Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Fair and Reasonable

Time passed quickly, and it was soon halfway through October.

It was already the season of Cold Dew[1], but since Seven Blood Pupils was right by the sea, the days were still warm.

Only at night did the wind and sea become colder, as if the gloominess buried at the bottom of the sea filled the air along with the moonlight, rising out of the surface of the sea and enveloping the world. It seeped into the bodies of everyone who was cultivating at night, allowing them to experience the malice of winter in advance.

At that moment, a night gust was blowing, and the moonlight cascaded down onto the port area, covering every inch of the blue brick road. It also landed on Xu Qing, who was vigilantly returning to his berth after finishing the day’s patrol.

Xu Qing’s tall and straight figure stepped on the moonlight, and his swaying gray robe seemed to dance along with his long hair as he moved forward. From a distance, it looked like a painting of a solitary figure under the moonlight.

The chilly night wind instinctively made Xu Qing feel cold.

This cold didn’t come from his body, but from the memories of his time in the slums.

It was just like marks left on a painting from the ashes of a fire. Even if the entire painting was completed, even if the marks were all covered in black ink and hidden from view, the painting itself would remember that the marks still existed.

In the cold wind, Xu Qing exhaled and quickened his pace.

It had been half a month since he ate dinner with Zhou Qingpeng and the others.

During this half a month, Xu Qing worked at the Homicide Department as usual. He didn’t get the promotion that Zhou Qingpeng mentioned, nor did he care.

Right now, Xu Qing’s focus was all placed on his cultivation.

His Sea Transforming Scripture had reached the peak of the seventh level, and he wasn’t far from a breakthrough.

The Sea and Mountain Art was the same, on the verge of the eighth level.

Xu Qing held great anticipation.

He felt that judging by his current battle prowess, once he broke through to the eighth level in both the Sea Transforming Scripture and the Sea and Mountain Art, he would probably instantly kill his previous self form before he came to Seven Blood Pupils.

Even if he ran into the Vajra Sect’s ancestor again, Xu Qing felt that although he still wouldn’t be able to win, if he cooperated with the shadow and went all out with a sneak attack, there was a certain chance that he could at least exchange a few moves.

“Soon…”

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. Vajra Sect ancestor aside, the one he wanted to kill the most right now was that merfolk youth.

For the Vajra Sect ancestor, he felt that it wouldn’t be long before he possessed the strength to kill him. But for the merfolk youth, Xu Qing was already waiting for an opportunity.

Unfortunately, for the past half month, although he had carefully tailed the merfolk youth almost every day, the other party always had Dao Protectors around, so Xu Qing wasn’t able to find a chance to kill him.

From time to time, the merfolk youth did indeed go out alone like the captain had said, but he used some sort of treasure to conceal himself completely, making Xu Qing unable to track him down.

The search for a chance to kill wasn’t going well, but Xu Qing remained patient. After analyzing the matter, he concluded that he should find a way to leave some sort of mark on the merfolk youth.

“If I encounter such an opponent in the future, I have to leave a mark in advance.”

Xu Qing muttered, keeping the matter in his heart just like when he had learned to deal with corpses back then.

Soon, he arrived at his berth at Dock 79.

Along the way, Xu Qing didn’t encounter any malicious gazes, nor did anyone come to disturb him.

Although he hadn’t been in Seven Blood Pupils for long, Xu Qing had gradually become somewhat famous after killing a lot. His fame caused the number of people who had designs on him to be greatly reduced, and most of them were extremely cautious.

Xu Qing opened his flask to summon the magic boat, and an enormous boat instantly appeared in thin air. It landed harshly on the water, causing a loud crash as waves scattered in all directions.

The boat was over 60 meters long and more than 10 meters wide, and it gave off an imposing aura.

Under the moonlight, the pitch-black deck radiated a dark glow that seemed to fuse together with the cold light of the densely-packed scales all over the boat. Coupled with the huge and ferocious crocodile head at the bow, the magic boat gave off a feeling that it had really turned into a giant crocodile.

This feeling was exacerbated by the crocodile head’s gaping maw. The countless sharp teeth inside, and the eerie glow in its eyes, added to that imposing aura.

Looking carefully, it could be seen that the scales covering the outside of the boat were of an even higher level than before. In fact, even the inside of the boat that wasn’t visible to outsiders was coated in scales.

The keel running through the entire boat was clearly special, making for a support that was even stronger than before.

Gusts of wind continued to circle around, making this monster-like magic boat give off waves of baleful aura. The cabin had become much larger, with several rooms inside now. There were separate resting and cultivation areas, and Xu Qing had even built a room specifically for medicinal herbs.

Moreover, a wisp of azure light could occasionally be seen swimming around the ship like a living creature. Wherever it passed, the magic boat became even firmer and sturdier.

But the most important thing was the huge divot on the boat’s deck. Although there was nothing inside, the groove was densely packed with array formations. It was obvious that the divot had been dug out in advance to prepare for the future.

This was the Level Six magic boat that Xu Qing had forged after spending over a hundred spirit stones on medium quality materials!

And the divot had cost him another ten spirit stones.

This was because he had his eyes on a certain material, a small piece of a giant whale’s skull. Once it was placed in, his magic boat’s sturdiness would break the boundaries of Level Six and reach the peak of Level Seven.

However, this piece of giant whale skull was too expensive. It was a second-rate high quality material, so its price was naturally astonishing, costing a whole 200 spirit stones.

This price was extremely ridiculous. Xu Qing had looked at it many times in the past few days, but he could only grit his teeth and swear to save up the money to buy it in the future.

“When my cultivation base breaks through to the eighth level of Qi Condensation and my boat reaches Level Seven after buying the giant whale’s skull… I’ll head out to sea!”

After making a decision, Xu Qing stepped onto the magic boat and entered his cultivation room, sitting down cross-legged and closing his eyes to begin cultivating.

The sea breeze continued to blow all night long. When early morning arrived, it seemed to have become exhausted and gradually faded. As the first rays of the morning sun fell, Xu Qing opened his eyes and left the boat to report for duty.

After the operation against Night Dove finished, the Homicide Department mostly became idle. Occasionally, the Patrol Department would apply for aid when something that they couldn’t handle came up.

For example, when Xu Qing arrived at the Homicide Department and reported for duty that day, he was called to the courtyard of Black Division Team Six and received an application for aid from the Patrol Department.

The team didn’t dispatch too many people. Including the captain and Xu Qing, there were six people in total.

After leaving the department, the captain explained their mission to Xu Qing and the others. This time, they were going to the Dispatch Department.

The Dispatch Department and Pilotage Department were considered hegemons of the port area. The former was like the brain, responsible for scheduling the arrival and dispatching of ships, and the latter acted as the arm and guided the ships into the port.

Thus, both departments had branches in every dock. Today, the team from the Homicide Department was going to Dock 96.

Recently, there had been an intense conflict between the two branch departments in Dock 96. Over a hundred people from the Pilotage Department had gathered in the Dispatch Department, and a conflict seemed imminent. Thus, the Dispatch Department asked for the Patrol Department to mediate, and the Patrol Department turned around to ask the Homicide Department for help.

After hearing the mission introduction from the captain, some of the team members started to talk with each other with mocking expressions.

“The problem seems to be over this month’s surplus. Dock 96’s Dispatch Department only gave the Pilotage Department 10% of what they’d been giving in the past. Obviously, no one would agree to that sort of change.”

“Pilotage Department disciples often help the Dispatch Department out, so besides their salary, the Dispatch Department, which makes a lot more money, always gives the Pilotage Department a portion of the surplus.”

When Xu Qing heard this, he roughly understood what had happened.

“This matter was caused by Dock 96’s Dispatch Department branch. A while ago, their leadership changed. The new person in charge is that core disciple, Zhao Zhongheng.”

Xu Qing remained silent, but his eyes narrowed.

“As soon as this core disciple took office, he forcefully pushed through some rule changes. Apparently, the portion of the surplus given to the Pilotage Department changed from the original 50-50 to 90-10, making the Pilotage Department’s disciples utterly outraged.”

As Xu Qing thoughtfully listened to their discussions, the group arrived at Dock 96’s Dispatch Department. From afar, the Dispatch Department looked like a sail laid on the ground. There were many buildings of various sizes nearby, and there were also many magic boats parked at the side.

At that moment, more than a hundred people were blocking the entrance of the Dispatch Department and facing off with its disciples. The sounds of quarreling rang out unceasingly, and the hostility in the surroundings grew increasingly intense. Even more disciples were spectating from the side.

There were also disciples from the Patrol Department trying to mediate the situation. However, both sides refused to back down, so it was extremely difficult to come to a compromise.

It was likely that a fight would break out with the smallest spark.

Thus, when they noticed the arrival of the Homicide Department, the Patrol Department’s disciples all heaved a sigh of relief. The spectators also made way so the Homicide Department could get through.

The captain was eating an apple and didn’t even look at the two parties who were on the verge of fighting, nor did he look at the Patrol Department disciples who were struggling to mediate the argument. Instead, he found a corner not far away and sat down to watch the fun.

The Homicide Department’s job was to calm everything down after both sides started killing each other. Since they hadn’t started killing yet, the Homicide Department didn’t need to bother with anything.

The other team members did the same, including Xu Qing. After glancing across both parties, he didn’t see Zhao Zhongheng, but he did see an acquaintance.

This person was standing at the very front of the group from the Pilotage Department. He was a little fatty.

It was Huang Yan, who had generously given Xu Qing the Spirit Congealing Leaves in the pharmacy back then.

“Bastards of the Dispatch Department, you’re cutting off the path of survival for us Pilotage Department’s disciples. Without that surplus, our cultivation will slow down, and we won’t be able to upgrade our magic boats. In this dangerous city, how are we supposed to survive? You’re trying to kill us! Since we’ll die either way, then we might as well kill you first!”

Huang Yan seemed to be the representative of Dock 96’s Pilotage Department disciples. Although he was wearing a gray robe, he held his head high and puffed out his chest. He didn’t look anxious at all, and his expression was filled with ferocity. His sharp voice echoed out and his face was flushed with anger as he shouted.

The cultivator standing in front of him at the entrance of the Dispatch Department was a middle-aged man. This person was also wearing a gray Daoist robe, but he wasn’t a member of Dock 96’s Dispatch Department. Instead, he was one of Zhao Zhongheng’s followers.

This matter was provoked by Zhao Zhongheng. With his status as a core disciple, he naturally wouldn’t personally come out to resolve any problems, so he had arranged for one of his followers to take care of it.

At that moment, there was a cold light in the middle-aged cultivator’s eyes, and he showed a sense of deep displeasure. He had followed Zhao Zhongheng for a very long time, so although he was nothing more than a follower, the mountain-foot disciples would usually treat him with great respect. He had also met many core disciples, so he had already forgotten his identity as a normal disciple, and didn’t think much of any other gray-robed disciples.

Moreover, he knew that it was impossible to ask Zhao Zhongheng to revert the rule changes. Thus, he was very aggressive.

“You all have an incense stick’s worth of time to scram if you don’t want to die!”

As soon as he spoke, all the disciples of the Pilotage Department were filled with killing intent. The Dispatch Department disciples’ eyes gleamed coldly in response.

The disciples of the various departments in the Seven Blood Pupils main city had all fought their way out of a wolf’s den and relied on themselves to stand tall. When it came to killing… all of them were already accustomed to it.

“Scram? Scram your grandpa!” Huang Yan glared and directly charged over. His fat body moved at astonishing speed and carried shocking momentum. Booms rang out with every step.

Instantly, the disciples of both departments who had been in a tense stand-off all started fighting in front of the gate.

Rumblings sounds echoed out, and the fluctuations of countless spells spread in all directions. A chaotic battle between hundreds of people immediately unfolded before Xu Qing’s eyes. Blood splattered everywhere, and mournful cries echoed in all directions.

The Patrol Department disciples retreated one after another. The Homicide Department disciples, including Xu Qing, remained seated where they were.

Xu Qing glanced at the captain, who was eating an apple on the side. The captain seemed very interested in the chaotic battle up ahead, shouting and cheering from time to time.

“There are too many of them, so it could be a little dangerous to get involved right now. We’ll wait for more of them to die before stepping forward. Besides, a slaughter between two departments… isn’t something the sect wants to see. They’ll probably send someone to stop it soon.”

After the captain cheered a few times, he whispered to the team members around him.

Casualties had already appeared on both sides of the battle. As the shouts and explosions grew more intense, Xu Qing saw Huang Yan in the crowd attacking crazily with bloodshot eyes. His cultivation base at the seventh level of Qi Condensation let him break out with extreme killing power.

Xu Qing saw that among the people from the Dispatch Department, the middle-aged man who had confronted Huang Yan earlier was rapidly retreating. His gaze as he looked at Huang Yan was filled with malice, and taking advantage of a moment of inattention, he shot a willow leaf throwing knife out of his sleeve.

This knife seemed to be made of a special material. It was somewhat transparent and extremely fast, and it had a faint green glow, as if it had been laced with poison. It flew directly towards Huang Yan’s neck.

In the middle of the chaotic battle, Huang Yan didn’t notice the knife immediately. When he saw that the knife was about to strike Huang Yan, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and lightly flicked his right hand. A droplet of water appeared out of thin air and flew out at an astonishing speed, directly striking the willow leaf throwing knife with great force.

With a bang, the throwing knife was deflected and flew past Huang Yan.

Huang Yan’s expression changed, and he looked back at Xu Qing and nodded. Then he turned his head, and his fierce gaze fell on the middle-aged cultivator as he let out a low roar and charged over.

“Damn it!” The middle-aged cultivator immediately retreated, but it was still too late. Huang Yan caught up in a few leaps and ruthlessly slammed into him.

Crunching sounds echoed, but they were quickly drowned out by the chaotic fighting in the surroundings. The middle-aged cultivator’s expression distorted as he quickly counterattacked.

The chaotic battle went on, and casualties continued to mount.

At the side, the captain cast a glance at Xu Qing and faintly smiled.

Xu Qing didn’t say anything and retracted his gaze from Huang Yan. His previous attack was because of the Spirit Congealing Leaves that Huang Yan had given him that day in the pharmacy.

Soon, as the fighting became continued to become more and more intense, a low shout suddenly echoed over from the distance like thunder.

“Everyone, stop!”

As these words echoed, a figure stepping on air approached from the distance. A powerful and terrifying aura descended from the sky, suppressing the surroundings and causing all the disciples to stop fighting as their minds reeled.

“Time to get to work.” The captain whispered in a low voice. He stood up and assumed the solemn expression of a law enforcer. Xu Qing and the other team members also rose.

The moment they stood up, the figure in the sky rapidly approached and came to a halt in mid-air. It was a young man in a dark purple Daoist robe.

This young man’s appearance was ordinary, and his expression was placid. However, he released an imposing aura as he stood in midair, indifferently looking at the disciples on the ground who had stopped fighting.

[1] 寒露 (hanlu) or Cold Dew is the 17th of China’s 24 solar terms, from Oct 8 to Oct 23.

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