Chapter 60: Gurgle Gurgle

Staring at Xu Qing's receding figure, the old man in the inn had murder in his eyes, but he chose not to act until Xu Qing disappeared down the street. Instead, the murderous intent in his gaze slowly faded in silence.

A massive python head descended from the beam above, landing beside the old man. Gurgling sounds emanated from its mouth, as if it were speaking.

"Why didn't I kill him?" the old man rolled his eyes.

"That kid is a bit sinister; he gives me a very dangerous feeling, unless I use my ultimate move..."

"Gurgle, gurgle."

"You're the waste, your whole family is waste! Eat, eat, eat, all you ever do is eat! Fine, eat then." The old man muttered a few words, and the python beside him suddenly shot out, bit the Rat Daoist's corpse, swallowed it whole, and then slowly returned to the beam.

Meanwhile, under the cover of night, Xu Qing headed straight for the Bounty Office. After smoothly submitting his report, he received fifteen spirit stones. In the early morning, he visited a small breakfast shop run by commoners.

He drank a bowl of hot soy milk and ate a few pancakes. Following the enthusiastic recommendation of the shopkeeper, Xu Qing hesitated before splurging on three eggs, which he ate completely. Only then did he carefully return to his moored magic boat.

The profit from this trip was not just the obvious fifteen spirit stones. Inside the Rat Daoist's leather pouch, there was also one spirit stone and some miscellaneous items. Xu Qing calculated their worth based on port prices and found they could fetch two or three more spirit stones.

"This method is still the most profitable," Xu Qing murmured, and began to cultivate.

Soon, a day passed. As night fell, Xu Qing opened his eyes. It wasn't his turn for night duty, but he still left his magic boat under the moonlight, heading towards Banquan Road. Since "waiting by the tree to catch a rabbit" proved profitable, Xu Qing planned to pull off a few more jobs.

So, at midnight, Xu Qing's figure reappeared on Banquan Road. After walking a loop, he didn't stop at yesterday's spot but moved to a different location, gazing motionlessly at the inn.

This time, however, he didn't have to wait long. He didn't encounter a wanted criminal, but he did encounter the old man from the inn. The old man emerged from the inn and stopped about three meters away from Xu Qing, his expression grim as he stared.

"Kid, you keep provoking me. Do you really think I won't act?"

"No," Xu Qing replied calmly.

"You..." Seeing Xu Qing's composure, the old man was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and spoke. "What exactly do you want? Why are you squatting here every day?"

Xu Qing remained silent. After a few breaths, he glanced at the old man and said in a deep voice, "I want to make money."

"I want to make money too!" Tentacles began to sprout from the old man's eyes, and a crack reopened in his forehead. A chilling aura instantly spread out. "If you keep this up, no one will dare come to my inn. You're already affecting my business." As the aura spread, the old man stared at Xu Qing, enunciating each word. "Now, leave this place!"

Xu Qing seemed to ponder this. He felt the old man had a point; indeed, no one would dare come if he stayed. So, he nodded, left his spot, and moved to the other side of the street. That location was even more secluded.

The old man had thought Xu Qing was leaving, but seeing him merely move to an even more hidden spot made his veins bulge. He laughed in fury, deciding not to speak further. With a wave of his hand, his forehead completely split open, and his head divided into two halves, tilting to either side. Where his original head had been, a red glow appeared. This glow exuded a bloody aura, and within it was a mass of flesh teeming with tentacles. In a grotesque display, the tentacles continuously spread as the old man, looking utterly monstrous, advanced towards Xu Qing.

As waves of dangerous fluctuations spread, the giant python inside the inn also revealed its head. Ropes materialized out of thin air around them, descending at various points on the street, encompassing Xu Qing.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, watching the approaching old man, and slowly began to speak. "This is the street, not your inn. I respect your rules for inside the inn, but if you demand that people can't move even after leaving, that would be unreasonable. Does staying here mean the room fee also includes protection when I go out?" Xu Qing finished, looking at the old man. He genuinely believed the old man was reasonable.

The old man paused. "What if it does!"

Xu Qing pondered, then took out a pouch of spirit coins, about two hundred of them, and tossed it over. The old man was stunned.

"Since it includes protection when I go out, I'll pay for two days of room fees. Now you can protect me," Xu Qing said seriously.

The old man held the spirit coins, dumbfounded for a moment. He looked at the coins, then at Xu Qing. After a long while, he let out a stifled sigh. His head, which had split into two, reclosed, revealing an expression of helplessness.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." From the inn nearby, the exposed python head made a sound.

"Shut up! I know he has a point!" The old man glared at the python. He was indeed a reasonable person, but Xu Qing's arguments were all so logical that he couldn't find a way to refute them. The other party had not broken his rules and had given him spirit coins. If he insisted on his previous statements, then logically, he would now have to protect Xu Qing.

All of this made the old man feel a strong sense of helplessness. Standing there, he looked at Xu Qing, and Xu Qing looked back at him. They stared at each other for a while before the old man sighed.

"Alright, I'll give you clues for two wanted criminals. Go catch them according to the clues, and stop coming here." With that, the old man took out a jade slip, imprinted some information on it, and threw it to Xu Qing. He didn't return the spirit coins and walked back to the inn without looking back.

As he left, the surrounding ropes dissipated. The python in the inn raised its head, seemingly nodding a greeting to Xu Qing from a distance, and then it too vanished.

Xu Qing glanced at the jade slip in his hand. It contained two locations and the names of wanted criminals. After putting it away, he looked down and retrieved some barely discernible powder from the walls around his previous spot, then scattered some neutralizer on the ground to render it non-toxic. He then walked across the street towards his previous hiding place, continuously waving his right hand subtly along the way to neutralize all the poisonous powder on the ground and in the air. He performed the same treatment at his original spot. Finally, he dug up seven or eight green plants nearby. Those plants wouldn't survive; they contained five types of poison. His recent change of position was a premeditated move; he had already set up poisonous powders both at his original spot and in the more secluded corner across the street.

"He was hit with thirty-seven types of poison from me, and it didn't even take effect immediately..." After dealing with the poisons, Xu Qing looked back at the inn, narrowed his eyes, and swiftly departed.

After Xu Qing left, the old man's calm expression instantly vanished. Breathing rapidly, he immediately rummaged for pills, finding and swallowing over ten types of antidote pills. Then, he quickly formed hand seals and incinerated the leather pouch Xu Qing had given him. The spirit coins inside also dissipated in the flames.

"That kid is too malicious! He left poison everywhere, even coating the spirit coins he gave me!" The old man gritted his teeth. In reality, his compromise earlier was partly because Xu Qing's words made sense, but more so because... he was already struggling to control the toxins about to erupt within him. The latter accounted for the majority of the reason.

"So young, yet he acts like this... When he grows up, he'll be a walking disaster for humanity." The old man caught his breath and muttered, as gurgling sounds came from the beam.

"Do you like him?"

"He likes you too. Didn't you notice? The first time you appeared, he looked at your gallbladder." The old man sneered.

The gurgling ceased abruptly.

Outside, the night was still deep. Xu Qing sped through the streets. Naturally, he didn't fully trust the locations the old man had given him. So, after a moment's thought, he took out his identity token to send a message, then put it away and pondered for a while before continuing.

The first location was somewhat remote. Xu Qing went there and staked out for a long time, observing very carefully. He finally determined that although someone had once lived there, they seemed not to have returned for a long time. He therefore gave up on it and went to the second location.

The second location was a gambling house, bustling with people and filled with various sounds. Xu Qing squatted on a nearby rooftop, observing with a cold gaze. According to the old man's jade slip, a wanted criminal named Sun Dewang had recently come ashore and was gambling there every day. This individual was not human but an outsider with considerable cultivation, at the ninth level of Qi Condensation. He was typically active on the Forbidden Sea, engaged in piracy, and had a considerable reputation. The wanted slip specifically mentioned that he belonged to an organization called Sea Ghosts. This organization was one of several active pirate factions on the Forbidden Sea.

As for Sun Dewang, the bounty on his head was extremely high, reaching forty spirit stones, with numerous sources—over a dozen merchant ships had collectively added to it. This showed how ruthless he was at sea. Therefore, Xu Qing did not act rashly. He observed for over half an hour, watching various gamblers come and go and listening to their conversations about gambling—some were embarrassed, some generous, some ambitious, and some bitter and lost. After confirming that there were no significant spiritual energy fluctuations nearby, Xu Qing considered it and decided not to enter for a closer look, continuing to wait outside.

Time passed little by little. Two hours later, as dawn was approaching, Xu Qing finally spotted his target. It was a large, corpulent man in a brocade robe, looking like a wealthy landowner. He emerged from the casino, but after only a few steps, he alertly raised his head. His gaze landed directly on Xu Qing's hiding spot, and his eyes instantly narrowed, revealing a dangerous glint.

"What a cursed day! I lost all the money I made in the past few days, and now I run into someone trying to hunt me? A mere seventh-level Qi Condenser dares to play hunter? Are you tired of living? Good, you can help me recoup my losses!" With that, the corpulent man strode forward, abruptly charging towards Xu Qing's position.

It was almost dawn. A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, and he charged out as well.