Chapter 408: Thousand Forest Frost, Water Sways in the Wind

Kong Xianglong works for the Field Operations Office, specializing in hunting down fugitives.

Today, he had brought in a captured wanted criminal. When Xu Qing saw him, he was on the ninth floor, chatting and laughing with some familiar jailers. Beside him lay a dying Two-Faced tribesman. This Two-Faced tribesman had formidable cultivation. Although severely injured and lying there, the golden core's seven palaces still emitted powerful fluctuations, indicating he was undoubtedly an extraordinary figure within his tribe; otherwise, he wouldn't possess seven Heavenly Palaces.

Yet, he was in a wretched state, covered in what looked like abuse marks, and had lost a leg, the wound suggesting it had been torn off. Kong Xianglong also had injuries, but he seemed unconcerned. Noticing Xu Qing, his eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Xu Qing!" "Brother Kong."

Xu Qing returned the greeting. The surrounding jailers also smiled and greeted Xu Qing. During this period, Xu Qing had successfully guarded District 132 without changing cells, which many jailers had heard about. What earned him even more admiration was that he went out daily for his shifts without ever meeting an untimely demise.

Seeing Kong Xianglong now, Xu Qing also smiled, his gaze falling on the other man's wounds. "It's nothing, just minor injuries. Xu Qing, have you become a jailer? Haha, just as I expected."

Kong Xianglong's gaze swept over the dark flame patterns on Xu Qing's Daoist robe, and he also noticed the jailers' expressions. He blinked, seemingly unsurprised by Xu Qing becoming a jailer. "Actually, when I heard you were going to be the Palace Master's personal scribe, I guessed..." "What did you guess?"

Before Kong Xianglong could finish speaking, a cold, authoritative voice echoed from the stairs on the ninth floor. As the words resonated, the indifferent figure of the Palace Master appeared, descending step by step, radiating an oppressive aura as he approached them. All the jailers immediately became serious, bowing in unison. "Greetings, Palace Master."

Xu Qing did the same, and Kong Xianglong trembled, quickly bowing his head in greeting. Xu Qing noticed that Kong Xianglong seemed extremely afraid, even sweating on his forehead. The Palace Master exuded a powerful oppressive presence, and as he drew closer, a sense of suppression permeated the entire ninth floor. In the ensuing silence, the Palace Master arrived before everyone.

He glanced at the Two-Faced fugitive lying on the ground, then his gaze fell on Kong Xianglong, and he spoke coldly, "With your cultivation, you could have easily captured this cultivator with one sword strike. Why did you use two? Have you become complacent just because the outside world hails you as this generation's human prodigy? You haven't learned anything else, but you've picked up arrogance quite quickly."

After speaking, he turned his gaze to Xu Qing, equally cold. "And you, instead of returning to cultivate after your shift, what are you doing here making a spectacle? Have you become complacent just because you suppressed District 132? Furthermore, have you truly suppressed it? If you have the ability, go suppress District 1 and get promoted to Zone C!"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. The Palace Master's words made him ponder deeply. As for the Palace Master's temper, Xu Qing already knew about it. During his time familiarizing himself with other jailers, he had heard about the Sword-Wielding Palace Master's strictness towards people. Combined with the Palace Master's scathing reprimand during their first meeting, Xu Qing knew that anything he said now would be useless. As for Kong Xianglong, he also kept his head down, silent. "Why aren't you speaking? I'm asking you!"

The Palace Master's gaze swept over Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong, finally settling on Kong Xianglong. Kong Xianglong hesitated, then spoke in a low voice, "At the time, there were several 'near-human' maidservants with this Two-Faced cultivator. They were pitiful individuals, and I was afraid that if I acted with too much force, I might harm the innocent, so..."

"Near-humans" are not a distinct race; they are born from human tribes, and their fates are sometimes even more tragic.

The Palace Master was silent for a moment before speaking. "Even so, how did you get injured killing a seven-palace Golden Core cultivator? What personal business did you engage in?"

Sweat beaded on Kong Xianglong's forehead, but with the Palace Master staring, he couldn't remain silent. He bit the bullet and said, "That fugitive had some accomplices who fled. Although they weren't on the wanted list, I couldn't stand the heinous things they had done, so I chased after them and killed them all. Then another tough opponent appeared, and I killed him too, which is how I got injured."

The Palace Master cast a cold glance at Kong Xianglong, then turned and walked towards the stairs, but his icy voice still echoed, "It's understandable, but you violated the Sword Wielder's mission rules by causing unnecessary complications. You are hereby punished with seven days in prison. Take him away!"

With that, the Palace Master departed.

Xu Qing looked at Kong Xianglong with sympathy. He felt the Palace Master was overly rigid and unfeeling in this matter. Kong Xianglong sighed, gave Xu Qing a wry smile, and said, "If I had known this, I would have left right after delivering him. Just a step too late, what bad luck." As he spoke, the nearby jailers returned with serious expressions. After restraining the Two-Faced criminal on the ground, they approached Kong Xianglong.

Kong Xianglong resignedly raised his hands, was shackled, and immediately led away. Before leaving, he looked back and waved at Xu Qing. Xu Qing watched in silence until Kong Xianglong's figure disappeared. Only then did he leave the Ministry of Punishment and return to the Sword Pavilion.

After sitting cross-legged, Xu Qing gazed out into the night, the scene of Kong Xianglong being reprimanded and imprisoned replaying in his mind. Through this incident, he clearly perceived the Sword-Wielding Palace Master's strict adherence to rules. Just as he had been reprimanded, so too was a prodigy like Kong Xianglong. "Such a Sword-Wielding Palace..."

Xu Qing's gaze pierced the darkness. He suddenly felt it was quite good. The rules here were simpler; although strength spoke volumes, merit and regulations were equally important. "That's why when Brother Chen told me that Zhang Siyun's grandmaster was one of the four deacons, he said that person wasn't corrupt. With a Palace Master like this, if someone truly engaged in corruption, he surely wouldn't tolerate it."

Xu Qing mused. After these numerous small incidents, he had unconsciously formed an initial understanding of the Sword-Wielding Palace. At the same time, he recalled the words of the old man from the Danqing tribe. "A divine avatar is imprisoned deep within the Ministry of Punishment!" Xu Qing shook his head. He felt that this matter was enough to simply know about; it wasn't something he could investigate or verify himself. So, he buried the matter deep in his heart, closed his eyes, and focused on his fifth Heavenly Palace.

His fifth Heavenly Palace was nearing completion. According to Xu Qing's judgment, it would be fully materialized in about five or six days. "The further along, the slower the materialization becomes." Therefore, Xu Qing had recently been pondering whether to incorporate his lifebound Canglong into it. He felt his first four Heavenly Palaces were excellent, and compared to them, the Canglong seemed somewhat ordinary. The formation of a Heavenly Palace Golden Core could also be achieved through one's own cultivation method, not just by incorporating external objects. So, Xu Qing was also considering what would happen if he integrated his Imperial-level cultivation method.

This was theoretically possible, but Xu Qing lacked some information. After thinking for a moment, he braced himself and took out a voice transmission jade slip to send a message to Immortal Zixuan. "Senior, are you there?" "No." Immortal Zixuan's voice came from the jade slip almost instantly.

Xu Qing fell silent; there was no second sound from the jade slip. He detected the unusual tone in Immortal Zixuan's voice and felt a bit lost, unsure when he had offended her. So, he sent a message to Fifth Grandmaster to inquire about integrating Imperial-level cultivation methods into the palaces. "Huh? Didn't Immortal Zixuan tell you? Before we came to the commandery capital, your master specifically discussed with her the integration of your Imperial-level cultivation method into your Golden Core."

"Just a few days ago, I also saw Senior Zixuan invite some of her friends to the sect and inquire about similar matters. After all, every Imperial-level cultivation method is different, and the integration methods also have their specific nuances. She even specially visited the three great sects and paid some price to consult their scripture archives. If integrated haphazardly, it won't cause harm, but it won't succeed either."

Xu Qing was silent. He hadn't known Zixuan had done so much for him, and a ripple stirred in his heart. He picked up the jade slip and sent a message to Zixuan. "Senior..." "Hmm, who is this?" Zixuan's voice came from the jade slip. "It's Xu Qing..." "Oh, is it that Xu Qing who chose to live in the Sword Pavilion and never return, just to avoid me?"

Xu Qing didn't know how to reply, so he just spoke softly. "I heard from Fifth Grandmaster... Thank you, Senior!" A soft huff came from the jade slip. "Your fifth Heavenly Palace is almost complete, isn't it? Return to see me on the day it materializes. Oh, and I like the osmanthus cakes from the south of the city."

"Okay." Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief, quickly put away the jade slip, and mentally noted the osmanthus cakes. "I need to find a chance to repay Immortal Zixuan in the future." Xu Qing wasn't good at expressing his feelings, so he took out a bamboo slip and carved Zixuan's name on the other side, where he recorded those who had shown him kindness.

"Also, regarding military merits, I need to make haste." Thinking of military merits, Xu Qing frowned slightly. After becoming a jailer, he gained a clearer understanding of how to acquire military merits. Normally, as a jailer, he received a fixed amount of military merits each month. It wasn't much, far from his goal. To acquire more, he had to go out and complete missions. However, even missions didn't offer many rewards; tasks with high rewards usually involved team operations or Nascent Soul level cultivators. Nevertheless, accumulation would eventually lead to the desired amount. Therefore, Xu Qing planned to complete various tasks near the commandery capital in the coming days, in addition to his regular shifts.

After making this decision, Xu Qing closed his eyes and began to meditate. Time passed. Just before dawn, Xu Qing suddenly opened his eyes. "I seem to have forgotten something..." Xu Qing frowned, pondering. A moment later, his eyes narrowed. "Today, the Palace Master questioned whether I had truly suppressed District 132."

Xu Qing murmured. He felt there was something wrong with that sentence, and what was most unsettling was that he had almost forgotten it after returning. "No!" Xu Qing suddenly looked up. He was confident in his memory; this shouldn't have been forgotten. "When did my memory start to falter?" Xu Qing's eyes showed contemplation. As he recalled his experiences, his eyes slowly narrowed. "I only unconsciously forget memories related to District 132; other matters are unaffected." "And this situation started when I became the warden of District 132."

Xu Qing's mind reeled. He suddenly remembered the previous warden, the old man who sharpened knives, who had said something to him that day. "When you think you've discovered everything, there's actually more waiting for you." Xu Qing fell silent. After a long while, his gaze turned cold, and he murmured. "I've been influenced by District 132."

At that moment, the sky outside brightened. But there wasn't much bright sunshine; the sky was a dreary gray, and rain fell. This was the commandery capital's rainy season, which would last for several months.

The moment he stepped into the Ministry of Punishment, he simultaneously sent a mental message to the Old Ancestor of the Vajra Sect and Shadow. "From this moment onwards, use memory jade slips to continuously record all my upcoming experiences." Both the Old Ancestor of the Vajra Sect and Shadow were startled, but they quickly obeyed. "Master, what happened?" the Old Ancestor of the Vajra Sect cautiously asked. "I suspect some force is interfering with my perception, diminishing my memory of certain events."

Xu Qing's eyes grew colder. He walked into the Ministry of Punishment, entered the fifty-seventh floor, and then entered... District 132! He wasn't sure when, but District 132 had become less dark and cold. He wasn't sure when, but the head no longer spoke as much, the Cloud Beast stopped eating tentacles, the grinding wheel's rotation became stiff, and the old man from the Danqing tribe frequently appeared. Perhaps Shadow and the Old Ancestor of the Vajra Sect had contributed to this change. As Xu Qing walked into District 132 and sensed everything there, this thought arose in his mind.

The little boy also appeared, standing not far from him, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes. Xu Qing's heart sank when he saw this, but he remained calm, walking along the corridor as usual, passing by the cages holding prisoners. When he reached the grinding wheel, he saw the rambling head, uncharacteristically not rolling around on the ground, but resting on the grinding wheel, staring at Xu Qing with a strange expression. It looked at Xu Qing, and Xu Qing looked back at it. It didn't speak.

"Why is it so quiet today?" Xu Qing calmly asked. "I don't want to be stepped on. Besides, have you ever seen someone talk to a dead person?" The head laughed, its smile eerie. "Yes, I have," Xu Qing replied. The head froze. "Not only have I seen it, I've done it," Xu Qing said seriously. The head's expression turned peculiar, then it swayed left and right, turning its back of the head towards Xu Qing.

Xu Qing walked forward until he reached the cage of the Danqing tribe, looking at the neatly dressed old man inside. He suddenly spoke. "Repeat every word you've ever said to me. If you miss even one word, I'll kill you." The old man was startled. Xu Qing was expressionless. With a wave of his hand, Shadow dispersed and re-covered the old man's cage. The old man from the Danqing tribe quickly began speaking. His memory was excellent; he repeated every word he had said since Xu Qing became the warden.

Xu Qing listened, nodded, then turned back to the cell door, closed his eyes, and meditated. A day passed. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, just like any other day, until it was time to clock out. Xu Qing exited District 132. He walked straight back to the Sword Pavilion without any stops.

The moment he sat down cross-legged, Xu Qing spoke. "Youlingzi, you go first." The black iron token flew out, and the Old Ancestor of the Vajra Sect quickly materialized within, his expression extremely solemn. With a wave of his hand, a memory jade slip appeared, displaying an image. The image was of Xu Qing himself. It recorded his entire day, from entering the Ministry of Punishment to entering and finally leaving District 132, in great detail and clarity, without missing anything. In particular, all the words spoken by the old man from the Danqing tribe were recorded.

Xu Qing watched for a long time but couldn't discern anything unusual. So, he sent a mental message to Shadow, and Shadow quickly displayed the images it had recorded. After comparing the two, everything appeared normal. Xu Qing's eyes showed contemplation, and a thought involuntarily arose in his mind. "Could I be overthinking this?"

Xu Qing mused. After suppressing that thought, he continued to examine the memory jade slip. Finally, his eyes suddenly narrowed, focusing on the old man from the Danqing tribe within the jade slip. The old man's voice came from the memory jade slip. "Warden, how many prisoners are incarcerated in our District 132?" "In your memory, how many prisoners are there... exactly?" "My lord, I only spoke nonsense because I had no choice. The black shadow was about to devour me just now. I had no option but to buy myself some time this way; otherwise, I would be gone. My lord, in your generosity, please forgive me just this once, only once!"

Xu Qing stared at the jade slip, looping the old man's plea for forgiveness, and spoke softly. "Youlingzi, Little Shadow, listen to this sentence. Was this old man from the Danqing tribe... talking to me?"

Yesterday, I saw a reader say I was trying a new writing style. Indeed, I am trying out a new creative approach. Making a cake requires eggs, milk, sugar, cream, flour, and so on. I'm trying to embed these ingredients within all the chapters, or within certain events, and then piece them together to present a cake to everyone. I strive to make the process not boring.