Chapter 215

Time returns to a quarter of an hour ago.

When Liao Jinzhong invited the experts from the Mirror Reflection Bureau, Xu Qing, the local tyrant of Jinmen, also arrived at the banks of the Baisha River, holding a fragrant longevity shoe filled with the scent of a corpse.

This was the location of Linjiang Port. The riverbank was piled high with goods like mountains, and the river surface was filled with masts, with anchored fishing boats and merchant ships seeming even denser than the houses on the shore.

Land was the home field for fire zombies, mountains and forests were the domain of fur zombies, and wetlands were the most suitable places for black zombies to survive.

Xu Qing, who had three forms, felt the restlessness of the Indeterminate Black Water in his body the moment he arrived at Linjiang Port. In this instant, the evil nature of a zombie, carved into his bones, wanting to stir up trouble, was completely ignited.

The inch-long corpse fangs were chilling and intimidating, and the corpse poison contained within them was something even a five-step king snake couldn't compare to.

The foot-long corpse claws could cut through iron like mud; no matter how good the precious weapons were, they weren't as useful as the original ones on Xu Qing's body!

At this moment, the person who looked like a human and could be called a moral model of Jinmen had already turned into a non-human appearance.

The wetland energy awakened the boiling Indeterminate Black Water in his body, and Xu Qing's skin color turned from white to dark, a gray-white complexion no different from a corpse that had been left in the morgue for a long time.

Jumping into the Baisha River, the moment he touched the river water, the surrounding water vapor seemed to have found its backbone and subconsciously gathered toward Xu Qing.

A black zombie, although not yet evolved into a water demon, already showed initial signs of controlling tidal power.

Xu Qing walked on the waves as if on flat ground.

At the same time, he opened his wide sleeves, and a dozen light paper cranes, using the white, frothy river surface as cover, flew over the waves and arrived in front of the fleet anchored by the Mirror Reflection Bureau.

While scouting the fleet's situation, Xu Qing discovered the traces of Second Master Feng and the others, and also saw the imperial chef carrying a dozen pounds of fat chicken and the little Willow Immortal, who was playing dead, to the kitchen.

Xu Qing looked at the fleet's personnel and equipment, which were all very orderly. He thought that the person in charge of the fleet must have intended to leave Jinmen, and today's interrogation of Second Master Feng and the others was likely the last gamble made before departure.

You say, your own foster son didn't do human things, and besides lying in a coffin, you want to turn someone else's foster son into a dish and put it on the table, letting people watch you eat.

This matter, let alone living people, even Xu Qing, this zombie, couldn't bear to watch.

After all, when you really talk about it, this old eunuch's son was made by his own hands, and this matter had something to do with him. If he stood by and watched them die, that would be too inhuman.

Even if it's a dead person, it has to have the taste of a dead person, right?

Inside the ship's kitchen, the head chef was standing in front of the clay stove, talking to several helpers.

"This chicken is really fat. I don't know how it was fed."

"Yo, it's quite fierce. San'er, go get a knife and kill this chicken. Remember to put the blood in a bowl; it will be useful later."

After ordering the chicken-killing task, the head chef ordered another person: "This snake is probably scared to death. Hurry, while it's fresh, peel its skin and drain the blood, so the taste won't be bad later."

Just as the head chef finished speaking, the little Willow Immortal, who had been stiffly playing dead, suddenly seemed to thaw. In the blink of an eye, it was like a loach that had just crawled out of a mud pit, seizing the opportunity to escape.

Humans are naturally afraid of snakes. Several clerks were suddenly scared by this and all dodged to the side. The head chef hurriedly shouted: "Quick! Quick, catch it! If you let it run away, none of us will have a good time!"

However, the clerks were ultimately a beat slow. By the time they started to catch the snake, the little Willow Immortal had already darted out of the porthole and landed on the deck outside.

Just before it landed, a powerful hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed the little Willow Immortal by the waist.

At the porthole, the head chef's fat body squeezed out of the window. He looked back and forth, but there was no shadow of the snake anywhere.

Directly above the first-floor porthole, Xu Qing, holding the second-floor railing with one hand, was looking down at the little Willow Immortal biting his wrist.

The little Willow Immortal's snake fangs were sparking, but it just couldn't bite through the person's wrist.

When it had no strength left, it raised its head and only saw a white paper with a die drawn on it pasted on the person's face, the four red dots on it indescribably eerie.

Under the mask, Xu Qing had no breath, no different from a dead person.

There was a Grandmaster sitting on the ship. At this time, any living person with a pulse and heartbeat, no matter how hidden they were, could never escape a Grandmaster's investigation.

But Xu Qing was different. When that strange feeling of being watched disappeared in the dark, Xu Qing then used the Gecko Wall-Walking Skill and walked lightly and quietly into the kitchen.

Making a "hush" gesture to the little Willow Immortal, Xu Qing's attention shifted to the kitchen, where several cooks were whispering and discussing how to turn the yellow eel into snake meat to send to the Superintendent.

After confirming the solution, the few turned back, only to find that the cage containing the uncle had already been opened, and the rooster inside was nowhere to be found.

"San'er, I told you to kill the chicken. Where is the chicken?"

The little cook called San'er said helplessly: "I heard you shouting that the snake ran away, so I thought I'd come over to help first..."

As soon as these words came out, the head chef was so angry that his fat body shook. It was one thing that the snake was gone, but now the chicken was gone too. What should they do?

What else could they do? Replace it with another chicken. Anyway, once it was made into a dish, others wouldn't be able to tell what it looked like when it was alive.

They couldn't let the matter out. If the Superintendent found out, a round of punishment would be inevitable.

After the dish of snake liver and phoenix marrow was made, the head chef asked who would deliver it.

Several clerks looked at each other, but when it came to it, they began to defer to one another.

Finally, the head chef's gaze fell on San'er: "San'er, you didn't watch the chicken well. I think you should be the one to deliver this dish."

"Bitter!" San'er carried the food box and walked out with a mournful face. However, before he could walk out of the kitchen cabin door, he felt a chill behind his neck, his eyes went dark, and his whole body became like hard noodles thrown into a pot, suddenly going soft.

Xu Qing's hands were faster than his eyes. He supported the cook in front of him with one hand and took the food box with the other, dragging the person into the pile of sundries where the charcoal was kept.

At this time, the little Willow Immortal had already been locked into the birdcage by Xu Qing. A chicken and a snake were huddled together, not daring to let out a big breath.

Taking out the human skin mask, Xu Qing bent down and kneaded it for a while. When he stood up, he had already turned into San'er's appearance.

Then, in front of the two little immortals, he took out a scorpion-tail hairpin and probed inside.

Although this thing couldn't kill a person, it could cause abdominal pain like a knife twisting. Even if a Grandmaster were hit by it, they would have to suffer for a while.

As for why Xu Qing didn't use other fatal poisons, it was for the sake of Second Master Feng and the others.

The behavior of these eunuchs couldn't be measured by common sense. If the other party was psychologically twisted and made Second Master Feng and the others perform a "righteous extermination" act, wouldn't he be hurting his own allies?

Walking out of the utility room, Xu Qing carried the food box and walked all the way to the main cabin.

"Superintendent, the snake liver and phoenix marrow are ready..."

Eunuch Zheng asked in a low voice.

The latter waved his hand, and before long, a little cook carried the food box, taking small, quick steps, and walked lightly into the hall.

"Is this the snake liver and phoenix marrow?"

"Answering the lord, this is the snake liver and phoenix marrow."

"Is it made from the ingredients I sent just now?"

"Yes, it is the dish made from the white chicken and the little white snake."

After Xu Qing introduced the dish, he turned and said: "This snake liver and phoenix marrow is very precious. The lords should eat it while it's hot. If there is anything else, just give your orders."

"Stop!"

Eunuch Zheng, who had always wanted to become Liao Jinzhong's foster son, suddenly called out to Xu Qing.

"Does the Eunuch have any orders?" When Xu Qing spoke, the Indeterminate Black Water in his body was already ready to go.

When he saw Zheng Chunbao hand a pair of chopsticks to him, Xu Qing finally realized what was going on.

It turned out he wanted him to test for poison! "Eunuch, I am just a runner. How could I have the fortune to eat this dish?"

"What nonsense! If I tell you to eat, you eat. It's not like you poisoned it..."

"Don't make things difficult for him." Liao Jinzhong played with Second Master Feng's walnuts, not even looking at Xu Qing: "I am a reasonable person. It's not easy for you to run around. Consider this first bite a reward from me."

"But there is one thing you all must remember: what I reward you with, you must accept; what I don't reward you with, you must not reach out to take..."

Before Liao Jinzhong finished speaking, Zheng Chunbao lowered his head and said: "I will strictly follow the Superintendent's teachings!"

Xu Qing didn't have time to listen to Liao Jinzhong educating his subordinates. He held the chopsticks, picked up a full mouthful of meat, and ate it with great relish.

As early as when he fought Qing Luo of the Tianxin Sect, Xu Qing had verified one thing: most poisons were ineffective against zombies.

When it came to poison resistance, all the people present combined were no match for him.

Over here, when Eunuch Zheng ordered Xu Qing to go out, he also gave him a fierce glare.

The reason was none other than that the mouthful of food Xu Qing picked up was worth two mouthfuls.

If it weren't for the Superintendent being there, just this act of stealing a bite would have been enough to have him dragged out and given a few heavy boards.

After leaving the guest hall, Xu Qing waited outside the door, his hearing pushed to the limit, waiting for orders while also eavesdropping on the movements inside.

"Mr. Feng, this is a reward from me. Eat it while it's hot!"

"And Mr. Ji, this snake meat is delicious. It would be a pity not to taste a bite."

"..."

Outside the cabin door, Xu Qing's gaze was gloomy.

He had thought that this old eunuch would be inhuman, but he didn't expect him to actually be able to do such a thing.

Making a Chuma disciple eat the immortal he had lived with day and night, and an immortal he raised as his own son—is this something a human can do?

Xu Qing felt that the two Chuma disciples would most likely not have the heart to eat their own immortals. If so, the moment the old eunuch got angry and ordered people to drag them out for punishment would be the perfect time for him to step in, separate the two groups, and stir up trouble.

However, zombie calculations are not as good as Heaven's. Facing the old eunuch's coercion, Ji Ruinian's face was sorrowful, and he absolutely refused to open his mouth.

"This imperial chef was rewarded to me by the Son of Heaven, and the dishes he makes are also imperial dishes. Mr. Ji refuses to pick up his chopsticks, which is not only not giving me face but also looking down on the current Son of Heaven."

Ji Ruinian spat to the side and cursed: "You castrated dog, you are just a dog with a broken spine raised by the Son of Heaven! After cutting off your descendants' roots, you forgot Heaven, Earth, Ruler, and Kin. Relying on the Son of Heaven's favor, you dare to act recklessly!"

"Shut up!"

Hearing this, Liao Jinzhong was so angry that he almost broke his voice.

Outside the cabin, Xu Qing heard the movement and had already made plans to rush in and save them.

Inside the cabin, Liao Jinzhong's expression changed several times, and finally, he laughed out loud: "It seems Mr. Ji truly cherishes this little snake. Eunuch Xu, take Mr. Ji down, change to other dishes to entertain him well, at least let Mr. Ji have one last full meal."

Eunuch Xu gave a sinister laugh upon hearing this and dragged Ji Ruinian out of the cabin. It looked like he intended to use torture and conduct another round of interrogation.

When only Second Master Feng was left at the table, Liao Jinzhong asked with a smile: "Mr. Feng, do you not intend to pick up your chopsticks?"

Liao Jinzhong had accurately judged Second Master Feng's cowardly nature. Now that Ji Ruinian had been used as an example, it was only a matter of time before Second Master Feng's mental defenses collapsed.

Human nature is hard to change. Facing Liao Jinzhong's life-and-death coercion, Second Master Feng's hands trembled as if he had epilepsy, but he still picked up the chicken meat in front of him.

When the chicken meat accidentally shook off and he couldn't pick it up no matter what, Second Master Feng grabbed the piece of meat with his hand, and along with his snot and tears, stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed.

Outside the cabin, Xu Qing, who had taken off his gloves at some point, was silently withdrawing his left hand that had been resting behind Eunuch Xu's neck.

His left hand had been refined by dark and gloomy things, and the death energy lingering on it had reached its limit. Now that he had just touched Eunuch Xu's skin, the next moment the latter fell to his knees with a ferocious expression.

In front of him, starting from Eunuch Xu's neck, black-purple meridians burst out and continued to spread to the other's face, chest, back, and limbs.

Eunuch Xu, suffering from the erosion of death energy, couldn't make any sound, as if performing a silent play. He could only keep scratching his cheeks, where the black spiderwebs were spreading, until his pupils dilated.

All this happened in the blink of an eye. After Xu Qing finished dealing with Eunuch Xu, he walked into the cabin with a blank expression.

Superintendent Liao, who was playing with Second Master Feng, was stunned, and then he showed a look of sudden realization.

"You are not a kitchen worker on my ship. You are the murderer who killed my foster son, aren't you?"

Xu Qing smiled. He had thought about entering the cabin and starting a fight directly, and he had also thought about throwing out four flags to move closer first and save Second Master Feng.

But he didn't expect this old eunuch to be as steady as an old dog; even seeing him enter, he didn't show any panic.

Xu Qing sat at the table. Before Second Master Feng's poison took effect, he raised his right hand and used a clever force to make him fall into a deep sleep.

Then Xu Qing threw the other out of the cabin door and sat down gracefully in the seat Second Master Feng had occupied before.

It seemed as if he and Second Master Feng didn't know each other, and he threw the other out just because he wanted to sit down.

Liao Jinzhong didn't care, his gaze always fixed on Xu Qing.

"Are you a person of the pugilistic world, or a person of the Dao?"

"Dao?" Xu Qing seemed very interested in this term: "What is the Dao?"

Liao Jinzhong was stunned for a moment by Xu Qing's question.

"It seems you are not a person of the Dao. Then you are like me, a person who cultivates the martial Dao. However, there are only a few famous Grandmasters in the pugilistic world. Besides them, I can only think of one person."

Liao Jinzhong said unhurriedly: "I heard that in the early years, when Prince Changting was fighting north and south, he made friends with the descendant of a famous general in the borderlands of the north. That person once relied on his own strength to help Prince Changting cut through eighty thousand black-armored troops. When I first heard of this, I had just stepped into the threshold of a Grandmaster. If that person were still alive, I think even if we were both Grandmasters, I might not be able to defeat him."

"This dish is indeed not bad. Eunuch, why don't you try it?" Xu Qing didn't respond to Liao Jinzhong's words but instead began to appraise the dish in front of him.

Seeing that the old eunuch didn't take the bait, Xu Qing simply stopped holding back his tongue.

Since you like to chat so much, let's have a good chat and see who can't help but resort to violence first.

"Eunuch Liao, speaking of which, I did hear some news a few days ago."

Xu Qing scanned the people present with a smile and said something shocking: "I heard that Eunuch Liao has captured many people from the pugilistic world, both openly and secretly, over the years. These people all have martial Dao cultivation, but as soon as they fall into Eunuch Liao's hands, they turn into dried corpses and dead people, and no one can ever find their whereabouts.

On the other hand, Eunuch Liao's cultivation progress is getting faster and faster, and he is looking younger and younger. You tell me, isn't this strange?"

"Baseless rumors! Nonsense!"

Liao Jinzhong, who had always been calm and relaxed, suddenly had a sharp voice.

"Eunuch, what are you in such a hurry for? This snake liver is the best for cooling the fire. Eunuch, try it and calm your anger."

"I am not angry."

Liao Jinzhong stared at Xu Qing for a while, then turned his head to look at the strange people beside him: "Do you think I look angry?"

Daoist He Yi still looked at his nose and heart, while the southern barbarian next to him, whose head was full of pheasant feathers and whose body was covered in decorations, and the Demon-Hunting Captain beside him, were sweating on their foreheads and sitting uneasily.

Some things cannot be heard. Once heard, even if you can get out alive today, you might die an unnatural death someday in the future!

(End of chapter)