Chapter 244: Dealing With Society
One saber slaughtered three flames!
Of course, any of the chosen from the seven sects could unleash similar battle prowess. After all, the difference between three flames and four was so far that the four-flame level could almost be considered a higher cultivation realm altogether. As long as a three-flame cultivator didn’t have an imperial-class technique or life lamp, or some other technique that could span entire levels, then the two levels were poles apart. That included both speed and strength.
And yet, Xu Qing’s actions still caused waves of shock to fill the hearts of the Seven Sect Coalition disciples.
For one thing, none of them had paid very close attention to him early on, only to have him gradually turn into a massive threat. A lot of that had to do with the way Sima Ru went missing. That incident caused everyone to pay very close attention to Xu Qing. In fact, though most of them were loath to admit it, his actions had, beyond the shadow of a doubt, made him a consummate cultivator second only to Master Shengyun.
Another reason they were so shocked was that his use of that saber went to show how unbelievably deceptive Xu Qing was. It was the Supreme Vastness Solitary Saber! Though it was only considered an imperial-class technique after someone gained enlightenment of a specific number of moves, no one had any way of knowing exactly how many moves Xu Qing could unleash. Even if it was only one, it was still enough to strike fear in their hearts.
After all, it was very difficult to force enlightenment of the Supreme Vastness Solitary Saber. It came down to one’s perception and comprehension, and that was the same no matter which sect you came from. In fact, there were some sects in the Revered Ancient mainland who specialized in saber arts, and they would use a person’s ability to gain enlightenment of the Supreme Vastness Solitary Saber as a basis to judge their cultivation aptitude. In some ways, the Supreme Vastness Solitary Saber was a standard used to define who was ‘chosen’ and who wasn’t. None of the Seven Sect Coalition chosen could meet that standard other than Master Shengyun. All of them had attempted enlightenment of that saber technique in the past, but had failed.
Therefore, seeing Xu Qing unleash the Supreme Vastness Solitary Saber to slaughter a three-flame Night Dove operative left them with very mixed emotions.
As for the various visitors and allies present, they learned something new about Xu Qing after seeing him use that saber. They found out that he was both decisive and intelligent.
Night Dove had been present in Seven Blood Eyes for years, and they were like wild grass that would be incinerated in a wildfire, only to proliferate when spring came. But on this occasion, the fact that the Violent Crimes Division spent two months focused completely on exterminating Night Dove revealed... that something different was happening. And it was no small thing.
There were obviously people in Seven Blood Eyes who offered protection to Night Dove. After all, there were matters of profit to be considered. The only real question was how many people in Seven Blood Eyes were secretly helping Night Dove and making money as a result. No one knew. When truly attacking Night Dove, one had to have supreme confidence. The nonhuman cultivators knew that, and were now very curious to see if the Violent Crimes Division’s actions against Night Dove would harm the sect’s financial interests and cause internal chaos.
Regardless, Xu Qing acted very decisively. He had obviously been aware that the three-flame Night Dove operative was really a disciple of Seven Blood Eyes. But instead of digging to find out more details, he had simply killed him with a single saber strike. He never gave him the chance to reveal who he was. And given how badly mangled his corpse was, there was no way to deduce his true identity.
That saber strike hadn’t just killed the disciple in question. It had also served to sever his connection to whoever backed him.
Xu Qing used that saber strike to send a message to whoever was still hiding in the shadows. And that message was: the Violent Crimes Division isn’t going to dig further.
In an ordinary, flourishing world, that would be the wrong thing to do. But in a chaotic world, it was the smart decision, and would result in the least amount of negative repercussions. In fact, it was essentially a favor to whoever remained in the shadows. Xu Qing had handled the matter expertly.
Even Sir Bloodsmelter marveled in admiration. He wasn’t worried about the sordid elements in the sect. He was fully aware that there was good and bad in everything in the world. When the sun shone the brightest, it cast the darkest shadow. And in many things, there wasn’t just black and white, there was also gray.
Xu Qing had long since come to understand that. After arriving at Seven Blood Eyes he had encountered many situations in which ruthless characters hid behind gentle dispositions. And he had also seen what happened when people didn’t realize that. As a result, he had not wasted any time learning the proper way to act.
After this incident, none of the nonhuman species would ever forget Xu Qing’s name. And though they were struck by fear, they wouldn’t reveal how they truly felt about him. Now they all knew that Xu Qing had impressive battle prowess, was ruthless, could be extremely deceptive, and was also very intelligent. Unless you struck like lightning to kill someone like that, you would fail, and then suffer as a result. Unless there was some amazing profit to be had, or some astounding enmity to address, no one would risk attacking someone like him. In fact, it would make more sense to make friends with him. Life was complicated in that way sometimes.
It was also for this same reason that, after the night of activity, when the net had been fully tightened on Night Dove and Xu Qing got a name list, his request to the sect about what to do next was approved.
That name list came in the form of an account book for the sales of living treasures. Books like that were often the key to operations such as this one. But they didn’t always serve as a way to keep records. They could also be viewed as a system of checks and balances. After all, they could be left out for others to find….
To some extent, a book like this was almost like a ‘taboo treasure.’
Xu Qing was fairly certain that it had been purposely left out for him, as it contained detailed records of everyone from the Seven Sect Coalition who had purchased living treasures. To Xu Qing’s surprise, not every sect was on the list.
The sects that had never purchased any treasures were: Spiritgloam Valley, the supervisory sect to the Second Peak; the Heavenmirror Treasure Sect, supervisory sect to the Sixth Peak; the Dark Serenity Sect, supervisory sect to the Seventh Peak; and the Heaven-Fate Pavilion, supervisory sect to the Fifth Peak.
The sects which had made plenty of purchases were the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect and House of Grue Hunters, as well as the Fourth Peak’s supervisory sect, the Lunisolar Dao Palace.
Whatever chosen from the former two sects that remained in Seven Blood Eyes had already been arrested, which left only the chosen from the Lunisolar Dao Palace.
When Xu Qing thought about the wealth of resources he had acquired from Sima Ling’s ring of holding, he felt the urge to immediately go out and arrest the chosen from the Lunisolar Dao Palace. But he didn’t want to act rashly, and therefore asked permission from the sect first. Unless there was a potential for incredible profit, he wasn’t the type of person who would overstep his authority. He had no idea who this person was connected to, or their role in the Seven Sect Coalition, so it seemed smarter to deck himself out in a tiger skin before going to enforce the law.
When he sent his request to the sect, the answer that came back was simple.
“Arrest him!”
Having received that answer, Xu Qing left the Violent Crimes Division early in the morning.
The slaughter in the night had swept through the city like a fierce wind, driving away the forces of evil.
In Seven Blood Eyes, there were laws in place to protect mortals. Therefore, the Violent Crimes Division’s actions not only didn’t harm the mortals, but actually helped them to feel safer.
As Xu Qing walked down the street, he caught sight of the cart he used to frequent for breakfast. There, he got a bowl of soup and a few pastries to eat. At the urging of the proprietor, he got three eggs. Putting down a few spirit coins, he took his leave.
That particular cart had never been very popular. It was just one of many places to eat breakfast in the city. But it had changed in the past year. Violent Crimes Division constables on patrol often went there, and as a result, business had been good. Perhaps because of that, no one had ever dared to cause problems for the proprietor.
The proprietor knew exactly why all of that was happening. After clearing the table, he looked at Xu Qing walking away in the distance, and sighed. He remembered the first time Xu Qing had shown up three years ago, looking cautious and on guard. And the proprietor remembered how satisfied Xu Qing had always looked after having a bowl of soup.
It’s been three years, and the young man has grown up. Not only that, he’s become someone very important.
Then he looked around at the other customers eating breakfast, all of whom reeked of blood yet were staring in awe and reverence at Xu Qing walking away. He smiled and shook his head.
Xu Qing made his way down the street, walking neither too fast nor too slow. He had an extraordinary cultivation base, and much authority in the sect, yet as always, he preferred sticking to the side of the street in the shadows.
After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the sky was bright and there were a lot of pedestrians on the street. That was when Xu Qing arrived at a large, two-story mansion. All visiting sects had been given special lodgings for their stay in Seven Blood Eyes, and this was where the Lunisolar Dao Palace was staying.
The place pulsed with the power of spell formations, and when Xu Qing sensed them, he calmly said, “I hereby request that the sect’s grand spell formation suppress this location.”
Given that Xu Qing was on an official law enforcement mission, the sect’s grand formation instantly unleashed crushing power. As it rumbled in the area, all the spell formations protecting the Lunisolar Dao Palace’s mansion ceased functioning.
Cries of alarm rang out from inside.
Xu Qing’s expression was placid as he pushed the main door open and saw dozens of alarmed people rushing in his direction.
Those in the lead were two men and a woman.
The woman wore a long white gown, cut in the style of palace attire. However, it didn’t have any complicated designs on it. It was dyed to look like the setting sun, and had clouds embroidered on it. The woman emanated the aroma of medicine, and she had elegant good looks. Though her eyes glittered, and though she was moving with the crowd, she didn’t look the least bit alarmed.
Next to her was a young man in a yellow jerkin. He was good-looking, with freckles, and bright, clear eyes that were currently fixed on Xu Qing.
On the other side was another young man who wore a sky-blue daoist robe with red cloud designs on it. From the way the clouds seemed to float across the robe, it seemed to have a spell formation in it. This young man looked pale in the face, and was clearly alarmed. And when he noticed Xu Qing, he started breathing heavily.
Behind this group of three were ordinary disciples from the Lunisolar Dao Palace, and all of them seemed very nervous.
Further back, Xu Qing noticed three middle-aged cultivators. Though they weren’t speaking, from the fluctuations they radiated, they were Gold Core cultivators.
Xu Qing took the scene in, then looked at the young man in the blue robe and said, “Are you Zhou Qifan from the Lunisolar Dao Palace?” [1]
1. Zhou Qifan: Zhou is #10 on the list of 100 common Chinese surnames. In this context, it’s just a surname; the character itself has many, many meanings. Qi means “open, start, enlighten, awaken” and Fan means “ordinary, mundane, mortal”. Madam Deathblade says this name makes him sound like “an intelligent person who can inspire others.” ☜