Chapter 66: A Secret Worth One Hundred Spirit Stones

In an instant, the two figures collided outside the gambling den. Xu Qing circulated his Sea Transformation Scripture and Sea Mountain Art simultaneously; prepared to end the fight quickly, he unleashed his full strength, bringing down a fist.

With a boom, the large fatty’s body shuddered, his expression shifting visibly. Clearly, he had misjudged the opponent's strength, and upon making contact with Xu Qing, he immediately felt the terrifying power of Xu Qing’s physical body.

He retreated abruptly, but compared to Xu Qing, his speed was sluggish. In the blink of an eye, Xu Qing’s fist struck his stomach.

With a bang, the large fatty’s body trembled again, but instead of being blasted backward, he suddenly seemed hollow, instantly transforming into a sheet of skin that lunged to envelop Xu Qing.

The fatty’s skin was vast and wide, covering everything like an octopus, and it looked as if it were about to wrap around Xu Qing.

Xu Qing frowned slightly. A multitude of water droplets appeared around his body, rapidly morphing into diamond shapes that whistled through the air like arrowheads. With a series of popping sounds, they immediately pierced through the skin.

A ferocious figure instantly burst out from the tattered skin and retreated.

It was a humanoid creature covered in slime, with green hair and a body full of scales. A fierce glint shone in its eyes, and a forked tongue flicked out from between its thorn-like teeth.

It cast a deep look at Xu Qing and, without continuing the attack, flickered as if to flee.

Xu Qing watched coldly, raising his right hand to wave. A curtain of water appeared out of thin air in front of the alien cultivator, blocking its path and forcing it to retreat, its eyes growing even more savage.

"You're courting death!"

As it spoke, the alien cultivator lunged straight at Xu Qing, its hands waving to release a massive amount of black Qi. This formed wisps of vengeful spirits that let out shrill cries as they pounced directly at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained expressionless. As he released his Qi and blood, even more piercing screams erupted from the vengeful spirits. After they were directly shattered by Xu Qing’s vigorous Qi and blood, he took a step forward, arriving before the alien cultivator—whose expression had changed completely—and reached out with his right hand to grab it.

The alien cultivator’s breathing grew rapid, a look of madness appearing in its eyes.

In this moment of crisis, all the scales on its body shed at once, sweeping toward Xu Qing like countless blades in a swirling storm.

After doing this, it did not continue to flee, but instead erupted with murderous intent, its sharp fingernails stabbing directly toward Xu Qing’s neck.

"Die!"

Yet in the blink of an eye, the alien cultivator’s eyes suddenly contracted, revealing disbelief and horror.

Xu Qing did not care about the scale storm at all. No matter how the scales arrived, they could not stop his unstoppable palm. He pierced directly through the vortex of scales and grabbed the alien cultivator’s hand.

With a snap, Xu Qing bent it upward with force, breaking it clean and causing the alien cultivator’s hand to twist in an exaggerated fashion.

He used the momentum to close the distance, slamming his forehead hard into the alien cultivator’s head. Amidst the screams, the alien cultivator tried to back away, but its hand remained gripped by Xu Qing.

The sensation of being clamped by iron pliers made its breathing rapid and its heart filled with extreme terror; it could not break free.

"Fellow Daoist, I am..."

Before it could finish, Xu Qing, with a calm expression, grabbed the opponent's hand and bent it again, forcing the alien cultivator’s own sharp fingers to stab directly into its own brow.

The sound of flesh and bone tearing rang out. The alien cultivator’s brow was pierced, and it let out a desperate, miserable shriek, its eyes filled with intense fear.

Yet its body structure was different from a human's, and this was not fatal.

Still, it was severely wounded. As blood flowed out, its aura weakened rapidly. Xu Qing grabbed it by the neck, and it fell unconscious, being dragged away like a corpse toward the distance.

Inside and outside the gambling den, there was dead silence. Whether gamblers or guards, all were trembling. The sounds of the fight between Xu Qing and Sun Dewang had been intense and drew their attention, but the entire battle had been far too fast, and Xu Qing’s strikes had been far too ruthless.

Especially since they recognized the identity of the alien cultivator outside and realized its strength, their perception of Xu Qing’s terror became even clearer.

No one dared to speak. In the frozen air, Xu Qing, who was about to walk away, suddenly paused and looked up into the distance.

On the empty, dark street in the distance, a person was walking over.

As they approached and stepped into the light cast outside the gambling den, their figure shifted from dim to clear. A pale purple Daoist robe gradually entered Xu Qing’s sight.

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted.

The person approaching was a young man with long black hair, a striking appearance, a slender build, and an air of arrogance in his expression. The Daoist robe, in particular, clearly revealed his noble status.

Furthermore, the fluctuations of an eighth-level Qi Condensation Sea Transformation Scripture radiated strongly from him, causing a multitude of water droplets to form in the surroundings, each one sharp and locked onto Xu Qing.

"Which branch of the Criminal Investigation Department are you from? Put him down, and I can pretend I never saw this!"

The newcomer’s words were cold, his tone brooking no argument.

Xu Qing was silent. He had seen this young man before; some time ago, when he and the Captain were on their first patrol, he had seen this person from afar, looking like a god descending to the mortal world.

He knew very well that this person was a core disciple of the Seventh Peak.

Xu Qing frowned slightly. Although he had made some preparations to prevent accidents, he feared that against the status of a core disciple, they would be of little use. To have a conflict with a core disciple for forty spirit stones, Xu Qing felt it was not worth it, unless the profit was greater.

But just then, a cold voice drifted eerily from behind the young man in the pale purple robe.

"A core disciple has such grand airs, interfering with law enforcement right in front of our Criminal Investigation Department."

As the voice emerged, the young man in the pale purple robe turned abruptly. Xu Qing also looked up and immediately saw a figure sauntering over from the distance. This figure was eating an apple as he walked—it was the Captain of the Sixth Team.

The young man in the pale purple robe’s eyes narrowed. Xu Qing also felt some surprise, though he was not surprised by the Captain’s arrival, but rather that the Captain would choose to show himself at this time.

In reality, Xu Qing could not fully trust the clues given by the old man on Banquan Road. In the treacherous main city of Seven Blood Eyes, the other party might very well have intentionally provided a clue filled with traps to use him as a blade to kill others.

Especially with an industry like a gambling den, which must have some background to operate in the main city of Seven Blood Eyes. Thus, on his way there, Xu Qing had thought it over and sent a voice transmission to the Captain, promising half the proceeds in exchange for the Captain appearing when necessary to resolve disputes.

Regardless of whether a dispute arose, he would give the spirit stones.

The clue for the first wanted criminal had been a dead end, so the Captain hadn't appeared. Now that the second clue had led to a core disciple, Xu Qing had assumed the Captain wouldn't appear either.

Sensing the surprise in Xu Qing’s expression, the Captain crunched off a piece of fruit and winked at Xu Qing, then looked at the young man in the pale purple robe, whose expression was somewhat ugly.

"According to the third rule of the Criminal Investigation Department, those who obstruct official business during law enforcement shall be punished severely."

"He is a wanted criminal, we are enforcing the law, this is official business."

"Are you intending to obstruct us?" The Captain looked at the young man in the pale purple robe with a smile.

In Xu Qing’s eyes, even though the Captain was wearing a grey Daoist robe, the forcefulness of his words and the ugly expression of the young man in the pale purple robe made Xu Qing feel as if they had swapped identities.

This left him extremely astonished.

As for the young man in the pale purple robe, after the Captain’s words, his breathing grew slightly rapid, and his mind raced. In truth, Sun Dewang usually offered him many tributes, and this casino was one of his properties, so he could not allow anyone to take him away.

However, the young man in the pale purple robe was wary of this Captain of the Sixth Team. He knew of him and had heard of such a character. In his memory, about two years ago, this person had a conflict with another core disciple, and not long after that... that core disciple went missing.

This matter made him extremely vigilant, and what shocked him even more was that there was no follow-up investigation on the mountain, and everyone kept their mouths shut; it seemed few people off the mountain even knew about it.

One had to know that the disappearance of a core disciple was a major event in Seven Blood Eyes, but that time... it was left unsettled.

Thus, after a silence, the young man in the pale purple robe snorted coldly and, without saying a word, flicked his sleeves and left.

This dramatic scene caused great waves in Xu Qing’s heart. Looking at the Captain, many speculations surfaced in his mind.

"My spirit stones." The Captain looked at Xu Qing and smiled.

Xu Qing did not say a word and handed over twenty spirit stones.

After taking the spirit stones, the Captain wore a satisfied expression and glanced at the departing young man in the pale purple robe.

"That guy is named Zhao Zhongheng, a total straw bag. If his grandfather weren't an Elder of the Seventh Peak, he would have been killed long ago; how could he possibly still have the status of a core disciple?"

"But I heard he was arranged by his grandfather to come down from the mountain and take a post at the Dispatch Department as a leader. I guess he wants him to gain some experience there."

As the Captain spoke, he walked forward. Xu Qing was silent, following him toward the Criminal Investigation Department.

On the way, Xu Qing looked at the Captain many times. Until they were almost at the Criminal Investigation Department, the Captain turned his head to look at Xu Qing and asked with surprise.

"You kid can really hold back. Why haven't you asked me why I'm so powerful, or why I can make a core disciple back down?"

"Why?" Xu Qing asked.

The Captain looked at Xu Qing and felt it was a bit boring.

"You are very boring... forget it, for the sake of you being my team member, I'll tell you. Two years ago, I offended a core disciple. I was planning to flee Seven Blood Eyes, but guess what? Hahaha."

"That core disciple had bad luck and died in an accident at sea. After the sect investigated, they found it was indeed an accident, so it was left unsettled. Then, I don't know how it spread... some core disciples on the mountain think I'm quite mysterious."

"So, when they see me, most of them avoid me." The Captain waved his hand and looked at Xu Qing with a smile.

Xu Qing nodded.

"You actually believe it?" The Captain was surprised.

"I don't." Xu Qing shook his head.

"Then why did you nod..."

Xu Qing was silent.

The Captain sighed, seemingly feeling bored once again. After a while, when the two saw the gates of the Criminal Investigation Department from afar, his face was somewhat blurred in the shadows, and he said softly.

"The truth is, I killed him. This is my secret, Xu Qing. This secret is worth... hmm, one hundred spirit stones!"

After the Captain finished speaking, he winked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing could not produce one hundred spirit stones.

The Captain sighed, muttered a few words, and after making Xu Qing personally admit he owed him one hundred spirit stones, he stretched and went to the Xuan Department of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Xu Qing rubbed his brow, watching the departing Captain. Regarding the spirit stones he had inexplicably been forced to owe, he felt no helplessness, but rather a sense of relief.

Throughout the journey, the reason he hadn't spoken was that he had keenly sensed a trace of killing intent lurking on the Captain. And while the Captain’s cultivation base appeared to be at the ninth or tenth level of Qi Condensation as Xu Qing had previously judged, Xu Qing now vaguely felt that the other party must be hiding something, and his true combat power was definitely stronger.

The other party’s killing intent had not erupted, and after he agreed to owe the spirit stones, it dissipated rapidly.

As his mind relaxed, Xu Qing looked back toward the direction of Banquan Road, a cold glint in his eyes.

Soon, he withdrew his gaze, stepped into the Criminal Investigation Department, handed Sun Dewang over to the storage department, and collected the bounty in spirit stones.

Before leaving, he gave the fellow disciple in charge of wanted criminal storage some spirit coins and politely inquired about Zhao Zhongheng.

The disciple in charge of wanted storage accepted the spirit coins with a fake smile and told Xu Qing about him.

What he said was roughly the same as the Captain, but not as detailed. Xu Qing understood in his heart, thanked him, and left.

On the way to the harbor berths, Xu Qing’s eyes showed contemplation as he recalled the events of the night.

"The Captain is very strong, and also very evil. He seems a bit different toward me. What is his purpose?"

With deep thought, Xu Qing returned to his berth. A deep sense of caution welled up in his heart. He took out a bamboo slip from his pocket; it was very old, clearly having been used for a long time.

On it was a dense list of names that had been crossed out. There was one that hadn't been crossed out: the ancestor of the Vajra Sect.

Xu Qing picked up an iron stylus and began to carve, writing the five words: "Old man of Banquan Road."

Then he wrote the two words "Captain." After thinking for a moment, he added a question mark after "Captain."

He carved the name because of the Captain’s previous killing intent, and added the question mark because the killing intent had been resolved by one hundred spirit stones.

Afterward, Xu Qing buried the matter of the Captain. He did not want to investigate the Captain’s secrets, so he took out Sun Dewang’s skin bag, opened it, and scanned it. Xu Qing was silent.

He thought of the words the other party had said when walking out of the gambling den.

Inside the leather pouch, there was indeed nothing left, not even a single hair; the miscellaneous items were worthless. Xu Qing frowned, tossed the pouch aside, and sat cross-legged to begin cultivating.

Days passed just like that. Having obtained twenty spirit stones, Xu Qing did not go to Banquan Road again. That old innkeeper was suspected of using others to do his dirty work, and Xu Qing had already begun planning how to kill the other party without a sound.

It was just that this matter was a bit difficult, so Xu Qing did not intend to alert the enemy before he struck.

During this period, his main energy, aside from cultivation, was spent using spirit stones to purchase expensive materials to upgrade his magic boat.

He had upgraded his level-two magic boat by two tiers, reaching the level of four-tier sturdiness.

At this moment, the appearance of the magic boat had changed drastically. Not only had its length and width increased significantly, but most importantly, the boat's hull was no longer covered in the former scale totems, but had been replaced with real scales.

Densely packed, the entire magic boat on the sea surface looked no different from a real giant crocodile. The ferocity upon it was even more violent, especially the crocodile head, which seemed to have gained spirituality, with its carved eyes revealing a glimmer of life.

That was because Xu Qing had bought two pieces of rock-solid stone to replace the eyes, making the boat's defense more comprehensive.

The original straw canopy had also become a cabin, with a boat and a door, making Xu Qing feel significantly more secure.

A four-tier boat like this was not something everyone in the harbor possessed. Although the materials Xu Qing chose were all low-grade, it still attracted some gazes in the Seventy-Nine Harbor.

There was no helping this; even though he had asked the shopkeeper to conceal things during the refining process, the effect was not great, so Xu Qing could only be more cautious and vigilant.

Fortunately, he had been accustomed to vigilance and caution for so many years that they had become a part of his life.

At the same time, the rapid improvement of the magic boat had also accelerated his plans to go out to sea.

All of this made Xu Qing increasingly expectant of the magic boat; although the cost was not cheap, he felt it was worth it.

As for Zhao Zhongheng, there had been no follow-up in the past few days; he seemed to have been deterred by the captain.

Meanwhile, the Arresting Demon Division had stopped searching for the Night Dove on the surface during this time, but the atmosphere within had clearly become tense, which made Xu Qing feel that the net for the Night Dove was about to close.

Two days later, Xu Qing, who had already finished his shift, had not yet left the Arresting Demon Division when he received a notification: no one was allowed to leave the Arresting Demon Division today, and everyone was to wait for orders within their respective squads.

Their sound-transmission jade slips were also restricted.

This made Xu Qing understand that the net would close tonight.

The facts were indeed so. An hour later, just as dusk fell, Xu Qing, who was waiting within his squad, saw the captain's figure.

"The Division has decided to close the net on the Night Dove across all seven districts today. There are seventeen hideouts of the Night Dove in the harbor district that have been confirmed. All squads from the Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow departments will move out in mixed groups."

"Xu Qing, the location you reported was correct. This time, our squad will act together with the Earth Department's Third Squad; our target is that very location." The captain smiled at Xu Qing, then his expression turned solemn as his gaze swept over all the team members.

"Inside this hideout, there are two at the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation, four at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, seven at the eighth level, and several others—twenty-five in total!"

"The Division attaches great importance to this matter. For any hideout, the squad that kills the enemy leader will be rewarded with ten spirit stones per member, and the one who kills the leader will be rewarded with an additional eighty spirit stones!"

"Besides that, every head of a Night Dove is worth ten spirit stones. Brothers, it's time to make some extra money!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed sharply. To upgrade his four-tier magic boat to six-tier, the materials required, if choosing low-grade ones, would only cost a dozen or so spirit stones. But if he chose the mid-grade ones he craved, it would cost about eighty spirit stones. As for high-grade ones, Xu Qing did not even consider them; they were ridiculously expensive.

He had been worrying about how to obtain spirit stones these past few days, and at this moment, listening to the captain's words, a sharp glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.

A 5000-character long chapter!

The second update will be coming soon~~