"Exactly."
"Explain yourself." Wei Qing's voice was low.
"Half a month ago, I saw Fang Xiang disguise himself and secretly meet with a black-robed man at a tavern in the western part of the city."
"Master, you know my identity."
"So even though the black-robed man concealed himself well, I still recognized him as a half-demon."
"After that day, I paid a little more attention to Fang Xiang's movements. One of Fang Manor's caravans was constantly leaving the city at night."
"Among the living goods..." Zhu Huan paused, sneaked a glance at Wei Qing, and continued, "There were living people."
Wei Qing's grip on his blade suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white.
Living goods?
Wasn't that just another way of saying living people?
Fang Xiang had actually dared to commit such a heinous act.
A cold glint flickered in his eyes. He had already made up his mind.
Qingcheng's situation was even more complicated than he had imagined.
A trace of unease suddenly welled up in his heart.
"Who else knows about this?"
"So far, only this humble one knows. I haven't spread the word. That black-robed man's strength is probably around the initial stage of the Sixth Rank."
At the time, he had already pledged himself to the demons.
To put it plainly, they were all in the same boat, so naturally he would not spread the news.
Wei Qing let out a cold laugh.
The initial stage of the Sixth Rank?
Before his breakthrough, that would have put some pressure on him.
After breaking through to the Seventh Rank, especially after fighting the Four-tailed Spirit Stream Demonic Cat, not only had his spiritual power surged.
His comprehension of Nanke's Dream had also advanced by leaps and bounds.
He was not far from the Great Accomplishment realm.
Combined with the ultimate skill, Lotus Flower.
Dealing with a Sixth-Rank initial-stage half-demon martial artist would not be difficult.
His earlier misjudgment of the Four-tailed Spirit Stream Demonic Cat had come from overlooking the difference between humans and demons.
At the same realm, demons were innately stronger than humans by a notch.
Though half-demons were empowered by demonic strength, they ultimately could not compare with true demons.
Not to mention the side effects brought about by the decline of that demonic strength.
To put it plainly, half-demons were merely failed products of demonic experiments.
"Let's go to Fang Manor."
Wei Qing raised a hand and waved, sending the two Spirit Stream Demonic Cats into the system space.
"Yes."
Zhu Huan lowered his head in acknowledgment, but when he saw this scene, his pupils abruptly contracted!
A spatial device!
His heart began to pound wildly.
Even the three great lineages of Qingcheng did not possess a single one.
Yet his new master had casually sent the enormous demonic cats into that unknown device.
His master's background might be even more terrifying than he had imagined.
At that moment, he felt even more fortunate to have become Wei Qing's servant.
The two mounted their horses and galloped toward Qingcheng.
Not long after the two left, someone appeared in the small courtyard.
The newcomer wore the standard black robes of the Inspection Division.
Only, that once-majestic black robe was now riddled with holes, and viscous green demonic blood clung to the cuffs.
"Ptui... Damn demons."
The man spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. The waist token at his side swayed with his movement, and the five words "Inspection Division Rank B" could be seen clearly.
He crouched down and picked up the demonic cat fur left on the ground. A trace of astonishment flashed through his eyes. "It's actually a Four-tailed Spirit Stream Demonic Cat—and someone slaughtered it."
"Could it have been that brat Wei Qing?"
"As expected of Old Wei's son. He's practically cut from the same cloth."
"Silent until it matters, then stunning the world with one cry!"
"Forget it. I'd better tell that old Zhou Cang fellow about the situation here first. Let him deal with the headache of what comes next..."
The final words still drifted in the wind when the figure had already dissolved into black mist.
Qingcheng Fang Manor
Wei Qing dismounted and walked alone toward the courtyard.
He had sent Zhu Huan to summon the others.
As a Garrison Commander, he could kill Fang Xiang for colluding with demons!
But when it came to punishing a local official appointed by the Imperial Court, only the Imperial Court had the authority.
Along the way, the servants of Fang Manor hurriedly retreated to either side, their faces filled with panic.
A maid carrying a teacup trembled so violently that the porcelain slipped from her hands and shattered with a clang.
When the Heavenly Realm Division came calling, a great disaster was sure to follow!
That was practically iron law throughout Great Zhou!
The Fang family matriarch hurried over with a maid accompanying her. "Greetings, Lord Wei... No... I wonder what matter could possibly have troubled you enough to come here in person."
"Madam Fang, where is Fang Xiang?"
"What crime has my son committed?" Madam Fang dug her fingertips into her palms and forced herself to ask.
"Fang Xiang colluded with demons." Wei Qing's right hand slowly settled on the hilt of his blade. "Under Great Zhou's laws—anyone who colludes with demons will have their nine clans exterminated!"
Rumble...
Madam Fang stood frozen as if struck by lightning.
Her first thought was—It's over!
At the same time, the sound of porcelain shattering suddenly rang out from one of the courtyards in Fang Manor.
Wei Qing's figure blurred, leaving behind a stretch of afterimages in the air.
"Isn't it a little late to run now?"
Fang Xiang had just leaped onto the wall when a heavy blow slammed into his abdomen. His entire body flew backward like a cannonball and crashed into the courtyard's fish pond with a boom.
Water surged into the sky, and a rainbow bridge appeared.
When the curtain of water fell, Madam Fang saw Fang Xiang's appearance, and the last sliver of hope in her heart was utterly destroyed.
The left half of Fang Xiang's body was covered in silver scales. His right eye still retained a human pupil, but his left had transformed into an eerie purple demonic eye. An icy aura radiated from his entire body.
"I was just one step away." Fang Xiang's voice was hoarse and strange, as if two voices had overlapped. "I never thought the Heavenly Realm Division would discover me after all."
As he spoke.
Fang Shuo's figure suddenly burst forward, his silver-scaled left claw lunging toward Wei Qing's face.
Wei Qing raised his blade to block.
The scaled claw collided with the blade, sending a string of sparks flying.
Several silver scales shattered and flew off.
Fang Xiang grunted and staggered back three steps.
Wei Qing accelerated beneath his feet, and the Soul Severing Blade came slashing down from above.
With a scream, the arm covered in silver scales was severed at the shoulder, and blood immediately gushed forth.
Fang Xiang clutched his wound and screamed without pause.
"Xiang'er..."
Madam Fang had just tried to step forward when the maid beside her seized her arm tightly. "Madam... You absolutely mustn't!"
Wei Qing walked forward at an unhurried pace.
"Spare... spare me... Lord Wei, I know I was wrong..."
Relying on his remaining right arm, Fang Xiang slowly dragged himself backward while begging for mercy without pause.
"When the people you sold to the demons begged for mercy, did you spare them?"
"I... I can compensate their families and make amends for the wrongs I committed."
"You didn't realize you were wrong." The tip of the blade pressed against Fang Xiang's chin. "You only realized you were going to die."
Fang Xiang opened his mouth, but before he could even utter his final words, the blade swept across his neck, and the spraying blood drew an arc through the air.
His head rolled across the ground before coming to a stop at Madam Fang's feet.
"Xiang'er... My son..."
Madam Fang's shrill wail abruptly ceased. Her eyes rolled back, and her entire body toppled backward like a puppet with its strings cut. Her gold-inlaid jade hairpin slipped free and broke into two pieces when it struck the ground.
"Madam... Madam..."
The maid hurriedly caught the unconscious matriarch, pinched her philtrum, and shouted in a complete panic.
[System Notification! You killed an Eighth-Rank Mid-Stage half-demon] [Strength +48, Constitution +53, Marrow Cleansing Pill ×1]
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