Chapter 126: You say you want to kill a duck, we absolutely dare not kill a chicken!

(Author's note: The Flame Demon Ninja from the previous chapter was changed by me to Hokkai Ninja; the Flame Demon Ninja feels a bit theatrical, other changes don't affect reading.)

Speaking honestly, this is indeed the best disguise Shen Qing has encountered so far; even his meridians have no residual true qi, and if it were another person, they truly wouldn't notice.

However, it's a pity that the sliver of true qi he kept in his qi sea for self-defense became a flaw; after Shen Qing's Illusion-Piercing Eye opened, it never closed, precisely capturing that last trace of true qi.

Moreover, because it tasted truly awful, it was exposed.

The shopkeeper still wanted to utter a couple of excuses: 'Sir, I just made the pancakes a bit badly... is that really necessary...'

Shen Qing chuckled: 'Your true qi in the qi sea has already been exposed; for a Master realm cultivator to sell such awful pancakes, you've been wronged.'

The shopkeeper's eyes gained a hint of doubt and surprise: 'You can see through my qi sea...'

Shen Qing directly interrupted him: 'Cut the nonsense, confess outright or take a lap in the Investigating Office jail before confessing?'

The shopkeeper's eyes filled with resolve: 'I won't...'

Shen Qing didn't bother to listen to his following words; a domineering true qi surged out, seized the scholar and a few others, then shot straight up into the sky—this person could achieve such a level, Shen Qing also knew he must have undergone professional training.

Ordinary methods would hardly force him to confess.

However, it's a pity that this is the Investigating Office; here the punishments are only what you can't imagine, nothing the Embroidered Uniform Guard can't do.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Qing landed precisely in front of the Investigating Office jail.

After landing, the shopkeeper's pupils were already filled with terror: 'You... how can you fly?'

Shen Qing glanced at him: 'What's it to you?'

The shopkeeper's eyes were full of incomprehension.

Being able to see through the qi sea and fly—why wasn't this crucial information given to myself? In the Wa country, there is actually no news at all of such an important ability.

If he had this information, he would have made full preparations this time, not leaving any true qi in his qi sea.

However, he shook his head, gave himself a shot of adrenaline, and his eyes gained a bit more resolve.

He must escape alive and get this information back; otherwise the empire will surely suffer a great loss.

But in the very next moment, a finger of true qi shot forth, directly piercing his qi sea; Shen Qing bent over, smiling narrowly, and looked toward the shopkeeper.

At this moment, Shen Qing's smiling face kept enlarging in the shopkeeper's eyes, filling them with eeriness and terror.

'You want to escape relying on this wisp of true qi, right? How would I give you a chance?'

At this moment, Zhang Shan, Xu Dashan, and several captains heard the commotion and ran out from the jail.

Shen Qing directly threw the shopkeeper to them: 'Put all other interrogations off; prioritize questioning this one.'

'No matter what methods you use, in three hours, pry his mouth open!'

'Yes!'

Several people dragged the shopkeeper and ran toward the jail.

Meanwhile, Shen Qing walked toward the storage area of the Investigating Office; he urgently needed a jug of strong liquor to rinse his mouth, those pancakes were truly awful.

In the following three hours, the Investigating Office kept echoing with the shopkeeper's miserable screams.

And when the three hours were exactly up, Xu Dashan carried the shopkeeper out; however, the shopkeeper now had no human shape, his eyes were unfocused, and the flesh on his limbs had been shaved away down to the bone.

Xu Dashan handed a sheet of paper to Shen Qing, his face somewhat angry.

'Commander Shen! He has confessed.'

'These Wokou have a huge appetite! If this scheme succeeds, at least hundreds of thousands of commoners in my Jia Shui Jun will die!'

'This villain is named Takeuchi; the Wokou actually colluded with the ferocious beasts of White Egret Marsh to attack Jia Shui Jun, and they also dispatched an organization called the Hokkai Ninja Group to ambush you, Commander!'

Shen Qing glanced at the paper's content, his eyes turning a bit colder.

Indeed, the appetite is not small, but it probably doesn't stop there.

Shen Qing looked toward Takeuchi: 'There's still something concealed, isn't there?'

At this moment, Takeuchi's spirit had completely disintegrated; he would only answer numbly.

'Nothing left, nothing left.'

That is indeed true, but this only shows that Takeuchi knows only this much; it does not mean the Wokou will only do this much.

Shen Qing looked at Xu Dashan: 'Write a letter immediately and have the Shadow Eagle deliver the message to the Northern garrison troops.'

'Also write another copy to send to the Southern front, so they can prepare as well.'

Xu Dashan was somewhat puzzled: 'Commander Shen! Should we have the Southern garrison troops come over? Wouldn't that be a bit too late?'

Shen Qing looked at Xu Dashan: 'If the Wokou cause a great disturbance in our rear, and you are the commander of the Great Wu Jia Shui Jun army, what would you do?'

Xu Dashan clenched his fist fiercely: 'That would definitely be to strike while they're sick and take their lives! We definitely can't let them have an easy time!'

Shen Qing gave a cold chuckle: 'The Wokou are thinking the same.'

Xu Dashan's body trembled: 'Commander, you mean the Wokou not only want to throw our rear into chaos, but also seize the opportunity to strike our front lines?'

At this moment, Xu Dashan's forehead kept sweating cold; if the Wokou succeed, the death toll of tens of thousands he just guessed might be only the tip of the iceberg.

'I'll write the letter right away! I'll write it right away!'

'Will the Shadow Eagle not be as fast as me? Otherwise I'll just run south myself.'

Xu Dashan muttered to himself and then ran out of the hall.

Meanwhile, Shen Qing looked at the scholar beside him: 'Scholar, after I leave, Beiyun City and the Embroidered Uniform Guard will be under your command; lead the troops to defend the northern city.'

This time heading north, besides facing the Hokkai Ninja Group, we must also confront the ferocious beasts rushing out of White Egret Marsh; inside, Master-level beasts are common, Grand Masters are not rare, and even Golden Pellet-level beasts exist.

Therefore, Shen Qing is better off going alone; if he truly can't win, fleeing will also be convenient.

Having said that, Shen Qing lifted his foot to walk out of the house, and with a casual flick of a finger he blasted Takeuchi into a blood mist.

Afterward, Shen Qing shot straight up into the sky, heading north.

After Shen Qing left, everyone in the room looked toward the scholar; the scholar was still a bit nervous, as this was his first time commanding so many people.

The scholar took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his palms.

'Captain Zhang, now immediately take people to the Wu family and have the Wu family help watch over Beiyun City.'

Captain Pan Ruyuan, go notify the outposts of all the hundred-household offices to leave two squads to guard the homes; the rest of the personnel are to assemble at the North Gate of North Cloud City.

Captain Pan Ruhai inventories the equipment inside the Guard Command, taking all that is usable.

When the order came down, the entire Guard Command sprang into action, and upon hearing the news, the Wu family patriarch Wu Daquan ran straight to the Guard Command.

But behind him followed three Grand Masters, who naturally belonged to other forces in North Cloud City.

North Cloud City has four city gates; aside from the Yuan family, which Shen Qing wiped out, the four forces each control one gate.

However, the other three city gates suffered the most from the Corpse-Chasing Sect's calamity; the three families didn't notice, but rather the Wu family of Nan Men discovered it first.

This left the three families feeling uneasy these days, finding nothing tasty to eat and everything they saw causing anxiety.

Wu Daquan glanced back at them and said, "Don't say I didn't give you a chance—I brought you here. When you see Lord Shen later, you all know what to do, right?"

The heads of the other three families hurriedly nodded: "Understood! Understood!"

Wu Daquan actually didn't want to bring them, but he had no choice.

He originally thought Shen Qing was only giving him a say in the reconstruction of Prosperity Street, but he didn't expect Shen Qing to hand over full command authority, leaving the construction entirely up to the Wu family's wishes.

This isn't as simple as just eating one bite to become a fat kid; now they have to become a good kid.

This is also why he's anxious, fearing it will provoke envy from the other families.

That's right—they can't beat Shen Qing, but can they even beat Wu Daquan of the Wu family?

Therefore, upholding the Wu family's practice of giving the other families a sip of soup while they eat meat, he brought them along.

The Wu family spotted the scholar standing at the gate at a glance and hurried forward: "Scholar Sir, I've come; I heard help was needed, so I rushed over to take a look—I don't know where Lord Shen is."

The scholar glanced and asked, "Who are these people behind the Wu family head?"

Several people hurriedly introduced themselves: "I am the sect leader of the Red Fist Sect..."

"I am the head of the Huang family..."

"I am the head of the Zhang family..."

The scholar naturally understood their purpose; he was afraid, so he didn't mention the Huang family and the Red Fist Sect for now.

The Zhang family is no ordinary lot—last time they defeated the Black Snake Army, they held a victory celebration outside the city, and all the major powers came to congratulate them, but the Zhang family didn't show up; the scholar even noted it in his little notebook.

Let me make this clear first: Lord Shen has already headed north, and now I am in command of North Cloud City; if you object, you may leave now.

Several people hurriedly replied, "Oh, we wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare."

"Scholar Sir, we understand the rules."

"If you say go east, we absolutely dare not go west; if you say kill a duck, we absolutely dare not kill a chicken!"