Chapter 11: Gathering

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

His hand occasionally rose to press against his mouth, suppressing the urge to cough.

During the first few times this happened, it was nothing, but as Xu Qing moved and continued to restrain himself, his lungs gradually felt as if they were burning, making his face grow increasingly pale.

Fortunately, he was not far from his residence, and the camp was not very large, so before long, Xu Qing saw the small courtyard of the Lei Team.

He did not rush in directly, but stood in place and took a deep breath, trying his best to appear normal before slowing his pace and approaching unhurriedly.

Pushing open the bamboo gate, Xu Qing scanned his surroundings and walked slowly into the small hut.

The moment he entered the room, Xu Qing could no longer hold it back; with a "wah" sound, he spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood was black and hissed as it hit the ground.

With the expulsion of this poisonous blood, Xu Qing’s complexion turned from pale back to something more normal. He sat there panting heavily, crossing his legs to begin breathing exercises.

It was not until a long while later that he opened his eyes, his complexion fully recovered.

"Such fierce poison!" Xu Qing muttered.

The poison mist in that final breath from Fatty Shan contained immense toxicity.

But if Xu Qing had dodged it at the time, the opponent would certainly have fled and shouted immediately to draw attention, and by then, handling the matter would have become quite complicated.

Moreover, even if he had put on a show of being injured, it would likely have been difficult to deceive the cunning Fatty Shan.

Ever since the opponent realized he was being followed, all his actions had been methodical; his only miscalculation was an incorrect assessment of Xu Qing’s strength.

Therefore, at that critical moment, Xu Qing chose to trust in the restorative power brought by the purple crystal, enduring the assault of the poison mist to charge forward, end the fight quickly, and kill him in one blow.

Looking at it now, his choice was correct.

The purple crystal indeed possessed a strong restorative effect against the invasion of toxins.

The trembling, cough-inducing sensation in his lungs throughout the journey was, in fact, the restorative power taking effect.

"Scavengers, as expected, none of them are simple. I imagine that if I hadn't acted sharply and given him no time to counterattack, Ma Si would have been very troublesome as well."

Xu Qing muttered to himself, beginning to summarize his shortcomings this time.

After a long while, Xu Qing took a deep breath, looked down at his leather pouch, and a strange light appeared in his eyes.

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

Xu Qing opened the leather pouch and took out all the items belonging to Ma Si, including the spirit coins, laying them out one by one before him.

Scanning these items, Xu Qing began to examine them carefully one by one.

Until finally, he ruled out the other items and looked at the metal block, his brow furrowing in uncertainty.

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

"Is it this thing? But it doesn't seem to have anything special about it. Could it be a very valuable material?"

Xu Qing thought for a moment, carefully put it away, and prepared to find an opportunity later to investigate the origin of this object.

Afterward, he took out Fatty Shan’s leather pouch and checked it.

There were no White Pills inside, but there were plenty of spirit coins, along with many bottles and jars that seemed to contain poison. Xu Qing did not understand poison arts and dared not open them lightly.

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

"What is this thing... it seemed like that guy wanted to crush it before he died." Xu Qing was puzzled. He felt he lacked the relevant knowledge, so after some thought, he put it away.

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

Over these past few days, Xu Qing discovered that after reaching the second level of Qi Condensation, he seemed to need less sleep than before; often, about an hour was enough to restore his energy.

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

Furthermore, because he did not need to go out to keep watch today, he cultivated even longer. When a full day had passed and night fell once more, Xu Qing seemed to sense something and opened his eyes to look outside the room's door.

The moment he looked, the voice of the Lei Team leader came from there.

"Kid, come into the courtyard."

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

A large table was set in the courtyard, topped with some meat and wine, along with six chairs and six sets of bowls and chopsticks. The Lei Team sat among them, beckoning to Xu Qing.

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

"Have you gotten used to 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 full day of cultivation, or perhaps the aroma of the food was enticing, but soon Xu Qing’s stomach let out a growl.

The Lei Team beside him smiled upon hearing it.

"Don't rush, wait for them."

"The people from the Lei Team?" Xu Qing had guessed as much earlier, so he asked.

The old man nodded and was about to speak, but seemed to notice something and looked outside. At the same time, Xu Qing also felt something and scanned the area.

Outside the courtyard, on the dim street, the figure of a large man appeared.

The burly stature of this man exceeded that of the former Can Niu; he was like a small mountain, his entire body bulging with muscle, carrying an imposing aura. He carried a massive refined steel shield on his back and held a spiked club as tall as Xu Qing in his hand, walking with long strides.

Every step he took produced a thudding sound, getting closer and closer until he reached the bamboo gate. As the gate was pushed open, the man’s astonishing frame stepped into the courtyard.

His appearance made the courtyard seem to shrink; the aura brought by his burly figure spread out, giving Xu Qing the feeling of facing a powerful exotic beast in a ruined city, and his pupils contracted slightly.

"Boss, I'm back."

The man grinned at the Lei Team, his voice muffled. When his gaze landed on the food on the table, his eyes lit up. He walked over, took off his shield and tossed it aside, then threw the spiked club in his hand onto the ground, producing two loud bangs.

After doing this, he sat down directly. The chair immediately let out a hair-raising creak, as if it were barely supporting him, and from start to finish, he did not look at Xu Qing, as if he did not care much.

The Lei Team smiled without speaking. The man stared at the food but did not move, waiting silently.

As for Xu Qing, he was staring at the shield and the spiked club on the ground.

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

Not long after, in the quiet of the courtyard, two figures appeared on the street outside the bamboo gate: a man and a woman.

The man was a youth carrying a longbow, his figure upright, but with a cross-shaped scar on his face as if it had been forcibly carved by someone. While shocking to behold, his eyes were exceptionally sharp.

As for the woman, she looked to be in her thirties with an ordinary appearance, but her figure, under a tight-fitting leather outfit, was very hot, exuding a primitive allure.

The two walked into the bamboo courtyard and greeted the Lei Team. When they sat on the chairs, the bow-carrying youth glanced at Xu Qing, as if scrutinizing him.

The woman beside him looked curious, her voice carrying a hint of coquetry as she smiled and spoke.

"Boss, how come we go out for a trip and you end up with an extra kid? You're still going strong, Boss. Could it be that you called us back this time to tell everyone that you've been hiding a child out there?"

"The age doesn't match," the burly man said in a muffled voice.

Xu Qing did not speak; he shifted his left foot slightly so that the dagger strapped to his calf could be drawn more smoothly. He felt a bit uneasy; the three people who had arrived each gave him a very strong impression.

Even stronger than Fatty Shan from yesterday.

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

"Man Gui, Body Refining third level, born with divine strength." The Lei Team ignored their banter, looked at Xu Qing, and pointed at the burly man.

"Luan Ya, Qi Condensation third level, can communicate with fierce beasts. Most of the wild dogs you see in this camp are her eyes and ears."

"Shi Zi, Qi Condensation fourth level peak, hard to find an opponent at the same level." After the Lei Team finished introducing them one by one to Xu Qing, he pointed at Xu Qing in front of the three of them.

"Kid, Body Refining second level."

Following the Lei Team’s words, the three members of the team became much more solemn. Xu Qing sat to the side, listening carefully.

"Eat first, talk while we eat." Scanning the four of them, the Lei Team spoke calmly and picked up a piece of meat to eat.

"The reason I called you back early this time is because this year's spring harvest has been moved up. The camp master has issued a task: for the Seven-Leaf Grass, in addition to the original purchase price, the party with the most will be given three extra Dust-Clearing Pills, which are far more effective than White Pills!"

"The patch of land we have hidden in the forbidden zone can be harvested early. What are your opinions?" As soon as the Lei Team finished speaking, the eyes of Man Gui and the others shone. After looking at each other, they all nodded.

Xu Qing had never heard of Dust-Clearing Pills, but the Lei Team’s words made it very clear that these pills were more effective than White Pills.

"Since you all agree, go prepare. We are heading into the forbidden zone, and the kid is coming along," the Lei Team said slowly.

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

Shi Zi frowned slightly.

"Boss, Body Refining second level is too weak. If we have to look after him while completing the mission, it's a bit inappropriate."

"Everyone has a first time." The Lei Team glanced at 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, so his need for Dust-Clearing Pills was not very great, but he understood that living in a scavenger camp, going to the forbidden zone was inevitable sooner or later. Since that was the case... joining an experienced team would naturally allow him to learn more.

Shi Zi fell silent and said no more.

"You can disperse after you finish eating. Assemble here tomorrow morning, and we depart!" After saying this, the Lei Team stood up and returned to the hut.

Xu Qing also poked at a large piece of meat, swallowed it, glanced at the three, and walked quickly back to his room. He did not want to stay there; his vigilance toward strangers always remained.

The night passed without incident. Xu Qing did not have much preparation to do because his habits meant he was always ready to strike with lightning speed at any moment.

Thus, the next morning, led by the Lei Team, the five of them walked through the camp.

The sky was blue and the sun was bright.

A hawk circled the camp in mid-air, as if watching, and their figures also drew the attention of the surrounding scavengers.

Perhaps because Man Gui’s frame was unusually tall, coupled with Luan Ya’s graceful figure, even people from the caravan that had arrived and stayed here a few days ago looked toward them.

There were more scavengers at the caravan site, and they were rarely seen lining up there, as if waiting for something.

Xu Qing had not gone out all day yesterday and did not know what had happened there. As his gaze swept over, Luan Ya beside him spoke with a smile.

"I heard people talking about it last night. This caravan is from the Purple Soil, and there seems to be a physician among them whose medical skills are very brilliant. Yesterday, he cured the leg injury of that old lecher Crippled Jack, so many people are lining up to see him for their injuries."

"That physician must have made a lot," Man Gui, listening from the side, said enviously in a muffled voice.

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

It was not just him; Man Gui and Luan Ya’s gazes also turned sharp in an instant. Only Shi Zi and the Lei Team maintained their usual expressions, but if one looked closely, one could see the chill in their eyes.

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

This squad consisted of about seven or eight people, both men and women, each of them carrying a sense of ferocity.

In particular, an old man among them, who was like the leader of the Lei squad, was surrounded by the others.

With disheveled hair and bloodlust in his eyes, he sat upon the corpse of a wild dog, eating a raw dog leg while uttering cold, sinister words.

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

It was none other than the Blood Shadow Squad!

The old man eating the raw meat was clearly the captain of the Blood Shadow Squad.

His spiritual energy fluctuations radiated outward without restraint, causing Xu Qing, who heard his words, to narrow his eyes slightly, masking the glint within them.

As for Luan Ya, upon seeing the meat in the Blood Shadow captain's hand and the dog corpse beneath him, intense anger and killing intent instantly filled her eyes; that was her dog.

At the same time, the Blood Shadow Squad also spotted the Lei squad, and the old man sitting on the dog corpse grinned, licking his tongue at Luan Ya.

"You little slut, the dog you raised has decent meat; I wonder how the meat on your body tastes."

After finishing my writing last night, I finally managed to go out and find a restaurant that offered dine-in service, where I ate the Chaoshan beef hotpot I had been dreaming of; it was the first time in three months, and I felt full of happiness.

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