Chapter 53: Give a Spirit Coin

What happened that night greatly irked Xu Qing. He had not intended to kill anyone on his first day at Seven Blood Eyes, but the other party had deliberately framed him. Had Xu Qing's cultivation and combat strength not been sufficient, anyone else in his place would likely have faced an unpredictable outcome that night, and their very survival would have been uncertain.

Therefore, his current strike was incredibly swift, and as his voice resonated, the screaming woman abruptly fell silent, trembling all over. However, she knew the advantage of being a woman. She also understood that to men, a terrified woman would elicit some degree of pity, so she exaggerated her fear.

Xu Qing, expressionless, chewed the last hawthorn berry skewer in his mouth as he walked towards her. At the same time, he remained wary of potential accomplices around him. As he approached, the passersby had already distanced themselves. Even a few cultivators among them, who had seen the woman's misery and wanted to intervene, quickly abandoned the idea once they sensed Xu Qing's formidable aura.

Seeing Xu Qing approach, the woman, whose foot had been pierced and was wracked with intense pain, deliberately trembled even more, sweat beading on her forehead. She recognized Xu Qing's voice. In fact, ever since she framed Xu Qing that day and noticed his gaze and ruthless actions, she had been extremely wary. She knew very well that she had provoked a terrifying individual. So, for the past few days, she had hidden herself, not venturing out. Today, she thought the commotion must have died down, and that terrifying individual was likely a newcomer who wouldn't dare cause trouble in broad daylight. That's why she came out. However, she never imagined that she would still encounter him.

Even if she did encounter him, she was confident she could escape. After all, she was a civilian, with the Patrol Division responsible for maintaining order, and under the rules, she was safe. But looking at the figure who now squatted beside her, she suddenly had a premonition that she would die here before the Patrol Division could even arrive. So, she fully displayed the pitiable vulnerability of a woman through her trembling body and terrified eyes, hoping to buy time.

"Stop pretending," Xu Qing said, crouching in front of the woman. He pulled the bamboo skewer from her foot.

The intense pain, combined with having her thoughts exposed, made the terror in the woman's eyes real. She also noticed how close he was. She struggled internally for a moment, her clenched right hand twitched, but she still didn't dare scatter the poison powder in her hand.

Just then, a whistling sound came from the street in the distance. A team of Patrol Division cultivators on patrol seemed to have noticed what was happening here and were rapidly approaching. Hope immediately flickered in the woman's eyes.

But soon, as Xu Qing took out the badge of the Bounty Hunter Division from his person, the Patrol Division cultivators turned and left without looking back. The hope in the woman's eyes was replaced by despair, and she suddenly whispered, trembling.

"What happened last time was my fault; I'm willing to make amends. I... I know a clue about a wanted criminal!" She didn't haggle with Xu Qing. Having long operated in the shadows, she knew very well that in the face of someone stronger, capable of crushing her, she had no right to negotiate. Obedience was the only way to survive. So, without waiting for Xu Qing to speak, she quickly divulged the clue.

"The wanted criminal is Qing Yunzi, a renegade disciple from the Spirit Cloud Sect. He has been staying on Banquan Road these past few days, in the same inn where we last met."

"Wanted criminal?" Xu Qing took out the jade slip given by his captain and, after checking, found Qing Yunzi's name. He glanced at it; the reward was around twenty spirit stones.

"Also, I heard what your Bounty Hunter Division has been investigating lately, and I know the location of a Night Jay stronghold." Under this immense threat, the woman was desperate to save her life and gave her all, hurriedly continuing to speak and providing the stronghold's location.

After listening, Xu Qing gave the woman a meaningful look, thinking of his captain's informants. He then took out a spirit coin and handed it to her. "If you have more clues like this in the future, wait for me here."

The woman was stunned, then hesitated. She clearly understood the meaning of his words. Soon, she gritted her teeth firmly and nodded, taking the spirit coin. Under Xu Qing's gaze, she limped away quickly.

After the woman's figure disappeared into the crowd, Xu Qing stood up. He didn't bother to verify the truthfulness of her information about the Night Jay stronghold. He only needed to report it to the Division, and someone would naturally investigate.

So, after patrolling the city once more, Xu Qing went to the inn where he had stayed earlier that day, as the sun began to set. During the day, the inn was open, but almost no one entered. Xu Qing scanned the inn from a distance, recalling the innkeeper's strangeness. He didn't act rashly. Instead, he returned to the Bounty Hunter Division, reported the stronghold clue he had obtained, and then left after his shift.

As for whether the woman would agree outwardly but then disappear later, Xu Qing didn't care. Because she had accepted that spirit coin, and it... was poisoned. She would need an antidote in three days.

On the way, he encountered a few members of Team Six. Upon seeing Xu Qing, they gave him cold glances and said nothing to each other. Only one middle-aged team member smilingly invited Xu Qing to drink with him. In Seven Blood Eyes, where infighting was ostensibly forbidden but mutual plunder was rampant, such an invitation was rather abrupt, making Xu Qing even more wary, and he calmly declined. Today was a special day. He didn't want to kill anyone; he wanted to be alone.

Additionally, he also planned to visit an apothecary. He needed to buy some herbs for refining White Pills, to try refining them and then sell them for money. At the same time, his stock of poisons and Black Pills was running low and needed replenishing. He also had more ideas about poisons that he wanted to test.

Following the map etched in his mind, Xu Qing quickly found an apothecary. The apothecary was large, with many people coming and going inside, all dressed in gray daoist robes. Pills and similar items were needed by disciples from all peaks. Xu Qing's entrance attracted some attention due to his refined appearance, but most merely glanced and didn't show obvious expressions. Xu Qing's expression was calm. He also scanned the crowd in the shop and silently walked towards the counter.

At the counter, besides an elderly man who seemed to be the shopkeeper, there was also a plump young man. This plump young man had an ordinary appearance, and his gray daoist robe was very tight on him, making him look round. His fair, chubby face had some freckles. He looked sixteen or seventeen and was also a customer. He was currently yawning and stuffing handfuls of herbs piled on the counter into a large pouch he carried. His movements were completely disorganized. Outsiders might not notice anything, but Xu Qing could tell at a glance that he didn't understand herbs. Some of the herbs shouldn't have been stored together, yet he haphazardly stuffed them into his pouch.

"Shopkeeper, there aren't many herbs this time, just this much?" As Xu Qing approached, he heard the plump young man's dissatisfied voice.

"You come every day and buy us out. Come back tomorrow; the owner's new stock will arrive then." The shopkeeper and the plump young man were clearly familiar with each other. After taking out all the herbs the young man had purchased, the shopkeeper looked at the approaching Xu Qing. "Younger brother, what pills do you need?"

"I need ten-year-old Butterfly Bone Flowers, thirty Golden Wing Leaves, ten processed Exquisite Branches, any year's Seven-Leaf Grass, and one hundred Golden Button Grasses," Xu Qing calmly stated. "Also, ten Rhinoceros Fire Flowers with roots, and ten each of Spirit Condensing Leaves and White Root Backs. Additionally, do you have any Rotten Cloud Mud or Black Rose Thorns?" After a moment of thought, Xu Qing added a few more snake venoms and poisonous herbs. He finished speaking and looked at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Xu Qing. Normally, he encountered disciples buying pills, and occasionally some buying herbs, who were mostly fellow disciples from the Second Peak, or those who knew nothing, like the plump young man. This young man, however, spoke so clearly and thoroughly, and was a stranger. He was likely not a Second Peak cultivator, which was quite rare. Furthermore, most of the herbs he requested were for White Pills, which made the shopkeeper thoughtful. After a profound look at Xu Qing, he shook his head.

"We have everything else; the total is three hundred eighty spirit coins. However, the last hundred portions of Spirit Condensing Leaves were bought by him. You can come back tomorrow for more stock." The shopkeeper pointed to the plump young man who was still packing.

Xu Qing nodded. While Spirit Condensing Leaves were important, waiting one day wouldn't make a difference. As for the price of the herbs, it was reasonable. If successful, he could probably refine about a hundred White Pills and some poison powder.

Just as he was about to make the purchase, the plump young man nearby looked up, sized up Xu Qing, and asked curiously, "Spirit Condensing Leaves? You want these too? What are they used for? I've asked the shopkeeper several times, but he never tells me."

"You always ask so many questions every time. If I answered all of them, I wouldn't have time for other customers..." The shopkeeper sighed helplessly.

Xu Qing glanced at the plump young man and thought of how he himself had once thirsted for knowledge. So, he spoke softly. "Spirit Condensing Leaves have two main uses. One is to catalyze other herbs, causing them to mutate in desired directions. The other is for excellent skin nourishment."

Upon hearing this, the plump young man suddenly understood, and generously took out a handful of Spirit Condensing Leaves, about seven or eight stalks, placing them magnanimously before Xu Qing. "Thanks, brother, these are for you." The plump young man said, then happily hoisted his bag and walked out, as if giving some herbs to someone was a trivial matter to him.

Xu Qing was startled and hesitated, about to refuse, but the plump young man had already hurried out the door, even taking out a jade slip as if sending a voice message.

The shopkeeper nearby spoke with a smile. "This plump young man is Huang Yan, a disciple from the Seventh Peak. He's also a lovestruck oddball, captivated by some female disciple, and has been buying herbs from me for years. If he keeps buying like this, the money he's spent over the years would be enough for him to become my boss. However, this kid isn't simple; despite being so high-profile, he's still alive."

Xu Qing glanced deeply in the direction the plump young man had gone, saying nothing. He then purchased the remaining herbs at the apothecary and left.

He returned to his berth, and after his usual inspection confirmed no issues, Xu Qing entered his Dharma boat and immediately activated its defenses. Only when the defenses appeared did he finally relax. Compared to the outside world, the Dharma boat provided Xu Qing with a greater sense of security. He now entered the cabin and sat down, taking out the purchased herbs and arranging them by category. The formula for White Pills appeared in his mind. Although he hadn't gathered all the necessary herbs for White Pills before, Xu Qing had never relaxed his study of pill concoction. So now that he had all the herbs, he thought for a moment and began refining.

Time slowly passed, and midnight arrived.