Chapter 61: The Secret Worth One Hundred Spirit Stones

In an instant, their figures met outside the gambling house. Xu Qing simultaneously activated his Ocean Transformation Scripture and Mountain Sea Art, preparing for a quick and decisive battle. He struck with full force, a single punch descending.

With a roar, the large man's body trembled, his expression clearly changing. He had evidently misjudged Xu Qing's strength earlier, and upon contact, immediately felt the terrifying power emanating from Xu Qing's physical body.

He instantly recoiled, but his speed was still slow compared to Xu Qing's. In the blink of an eye, Xu Qing's fist connected with his stomach.

With a bang, the large man's body trembled again. Instead of being blasted backward, he suddenly became hollow, instantly transforming into a sheet of skin that rapidly enveloped Xu Qing.

The man's skin was vast and wide, covering everything like an octopus, threatening to completely engulf Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's brow furrowed slightly. Instantly, numerous water droplets appeared around his body, rapidly transforming into diamond shapes that shot out like arrows. With a series of pops, they immediately pierced through the skin.

A grotesque figure instantly burst out from within the tattered skin, recoiling backward.

It was a humanoid creature covered in slime, with green hair, scales all over its body, and fierce glints in its eyes. A forked tongue protruded from its sharp, pointed teeth.

It gave Xu Qing a deep look, made no further move, and was about to flee in a flash.

Xu Qing watched coldly. He raised his right hand and waved, and a water curtain materialized in front of the foreign cultivator, suddenly blocking him and forcing him to retreat slightly. The ferocity in his eyes intensified.

"You seek death!"

As he spoke, the foreign cultivator charged directly at Xu Qing. As his hands waved, large amounts of black gas dispersed, forming wisps of vengeful spirits that emitted piercing cries and lunged at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained expressionless. His vital blood surged outward, instantly causing even more agonizing screams to erupt from the vengeful spirits. After being directly dispersed by Xu Qing's vibrant vital blood, Xu Qing took a step, appearing before the foreign cultivator whose expression had completely changed. He raised his right hand and grabbed forward.

The foreign cultivator's breathing became ragged, and madness flashed in his eyes.

In this moment of crisis, all his scales simultaneously detached, sweeping toward Xu Qing like countless sharp blades in a whirlwind.

Having done this, it did not continue to flee. Instead, its fierce intent erupted, and its right fingernails, sharp and pointed, stabbed directly toward Xu Qing's neck.

"Die!"

But in the blink of an eye, the foreign cultivator's eyes suddenly constricted, revealing disbelief and horror.

Xu Qing completely ignored the storm of scales. No matter how the scales assailed him, they could not stop his unstoppable palm. At this moment, his hand directly pierced through the vortex of scales and seized the foreign cultivator's hand.

With a loud crack, Xu Qing forcefully twisted upward, breaking the foreign cultivator's hand and causing it to twist unnaturally.

He leveraged his body to move closer, slamming his forehead violently into the foreign cultivator's head. A scream erupted, and the foreign cultivator tried to retreat, but his hand was still held fast by Xu Qing.

The feeling of being caught in an iron vice made his breathing ragged, filled him with extreme terror, and left him unable to break free.

"Fellow Daoist, I am..."

Before he could finish, Xu Qing, with a calm expression, grasped the other's hand and twisted it again, forcing the foreign cultivator's sharp fingers to pierce directly into his own brow.

The sound of bone and flesh tearing was heard as the foreign cultivator's brow was pierced. He let out a desperate, utterly wretched scream, and intense fear filled his eyes.

However, its body structure differed from that of humans, and surprisingly, the injury was not fatal.

Nevertheless, it was severely wounded. As blood flowed, its aura rapidly weakened. Xu Qing grabbed it by the neck, and it passed out, limp as a corpse, as Xu Qing quickly dragged it away.

Inside and outside the gambling house, there was complete silence. Both gamblers and guards trembled. The intense sounds of Xu Qing's fight with Sun Dewang had drawn their attention, but the entire battle was too swift, and Xu Qing's moves were too ruthless.

Especially after recognizing the identity of the foreign cultivator outside and realizing his formidable strength, they had an even clearer understanding of Xu Qing's terrifying prowess.

No one dared to speak. In the frozen air, Xu Qing, who was about to walk away, suddenly paused and looked up into the distance.

On the deserted, dark street in the distance, a person was now approaching.

As he drew closer and stepped into the illuminated area outside the gambling house, his figure became clear from the shadows. A light purple Daoist robe gradually came into Xu Qing's sight.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

The approaching person was a young man with long black hair, a refined appearance, a slender build, and an air of arrogance in his expression. His Daoist robe, in particular, clearly revealed his noble status.

Furthermore, the powerful fluctuations of the Ocean Transformation Scripture at the eighth level of Qi Condensation radiated intensely from him, causing numerous sharp water droplets to form around him, each locking onto Xu Qing.

"Which division of the Criminal Capture Department are you from? Put him down, and I can pretend I didn't see this!"

The newcomer's words were cold, carrying an undeniable authority.

Xu Qing remained silent. He had seen this young man before. Some time ago, during his first patrol with the captain, he had seen the other party from a distance, like a divine son descending to the mortal realm.

He knew clearly that this person was a core disciple of the Seventh Peak.

Xu Qing's brow furrowed slightly. Although he had made some arrangements to prevent accidents, facing a core disciple, it would likely be difficult for them to be effective. Engaging in conflict with a core disciple for forty spirit stones seemed unprofitable to Xu Qing, unless the potential gain was significantly greater.

But just then, a chilling voice softly echoed from behind the young man in the light purple Daoist robe.

"What great authority the core disciple has, directly interfering with law enforcement right in front of our Criminal Capture Department."

At the sound, the young man in the light purple robe spun around abruptly. Xu Qing also looked up and immediately saw a figure leisurely approaching from a distance, eating an apple as he walked. It was none other than the captain of the Sixth Squad.

The light purple-robed young man's eyes narrowed. Xu Qing also showed some surprise, though his surprise wasn't at the captain's arrival, but rather that the captain chose to show himself at this particular moment.

In fact, Xu Qing couldn't fully trust the clue provided by the old man on Banquan Road. In the treacherous main city of the Seven Blood Eyes Sect, the other party could very well intentionally provide a deeply flawed clue, using him to kill someone else.

Especially an establishment like a gambling house, which could operate within the Seven Blood Eyes Sect's main city, must have some significant backing. Therefore, on his way there, Xu Qing pondered the situation and sent a sound transmission to the captain, promising half the profits in exchange for the captain appearing when necessary to resolve any conflicts.

He would give the spirit stones regardless of whether a conflict arose.

The clue for the first wanted criminal had been useless, so the captain hadn't appeared. Now, the second clue had led to a core disciple, and Xu Qing had assumed the captain wouldn't show up this time either.

Noticing Xu Qing's surprised expression, the captain bit off a piece of apple with a crunch, winked at Xu Qing, and then turned to the young man in the light purple robe, whose expression was somewhat grim.

"According to the third rule of the Criminal Capture Department, anyone who obstructs official duties during law enforcement will be severely punished."

"He is a wanted criminal, and we are enforcing the law, which is an official duty."

"Are you going to obstruct us?" the captain asked, smiling at the young man in the light purple robe.

In Xu Qing's eyes, even though the captain was clearly wearing a gray Daoist robe, the forcefulness of his words and the grim expression on the light purple-robed young man's face made Xu Qing feel as if their roles had been reversed.

This greatly astonished him.

As for the young man in the light purple robe, his breathing quickened slightly after the captain spoke, and his mind raced. In truth, Sun Dewang usually paid him a considerable amount of tribute, and this gambling house was one of his properties, so he initially could not permit anyone to take Sun Dewang away.

However, the young man in the light purple robe was somewhat wary of the captain of the Sixth Squad standing before him. He knew of this individual and had heard stories about him. He recalled that about two years ago, this person had a conflict with another core disciple, and not long after... that core disciple disappeared.

This incident made him extremely cautious. What shocked him even more was that there had been no follow-up investigation from the mountain sect regarding this matter, and everyone remained tight-lipped. It seemed few people below the mountain even knew about it.

The disappearance of a core disciple was a major event in the Seven Blood Eyes Sect, yet that particular incident... simply faded away unresolved.

After a moment of silence, the young man in the light purple robe let out a cold snort, said nothing more, and flicked his sleeve before departing.

This dramatic scene caused a storm in Xu Qing's heart. As he looked at the captain, numerous speculations arose within him.

"My spirit stones," the captain said, smiling at Xu Qing.

Without a word, Xu Qing directly gave him twenty spirit stones.

After taking the spirit stones, the captain's face showed satisfaction as he glanced at the light purple-robed young man walking away.

"That man is Zhao Zhongheng, a good-for-nothing. If not for his grandfather being an elder of the Seventh Peak, he would probably have been eliminated long ago. How could he possibly still hold a core disciple status?"

"However, I heard his grandfather arranged for him to come down from the mountain and take up a position in the Dispatch Department, becoming a supervisor. It's likely his grandfather wants him to gain some experience there."

The captain spoke as he walked forward. Xu Qing silently followed him, heading together to the Criminal Capture Department.

On the way, Xu Qing repeatedly looked at the captain. Just as they were nearing the Criminal Capture Department, the captain turned his head to Xu Qing and asked with surprise,

"You sure have patience, kid. Why haven't you asked me yet why I'm so formidable, why I can make a core disciple retreat?"

"Why?" Xu Qing asked.

The captain looked at Xu Qing, finding it a bit uninteresting.

"You're no fun like this... Never mind. Since you're my squad member, I'll tell you. Two years ago, I offended a core disciple, and I was even planning to flee the Seven Blood Eyes Sect, but guess what? Hahaha."

"That core disciple unluckily died in an accident at sea. The sect investigated and confirmed it was an accident, so the matter was dropped. Then, somehow, it spread that... some of the core disciples on the mountain find me quite mysterious."

"So, when they see me, most of them avoid me." The captain waved a hand and smiled at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded.

"You actually believe that?" the captain asked, surprised.

"No," Xu Qing shook his head.

"Then why did you nod...?"

Xu Qing remained silent.

The captain sighed, seemingly finding it uninteresting once again. After a while, as they saw the Criminal Capture Department gate in the distance, his face, slightly blurred in the shadows, whispered,

"The truth is, I killed him. This is my secret, Xu Qing. This secret is worth... hmm, a hundred spirit stones!"

After saying this, the captain winked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing couldn't produce a hundred spirit stones.

The captain sighed and muttered a few words. After making Xu Qing personally admit he owed him a hundred spirit stones, he stretched and went to the Criminal Capture Department's Black Division.

Xu Qing rubbed his temples, watching the departing captain. He felt no helplessness about the spirit stones he inexplicably owed; instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.

All this way, he hadn't spoken because he had acutely sensed a faint murderous intent lurking around the captain. While the captain's cultivation appeared to be at the ninth or tenth level of Qi Condensation, as Xu Qing had previously judged, Xu Qing now vaguely felt that the other party must be hiding something, and their true combat power was certainly greater.

The other party's murderous intent had not erupted. After he agreed to owe the spirit stones, it rapidly dissipated.

Now, as his mind relaxed, Xu Qing looked back toward Banquan Road in the distance, a cold glint in his eyes.

Soon, he retracted his gaze, entered the Criminal Capture Department, handed Sun Dewang over to the collection division, and claimed the bounty spirit stones.

Before leaving, he gave some spirit coins to the fellow disciple responsible for receiving wanted criminals and politely inquired about Zhao Zhongheng.

The disciple in charge of receiving wanted criminals accepted the spirit coins with a forced smile and told Xu Qing what he knew.

What he said was generally consistent with the captain's account, though not as detailed. Xu Qing understood in his heart, thanked him, and departed.

On his way to the harbor berth, Xu Qing's eyes showed contemplation as he recalled the events of the night.

"The captain is very strong and also quite sinister. He seems to treat me differently. What is his objective?"

Lost in thought, Xu Qing returned to his berth, a deep sense of caution rising in his heart. He took out an old bamboo slip from his pocket; it was clearly well-used.

On it were numerous scratched-out names. Of those not scratched out, there was one: the Patriarch of the Vajra Sect.

Xu Qing picked up an iron stylus and began to engrave, writing the five characters "Banquan Road Old Man."

Then he wrote "Captain." After a moment of thought, he added a question mark after the two characters for "Captain."

The name was engraved because of the captain's previous murderous intent. The question mark was added because that murderous intent had been dissolved by a hundred spirit stones.

Xu Qing then set aside the matter of the captain; he didn't want to probe into the captain's secrets. He took out Sun Dewang's leather pouch, opened it, and glanced inside. Xu Qing fell silent.

He recalled what the other man had said when he exited the gambling house.

As expected, there was nothing left in the leather pouch, not a single worthless trinket. Xu Qing frowned, tossed the pouch aside, and sat cross-legged to begin cultivating.

Days passed like this. Having acquired twenty spirit stones, Xu Qing did not return to Banquan Road. The old innkeeper was suspected of using others to kill, and Xu Qing had already begun planning how to eliminate him quietly.

However, this matter was somewhat difficult, so Xu Qing did not intend to make too much noise before making his move.

During this period, besides cultivating, his main focus was using spirit stones to purchase expensive materials to upgrade his magic boat.

This brought his Level 2 magic boat up two tiers, achieving Level 4 solidity.

The magic boat's appearance had completely changed. Not only had its length and width increased significantly, but most importantly, its hull was no longer covered merely by scale totems; it was now adorned with actual scales.

With these dense scales, the entire magic boat on the sea looked almost indistinguishable from a real giant crocodile. Its ferocity was even more pronounced, especially the crocodile head, which seemed to have gained sentience, its carved eyes gleaming with vitality.

This was because Xu Qing had purchased two fortified Disk Stones and replaced the eyes, making the boat's defenses even more comprehensive.

The original black canopy had also become a cabin, complete with walls and a door, giving Xu Qing a much greater sense of security.

Such a Level 4 boat was not something everyone possessed in the harbor. Although the materials Xu Qing chose were low-grade, it still attracted some attention in Port 79.

There was nothing he could do about this. Even if he asked the shop to disguise it during the refining process, the effect wouldn't be significant, so Xu Qing could only be more cautious and vigilant.

Fortunately, he had grown accustomed to vigilance and caution over the years; they had become part of his life.

At the same time, the rapid improvement of his magic boat significantly accelerated his plans to go to sea.

All of this made Xu Qing increasingly look forward to his magic boat. Although it had been a significant expense, he felt it was worth it.

As for Zhao Zhongheng, there had been no follow-up in the past few days; he seemed to have been deterred by the captain.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Capture Department had ostensibly ceased searching for the Night Doves during this period, but the atmosphere within it had clearly grown tense. This led Xu Qing to believe that the round-up of the Night Doves was likely imminent.

Two days later, Xu Qing, who had already finished his shift, received a notification before he could leave the Criminal Capture Department: everyone was forbidden to leave the department today and must wait for orders within their respective squads.

Their sound-transmitting jade slips were also restricted.

This made Xu Qing realize that the round-up would be tonight.

Indeed, an hour later, as dusk settled, Xu Qing, waiting within his squad, saw the captain's figure.

"The Department has decided that all seven districts will uniformly round up the Night Doves tonight. The confirmed hideouts these past few days indicate a total of seventeen Night Dove concealment points in the harbor district. All squads from the Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow Divisions will be dispatched in mixed formations."

"Xu Qing, the location you submitted is correct. This time, our squad will act together with the Earth Division's Third Squad, and our target is precisely that location." The captain smiled at Xu Qing, then his expression turned solemn as he swept his gaze over all the squad members.

"Within this stronghold, there are two at Great Perfection of Qi Condensation, four at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, seven at the eighth level, and several others, totaling twenty-five individuals!"

"The Department attaches great importance to this matter. For any stronghold, the squad that slays the enemy leader will have each member rewarded with ten spirit stones, and the one who personally slays the leader will receive an additional eighty spirit stones!"

"Furthermore, every head of a Night Dove is worth ten spirit stones. Brothers, it's time to make some extra cash!"

Hearing this, Xu Qing's eyes sharply focused. To upgrade his Level 4 magic boat to Level 6, the required materials would cost a dozen spirit stones if he chose low-grade ones. However, if he chose the mid-grade materials he desired, it would cost around eighty spirit stones. As for high-grade materials, Xu Qing hadn't even considered them; they were outrageously expensive.

He had been worrying about how to acquire spirit stones these past few days. Now, listening to the captain's words, a keen glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.