The Beginning of Questioning the Heart

Xuan Qing stood up, his gaze turning resolute. Since he had figured things out, it was time to act.

Since this was a trial of the heart in the mortal world, how could he succeed without experiencing the mortal world itself? Staying in the herb garden and racking his brains would be useless.

He looked at Dugu Bo: "Old Poison, I leave this place to you. We shall meet again in a year or two."

Dugu Bo bowed solemnly: "Rest assured, Young Master. As long as the herb garden stands, I stand. Unless I am dead, no one shall enter."

Xuan Qing nodded. He felt quite at ease with Dugu Bo; with the Blood Swan Kiss here, even a group of Title Douluo would find no advantage.

He then looked at Zi Ji: "Let's go. We will start from the border and walk bit by bit. There is no rush; we shall observe slowly."

Zi Ji agreed, and the two left the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, flying toward the border of the Heaven Dou Empire.

This time, they did not head for large cities, choosing instead to seek out remote areas. The smaller and more isolated the village or town, the more it became their target.

Three days later, the two arrived at a small village on the border, a tiny place with only a few dozen households.

The houses were all built of mud bricks, looking quite impoverished.

Xuan Qing found the village chief, a gaunt old man, and pulled out a Gold Soul Coin to hand to him.

"Old man, I would like to rent a room to stay for a month. Is this enough?"

The village chief's eyes went wide. He had rarely seen a Gold Soul Coin in his entire life, as they usually only used Copper Soul Coin.

"Enough, enough, more than enough! You may stay as long as you like, noble guest."

He cleared out the side room of his house and cleaned it thoroughly. Though simple, it provided shelter from the wind and rain.

Xuan Qing and Zi Ji settled in.

The days passed quite plainly, spent wandering around and chatting with the villagers.

The villagers were very simple and honest; though the village was poor, they were all kind-hearted.

Children played in the mud at the village entrance, and the elderly sat by their doors basking in the sun.

Xuan Qing enjoyed this atmosphere. He would help the villagers with their chores—carrying water, chopping wood, doing whatever was needed. At first, the villagers were hesitant to ask him for help.

Later, as they grew familiar, it became natural.

Zi Ji also learned to help. Although she was clumsy, she was very earnest, and she began to understand why Xuan Qing had chosen to come here.

Twenty-some days passed in the blink of an eye, and just as Xuan Qing thought this trip would remain peaceful, trouble struck.

That afternoon, a troop of soldiers arrived outside the village, about thirty men wearing the standard armor of the Heaven Dou Empire.

The centurion leading them rode a horse, looking arrogant and conceited. With a wave of his hand, the soldiers charged into the village.

"Everyone, assemble! By order of the lord, we are conducting a census. Those who defy the order shall be executed!"

The villagers were terrified, huddling together at their doorways, trembling. The children hid behind the adults, crying out in sheer fright.

Xuan Qing and Zi Ji stood under the eaves of a distant house, watching quietly. Zi Ji wanted to intervene directly, but Xuan Qing held her back.

"Let's watch a little longer."

The centurion took out a ledger and pretended to take roll, then his expression suddenly darkened as he pointed at several able-bodied villagers.

"You lot, you are suspected of colluding with spies from the Star Luo Empire! Arrest them."

The villagers were stunned. They had never even left the village; how could they know any spies?

"My lord, we are innocent!"

One villager knelt and cried out: "We are just ordinary farmers; we have never left the village!"

The centurion sneered: "Innocent? If I say you are guilty, you are guilty! Take them away!"

The soldiers swarmed forward, binding the villagers tightly. There were men, women, and children, totaling over twenty people.

Xuan Qing narrowed his eyes. He understood now; they were here to capture slaves. By fabricating a baseless charge, they could drag people away.

This sort of thing was common at the border. With the two empires bordering each other and management in chaos, the city lord and the Heaven Dou Auction House colluded to make a massive profit.

The villagers cried and begged for mercy, but it was useless. The soldiers kicked and shoved them, dragging them away.

Xuan Qing did not move, standing there and watching until the soldiers had taken everyone and the village returned to a deathly silence.

Xuan Qing returned to the room, and Zi Ji followed him in, asking in a low voice.

"Senior, are we not going to save them?"

Although she had not lived with Xuan Qing for long, she had gradually developed human emotions and was no longer the beast that lived by blood and raw flesh.

If it were the old her, she would have preferred for as many humans to die as possible.

Xuan Qing's voice was as cold as ice.

"Save them? Of course we will, but not now. We must get to the bottom of this and wipe them all out at once."

He sent Zi Ji to gather information. With her abilities, infiltrating the city lord's mansion was an effortless task.

That night, Zi Ji returned. Her expression was grim; clearly, she had discovered quite a lot.

"Senior, I have found everything out. The city lord is colluding with the Heaven Dou Auction House to specifically capture border villagers as slaves."

"Those soldiers are the city lord's private troops, disguised as imperial soldiers, using the charge of treason to seize people every time."

"Those captured are sent to the auction house; the men are used as forced labor, and the women... their fates are even worse."

Zi Ji paused. "I also found the ledger. It records every transaction time, the number of people, and the prices."

"The captured villagers are all being held in the dungeon. They aren't in immediate danger, but they are scheduled to be shipped out in a few days."

Xuan Qing nodded, having grasped the situation.

He walked to the window and picked up a piece of wood, a leftover from chopping firewood a few days ago.

He pulled out a small knife and began to whittle. Zi Ji watched curiously, but Xuan Qing offered no explanation, focusing intently on his carving. An hour later, the wood had been transformed into a mask.

It was a ferocious Nuomask, with a green face, fangs, and a vicious gaze that looked terrifying.

Xuan Qing put the mask on, leaving only his eyes exposed, and stood up to flex his wrists.

"Let's go. To the City Lord's Mansion. We'll release the people first, then settle the score."

Zi Ji nodded, and the two left the village silently, flying toward the city.

The City Lord's Mansion was about thirty miles away, a distance that took Zi Ji only the blink of an eye to cover.

The two landed inside the City Lord's Mansion without alerting anyone. Xuan Qing instructed Zi Ji to go to the dungeon to release the captives while he went to find the City Lord.

"Senior, you're going alone..."

"It's fine. It's just a Soul Elder City Lord; I can handle it. Go, be quick."

Zi Ji asked no more and vanished. Xuan Qing headed toward the main courtyard.

The City Lord was in his study talking to a middle-aged man dressed in brocade—the manager of the auction house—and the two were busy splitting their spoils.

The manager laughed and said, "This batch of goods is of good quality, especially those young women. One of them even has mutated martial soul traits; she will definitely fetch a high price."

The City Lord laughed as well. "Naturally. Although women from the borderlands are a bit rough, their foundations are still quite good."

Just as they were enjoying their conversation, the door was suddenly kicked open. Xuan Qing walked in, his mask appearing exceptionally hideous and terrifying under the candlelight.

"Who's there!"

The two were startled and jumped to their feet.

Xuan Qing said nothing, walking toward them step by step as his soul power surged and three soul rings appeared.

One yellow, one purple, one black—the color combination was bizarre. The City Lord and the manager's expressions shifted. This was a Soul Elder?

But this soul ring configuration... something was wrong!

The City Lord feigned composure. "Who are you, Excellency? Breaking into the City Lord's Mansion in the dead of night—what is your business?"

Xuan Qing ignored them entirely and charged forward, his speed leaving only afterimages. He slammed a fist into the City Lord's face.

The City Lord was a Soul King, after all, and his reactions were swift. He dodged to the side and simultaneously released his martial soul—a massive rhinoceros—as two yellow and three purple soul rings appeared.

The manager also moved, his martial soul a venomous snake, with three yellow and one purple soul ring appearing.

The two coordinated, one defending and one attacking.

Xuan Qing remained unhurried and activated his first soul skill. A light rain began to fall inside the study.

As the rain touched them, their soul power began to drain away. The City Lord's expression changed drastically.

"What kind of soul skill is this?"

Xuan Qing seized the opportunity to press his attack, activating his second and third soul skills simultaneously, causing his attributes to skyrocket.

He slammed a fist into the City Lord's chest. Despite the man's strong defense, he could not withstand the blow.

Crack! A sickening sound of bone fracturing echoed as the City Lord vomited blood and flew backward, crashing through a bookshelf.

The manager tried to flee, but Xuan Qing kicked him in the leg. The leg bone snapped, and he collapsed to the ground, screaming.

Xuan Qing walked over, condensing two streams of soul power in his hands and driving them directly into their dantian.

Puff!

Their soul power was crippled, and both men spat out a mouthful of blood in unison.

Zi Ji returned just then, holding the ledger in her hand. "Senior, the people have been released, and the equipment has been recovered."

"Let's go. To the city gate."