Chapter 192: Erniu's Secret

Xu Qing's words were the most exciting sound Xu Xiaohui had heard in months. She wasn't lying; everything she had told Xu Qing was true.

What she hadn't mentioned was the bitterness and pain she had endured over the past months while investigating to repay a debt. She currently felt no sense of belonging to the Seven Blood Eyes sect.

But she didn't hate anyone. She simply couldn't understand how Senior Brother Zhou, such a kind person, could have met such a tragic and sudden end. She only wanted to do everything in her power to repay his kindness.

Occasionally, she would wonder if her desperate investigation was truly worth it. However, Xu Xiaohui felt that if she gave up, she might be abandoning the last shred of warmth in her heart.

This warmth was the most precious thing she had gained since arriving at Seven Blood Eyes, so she didn't want to give up.

So even when Xu Qing's released energy lifted her, she chose to kneel again once the force dissipated. It seemed that for vulnerable people, kneeling before others could also bring a sense of peace.

Xu Qing also sighed inwardly.

He then took out a voice transmission jade slip, found a contact, and sent a calm message.

"Come see me."

Soon after, a small, slender figure sped from a distant alley in the night, running at top speed directly towards Xu Qing.

Xu Xiaohui noticed, and her eyes narrowed as she turned.

She saw that the newcomer was a child, wearing a dog-skin coat under a grey Taoist robe. The child looked bulky, but the coldness in their eyes and the killing aura emanating from them were enough to make many who saw them tremble.

Xu Xiaohui took a breath; she had heard of this person who liked to wear a fur coat under a Taoist robe.

She knew the person was mute and had gained considerable fame in the past six months. They were the one who rose after Xu Qing in the Crime Suppression Division, particularly fond of torturing and killing.

Many wanted criminals had been tortured and killed by them. Although they appeared to only be at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, some ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivators from minor sects had also died tragically at their hands, because the mute was even more reckless than desperate outlaws.

It seemed that for them, life meant nothing; once an enemy was identified, it was a fight to the death.

So upon seeing the mute arrive, Xu Xiaohui instinctively felt a little fearful.

Until the next moment, the mute approached, didn't even glance at Xu Xiaohui, and directly knelt before Xu Qing. The fervent joy on their face was very evident.

"Go investigate Zhou Qingpeng's cause of death. As for the details, you can ask her using a voice transmission jade slip," Xu Qing said, pointing at Xu Xiaohui.

The mute nodded vigorously, turned, and left without asking Xu Xiaohui any questions at all.

It seemed that in their view, having to ask others before accomplishing something would signify their incompetence.

Xu Qing looked at the mute's retreating back, said nothing, and stood there silently waiting.

As dusk faded, the sunset clouds in the distance were stained black by ink-like darkness, and the sparse moonlight struggled to pierce through. Night gradually arrived.

Xu Qing's chosen berth was a place he had specifically selected. It was quiet both day and night, with no one to disturb him.

At the same time, the mute didn't make Xu Qing wait long. The entire process took only about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn before the mute returned, knelt, and respectfully handed Xu Qing a jade slip.

The answer Xu Xiaohui had spent months and great effort struggling to find took the mute only two incense sticks' time. This was, of course, also related to the Crime Suppression Division's resources.

Amidst Xu Xiaohui's excitement, Xu Qing took the jade slip and examined it.

It contained a very detailed investigation into the cause and circumstances of Zhou Qingpeng's death. Xu Qing wasn't interested in these details; he merely scanned through, looking for information on the culprit.

The culprit was not a disciple of the Seventh Peak.

This person was named Li Zelin, a lower-mountain disciple belonging to the First Peak. Their cultivation was around the ninth level of Qi Condensation, and they were usually gloomy and extremely murderous.

The mute's jade slip indicated that at least eleven deaths of lower-mountain disciples from other peaks were directly linked to this individual.

However, this person was cautious, always committing murders across different areas and often choosing targets very precisely, which was why they hadn't caused irresolvable trouble.

After all, such incidents frequently occurred in the shadowy corners of Seven Blood Eyes. As long as it wasn't overly outrageous and no powerful cultivators pursued it, the various departments within Seven Blood Eyes wouldn't intervene.

For example, in Zhou Qingpeng's case, if not for the favor between him and Xu Qing, his death would simply have been his death.

The mute's investigation was very detailed. Besides these, it even pinpointed Li Zelin's current location and his recent connections.

"He has been taken as a subordinate by Wu Jianwu of the First Peak. Currently, Wu Jianwu has gone to the Dreamscape Tower by invitation. It's unknown who he is meeting, but Li Zelin is currently guarding outside the Dreamscape Tower."

Xu Qing nodded and handed the jade slip to the very nervous Xu Xiaohui beside him.

Xu Xiaohui quickly took it and examined it carefully, her breathing visibly quickening. Especially when she read the end, her face turned somewhat pale. She looked up at Xu Qing, her expression bitter and hesitant.

"Senior Uncle Xu, about this..."

The contents of the jade slip not only revealed the culprit to her but also showed that the culprit had significant backing. She wasn't sure if Xu Qing would continue to help.

"Let's go," Xu Qing said calmly, his expression unchanged, as he walked forward. The mute led the way beside him. Xu Xiaohui was startled, looked at Xu Qing's back, took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement, and followed behind.

The Dreamscape Tower was a restaurant.

It was one of the most renowned restaurants in the entire port district, large and frequented by many people daily. Compared to the Maritime Defense Department's restaurant, the Dreamscape Tower was clearly of a higher caliber.

Especially since it primarily served spiritual food, frequent consumption could not only strengthen the physical body but also had the effect of dispelling foreign matter. Although the effect was slight, it could be quite beneficial if consumed long-term.

At this moment, on the second floor of the Dreamscape Tower, in a very luxurious private room, three people were seated.

If Xu Qing had been there, he would have realized he knew all three of them.

One was Wu Jianwu of the First Peak. Sitting opposite Wu Jianwu was the pale-faced Captain. The Captain was no longer invisible, and at least outwardly, he seemed to have all his parts.

His injuries had also healed.

The last one was a sighing old man, who was precisely the innkeeper from Banquan Road.

And strictly speaking, there weren't just three people here, but also a snake.

The large snake was coiled around the private room's beam, with half of its body hanging down, swaying back and forth, seemingly amusing itself out of boredom.

Occasionally, it would stick out its tongue at the Captain or make gurgling sounds, as if asking something.

The Captain smiled as he looked up at the large snake.

"Ling'er, are you missing someone?"

"Gurgle gurgle!"

"How about this, you give me ten bottles of that foreign matter mist you collected last time, and I'll help you call that kid out? How about he spends a day with you? Fair and reasonable, right?" the Captain spoke with an innocent expression.

The large snake's eyes immediately lit up, but the innkeeper beside them quickly tried to stop it.

"Chen Erniu, you're going too far!" the innkeeper exclaimed. "It's bad enough you trick me, but now you're even tricking a child!"

Wu Jianwu, seated nearby, gave the Captain a cold glance, picked up his wine pot, and took a large swig, then spoke indifferently.

"Greed and injustice in the hearts of men will one day be cut down."

The Captain blinked, took an apple from his robe, slowly took a bite, and showed Wu Jianwu a half-smile.

"Little Sword-sword," the Captain said, "although you just came out of seclusion today and don't know what big things have happened outside, or how formidable I am now, I still have to tell you: if I were Grandmaster, I would definitely beat you until you spoke like a human."

Wu Jianwu raised an eyebrow.

"With your winking and mysterious glances, may lightning strike down such a 'hero'!"

"You don't need to butter me up," the Captain said, smiling. "I promised Grandmaster I wouldn't beat his disciples anymore. Don't worry, I won't beat you."

The innkeeper beside them patted his forehead upon hearing this and looked helplessly at the Captain and Wu Jianwu.

"Alright, alright," the innkeeper sighed. "I invited you two here today for three things. I'll say them quickly and then leave, because just seeing you two annoys me..."

"First," the innkeeper continued, "Wu Jianwu, the promise your master owes me is almost due. I can't be at Seven Blood Eyes recently, so before I leave, I will reinforce the inn's seal. Tell your master to send someone to take over quickly; otherwise, if anything happens, it's not my responsibility."

"Second, Chen Erniu, I can reinforce your seal three more times. After that, I won't be able to do it anymore, so you need to find other ways to suppress it as soon as possible. The stronger the divinity, the better. Otherwise... if it awakens, you might not be yourself anymore," the old man said, giving the Captain a meaningful look.

The Captain's expression was as usual, still smiling, seemingly unconcerned.

But if Xu Qing had been here, with his familiarity with the Captain, he would have noticed that after hearing the old man's words, the Captain twirled the apple in his hand but didn't eat it.

"The third thing, which I mentioned before," the innkeeper continued, "is that I'll be leaving for a while. Ling'er is about to form her Foundation, and she's quite special. I need to take her to the ancestral land, and it will likely take several years before we can return."

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle!" The large snake stopped swaying and urgently spoke to the old man, who glared back.

"Still thinking about that kid named Xu, huh?" the old man said. "Aren't you afraid he'll eat you?"

"Gurgle!!" The large snake glared back, not backing down.

Seeing the large snake's reaction, the old man sighed deeply, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen.

"I think that kid Xu Qing is quite good, and he's a great match for Ling'er," the Captain said, coughing and making an encouraging gesture towards Ling'er.

Ling'er immediately became happy, swaying rapidly, and even spat out a small bottle filled with foreign matter mist, presenting it to the talking Captain.

The Captain swiftly took it and put it in his robe, a wide smile blooming on his face.

"An excellent match," the Captain said. "And I think Xu Qing could actually be a male companion for our Ling'er."

"Gurgle?" Ling'er asked curiously, seemingly wondering what a male companion was.

Just as the Captain was about to explain, Wu Jianwu, who was nearby, heard them mention Xu Qing's name. His eyes focused, and his body, which had been lazily leaning, instantly straightened. His expression grew even more solemn.

"Who in this world bears their true form? When I look back, was it ever one?"

The Captain and the old man exchanged glances. "Don't understand," they said.

"Don't know what you're saying."

Seeing this, Wu Jianwu grew anxious. His breathing quickened, and he gritted his teeth fiercely.

"The Xu Qing you're talking about," Wu Jianwu quickly asked, "is it the Xu Qing from the Seventh Peak who just broke through to Foundation Establishment recently? The one who looks quite demonic? Is it the same person?"

"Yes, Xu Qing is my Deputy Supervisor. Do you know him?" The Captain's expression was again a half-smile.

"Throughout eternity, I haven't known him, Heavens..." Wu Jianwu grunted, just about to speak, when the Captain leisurely interjected.

"It's fine if you don't know him; he's back. I'll call him over for you to meet him, or I can take you to meet him."

Wu Jianwu's eyes widened. He took a deep breath and stood up.

"With important matters at home, how can I leave now? We'll meet again if fate allows in the future," he said.

After saying that, he turned to leave. But just as he turned, a shocking pressure suddenly erupted from the street outside the private room.

This sudden fluctuation caused Wu Jianwu's expression to change. Ling'er, however, her eyes bright, pushed open the window and looked out.

The Captain: "Pulled out by the little newbie to ask for..."