Chapter 70: Fair and Reasonable

Time passed, and the middle of the tenth month arrived.

It should have been the season of Cold Dew, but because the Seven Blood Eyes’ geographical location was near the sea, the days remained sweltering.

Only when night fell did the wind turn cold, and the sea as well, as if the gloom buried at the bottom of the ocean permeated with the moonlight, seeped through the surface, shrouded the world, and infiltrated the bodies of everyone cultivating in the night, letting them experience the malice of winter in advance.

At this moment, the night wind blew, and the moonlight spilled onto the harbor, spreading across every inch of the bluestone road, and also fell upon Xu Qing, who was walking toward his berth with caution after finishing his day’s work.

Xu Qing stepped on the moonlight, his figure upright, his gray robe swaying as he moved forward, seemingly dancing with his long hair; seen from afar, it looked like a scroll of a lone shadow under the moon.

Only the cold in the night wind made Xu Qing instinctively feel a bit chilly.

It was not his body that was cold, but the memories left behind by the slums.

It was like a mark scorched by fire on a painting; even if the entire painting were finished, even if it were covered with ink and mounted so that outsiders could not see it, the painting itself knew the mark still existed.

In the cold wind, Xu Qing exhaled, his pace quickening slightly.

Half a month had passed since his last gathering with Zhou Qingpeng and the others.

During this half-month, Xu Qing had been on duty at the Homicide Department as usual; he had not waited for the promotion Zhou Qingpeng mentioned, nor did he care.

Because for Xu Qing, cultivation was his priority at this stage.

His Sea Transformation Scripture had reached the peak of the seventh level, and he was not far from a breakthrough.

The Sea Mountain Art was the same, about to reach the eighth level.

This made Xu Qing very expectant.

He felt that based on his current combat strength, once both the Sea Transformation Scripture and the Sea Mountain Art broke through to the eighth level, he could likely achieve a flawless instant kill against the version of himself from before he came to the Seven Blood Eyes.

Even if he encountered the Vajra Sect ancestor again, Xu Qing felt that after reaching the eighth level, although he still couldn't defeat the opponent, if he coordinated with the shadow, he would have a certain chance to contend for a few moves during a sneak attack.

"Soon..."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes; the enemies he most urgently needed to kill now, besides the Vajra Sect ancestor, also included that Mermaid race youth.

He felt he wouldn't need too long to possess the power to kill the former, and he was already looking for an opportunity for the latter.

It was just a pity that for the past half-month, he had cautiously trailed the Mermaid race youth almost every day, looking for a chance to kill, but the opponent always had a guardian by their side, making it hard to strike.

On one rare occasion, the opponent went out alone as the captain had said, but they used a treasure that concealed their aura and figure, leaving no trace behind.

It was difficult for Xu Qing to search, but he still had patience; after analyzing it, he realized he had to find a way to leave some kind of mark on the opponent.

"Next time I encounter such an opponent, I must leave a mark in advance."

Xu Qing muttered, and just like when he learned to dispose of corpses, he kept this matter in his heart and continued forward.

Soon, he arrived at the berth of the 79th Harbor.

Along the way, Xu Qing did not encounter any malicious gazes, and no one came to disturb him at night.

Although he hadn't been at the Seven Blood Eyes for long, Xu Qing had gradually carved out a reputation for killing; such a reputation caused those who had designs on him to decrease significantly, and most were extremely cautious.

At this moment, as Xu Qing released his magic boat, a massive vessel appeared out of thin air, and when it landed on the sea surface, it emitted a roar of splashing water, stirring up waves that scattered in all directions.

Looking at it, the hull was over twenty zhang long and more than three zhang wide, with an astonishing presence.

The pitch-black deck emitted a dark luster under the moonlight, which seemed to blend with the cold light reflecting off the dense scales on the exterior; combined with the huge, ferocious crocodile head at the bow, this magic boat truly seemed to have transformed into a giant crocodile.

Especially inside the crocodile's wide-open mouth, the countless sharp teeth and the ghostly gleam in its eyes added a touch of intimidation.

Looking closely, one could see that the scales on the outside of the hull were of a higher grade than before, and even on the inside, which was invisible to outsiders, scales were spread throughout.

There was also a special keel running through the entire hull, forming a stronger support than ever before.

Wind circled around it, making this beast-like magic boat emit waves of intimidating aura; the cabin, in particular, was much larger now, as were the rooms inside, with places to rest, places to cultivate, and Xu Qing had even built an exclusive herb room.

Besides this, one could occasionally see a streak of cyan light within the hull, moving like a living creature, and wherever it passed, it made the magic boat even sturdier.

Most importantly, on the deck, there was a huge groove; although it was empty, the dense array formations clearly indicated it had been reserved in advance.

These were the results of Xu Qing spending over a hundred spirit stones to build a level-six magic boat using intermediate materials!

And that reserved groove had cost him an additional ten spirit stones.

Because he had his eye on a material—a small piece of a giant whale's skull; once inserted, it would allow his magic boat to break through from level six to the peak of level seven in terms of sturdiness.

It was just that this giant whale skull was too expensive, belonging to the sub-high-grade materials for magic boats.

The price was naturally astonishing, requiring a full two hundred spirit stones.

This price was already extremely exaggerated; Xu Qing had gone to look at it many times over the past few days, secretly gritting his teeth and deciding to save up to buy it.

"Once my cultivation breaks through to the eighth level, and once I buy the giant whale skull to bring the magic boat to level seven... I will head out to sea!"

Xu Qing muttered, and after making his decision, he stepped onto the magic boat, entered the cultivation area, sat cross-legged on a cushion, and closed his eyes to cultivate.

The sea breeze blew all night, seeming exhausted by morning, and gradually dissipated powerlessly; as the sunlight fell, Xu Qing opened his eyes and began a new day of duty.

Without the operation to search for Night Doves, the Homicide Department's work was mostly idle, only occasionally receiving requests for assistance from the Inspection Department for matters they couldn't handle.

For example, today, just after Xu Qing arrived at the Homicide Department and checked in at the courtyard of the Sixth Team of the Profound Division, he received an assistance request from the Inspection Department.

Not many people were dispatched; including the captain, there were six in total.

After leaving the Homicide Department, under the captain's introduction, Xu Qing and the other team members learned that the target for this assistance patrol was the Dispatch Department.

The Dispatch Department and the Pilotage Department were considered large departments in the entire harbor area; the former was responsible for the scheduling and arrangement of incoming and outgoing ships, while the latter was like the arm of the dispatchers, responsible for guiding external ships into the harbor.

Therefore, every harbor had a branch, and today they were going to the 96th Harbor.

The pilotage and dispatch at this 96th Harbor had recently developed a fierce conflict; now, over a hundred people from the Pilotage Department were gathered at the Dispatch Department, seemingly in a standoff, so the Dispatch Department reported to the inspectors for mediation, and the inspectors found it tricky, so they requested assistance from the Homicide Department.

Hearing the captain's introduction of the mission, someone among the accompanying team members spoke with a mocking expression.

"It seems the focus of the conflict is that the extra rewards that should have been given to the 96th Harbor's Pilotage Department this month were only given at one-tenth of the usual amount by the 96th Harbor's dispatchers; no one would agree to that."

"The disciples of the Dispatch and Pilotage departments, besides their daily salary, because pilotage often helps dispatch with work, and dispatch has many extra perks, every harbor's dispatchers must pay extra rewards to the pilotage on time."

Hearing this, Xu Qing also gained a general understanding of the matter.

"This thing, it's the 96th Harbor's dispatchers; they changed to a new person in charge a while ago, that core disciple Zhao Zhongheng."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

"As soon as this core disciple took office, he forcefully changed the rules; it's said that the monthly reward for pilotage went from the original fifty-fifty split to a ninety-ten split, so the Pilotage Department disciples were outraged."

Xu Qing listened to the discussion, and while lost in thought, their group arrived at the 96th Harbor's Dispatch Department; looking from afar, the Dispatch Department's design looked like a ship's sail spread on the ground, with buildings of various sizes standing tall, and many magic boats parked haphazardly to the side.

In front of the Dispatch Department's main gate, over a hundred pilotage disciples were blocking the entrance, standing off against the Dispatch Department disciples inside; the sound of arguing kept coming out, the tension was growing, and more disciples were watching from the surroundings.

Inside were also disciples from the Inspection Department trying to mediate, but neither side would give an inch, making mediation extremely difficult.

With the slightest spark, given the tense atmosphere, the two sides were very likely to start fighting directly.

So, upon seeing the Homicide Department arrive, the Inspection Department disciples breathed a sigh of relief, and the onlookers outside cleared a path, allowing the Homicide Department to approach.

The captain, who was eating an apple, didn't look at the tense sides or the struggling Inspection Department, but found a place in a nearby corner to sit and watch the show.

The Homicide Department's mission was to quell things once the two sides actually started killing; since they hadn't started killing yet, they could ignore it.

The other team members were the same; Xu Qing sat down with the others, and after his gaze swept over both sides, he didn't see Zhao Zhongheng, but he did see an acquaintance.

This person was standing at the very front of the Pilotage Department group; he was a little fatty.

It was Huang Yan, who had generously given him Spirit-Condensing Leaves in the apothecary that day.

"You bastards of the Dispatch Department, doing this is cutting off the livelihood of us 96th Harbor pilotage disciples! Without that reward, our cultivation and boat refining will slow down; in this crisis-ridden main city, how are we supposed to live? You are trying to kill us! Since it's death either way, we'll kill you first!"

Huang Yan seemed to be the representative of the 96th Harbor's pilotage; although he wore a gray robe, he held his head high and chest out, looking completely unafraid, his expression showing ferocity, his voice sharp, and his face red and neck thick as he shouted.

Standing in the main gate of the Dispatch Department in front of him was a middle-aged man; this person also wore a gray Daoist robe. He was not a dispatcher of the 96th Harbor, but a henchman of Zhao Zhongheng.

This matter was proposed by Zhao Zhongheng, and now that a problem had arisen, the person's status naturally meant he wouldn't come out to solve it himself, so he had arranged for a henchman to handle it.

At this moment, the middle-aged cultivator's eyes showed cold light and deep displeasure; he had followed Zhao Zhongheng for a long time, and although he was a henchman, he usually encountered mountain-bottom disciples who were very respectful to him, and he had seen many other core disciples, so he had long forgotten his own status and looked down on these gray-robed disciples in his heart.

Especially since he knew his master would never change the rules, he put on a forceful air.

"Within one stick of incense, if you don't want to die, get out immediately!"

As soon as his words fell, murderous intent permeated the Pilotage Department disciples, and seeing this, the Dispatch Department side also had cold light flashing in their eyes.

For the disciples in the various departments of the Seven Blood Eyes main city, who had fought their way out of a wolf's den and stood firm without relying on others, killing... was something they were no strangers to.

"Let us get out? I'll get out your grandfather's!" Huang Yan's eyes widened, and he charged forward head-first; he was fast and his body was heavy, and with a roar, he started the fight.

The next instant, the pilotage and dispatch disciples, who had already been in a tense atmosphere, started fighting directly at the gate.

Roars echoed, and the fluctuations of techniques spread in all directions; a chaotic battle of hundreds of people unfolded right before Xu Qing's eyes, blood splattering, and shrill cries spreading everywhere.

The Inspection Department disciples responsible for mediation retreated one after another, while Xu Qing and the others remained seated there.

Xu Qing glanced at the captain beside him; the captain was eating an apple, looking very interested in the chaotic battle ahead, occasionally cheering a few times.

"There are too many of them, it's a bit dangerous to get into the chaotic battle; we'll wait until they've killed enough, then go to quell it. Besides, the sect doesn't want to see a fight between two departments... nine times out of ten, they will come forward to stop it."

The captain finished cheering and spoke in a low voice to the team members beside him.

At this moment, casualties had already appeared on both sides of the chaotic battle, and amidst the even more intense roars and booms, Xu Qing saw Huang Yan in the crowd, his eyes red as he attacked frantically; his cultivation at the seventh level of Qi Condensation gave his outbursts strong lethality.

Just then, Xu Qing saw the middle-aged man who had been confronting Huang Yan in the Dispatch Department crowd retreating rapidly; his gaze toward Huang Yan was filled with venom, and taking advantage of Huang Yan's back being turned, he suddenly waved his hand, and a willow-leaf flying knife flew out from his sleeve.

This knife was made of a special, somewhat transparent material, and it was extremely fast, with a faint blue glow on it, as if it were coated with poison, flying straight toward Huang Yan's neck.

Huang Yan was in the middle of the chaotic battle and didn't notice for a moment; just as the flying knife was about to reach him, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and flicked his right hand lightly. A drop of water formed out of thin air and flew out at an astonishing speed, landing directly on the willow-leaf flying knife.

The water drop had great force, and with a bang, the flying knife was deflected, grazing past Huang Yan's face.

Huang Yan's expression changed; he first looked at Xu Qing and nodded, then his expression turned ferocious as his gaze fell on the middle-aged cultivator, and he roared and charged straight at him.

"Damn it!" The middle-aged cultivator immediately retreated, but it was too late; Huang Yan caught up in a few leaps and slammed into him fiercely.

The sound of bones cracking was drowned out by the surrounding chaotic battle; one could only see the middle-aged cultivator's expression twisting as he fought back rapidly.

The chaotic battle continued, and casualties increased.

At this moment, the captain on the side swept a glance at Xu Qing, looking as if he were smiling but not quite.

Xu Qing didn't speak and withdrew his gaze from Huang Yan; his previous intervention was because Huang Yan had generously given him the Spirit-Condensing Leaves that day.

Soon, as the fight between the two departments became increasingly tragic, a low shout came from afar like a thunderclap, echoing through the air.

"All stop!"

As the words were spoken, a figure stepped through the air from afar, and a powerful, terrifying aura descended from the sky at this moment, suppressing all directions, causing every disciple on the ground to feel their hearts shake violently and stop fighting one after another.

"Time to work," the Captain said in a low voice, standing up and assuming the posture of an enforcer with a solemn expression; Xu Qing and the other team members also rose.

The moment they stood up, a figure in the sky approached rapidly, landing in mid-air and transforming into a young man wearing deep purple Daoist robes.

This young man was plain-looking with eyes that held little fluctuation, yet the aura on his body was astonishing; standing in mid-air, he looked down coldly at the disciples of both sides who had ceased their fighting on the ground.