Chapter 125

Miyamoto Sansong took out several documents and handed them to the several Hokuga ninjas beside him.

"Take a look, this is Shen Qing's information."

The several Hokuga ninjas picked up Shen Qing's information and examined it carefully.

A slightly shorter ninja glanced at it, then looked at Miyamoto with some doubt.

"Fifth level of the Master Realm?"

That's correct; their information on Shen Qing is already outdated.

After Nomura, Matsushita, and Yamamoto died, the Wokou intelligence network established in Jia Shui Jun basically fell into a state of disrepair.

They simply don't know that Shen Qing has already broken through to the eighth level of the Master Realm, nor that he kicked to death the Zhao family's old ancestor, nor that he dismantled the Corpse-Chasing Sect, killing a corpse king forged from the corpse of a Nascent Soul realm expert.

Miyamoto's face turned slightly red: "That's right, he is a Master Realm cultivator."

A female voice came from among the Hokuga ninjas, her tone displeased: "Miyamoto, are you perhaps failing to meet the Empire's expectations?"

"Has a fifth-level Master Realm cultivator actually driven you to such a desperate situation?"

Miyamoto's expression grew even uglier: "If you regard Shen Qing as merely a fifth-level Master Realm cultivator, you will surely suffer a loss!"

"For him, fighting beyond his realm is no different from drinking water!"

"Even Matsushita-kun, a sixth-level Master Realm cultivator, died at his hands!"

This female ninja still wanted to say something, but was interrupted by a stern ninja beside her—clearly the leader of the Hokuga ninjas.

"Miyamoto-kun, our Hokuga ninjas have never underestimated our opponents."

"Is it perhaps overkill to have our Hokuga ninjas come all the way from Dong Hai Jun just to deal with a fifth-level Master Realm Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Miyamoto shook his head: "It's absolutely worth it! I've made it perfectly clear to you all! Shen Qing is the greatest obstacle to our conquest of Jia Shui Jun!"

"How confident are you this time in capturing Shen Qing?"

The Hokuga ninja leader placed the documents and Shen Qing's portrait on the candle flame, burning them to ash.

"Ten-zero open."

"We ten, Shen Qing zero!"

Miyamoto even stood up directly, his eyes filled with some delight.

"Really?"

The ninja leader snorted.

"If we encountered other ninja groups, the success rate might not be so high, but encountering our Hokuga ninja group, Shen Qing is simply out of luck."

"Everything he excels at is something we counter!"

"He excels at body refinement, but our He Er is a master of body refinement, standing out among all great master-level body refiners."

"As for fist techniques, our He San has immersed himself in them for one hundred and fifty years."

"Speed? When He Four releases his true qi, within a hundred-zhang radius it becomes like a swamp, utterly immobile—Shen Qing's vaunted speed cannot be unleashed at all!"

"Finally, his greatest strength is swordsmanship! Everyone says his swordsmanship is formidable, but Miyamoto, have you heard of my nickname? Hokuga Blade!"

"I will defeat him with swordsmanship!"

These words nearly drove Miyamoto to ecstasy—his face flushed, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Good, good, good! I can't wait to hear your good news!"

"Then you should immediately set out for the north of Bei Yun City and prepare the ambush!"

"As for Shen Qing's side, I've already sent a spy to Bei Yun City—he's my most capable spy, having hidden in the great martial world for decades, never discovered. As soon as Shen Qing leaves Bei Yun City, my people will notify you immediately!"

Bei Yun City Garrison Office.

Shen Qing sat quietly in the courtyard, a sword intent surging skyward, its fierce might causing even the great masters of Bei Yun City to tremble.

Shen Qing did not intend to frighten them; of course, if they were truly frightened, he would not apologize.

Since comprehending Feng Xu Yu Feng, Shen Qing has produced a special insight.

It pertains to swordsmanship.

Shen Qing seems to have touched a hint of inspiration, a hint of inspiration for a self-created supreme art.

Mo Long Duan Chuan is excellent, but ultimately it is a supreme art created by another.

To say what kind of supreme art best suits oneself—naturally, it is the one created by oneself.

And Shen Qing has already completed ninety percent of the path; he only lacks one final opportunity to truly create his own supreme art.

At this moment, the scholar knocked on the door.

Shen Qing withdrew his sword intent: "Enter."

The scholar entered: "Boss, the general's identity has been confirmed."

"Indeed, he is a general of Dong Hai Jun, the old general Hu Weifeng of the Hai Jiao Army. Five years ago, when the Wokou launched a surprise attack on Dong Hai Jun, three Nascent Soul realm experts came at once. This Hu general single-handedly fought three Nascent Soul experts, fought his way through, and vanished without a trace—unexpectedly, he ultimately fell at the border of Jia Shui Jun."

"I have already contacted the Hai Jiao Army; they should send someone shortly."

Shen Qing slowly opened his eyes: Hai Jiao Army? This army still carries some reputation—it is a famed anti-Wokou force, even widely known in Yong Ning Jun.

"Has there been any movement recently in Bei Yun City?"

The scholar shook his head: "No, not a single stir."

Since two days ago, when the innate six senses first detected movement, they have been continuously sounding alarms—this is again someone scheming against me.

Shen Qing rose, straightened his robes: "Then let's go, take a walk, and by the way, check on the reconstruction of Hong Yun Street—I heard there's quite a bit of good food there."

Since there isn't even a clue, let's go out and walk, using the innate six senses to cast a wide net—maybe we'll net a fish after all?

After a quick wash-up, he summoned the black dog and the others.

But just as he stepped out of the Garrison Office, Shen Qing saw a bun shop open not far away.

"Ah, when did that shop open?"

The scholar's face showed some disdain: "This? It's been open for a few days, but there's hardly any customers—it's just too awful to eat!"

Shen Qing strode over to the stall: "The stall's open right in front of my face, so I might as well take a look."

Shen Qing found a chair and sat down; the scholar tapped the table: "Boss, bring out your shop's signboard."

"Coming right up." A plain-faced middle-aged man walked out from inside the shop, his face covered in flour, looking unusually honest.

Shen Qing's pupils still glowed with purple light—this was the Eye of Falsehood-Dispelling, which he had opened some time ago and had simply left open ever since, since it didn't consume much true qi and closing it was slower than just leaving it open.

Shen Qing smiled the moment he saw this shopkeeper.

Unbidden, his mind recalled the time in Luo Shui City when Bai Li of the White Dragon Sect had slipped deadly poison into his porridge, forcing him to break through a cultivation level.

Was he planning to repeat the same trick?

The shopkeeper turned his head, scooped out a few baked buns from the pot, and brought them over.

Shen Qing reached out, picked up a piece of bun, stuffed it into his mouth, frowned as he chewed a few times, then spat it straight onto the ground.

To be honest, it was terrible—so bad that Shen Qing thought it must be poisoned, but there was no poison, just pure awfulness!

Shen Qing flew into a rage—after all this time, this was still the worst thing he had ever eaten, and he sprang to his feet, grabbing the shopkeeper by the throat in one motion.

"You made this so awful on purpose—are you here to waste food or to disgust people?"

"Speak! Who sent you? The White Dragon Sect or the Wokou?"

The shopkeeper's eyes showed confusion and bewilderment.

He thought he had concealed himself well, for he knew Shen Qing could read people's eyes, so when he saw Shen Qing, he revealed not a trace of killing intent, fear, or resentment.

Moreover, to hide his presence, he had not used true qi for several days, and the true qi in his meridians had long been drained dry, leaving only a little remaining in his dantian.

One could say it was flawless.

At this moment, only one thought filled his mind.

I haven't made a single move or sound—how could I still be discovered?

Open or not? You know it yourself in your heart!