Chapter 94

The rest of the day passed in a flash.

As the bright moon rose into the sky once more, the tranquil sea gradually seemed to fall asleep. The starlight scattering onto the ground seemed to shroud the Seven Blood Pupils bay in a mysterious veil.

Seven mountain peaks stood tall above the earth, and atop the mountain peaks were seven magnificent blood-colored eyes. They gave off the sense of both guarding and intimidation.

What they were guarding was the prosperity of Seven Blood Pupils, ensuring that the commoners would yearn to come. The main city would extract the value of these commoners in the form of massive residence fees, allowing Seven Blood Pupils’ revenue to flow steadily.

What they were intimidating was those in the outside world, ensuring that alien races and those with ill intentions wouldn’t dare to provoke them.

Although the world of the disciples was filled with cruelty, that was for the sake of raising wolves that could survive in this chaotic world.

Only such wolves were worthy to truly become part of Seven Blood Pupils and enjoy a share of the profits of this massive industry.

By now, Xu Qing completely understood the rules of Seven Blood Pupils. His skiff gradually slowed down as he entered the port.

The magic boats of Seventh Peaks disciples were scattered all around the surface of the sea, swaying gently in the wind. Beams of light coming from the lighthouse swept in all directions. Under the moonlight, the seawater sparkled with a dazzling glow whenever the light from the lighthouse swept by.

Eventually, when one of the light beams landed outside the gate to Dock 79, shining on a shabby skiff that seemed on the verge of falling apart, it suddenly froze.

Many beams of light quickly converged on Xu Qing.

The glaring light caused Xu Qing’s eyes to narrow, and he raised his hand to block it out while taking out his token.

A soft glow radiated from the token. An invisible array formation seemed to sweep past to verify Xu Qing’s identity, and the gate of Dock 79 soon opened to let him through.

The light beams falling on Xu Qing’s bodies also moved away, causing the world in front of him to suddenly turn dark for a moment before his vision recovered.

As his skiff passed through the gate to enter the dock, the familiar wind lifted Xu Qing’s hair. Looking at the dock in front of him, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

No matter how harsh and brutal the Seven Blood Pupils main city was, compared to the Forbidden Sea, it was far safer.

After all, mountain-foot disciples of Seven Blood Pupils didn’t have to worry about encountering Foundation Establishment enemies or above here.

“I’m back.” Xu Qing muttered, returning directly to his berth in the skiff.

His return attracted the attention of some other disciples in Dock 79.

If it was anyone else, they might just take a glance before ignoring it, but when they noticed that it was Xu Qing, many disciples stepped out of their magic boats and cupped their fists at him.

Xu Qing’s previous breakthrough, when he summoned the Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale, had made him very famous in Dock 79.

When the disciples looked at Xu Qing and saw his dilapidated skiff, they knew that he had definitely encountered great danger out at sea.

However, most mountain-foot disciples knew not to ask what they shouldn’t ask, so they pretended not to notice the unsightly state of his skiff.

As his fellow disciples continuously greeted him, Xu Qing cupped his fists politely in response. Finally, when the skiff arrived at his berth, he looked around before entering the cabin and sitting down cross-legged in meditation.

It was just like before he went to sea.

As he closed his eyes, Xu Qing’s heart completely calmed down from the massacre at Sea Lizard Island. However, vigilance was something that was already engraved into his bones. He had returned with a full harvest, so although it was unlikely that someone would dare to try and rob him with his current fame, he still couldn’t relax his guard.

Thus, Xu Qing sprinkled even more poisonous powder all around the berth, both in the sea and on land.

At the same time, Xu Qing didn’t forget about the merfolk youth he had killed before leaving. The other party’s Dao Protectors were most likely still in the port area.

“I wonder what’s happening on that dead fish’s side right now.” Xu Qing pondered silently. He didn’t go and ask around, instead continuing to maintain his guard while meditating.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, the wind was gentle and the sun was bright.

The morning sun seemed have turned into a graceful woman who radiated a gentle aura as she walked, awakening all living beings and dispelling the coldness of the night.

As sunlight seeped into the cabin, Xu Qing opened his eyes. He walked out of the cabin and surveyed the port area.

In Xu Qing’s eyes was a familiar world, familiar light, and familiar figures. Everything was familiar.

Whether it was the patrol team walking around, the fellow disciples who had woken up early, the civilians bustling about, or the smell of food carried on the wind, everything seemed to put Xu Qing in a good mood.

He didn’t care about his tattered Daoist robe and jumped onto shore. After putting away the skiff, he quickly went to his usual breakfast shop and received the warm greetings of the shopkeeper before enjoying a full meal.

The shopkeeper didn’t pay any attention to Xu Qing’s tattered robe after taking a glance. He had seen similar things many times already.

The food’s familiar flavor made Xu Qing eat twice his usual portion. After paying for his meal, he didn’t immediately go to the Homicide Department to cancel his leave, but instead went to the city’s disciple administration office and bought a new Daoist robe.

After changing his clothes, Xu Qing hesitated for a moment before walking over to Zhang San’s Transportation Department. He was hoping to have the skiff repaired so he could continue to use it. As for the complete magic boat… he would have to get another one refined. But when he thought about everything he’d gotten on this trip, Xu Qing felt that he could easily bear such an expenditure.

“I took advantage of Senior Brother Zhang San last time. This time I have to make up for it.” Xu Qing touched his leather bag and quickly walked forward.

Soon, when the sun was shining high in the sky, Xu Qing spotted the Transportation Department in the distance. He also saw that besides the Transportation Department’s own members, there were some unfamiliar disciples as well.

There were seven or eight such disciples, and all of them were women. They all had charming figures that couldn’t be hidden, and exquisite curves protruded out of their Daoist robes.

Their faces were just as beautiful, and they had a unique disposition that belonged to the alchemists of the Second Peak.

They were all disciples of the Second Peak.

In the middle of the group was a core disciple who looked particularly conspicuous in her light orange Daoist robe. Her appearance also stood out from the others, with a radiant aura that seemed to surpass the mortal world. She was truly a peerless beauty.

She was around sixteen or seventeen years old. Her features were clear and her face was refreshing and full of charm.

This woman seemed to have a gentle nature. Although she was surrounded by mountain-foot disciples, she didn’t reveal any of the arrogance of a core disciple. Her figure as she stood there quietly gave off an elegant air.

Xu Qing looked over as he approached. He saw that Zhang San was also surrounded by those Second Peak disciples.

Compared to the beautiful Second Peak disciples, Zhang San, who was squatting on a sandbag and rubbing his hands, seemed remarkable unremarkable. His farmer-like appearance made him look simple and ordinary.

Zhang San immediately noticed Xu Qing’s arrival. He greeted Xu Qing before turning back to the Second Peak disciples next to him, patting his chest.

“Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems. When I, Old Zhang, go out to sea, all the races there will give me some face.”

Noticing that Zhang San seemed to be discussing some business, Xu Qing didn’t bother him, walking over to a dark corner to wait silently.

Xu Qing in his gray Daoist robe was extraordinarily attractive and seemed to have a gentle expression on his face. The shadowy place he was standing in formed a stark contrast with the bright sunlight outside.

Looking at him from under the sunlight, it was clear that the gentleness on Xu Qing’s face was nothing more than a mask, and beneath it was an indifferent expression that seemed to fuse with the shadows around him. There was also a faint coldness, as if pushing everyone hundreds of kilometers away.

Added to the black hair flowing down like a waterfall and his tall and straight figure, Xu Qing’s appearance had a unique charm.

This attracted the attention of the Second Peak disciples, most of whom swept their beautiful eyes across him.

Xu Qing’s expression didn’t change. He directly ignored all of this and continued to wait silently.

Soon, Zhang San finished talking with the Second Peak disciples and quickly walked over to Xu Qing with a smile.

“Hey brat, you’re finally back. How did it go?”

“Not bad.” Xu Qing smiled as he looked at Zhang San.

“It’s good as long as you gained something. Hey, see those Second Peak disciples?” Zhang San had a smug expression on his face as he pointed his chin towards the departing group of Second Peak disciples.

“Do you see the prettiest girl among them? She’s a core disciple of the Second Peak, Gu Muqing. I don’t know how many people dream of having her as their Dao companion. Cough, I’m one of them.”

“Anyway, they want to go out to sea for training. This is a big job. I competed with many other disciples in the port to get the right to bring them out to sea. Even your captain couldn’t beat me.”

After saying this, Zhang San looked at Xu Qing expectantly, as if waiting to see his envious expression.

Xu Qing just nodded.

Zhang San felt a little deflated.

“I say… Junior Brother Xu Qing, shouldn’t you congratulate me? After this trip, maybe I’ll have a Dao companion.”

Xu Qing thought it over and felt that the other party’s words made sense. Thus, he squeezed out an expression of envy and spoke seriously.

"Congratulations."

Zhang San was speechless and finally gave up on the idea of seeing envy from Xu Qing.

“Alright, I was asking too much of you… You’re here to repair your magic boat, right?”

Xu Qing put away his envious expression and took out a decent-looking sea lizard skin from his leather bag.

“Senior Brother Zhang San, I’m here to repair the boat, but I also want to add sea lizard skin to improve its sturdiness.” When Xu Qing spoke to this point, he suddenly paused and looked up at the Second Peak disciples not far away.

These Second Peak disciples were originally leaving, but at that moment, the Chosen of Second Peak, Gu Muqing, noticed the sea lizard skin that Xu Qing took out. Her footsteps paused and her eyes lit up.

“Fellow disciple, that skin in your hand comes from a sea lizard in the eighth level of Qi Condensation?”

Gu Muqing’s voice carried a youthfulness unique to young girls. As it spread out under the sunlight, it mixed with the medicinal fragrance wafting from her body, unconsciously making people who listened to it relax.

When Xu Qing heard her words, he frowned slightly and instinctively put away the lizard skin before looking at Gu Muqing warily.

At the same time, vigilance filled his heart. He reminded himself that even though he had obtained a lot of them and they could be purchased from the sect’s shops, he couldn’t take out the sea lizard skins carelessly.

He should have waited for the Second Peak disciples to leave before taking it out.

Gu Muqing noticed the change in Xu Qing’s expression and hurriedly explained.

“I want to refine a kind of pill that needs a lot of sea lizard skins, and it’s better if they’re higher quality. I’ve already bought all the skins in the city, and the reason for heading out to sea this time is also to acquire lizard skins. I just don’t know if we’ll be able to find enough, so if you have any more, I’m willing to purchase them at a high price.”

With that, Gu Muqing looked at Xu Qing. Her eyes were clear and bright, her eyebrows were curved and slender, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, revealing anticipation.

Xu Qing hesitated. Selling to her wasn’t impossible, but he still had to consider how many he needed to upgrade his magic boat.

Standing at the side, Zhang San was taken aback. Standing between them, he looked at Xu Qing, who was pondering seriously, then at Gu Muqing, who was staring intently. He suddenly felt a premonition that his plan to bring the Second Peak disciples out to sea wasn’t going to happen.

In fact, he even got the feeling that his presence there was unnecessary.

Thus, Zhang San coughed and was about to speak up, but at that moment, Gu Muqing suddenly seemed to think of something as she stared at Xu Qing’s face. Her eyes lit up again.

"I remember now, you’re Xu Qing!”

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