Chapter 27: He Bought My Insurance

At this moment, Bone Blade had lost all resistance. His hands and feet were bound, and he was completely unconscious, being carried on the shoulder of a tall, burly man.

Beside the burly man stood another person dressed in a black leather coat. This was a slightly hunched old man. Perhaps for this reason, he wasn't wearing a mask to conceal his identity. Under a mop of messy gray hair was a face full of wrinkles. His eyes were cold and sinister, and his entire demeanor exuded a chilling aura of menace.

The energy fluctuations from his body were even stronger, surpassing those of Captain Lei and Captain Blood Shadow previously. He was clearly at the seventh level of Qi Condensation. Xu Qing had never encountered anyone with such a cultivation level among the scavengers in the camp.

While Xu Qing observed from a distance, the burly man carrying Bone Blade spoke in a muffled voice, "Steward, this fog couldn't have come at a worse time. What about the other marked 'meat treasures'?"

"It's all this 'meat treasure's' fault for wasting time hiding," the old man in black leather said, casting a cold glance at the unconscious Bone Blade. He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Tell the others to come here. We'll leave first and wait for the fog to dissipate, then we'll go look for the other 'meat treasures'."

"Our boss is something else. Couldn't we just grab them in the camp? He had to wait until they entered the forbidden zone before telling us to act," the burly man grumbled a few words of dissatisfaction. The old man beside him snorted coldly.

"What our boss wants is a steady flow. It's beyond your pig brain to comprehend. If we just snatch people in the camp, how would this camp continue to operate?"

The burly man heard this with a hint of disapproval, but didn't retort. Following the old man's instructions, he took out a whistle and blew it. Soon, the two black-clad figures Xu Qing had previously seen arrived quickly.

Xu Qing did not stop them, nor did he make a move. He crouched in the distant treetops, watching everything unfold with cold detachment.

After confirming that there were indeed only four of them and seeing them about to leave, Xu Qing glanced at the unconscious Bone Blade. If he hadn't seen this incident, or if Bone Blade hadn't bought his insurance, or if it had happened outside the jungle, Xu Qing wouldn't have bothered. He wasn't a saint and didn't have the energy to save others.

But he had his principles. "Since you bought my insurance, I'll ensure you leave the forbidden zone. As for what happens after you leave, that's not my concern."

So, in the next instant, Xu Qing's body shot out instantly, moving so fast that he left an afterimage behind, like an arrow released from a bowstring, heading straight for the burly man carrying Bone Blade. His previous hiding spot had been too well concealed, and his attack was as swift as lightning, so the three black-clad figures, including the burly man, didn't notice a thing. Only the old man in black had sensed something.

At this moment, his expression shifted, and he turned sharply. His right hand also rose, and in an instant, ice blades rapidly condensed, shooting towards mid-air. But it was still too late. The ice blades struck nothing. Xu Qing was already beside the burly man. As a violent gust of wind erupted around him, his long hair flew wildly. The sharpness in his eyes reflected the cold gleam of the dagger in his hand, his killing intent completely revealed!

A single slash cut across the burly man's throat. The force was so immense that the burly man, who was at the fifth level of Qi Condensation, had no time to resist or react. He couldn't even let out a scream before his head flew off.

Blood splattered everywhere!

Bone Blade, carried on the burly man's body, now fell. Xu Qing grabbed him by his clothes and with a few leaps, instantly appeared in the distance.

After throwing Bone Blade aside, Xu Qing turned and stared coldly at the other three, like a hunter. Only then did the burly man's head, with eyes wide open in confusion, his corpse, and the old man's missed ice blades all hit the ground simultaneously.

The surroundings instantly fell silent. The shock created by this scene was immense, causing the old man in black and his two companions to be mentally rattled as they all stared at Xu Qing.

"Kid!" blurted out one of the two black-clad figures behind the old man, upon seeing Xu Qing, his eyes widened.

"Shut up!" the old man in black at the front immediately roared.

The black-clad figure realized he had misspoken and remained silent. Xu Qing gave the three a deep look. That single word had exposed everything.

"Kid, this has nothing to do with you. Get lost immediately, and I can pretend you never appeared." The old man in black had a grim expression, staring intently at Xu Qing. He no longer tried to conceal anything and spoke slowly.

At this moment, a gust of wind blew. As it passed Xu Qing, it ruffled his fringe, then continued towards the three old men, stirring up fallen leaves on the ground and making a rustling sound. It seemed the fog grew thicker with the wind.

Xu Qing remained silent, not speaking.

Bone Blade had actually woken up earlier but had been feigning unconsciousness. Hearing the old man's words now, he grew anxious, worried that Xu Qing wouldn't continue to save him, so he quickly opened his eyes. He felt it would only be safe if he pushed Xu Qing to the point where he had to fight desperately. And there was only one way to do this, so he shouted loudly.

"Kid, don't listen to him! They are the camp master's people. Many of the scavengers who've disappeared from the camp over the years were secretly captured by them and sold to merchant caravans as 'treasure feeders'. This is the camp master's biggest secret!"

His words made the old man in black narrow his eyes, staring at Xu Qing, and speak again. "I'm giving you one last chance. Don't meddle!"

Xu Qing ignored Bone Blade's words. The cause and effect of the matter had nothing to do with him. His thought was simple and direct: "You bought my insurance, so I'll ensure you leave the forbidden zone. As for what happens after you leave, that's not my concern."

"He bought my insurance," Xu Qing said seriously.

The old man in black's expression grew even colder. But the next instant, a sinister grin appeared on his lips. He abruptly raised both hands, and a giant red halo immediately appeared beneath his feet. Gusts of cold wind suddenly rose from within the halo, seeming to transform into a tornado with impressive momentum.

"Kid, you're still too inexperienced. You actually gave me time to cast my spell. In that case... go die." The old man roared and violently shook his hands. Immediately, the wind halo around him grew even grander, and countless blood-red ice blades rapidly formed within it.

At the same time, the two black-clad figures beside him also sneered, rushing at Xu Qing from left and right.

Bone Blade's eyes showed despair.

Only Xu Qing remained calm from beginning to end. As the two figures approached from left and right, and at the moment the ice blade storm around the old man in black was about to erupt, he spoke softly.

"I should thank you too."

Almost the instant Xu Qing spoke, the two black-clad figures rushing towards him suddenly halted their steps. Their faces instantly turned ashen black. Their eyes widened in terror, and streams of black blood actually flowed from their seven orifices. As if struck by a potent poison, they couldn't even continue breathing. Both were utterly terrified to the extreme, instinctively attempting to flee. But before they could retreat a few steps, both spewed large mouthfuls of black blood, their bodies lost all strength, and they stumbled to the ground, convulsing violently. Their expressions were filled with extreme agony, as if enduring the most brutal torture, emitting terrifying, ear-piercing screams. In the next instant, they suddenly died.

This sight left Bone Blade utterly horrified. The old man in black, who was casting the spell, also felt his mind reel, and the storm he was maintaining around him became unstable. And from his eyes, black blood also began to flow at this moment.

"You..." The old man's expression changed drastically. Unable to maintain the stability of his spell, he forcefully pushed outwards, causing the ice blades to erupt prematurely. But due to the fluctuations in his mind, though the explosion was powerful, its coverage was off. Xu Qing swayed his body, carrying Bone Blade, and after easily dodging, he watched the old man in black rapidly retreating, attempting to flee.

Watching the other party retreat and continuously taking out and swallowing pills, Xu Qing did not stop him. Instead, amidst Bone Blade's fear, he murmured softly, "One, two, three..."

The instant the third word left his lips, the old man in black let out a gasp and spewed a large mouthful of black blood, which even contained fragments of decaying internal organs. His body staggered, but he didn't fall. Although his face was pale, he seemed to have some remaining strength and was about to make a hasty escape.

Xu Qing saw this, and his brows furrowed. His body shot out instantly, directly catching up to the old man. Amidst the despair in the old man's eyes, he launched a punch at his chest from a distance. Instantly, a sinister demon shadow materialized on his fist, grinning silently and pouncing towards the old man.

Bang!

The old man's body shook. The clothes on his chest instantly shattered into dust, his heart collapsed, and he died on the spot. His corpse fell to the ground, with a concave chest where the flesh and bone had actually formed a demon's ghostly face, appearing horrifying.

"These seven types of scattered poison, spread by the wind, theoretically, when mixed, should cause death within a few breaths upon poisoning. Why could he still hold on...? It seems further improvements are needed," Xu Qing murmured, ignoring Bone Blade, who was stunned with fear. He began to gather the spoils of war. Finally, he took out the corpse-destroying powder and sprinkled it over the three bodies.

As sizzling sounds spread through the silent jungle, the three bodies all melted into bloody liquid.

Having finished all this, Xu Qing looked at Bone Blade.

Bone Blade's entire being was already trembling in body and mind from Xu Qing's actions. The young figure before him, in his eyes, seemed to have become the most terrifying presence in the world. So when Xu Qing's gaze swept over him, he immediately shivered. Amidst his trembling, he found it difficult to breathe, and the skin on his hands turned bluish-green. This sight almost made him collapse.

"Young friend, I... I'm poisoned too."

"Anyone within this windy area will be poisoned," Xu Qing said calmly.

"Antidote, give me the antidote..." Bone Blade pleaded anxiously, feeling a stinging sensation all over his body.

"My poison has no antidote." Xu Qing looked up at the approaching fog in the distance. Amidst Bone Blade's despair, he added faintly, "I came to save you because you bought insurance, but that's not an excuse for you to be clever."

"Young friend, I was wrong, I know I was wrong! My whole body is starting to sting, look, I'm turning green..." Bone Blade trembled. He saw his hands turning increasingly bluish-black. The scene of the two black-clad figures bleeding from their seven orifices and dying miserably flashed in his mind, and his inner terror reached its peak.

Xu Qing cast a cold glance at him. With a wave of his right hand, he threw a packet of medicinal powder over. Bone Blade quickly caught it and immediately poured it into his mouth, as if afraid that taking too little wouldn't neutralize the poison. Soon, the bluish tint on his body disappeared, but his face began to swell.

"What did you give me to eat? Why is my mouth numb...?" Bone Blade felt his face was very swollen, and his speech was slurred. He looked blankly at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing glanced at Bone Blade, who now resembled a pig's head, and spoke faintly.

"It's also poison."