The amount involved in Xu Qing's transaction this time had reached an astonishing forty thousand taels. Such an enormous sum was enough to draw the attention of true experts.
Therefore.
When Xu Qing left the Black Tiger Spirit Food Shop this time, he once again sensed that he was being watched—and there were even more people than last time.
Men died for wealth; birds died for food.
This principle had remained unchanged since ancient times.
"It's him."
"If I remember correctly, it was this fellow last time too. Scarface and his men went to rob and kill him, yet they all became corpses the next day."
"Scarface had Dark Force cultivation, while his lackeys were all Bright Force experts. Yet Scarface had his head chopped off, and his four lackeys were all killed with a single slash across the throat."
"He's really strong!"
"..."
Quite a few people could not help abandoning the thought of robbing and killing Xu Qing. They knew exactly how capable they were, and they also knew that someone who could casually produce so much money was not someone to provoke.
Not to mention.
Scarface and his men had provided a cautionary example over a month ago.
However.
Faced with such profits.
There were still people who trusted in their superior skills and bold hearts, choosing to risk everything.
The scene shifted.
Xu Qing had already left the black market alone.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
Inside an alley.
Four black-clad figures appeared. They all wore black cloaks and black hats, making their faces impossible to see clearly.
"Hand over the goods, and you can leave."
"..."
One of the black-clad figures spoke in a deep voice.
Killing intent bore down on him.
Clang!
A sword cry rang out.
With a flick of both hands, Xu Qing tossed the two iron chests into the air. At the same time, he stretched out his right hand and drew the LV10 Iron Sword from its sheath.
Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking.
Clang! Clang! Clang!!!
Xu Qing's gaze was icy as he struck swiftly. His sword techniques unfolded, and streak after streak of silver sword light flashed through the alley like lightning, brimming with the aura of death and destruction.
Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!!!
Blood sprayed through the air.
It splattered across the ground and walls.
Whoosh!
From the moment Xu Qing attacked to the moment it ended, he had returned to his original position. The LV10 Iron Sword was already sheathed again, and he stretched out both hands to catch the falling iron chests.
Thud! Thud!!!
The next instant.
The four black figures around him all collapsed, their four heads rolling across the ground.
It had to be known.
They were all exceptionally powerful Hunters in the black market. Every one of them had reached Dark Force, and two had even reached peak Dark Force.
Unfortunately.
Before Xu Qing, they were all mere ants. They could not even receive a single strike from him, and all four had their heads severed by one sword stroke.
It could be said.
With the deaths of these four, the black market's environment would improve somewhat for a while. But it would not last long, because others would soon take their places.
After all.
Being a hunter was dangerous, but the profits were simply too great.
No matter what one did.
Nothing made money faster than killing people and stealing their goods.
"What a ruthless sword technique."
At that moment.
A voice sounded.
"Hm?"
Xu Qing looked over and saw a burly figure wearing an ox-head mask. The other man stood at the end of the alley, his gaze indifferent as he stared straight at Xu Qing.
Moreover.
There was a sharpness hidden within this man's eyes.
"You want to make a move too?"
Xu Qing's tone was calm.
"I originally intended to."
The burly figure in the ox-head mask shook his head. "But after witnessing Your Excellency's swordsmanship, I no longer have any intention of acting."
"Heh."
Xu Qing sneered. After finishing his search of the corpses, he obtained banknotes worth eleven thousand taels. They were his spoils of war—not bad at all. Then he carried the two iron chests away.
The burly figure in the ox-head mask watched Xu Qing leave. After pondering for a moment, he muttered, "When did such a swordsmanship expert appear in Qingbei Town's outer city? Some time ago, I heard of a mysterious sword expert who came without a shadow and went without a trace. He seemed to be called 'Lü Dongbin'?"
"Could this man be him?"
The scene shifted.
Xu Qing had returned to his residence.
He removed the Ghost Mask.
He returned to his original appearance.
"One hundred and ninety-one jin of Black Mountain Tiger Meat."
Xu Qing pondered. "It can last for one hundred and ninety-one days. That means I won't need to venture out for risks for over half a year, and I can focus on cultivation."
"Only."
"The Spring Breeze Pavilion's monthly income is not high, and my share is only thirty percent. So I can only get three hundred to five hundred taels of silver from Spring Breeze Pavilion every month."
"Of course."
"That is already enough for a Bright Force martial artist, but I am not a Bright Force martial artist. I am a Transformative Force martial artist, so this silver is nowhere near enough."
"In that case."
"I need to find another path and come up with a new way to make money."
At this thought.
Xu Qing saw the Fine Iron Sword not far away.
"Got it."
Xu Qing's eyes lit up. "The Omni-Codex can record weapons. I only need to purchase some ordinary iron swords, and after raising them by one level, their prices can multiply several times over."
"This is a guaranteed industry of enormous profits."
"But..."
Xu Qing pondered. "Selling weapons is fine if the quantity is small, but if the quantity becomes too large, I fear it will touch upon the interests of certain higher-ups in Qingbei Town."
"Without sufficient strength, one simply cannot protect an industry that is too large."
Time flew by.
Before he knew it.
Spring passed and autumn came.
The twelfth lunar month of winter arrived.
The cold wind howled and heavy snow filled the sky. As far as the eye could see, the vast land was wrapped in silver. The temperature kept falling, and outside the city, no one knew how many refugees and beggars had starved or frozen to death in such a frigid winter.
"Master, Master..."
Outside the door.
Xu Qing heard Yu Hu's voice. It was loud and full of vigor as he ran into the courtyard. "My mother said Master lives alone. It's winter, so she made cabbage and pork dumplings today and told me to bring you a bowl."
"Alright."
Xu Qing smiled, his gaze falling upon Yu Hu as he accepted the steaming bowl of dumplings from his hands.
"Master, hurry and eat."
Yu Hu scratched the back of his head and laughed foolishly. "They won't taste good once they get cold."
"Mm."
Xu Qing nodded.
The dumplings really did taste good. In such weather, and in such a chaotic age, being able to eat a steaming bowl of pork dumplings was likely the greatest dream of countless commoners.
"Master."
Yu Hu stood waiting at the side. He still had to wait for Xu Qing to finish the dumplings before taking the bowl back to wash it. He could not possibly let his master wash dishes.
"What is it?"
Xu Qing did not raise his head.
"My father and mother said that Master has such a large courtyard, yet you live here alone, with no one to help manage it. They think you should buy a few maidservants and household servants."
Yu Hu said.
"Haha..."
Xu Qing laughed a few times. "We'll talk about it later."
"Alright."
Yu Hu said.
In truth.
Yu Hu's talent for martial arts was fairly good. Xu Qing had taught him for a month, allowing Yu Hu to learn Eight Extremities Fist. Then, after practicing for half a year, Yu Hu had finally truly mastered LV2 Eight Extremities Fist and cultivated Bright Force.
Of course.
When Yu Chen found out, he was overjoyed beyond measure.
It had to be known.
Yu Hu would only turn fifteen after the New Year this year.
"I'm done eating."
Xu Qing handed the bowl to Yu Hu.
"Alright."
Yu Hu accepted the bowl. "Master, I'm going back."
"Mm."
Xu Qing nodded and said, "Yu Hu, starting tomorrow, come here at six every morning. Your master will continue teaching you more profound Eight Extremities Fist."
"Thank you, Master!"
Yu Hu excitedly knelt on the ground.
"You have already cultivated Bright Force through Eight Extremities Fist. After consolidating it for this period of time, it is time to continue teaching you."
Xu Qing waved his hand. "Go."
"Yes, understood."
Yu Hu was extremely happy.
At the same time.
After Yu Hu returned home, he gave the bowl to Wang Cuilan and told Yu Chen and Wang Cuilan about it, which made Yu Chen immensely happy and excited.
"Good, good, good."
Yu Chen's expression was filled with delight. "This is truly wonderful. Hu Zi, you must remember: no matter what happens, you must obey your master."
"As the saying goes, a teacher for a day, a father for life."
"Do you hear me?"
"I understand, Father."
Yu Hu said.
Inside the courtyard.
Buzz!
With a thought.
Xu Qing examined the changes over the past half year.
Over half a year.
From the scorching summer, winter with its swirling snow had arrived. Xu Qing had spent most of his time practicing martial arts in the courtyard and using the ant nests on White Dwarf Mountain to grind experience for the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique.
"Whew..."
Xu Qing drew a deep breath. Looking at the heavy snow filling the sky, his thoughts drifted, and he could not help recalling the sixteen years he had spent with Grandpa Nine Fingers.
Back then.
Xu Qing had still been muddleheaded, wandering with Grandpa Nine Fingers. Naturally, they had encountered winters like this as well, and they had nearly died in the winter.
"In weather like this winter, who knows how many people will die."
Xu Qing sighed softly. "I hope nothing happens."
It had to be known.
When Xu Qing had wandered with Grandpa Nine Fingers in the past, it was not as though they had never encountered such things. During these bitter twelfth lunar months, those emaciated refugees and beggars were driven beyond endurance by hunger. Coupled with the incitement of certain evil Outer Dao practitioners, they would seek rebellion simply to survive.
The outcome went without saying.
All of them were suppressed.
Countless were killed and wounded.
After all,
the Great Zhou Martial Kingdom had not yet fallen to the point where beggars and demonic heretics could easily breach a county town. It still possessed sufficiently formidable foundations.
Outside the city,
the Jiang Family, Nangong Family, and He Family—the Three Great Families of Qingbei Town—had taken the lead, successively setting up three porridge stations outside the city.
However,
because Qingbei Town had porridge stations, the number of refugees outside the city only kept growing. At this rate, distributing porridge was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
The scene shifted.
Atop the city walls.
"This can't go on."
The County Magistrate of Qingbei Town stood atop the walls. As the view drew closer, a stern-faced, thick-browed, large-eyed middle-aged man came into view, dressed in the County Magistrate's official robes.
Nearby,
standing beside the County Magistrate were the heads of the He Family, Jiang Family, Nangong Family, and the others.
"Indeed!"
He Yuebin, head of the He Family, nodded. Gray touched his temples as he frowned. "There are far too many refugees this year—at least twice as many as last year."
"What exactly is going on? Why are there so many refugees this year?" Nangong Ming, head of the Nangong Family, asked in a grave voice.
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