Rat Snake

Xu Qing remained silent, he no longer tried to persuade them. There's a saying, "Good words cannot persuade a damned ghost." Because Xu Qing possessed the evil ghost mask, he was more sensitive to yin qi, baleful qi, and ghost energy.

In fact.

As soon as the old man and his companions appeared, Xu Qing sensed faint traces of yin and baleful evil energy on them through the evil ghost mask.

Therefore.

Xu Qing had tried to persuade them earlier, telling them not to let lust cloud their judgment and engage in such activities in this place.

What a shame.

These people simply didn't heed his advice.

Finally.

Among the fifteen members of Patrol Squad No. 13 led by Xu Qing, three stayed behind and completed the transaction with the old man using coarse biscuits.

Immediately.

They walked off to the side, laughing and talking.

"Let's go."

Xu Qing shook his head and withdrew his gaze. "We'll circle around and come back. By then, they should be finished. We'll have them rejoin the team then."

"Yes."

"Understood."

"..."

The others nodded respectfully.

The group departed.

Faintly.

There were barely audible gasps, sounding somewhat rapid.

Half an hour later.

Xu Qing and his team had completed their patrol route and returned to the place of the previous transaction, but they didn't see the three men.

Similarly.

They couldn't find the old man and his companions either.

They had all vanished without a trace.

"Where are they?"

"Why aren't they here?"

"..."

At once.

Everyone was astonished.

"Maybe they're not done yet?"

"They have that much stamina?"

"..."

The group discussed amongst themselves.

Xu Qing, however, remained silent.

Next.

Xu Qing and his team patrolled a few more rounds but still didn't see anyone.

At this moment.

They finally realized something was wrong.

"These damned beggars and vagrants dare to lay hands on us?!"

"Are they tired of living?"

"..."

The next moment.

Everyone felt a surge of anger.

"What do you mean?"

Su Changhe frowned.

"This..."

Liu Xiao pondered, looking at Xu Qing.

"I already advised them not to do that kind of thing in such an unsanitary place, but they were blinded by lust and refused to listen."

Xu Qing shrugged.

"That's what they say, yes."

Su Changhe shook his head. He took a deep breath and looked down at everyone.

Among the members present.

There were three people from the Tiger Head Escort Agency, and one of the three who had gone missing was from the Tiger Head Escort Agency.

"What do you want to do?"

Xu Qing asked.

"Bring them back alive, or their bodies."

Su Changhe said in a deep voice, "Brother Xu, don't worry, I won't force the entire squad to search with me, but I must find my people from the Tiger Head Escort Agency."

"Mm."

Xu Qing simply nodded.

After that.

Su Changhe led his men, their faces grim, following the footprints left behind to search. At the same time, he was questioning the refugees and disaster victims in the area.

In fact.

Among the three missing people.

The Tiger Head Escort Agency, the Red Snake Gang, and the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School each had one person missing.

"What about you?"

Xu Qing looked at Liu Xiao.

"I'll pass."

Liu Xiao said.

"Then let's continue patrolling."

Xu Qing said.

Actually.

Xu Qing was very aware that with the increasing number of refugees and disaster victims, some demonic cults were hidden among them.

They had even attracted some Demonic Evils.

One must know.

For demonic cults, this kind of situation was their favorite. They were best at stirring up all sorts of trouble, thereby absorbing resentment qi, filth qi, death qi, yin qi, and so on for their cultivation.

As for Malevolent Spirits.

Their situations were even more unpredictable.

"No matter what kind of demonic cult or demon you are, just don't come and bother me."

Xu Qing thought to himself.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye.

It was six o'clock the next morning.

Xu Qing's shift for patrol had ended for the day.

"Going back."

Xu Qing stretched, yawned, and looked somewhat tired. It was already six o'clock, and the sky was just beginning to lighten.

Su Changhe's expression was rather unpleasant.

Clearly.

He hadn't found anything.

"Don't dwell on it."

Xu Qing patted Su Changhe's shoulder and comforted him, "Just be more careful during the next patrol, don't let your guard down, and don't act recklessly again."

"Hoo… Mm."

Su Changhe took a deep breath. He didn't say much, just nodded.

The scene shifted.

Half an hour later.

Xu Qing had returned home.

Yu Hu happened to be carrying a bowl of steaming Eight Treasures Congee, which his mother Wang Cuilan had naturally cooked. He walked in with a smile.

"Master, drink your congee."

Yu Hu said.

"Good."

Xu Qing smiled.

Whether it was dumplings, beef noodles, or this bowl of congee, for Xu Qing, it was like a drop in the bucket. Ordinary people's food could no longer satisfy his daily needs.

If he ate dumplings, beef noodles, or Eight Treasures Congee, he could eat a lot, enough to bankrupt a wealthy family.

For martial artists.

What they needed was Spirit Food.

And without Spirit Food.

A martial artist's strength would be significantly weakened, leading to insufficient stamina and energy, making them unable to unleash their true power.

So.

The dumplings, beef noodles, and this bowl of Eight Treasures Congee that Yu Hu brought were, to Xu Qing, a form of human warmth, reducing his sense of loneliness.

"Practice your punches."

After finishing the congee, Xu Qing commanded Yu Hu.

"Yes, Master."

Yu Hu replied respectfully.

An hour later.

Xu Qing dismissed Yu Hu. For some unknown reason, Yu Hu had become increasingly intelligent. According to Xu Qing's initial estimation, Yu Hu wouldn't have mastered Level 3 Eight Extremities Fist before the end of winter. Now, it seemed possible he could achieve it within a month.

Although Yu Hu had taken a considerable amount of time to reach Bright Force, he was still young. Coupled with his current displayed intelligence, he could be considered a little prodigy.

Next.

Xu Qing continued practicing his punches at home. Although he hadn't slept the previous night, his energy was still abundant, and he didn't feel tired, so he kept practicing to gain experience points.

Clang!

The next moment.

Xu Qing drew his Fine Iron Sword and practiced the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking.

Time flew by.

Without him realizing it.

It was almost noon, 12 o'clock. He slept for another two hours, and it was suddenly 2 PM.

"So fast?"

Xu Qing woke up. After eating a pound of Black Mountain Tiger Meat, he was about to leave the courtyard to take over patrol duty. Just as he stepped out of the courtyard gate.

"Huh."

Xu Qing stopped. He let out a soft exclamation, seeing a Rat Snake, completely frozen, at the entrance of his home.

"A snake?"

Xu Qing observed it. This snake was two and a half meters long, thick all over, black with yellow spots resembling cauliflower, with several yellow horizontal stripes on the front part of its body. The top of its head was yellowish-brown, with black-edged scales, forming black vertical lines on the underside of its tail. The front of its head had black markings forming the character "King."

Therefore.

The Rat Snake was also known as the King Rat Snake.

"Not dead."

Xu Qing was surprised because he hadn't expected to encounter such a Rat Snake in the dead of winter. "Snakes generally hibernate in winter."

"This snake is actually at my doorstep."

"And."

"Its length reaching two and a half meters is considered large for a Rat Snake. It's been frozen into a stick, and it's still not dead."

"Interesting."

Xu Qing smiled.

"My Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique has been upgraded to Level 8, but I still haven't managed to tame a true beast companion."

Xu Qing mused, "This Rat Snake seems to have a connection with me. It shall become my first beast companion."

"Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique!"

Buzz!

Xu Qing didn't hesitate. He drew his Iron Sword, pricked the tip of his middle finger, and a drop of crimson blood fell. Influenced by Xu Qing's Force, it hovered in mid-air.

Xu Qing formed hand seals, imbuing his spirit into the blood, forming the 'Beast Taming Blood Curse.' It then slowly descended towards the Rat Snake on the ground.

Drip!

The blood landed on the Rat Snake's forehead, precisely on the 'King' marking, and seeped into its body. With this, the 'Beast Taming Blood Curse' was successfully cast.

Soon.

Xu Qing established a connection with the Rat Snake.

However.

The Rat Snake was unconscious and unable to respond.

So.

Xu Qing crouched down, extended his right hand, circulated the Pill Force within his body, and sent his own Blood Essence into the Rat Snake. After about half a minute.

The Rat Snake woke up.

It had recovered from the brink of death.

"Not bad."

Xu Qing nodded with satisfaction.

The Rat Snake was very docile, coiling at Xu Qing's feet. Its snake eyes held a fawning expression, and a faint consciousness could be vaguely perceived.

Unfortunately.

The Rat Snake was just an ordinary snake and could not possess true, complete sentience.

"Record."

Buzz!

With a thought, Xu Qing's consciousness communicated with the Omni-Codex, targeting the Rat Snake. A white light flashed over the snake.

[Record successful!]

At the same time.

Information was transmitted from the Omni-Codex.

[Rat Snake LV1: 0/10 (This is an ordinary Rat Snake, possessing considerable constricting power and sharp fangs.)]

"It worked."

A delighted smile spread across Xu Qing's face. "Good, good, it really worked."

"Hahaha..."

Xu Qing burst into laughter.

Furthermore.

Xu Qing also learned how to level up the Rat Snake.

"For the Rat Snake to gain experience, it needs to eat. Every ten jin of meat it consumes will increase its experience by one point."

Xu Qing mused inwardly, glancing at the Rat Snake. "It seems I've raised a big eater. It only gets one experience point for every ten jin of meat."

Of course.

Spirit Food could also be used.

However.

The Rat Snake was currently just an ordinary snake. With its current physical condition, if it consumed Spirit Food, it wouldn't be able to absorb or digest it and would likely explode.

Therefore.

In the beginning.

It was best to let the Rat Snake eat meat. Once the Rat Snake leveled up and was no longer an ordinary snake, it could be fed Spirit Food or other types of meat.

Like the Tai Sui Spirit Meat that Xu Qing had been eating before.

After some thought.

Xu Qing let the Rat Snake stay in his residence. He also called Yu Chen over and asked him to go to the market to buy some pork.

"Meat is quite expensive now," Yu Chen said.

"Go ahead," Xu Qing replied. "Buy a hundred jin, and I'll give you the silver when you get back."