The second day of patrols.
Evening.
Hoo...
Xu Qing slowly finished his cultivation, exhaling a breath of turbid air. Just like yesterday, he had spent thirty taels of silver today to buy three pounds of Tai Sui Spirit Meat at the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School.
Morning, noon, night.
Three meals a day.
He ate a pound of Tai Sui Spirit Meat with every single meal.
Only by doing this.
Could Xu Qing sustain his daily martial arts practice and consumption, because the physical stamina of an Inner Force martial artist grew increasingly formidable, demanding ever more energy consumption.
Eight Extremities Fist LV5: 90/160(...)
By the end of the day.
Xu Qing had basically not rested at all, practicing continuously for a full ten hours. He could execute the Eight Extremities Fist five times every hour, making fifty times in ten hours.
Therefore.
The Eight Extremities Fist gained fifty points of experience value.
"Seventy points left."
Xu Qing pondered, at this rate, in two days at most, my Eight Extremities Fist can level up again, and my strength will naturally increase a bit more.
Night.
First half of the night.
Hongye Street.
Xu Qing had patrolled the first half of the night yesterday, so naturally he had to swap today, changing to patrol the second half of the night and rest during the first half, while Qin Daniu and the others switched to patrolling the first half.
"Captain Yang."
Xu Qing's gaze flickered as he walked to Yang Ye's side.
"Something the matter?"
Yang Ye glanced sideways at Xu Qing.
To be honest.
Yang Ye's impression of Xu Qing was quite ordinary, because Xu Qing had actually arrived late on the very first day, which also bruised Yang Ye's face.
Besides.
Xu Qing was forcefully plugged in by Zhao Jingyuan and even took the position of Vice-Captain.
As for pulling strings through the back door.
Yang Ye actually found it displeasing as well.
"Captain Yang, I heard that a few days ago, a corpse ghost appeared on Hongye Street. I just wonder if this corpse ghost has been dealt with?"
Xu Qing asked.
"There is indeed such a matter."
Yang Ye nodded. "Why do you ask about this?"
"Nothing much."
Xu Qing smiled, his expression somewhat worried. "I'm just a bit concerned, because I also live on Hongye Street. If that corpse ghost hasn't been dealt with, I won't even be able to sleep peacefully at night."
"Oh."
Yang Ye showed a trace of surprise. "You actually live on Hongye Street?"
"Yes."
Xu Qing nodded.
"Don't worry."
Yang Ye waved his hand. "That corpse ghost was dealt with long ago."
"Really?"
Xu Qing's expression lit up with joy, and he asked again, "Which expert resolved it?"
"How would I know?"
Yang Ye gave Xu Qing a side-eye and said unpleasantly, "It seemed to be solved by some unknown expert, but we don't know who specifically. I heard from other constables that they've been investigating for several days and seem to have some clues."
"What a pity. If I knew which expert solved it, I would definitely thank him properly."
Xu Qing's tone carried some regret.
"Just you?"
Yang Ye's gaze was disdainful. "What are you going to use to thank that expert?"
"This..."
Xu Qing lowered his head, thinking to himself, I am that expert myself, how do you suppose I should thank him?
Second half of the night.
Yang Ye, Wang Changye, and Xu Qing led the other members to continue patrolling Hongye Street, while Qin Daniu and the others could go rest.
Time flowed on.
Everything was safe and sound.
However.
Just around three o'clock in the morning.
"Ah!!!"
Suddenly.
A shrill scream startled Xu Qing and the others.
"Not good."
"Something's happened."
"Hurry!!!"
"..."
Yang Ye's pupils contracted. Hearing the screams, he gave a stern shout and rushed rapidly in the direction the screams came from.
"Damn it!"
Wang Changye's complexion turned ugly. "We really did run into it."
"Kid, when you see the corpse ghost later, don't piss your pants from fright."
Wang Changye glanced at Xu Qing.
However.
Xu Qing did not respond to Wang Changye. Instead, moving at top speed, he followed closely behind Yang Ye and headed straight for the scene of the incident, arriving in the shortest time possible.
It was a pity.
Xu Qing and the others still arrived a step too late.
Wooden house.
The door was pushed open.
A pungent, foul stench hit them head-on.
Yang Ye took the lead, followed closely by Wang Changye and Xu Qing, while the others wore vigilant expressions, having already drawn the iron swords at their waists and scanning their surroundings.
Inside the house.
Xu Qing saw three corpses: a male corpse, a female corpse, and a child's corpse. All three bodies had been disemboweled, and the internal organs inside had been eaten clean.
"..."
Xu Qing's gaze fell upon the child's corpse. He could tell what tragic and terrifying things this child had experienced before death.
Hoo...
Xu Qing held his breath slightly.
"Done by a corpse ghost."
Yang Ye scanned the scene, his expression solemn. "The corpse stench in the air, the three bodies with their organs hollowed out, and the traces left at the scene all lead to the conclusion that it's a corpse ghost."
"Captain! There's movement!!!"
Suddenly.
One of the team members shrieked, pointing at a bedroom nearby.
"!!!"
Yang Ye's pupils contracted. "Careful! The corpse ghost might not have left yet!!!"
Bang!
As soon as his voice fell.
Yang Ye grabbed a wooden table nearby and hurled it forcefully, smashing open the wooden door of the bedroom. Inside the bedroom, there was a corpse ghost with disheveled hair and wisps of black Qi radiating from its entire body.
"Corpse ghost!!!"
Everyone was alarmed.
Roar...
The corpse ghost opened its mouth and roared, a foul stench hitting the nose. Inside its mouth, a small section of an unswallowed, severed intestine could still be seen, making one's scalp tingle just looking at it.
Bang!
The next moment.
The corpse ghost crashed through the bedroom window and charged outside.
"Pursue."
Yang Ye shouted.
Xu Qing and the others rushed out of the room rapidly.
After charging out of the bedroom, this corpse ghost did not linger. Instead, it leaped onto the rooftop and fled toward the distance at an extremely fast speed.
"Damn it."
Yang Ye's scalp tingled. "We can't let it run."
"Xu Qing, Wang Changye, lead a few men to flank it from the other two directions. I'll pursue from behind. We must not let this corpse ghost get away."
"Yes."
"Understood."
Xu Qing and Wang Changye nodded.
The moment the words fell.
Yang Ye had already taken the lead in giving chase.
It had to be said.
As a constable, Yang Ye was indeed conscientious. Faced with monsters and dangers like a corpse ghost, he still pursued it without a second thought.
If it were an unconscientious constable, he might have just made a symbolic token chase.
"Let's go."
Wang Changye signaled two of the team members, casting a sidelong glance at Xu Qing. "You two come with me. Kid, from here on out it's for real, so don't get yourself killed."
The moment the words fell.
Wang Changye led the two team members in pursuit from the right side.
"Vice-Captain, what do we do?"
Two other team members asked.
"Let's take 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. The commoners didn't dare make a sound; they could actually hear the movement outside, but didn't dare stick their heads out at all.
The corpse ghost's speed was very fast, and both Yang Ye and Wang Changye had lost track of it.
"Hm?"
At this moment.
Over on Xu Qing's side.
Originally.
Xu Qing had also lost the trail of this corpse ghost, but while passing through a small alley, he caught the scent of a familiar corpse stench. Although very faint, it was indeed there.
Swish! Swish!
Without hesitation.
Xu Qing rapidly accelerated his pace. Unawares, he had already deployed the Serpent Evasion Technique, leaving the two team members behind him unable to keep up.
"Vice-Captain..."
"This..."
The two team members exchanged glances, their faces plastered with a trace of shock. They never imagined that Xu Qing's speed could actually be this fast.
"Found it."
The scene shifted.
Xu Qing had already located the corpse ghost. After scaling several small alleys, he intercepted this corpse ghost in an open space.
Roar...
The corpse ghost's instincts perceived that only Xu Qing was present, so it did not continue running either. Instead, it opened its bloody maw and roared at Xu Qing.
"Monsters deserve to die."
Xu Qing said.
Roar!!!
Another roar.
This time.
The corpse ghoul lunged straight at Xu Qing. It was stronger than the one Xu Qing had encountered before, and faster as well.
Clearly.
Even among corpse ghouls, there were strong and weak ones.
Clang!!!
The cry of a sword rang out.
At some point, Xu Qing's right hand had already settled on the hilt. His gaze flashed, and with the sword's cry, he drew the iron sword.
Swish!
A chilling sword light swept out before Xu Qing in a silver semicircle, like a broken moon. Though Xu Qing had never practiced swordsmanship.
However.
Xu Qing was, after all, a Dark Force martial artist, and the iron sword in his hand had already been upgraded into a rare divine sharp artifact of the mortal world.
Therefore.
With a single slash from Xu Qing, sword light gleamed coldly, and the corpse ghoul froze one step away from him. Its head had been severed.
Thud!
The head fell to the ground.
Thick, blackened blood flowed from its severed neck.
Bang!
The headless corpse toppled backward.
Swish!
Xu Qing flicked his right hand and lightly sheathed the iron sword.
One slash, one beheading.
It had been effortless.
Without even the slightest effort, he had instantly killed a corpse ghoul.
This was the might of possessing a divine sharp artifact.
If Xu Qing had not possessed this iron sword, then even as a Dark Force martial artist, he would not have been able to kill an enhanced corpse ghoul so effortlessly.
At that moment.
Xu Qing faintly heard hurried footsteps drawing near.
Without hesitation.
Xu Qing swiftly retreated as well, putting distance between himself and the corpse ghoul's body. He made it seem as though he had reached the scene only a few seconds before the others arrived.
"A corpse ghoul..."
"This..."
"It was actually dealt with..."
"Who did it?"
"..."
At once.
Seeing the corpse ghoul's body in the clearing, everyone wore astonished expressions. They stood where they were, exchanging glances, their faces full of confusion.
Before you continue