Chapter 72: Terrifying Huang Yan
Huang Yan’s voice was loud, and his eyes burned with fury. As far as he was concerned, the shopkeeper was insulting him, not Xu Qing. After all, among the things Xu Qing was offering for sale were the items Huang Yan had given to him.
The shopkeeper’s hand snapped up to grab the bone Huang Yan had thrown in his face. His expression was now very grim. Inside, he was thinking scornfully of how Huang Yan had spent eight years working in the Pilot Assistance Division all for the purpose of chasing after a girl. The shopkeeper had the feeling this “Elder Sister” was probably just a random country farm girl, yet Huang Yan wouldn’t give up on showering her with expensive gifts. If Huang Yan was just looking for trouble, the shopkeeper had no problem giving it to him.
“You’re absolutely correct,” the shopkeeper said casually. “They are stolen items. Apparently, you were an accomplice in the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect heist. Someone report this to the Violent Crimes Division! The perpetrators of the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect heist have turned themselves in!”
In response, one of the shop clerks dramatically pulled out a transmission jade slip, looked at the shopkeeper, and then slowly sent a message to report the incident. The other customers in the shop, who were all disciples from various mountain peaks, looked on with glittering eyes.
Disciples who joined Seven Blood Eyes and lived in the environment they did were all clever people. Everyone present could see what was going on here. This matter didn’t really have anything to do with the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect heist, but rather... the fact that someone from the Sixth Peak wanted to cause trouble for either Xu Qing or Huang Yan. Or both.
No one in the crowd could tell for sure who was being targeted, but to everyone, it seemed likely that it was Xu Qing, as he was the one who had taken out the ‘stolen’ goods.
Not one person said a thing. Everyone just looked on, including Zhang San.
Xu Qing wasn’t paying attention to the bystanders. He was most concerned with Huang Yan and his reaction. The two of them didn’t have a very deep relationship, and because of that, he was a bit suspicious as to why Huang Yan was doing this.
He was even more suspicious of why the shopkeeper brought up the Violent Crimes Division, and how the clerk made the obviously exaggerated show of sending in a report. Altogether, this didn’t seem like a trap set up by Huang Yan to kill him. After all, if Huang Yan wanted him dead, he could have just attacked him directly. There wouldn’t be a need to drag the Violent Crimes Division into the situation and complicate matters. To the important people in the sect, Offpeak disciples killing each other wasn’t worth causing a huge commotion.
In fact, this whole thing seemed more like an attempt to pressure him into returning the items he’d stolen from the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect.
Beyond all that, on his approach to the shop, he noticed that there were no intense spirit power fluctuations in the area, which indicated there weren’t any powerful experts in hiding.
As Xu Qing pondered these things, and the shopkeeper reported the matter to the Violent Crimes Division, Huang Yan got even angrier.
“Violent Crimes Division? Xu Qing is in the Violent Crimes Division!”
Brow furrowed, the shopkeeper said, “Oh? Well, knowing the law and breaking it anyway is an even worse crime!”
Barking an angry laugh, Huang Yan was about to take a step forward when Xu Qing, whose suspicions were getting even deeper, held his arm out in front of Huang Yan and quietly said, “This has nothing to do with you, Huang Yan. You should leave.” Examining the shopkeeper’s throat, he continued, “These things are battle trophies I took from criminals I killed, so stop slandering me. If there’s something you want to say, say it.”
The shopkeeper’s guard immediately went up. Xu Qing’s reaction made it obvious he wasn’t an average person. Truth be told, considering the situation had been communicated to the shopkeeper from the Sixth Peak, he could have simply demanded that Xu Qing return the stolen items. Instead, he saw it as an opportunity to make a small fortune, and had thus hatched a plan to slander Xu Qing.
However, Xu Qing had seen through his plan, which was very telling. What was more, people who could earn a good reputation in the Violent Crimes Division were generally complicated people.
As a shopkeeper, this man had powerful backers. He wasn’t like the ordinary disciples, stuck like venomous bugs in a jar. Generally speaking, Offpeak disciples would go out of their way to avoid causing problems for him. However, the chill he felt on his throat made him change his strategy. Not wanting to cause further complications between himself and Xu Qing, and figuring he’d put on enough pressure already, he decided to simply explain the situation, including the demands of his superiors on the Sixth Peak.
Except, right at that moment, Huang Yan shouted, “You don’t need to help me out, Xu Qing! This matter has nothing to do with you. They’re obviously targeting me. I know what’s going on here. This is the work of Zhao Zhongheng. He has a grudge against me and knew I would end up coming here, so he hired you to smear my name!”
The shopkeeper looked at Huang Yan with an odd expression on his face. Xu Qing was also looking at Huang Yan, his eyes narrowed. Xu Qing just wanted to resolve whatever the issue was, but Huang Yan had apparently decided that this whole thing was about himself.
Smacking the counter loudly, Huang Yan was about to keep yelling when the sound of footsteps drifted in from outside, along with a cold, sinister voice.
“Who would dare to perpetrate a crime like this?”
Along with the words, a group of people entered the shop.
When Xu Qing looked over his shoulder at the new arrivals, his eyes narrowed even further. They all wore gray daoist robes with Violent Crimes Division badges prominently displayed on them. In the lead position was the captain of Unit Three, the very same young merman Xu Qing had been shadowing for the past half a month. He had four Unit Three disciples with him.
Looking at Xu Qing coolly, he said, “Well, if it isn’t you.”
Xu Qing didn’t respond, but the vigilance in his heart grew to an even more intense level. The Violent Crimes Division had arrived very quickly. What was more, the person to arrive was the very same young merman he’d had issues with in the past. Something seemed suspicious about the situation.
Things only seemed to be getting more and more complicated. There were three main issues. The first was the shopkeeper trying to pressure him into compensating the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect. That said, it was obvious that the situation would be easy to resolve. The second issue was Huang Yan taking the blame for everything, for unknown reasons. The third issue was the young merman showing up, which hardly seemed to be coincidental.
Without understanding the details of exactly what was going on, Xu Qing didn’t want to take action.
Meanwhile, the young merman glanced around the shop, and the people in it, with a look of scorn. The truth was that he had never wanted to join Seven Blood Eyes. The Merfolk community wasn’t large, but even still, he had a very high status in it, and as a result, had become an arrogant person. What was more, he looked down on humans. When the report came into the Violent Crimes Division, the case had originally been assigned to the Celestial Bureau. However, because it involved a person in that bureau, the case was then transferred to the Earth Bureau. And when the young merman found out Xu Qing was involved, he remembered their clash during the big operation, and personally took over.
Pointing at Xu Qing and Huang Yan, he said, “We have the criminal behind the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect heist right here, along with his stolen goods. And someone from our very own Violent Crimes Division is in on the whole thing. Arrest them both and take them back for interrogation!”
Huang Yan, seeing that the Violent Crimes Division was turning a blind eye to the truth, got even angrier. Stepping between Xu Qing and the young merman, he shouted, “Are you blind, you idiot? You think my stuff was stolen?”
Taking out his bag of holding, he turned it upside down in front of the eyes of everyone present. Instantly, hundreds of crafting ingredients and building materials started pouring out from inside, creating a huge pile. There were all sorts of items from mutant beasts, mostly bones and feathers from the same type of creature.
The onlookers gasped in surprise. All of these people had been around the block; they knew that this collection had to be worth thousands of spirit stones. Furthermore, the mere fact that Huang Yan had a bag of holding caused all of their eyes to glitter.
“You think my stuff is stolen? Well what about all this? Did I get all this from the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect? This is actually the complete corpse of a windwalker, except for the most precious part, the skull, which I gave to my Elder Sister. Are you trying to tell me I stole a windwalker??”
Even Xu Qing was so surprised to see these items that he gasped softly. He’d known that Huang Yan was rich, but seeing all of these things come out of his bag of holding came as a shock.
The shopkeeper was starting to feel a headache coming on. The Violent Crimes Division had shown up much more quickly than he anticipated, throwing a big kink into his plan. He looked hesitant. However, once you nock the arrow to the bow, you cannot but shoot it, and therefore, he braced himself and said, “The Golden Vajra Warrior Sect’s report mentioned a windwalker!”
It seemed like a completely outrageous development, so Xu Qing just stood there observing coldly.
“Since the skull was also stolen,” the young merman said, “and you gave it to your Elder Sister, that means we have another accomplice. Take them away for interrogation, and go arrest the female criminal as well.”
The four Unit Three disciples immediately headed toward Xu Qing and Huang Yan. One toward Huang Yan. Three toward Xu Qing.
“You’re the criminal!“ Huang Yan shouted, rolling up his sleeves. “Your whole family is full of criminals!” Then he stalked toward the disciples.
Xu Qing looked coldly at the three people heading toward him. Before, he’d intended to hold back until he knew exactly what was going on. But since the people from Unit Three were being so aggressive, he lifted his right hand. Instantly, water droplets filled the area, causing an intense pressure to build up. The disciples from Unit Three suddenly looked shocked as they realized they were locked in place and incapable of moving.
Although these people had been present during the joint operation with Unit Six against Night Dove, none of them had personally seen Xu Qing in action. They had only heard stories. But now that they were experiencing his strength in person, it caused waves of surprise to fill their hearts.
“Resisting arrest?” the young merman said, smiling to reveal a mouthful of sharp teeth. At the same time, he strode forward, moving so fast it caused a sonic boom in the shop. An instant later, he was in front of Xu Qing, reaching out with his right hand to grab his neck.
He had long, sharp fingernails, and he moved with such incredible speed that an ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to react. However, in the instant before he arrived, a black iron skewer appeared right in front of him.
He was fast, but Xu Qing was faster. And as Xu Qing pulled out the iron skewer, he lifted his right foot and sent his knee flying forward.
The young merman pulled his right hand back just as Xu Qing’s knee smashed into his own knee.
A boom rang out, and while Xu Qing rocked in place, the young merman staggered back five paces, then looked up with a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes.
“Well, isn’t this interesting?” As he spoke, the ripples of the ninth level of Qi Condensation erupted from him, and behind him appeared a projected image of a vicious merman wielding a black trident. This wasn’t a projection of energy and blood, but rather, a natural bloodline power he possessed. Again, he moved toward Xu Qing, causing rumbling sounds to fill the shop.
They smashed into each other again, then again. Seven or eight times in a row, they clashed, sending out shockwaves that might have destroyed the shop if it weren’t for the spell formations built into it.
The surrounding onlookers watched with utter shock.
“They’re so strong!”
“The captain of Unit Three isn’t human. He’s got a Merfolk bloodline power, and battle prowess comparable to a disciple in the great circle of Qi Condensation from a powerful sect. As for Xu Qing... I can’t believe he’s so astonishing!”
“Remember that story going around about the only non-captain who killed a hideout chief during the Night Dove operation? Now that I think about it, that person was Xu Qing!”
Upon hearing the reaction of the crowd, an enigmatic smile appeared on Huang Yan’s face as he huddled in a hiding spot off to the side. Then the smile disappeared, replaced by an expression of fury as he yelled, “Great job, Xu Qing! Cut that fish down to size! He should die for trying to frame us! Kill him and we can have fish for dinner!” [1]
More booms rang out as the young merman was again forced backward, blood seeping out of the corners of his mouth. At the same time, the bloodthirsty look in his eyes grew stronger. To him, fresh blood was very exciting. Besides, he had a trump card that he hadn’t played yet. In fact, he put both of his hands together to start an incantation gesture.
What he didn’t notice was that he had just stepped on Xu Qing’s shadow.
Xu Qing’s expression had remained placid the entire time. But now his eyes flickered with killing intent, and he was about to make a move. However, that was when several very powerful auras suddenly locked down the entire area.
“Wait!” the young merman said, a vicious expression on his face. “I can handle this. Just watch.”
However, in that exact moment, an even more terrifying aura suddenly appeared outside the shop. Rumbling sounds echoed out as the other handful of auras that had locked down the area crumbled like dried-up weeds.
The young merman’s eyes went wide as he looked over his shoulder. Xu Qing also looked in the same direction, his pupils constricting.
A figure appeared, walking into the shop. At the same time, the cold voice of a woman rang out.
“Did someone just say I have stolen goods?”
Her voice was like an icy wind that froze everyone in place. Whether it was the young merman or the Sixth Peak shopkeeper, her single sentence caused everyone to shiver uncontrollably and look at the person who had just entered. She was a young woman, tall and menacing, with bronze skin and long, flowing hair. There was nothing dainty and beautiful about her; rather, she seemed wild and violent. She wore a pale violet daoist robe, and wielded a huge black sword that was almost two meters long. As she entered the shop, dragging the sword behind her, the tip caused sparks to fly up off the ground, and it left a huge furrow both in the door lintel and the floor.
Seeing her, everyone inhaled sharply. Someone bowed at the waist, then another, until everyone was bowing and clasping hands.
“Well met, Second Highness!”
“Well met, Second Highness!”
“Well met, Second Highness!”
This young woman was like a senior princess on the Seventh Peak. She had the authority to kill Offpeak disciples at her whim, and could even cripple conclave disciples if she wished. She was... the peaklord’s second successor apprentice.
At this point, Huang Yan scuttled out of his hiding spot and said, “Elder Sister! You’re finally here!”
1. ‘Merfolk’ in Chinese is literally ‘person-fish,’ so any jokes or insults using the word fish make a lot of sense. ☜