Chapter 11

In the dark night, Xu Qing's figure moved forward like a cat, agile and silent.

His hand was raised from time to time to press against his mouth, suppressing the urge to cough.

During the first few times of this process, it didn't count for much, but as Xu Qing moved, as he restrained himself many times, his lungs gradually felt like they were burning with fire, making his complexion increasingly pale.

Fortunately, it wasn't far from his residence here, and the camp wasn't very large, so before long, Xu Qing saw the Lei Team's small courtyard.

He didn't rush over directly, but stood in place and took a deep breath, trying his best to make himself look normal, and only then did he slow his speed and approach unhurriedly.

Pushing open the bamboo courtyard gate, Xu Qing's gaze swept over the surroundings, and he walked slowly into the small room.

The moment he entered the house, Xu Qing could no longer hold it back, and with a 'wah' sound, he spat out a mouthful of blood; this blood was black, and when it landed on the ground, it made a sizzling sound.

With the spitting out of this poisonous blood, Xu Qing's complexion also changed from the previous paleness to something more normal; panting heavily, he sat there, sat cross-legged, and began to practice breathing.

Until half a while later, he opened his eyes, and his complexion had completely recovered.

"What a fierce poison!" Xu Qing muttered.

The toxicity contained within that last mouthful of poisonous mist from Fatty Shan was extremely great.

But if Xu Qing had avoided it in that situation, the other party would definitely have fled and called out at the first opportunity, attracting attention; by that time, the handling of the matter would have become somewhat complicated.

And even if he had put on a posture of being injured, he was afraid it would have been very difficult to deceive that cunning Fatty Shan.

Ever since the other party sensed they were being followed, all their actions had been very methodical; the only miscalculation was the incorrect assessment of Xu Qing's strength.

Therefore, at that critical moment, Xu Qing chose to trust the recovery power brought by the purple crystal, endured the invasion of the poisonous mist, rushed over to kill, fought a quick battle to force a quick decision, and killed him in one strike.

Looking at it now, his choice was not wrong.

The purple crystal indeed possessed strong recovery against the invasion of toxicity.

The feeling of his lungs trembling and wanting to cough all the way here was actually the recovery power taking effect.

"Scavengers, sure enough, not one of them is simple. Thinking about it, if it weren't for my sharp strike and not giving him time to counterattack, Ma Si would likely have been very difficult to deal with as well."

Xu Qing muttered in his heart, beginning to summarize his own shortcomings this time.

For a long time, Xu Qing took a deep breath, lowered his head to look at his leather bag, and a strange glint appeared in his eyes.

"The reason Fatty Shan was alone was because he coveted an item of Ma Si's, so he prepared to hunt me in reverse and take Ma Si's item from me."

Xu Qing opened the leather bag, took out all the items belonging to Ma Si, including those spirit coins, and laid them out one by one in front of him.

His gaze swept over these items, and Xu Qing carefully inspected them one by one.

Until finally, he ruled out the other items, looked at that metal iron block, and his brows furrowed, somewhat uncertain.

In reality, Ma Si's relics were all very ordinary; this metal iron block could only be said to be somewhat abrupt and unknown compared to other items.

"Is it this item? But it seems there's nothing unusual about it; could it be a very valuable material?"

Xu Qing thought for a while, carefully put it away, and prepared to find an opportunity later to explore the origin of this item.

Afterward, he took out Fatty Shan's leather bag and inspected it.

There were no White Pills inside, but there were quite a few spirit coins, and many bottles and jars that seemed to contain poison; Xu Qing didn't understand poison arts and didn't dare to open them easily.

Finally, he took out the amber full of cracks, recalling the state Fatty Shan was in when he was grabbing it before he died.

"What is this item... it seems like that guy wanted to crush it before he died." Xu Qing was puzzled; he felt he lacked relevant knowledge, and after thinking, he put it away.

After doing this, he closed his eyes and continued to cultivate.

Since these days, Xu Qing discovered that after he reached the second layer of Qi Condensation, it seemed he didn't need as much sleep as before; often, about an hour or so was enough to restore his energy.

So most of the time, he was immersed in cultivation.

And because he didn't need to go out to keep watch today, he cultivated for even longer; until a whole day passed, and when night fell again, Xu Qing seemed to sense something, opened his eyes, and looked outside the house door.

The moment he looked, the Lei Team's voice came from there.

"Kid, come to the courtyard."

Xu Qing sat up upon hearing this, walked out silently, and saw the Lei Team in the courtyard.

A large table was set up in the courtyard, on which were placed some meat and wine, a total of six chairs, six sets of bowls and chopsticks; the Lei Team sat among them, beckoning toward Xu Qing.

Glancing at the table and the bowls and chopsticks, Xu Qing had a guess in his heart, walked over lightly, and sat beside the Lei Team.

"Have you gotten familiar with the camp these past few days?" The Lei Team looked outside the courtyard, speaking to Xu Qing with a casual demeanor.

"Just about." Xu Qing replied, his gaze sweeping over the food on the table.

Perhaps it was the whole day of cultivation, or perhaps the aroma of the food was enticing, but soon Xu Qing's stomach made a rumbling sound.

The Lei Team beside him smiled upon hearing it.

"Don't be in a hurry, wait for them."

"People from the Lei Ting Team?" Xu Qing had guessed some of it before, and asked a question at this moment.

The old man nodded, just about to speak, but seemed to sense something, looked outside, and at the same time, Xu Qing also felt something and swept his gaze over.

Outside the courtyard, on the dim street, a big man's figure appeared.

The brawniness of this big man exceeded that of the original Can Niu; his whole person was like a small mountain, his muscles bulging all over, carrying a compelling momentum, carrying a huge refined steel shield on his back, and holding a mace comparable to Xu Qing's height in his hand, walking over with large strides.

Every step he took made a 'bang-bang' sound, getting closer and closer, until he reached outside the bamboo gate; as the bamboo gate was pushed open, the big man's astonishing body stepped into the courtyard.

His appearance made the courtyard seem to have shrunk a bit, and the momentum brought by his brawny figure spread out even more; Xu Qing had a feeling of facing a powerful exotic beast in a ruined city, and his pupils contracted slightly.

"Boss, I'm back."

The big man grinned at the Lei Team, making a muffled sound; when his gaze landed on the food on the table, his eyes lit up; after walking closer, he took off the shield and threw it aside, then threw the mace in his hand onto the ground, making two loud 'bang-bang' sounds.

After doing this, he sat down directly; the chair immediately made a heart-stopping creaking sound, as if it were supporting him very reluctantly; and from beginning to end, he didn't look at Xu Qing, as if he didn't care much.

The Lei Team smiled and didn't speak; the big man stared at the food, didn't make a move, and waited silently.

As for Xu Qing, he was looking at the shield and mace on the ground.

From the sound just now, he could basically judge that the weight of these two items was probably... far exceeding his own body weight.

Time didn't last long; in the silence within this courtyard, two figures appeared on the street outside the bamboo gate, a man and a woman.

The man was a youth, carrying a long bow on his back, his figure upright, except for a cross-shaped scar on his face, as if it had been forcibly carved by someone; while shocking, his eyes were exceptionally sharp.

As for that woman, she looked to be in her thirties, her appearance ordinary, but her figure under the tight leather clothing was very explosive, permeating a kind of primitive temptation.

The two walked into the bamboo courtyard, greeted the Lei Team, and when they sat on the chairs, the youth with the bow looked at Xu Qing, as if scrutinizing him.

The woman beside him revealed curiosity, her voice carrying some coquettishness, and she spoke with a smile.

"Boss, how come we went out for a trip, and you have an extra child? You're still vigorous in your old age, Boss; could it be that you called us back this time to tell everyone that you left a seed outside behind our backs?"

"The age doesn't match." The brawny big man spoke in a muffled voice.

Xu Qing didn't speak, moved his left leg slightly, so that the dagger tied to his lower leg could be pulled out more smoothly; he was somewhat uneasy; the three people who had arrived each gave him a feeling of being very strong.

Even stronger than Fatty Shan from yesterday.

Especially that person with the bow, who even faintly gave Xu Qing a feeling of needles pricking his back.

"Man Gui, Body Tempering Layer Three, born with divine strength." The Lei Team didn't pay attention to their jokes, looked at Xu Qing, and pointed at the brawny big man.

"Luan Ya, Qi Condensation Layer Three, can communicate with fierce beasts; the wild dogs you see in this camp are mostly her ears and eyes."

"Shi Zi, Qi Condensation Layer Four perfection, hard to find an opponent in the same realm." The Lei Team finished speaking to Xu Qing one by one, and then, in front of the three of them, pointed at Xu Qing.

"Kid, Body Tempering Layer Two."

With the Lei Team's opening, the three members of the team looked much more solemn; Xu Qing sat on the side, listening seriously.

"Eat first, talk while eating." His gaze swept over the four people, and the Lei Team spoke lightly, picked up a piece of meat, and ate it.

"Calling you back early this time is because this year's spring harvest has been brought forward; the Camp Master has issued a mission: for the Seven-Leaf Grass, besides the original purchase price, the party with the most will be given an extra three Dust-Clearing Pills, whose effects far exceed White Pills!"

"That piece of land we have hidden in the forbidden zone can be picked early; what are your opinions?" Once the Lei Team's words were out, Man Gui and the other two all had sharp glints in their eyes; after looking at each other, they all nodded.

Xu Qing hadn't heard of Dust-Clearing Pills, but the Lei Team's words were very clear; this pill had better effects than White Pills.

"Since you agree, then prepare yourselves; this time entering the forbidden zone, the kid will follow." The Lei Team said slowly.

"Him?" Man Gui and the other two looked at Xu Qing.

Shi Zi's brows furrowed slightly.

"Boss, Body Tempering Layer Two is too weak; if we have to take care of him while completing the mission, it's somewhat inappropriate."

"Everyone has a first time." The Lei Team swept his gaze over Shi Zi, then looked at Xu Qing.

"Kid, you decide for yourself."

"I can." Xu Qing nodded.

He still had five White Pills in his pocket, and his need for Dust-Clearing Pills wasn't very great, but he understood that living in the scavenger camp, the forbidden zone was a place he would inevitably have to go to sooner or later; since that was the case... going with an experienced team would naturally allow him to learn more.

Shi Zi was silent and didn't speak again.

"Disperse after you finish eating; tomorrow morning, gather here, and we set off!" After the Lei Team finished speaking, he got up and returned to the house.

Xu Qing also poked a large piece of meat, swallowed it, looked at the three people, and walked back to his room quickly; he didn't want to stay there; for strangers, Xu Qing's sense of vigilance always existed.

The night passed without incident; Xu Qing's preparation work didn't have much, because his habits made him ready to strike with thunderous speed at any time and place.

So on the second morning, led by the Lei Team, the five of them walked through the camp.

The blue sky was bright with sunshine.

In mid-air, an eagle circled the camp, as if gazing, and their figures also attracted the attention of the scavengers around.

It seemed that because Man Gui's body was unusually tall and big, plus Luan Ya's graceful figure, even the caravan that had arrived and stayed here a few days ago had people looking toward them.

At the caravan, there were more scavengers; they were very rarely queuing there, as if waiting.

Xu Qing hadn't gone out all day yesterday and didn't know what had happened there; at this moment, when his gaze swept over, Luan Ya beside him spoke with a smile.

"Last night I heard people talking about it; this caravan comes from the Purple Earth, and there is a physician inside whose medical skills seem very brilliant. Yesterday, he cured the leg injury of that old lecherous ghost, Crippled Jackal, so many people are queuing up to see him for injuries."

"This physician must have earned a lot." Man Gui heard this from the side and said in a muffled voice with envy.

Xu Qing was also envious, looked from afar, and the moment he withdrew his gaze, his eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.

Not only him, Man Gui and Luan Ya's gazes also became sharp in an instant; only Shi Zi and the Lei Team had normal expressions, but if one looked carefully, one could see coldness in their eyes.

Because, in front of their group, another team was gathering members there.

This team had about seven or eight people, men and women, each carrying a sense of cruelty on their bodies.

Especially one old man among them, like the Lei Team, was surrounded by everyone.

He had disheveled hair, bloodthirst in his eyes, and at this moment, he was sitting on the corpse of a wild dog, eating the dog leg raw while uttering cold words.

"Go and find those two bastards Ma Si and Fatty Shan for me; to dare to be late for the departure time, they are tired of living."

It was exactly the Blood Shadow Team!

That old man eating raw meat was clearly the captain of the Blood Shadow Team.

His spiritual energy fluctuations were released without restraint, making Xu Qing, who heard his words, narrow his eyes slightly, covering the glint in his eyes.

And when Luan Ya saw the meat in the Blood Shadow captain's hand and the dog corpse under him, intense anger and murderous intent permeated her eyes in an instant; that was her dog.

At the same time, the Blood Shadow Team also saw the Lei Team's group; the old man sitting on the dog corpse grinned and licked his lips at Luan Ya.

"Little slut, the dog you raised has good meat quality; I don't know how the meat on your body tastes."

After finishing typing last night, I finally ran out and found a restaurant that could be considered dine-in, and had a Chaoshan beef hot pot that I had dreamed of; it was the first time I had eaten it in 3 months, full of happiness.

The new book needs support; I am responsible for typing and writing good works, and I leave the rest to everyone.