Kaiyuan Tower

Xu Qing was still a bit shaken. He looked at the Corpse Ghoul's body on the ground, wiped the blood off his hands, and after a moment of silence, quickly climbed out of the back door and left the house.

He wasn't sure how serious it was that a Corpse Ghoul had appeared so suddenly and attacked a resident within the town.

However.

Xu Qing didn't want to expose himself.

As mentioned before.

Xu Qing was just a beggar of unknown origin. In less than six days since entering the city, he had managed to kill a Corpse Ghoul with his bare fists.

One could imagine.

If others found out, they would surely believe Xu Qing possessed treasures, covet him, and might even make a move against him.

"I'll leave the Corpse Ghoul's body in the house for now. Even if the Yamen's constables are inactive, they should still be able to track me here by the Corpse Ghoul's scent. I'll go back later,"

Xu Qing mused. "I don't have any good way to destroy the evidence. Even burning the body would create too much of a commotion on such a dark night."

In reality.

Xu Qing knew very well.

If the Yamen's constables really investigated, he probably wouldn't be able to hide for long. But he would hide for as long as he could. The longer he hid, the stronger Xu Qing could become.

By then.

As long as Xu Qing was strong enough, he would fear nothing.

"Where to?"

Xu Qing pondered. After walking a good distance, he spotted the 'Spring Breeze Pavilion' not far away, with its lively atmosphere, like a paradise on earth.

The brothel in the outer city.

"This is it."

Xu Qing said.

"This way, sir."

At the entrance.

As soon as Xu Qing arrived, a woman heavily perfumed with makeup walked up with a smile, took his arm, and led him into the Spring Breeze Pavilion.

You must know.

In his previous life, Xu Qing was at least a well-known wealthy man in the city. He had seen plenty of women, so the flashy women of the Spring Breeze Pavilion couldn't stir his interest.

However.

Xu Qing wasn't here for pleasure.

If one had to say.

Xu Qing had been in Qingbei Town for over three months. The only person who caught his eye was the Jiang Family's eldest daughter, Jiang Feiying. She truly possessed the demeanor of a lady from a prominent family, which was somewhat appealing.

On the other side.

About the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn.

At Xu Qing's residence, two constables with sabers arrived. They pushed open the door and saw the headless Corpse Ghoul on the ground, its head completely smashed, with red and white matter scattered everywhere.

"This..."

One of the constables looked astonished. "Who did this? To smash a Corpse Ghoul's head, they must be at least at the Great Accomplishment of Bright Force level."

"I don't know either!"

The other constable shook his head. "Where's the owner of this house? No one's here. Could it have been the owner of this house?"

"Never mind that for now. It's a good thing for us that this Corpse Ghoul was dealt with. We can use this headless Corpse Ghoul to report back."

"Right, right."

The two constables nodded.

Without hesitation.

They took out a body bag, put the headless Corpse Ghoul's body inside, took away some of the scattered flesh, and then left Xu Qing's residence.

Two hours later.

Xu Qing quietly returned to his residence. He glanced from afar; there was indeed no one around the house, and the headless body of the Corpse Ghoul was also gone.

"Phew..."

Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

Next.

After returning to his residence, Xu Qing quickly pan-fried the Tai Sui Spirit Meat he had in his arms and ate it. A surge of warmth flowed through him, restoring his energy and stamina.

However.

It was already late, and he needed to rest early. He didn't have time to continue practicing his martial arts.

"I've already learned the first part of the Azure Hawk Force from the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, as well as the Eagle Claw Skill. There's no significant meaning in going to the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School anymore."

Xu Qing mused to himself, "Furthermore, if I go to the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, I can't freely practice Eight Extremities Fist. So, starting tomorrow, I don't need to go to the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School anymore. I'll just continue practicing Eight Extremities Fist at my residence."

The night passed without incident.

The next day.

Morning.

Dong! Dong!

"Open up!"

As Xu Qing had just woken up, there were knocks on his door from outside, and the sounds were loud, accompanied by deep shouts and booming voices.

"Who is it?"

Xu Qing got up and walked out of the bedroom, then pushed the door open. His pupils contracted slightly as he stood at the doorway, facing three constables from the yamen, swords in hand.

Among them.

The middle-aged man who had been knocking was one of the yamen's three constable captains. The two behind him were the constables who had collected the bodies last night, also with swords.

"This... this..."

Xu Qing put on a humble expression. "To have the constables grace my humble abode, please, come in, come in..."

"No need."

Constable Captain Xu Weiran shook his head. He sized Xu Qing up for a few moments before sternly questioning him, "I ask you, where were you last night?"

"This..."

Xu Qing seemed a bit hesitant.

"Speak quickly!"

Xu Weiran snapped. "If you don't tell me now, I'll have to take you back to the yamen for questioning."

"Spring Breeze Pavilion."

Xu Qing replied, "I was at the Spring Breeze Pavilion last night."

"Pfft..."

The other two constables with swords let out laughter.

"Hmph!"

Xu Weiran snorted coldly. "Do you know that a major incident happened in your room last night? Didn't you feel something was amiss when you returned?"

"Yes! Sir!"

Xu Qing immediately said, "When I returned, many things in my room were in disarray, and I even saw some bloodstains on the floor."

"I'm just an ordinary citizen, I don't know anything. At first, I thought it was a robbery. Sir, you must investigate thoroughly."

"Alright, I understand."

Xu Weiran waved his hand and added a reminder, "In the future, try not to go out at night unless it's necessary."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Xu Qing nodded quickly.

Then.

Xu Weiran and his men left.

"Sir, please take care."

Xu Qing bowed his head low.

After watching Xu Weiran and his men walk away, Xu Qing closed the door and returned to his room. He pondered for a moment, "For now, there's no immediate trouble."

"Captain, do you think this person is the one who killed the Corpse Ghoul?"

One of the constables with a sword asked.

"I'm not sure."

Xu Weiran shook his head. "A martial artist in the Force Realm, without a real confrontation, no one knows their exact strength. And even if there was a confrontation, if they intentionally concealed it, it would be impossible to determine for sure."

"However..."

Xu Weiran pondered for a moment. "We should still investigate this person's background."

"Also..."

Xu Weiran continued, "Corpse Ghouls are appearing so brazenly in the outer city. If they hadn't been coincidentally dealt with by a master at Great Accomplishment of Bright Force last night, there would likely have been a murder today."

"Send people to strengthen patrols tonight."

"Yes."

"Understood."

The other two constables with swords nodded quickly.

The scene shifted.

In a restaurant in the outer city.

The restaurant was named 'Kaiyuan Tower'.

The top floor of Kaiyuan Tower.

Inside a luxurious VIP room.

In the room.

A young man stood respectfully still, and in front of this young man was a large bed covered by a bed curtain.

At this moment.

The bed was a scene of passionate lovemaking.

"Ah!!!"

Suddenly.

Following a high-pitched sound that rose and then fell, the bed curtain was pushed open by a hand. This hand was as white as jade, with slender fingers, a beauty like jade.

Observing carefully.

Through the gap in the opened bed curtain, one could see a mummified corpse lying on the bed.

"My lord."

The young man lowered his head, not daring to lift it. "Last night, a Corpse Ghoul died. We still don't know who did it."

"Hee hee..."

A soft giggle sounded, as pleasant as a lark's song, with a captivating charm that could make one fall into a trance.

"It's just a Corpse Ghoul. If it's dead, it's dead."

The woman, whose true appearance was hidden, said, "As for you, won't you experience the ultimate pleasure of the human world with me? I promise you'll fall in love with this feeling."

"How could I dare to offend you, my lord?"

Cold sweat broke out on the young man's forehead.

"Let the Yamen handle the investigation. They are more professional in such matters. After they find out, refine that meddler into a Corpse Ghoul."

The woman, whose true appearance was hidden, said.

"As you command."

The young man nodded and quickly left the room.

"Soon."

Buzz! Buzz!

The next moment.

Wisps of pink mist permeated the air. "It's about to be refined."

Xu Qing's residence.

"Eight Extremities Fist!"

Boom! Boom!

Xu Qing was completely immersed in practicing Eight Extremities Fist. Having consumed a pound of Tai Sui Spirit Meat last night and rested well, his physical strength and energy were extremely vigorous.

Within an hour.

Xu Qing could practice Eight Extremities Fist five times.

[Experience +1]

[Experience +1]

On the other side.

Azure Hawk Martial Arts School.

"Huh?"

Zhang He showed a look of surprise. He looked at the entrance and exit several times but didn't see Xu Qing. "Why isn't Xu Qing here today?"

One should know.

After these few days of interaction, Zhang He thought Xu Qing's martial arts talent was quite good. Moreover, he was willing to spend money, so there was a high probability that he would become a formal disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School.

However.

Zhang He hadn't expected that Xu Qing wouldn't come on the fourth day.

"Even with talent and willingness to spend money, without effort, there will be no achievement!"

Zhang He sighed.

Clearly.

Zhang He was disappointed in Xu Qing.

In fact.

There were quite a few other outer court students who had been paying attention to Xu Qing these past few days. This was because Instructor Zhang He had been teaching Xu Qing with great dedication, which had stirred up jealousy among many of the students.

On the fourth day, however, Xu Qing did not show up at the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School to train.

Naturally.

These students began to feel a sense of schadenfreude.

"I thought he was so capable, able to train without building up his body first. Turns out he's just like everyone else. He couldn't even last until the fourth day."

"Exactly."

"So he's just another good-for-nothing."

"It seems Instructor Zhang He's efforts these past few days were all in vain."

"..."

These students were murmuring amongst themselves.