In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
「The next morning.」
"Xu Qing, Xu Qing..."
Outside the courtyard.
Dian Hongbo was at the gate, knocking and shouting loudly. Roused by the noise, Xu Qing walked over, opened the gate, and saw a hurried Dian Hongbo.
"Brother Dian, what has you in such a rush?"
Xu Qing asked.
"Sothing big has happened."
Dian Hongbo ran inside, sat down on a stone stool in the courtyard, then picked up the teapot and took several large gulps of water.
"What is it?"
Xu Qing was unhurried.
"This morning,"
Dian Hongbo said quickly, "the patrolling constables found four bodies. Of course, it wouldn’t be a big deal if they were just ordinary people. After all, people die every day."
"The key is, these four dead n were not ordinary people."
"Oh..."
Xu Qing sat down as well. He had a faint suspicion that the four bodies Dian Hongbo ntioned were likely the n he had killed last night.
"Not ordinary people? Then who were they?"
Xu Qing asked.
"Among the four of them, there was one whose true identity shocked to the core when I found out. I could hardly believe it."
Dian Hongbo took a deep breath. "Because he was a colleague of mine, a Gold dal Demon Hunter who had reached the Outer Gang Realm. I even went on a mission with him once."
"A Gold dal Demon Hunter."
Xu Qing was stunned for a mont.
’To be honest,’
’I hadn’t expected this either. The middle-aged man in the bear mask who tried to kill last night actually had such a status.’
’It’s just...’
’A dignified Gold dal Demon Hunter was acting as a despicable ’Hunter’ in the Black Market, only to die so ironically at my own hands.’
"That’s right."
Dian Hongbo nodded grimly. "And while the other three weren’t Demon Hunters from the Governnt Office, they were all Dan Jin masters and mbers of the three great families of the Inner City."
"They all had significant backgrounds."
"Tsk, tsk..."
Xu Qing clicked his tongue.
"What else?"
Xu Qing asked.
"Also, our detailed investigation revealed they were killed because they had entered the Black Market. They were ambushing people at the exit, acting as ’Hunters’ in the Inner City Black Market to prey on targets they’d spotted inside for large sums of money."
Dian Hongbo continued, "To be honest, with their level of strength, you’d never expect them to fail so miserably, but they did."
"Judging from the traces of the battle last night, the attacker must be an expert who has reached the Inner Gang Level. And their thods were extrely ruthless. In that expert’s hands, they were completely defenseless and were all killed with ease."
"An Inner Gang expert."
Xu Qing shook his head. "They really had so nerve, targeting an expert of that caliber. It’s like they had a death wish."
"Tell about it."
Dian Hongbo shrugged. "But this matter isn’t over yet."
"How so?"
Xu Qing asked.
"Sigh..."
Dian Hongbo sighed. "You know, the one who died was a Gold dal Demon Exterminator from the Governnt Office’s Demon Extermination Agency. Every Gold dal Demon Exterminator is the face of the Governnt Office and has made significant contributions."
"By all rights,"
"the Governnt Office can’t just sit by and do nothing. So the County Magistrate has ordered our Demon Extermination Agency and the Governntal Agency to jointly investigate the killer."
"In addition,"
"there are also the three dead n who reached Dan Jin. They were servants of the three great families. As the saying goes, ’You have to see who the master is before you beat the dog.’ For three of their servants to die just like that, it would hurt the prestige of the three great families if they don’t make a statent."
"How is your investigation going?"
Xu Qing asked.
"We only have a few leads so far."
Dian Hongbo shook his head. "We just know that the killer bought a full three hundred jin of Level 3 Spiritual Food from the Black Market Spiritual Food Store, wore a Sheep Horn Mask, and was a suave young master."
"This information was all provided by the owner of the Black Market Spiritual Food Store."
"Brother Dian, you should be careful."
Xu Qing reminded him, "That killer is an Inner Gang expert, after all, while you, Brother Dian, are only at the Outer Gang level. If you really run into him, you can’t act recklessly. You have a wife and children waiting for you at ho."
"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Xu. I understand what you’re saying."
Dian Hongbo nodded and said, "Don’t worry, I won’t take unnecessary risks. Also, the reason I rushed over to warn you is to tell you to stay away from the Inner City’s Black Market for a while. It’s best not to go at all. If you’re really short on Level 3 Spiritual Food, I can use my Authority to help you buy so from the Governnt Office."
"If that doesn’t work, you can also go to the Outer City. With your strength, you could easily beco a Vice Gang Leader in one of the three major gangs there. Then you could use their Flesh Fields."
"Okay."
Xu Qing nodded and said, "I’ll consider it."
After that, Dian Hongbo chatted with Xu Qing a bit more before leaving his courtyard. As a Gold dal Demon Exterminator for the Governnt Office, he was actually quite busy every day.
CLICK!
Xu Qing closed the courtyard gate.
’The Governnt Office, the three great families.’
Xu Qing let out a soft laugh. ’Your people were the ones who tried to ambush and kill . But because they were weaker than , I killed them in self-defense.’
’And now,’
’you don’t even distinguish between right and wrong. Relying on your high and mighty positions, you’ve branded a murderer and are sending people to investigate , to kill .’
’Just as I thought!’
Xu Qing’s tone was calm. ’No matter where you are, it all cos down to the fist. The bigger the fist, the more reason you have. You can even twist right and wrong and do as you please.’
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Xu Qing took a piece of Jade White Jade at from his robes, placed it in his mouth, and chewed a few tis. It was a bit like eating a piece of candy, but it had a unique flavor.
BOOM!
After eating one jin of Jade White Jade at, Xu Qing clearly felt a vast Energy spread throughout his body, bringing his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their peak.
"Dapeng Root thod."
Xu Qing let out a soft shout and began to practice the Dapeng Root thod in the courtyard.
Now, Xu Qing had three hundred jin of Level 3 Spiritual Food. Even if he needed to eat three jin a day, it was enough to last for one hundred days.
So, Xu Qing was not in a hurry for the ti being.
At this mont, Xu Qing focused all his attention on practicing the Dapeng Root thod.
From this day on, Xu Qing set aside the Baji Heaven-Striking Fist and the Life-taking Thirteen Swords, dedicating all his ti, thoughts, and effort to practicing the Dapeng Root thod.
In a day, there are twenty-four hours.
Xu Qing practiced for sixteen hours every day, leaving only eight hours for rest and als. And Xu Qing could practice the Dapeng Root thod five tis every hour.
In this way, Xu Qing could practice the Dapeng Root thod a total of eighty tis a day, thereby gaining eighty Experience Points.
Also, Xu Qing discovered that the three types of Level 3 Spiritual Food—Blood Dragon Elephant at, Bitter Bamboo at, and Jade White Jade at—made no real difference to him.
No matter which one he ate, he needed to consu three jin of Level 3 Spiritual Food daily—one jin each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Only then could he sustain the physical, ntal, and spiritual stamina required for a full day of practicing Martial Arts.
...
[Experience 1]
...
[Experience 1]
...
[Experience 1]
...
The days passed, one by one.
Xu Qing basically stopped going out. However, every few days, Dian Hongbo would co to see him and tell him about what was happening outside.
Also, Xu Qing also saw Zhang Guoqi frequently. After spending so much ti with him, Xu Qing discovered that Zhang Guoqi not only possessed the Power of a Martial Artist but also contained another kind of Energy.
This Energy was incredibly righteous and vast, carrying a majestic and grand aura, yet it also held a profound and ever-changing mystery. This truly piqued Xu Qing’s curiosity.
「One day.」
In the courtyard.
"Brother Xu."
Zhang Guoqi was smiling. He was lounging on a deck chair, holding a book. The book was none other than the "Scriptural aning Discussion," written by a Great Scholar of the Great Zhou Martial Country. "We’ve known each other for so long. You know Brother Dian’s identity as a Gold dal Demon Exterminator, and you know my identity as a down-and-out young master."
"But what about you?"
"Neither Brother Dian nor I know your origins or identity."
"Brother Zhang, it’s not that I’m intentionally hiding anything. It’s just that compared to the two of you, my background is truly unremarkable."
Xu Qing shook his head and said, "Since you want to know, Brother Zhang, I’ll be straightforward."
"I’m all ears,"
said Zhang Guoqi.
"Go on, Brother Xu,"
said Dian Hongbo.
"I was born naturally foolish. At the age of three, my family realized this and abandoned in the wilderness. Fortunately, I was saved by my grandpa, Nine Fingers."
Xu Qing spoke slowly, "Grandpa Nine Fingers was a beggar, and I beca a beggar with him. When I was sixteen, he was too old and died of illness. On the day he died, my mind finally cleared."
"Since then,"
"I found an opportunity to join the Cangying Martial Arts Hall in Qingbei Town. Because my Talent for the Martial Dao was extrely high, my Cultivation in Martial Arts progressed rapidly, and I was well-liked by the Hall Master."
"Then why did you co to Qingfeng Town?"
Zhang Guoqi asked curiously.
"It’s a big world. I wanted to see more of it. I couldn’t just stay in Qingbei Town forever."
Xu Qing said casually.
"Hahaha..."
Zhang Guoqi burst out laughing. "Excellent, excellent! What a powerful line: ’It’s a big world. I wanted to see more of it.’ Brother Xu, your words have been a wake-up call for ."
"Hmm?"
Xu Qing paused. "Brother Zhang, what do you an by that?"
"You’re right."
Zhang Guoqi stood up, his hands clasped behind his back. His hair and clothes stirred without any wind. "This world is indeed vast. And I, Zhang Guoqi, have lived for thirty-eight years, yet I’ve been cooped up in this tiny Qingfeng Town, unable to move on from things that happened so many years ago."
"I’ve decided."
"I will leave Qingfeng Town tomorrow. I’ll go out, head to the Prefecture City, to the Capital City, to the Imperial City... I’ll even travel the entire Great Zhou Martial Country."
"That’s true."
Xu Qing nodded. "As the saying goes, ’Traveling ten thousand li is better than reading ten thousand books.’"
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