Chapter 72: The Babbling Ancestor

The night sky had bright moonlight and a few leisurely clouds.

But outside the Sixth Peak cave dwelling, the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor, standing with his back to the moonlight, looked somewhat dim.

In this darkness, the sorrow on his face seemed even thicker.

He actually didn't feel much heartache over the lost property; the reason he had vomited blood back then was the anger of his sect gate being destroyed.

As for those spirit stones, they were just what he had placed on the surface.

What he was truly worried about was that his enemy would become increasingly powerful within the Seven Blood Eyes.

At this moment, anxious in his heart, he looked up at the cave dwelling in front, which was completely silent, with no response.

It wasn't until half an incense stick of time had passed that a sigh finally came from within the cave dwelling.

"You Lingzi, long time no see."

The Jin Gang Sect Ancestor's Daoist name was You Lingzi, but for these years, in the area where he was, whether inside or outside the sect, others mostly respectfully called him Ancestor, so he hadn't heard his own Daoist name from others' mouths for a long time.

Hearing it now, the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor's expression held some reminiscence, and he sighed softly.

"Long time no see."

As the words echoed, the closed stone door slowly rose amidst rumbling sounds, revealing the pitch-black darkness within. And from that darkness, a figure slowly walked out.

This figure's pace was somewhat strange; every step seemed rigid and formal. Until he walked out completely, under the moonlight, one could see that this was an old man wearing a dark blue Daoist robe. Under his gray-white hair was a face that was serious and rigid.

He walked to the front of the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor and stopped. At this moment, the mountain wind blew, lifting a corner of his robe, revealing the legs inside, which were not flesh and blood...

Those legs were clearly crafted from refining materials, emitting a blue light, adding even more coldness under the moonlight.

"Since it's been a long time, then what... brings you here today?" The blue-shirted old man looked up at the clouds in the night sky and spoke indifferently.

Although he and the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor were standing together, the feeling given to others was that the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor seemed a head shorter than him.

The Jin Gang Sect Ancestor's expression was somewhat miserable. After a long silence, he still spoke about the matter regarding Xu Qing.

"My family encountered a disaster... Before that little thief left, he viciously snatched my sect's resources and then maliciously set a fire, burning my Jin Gang Sect to the ground."

"If this child were just an ordinary person, that would be fine, and I wouldn't take it to heart. But after I spent a heavy price to investigate that he had joined the Seven Blood Eyes and seemed to have gradually gained a foothold here, it made me feel uneasy all day long, repeatedly recalling those ancient books I've read over the years."

"According to the experience I gained from reading countless ancient books, after comparing, I discovered that people like this in the books mostly possess unstoppable great fortune. I was muddled at the time; I shouldn't have just had myself and two sect elders take action. I should have exhausted the entire sect's strength, sparing no cost to exterminate him, or perhaps turned hostility into friendship and sent compensation..."

"Sigh, unfortunately, I missed the timing. According to my analysis, before he completely grows up, if I can't suppress him... then in the future, I will surely die without a doubt!"

"I have a strong premonition that once this person rises, he will surely bring a bloody storm to your Seven Blood Eyes, causing your sect to face the danger of extermination. The ancient books all write it this way. By then, I'm afraid that with a casual word from this person, my Jin Gang Sect will be wiped out."

After the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor finished speaking, he lowered his head bitterly.

The blue-shirted Ancestor standing in front of him had a slowly strange expression. He looked at the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor, and after a long while, shook his head.

"You Lingzi, so many years have passed, how are you... how are you still so babbling? A small character, and in your hands, he becomes someone possessing great fortune, and can even bring a bloody storm to the Seven Blood Eyes, a danger of sect extermination? A single word could wipe out your Jin Gang Sect? You can even fantasize about this kind of thing..."

"You don't understand, I believe in my own feelings..." The Jin Gang Sect Ancestor sighed again.

Seeing the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor like this, the blue-shirted old man shook his head slightly. He didn't have a deep friendship with the other party, just a few interactions many years ago, and at this moment, he felt somewhat dismissive in his heart.

"Which peak did this child join?"

"The Seventh Peak... according to my heavy-price investigation, his name is Xu Qing, and he joined the Homicide Department," the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor knew he couldn't hide it and spoke in a low voice.

"Whatever department it is doesn't matter. It's just that they are disciples under my sect's mountain. Although it's raising insects, letting them kill each other and survive like wolf cubs, there are some sect rules that cannot be broken..."

Speaking to this point, the blue-shirted old man saw the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor's dim expression, so he sighed.

"Forget it, at most I will help you knock this child down a peg, let him spit out the things he took from your Jin Gang Sect. If it's not enough, let him use everything on his body to offset it."

After speaking, he took out a jade slip, gave instructions via voice transmission, and then pointed at the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor.

"Alright, it's been arranged. But you, when you have time, you should still cultivate properly. So many years and you're still in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, with no progress. Don't always go looking at those messy ancient books. Babbling every day, if you keep reading, I'm worried you'll develop a heart demon."

The Jin Gang Sect Ancestor wanted to say something but stopped. This wasn't quite the result he wanted, but seeing the other party's resolute words, he sighed in his heart and finally bowed with cupped fists.

The night passed without a word.

The next morning, Xu Qing opened his eyes from his cross-legged position and looked down at the leather bag beside him.

This was what Huang Yan had gifted him last night, containing three exotic beast materials.

Two diamond-shaped bones and one feather.

All of them had red light shining on them, seeming to belong to the same source, and the aura was quite extraordinary. The only pity was that it had nothing to do with sturdiness, more so being an enhancement in techniques and speed.

"I wonder how many spirit stones I can sell them for."

"And my White Elixirs, I've accumulated nearly a thousand again..." Xu Qing took stock of his assets, walked out of the magic boat, and came to the breakfast shop he went to every day.

The shop owner was a middle-aged man with no cultivation base, an ordinary resident within the main city, looking honest and simple. Seeing Xu Qing, he grinned.

He had a deep impression of this handsome youth from the Homicide Department. The other party didn't have any of the ferocity of a Seven Blood Eyes disciple and was very polite, so without Xu Qing needing to order, the owner soon served a few steamed buns and steamed eggs, and even gave a plate of side dishes.

Xu Qing thanked him, sat there, picked up his chopsticks, and ate slowly. Nowadays, he was already used to using chopsticks, until he ate everything clean, placed a spirit coin on the table, and then stood up to walk to the Homicide Department.

The Homicide Department's roll call was very simple; one only needed to touch their identity token against the bluestone in the Xuan Department's courtyard.

Xu Qing, who was familiar with all this, finished the roll call and, taking advantage of his patrol duty, walked on the street under the morning sun.

Along the way, he encountered some Homicide Department disciples, most of whom greeted him politely. After the battle of the Night Dove, Xu Qing already had a certain reputation within the Homicide Department.

While walking on the street now, Xu Qing bought a few pears, eating while walking toward the apothecary. He planned to sell the White Elixirs first, then go see how much he would still be short of to exchange for the required Giant Whale skull after selling the materials Huang Yan had gifted him yesterday.

Not long after, the apothecary came into Xu Qing's view. It was still the same one where he bought and sold herbs and elixirs, and it was very lively with people coming and going.

Xu Qing was considered a regular customer here. His appearance was immediately seen by the busy shopkeeper, whose eyes lit up. He walked out from behind the counter and said with a smile.

"I haven't seen you for a while. Are you buying herbs or selling elixirs this time?"

"Selling elixirs."

Hearing Xu Qing's words, the shopkeeper's enthusiasm grew even higher. Regarding the elixirs Xu Qing took out, he just scanned them and very readily gave twenty spirit stones.

"Not checking them?" Xu Qing looked at the shopkeeper.

"Your elixirs, no need to check," the shopkeeper waved his hand with a smile.

Xu Qing nodded. He was confident that the quality of every one of his elixirs was top-notch, so after cupping his fists, he walked out of the shop.

Seeing Xu Qing leave, the apothecary shopkeeper hurriedly took out a jade slip, transmitted a message to the proprietor, and then called a waiter, placing Xu Qing's elixirs in a box and telling the waiter to send them to the Second Peak immediately.

This waiter was very clever and knew the proprietor seemed to value these elixirs highly, so after leaving the shop, he ran rapidly, taking a shortcut toward the Second Peak.

Before long, this box was delivered to a cave dwelling on the Second Peak and placed in front of a young girl.

The girl looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a light orange Daoist robe, sitting there with a plain, clear face. She raised her hand, took an elixir from the box, and observed it before her eyes.

Under the sunlight, her skin was fairer than snow, her eyes were like a pool of clear water, and her black hair was tied into a princess bun, with a beaded hairpin stuck in it, from which tassels hung, revealing a sense of liveliness.

This girl was exactly the proprietor of the apothecary and also the person Xu Qing had encountered at the apothecary entrance that day.

While examining it now, the girl gave a light "huh," her beautiful eyebrows raised slightly, and her eyes revealed surprise.

"The purity is actually even higher?"

She had studied Xu Qing's elixirs before and discovered that although she could also reach this level, she couldn't do it every time, so a sense of competitiveness couldn't help but arise in her heart.

"A disciple of the Seventh Peak can do it; as an alchemist, there's no reason I can't!"

The girl waved her jade hand, and herb after herb flew over from all around. With a serious expression, she began to refine.

While she was there wanting to compare alchemy with Xu Qing, Xu Qing at this moment was walking on the street, looking at the refining workshops of the Sixth Peak disciples all around. His brows furrowed imperceptibly, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but today when passing by these shops, the Sixth Peak shopkeepers in a few of them seemed to be scanning him with their gazes intentionally or unintentionally, as if confirming something.

In the past, it wasn't like this.

"They are observing me?" Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. This abnormal scene made him even more vigilant, so he gave up on all the Sixth Peak shops.

He didn't enter any of them to sell materials but returned to the berth at the Seventy-Ninth Harbor, cultivating with deep wariness.

Several days passed without any waves appearing. Xu Qing felt hesitant in his heart but remained cautious, using his patrol duty to pass by the Sixth Peak shops every day, secretly observing many times.

That behavior of observing him never appeared again, but Xu Qing still didn't feel at ease, so he simply waited for a few more days. After confirming repeatedly that it was normal, he found a shop that had never observed him from beginning to end and prepared to go over.

It was really because if he wanted to upgrade the magic boat, he would eventually have to go to the Sixth Peak shops to buy and sell materials, and almost all the Sixth Peak shops related to magic boats were in the harbor area, as if monopolized. The Sixth Peak shops in other areas mostly didn't do business in magic boat materials.

So even if there was a trace of instability, Xu Qing still prepared to try it.

Afterward, Xu Qing walked on the street with vigilance, his pace fast, but just as he was about to reach the chosen shop, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind.

"Xu Qing."

Xu Qing turned his head and saw the figure of the little fatty Huang Yan not far behind him.

Huang Yan had seen Xu Qing from afar. At this moment, he waved enthusiastically and ran a few steps, the fat on his body trembling with the running until he reached close by, and he spoke proudly.

"Xu Qing, do you know? My Senior Sister replied to my message again, haha, let's go, let's go, I'm happy today, I'll treat you to an egg."

After speaking, he was about to pull Xu Qing away. Xu Qing stepped back to avoid it, but thinking of the strangeness of the egg and the fact that the other party had gifted him materials a few days ago, he hesitated for a moment.

"I'm going to sell materials."

"Sell materials? What are you missing? I'll give it to you," Huang Yan said generously.

Xu Qing shook his head.

"Alright, then I'll accompany you to sell materials, and then you accompany me to drink eggs, it's settled." Huang Yan looked happy, clearly eager to share with someone. After speaking, he looked around and pointed to the shop next to him.

"Let's just go to this one. I've been here a few times, it's not bad."

Xu Qing turned his head to look at the shop Huang Yan pointed to. This shop was also the destination of his trip. There were many disciples buying and selling inside. Xu Qing's gaze swept over and saw an acquaintance, exactly Zhang San.

He was also buying materials. Noticing Xu Qing outside the door, he greeted him with a smile.

"Let's go, let's sell quickly, drinking eggs is the most important thing," Huang Yan said, looking at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's gaze swept over the shopkeeper inside, no longer hesitating, and walked directly in.

This shop was very large, with two floors, hanging with various exotic beast materials, each of which was worth a lot. As they approached, the shopkeeper beside the counter looked up.

This shopkeeper was middle-aged, with a handlebar mustache, looking like a very shrewd person. At this moment, he looked at Xu Qing and spoke with a smile.

"Two fellow disciples, what do you want to buy?"

"Selling materials."

Xu Qing spoke calmly, walked to the counter, and under the shopkeeper's gaze, took out the materials from his leather bag—not just what Huang Yan had gifted, but also some of his harvest from killing wanted criminals.

The shopkeeper looked at Xu Qing, then scanned the materials laid out on the counter, pondered, picked up a few, examined them carefully, and looked up, looking at Xu Qing with deep meaning.

Afterward, his expression gradually turned gloomy, and the light in his eyes became sharp.

"This little friend, some of these items of yours are not right."

"A few days ago, the Jin Gang Sect reported to my Sixth Peak that their sect had been stolen from, losing a large amount of resources. These items of yours... have all been recorded in the case files. They are the items lost by the Jin Gang Sect. Little friend, what is your intention in taking stolen goods out to sell to us?"

"Could it be that the Jin Gang Sect theft case has something to do with you?"

"A dignified disciple of the Seventh Peak of the Seven Blood Eyes, could it be that you went to steal from the Jin Gang Sect?"

The shopkeeper was clearly doing it on purpose; his voice grew louder as he spoke, carrying throughout the entire shop. In an instant, the disciples from various peaks inside the shop fell silent and turned to look here in unison.

Xu Qing wasn't surprised, just sighed in his heart. He felt he had been cautious enough, but still hadn't avoided it. However, he also knew it was related to the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor, and murderous intent instantly emerged in his heart, his sense of crisis very strong. He saw that the person helping the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor must be some big shot from the Sixth Peak.

Thus, he scanned the shopkeeper's neck and the various materials placed on the shelves all around, then looked toward the direction of the sea, cold intent rising, weighing in his heart whether to do a job and leave, or argue on strong grounds.

But just as Xu Qing was weighing it in his heart, the little fatty Huang Yan on the side had his eyes widen directly, his body jumped up, and he slapped the counter fiercely, emitting a loud bang.

"Stolen goods? This is also stolen goods?"

The little fatty picked up the exotic beast bone gifted to Xu Qing among the items, his eyes filled with unprecedented anger, as if he himself had received great humiliation, and roared.

"This damn thing is mine, you dare say my things are stolen goods?"

The little fatty was furious, throwing the bone in his hand toward the shopkeeper's face.

This chapter is 4,500 words~~ The second update will be a bit later. ===== CHAPTER 73 =====