Chapter 67: Crossing the Line!
Whoever killed the hideout chief would get 80 spirit stones. And it went without saying that they would be credited with meritorious service for the sect. If Xu Qing hadn’t encountered the hideout chief, and hadn’t started fighting him, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But he had already seriously injured the man, and was about to lay hands on him. At that very moment, this Merfolk captain launched his own sneak attack, which was an obvious attempt to take credit for Xu Qing’s work.
Xu Qing’s eyes burned with killing intent.
However, because of the giant blue hand summoned by the talisman treasure, he didn’t have time to do anything.
Just as the young merman was about to launch his final killing blow, Xu Qing performed an incantation gesture. Instantly, a host of water droplets rose around the merman, transforming into a jellyfish.
“What is this crap?” the young merman sneered, instantly summoning a defensive shield to block the jellyfish’s attack. However, as soon as the jellyfish hit the shield, it shattered.
The young merman had obviously underestimated Xu Qing’s jellyfish.
As the shield collapsed, the jellyfish once again turned into a host of water droplets, which then took on the shape of a huge net, locking the young merman in place. The merman frowned as his chance to nab the hideout chief vanished. In fact, the chief had already fled about nine meters away.
Xu Qing took advantage of that moment to burst into motion, while simultaneously allowing the huge hand to slam into him from behind.
BOOOOOM!
Blood sprayed out of Xu Qing’s mouth. However, he used the momentum of the blast to pick up more speed, blazing past the merman and becoming a series of afterimages that closed in on the hideout chief.
As he neared, he lifted his right hand, within which glittered his black iron skewer.
Around then, the young merman broke free of his constraints. Eyes glittering coldly, he sneered and waved his hand, causing his chakram to streak past Xu Qing and toward the hideout chief.
In the blink of an eye, it was closing in on the target....
However, right in that critical moment, the iron skewer became a black streak that shot forth with even greater speed. It was like a black lightning bolt that screamed through the air, passing the chakram and stabbing into the back of the hideout chief’s head, then emerging from his forehead! Then a scream rang out as the chakram arrived, slicing through the chief’s neck and sending his head flying off in an explosion of blood. The man was dead!
Ignoring the chakram, Xu Qing dashed forward and grabbed the flying head. Then he spun and looked coldly at the very frustrated young merman.
Not waiting for Xu Qing to speak, the young merman gritted his teeth and growled, “Who the hell do you think you are to take credit for my work?”
Eyes blazing with killing intent, he reached out to grab the chakram as it flew back to him, and then took a step toward Xu Qing.
Xu Qing stood there with the hideout chief’s head in his hand, his eyes burning with equally intense killing intent. He didn’t say a word. He was already prepared to start fighting, and had even crushed a poison pill and dispersed it into the wind.
At the same time, his shadow stretched out. All the young merman had to do was take another step forward, and he would step right onto it. Once he did, the shadow would unleash a torrent of mutagen, and Xu Qing would attack.
Xu Qing was confident that, in the heat of the moment, he would be able to kill his opponent quickly. However, even as the young merman’s foot moved through the air, and right before it stepped onto Xu Qing’s shadow, a cold voice rang out from the surrounding haze of smoke.
“And who the hell do you think you are to take credit for Unit Six’s work?”
The Captain strolled out from the haze, an apple in his hand. Behind him were about four additional constables from Unit Six, all of them holding severed heads. As for the Captain, he reeked of blood, and his eyes were so cold it seemed like they could freeze the air.
The young merman stopped moving. His foot did not touch the shadow. Instead, he slowly backed up, keeping his eyes on the surrounding Unit Six constables. A few breaths of time passed during which a few constables from Unit Three arrived.
The tension mounted, until finally the young merman laughed coldly. Looking at Xu Qing with raw killing intent, he said, “You can keep your life for now. But I’m not going to forget this.”
Flicking his sleeve, he left, followed by the other constables from his unit.
Xu Qing’s eyes revealed nothing about what he was thinking as he stood there quietly.
After the young merman was gone, the Captain smiled at Xu Qing, eyed the severed head he held, and said, “You did well.” He offered Xu Qing an apple. “My treat.”
Xu Qing accepted the apple and took a bite. It was sweet, but also tasted like blood. Xu Qing swallowed, then looked at the young merman off in the distance.
The constables of Unit Six were all very excited.
“The Captain killed one hideout chief, and Xu Qing killed the other! We’re gonna be rich!”
“20 spirit stones is just the beginning. Our bet paid off!”
“Xu Qing, let us help you with all those severed heads. It’s easy to tell which ones you killed. They all have their throats slashed.”
Normally speaking, the constables were all cold and detached. But right now, they were genuinely happy. It really felt like being part of a team. The Captain looked pleased, and had seemingly forgotten about the constables that had fallen in the fighting. Waving his hand, he said, “Let’s withdraw!”
Carrying their spoils of battle, they left the manor and went through the night back toward the Violent Crimes Division. All Unit Six constables looked at Xu Qing with newfound respect.
It wasn’t just any person who could kill a hideout chief the way the Captain did. And not just anyone would dare to argue with another unit’s captain over getting credit.
As for who tried to steal credit from whom, it didn’t matter. The fact that Xu Qing ended up prevailing showed how strong he was.
As usual, Xu Qing was walking toward the back of the group. However, at a certain point, the Captain slowed down until he was walking next to Xu Qing. In his hand was a blue talisman treasure, which was the same talisman the Night Dove chief had used to unleash the giant ghost hand. Now that the chief was dead, that talisman was considered a battle trophy. Although it was tattered, it could probably be used one or two more times.
“Take it. You earned it.”
Xu Qing was a bit surprised, but he took it. Then he looked over and saw the Captain looking at him with a profound look in his eye.
“Did I show up a bit too early just now?” the Captain asked.
Xu Qing didn’t respond.
“There were too many people around,” the Captain continued. “Not just people from the Violent Crimes Division. There were also nonhuman dharma protectors. I’m not saying you can’t kill him. But the Merfolk are indeed allies. That said, they have a rebellious streak. I heard that a few years ago, they were planning an armed uprising. The Onpeak folks found out about it, and used the Great Competition to crush them. But in the end, allies are allies. You have to think twice before moving against them openly.
“I’m not sure what that fish is up to, but I do know that he occasionally shakes his dharma protectors and goes off on his own....” The Captain smiled broadly as he trailed off.
Xu Qing put the talisman away, then took out two pears from his sack. One of them, he gave to the Captain, who looked surprised. Taking a bite from the other pear, Xu Qing asked, “Captain, do nonhumans have a different body structure than us humans?”
“There are some differences. For example, let’s talk about poisons. There are some poisons that humans can’t deal with, but don’t work on nonhumans. And the opposite is true. There are some substances that are powerful medicines to us humans, but will kill a nonhuman.”
The two of them exchanged a glance, but said nothing further.
As Xu Qing walked along, something cold stirred within his eyes. There was one line that he maintained, and if anyone crossed that line, he would think of a way to kill them, no matter what. Even if he wasn’t strong enough, or had no way to actually kill that person. Until they died, the matter would be like a fish bone stuck in his throat.
Anyone who threatened his life... crossed the line.
It was like that in the slums. It was like that in the scavenger basecamp. And it was like that in Seven Blood Eyes.
The only difference was that he had to be a lot more careful here. He had to find the right opportunity to strike a deadly blow.
The young merman had crossed the line in a way even worse than the tavernkeeper from Plankspring Way. In fact, the young merman was on about the same level as Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior.
Therefore, Xu Qing had to think of a way to kill him. As soon as possible.
After Unit Six got back to the Violent Crimes Division and the operation was officially concluded, everyone dispersed. However, Xu Qing didn’t go back to his dharmaboat. Instead, he hid nearby and waited.
About two hours later, he caught sight of the young merman.
However, he wasn’t alone. And as Xu Qing observed cautiously, he realized that the strongest of the energy fluctuations surrounding the group were in the Foundation Establishment level. Xu Qing’s guard went up further.
At the same time, there was no sign that the young merman had been poisoned.
Xu Qing was certain he had released the poison, so it confirmed what the Captain said. The young merman also had powerful people protecting him, so Xu Qing didn’t get near him. After confirming the general direction he left in, Xu Qing departed.
That night, the trap set for Night Dove by the Seventh Peak was sprung, and it was a complete success. Seventeen hideouts in the Port District were all vanquished, and any groups working with Night Dove were similarly exterminated.
Some of the assistant directors even joined in on the action. Many of Night Dove’s powerful experts were killed. It was the same in the other districts of the city.
Nearly 2,000 members of Night Dove died. And when it came to accomplice organizations, there were even more deaths. The heads of the leaders were hung on the city walls the next day, and the gory image shook the region.
Casualties in the Violent Crimes Division weren’t low. Three hundred disciples died. Two of them were the young man and woman Xu Qing had met on the day he first reported for duty. [1]
But overall, it was a resounding success. The purging caused the city to calm down a bit in the following days. Even the infighting among disciples eased up.
When the rewards were distributed, Xu Qing ended up with 138 spirit stones, which was an unprecedented level of wealth. Of course, it made him even more on guard against greedy interlopers. If anyone tried to rob him, then he would kill them.
With so many spirit stones, Xu Qing started thinking that the materials he had previously thought to be so amazing actually weren’t very good quality. And then he started thinking about what better materials he could purchase for his dharmaboat.
During the two days that passed after the operation, Xu Qing kept his eye on the young merman. He followed him on a number of occasions, but the dharma protectors were always with him. Xu Qing never had an opportunity to make a move.
Thankfully, he was a patient person.
On the afternoon of the third day, he had the day off and was working on his cultivation in his dharmaboat when someone sent him a message. It was an invitation. And the person who sent it was none other than Zhou Qingpeng, one of the disciples in his group when he officially became a disciple of the Seventh Peak.
“Junior Brother Xu Qing, I finally got those ghostlonging horseshoe crabs. Not many. Only two. But that’s better than nothing. I was thinking that our little group that joined the sect together have drifted apart. So I invited Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui to dinner tonight. Why don’t you join us? I’ll bring the ghostlonging horseshoe crabs to give to you.”
The message seemed sincere.
As Xu Qing thought about it, he considered how the young merman hadn’t been affected by his poison, and realized that the ghostlonging horseshoe crabs would probably come in very handy. After checking his work schedule to confirm he didn’t have a night shift, he replied to the message saying that he would come. Then he continued with his cultivation.
Before long, it was evening. Xu Qing opened his eyes and calculated the time, then left his dharmaboat and headed to the restaurant to meet Zhou Qingpeng.
It was a fairly famous place located in an expensive-looking two-story building not far from the port. Xu Qing had never gone inside, but he had seen it in the commercial registry list in the Violent Crimes Division. Based on that, he knew that the restaurant was owned by the Coastguard Division.
The Coastguard Division was very different from the Violent Crimes Division. They were actually more similar to the Patrol Division, except they patrolled the sea and not the land.
Nearing the restaurant, Xu Qing looked around cautiously before entering. A waiter noticed Xu Qing immediately, and called out a warm greeting. When Xu Qing said he was meeting friends in one of the private rooms, the waiter led him up to the second floor. [2]
The room Zhou Qingpeng had reserved was in the very back, and was not open to the public. Only Seven Blood Eyes disciples could use it.
Nearing the room, Xu Qing heard the sound of Zhou Qingpeng and the others laughing and chatting.
“Elder Brother Zhou, this is my first time here. I’ve heard it’s really hard to get a reservation, and in fact, they don’t even let ordinary disciples book private rooms. They have three specialty dishes, right? Supposedly, they’re all really beneficial for your cultivation base.”
“Nah, it was easy to get a reservation. This place is owned by the Coastguard Division, and since I’m a disciple from there, it’s simple for me to book a spot. If you ever want a reservation, Xiaohui, you just let me know. I’ll handle it for you.”
“Aw, thanks, Elder Brother Zhou! Cheers!”
The waiter opened the door to the private room, and Xu Qing looked inside to see a table spread with all sorts of dishes. Three people were already seated around it. There were two women and a man. The young man was obviously Zhou Qingpeng, who beamed as he held his glass of alcohol up to the charming Xu Xiaohui, who was offering him a toast. Last was Li Zimei, who looked just as reserved and cautious as she had in the past. In fact, she even seemed somewhat nervous. When Xu Qing appeared, the two young women looked at him in surprise.
“And... who are you, Elder Brother?” Xu Xiaohui asked, her eyes shining. She had obviously taken note of Xu Qing’s good looks and intense spirit power fluctuations.
Zhou Qingpeng grinned and got to his feet, but didn’t say anything.
It was actually Li Zimei who, after looking at Xu Qing for a moment, hesitantly asked, “Is that you... Elder Brother Xu Qing?”
As it turned out, she recognized him at first glance.
1. I guess the potential romance with Xu Yanhong from chapter 55 isn’t on the table any more ☜
2. In China, virtually all nice restaurants (and in fact, most sit-down restaurants) have private rooms. In some cases they’re small enough for a table of only 6-8 people, but in other cases are large enough to seat 20-30 people or more. ☜