Chapter 10: New Clothes

In the season of March, though the earth is warming, it is still somewhat icy.

If one had just come out of the forbidden zone, one would not feel much about such cold, but if one has been outside for a long time, the body will still feel this chill that seeps into the bones.

Especially at night, this icy cold is even more intense.

As the cold wind blew past, Xu Qing’s figure did not pause in the slightest; he only wrapped his fur coat tighter around himself.

He still had things left unfinished, so he carefully wove through the camp in the night.

On the way, he saw some wild dogs baring their teeth at him, but after meeting his gaze, they seemed to sense the scent of blood on him, and they all shut their mouths and hid away.

Xu Qing moved his gaze away from the wild dogs and continued forward.

Until he reached a house in the middle ring area, he crouched in the shadows, motionless, staring at a large house in the distance.

There was an extinguished campfire there.

Xu Qing remembered that the Fatty Mountain who had parted ways with Ma Si had gone there, so he wanted to wait and see if the other party would get up and go out at night.

The icy chill invaded his whole body, but Xu Qing’s figure seemed petrified, fixed there, not moving at all, waiting patiently.

Behind him, on the roof of a building, Seventh Master and his servant had also followed, and watching Xu Qing crouching over there, Seventh Master smiled.

"Just as I expected, this little wolf cub is on a path to kill them all."

"I am looking forward to seeing how this kid will perform if he enters the forbidden zone next to us," Seventh Master crouched down as well, watching with interest while speaking to the servant beside him.

The servant smiled, crouching beside Seventh Master, and sized up Xu Qing in the distance.

Seeing time pass, half an hour went by, and Xu Qing’s brows furrowed slightly.

After thinking for a moment, he turned and left along the shadows, the whole person like a ghost, coming silently and leaving without a sound.

He did not immediately return to Lei Dui’s residence, but circled the area instead.

After confirming no one was following, Xu Qing flashed into Lei Dui’s courtyard and returned to his small hut without a sound.

After entering, he took a deep breath and rubbed his hands, as if to dispel the cold from his body with this action.

Then he wiped the bloodstains off his body, sat cross-legged on the bed board, and contemplation appeared in his eyes.

"These scavengers all need to take jobs and go out at irregular times, and Ma Si is lecherous, so as long as it hasn't been long, no one should notice his death, and Fatty Mountain likely won't be on guard because of it."

"But for the sake of safety, I must kill Fatty Mountain as soon as possible," Xu Qing narrowed his eyes.

Like when he killed Can Niu, having grown up in the slums, he did not allow any hidden dangers that threatened his life to exist around him.

Killing Ma Si was because the other party snatched his items and threatened him; preparing to deal with Fatty Mountain was for the same reason.

After pondering, Xu Qing rummaged through Ma Si’s items from the leather bag and checked them carefully.

Most were miscellaneous items, and there was also a piece of iron the size of a palm, nothing unusual, looking like a material.

Besides that, there were over seventy spirit coins, which was already a huge sum for Xu Qing.

He counted them carefully, then took out the White Dan, and after comparing his own White Dan with Ma Si’s, he discovered that these White Dan all looked like they were of stale quality.

Thus, he believed seven parts of what the grocery store owner had said.

After some thought, Xu Qing took one out, placed it by his mouth, and swallowed it, then closed his eyes to feel it silently.

Soon, he felt a warm current rising in his body, finally gathering at the alienation point on his left arm, giving rise to a feeling of comfort.

After a while, when this feeling disappeared, Xu Qing opened his eyes and immediately looked at his left arm; the two alienation points there were slightly paler, and the stinging sensation had also lessened a bit.

"It works," Xu Qing’s eyes showed joy, and he took out a second one and swallowed it.

The same feeling emerged again, and until it dissipated once more, his stinging sensation also vanished along with it.

A sense of clarity rose throughout his body, very comfortable, as if his flesh and blood had been washed, making Xu Qing feel that his speed and strength were perhaps even stronger.

He did not continue to consume the remaining White Dan, put them in the leather bag, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Xu Qing opened his eyes, got up, and went out.

Just as he pushed open the door of the hut, he saw Lei Dui sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, as if performing breathing exercises.

Xu Qing did not disturb him, gently opened the courtyard gate, and after carefully closing it, he stepped away.

Today’s wind seemed even colder than last night’s, blowing on the body not only making one shiver, but even those wild dogs were huddled in their dens and rarely came out.

Xu Qing could see mist appearing as he breathed, which brought up some bad memories of the slums in his mind.

He hated the cold.

Because for a homeless stray child, the cold was a disaster that required strenuous struggle to survive.

Therefore, passing a clothing store in this icy cold, Xu Qing’s footsteps paused involuntarily, and he looked at the thick and clean clothes hanging in the shop.

He touched his bulging leather bag, turned, and walked in.

There were not many people in the shop, and Xu Qing came in and looked at the hanging clothes, watching very seriously.

At the counter to the side, the shopkeeper glanced at Xu Qing, didn't pay much attention, and instructed the clerk beside him.

"You go to the back and tidy up, take out those custom clothes that haven't been picked up for over a month, and hang them up to sell."

"Then what if the person who ordered the clothes comes back?" The clerk seemed to be new and hesitated for a moment.

"Come back? Every once in a while, people go missing in the camp; some die in the forbidden zone, some disappear inexplicably. Only ghosts can come back, hurry up."

The shopkeeper waved his hand impatiently, and the clerk hurried to the back hall.

Not long after, before Xu Qing had chosen his clothes, the clerk had already come out with a large pile of clothes. After hanging them up one by one, Xu Qing took a fancy to a dark-colored fur-lined coat at a glance.

That was a garment ordered by someone who could never return to pick it up.

An incense stick of time later, when Xu Qing walked out of the shop, he was wearing that dark-colored fur-lined coat.

This garment was cold-resistant and not heavy; the warmth it provided on his body far exceeded Xu Qing’s previous clothes.

The only thing was that because he was thin and small, it looked like a large coat on him, very uncoordinated.

But Xu Qing was very happy; walking on the road, he carefully avoided some dirty places.

Just as he was about to go find Fatty Mountain, he noticed that there were chaotic sounds coming from outside the camp, and at the same time, many scavengers in the camp had also walked out, looking toward the direction of the sound with anticipation.

Xu Qing also looked up.

Gradually, he saw under the reflection of the sunlight, a caravan of over ten carriages driving toward here in a grand manner.

The people sitting on them, even if they were just guards, were dressed in incredibly bright clothes, with ruddy complexions, sharp glints in their eyes, and most had astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations on their bodies.

As for those inside the carriages, Xu Qing could not see, but he could guess that they must be very noble people.

Xu Qing had heard Lei Dui mention such caravans; it seemed they often came to the camp, either to trade or to purchase the Seven-Leaf Grass used to refine White Dan.

And Fatty Mountain’s figure also appeared in the crowd. After attracting Xu Qing’s attention, he no longer paid attention to the caravan, but narrowed his eyes, stared at Fatty Mountain, and began to follow.

It was just that perhaps because of the arrival of the caravan, the camp was very lively all day, forming a market, and Xu Qing never found an opportunity.

Until late at night, he watched Fatty Mountain return to that large house again, so he put away the dagger in his sleeve and turned to leave.

Although there was no chance to strike that day, Xu Qing had plenty of patience. After returning to the small hut, he sat in meditation and practiced while wearing the newly bought clothes, not even taking them off when sleeping.

Until the next day dawned, preparing to continue going out to look for opportunities, he then cherishedly took off the fur-lined coat and changed back into his own tattered fur coat.

Looking at the new clothes, Xu Qing felt he had been a bit reckless yesterday.

At this moment, wearing the tattered fur coat, Xu Qing walked in the camp, passing through the crowded market, his gaze seemingly sizing up the caravan’s encampment, but in reality, he was looking for Fatty Mountain’s figure.

In the distance, Seventh Master was yawning, sitting on a roof with his servant, his gaze sweeping over the caravan and then looking at Xu Qing, casually asking the servant beside him.

"Has the invitation been sent to Master Bai?"

"Seventh Master, it has already been sent, but Master Bai said he has been feeling unwell recently..."

"Unwell? He is a physician, he is... eh, I remember this kid was wearing new clothes yesterday, why did he change back today?" Seventh Master was speaking when he noticed Xu Qing’s clothes and was surprised.

While Seventh Master was puzzled, Xu Qing, in the crowd, locked onto Fatty Mountain with his peripheral vision.

Just like that, under Xu Qing’s peripheral lock, the whole day passed.

With the arrival of late night, Fatty Mountain, who was originally going to walk back to the house, changed direction for some reason and actually walked toward the outer ring area in this night.

That place was relatively remote.

"Discovered me?" Xu Qing’s brows furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and his gaze gradually became even colder.

He did not follow, but sized up the surroundings, and only after confirming the other party was heading there alone did he take a detour, sneaking in the dark, and arrived at the outer ring before Fatty Mountain.

Confirming there was no ambush here, the cold glint in his eyes grew stronger, and he hid in the dark.

And at this moment, Fatty Mountain also walked to this area, and his footsteps suddenly stopped.

"Little cub, I sensed someone following me yesterday. Come out; this place is very remote, suitable for disposing of your corpse. If you don't dare to come out, next time it won't be just me alone. Even if Lei Dui protects you, we Blood Shadow can still make you pay the price."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes; since the other party had said as much, there was no need to hide, so he walked out from the shadows.

"Ma Si didn't secretly take a job and go out; you killed him, didn't you? I underestimated you," Fatty Mountain sneered, looking at the Xu Qing who had walked out.

"But it doesn't matter. I had long found him an eyesore; if you hadn't killed him, I planned to kill him the next time he went out, so I should thank you. And I don't care whether he lives or dies, but a certain thing in his leather bag should be with you, right?"

Fatty Mountain looked at the pocket at Xu Qing’s waist, greed in his eyes. Without waiting for Xu Qing to answer, his body flashed, and his fat, round body actually erupted with speed exceeding the second level of Qi Condensation.

The spiritual energy fluctuations on his body were also much stronger at this moment, even forming a layer of magical airflow outside his body, driving the cold wind, and the whole person was like an ice ball, crashing toward Xu Qing.

He was not at the second level of Qi Condensation; his spiritual energy fluctuations at this moment had already reached the third level.

It was precisely because of this, plus coveting the thing in Ma Si’s leather bag, that he had come out alone.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. This was his first time fighting a cultivator head-on, especially since the airflow outside the other party’s body was clearly formed by spiritual energy, but he believed in his own strength and speed.

So, at the moment the other party arrived, Xu Qing rushed out violently; the speed under his full burst made his figure almost leave behind some afterimages.

In the blink of an eye, he avoided Fatty Mountain’s body, and while Fatty Mountain was clearly stunned, Xu Qing had already arrived behind him, his right hand raised, also bursting with full force, and threw a punch.

This was the first time Xu Qing had used his full combat power. The strike of this punch directly set off a snapping sound, and when it landed on Fatty Mountain’s back, it made a bang.

Fatty Mountain’s whole body trembled violently, the barrier formed by the airflow outside his body shattered inch by inch, his internal organs churned, and when he spat out a mouthful of blood, the murderous intent in Xu Qing’s eyes was already thick.

As his right hand raised, the iron skewer appeared, and his body flashed, passing instantly by the side of the staggering, retreating Fatty Mountain, the iron skewer poised to pierce into Fatty Mountain’s head.

But the next instant, Xu Qing’s expression changed slightly, and his body retreated rapidly.

Just at the moment he retreated, a sinister, vicious glint appeared in Fatty Mountain’s eyes.

Two black lines suddenly drilled out from his ears, one after the other, heading straight for Xu Qing’s face with a sharp whistling sound.

Those two black lines were black winged centipedes, moving at extreme speed; just as they were about to reach him, they were sliced apart one by one by the dagger Xu Qing drew with his left hand.

The last one, when it was sliced, was less than seven inches from Xu Qing’s eyes.

This perilous scene made the killing intent in Xu Qing’s eyes grow even thicker, and he charged forward again.

Taking advantage of the moment Xu Qing had retreated earlier, the churning of the internal organs within Fatty Shan’s body had recovered somewhat.

At this moment, his round body retreated rapidly, his hands raised to form seals, and his face instantly flushed red as he spat a mouthful of poisonous mist directly at the charging Xu Qing.

The mist churned, covering a large area, and swept rapidly toward Xu Qing; wherever it passed, the ground emitted a sizzling sound, showing how potent the poison was.

After doing this, Fatty Shan’s face turned pale, his stomach shrank by a circle, and he retreated again, his eyes filled with both ruthlessness and lingering fear.

Xu Qing’s ferocity was beyond his expectations.

He had not expected that with his own Qi Condensation third layer and his mastery of poison, he would actually be nearly killed by the opponent in a single strike.

This mouthful of poisonous mist was his trump card; if it still could not deal with the opponent, he would have to shout to make the opponent wary.

But if he just shouted, he feared it would be very difficult to obtain that item of Ma Si’s.

In fact, he still had a forbidden item he hadn't used yet; this object had massive side effects, but he still took it out—it was an amber.

While hesitating in his heart, he looked toward the area where Xu Qing was shrouded by the mist.

But the moment he looked, the mist violently rolled outward, and Xu Qing’s figure instantly charged out from within.

The speed was so fast that Fatty Shan’s vision blurred, his heart skipped a beat, and just as his right hand was about to crush the amber and his mouth was about to shout, it was too late.

A pitch-black iron skewer, carrying incomparable sharpness, arrived in an instant, unstoppable, piercing through his head in a flash; blood splattered out and landed on Xu Qing, who was beside him.

Fatty Shan’s body stiffened; he wanted to turn his head but could not, and his corpse slowly fell, motionless.

Without looking at Fatty Shan’s corpse, Xu Qing panted as he vigilantly observed his surroundings.

This place was remote, and after confirming it had not attracted attention, he quickly approached Fatty Shan’s corpse and took the other’s leather bag.

Just as he was about to use a poison fang to stab, Xu Qing noticed Fatty Shan’s right hand seemed to be clutching something, so he pried open the fingers and saw a piece of amber that was already mostly shattered.

This object looked ordinary, with nothing unusual about it, except that a scorpion tail was sealed inside.

Xu Qing carefully took it, dealt with the corpse in the same manner as before, and after the body turned into blood, he left at high speed.

As he walked, he wiped the bloodstains from his body and disappeared into the night.

The Seventh Master and his servant walked out from the darkness at this moment.

Gazing at the place where Xu Qing had disappeared, the Seventh Master did not seem to care much about the battle that had just occurred between Xu Qing and Fatty Shan; instead, he pondered for a moment, revealing an expression of sudden realization.

"I know now; that kid doesn't wear new clothes because he's afraid of getting blood on them. He's been poor for so long that he's stingy about his clothes."

The servant beside him also breathed a sigh of relief.

All day long, the Seventh Master had been pondering why that kid wouldn't wear new clothes; now that he finally had the answer, he wouldn't have to rack his brain for the reason every time he heard about it.

Although it is a two-chapter update, they are actually large chapters; this chapter is nearly 4,500 words, and the next chapter is also nearly 4,000 words.

It could actually be split into three chapters, but I don't think that is necessary, as it would destroy the integrity of the chapters.

I hope everyone can feel my sincerity; thank you brothers and sisters for your support.