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven.
It could also amplify and purify one’s Inner Breath. The wisp of extremely pure Innate Spiritual Energy it contained had an effect on a Martial Artist no less profound than Washing Marrow and Peeling Fur. This was its most precious quality.
A single Crystal Diamond was worth a fortune!
If Qin Feng had a Crystal Diamond right now, he was confident he could break through to the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven in a very short amount of time.
Of course, it was also possible that the core Spirit Treasure, which had a certain chance of forming, had already been taken from this abandoned Crystal Jade Ore mine by someone with a discerning eye.
Qin Feng’s eyes flickered. He made up his mind. No matter what, he had to find a way into the ore mine and try his luck!
’Only, so many people are watching the Crystal Jade Ore mine right now. It won’t be easy to sneak in and search for a Crystal Diamond. Especially with the Qin Family around. I’ll probably run into their experts, and with my current Martial Arts Cultivation, I’m afraid I won’t be a match for them. This really is like snatching food from a tiger’s mouth!’ Qin Feng’s gaze flickered as he mulled this over.
"What are you thinking about?" A voice suddenly sounded by his ear. Qin Feng looked up and saw that Yu Yao had appeared before him at some point. Her beautiful, large eyes were watching him with a hint of suspicion.
"Nothing," Qin Feng said casually. "So, what is the Qin Family doing now? Holing up in Shanghe Town and calling for reinforcements from the Mountain and River City Qin Family?"
Yu Yao gave Qin Feng an astonished look and nodded. She said with admiration, "Qin Feng, I really underestimated you before. You’re like a prophet. The Qin Family is currently defending Shanghe Town to the death, refusing to leave the city walls as they wait for reinforcements. The Ning Family, the Song Family, our Yu Family, and the experts from the Iron Ridge Mountain Range are all being held outside the city!"
After she finished speaking, Yu Yao gave a cold, smug smile as she stared at Qin Feng. "However, tonight will be the night the city falls and the Qin Family is destroyed!"
Qin Feng’s brow twitched. Her confident tone amused him, and he chuckled. "I don’t think so. Perhaps your preparations are indeed thorough, and the city will certainly fall, but the Qin Family will absolutely not be wiped out!"
Yu Yao looked unconvinced and sneered. "So stubborn. You probably don’t know how many experts have gathered outside Shanghe Town this time. There are no fewer than five at the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven, and even more at the Martial Arts Sixth Layer Heaven. As far as I know, in your Qin Family, only Patriarch Qin Qingshan has a Cultivation at or above the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven. Facing five opponents, he’s a dead man! As for the reinforcements from Mountain and River City, it will take them two days at the very least to arrive. By the time they get here, it will be too late!"
Qin Feng had no intention of arguing with Yu Yao; besides, the fate of the Qin Family had nothing to do with him. He led the other two to the summit of a mountain in the Qi Yang Mountain Range. The few Qin Family manors in the mountains were now completely empty. Everyone from the Qin Family had already returned to their main base in Shanghe Town.
Night fell. From the mountain peak, one could see the entire panorama of Shanghe Town. In the past, the town would have been bustling with activity at this hour, brilliantly lit, with an endless stream of street vendors selling late-night snacks.
But now, all of Shanghe Town was silent. The only lights came from around the Qin Family’s main residence, where a few grim, deathly lanterns cast a phosphorescent green glow. The atmosphere was somber and murderous, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Killing intent lurked in the darkness!
Outside the town walls was a stretch of tents extending for half a li. Fires blazed, and the air was filled with a hubbub of voices. Even from the mountain, they could hear shouts and curses from below.
"Ninth Young Master, what should we do?" Qin Shou asked, his face etched with anxiety. His wife, children, and parents were all in Shanghe Town, and he was deeply worried.
"We wait for the right moment, sneak in, and first find the location of that Crystal Jade Ore mine. Then we go in and get our share of the spoils!" Qin Feng replied offhandedly. Seeing Qin Shou’s worried expression, he added, "You don’t need to worry too much. Once we’re back in town, I’ll find a chance to rescue your family. Besides, the Qin Family members are no pushovers. Shanghe Town was built next to the water, and generations of the Qin Family have painstakingly fortified it with traps and mechanisms. It won’t be so easily breached!"
Nearby, Yu Yao let out a cold laugh. The mountain wind stirred the tips of her hair, her lustrous black locks dancing in the breeze. For a moment, her stunningly beautiful face was dazzling, even causing the anxious Qin Shou to stare in a daze.
Yu Yao’s gaze swept over Qin Shou’s expression, a trace of pride appearing in her eyes. However, when her gaze landed on Qin Feng, he remained completely indifferent, showing no reaction to her at all. She couldn’t help but feel a surge of annoyance.
She snorted coldly and said mockingly, "Qin Feng, your perspective is limited after all! Let me tell you, in the past, the Qin Family might have been able to put up a fight. But according to our investigation, for some reason, the Qin Family has suffered successive losses of their elites over the past few days. Their combat strength is now less than half of what it was at its peak. Do you really think they can hold out against the ferocious allied forces of the other families?"
As she spoke, a flicker of admiration crossed her eyes. "I wonder what kind of Martial Dao expert could have caused such huge losses to the Qin Family in just a few days. A character like that is truly awe-inspiring!"
With that, she shot a sarcastic, sidelong glance at Qin Feng with her foxy eyes. "Now that’s a true expert, unlike some people who are full of nothing but schemes and dirty tricks, only knowing how to bully helpless little women like us!"
’Weren’t those the people Young Master Qin Feng eliminated?’
Qin Shou froze. A cold sneer flashed across his dark face, and he opened his mouth to reveal the truth, but Qin Feng raised his head and stopped him. A cold light glinted in his deep eyes as he sneered, "You call yourself a helpless little woman? I’ve never heard of a ’little woman’ like you, one who would let her lover die naked in a ditch and not even be willing to collect his corpse!"
Qin Feng was talking about Ning Yutang. Ning Yutang had been angered to death, and then Qin Shou had stripped his corpse. When they left, his naked body was still lying on the ground, unburied.
This woman, Yu Yao, had been so sweet and intimate with Ning Yutang just moments before, whispering sweet nothings. But when Ning Yutang died, she didn’t shed a single tear or even show a sad expression, allowing his corpse to be left exposed in the wilderness.
For a woman to be so heartless was truly a rare sight!
Hearing this, Yu Yao’s face darkened, and she said no more.
’They say actors are faithless and whores are heartless. Yu Yao is truly a prime example of both!’ Qin Feng thought to himself. He decided that he had to be wary of this woman in the future. A heartless, selfish, and cold-blooded egoist like her was a sharp blade; used well, she was a weapon, but used poorly, she could hurt both her user and herself.
Just as Qin Feng was focusing his attention on the Crystal Jade Ore mine, several riders on fast horses galloped out of Mountain and River City’s gates at nightfall, spurring their mounts toward Shanghe Town at top speed.
A young man’s gloomy, cold voice urged from horseback, "The geniuses of the Ning and Yu Families, Ning Wuque and Yu Cheng, have already made their move! We must get to Shanghe Town as fast as possible! Although the Crystal Jade Ore mine the Shanghe Town Qin Family discovered is abandoned, it holds another secret. It absolutely cannot fall into anyone else’s hands! Anyone who dares to stand in our way will be killed without mercy!"
"Yes, Young Master!" On the horses, several burly men in tight-fitting green robes, exuding ferocious auras like wolves and tigers, responded loudly. Their murderous hostility pierced the darkness like sharp arrows. They were disciples of the Mountain and River City’s Qin Family, each one at the Martial Arts Sixth Layer Heaven Realm, the cream of the crop. The majestic aura emanating from their leader, a sinister-looking young man in his twenties dressed in black, was even more terrifying than that of the Qin Family Patriarch, Qin Qingshan!
