Chapter 73: The Terrifying Huang Yan

Huang Yan’s voice was extremely loud, and a strong sense of fury appeared in his eyes; it seemed that to him, the shopkeeper’s words were not insulting Xu Qing, but himself.

After all, among the items on the counter, there were three that he had gifted to Xu Qing.

Facing Huang Yan’s fury, the shopkeeper’s expression grew increasingly gloomy; he raised his right hand and grabbed the bone that the other party had thrown at him.

Holding the bone, he gave Huang Yan a cold look.

He thought to himself: You, a good-for-nothing who hasn’t left the Water Diversion Department in eight years, chasing after a Senior Sister who might not even be a country girl, giving away countless gifts until it became common knowledge and a joke—since you are now looking for trouble for yourself, don’t blame me.

Thus, he spoke slowly.

"You are right, this is indeed stolen property. It seems you are also an accomplice in the Golden Core Sect theft case. Someone, go report this to the Criminal Investigation Department; a key culprit in the Golden Core Sect theft case has walked right into our trap."

As he spoke, the shop assistant put on a show of taking out a sound-transmission jade slip. After looking at the shopkeeper, he understood what to do, so he slowly sent the message to report the case.

At this moment, the disciples from various peaks in the shop also had sharp glares in their eyes as they watched this scene.

Most disciples who could join the Seven Blood Eyes and survive in this environment were quite sharp-witted. They naturally saw through this simple trick clearly and understood that the point of this matter was not the Golden Core Sect theft, but rather... someone from the Sixth Peak wanted to find trouble for Xu Qing and Huang Yan.

As for whether it was both of them or just one of them, the crowd found it hard to judge, though they felt it was most likely Xu Qing, who had produced the items.

But no one spoke; they just watched from the sidelines, and Zhang San was the same.

Xu Qing did not pay attention to the expressions of the others. He was very surprised by Huang Yan’s reaction at this moment; although their relationship was decent, it was not deep, and the other party’s reaction left Xu Qing somewhat puzzled.

At the same time, regarding the shopkeeper’s claim of reporting to the Criminal Investigation Department and the assistant’s posturing, Xu Qing was even more confused. It seemed this setup was not like the one he had previously imagined, which was meant to kill him.

Because if they really wanted to kill him, they would have just attacked him now; there was no need to drag the Criminal Investigation Department into it and make things complicated. For big shots, killing disciples from the foot of the mountain wouldn't require such a grand display; it wasn't logical.

This matter seemed more like an opportunity to knock him down a peg and force him to give the Golden Core Sect an explanation.

Furthermore, before entering the shop just now, he had sensed the surroundings and found no particularly powerful fluctuations; it was still the same now, not like there was any expert present.

While Xu Qing was lost in thought, following the shopkeeper’s words about reporting to the Criminal Investigation Department, Huang Yan glared over.

"The Criminal Investigation Department? Xu Qing is from the Criminal Investigation Department!"

"Oh? Knowing the law and breaking it, the crime is doubled!" The shopkeeper looked at Huang Yan, frowned, and spoke slowly.

Huang Yan laughed in extreme anger. Just as he was about to step forward, Xu Qing, feeling even more suspicious about the matter, raised his hand to stop him and said softly.

"Huang Yan, this matter has nothing to do with you. You should leave first."

Afterward, he looked at the shopkeeper’s neck, his expression calm, and spoke slowly.

"This is war booty I obtained from a wanted criminal. You don’t need to slander me. If you have something to say, just say it directly."

The shopkeeper became instantly vigilant. Xu Qing’s reaction made him realize that this person was indeed not simple. In reality, after the higher-ups arranged this matter, they could have gone directly to Xu Qing to make him hand it over, but the disciples who knew about this, including him, wanted to use this opportunity to profit, which was why the slander occurred.

But now, the other party had clearly seen through his trick. In fact, he had some understanding of Xu Qing and knew that anyone who could rise in the Criminal Investigation Department was naturally not a simple character.

And as a shopkeeper with someone protecting him from behind the scenes, he was not part of the "insect-rearing" process; generally, no disciple at the foot of the mountain dared to touch people like him.

However, the chill on his neck made him decide to change his mind for now and not have too much conflict with Xu Qing. Plus, feeling that the "knocking" was enough, he was just about to speak to ease the tension and state the conditions for resolving the matter as instructed by his superiors.

But just at this moment, Huang Yan, who had been held back by Xu Qing, let out a roar.

"Xu Qing, you don't need to take the blame for me! This has nothing to do with you. This is clearly targeting me, Huang Yan! I know now, it must be that dispatcher Zhao Zhongheng. He holds a grudge against me and knows I often come here, so he colluded with this shop to smear me!"

Once Huang Yan’s words came out, the shopkeeper’s expression turned strange; he looked at Huang Yan deeply as if looking at a freak. Xu Qing also looked at Huang Yan with narrowed eyes. He wanted to solve the problem, but Huang Yan seemed to want to drag the problem onto himself.

At the same time, Huang Yan slapped the counter, making a loud bang. Just as he was about to continue roaring, footsteps came from outside the shop, and a cold voice drifted in.

"Who is being so imposing?" As the words were spoken, several figures stepped into the medicine shop.

Xu Qing turned his head to look, his eyes narrowing.

At the entrance, the figures had the Criminal Investigation Department badge clearly visible on their grey Daoist robes, shimmering with a cold light. The newcomers were disciples of the Criminal Investigation Department, and the one in the lead was the captain of the Third Team of the Earth Department—the merman youth whom Xu Qing had trailed for over half a month.

Behind him followed four members of the Third Team. As they walked in, the merman youth swept a cold glance at Xu Qing.

"So it’s you."

Xu Qing didn't speak, but his inner vigilance had risen to the extreme. The Criminal Investigation Department had arrived so quickly, and the one who came was the merman youth with whom he had had intense conflicts; this was very wrong.

He felt that today’s matter had become extremely complex, with three threads buried within it. The first was the shopkeeper wanting to knock him down a peg, but it was clearly just a warning and could be resolved.

The second thread was Huang Yan seemingly intentionally dragging the matter onto himself, for unknown purposes.

The third thread was the arrival of the merman youth, which was hard to attribute to coincidence.

Therefore, without understanding the full situation, Xu Qing did not want to act rashly.

At the same time, the merman youth who had walked into the medicine shop swept his gaze over the others, a trace of contempt in his eyes.

In reality, joining the Seven Blood Eyes was not his intention. Although the merman tribe was not large, he held a very high status within the tribe and had developed an arrogant personality, especially toward the human race, whom he looked down upon from the bottom of his heart.

As for today’s matter, after the department received the report, it should have been the responsibility of the Profound Department. Because it involved a member of the Profound Department, the Profound Department recused itself, so it was arranged for the Earth Department. When he learned it was about Xu Qing, he remembered the day of the credit-stealing and his disgust, so he personally took the case and brought his team over.

After walking in, he pointed at Xu Qing and Huang Yan.

"Since they are key culprits in the Golden Core Sect theft case, and the stolen goods are all here, and there is even someone from my Criminal Investigation Department involved, then take them to the department for detention and interrogation."

Huang Yan, seeing that the Criminal Investigation Department was still failing to distinguish right from wrong after arriving, had his fury erupt completely. He ran between Xu Qing and the merman youth, glared at the merman youth, and let out a low growl.

"Are you blind? Is my stuff stolen property?"

As he spoke, he took out his own storage bag and, in front of everyone, shook it directly. Suddenly, various materials poured out from within, piling up into a small mountain—nearly several hundred items.

Inside were materials from various exotic beasts, most of which were of the same origin as the bone and feathers, clearly taken from a single exotic beast.

The surrounding crowd gasped after seeing this, their eyes widening. They were all people who knew their stuff and knew that the value of these materials was likely several thousand spirit stones. Especially when they noticed that Huang Yan actually had a storage bag, strange lights appeared in their eyes.

"You say my things are stolen property? Are these all stolen property? Can the Golden Core Sect afford this? This is a whole Wind-Walking Beast! I gave the most precious skull to my Senior Sister, and you actually say my things are stolen property!"

"

Once the little fatty’s words came out, the eyes of the crowd shifted. Xu Qing also looked at those items and instinctively gasped.

He knew Huang Yan was wealthy, but he was still stunned by the materials in his storage bag.

The merman youth glanced at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper had a headache. He hadn't expected the Criminal Investigation Department to arrive so quickly, disrupting his rhythm. His expression was hesitant, but the arrow was on the string and had to be fired, so he braced himself and spoke.

"The Golden Core Sect’s report mentioned this Wind-Walking Beast!"

Seeing the situation developing in an unbelievable direction, Xu Qing remained silent, observing calmly.

"The skull is also stolen property. You gave it to your Senior Sister? So there is also a female culprit helping to fence the goods. Why haven't you captured them yet? Go back and interrogate them carefully, and bring that female culprit to justice as well."

Hearing the shopkeeper’s words, the merman youth spoke indifferently. The four team members behind him immediately walked toward Xu Qing and Huang Yan; one of them approached Huang Yan, while the other three headed straight for Xu Qing.

"You are the culprit! Your whole family are culprits!" Huang Yan jumped up, rolled up his sleeves, and charged over with fury.

Xu Qing watched the three approaching men with cold eyes. He hadn't wanted to act rashly without understanding the full situation, but now that the other party was being aggressive, he raised his right hand and let it drop.

Instantly, the water droplets in the surroundings each erupted with intense pressure. With a roar, they formed a suppressing force, causing the Third Team members' expressions to change drastically. Horror appeared in their eyes, their bodies trembled violently, and they were unable to take a single step.

Although they had participated in the net-closing operation against the Night Dove with the Sixth Team that day, they hadn't seen Xu Qing act with their own eyes and had only heard some rumors. Feeling it personally now, waves surged in their hearts.

"Resisting law enforcement." The merman youth smiled, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. His body stepped out, and the speed was so fast it caused a sonic boom within the shop. In an instant, he appeared before Xu Qing, his right hand raised to grab at his neck.

His fingernails were sharp and emitted a cold light. If it were anyone else, they would likely have found it hard to react at this speed, but the moment he approached, a black iron spike appeared before his palm.

Although his speed was fast, Xu Qing was faster. While brandishing the iron spike in his hand, he bent his right knee and slammed it fiercely toward the merman youth.

Amidst a roar, the merman youth withdrew his right hand at high speed, bent his right leg, and met knee with knee.

In the sound of the impact, Xu Qing’s body swayed slightly, while the merman youth retreated five steps. When he looked up, a bloodthirsty and excited light appeared in his eyes.

"Interesting." As he spoke, a roar came from within his body. A Qi Condensation ninth-layer fluctuation radiated from him, and behind him, a ferocious merman phantom holding a black fork appeared.

This was not a Qi-Blood manifestation; this was his innate bloodline power. As it erupted, his body charged again, approaching Xu Qing in an instant, and they began to clash with roars inside the shop.

The two exchanged seven or eight blows in an instant, each with loud bangs and shockwaves echoing. The shop was affected, but fortunately, there was an array here, and under its reinforcement, it did not collapse.

Yet this scene still caused the crowd, who had retreated, to have intense light in their expressions.

"They are so strong!"

"That Third Team captain, as an alien, has the innate bloodline power of the merman tribe. His combat power is comparable to a Great Sect disciple at the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation, and this Xu Qing... is actually just as astonishing!"

"There were rumors before that the Profound Department had someone who wasn't a captain kill the Night Dove chieftain; it must be this Xu Qing!"

Hearing the crowd’s words, Huang Yan hid on the side and blinked, a trace of a smirk on his face, but it quickly dissipated and turned back into a look of rage, roaring loudly.

"Xu Qing, go for it! Take down this fish! Let him frame us! Kill him, and we'll have fish for dinner tonight!"

At this moment, amidst the roars, the merman youth retreated again, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. The bloodthirsty light in his eyes became even more intense, as if blood excited him even more. Furthermore, he still had a trump card he hadn't used. He grinned and raised both hands to begin forming seals.

However, he did not notice that beneath his feet was Xu Qing’s shadow.

Xu Qing’s expression had been calm from beginning to end. At this moment, he narrowed his eyes, a flash of killing intent in them. Just as he was about to act, several powerful auras suddenly spread out from outside, locking onto this place.

"Just watch." As the merman youth sneered, those few auras went silent, but just then, an even more terrifying aura appeared outside the medicine shop.

With a roar, it directly suppressed the few auras that had just appeared and locked onto this place, as if crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.

This scene made the merman youth freeze. When he turned his head to look, his expression changed instantly. Xu Qing also looked up, feeling the aura outside, his eyes shrinking violently.

At the same time, following the entry of a figure, a cold female voice drifted in coldly from outside the medicine shop.

"Just now, who said my things were stolen property?"

The voice was like a cold wind, instantly freezing everyone in the shop. Whether it was the merman youth or the shopkeeper from the Sixth Peak, they all trembled uncontrollably at this sentence and couldn't help but look at the person walking in through the door.

It was a woman, her body extremely tall. While strong and imposing, her bronze-colored skin exuded a sense of power. Her long hair flowed, lacking any softness, and instead possessed a sense of wildness.

She wore a deep purple Daoist robe and dragged a black greatsword that was a full half-zhang long. As she walked, the tip of the sword scraped sparks against the ground, gouging the floor tiles and the threshold.

This scene made everyone gasp. Not knowing who was the first to bow, the next moment, everyone lowered their heads and cupped their fists, speaking respectfully.

"Greetings, Second Highness!"

"Greetings, Second Highness!"

"Greetings, Second Highness!"

The person who had arrived was none other than the existence in the Seventh Peak akin to a Grand Princess, who held the power of life and death over disciples at the foot of the mountain, and even had the authority to abolish core disciples... the Peak Master’s second personal disciple!

"Senior Sister, you finally came." Huang Yan, on the side, excitedly crawled out from his hiding spot and ran over happily...

Stopping here is a bit unkind...

How about I go write some more...