Chapter 412: Yao Yunhui, Think More About His Good Points

The sun rose on the horizon, its light spreading across the land, melting away all darkness in its path and radiating everywhere. The streets of the Commandery Capital also bustled to life.

Xu Qing walked on his way to duty, sensing the fifth heavenly palace within his body as he went. The imperial-level cultivation method totem on his body was still present, and its combat power enhancement had not vanished simply because the Golden Crow Refining Myriad Spirits had integrated into his fifth heavenly palace. The imperial-level cultivation method itself still possessed the power of one heavenly palace, but its power was clearly greater, and the same applied to his fifth heavenly palace.

It could even be said that if he were to encounter someone else with five heavenly palaces, and they were to compare their fundamental strength without considering any cultivation methods or artifact fragments, Xu Qing would not be inferior in the slightest, even when compared to the most astonishing prodigies of the myriad races. If the comparison of fundamental strength was made with those below the level of prodigies, Xu Qing's five heavenly palaces would far surpass theirs, because each of his heavenly palaces was earth-shattering—if not unparalleled in the world, then very close to it.

His Destiny Palace formed from two soul lamps, the palace formed by the Poisonous Restriction Pill, the Purple Moon Heavenly Palace, and now the Golden Crow Dragon Chariot Palace. This was the profound foundation Xu Qing had accumulated on his journey so far. Each one was acquired through his desperate efforts. A person's strength rarely forms suddenly; it usually arises from long-term accumulation and continuous effort. Xu Qing was a prime example of this, which was why he could fight across heavenly palace levels.

As he sensed this, Xu Qing was in a good mood. Passing a breakfast stall, a similar scent reminded him of the fried dough sticks from Seven Blood Eyes.

"I wonder when I'll be able to go back," Xu Qing murmured to himself, looking in the direction of Yinghuang State. He felt a longing for Master Seven and Ancestor Blood Refiner, as well as the breakfast stall he used to frequent with companions from Seven Blood Eyes when they went to the Eight Sects Alliance.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and walked towards the local breakfast stall. He sat down and ordered a portion. After tasting it, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face; though the flavor wasn't as good as the one in his memories, it was still acceptable.

While he was eating breakfast, the little boy squatted nearby, staring intently at Xu Qing. Seemingly bored, it looked around at the bustling street. As it watched, its gaze suddenly sharpened and landed on a two-story pavilion not far away. At the window of the pavilion, a figure had previously stood, gazing with resentment in Xu Qing's direction.

Curious, the little boy flickered and vanished. When it reappeared, it was inside the pavilion, where it saw a very beautiful woman scolding a young man.

"Useless! That Xu Qing is not only a Traveling Scribe but has also become a soldier of the Tribunal Department, while you are merely a clerk, organizing documents!"

"And you calmly accept it! Where is your arrogance? Where is your dignity as the foremost talent of Yinghuang State in this generation? Why haven't you gone to find your grandmaster?!"

The one being scolded was Zhang Siyun. And the woman in the little boy's eyes was, naturally, Zhang Siyun's mother, Yao Yunhui.

Her identity made a direct visit to the Sword-Holding Palace too sensitive, and some things couldn't be said through jade slips. So, she had invited Zhang Siyun's grandmaster to meet here today. However, on the way, she received a message from her family informing her of the Sword-Holding Palace Master's warning. Her family had also sternly warned her not to provoke the Sword-Holding Palace. This made Yao Yunhui very uncomfortable. Having just seen Xu Qing again, her dislike intensified, and she looked at her son with rising anger.

Zhang Siyun lowered his head, his hatred for Xu Qing deepening. Every time his mother compared him to Xu Qing, the malice in his heart grew stronger. In fact, he had sought out his grandmaster, but the grandmaster's gaze was strange, and he didn't know why. Facing his mother's fury now, he dared not explain and could only silently endure it. Furthermore, he actually felt that his work of organizing documents wasn't entirely useless. At the very least, in the past month, he had found several instances where others had overlooked or mistranscribed information, earning him commendation from the department. But he knew he couldn't say any of this.

"Actually, it's still better to be in Yinghuang State," Zhang Siyun sighed inwardly.

As his mother continued to scold him, she suddenly took out a sound-transmitting jade slip. Her expression quickly grew even darker, and she finally crushed the jade slip with a snap.

"Busy with official business? We clearly made an appointment days ago, and now they're backing out again. Is this because they know about the decree issued by the Sword-Holding Palace Master?!"

"Those from the Taishi Immortal Sect, every single one of them is gutless and utterly foolish!" Yao Yunhui's face was grim as she cursed.

Zhang Siyun sighed inwardly and spoke softly. "Mother..."

"Get out!" Yao Yunhui's voice was cold.

Zhang Siyun remained silent for a long time, then stood up, bowed to his mother, and turned to leave, his expression growing increasingly despondent, his hatred for Xu Qing deepening.

After walking a considerable distance down the street, his body suddenly convulsed, and the world spun around him. He pressed his hand against a nearby wall. A flicker of a red moon appeared in his eyes, and a hideous expression twisted his face, but it vanished in an instant. After a while, he recovered.

"Is there a problem with my cultivation method? This is the seventh time I've had this dizzy spell." Zhang Siyun's face was grim. He pondered for a moment, then continued on his way.

Inside the pavilion, the little boy paid no attention to the departing Zhang Siyun. It stood beside Yao Yunhui, its attention entirely on her, observing curiously with a thoughtful look, seemingly analyzing her malice towards Xu Qing.

Yao Yunhui sat there, all anger now completely gone from her face. She even picked up the lotus seed soup on the table and took a sip. Her movements were elegant, as if the person who had just lost her composure and raged at Zhang Siyun wasn't her.

"Yun'er, your mother's harshness and scolding are meant to ignite your determination and spirit, hoping you'll achieve success. Your father lacked the courage back then and didn't understand my good intentions." Yao Yunhui murmured inwardly, a chilling glint in her eyes. "Xu Qing, you took Yun'er's fortune and ruined his future. Of course, I won't let this matter rest. I can't touch you within the Commandery Capital, but as soon as you leave, I have plenty of ways to frame you with crimes. I won't even kill you; I want Yun'er to witness your downfall, so his confidence will grow."

Sensing the woman's thoughts, a troubled expression appeared on the little boy's face. It had promised the young lady that it would protect Xu Qing. But it couldn't kill people. So, after thinking it over, it simply blew a breath towards Yao Yunhui.

The breath landed on Yao Yunhui's face. Yao Yunhui paused, spoon in hand. For some reason, her thoughts changed slightly. It was as if a subconscious idea spread through her mind, urging her to think more about others' good qualities.

"That Xu Qing isn't entirely despicable," Yao Yunhui murmured. After saying it, she herself was startled. She looked around suspiciously and stood up.

"Something's not right!" Her face darkened, and she immediately formed hand seals to investigate, but everything appeared normal.

Seeing that the effect wasn't very strong, the little boy standing beside her grew more troubled, so it blew another breath. Yao Yunhui's body trembled, and a thoughtful look appeared in her eyes. After a moment, she murmured, "That Xu Qing doesn't seem that excessive."

Yao Yunhui's eyes widened. She found her current thoughts somewhat unbelievable. Without hesitation, she immediately formed hand seals, protecting herself while also examining her mind and soul. Everything was normal. Yet, she still flickered away, reappearing in a distant alley. As she walked, she recalled what had just happened.

"Although that Xu Qing isn't particularly hateful, he still deserves some minor punishment."

The moment this thought emerged, the little boy following her seemed to get a bit angry. So this time, it blew nine breaths in a row. Yao Yunhui's entire body trembled violently, and her breathing became rapid. Her dislike for Xu Qing rapidly diminished, and a faint sense of goodwill even arose.

After a while, she murmured, "Xu Qing also has innocent aspects, and Yun'er's actions also have their improprieties..."

Seeing this, the little boy clapped its hands contentedly. It felt it had rendered meritorious service, and so it happily departed.

By this time, Xu Qing had finished his breakfast and arrived at the Tribunal Department. As usual, he climbed the winding stairs to the fifty-seventh floor and entered Cell 132. The darkness inside became slightly illuminated the moment he stepped in. Other than that, nothing had changed. The Cloud Beast still had its back to him, the human woman was still coaxing the scarecrow to sleep, and the millstone continued to turn. As for the severed head, it now looked utterly despondent, repeating the same words it uttered every day: "Don't step on me anymore, I don't want to be stepped on..."

Xu Qing walked along the corridor, checking the prisoners one by one. After examining the first thirteen prisoners, he arrived at the old man of the Danqing race. The old man respectfully bowed to Xu Qing. "Good morning, Lord Warden."

Xu Qing remained expressionless, gave him a cold glance, then turned and left. He sat cross-legged at his usual meditation spot. The Shadow and the Vajra Sect Ancestor also flew out, each starting their day's amusement. The little boy's figure also appeared, sitting beside him, visible to Xu Qing. A helpless look appeared in its eyes. It knew it wouldn't be long before Xu Qing would likely realize and awaken again.

Indeed, as Xu Qing meditated, he observed everything around him, and slowly a doubt arose in his mind. "I seem to have forgotten some things. This place feels a bit too tranquil... Why do I vaguely feel that this place should be red? The Palace Master seemed to have said something to me, and why does the little boy always look helpless? And why does the severed head repeatedly mention being stepped on to death? My memory wouldn't suddenly worsen; it started when I became the warden of this place... Could I be influenced?"

Xu Qing opened his storage bag, rummaged through it, and meticulously checked all his items. Everything was normal. He frowned, then after a moment, he looked up at the cell, his expression gradually darkening. He suddenly had a strong feeling that what he was seeing was subtly veiled before him.

Xu Qing's gaze grew colder. The Poisonous Restriction Pill inside him suddenly dispersed, and the power of his Purple Moon Heavenly Palace simultaneously erupted. The next instant, his aura completely changed, and his status elevated.

At the same time, wails echoed from inside the cage—it was the voice of the severed head. "Awake again, awake again! Please, don't step on me! Can you use a different method?!"

The old man of the Danqing race sighed, closed his eyes, and prepared to be burned to death. Xu Qing stood up with a grim expression and walked over.

A moment later, silence fell. After destroying everything except the divine finger, Xu Qing gazed at it, feeling the terrifying fluctuations emanating from within. He knew he couldn't touch it. The immense disparity between them would cause him to instantly collapse and die the moment he made contact with the finger. He possessed this knowledge.

So, after a moment, Xu Qing took out a bamboo slip, carved everything onto it, and then, a chilling aura around him, walked to the cell door. Without turning back, he stood there for a long time and spoke calmly. "Do I awaken every day? Do I realize every day that there aren't fourteen prisoners held here, but six? Are the other five, apart from the divine finger, actually immortal here, no matter how many times I kill them?"

The little boy appeared, looking helpless, and nodded.

"Did I once engrave some reminders or other measures here, but they are erased by the divine power after I leave? Even if I record things with external objects here, they vanish the moment I take them out?"

The little boy continued to nod.

"When I push the door open, I'll forget everything, won't I? And does the Palace Master know? Is this the 'fortune,' the 'trial'?"

The little boy still nodded.

Xu Qing fell silent. He knew that the Shadow and the Vajra Sect Ancestor, just like him, couldn't remember this place. After a moment, he suddenly smiled. "Then, let's continue. I suppose the day I push the door open and don't forget everything will be the moment I truly obtain this fortune."

The little boy nodded helplessly. "I've said that many times before, haven't I?"

Xu Qing smiled and looked down at the bamboo slip in his hand, which recorded everything. A faint, swift, ethereal glow appeared in his eyes as he murmured inwardly. "Actually, there's another way: for me to plant a cause and effect here, and wait for it to ripen..."

Xu Qing was silent for a moment, then crushed the bamboo slip and threw it on the ground. "Could you do me a favor? Please preserve these fragments and put them where the other bamboo slips are. I imagine I've carved many of them by now."

The little boy nodded, raising its hands as if counting, about to tell Xu Qing how many there were. Xu Qing smiled, took a deep breath, pushed open the cell door, and walked out.

On the steps of the Tribunal Department, Xu Qing walked while pondering the matter of military merits. "The fourteen prisoners in Cell 132 haven't changed; each one is as usual. So, I need to focus more of my energy on military merits."

Several days passed like this. Xu Qing's routine underwent some changes. During the day, he continued his duty as warden of Cell 132, and at night, he began undertaking various military merit tasks, such as arrests, searches, and assisting other departments, among others.

It was on the third day after Kong Xianglong's release that Xu Qing, leaving the Tribunal Department after his shift, received a voice transmission from him. "Xu Qing, there's a big job, with a lot of military merits. Interested?"