Chapter 145: Corpse Roar at Linhe

At the pier, water slapped the shore.

Ling Yangzi stood with his hands behind his back, secretly forming hand seals.

Hearing Jin Wanshan ask for his help, he smiled faintly, "Enemies should be resolved, not knotted. This lay practitioner likely has some misunderstanding with your gang. Leader Jin might as well listen to his demands. If there is indeed a hidden reason, it won't be too late to decide then."

Jin Wanshan caught a glimpse of Ling Yangzi's small movements behind his back. He withdrew his gaze calmly and said in a deep voice, "My Jinmen Gang has always valued benevolence and righteousness, and we have always been lenient with others. Since Mr. Ling is pleading for you, I can listen to your reasoning."

Xu Qing raised his head, looking at the bandit, the Daoist, and the official who were high above, looking down at him.

The three were from different camps, but each looked down from a position of superiority, as if he were the one in the wrong.

Xu Qing's gaze was gloomy. He reached behind his back and took out a gray, withered mourning staff.

The mourning staff is also called a "crying-mourning stick" or a "filial son's stick."

What is a crying-mourning stick? It's the stick a filial son leans on during a funeral procession, wrapped in white paper.

This object was originally made from the branch of a Fusang tree. Legend has it that in ancient times, a great shaman stood on the Fusang tree to shoot the sun and trampled the tree until it broke.

After nine of the ten suns that perched on the Fusang tree were shot down, the dead Fusang tree became "mourning wood."

Mourning for the child's injury, mourning for one's own death—this is the origin of the mourning stick before him.

Besides this, the mourning staff has another effect: it can awaken a descendant's memories of their birth mother or foster mother.

If it strikes a person, it can also shock their spirit, making them feel as if they are facing their parents, causing them to recall childhood memories.

Xu Qing held the mourning stick, looking at the trio looking down at him with compassionate eyes.

At this moment, Jin Wanshan and the others didn't know what they were about to face.

"Look at this person, he's really interesting. Just a moment ago he was a general on the stage, and now he's become an old lady leaning on a staff." Long Engui was having fun in his heart. He was a person who loved to ponder interesting things, and what happened tonight was even more interesting than a new play in the theater.

Jin Wanshan narrowed his eyes at Xu Qing, "I'm giving you a chance; you'd better seize it well."

Xu Qing remained silent. Under the blessing of the Qi-Watching Technique, the magic power fluctuations overflowing from Ling Yangzi were clearly visible.

Seeing this situation, Xu Qing's gaze became even more "kind."

Folly binds the child's heart, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.

As for the stolen goods... sometimes the words of the dead are far more credible than those of the living.

At this time, a hook of a crescent moon hung at the bow of the boat, and the sound of the pier waves slapping the storied boat was exceptionally clear.

Below the boat, Xu Qing suddenly lowered his body and head. Behind him, Qi energy rippled, and two back flags—one green and one red—instantly broke free from their restraints and shot toward Ling Yangzi on the storied boat.

In Xu Qing's eyes, Jin Wanshan and Long Engui were just side dishes; only the white-robed Daoist in the middle looked like the real deal.

On the storied boat, Ling Yangzi, who was forming seals and chanting, had a dark face. Are you blind or what? There are two such obvious living people next to me, why do you insist on hitting me?

"How bold!" Jin Wanshan drew his broad-backed sword, wanting to parry the incoming back flag, but he didn't expect that when the green flag flew close, it suddenly transformed into the appearance of Xu Qing.

Using the back flag's ability to shift shapes and shadows, Xu Qing crossed seven or eight zhang in an instant and appeared right in front of the three.

Jin Wanshan was startled by this sudden face-to-face encounter. Beside him, Ling Yangzi's spell-chanting stalled, and he was almost interrupted in his spellcasting.

Violent Qi was injected into the broad-backed sword, and Jin Wanshan forcibly slashed horizontally, attempting to intercept the other party.

Facing the incoming sword-Qi, Xu Qing not only didn't avoid the edge but instead crashed into the blade with a fearless posture.

Jin Wanshan smiled hideously, but when he struck Xu Qing's body, he only heard a faint sound similar to parrying an arrow.

The figure of Xu Qing in front of him disappeared. Jin Wanshan narrowed his eyes and realized that what he had parried was only a green back flag.

"Child, who do you think I look like?"

An abrupt voice came from the boat cabin behind him. Jin Wanshan's alarm bells rang. He turned around with his sword, only to find that the young man had already flashed to the side.

In the young man's hand was a gray stick, falling directly toward his head.

My life is over!

Jin Wanshan subconsciously closed his eyes tightly. However, the situation of "overturning the soy sauce shop" that he imagined did not occur. He only felt a heavy blow to the top of his head. Although this stick broke through his protective Qi, it did not cause him fatal damage.

He only felt a pain in his forehead, followed by a sourness in his nose. In his mind, the image of his mother taking care of him when she was young surfaced involuntarily.

But before this warm scene could linger, the scene of his mother chasing him with a rattan stick surfaced in Jin Wanshan's mind.

Inside the storied boat, Jin Wanshan's expression changed for a while. At a certain moment, he opened his eyes suddenly, only to find his body heavy as a thousand jun. He reached out to touch his chest, feeling only wet and hot.

Looking down, the scarlet blood was exceptionally eye-catching; a broad-backed gold sword was inserted into his chest!

Inside the storied boat, Xu Qing ignored the sound of the corpse falling behind him. He looked at Ling Yangzi, who was covered in golden light, and frowned slightly.

Just a moment ago, he used the mourning stick to strike the Daoist, but it was completely blocked by the light shield on the other party.

Moreover, this golden light shield vaguely brought him a feeling of disgust.

Just like how Xuanyu hated the mud on the street after the rain.

Dirty thing, this is definitely a dirty thing!

Seeing that Xu Qing's mourning stick couldn't break his magic, Ling Yangzi sneered, "My Celestial Master Mansion's Golden Light Protection Talisman is extremely rigid and yang. Your evil-method stick won't work on me."

While speaking, Ling Yangzi glanced outside the boat, his smile even brighter, "My guardian paper puppets have also been summoned. Even if you want to leave now, you won't be able to!"

Xu Qing followed Ling Yangzi's gaze and saw many paper figures and paper effigies on the pier and deck. Those paper figures with faces like gold paper and pale bodies had already blocked all paths off the storied boat.

When Xu Qing looked over, these paper figures also stared up at him in unison.

Clearly, they had red lips dotted with cinnabar and eyes dotted with ink, but Xu Qing had a grotesque feeling that they could truly see him.

"Your protective golden light isn't afraid of evil Qi, then what if I don't use the mourning staff?"

Xu Qing put away the filial son's stick and instead drew the Black Cloud Mace from his back.

The mace is an armor-piercing weapon, born for attacking strongholds. The "Records of the Southwest Barbarian Territories" states: The mace is nothing else but a vajra blade protected by copper, shaped like a copper sword and five feet two inches long...

This weapon cannot be wielded by anyone without great strength, and what Xu Qing lacked least was the strength in his body!

To prevent his strength from being insufficient, Xu Qing swallowed a few more "Great Strength Pills." At this moment, the power in his body was more than a thousand jun.

At first, when Ling Yangzi saw Xu Qing attacking with the mace, he didn't take it to heart. Not to mention whether Xu Qing could break his protective golden light, he still had the summoned paper puppet guardians in front of him. Could he really not defeat a half-baked person from the countryside?

The foundation and heritage of the Celestial Master Mansion were not something that a wild path practitioner who only knew a few tricks could compare to.

Xu Qing held the Black Cloud Mace and fought with the paper figures blocking his way. Those paper figures were light and agile, darting up and down in the storied boat. Xu Qing originally thought that breaking paper with a weapon would be easy, but he didn't expect that the bodies of the paper figures in front of him were even firmer than iron and stone, and they also had extraordinary resilience.

This feeling...

After entangling with dozens of paper puppets for a while, Xu Qing vaguely felt familiar. The paper puppets with faces like gold paper actually had the aura of "Yin-Gold Burial Money."

Linking this to the goods stolen by the Jinmen Gang, he suddenly realized.

Withdrawing and retreating, Xu Qing had roughly figured out the level of the paper figures.

Even if these paper effigies suffered many wounds on their bodies, even if their chests were pierced with a large hole, they could still move freely.

If one responded with ordinary methods, it would certainly not be able to overcome the opponent.

Tsk, Xu Qing looked at the "paper figure army" surrounding him again, his competitive spirit instead being aroused.

So you have many people, right?

Xu Qing's sleeves fluttered, and a "Chang Flag" appeared in his hand.

"Orthodox One wounds, the leader turns to good.

The Celestial Master has an order, quickly capture the disaster.

Penetrate the nine lands, kill ghosts and capture wounds..."

Chanting the spell to command the Chang soldiers, the next moment, three black mists carrying thick trailing Yin-Sha escaped from the Chang flag in Xu Qing's hand.

The black mist shuttled over the heads of the paper figures, and then the black mist and Yin-wind began to tear and change. As the Yin-Sha condensed, three Chang generals, a zhang tall with horns almost touching the boat ceiling, manifested.

Ling Yangzi said in horror, "How do you know my Celestial Master Mansion's 'Commanding Chang Spell'? This technique has long been unpracticed in the Celestial Master Mansion. How did you cultivate it?"

Xu Qing ignored Ling Yangzi and didn't care about the Chang generals grabbing paper figures everywhere. Holding the Black Cloud Mace, he had already arrived in front of Ling Yangzi.

The Mountain-Opening Mace Technique was open and close. Xu Qing didn't say a word and used the entire set of mace techniques on Ling Yangzi.

The protective golden light hummed and trembled. Ling Yangzi held a jade talisman, and continuous spiritual light and magic power were injected into the golden light shield from the talisman.

Strike, pierce, chop, lift, cover, roll, press...

Under the blessing of great strength, the two fell from the third floor of the storied boat, breaking through the partitions, and finally fell into the water.

Ling Yangzi cast a "Light Body Spell," waiting for an opportunity to jump ashore. Xu Qing pursued relentlessly; it was his first time encountering such a flexible turtle-shell.

Ling Yangzi's face was livid. Determined not to hold back anymore, he began to urge all the paper puppets near the storied boat to surround Xu Qing.

"What other means do you have?" Seeing Xu Qing struggling, he didn't answer, and Ling Yangzi sneered, restoring his arrogant posture.

"I didn't expect that in a small place like Linhe, there would be a practitioner like you. But you dare to offend the Celestial Master Mansion; your path has come to an end!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing reached out and pinched a paper figure. He didn't care how the paper figure bit or scratched him; as a Silver-Armored Corpse, he would at most get some white marks from these paper figures.

"Can you hear me?" Controlling the paper figure in his hand, Xu Qing suddenly asked such a question out of nowhere.

Ling Yangzi realized something was wrong and frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

Xu Qing laughed. He suddenly slammed the paper figure in his hand to the ground and then stepped on it, his tone inexplicable, "Have you ever heard of the 'Corpse Roar Technique'?"

"Lion Roar Technique?" Ling Yangzi scoffed, "It sounds like a crude martial art practiced by ordinary people. I'm afraid it wouldn't even be able to enter the library of my Celestial Master Mansion."

Xu Qing mobilized the Yin Qi around him, and vaguely, his entire aura changed.

"My Corpse Roar Technique is a bit different..."

Ling Yangzi frowned slightly, just about to speak, when he saw the young man not far away break through the paper puppet defense again and arrive in front of him.

The protective golden light was close at hand. Xu Qing's chest rose and fell, and his neck became visibly thicker.

When the Yin-Sha aura accumulated to a certain degree, Xu Qing, whose appearance was originally normal, suddenly opened his bloody mouth. At this moment, he looked as ferocious as an evil demon, and black veins like spider webs began to appear on his face.

"Hao—!"

The terrifying sound wave was like a flood beast; the river wind behind him rolled backward, and the dark clouds above his head dissipated.

From north to south, from west to east in Linhe, whether in crowded places or in corners, one could hear this roar like a thunderbolt.

In the patrol office, Zhao Zhonghe, who had just returned from night patrol, hadn't even caught his breath when he heard this strange movement.

"It sounds like it came from the pier. Go take a look!"

In the coffin shop on Jingxia Street, Hu Baosong, who was dozing off, twitched his body suddenly and then woke up in a fright.

"This Linhe is becoming less and less peaceful."

At the mortician's shop, Xuanyu darted out of the shop, jumped onto the roof ridge, pricked up her ears, and stared unblinkingly at the direction from which the corpse roar came.

This sound was somewhat familiar...

In the chicken coop, Jin Luan looked out with suspicion, then ran back into the nest in a flash.

Damn it, this guy surnamed Xu is getting more and more fierce!

At the Linhe pier.

Xu Qing looked at Ling Yangzi, who was bleeding from his seven orifices and kneeling on the ground holding his head in pain, and decisively stepped on the other party's neck, breaking it.

The scream stopped abruptly.

Xu Qing didn't dare to stay for a moment. Although the Corpse Roar Technique had miraculous effects and could defeat the enemy, it also had obvious shortcomings: the momentum was too great, and it was very easy to attract trouble.

After Ling Yangzi died, the surrounding paper puppets were like puppets with cut strings, each standing in place, maintaining their original movements.

Xu Qing summoned all the back flags and shuttled constantly between the paper puppets, the pier, and the storied boat.

The fluttering of the back flags was equivalent to giving him the ability to teleport and fly briefly. Although the distance wasn't far, it was completely sufficient at this pier.

In just a few breaths, Xu Qing, having collected all the corpses and paper puppets, looked at Long Engui, who was hiding in the corner.

Reaching out to pull the other party out, Long Engui panicked as soon as he saw it was Xu Qing and began to beg for mercy.

"My godfather is Feng Dehai, my god-grandfather is Cao Cheng. If you kill me, they will definitely find trouble with you. If you let me go, I'll send you women and silver in the future. I have these..."

Xu Qing pulled Long Engui along, withdrawing his gaze from the inner room.

Inside the storied boat, Lady Jin and several female servants were huddled together, trembling.

Xu Qing didn't care. Before coming, he had been wearing the human-skin mask he obtained when sending the White Guardian to the afterlife, and he hadn't taken it off.

The human-skin mask could dissolve into the cheeks when used, having the miraculous effect of changing one's appearance. Whether man, woman, old, or young, it was all in a single thought.

At this moment, he was still wearing the face of the corpse he had once sent to the afterlife.

Withdrawing his gaze, Xu Qing did not even look at the begging Long Engui; he applied a slight force, and the head of the notorious young master and government office scion beneath his hand slumped down powerlessly.

Casually throwing Long Engui's corpse into the "Box Garden," Xu Qing jumped off the storied boat. He was slightly proficient in the way of water control, and sinking to the bottom of the water to eliminate traces and aura was the best choice.

Following the river, Xu Qing bypassed the area.

As for the goods looted by the Jinmen Gang... now that the core figures of Jinmen had been cleaned up by him, the remaining leader had already become a "blank emperor."

As soon as the day dawned, not to mention others, just the Jinmen Guild and Second Master Feng of the Flower and Bird Street would take the Jinmen Gang to task.

And those goods would naturally return to his hands through Second Master Feng by then.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 146 =====