Chapter 85: No, why did I traffic people? (6k)

Green Wood City!

The recovered Deacon Feng Cheng reported to Peak Master Mo Xingjian about everything that happened during this period nervously.

Fortunately, both Blood Tai Suis have been eliminated, the evil spirits have disappeared, and the spirit fields are recovering bit by bit. Everything is getting on the right track.

"When did our Second one appear in Green Wood City?" Mo Xingjian asked while drinking tea.

Zhou Qing and the others standing on the side also looked over with concern.

Feng Cheng thought for a while and said: "Reporting to Peak Master, it was one month before the spirit fields had problems. Yuan Shijie Luo found the subordinate with her identity token, replenished some supplies, and left in a hurry. By the way, she also left a letter, saying that if her Junior Brother came, give it to him, otherwise forget it."

Feng Cheng seemed to think of something and hurriedly took out a letter from his storage bag.

On it were written the four big characters 【Old Mo, open it personally】.

When hearing there was a letter, Mo Xingjian's eyes lit up, but when seeing the words on the envelope, he sighed softly, then looked at Yan Xiao unkindly.

Yan Xiao was about to stretch his neck to see, but when he met Mo Xingjian's gaze, he turned his head away and touched his nose awkwardly.

When he first joined the sect, Second Yuan Shijie called him Old Mo, Old Mo all day long, and it was to his face, and Master smiled and didn't get angry.

So, after thinking about it, he made a bold decision and called it exactly the same way once.

So, he was locked in a small black room. Second Yuan Shijie made a scene on the spot, and he came out after only half a day.

Since then, he only dared to call him Old Mo behind his back, at least not to his face.

At this moment, Mo Xingjian slowly opened the envelope, and Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao hurriedly put their heads together to read it.

【Old Mo, how have you been lately? Are Three Tigers and Little Aqing behaving? Counting the time, it's been more than three years since I left Little Spirit Peak. Originally, the matter was handled, and I planned to return in two days, but I didn't expect to hear about the Soul-Resting Immortal Grass halfway.】

【And after investigating all the way, I have already found some clues, so I won't return for the time being. When I bring the Soul-Resting Immortal Grass back, I should be able to completely cure your soul injury. Don't worry, I'm fine. Besides, don't bully Three Tigers and Little Aqing, otherwise, I won't spare you when I return!】

Seeing this, Mo Xingjian's eyes turned red, and he hurriedly rubbed them.

"What kind of broken place is this? There is sand in the hall. Feng Cheng, this Green Wood City is the main spirit grain location of the sect. You must do a good job in environmental protection to avoid damaging the spirit fields!"

Mo Xingjian suddenly said to Deacon Feng Cheng.

Feng Cheng hurriedly took the order!

Zhou Qing, however, was silent.

He thought of the Ink Soul Jade he opened from a blind box at the Second Grandfather's stall, but Third Shixiong sold it to Master, saying Master had a soul injury.

Originally thought it was a minor injury, but now it seems very serious, and it seems to have been many years. As an apprentice, he didn't know about it at all.

At this moment, his heart was full of guilt.

"Girls are more thoughtful after all!" Mo Xingjian whispered to himself, then carefully folded the letter.

Suddenly, Yan Xiao leaned close to Mo Xingjian's ear and said slowly: "Master, I am also thoughtful. Last time's Ink Soul Jade..."

"That was bought with my money!" Mo Xingjian snorted and stood up, saying loudly.

Yan Xiao was not happy immediately: "This is two different things. At the very least, I didn't sell it to others, I was still thinking about you in my heart..."

As soon as Yan Xiao said this, he saw Mo Xingjian raise his hand to touch his neck, and he was so scared that he didn't dare to speak, and hid behind Zhou Qing for the first time.

"Rest, rest, return to the sect tomorrow!"

Mo Xingjian left such a sentence and turned away.

Yan Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhou Qing said: "Third Shixiong, is Master's soul consciousness okay?"

"It's fine, it's just an old illness. With this Soul-Resting Immortal Grass, it can be completely eradicated!" Yan Xiao said.

Zhou Qing said: "Then this Soul-Resting Immortal Grass is..."

There are some things he doesn't know much about, and the knowledge he learned is always lacking.

Yan Xiao suddenly put away his cheeky face and said solemnly: "It is indeed very rare. Let me give you an analogy. Once a Soul-Resting Immortal Grass appeared at an auction, and it was finally sold for five supreme-grade spirit stones."

Zhou Qing was shocked after hearing this.

Such a precious thing, will Second Yuan Shijie be in danger if she wants to bring it back alone?

Seeming to notice Zhou Qing's worry, Yan Xiao reached out and patted his shoulder, comforting: "It's useless to worry. We don't even know where Second Yuan Shijie is. Moreover, Second Yuan Shijie has always been very cautious, and it's not an exaggeration to describe her as 'Old Cautious'. If the success rate is not ten percent, she will never take risks easily."

Hearing Third Shixiong's words, Zhou Qing agreed quite a bit and felt relieved.

Soon, Zhou Qing seemed to think of something and asked hurriedly: "By the way, where is that female ghost?"

"What female ghost... oh, you mean Li Shitao, she left. She saved half of the people, and when she found

Yan Xiao shook his head and said.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing found it difficult to say anything more, only silently hoping in his heart that the Second Yuan Shijie would be safe and return soon.

The next day, after confirming that everything in the spirit field had returned to normal, the group set off on the journey back to the sect under the leadership of Mo Xingjian.

Moreover, with Master's Bagua Disk this time, they didn't need to exhaust themselves flying on swords and could simply ride along for free.

Zhou Qing watched as Master Mo Xingjian sat alone in the front, holding that letter and reading it over and over, occasionally revealing a warm smile, and a sense of warmth welled up in his heart.

In truth, in Master's eyes, the four of them were the people closest to him; although they were always bickering and disliking each other in daily life, once they truly encountered danger, Master would undoubtedly risk his life to protect any one of them without hesitation.

Zhou Qing turned his head to look at the Third Senior Brother, only to see him whispering to seven inner-sect disciples, though he did not know what they were talking about.

"Zhou Shixiong!"

At this moment, Lu Yaoyao's voice suddenly rang out, and then he saw her with her hands behind her back, her face beaming with a bright smile.

"What is it?" Zhou Qing asked.

Lu Yaoyao sat down beside him and, after a brief hesitation, said, "When we were in danger at the Ghost City, I saw you take out a broken sword covered in rust. Can I... take a look at it?"

Hearing this, Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said, "Oh, you mean that? No need to look, it's just a broken sword I picked up."

"I know, I just want to touch it, please!" Lu Yaoyao pleaded earnestly.

Zhou Qing looked at her pitiful appearance, not knowing why she insisted on seeing Tetanus.

Logically speaking, with her knowledge, she shouldn't be able to recognize this sword, or perhaps, he estimated that no one in the entire Taiqingmen could recognize it.

It was likely just simple curiosity; after all, in such a small place, being idle was just being idle, and she was bored.

Very well, since this sword would be taken out often in the future anyway, looking at it wouldn't hurt, and it would be a good chance to observe everyone's reactions, especially Master's.

Subsequently, Zhou Qing took out Tetanus.

"Be careful!" Zhou Qing warned; just in case, he had wrapped the broken blade in cloth yesterday.

And when Lu Yaoyao saw this broken sword, a sense of inexplicable sadness welled up in her heart.

Then, she reached out and gently stroked the sword.

"It's a good sword!" After a long while, Lu Yaoyao exhaled softly and said.

Zhou Qing laughed: "You're being too complimentary."

"Hey, Old Four, from which corner did you pick up such a broken sword? This is too shabby, isn't it?"

Just then, Yan Xiao leaned over and teased.

After speaking, he reached out to grab the broken sword, and Zhou Qing hurriedly put it away.

"The quality of a weapon depends on the person using it. Don't look at it as just a broken sword; in my hands, it might produce unexpected effects. When power reaches its peak, a single grain of dust can fill the sea, and a single blade of grass can sever the sun, moon, and stars!"

Hearing Zhou Qing's words, Yan Xiao didn't take them to heart, but Mo Xingjian, who was sitting in front controlling the Bagua Disk, turned his head to look at Zhou Qing in surprise.

【Heart Appraisal Point +9】

Immediately after, the original note above his head, 【A somewhat clever disciple】, instantly changed to 【A disciple with good comprehension】.

"I didn't expect you to have such insights, remarkable!" Mo Xingjian suddenly spoke up to praise Zhou Qing.

Then, he glanced at the rust-covered broken sword and said: "Zhou Qing is right. Weapons are only external forces we borrow. Their goodness or badness does not lie in their form or quality, but in the meaning and value bestowed upon them by the person using them."

"A sword that appears ordinary or even broken can bloom with light as brilliant as the scorching sun in the hands of someone fearless; while a magnificent divine weapon, if it falls into the hands of a cowardly and weak person, is nothing more than a superficial ornament."

"True power actually stems from our inner beliefs, courage, and persistence. On this point, Old Four's comprehension is stronger than yours!"

Hearing Mo Xingjian's praise, Zhou Qing felt a bit embarrassed.

Actually, Master, you're overthinking it; this really is a divine weapon!

I don't have such high enlightenment.

After hearing this, Lu Yaoyao looked at Zhou Qing again, her eyes full of happiness.

Yan Xiao, however, curled his lips and turned to whisper to the others.

Mo Xingjian shook his head helplessly at this, looked at Zhou Qing again, and felt very satisfied.

Coming out this time, this child had brought him quite a few surprises.

"Master, these five corpses..."

Zhou Qing hurriedly changed the subject, casting his gaze toward the corpses of the men in black thrown to the side, unable to help but ask.

Mo Xingjian shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice: "I have never seen them before. I imagine they must be a group cultivated in secret by the Cangyan Dao Palace, specifically for handling those things that cannot see the light. Even if you took them before Sikong Yan, it would be difficult to confront him."

Then, his tone softened slightly, "Rest assured, even if we cannot completely tear off the mask for now, we already know who ambushed my Taiqingmen at Qingniu Ridge. It is just that the other party's forces must be investigated clearly; otherwise, Taiqingmen will fall into a state of isolation."

Zhou Qing listened with a worried expression and indicated he understood.

These matters were no longer for him to consider; the elders had their own decisions.

Time passed bit by bit, and this time, it only took the group a short five days to return to the sect.

Just as Master said, the Cangyan Dao Palace should really not send anyone to assassinate Zhou Qing again.

Having lost so many people in succession, no one would waste energy on a small pawn, and besides, who could guarantee that there weren't other lethal traps waiting for them around this pawn?

Unexpectedly, just as they arrived at the mountain gate, they saw Li Daoxuan and He Han from Shenyue Peak standing there with grim faces, like two gate guardians.

Lu Yaoyao immediately stuck out her tongue and then stuffed a jade slip into Zhou Qing's hand.

"This contains all my Senior Brother's insights regarding the Foundation Establishment realm; I have finished reading it all!"

Before Zhou Qing could refuse, Lu Yaoyao hurriedly jumped off the Bagua Disk, then gently bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, twisted the corner of her clothes with her hands uneasily, and walked toward the two with her head slightly lowered.

Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's: "Senior Brother... I, I was wrong."

As she spoke, she peeked at the two with her eyes, her gaze full of anxiety and guilt.

Looking at such a pitiful Lu Shimei, the two couldn't think of a single word of the scolding they had prepared in advance.

Because the annoyance in their hearts had already dissipated by more than half.

Then they sighed helplessly, and Li Daoxuan even reached out and gently tapped Lu Yaoyao's head: "You, oh you, what do you want me to say?"

Upon hearing this tone from the Senior Brother, a bright smile immediately bloomed on Lu Yaoyao's face, and she jumped up excitedly, grabbing the arms of the two Senior Brothers.

"Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, I knew you were the best to me!" The two were left somewhat dumbfounded by her actions, shaking their heads helplessly, but their eyes were full of doting.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master!"

The two turned their gaze toward Mo Xingjian on the Bagua Disk and bowed respectfully.

When they discovered the Lu Shimei was missing, they reported it to their master immediately. According to their guesses, this girl had likely followed Zhou Qing to Qingmu City.

The two originally wanted to chase after her immediately, but their master ordered them to stay in the sect and not go out, saying that the Lu Shimei would not get into trouble.

Previously, the two were a bit puzzled, but now seeing Mo Xingjian, they understood immediately.

Mo Xingjian nodded slightly and asked: "Is the Sect Master here?"

"Reporting to Uncle-Master, the Master is at the Chengtian Hall today!"

After Mo Xingjian nodded, he set Zhou Qing and the others down, then took the five corpses and headed straight for Shenyue Peak.

"Boss!"

Just then, a figure ran out of the mountain gate happily; who else could it be but Niu Guangmo.

"Hit him!"

Before Niu Guangmo could get close, Yan Xiao led the group and pounced directly, and suddenly there were punches and kicks, beating Niu Guangmo until he was howling.

"I'm a victim too, my face was stung like this."

"Brothers, go easy, I haven't been able to eat or sleep these days, I've been worrying about you."

"Boss, don't blame me, I hinted to you that day when we were leaving!"

Watching this scene, Zhou Qing smiled and shook his head.

【Heart Appraisal Point +7】

【Skill Fragment +1】

Just then, the system's notification sound suddenly rang in his ears.

Zhou Qing was stunned for a moment, then immediately ecstatic.

After so long, a new skill fragment had actually refreshed in the field of 【Heart Appraisal Vision】; it was unbelievable.

Nowadays, his innate skills 【Daily Appraisal】, 【Lower Presence】, and 【Heart Appraisal Vision】—which one wasn't an heaven-defying existence?

He was really curious, what kind of skill would this fourth skill fragment synthesize?

Subsequently, Zhou Qing hurriedly looked over and soon saw Li Daoxuan staring at him with a very unhappy face.

And the original 【Lecher with a thick-skinned senior brother】 above his head had changed to 【Lecher who traffics people】.

No, why am I trafficking people?

It was clearly your Lu Shimei who followed secretly. Considering you helped me refresh a skill fragment this time, I won't hold it against you.

"I'm off!" Zhou Qing greeted Lu Yaoyao and then went to break up the fight.

After all, Niu Guangmo's face had become bruised and swollen again.

"Yushan Hall must treat us!" Yan Xiao said.

Niu Guangmo sniffed: "Treat, I'll treat, who's afraid of whom? Let's go now, whoever doesn't go is a grandson, but you have to bring out that jar of good wine you've been hoarding."

"I'll bring it, let's go!" Then the group headed straight for Yushan Hall.

In the evening, Zhou Qing finally returned to his small hut, his heart full of a sense of security.

It really is true that a golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as one's own dog kennel.

On this journey, the old hen had been eating the spirit rice brought back from Qingmu City. Now that there was no one around, he could finally feed it the spirit stone powder and the Blood Immortal meat chunks.

Subsequently, he took out the blood-colored spirit egg, felt the pure blood energy inside once more, and then hurriedly sat cross-legged and began to absorb it.

This absorption was no small matter; it directly startled Zhou Qing.

"Such exquisite blood energy, not only is it of great benefit to the growth of spiritual power, but even the bones and meridians in the body are strengthening rapidly. At this rate, if I had six or seven more, I could completely break through to the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment realm."

Zhou Qing was overjoyed, and feeling his own blood becoming hot and active, he accelerated the speed of absorption...

Meanwhile, Jinyang Peak!

In a dim room, Peak Master Gao Xuan sat quietly at the table, holding a piece of soft cloth, carefully wiping a spirit tablet.

What was eerie was that there wasn't a single word on the spirit tablet, yet he wiped it extremely seriously and carefully, every stroke filled with endless tenderness.

Under the candlelight, one could see the tears faintly shimmering at the corners of his eyes, his gaze full of sorrow and longing.

"Have you really decided?" In the darkness, a voice suddenly came.

Gao Xuan gently placed the spirit tablet on the table, stared at it for a long time, and remained silent.

After a sigh, the figure in the darkness quietly left.

The next day, Yan Xiao called Zhou Qing to go to the Mission Hall to hand in the mission and collect the points.

"Alright, I still have to find the Sect Master Uncle-Master to reimburse the expenses of this trip, so I'll be going first!"

After Yan Xiao finished speaking, he walked toward the higher part of Shenyue Peak.

Zhou Qing decided to take the opportunity to go to the Collection Pavilion to find some Qi-restraining techniques.

Because the old hen had laid another blood egg for him this morning.

You know, he had only fed it the Blood Tai Sui meat last night; it seems this egg-laying efficiency has a lot to do with what the old hen eats.

At this rate, he was afraid it wouldn't be many days before he could successfully break through to the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment realm.

Advancing too fast, he could easily make up an excuse, but attracting the attention and trouble of certain people was ultimately not good.

Just as the Second Yuan Shijie had always warned him, being low-key, low-key, and even more low-key is the foundation of survival.

However, on this point, the Senior Brother Ghost Mastiff was the exact opposite of the Second Yuan Shijie.

He advocated for unreserved publicity, getting famous as much as possible.

Only in this way would one obtain more cultivation resources while attracting the attention of other geniuses.

Fight when you should fight, kill when you should kill, push through everything, and spread the name of Ghost Mastiff.

After all, a person's rise is grown through slaughter.

Just like when Yan Xiao once encountered a crisis, the other party, upon hearing that he was Ghost Mastiff's Junior Brother, immediately smiled and said, "Give your Senior Brother my regards, I am XXX, and we will have another fight when there is an opportunity in the future."

How to put it, each has its merits, but Zhou Qing now had this top-ranked Heavenly Dao Qi, and in the future, he would have dual cores and the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. After thinking it over, he decided to follow the Second Yuan Shijie's style of conduct.

After all, he had already tried the Senior Brother's approach, and the Cangyan Dao Palace kept assassinating him endlessly, not playing by the rules at all. If you have the ability, come and have a fair fight at the same rank.

Soon, Zhou Qing spent two hundred sect points to temporarily borrow a Qi-restraining technique called "Turtle Breathing Art."

In the following days, the old hen laid a blood egg almost steadily every day, and Zhou Qing also took advantage of the freshness to absorb and refine it immediately.

As the seventh day arrived, Zhou Qing took the last blood egg from the chicken coop, his face full of excitement, because his spiritual power had climbed to its peak.

"Chicken, you are truly too beautiful!" Zhou Qing hugged the old hen and gave it a kiss, ensuring it was healthy and that no toxins were left in its body.

He originally wanted to feed it some spirit stone powder, but after a brief hesitation, he gave up.

Although the Blood Tai Sui meat was gone now, he couldn't exploit it like a skinflint; look, its bottom had been swollen for the past few days.

It was better to let it rest for a while.

Subsequently, after Zhou Qing got it some spirit rice and water, he began his seclusion again.

That night, as a powerful aura suddenly spread out from the courtyard and then rapidly retracted, Zhou Qing slowly opened his eyes at this moment.

His eyes were full of excitement.

At this very moment, the spiritual core in his body had expanded more than twice its previous size, and a steady stream of spiritual energy surged out from it, traveling through his limbs and bones.

His blood energy had also reached an unprecedented level of vigor.

"Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment realm!" Zhou Qing muttered to himself, overjoyed, and afterwards, he quickly used the "Turtle Breathing Art" to consolidate his cultivation at the late Foundation Establishment realm.

After a night, Zhou Qing, in a great mood, looked at the red token in his hand and came to the Collection Pavilion again, trying to find clues about the 【Divine Ruins Tiangong】.

However, he searched around but found no records at all.

"Could it be that even the foundation of Taiqingmen doesn't know about this mystical realm?" Zhou Qing felt a bit shocked in his heart.

When he appraised it, the information clearly described that there were countless opportunities inside the Divine Ruins Tiangong; after all, there were only those nine keys.

"What are you looking for?" Just then, a white-haired elder guarding the Collection Pavilion asked from the upper floor while holding a feather duster to sweep away dust.

Zhou Qing hurriedly bowed and said: "I have already found it, thank you for your concern, Elder!"

After speaking, he hurried away from the Collection Pavilion.

"Zhou Shixiong!"

Just as Zhou Qing stepped out the door, a voice of surprise rang out from the side.

(End of this chapter)