Chapter 67: White Moonlight of the Black and White Paths

Outside the West City Hundred Household Office lies Osmanthus Lane, famous throughout Luoshui City; this place is also one of Luoshui City's most famous food streets.

On the street, a Bai Family Porridge Stall is the busiest shop in Osmanthus Lane these days.

And the shopkeeper is the Helmsman Bai Li, who wiped the sweat from his forehead, began humming a little tune, and tidied up the stall.

Just then a person came over: "Shopkeeper, give me another bowl of meat porridge, with extra meat."

"Sorry, we're closed, I have something at home, come back tomorrow." Bai Li said with a smile, but when he lifted his head he froze, because the person asking was precisely a scholar.

Bai Li suddenly became doubtful: "Could it be that I've already been exposed? But that doesn't make sense—if I were exposed, why would only he come alone? Shouldn't they bring a wagon full of people to arrest me?"

Bai Li asked: "Sir, you didn't just buy a bowl, did you? Why are you back again? Did you spill that bowl?"

Bai Li began to test the scholar.

"No, I brought the porridge to our master; after he finished, he said the taste was good and wanted more, so our master himself came."

Saying this, the scholar hooked Bai Li's shoulder: "Shopkeeper, this is your opportunity—you must seize it, put in more meat."

Bai Li turned to look in the direction the scholar pointed, his pupils constricting.

All he saw was Shen Qing sitting in a chair, smiling and waving at him.

Bai Li reacted quickly, hastily bowing repeatedly to avoid meeting Shen Qing's gaze.

Then he turned back to the scholar and said with a smile: "All right, gentlemen, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

Having said that, Bai Li went into the back kitchen, opened the big ladle and scooped out a bowl of meat porridge, then took out a pouch from his bosom, his eyes turning fierce.

"Shen Qing? That's all? He ate a whole bowl of porridge and didn't detect any poison—looks like he's just famous in name only!"

"He even dares to come drink porridge here—watch me not poison him to death!"

Saying this, Bai Li poured the poison powder into the porridge.

Immediately after, Bai Li changed his expression, smiled, and placed the bowl before Shen Qing: "Sir, you've waited long enough."

Shen Qing nodded, added a bit of chili to the porridge, gave it a casual stir, then lifted the bowl and gulped it down in a gust!

After just a few breaths, Shen Qing slapped the bowl on the table: "Taste is good, shopkeeper, another bowl."

Bai Li stared for a moment, then walked blankly back to the back kitchen.

After returning to the back kitchen, Bai Li clutched his head: "Wrong, this is ninety percent off!"

"'Could the dosage be insufficient? Try again!'"

Bai Li made another bowl of porridge and added even more poison.

But the situation remained unchanged—Shen Qing lifted the bowl and gulped it down in a gust.

"'Taste is good, shopkeeper, another bowl!'"

Bai Li returned to the back kitchen, already feeling something was off.

"'Could Shen Qing be a body cultivator? His physique is fairly strong.'"

Third bowl—Bai Li added more poison, yet Shen Qing remained the same.

Fourth bowl—Bai Li's hand, adding the poison, began to tremble slightly.

Fifth bowl—Bai Li's forehead began to sweat.

By the sixth bowl, it could no longer be called porridge mixed with poison; it was more like poison mixed with a little meat porridge.

Yet Shen Qing remained unchanged—after gulping it down in a gust, he slapped the bowl: "Shopkeeper, another bowl."

Returning to the back kitchen, Bai Li had collapsed, sitting slumped on the floor, and took out that packet of poison from his bosom.

"'This shouldn't be! Could the White Dragon Sect be selling fake poison?'"

Bai Li trembled as he touched the poison with his finger and stuffed a bit into his own mouth.

Not long after, Bai Li circulated his true qi, and a sharp pain shot directly from his dantian.

This poison is real!

That shows one thing: Shen Qing truly isn't afraid of poison!

Is he really still human?

Just then, Shen Qing's voice came from above Bai Li's head.

"'Is this the poison you gave me?'"

Bai Li trembled as he lifted his head, and what met his eyes was Shen Qing's harmless-looking face.

Shen Qing had somehow, at some point, arrived behind Bai Li like a ghost.

Bai Li's hand holding the poison began to shake violently: "This... no... not..."

Shen Qing snorted: "I don't care about your excuses—hand it over."

Shen Qing reached out, snatched the poison directly from Bai Li's hand, and then, under Bai Li's terrified gaze, tipped his head back and poured the entire packet into his mouth.

Shen Qing smacked his lips: "It really has no taste at all, like plain water—actually, it would be tastier mixed with meat porridge."

Bai Li's whole body began to tremble—he himself had only dipped a finger in and tasted a bit, and it was excruciatingly painful, yet Shen Qing actually ate this stuff like candy.

Well, that analogy isn't quite right.

Eating too many sugar pills really can cause diabetes.

But after Shen Qing ate the poison, there was no harm at all—only benefit.

Suddenly, a fierce aura erupted, and Shen Qing's qi surged violently.

His realm actually broke through directly to the second level of the Grandmaster Realm.

You have to know that Shen Qing had just broken through to the Grandmaster Realm, and the Grandmaster Realm's qi sea is already enormously vast—how many precious medicines would be needed to break through one level?

But now a single packet of poison can actually let Shen Qing break through a level—this shows how valuable the poison is; placed in the Guard Bureau Merit Hall, it would be worth nearly two thousand merit points.

Shen Qing grabbed Bai Li's collar: "Hey! Is there any more of this medicine? Hurry up and hand it over!"

At this moment, in Bai Li's eyes, Shen Qing was no different from a ghost—having eaten poison with no effect is one thing, but you breaking through a realm—what's that supposed to mean?

Bai Li's voice trembled: "Gone, gone—this is what I spent my entire fortune to obtain from the White Dragon Sect..."

Shen Qing curled their lip, "Am I some kind of succubus?"

In just one day, two men actually went bankrupt for Shen Qing.

First, Qin Chuan spent five thousand contribution points to exchange sword techniques for Shen Qing; later, Bai Li went bankrupt to exchange poison for Shen Qing.

You dominate both the black and white paths? You're the white moonlight, right?

"White Dragon Sect, interesting. Speak, what plans do you have now?"

"No... no plan, I just want to poison you."

Shen Qing chuckled: "How come? I, Shen Qing, have no reputation at all in your White Dragon Sect? Don't you know what kind of torment those who fall into my hands must endure?"

As he spoke, Shen Qing grabbed Bai Li's arm with one hand; a sharp crack of bones rang out, Bai Li's mouth opened wide, his expression extremely painful, yet he couldn't make a sound because Shen Qing directly sealed his throat with true qi.

After a few breaths, with his only remaining hand he patted Shen Qing's arm.

"I yield, I yield, I'll say it all, I'll say it all!"

After the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, Bai Li collapsed powerlessly to the ground, not a single part of his body unharmed, and at the same time he laid out the plan in clear detail.

Bai Li lifted his head to beg for mercy, but Shen Qing could no longer be bothered to speak to him, raised a finger, a domineering true qi surged into Bai Li's chest—with a bang, Bai Li directly exploded into fragments.

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes: "The White Dragon Sect wants to swallow the Embroidered Uniform Guard of Luoshui City in one gulp—what a big appetite."

And their first move in taking action was actually the West City Hundred Household Office—quite interesting.

Shen Qing took out a handkerchief, wiped his hands, walked out of the congee shop: "Scholar, take the brothers from the Hundred Household Office directly to the Investigations Office to find Qin Chuan, explain the situation to him thoroughly, and make preparations."

"And what about you, boss?"

Shen Qing chuckled.

"Since we've prepared for so long, we naturally can't let them down."

Time passed, night fell.

The night in Luoshui City was especially bustling, people coming and going, extremely noisy, yet beneath the surface unseen currents surged.

Outside the West City Hundred Household Office, three White Dragon Sect members at the peak of the Innate Realm appeared.

The swordsman glanced left and right: "Is the Hundred Household Office a bit quiet today?"

The gunman chuckled: "Isn't it normal for the Hundred Household Office to be quiet? You think this is a market? Let's go in and have a look. According to the message from the White Sect Chief, Shen Qing has already taken the poison; let's go in and see."

That Bai Li had already conveyed the information to the sect members after the scholar first bought the lean-meat congee.

They exchanged a glance, nodded, and lightly leapt into the Hundred Household Office.

The swordsman's face grew solemn: "Something's really off today, the Hundred Household Office is too quiet; we'll go further in, and if the situation seems wrong we'll withdraw—our lives come first."

The gunman scoffed: "Cowardly! Could it be that Shen Qing is a ghost? Or could he have known we were coming in advance and dispersed the Embroidered Uniform Guard? According to the White Sect Chief's message, Shen Qing should be worse off than dead now."

"If you're not daring to go, just follow behind me."

Having said that, the man strode forward, and the other two exchanged a glance and followed.

But not long after they walked by, in a patch of darkness along their path, a pair of eyes slowly opened.

"A ghost? Is it scary?"

"I, Shen Qing."

"I've come to find you!"