A Sword Decapitates

The second day of patrol.

Evening.

"Hoo..."

Xu Qing slowly finished his practice, exhaling a breath of stale air. Like yesterday, he had spent thirty taels of silver at the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School to buy three catties of Tai Sui Spirit Meat.

Morning, noon, and night.

Three meals a day.

He ate one catty of Tai Sui Spirit Meat at each meal.

This way.

Xu Qing could sustain his daily martial arts training and energy expenditure. As a Dark Force martial artist, the stronger his physique became, the more energy he needed.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV5: 90/160 (…)]

After a full day.

Xu Qing had barely rested, practicing for a continuous ten hours. In each hour, he could perform Eight Extremities Fist fifty times, and over ten hours, that amounted to fifty repetitions.

Therefore.

Eight Extremities Fist gained fifty experience points.

"Still seventy points short," Xu Qing mused. "At this rate, in two more days at most, my Eight Extremities Fist will level up again, and my strength will naturally increase somewhat."

Night.

First half of the night.

Hongye Street.

Xu Qing had patrolled the first half of the night yesterday, so today he was scheduled for the latter half. He would rest during the first half, while Qin Daniu and the others patrolled then.

"Captain Yang."

Xu Qing's eyes flickered as he approached Yang Ye.

"Something wrong?"

Yang Ye glanced at Xu Qing.

To be honest.

Yang Ye's impression of Xu Qing was quite mediocre. This was because Xu Qing had been late on the first day, which had caused Yang Ye to lose face.

Also.

Xu Qing had been forced in by Zhao Jingyuan and had even taken the deputy captain position.

The matter of using connections.

Yang Ye found it displeasing.

"Captain Yang, I heard that a Corpse Ghoul appeared on Hongye Street a few days ago. I was wondering if that Corpse Ghoul has been dealt with?" Xu Qing asked.

"There was indeed such an incident."

Yang Ye nodded. "Why are you asking about this?"

"It's nothing," Xu Qing said with a smile, his expression showing a hint of worry. "I'm just a bit concerned. Since I also live on Hongye Street, I wouldn't be able to sleep soundly at night if that Corpse Ghoul wasn't dealt with."

"Oh."

Yang Ye showed a hint of surprise. "You live on Hongye Street?"

"Yes."

Xu Qing nodded.

"Don't worry."

Yang Ye waved his hand. "That Corpse Ghoul was dealt with long ago."

"Really?"

Xu Qing's expression brightened, and he asked again, "Which expert dealt with it?"

"How would I know?"

Yang Ye shot Xu Qing an annoyed look. "It seems it was dealt with by some unknown expert, but we don't know who exactly. I heard from other constables that they've been investigating for several days and seem to have some clues."

"That's truly a shame. If I knew which expert dealt with it, I would definitely thank him properly."

Xu Qing's tone carried a hint of regret.

"You?"

Yang Ye looked at him dismissively. "How would you thank that expert?"

"This..."

Xu Qing lowered his head, thinking to himself, I'm the expert you're talking about. How do you expect me to thank you?

Later that night.

Yang Ye, Wang Changye, and Xu Qing led the other members in continuing their patrol on Hongye Street, while Qin Daniu and the others could go rest.

Time passed.

Everything was peaceful and uneventful.

However.

Around three in the morning.

"Ah!!!"

Suddenly.

A piercing scream startled Xu Qing and the others.

"Not good."

"Something's happened."

"Quick!!!"

"..."

Yang Ye's pupils contracted. Upon hearing the scream, he shouted an order and quickly rushed in the direction of the sound.

"Damn it!"

Wang Changye's expression turned grim. "I can't believe we actually ran into one."

"Kid, don't you wet your pants when you see the Corpse Ghoul later."

Wang Changye glanced at Xu Qing.

However.

Xu Qing didn't respond to Wang Changye. Instead, he followed Yang Ye at top speed, heading to the scene of the incident and arriving in the shortest possible time.

Unfortunately.

Xu Qing and the others were still a step too late.

Wooden house.

The door was pushed open.

A stench assaulted their senses.

Yang Ye took the lead, with Wang Changye and Xu Qing closely behind. The others, their expressions vigilant, had already drawn their Iron Swords and scanned their surroundings.

Inside the house.

Xu Qing saw three corpses: one man, one woman, and one child. All three had been disemboweled, their internal organs eaten out.

"..."

Xu Qing's gaze fell upon the child's corpse. He could tell what kind of horrific and terrifying experience this child had gone through before dying.

"Hoo..."

Xu Qing held his breath slightly.

"A Corpse Ghoul did this."

Yang Ye scanned the scene, his expression solemn. "The stench in the air, the three bodies with their internal organs scooped out, and the traces left at the scene all point to a Corpse Ghoul."

"Captain! Movement!!!"

Suddenly.

One of the team members shrieked, pointing to a bedroom nearby.

"!!!"

Yang Ye's pupils contracted. "Careful! The Corpse Ghoul might still be here!!!"

Bang!

As soon as he spoke.

Yang Ye grabbed a nearby wooden table and hurled it forcefully, smashing open the wooden door to the bedroom. Inside the bedroom, a Corpse Ghoul with disheveled hair and wisps of black energy emanating from its body was revealed.

"Corpse Ghoul!!!"

Everyone was shocked.

Roar...

The Corpse Ghoul roared, its foul breath filling the air. In its mouth, a small segment of intestine, not yet swallowed, was visible, making everyone's scalp tingle.

Bang!

The next moment.

The Corpse Ghoul smashed through the bedroom window and rushed outside.

"Chase."

Yang Ye shouted.

Xu Qing and the others quickly rushed out of the room.

After bursting out of the bedroom, the Corpse Ghoul didn't stop. Instead, it leaped onto the rooftop and fled into the distance at a very high speed.

"Damn it."

Yang Ye's scalp tingled. "We can't let it get away."

"Xu Qing, Wang Changye, you two lead a few men and circle around from the other two directions. I'll pursue from behind. We absolutely must not let this Corpse Ghoul escape."

"Yes."

"Understood."

Xu Qing and Wang Changye nodded.

As soon as they finished speaking, Yang Ye had already taken the lead in the pursuit.

It had to be said.

Yang Ye, as a constable, was indeed quite competent. Facing a monster like a Corpse Ghoul and the danger involved, he still pursued without hesitation.

If it were an incompetent constable, they might have only given a token chase.

"Go."

Wang Changye signaled to two of his team members, glancing at Xu Qing. "You two come with me. Kid, this is where it gets serious. Don't die."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Changye led the two team members in pursuit from the right.

"Vice-captain, what do we do?"

Two other team members asked.

"Let's go from the left."

Xu Qing's expression was calm.

"Yes."

"..."

The other two team members nodded.

Late at night.

On the street.

The doors of the houses on both sides were tightly shut, and the residents dared not make a sound. They could actually hear the commotion outside, but they didn't dare to show their faces.

The Corpse Ghoul was fast, and both Yang Ye and Wang Changye had lost track of it.

"Hmm?"

At this moment.

On Xu Qing's side.

Originally.

Xu Qing had also lost the Corpse Ghoul, but as he passed a small alley, he smelled a familiar stench of decay. Although it was faint, it was definitely there.

Swish! Swish!

Without hesitation, Xu Qing quickly accelerated. Unbeknownst to him, he had already employed the Serpent Evasion Technique, and the two team members behind him couldn't keep up.

"Vice-captain..."

"This..."

The two team members exchanged glances, a look of shock on their faces. They never expected Xu Qing's speed to be so incredible.

"Found it."

The scene shifted.

Xu Qing had found the Corpse Ghoul. After navigating through several small alleys, he intercepted it in an open space.

Roar...

The Corpse Ghoul's instincts sensed that Xu Qing was alone, so it didn't continue running. Instead, it opened its massive maw and roared at Xu Qing.

"Monsters should die."

Xu Qing said.

ROAR!!!

It roared again.

This time.

The Corpse Ghoul lunged directly at Xu Qing, and this Corpse Ghoul was slightly stronger and faster than the one Xu Qing had encountered before.

Clearly.

Even among Corpse Ghouls, there were differences in strength.

Clang!!!

The sound of a sword being drawn echoed.

At some point, Xu Qing's right hand had already rested on the hilt of his sword. His eyes flashed, and with the sword's hum, Xu Qing drew his Iron Sword.

Swish!

A chilling sword light carved a silver semicircle in front of Xu Qing, like a crescent moon. Although Xu Qing hadn't practiced sword techniques.

However.

Xu Qing was, after all, a Dark Force martial artist, and the Iron Sword in his hand had been upgraded into a rare divine weapon in this mortal world.

Therefore.

Xu Qing merely unleashed a single sword strike, the sword light chilling and fierce. The Corpse Ghoul's body froze at a distance of one step from Xu Qing, its head severed.

Thump!

Its head fell to the ground.

Thick, black blood flowed from the severed neck.

Bang!

The headless corpse fell backward.

Swish!

Xu Qing flicked his right hand, smoothly sheathing the Iron Sword.

Decapitation with a single strike.

Effortlessly.

He had annihilated a Corpse Ghoul with no effort at all.

This was the power of possessing a divine weapon.

If Xu Qing hadn't had this Iron Sword, even though he was already a Dark Force martial artist, he wouldn't have been able to so easily annihilate an enhanced Corpse Ghoul.

At this moment.

Xu Qing faintly heard hurried footsteps approaching.

Without hesitation.

Xu Qing also quickly retreated, putting distance between himself and the Corpse Ghoul's body. He perfectly positioned himself to be on the scene just before others arrived, arriving perhaps less than a few seconds before them.

"A Corpse Ghoul..."

"This..."

"It's already been dealt with..."

"Who did it?"

"..."

Suddenly.

The crowd saw the Corpse Ghoul's body in the open space, their expressions filled with astonishment. They exchanged glances, their faces full of confusion.