"How are you?!"
Tang Qian'er rushed anxiously to Su Qing's side and asked.
"I'm fine. I won't die," Su Qing reassured her. "That punch threw my breathing out of rhythm. I'll be fine after coughing up a little blood."
With that, Su Qing coughed up several more mouthfuls of blood.
After rinsing his mouth with the clean water Tang Qian'er handed him, Su Qing took some healing medicine from the Sleeve Universe, swallowed it, and sat down to regulate his breathing.
About a quarter of an hour later, Su Qing released a long breath, forcing out the stagnant blood.
Once he spat it out, Su Qing's complexion improved considerably, though he was still a little pale.
"I'm fine now," Su Qing said, rubbing Tang Qian'er's head.
Tang Qian'er breathed a sigh of relief, but her eyes reddened a moment later. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
"If I hadn't dragged you into teaming up with me, you wouldn't have run into him."
"Ow!" Tang Qian'er cried out in pain.
Su Qing flicked Tang Qian'er hard on the forehead. "What are you thinking? You're acting as if I was the one who died. Don't worry. I've still got plenty of trump cards I haven't shown."
"But I still got you hurt."
"It only looked serious. I just spat out a little blood, really. Part of it was because of an old injury. I'll be fine once I replenish my blood."
"So, did you learn anything while the two of us were fighting?"
"Huh?" Tang Qian'er froze.
I was so worried about Su Qing's safety just now. Learn... what did I learn?
Su Qing sighed at the look on Tang Qian'er's face.
"Rotten wood can't be carved!"
"Hey!"
"Rotten wood!"
To show Tang Qian'er an evenly matched battle, Su Qing had held back many of his methods, including the Blood-Colored Incantation, the Senluo Death Seal, and others.
Yet this block of wood still hadn't understood a thing.
Su Qing even felt grateful that Tang Qian'er had refused to call him her master earlier. She would have disgraced his teachings.
Master, now I know how you felt.
"Time to loot the body." Su Qing had no desire to keep arguing with Tang Qian'er over this. He walked over to Blood Butcher to search his corpse.
If he remembered correctly, everything Blood Butcher owned was in his Mustard Seed Bracelet, including the Copper Fragment connected to the Nine Nether Sparrow.
Even so, Su Qing searched every piece of clothing on Blood Butcher's body to make sure he missed nothing.
In the end, all he found was that gray Mustard Seed Bracelet.
Su Qing sent his spiritual energy into it and briefly examined its contents. Most of it was a jumble of miscellaneous things. Soon, he found the Copper Fragment, took it out, and stored it in the Sleeve Universe.
As for the Mustard Seed Bracelet, Su Qing decided to refine and modify it before giving it to Tang Qian'er.
Afterward, Su Qing spat out a mouthful of flame, disposing of Blood Butcher's corpse and destroying the traces at the scene.
By the light of the flames, the two returned to camp.
Elsewhere.
"Young master, we've found it," a thug from the Liu Domain reported to Liu Mubai.
Liu Mubai silently stared at the ashes before him. After a long while, he asked, "Are you sure this is the place?"
The man answered, "We've searched every inch of the area. This is the only place with any traces."
Liu Mubai's expression darkened to the extreme. That Copper Fragment was immensely important to the Liu Domain.
If he hadn't tried to use Blood Butcher to get rid of Su Qing, and had instead reported to Third Uncle immediately, none of this would have happened.
It had been a grave mistake.
He had also underestimated Su Qing's strength. Judging by the evidence, Blood Butcher had most likely died at Su Qing's hands.
The possibility of Su Qing killing Blood Butcher on his own was relatively low, but it was very likely if he had used a Spirit Breaking Bead.
The one Liu Yang had possessed certainly wasn't powerful enough, and it should have been in Mu Chen's hands.
But Mu Feng could very well have made a more powerful one for Su Qing, since Liu Mubai himself had one.
Moreover, Mu Feng's divine soul was fire-attributed, which matched the scene perfectly.
That was probably the truth. The Copper Fragment had likely fallen into the Mu Domain's hands.
There would be no opportunity in the Northern Spirit Plains. Master Mo and Instructor Xi would not allow the Liu Domain to act, so he could only seek another chance.
Rest assured, Su Qing. I will kill you.
Boom!
Thunder exploded overhead. Scattered raindrops fell, quickly swelling into a torrential downpour.
The rainwater soon gathered into streams, washing away the ashes on the ground and erasing the last traces of Blood Butcher.
The downpour soaked the hair over Liu Mubai's forehead and trickled down his hairline. He watched the ashes gradually disperse, his eyes unfathomable yet surging with murderous intent.
"Let's go." At Liu Mubai's command, the men of the Liu Domain withdrew one after another, leaving the place.
Back at camp, Su Qing sat beside the brazier inside his tent, concentrating on roasting a rack of ribs.
They came from a spirit beast Su Qing had killed on the way back, just the thing for a hearty meal.
Tang Qian'er watched from the other side. Without realizing it, her gaze drifted from the ribs to Su Qing's profile.
A long while passed like that. Sizzling fat dripped into the brazier, and Su Qing stopped turning the ribs, securing them in place.
Then he sliced off a piece of meat and held it to Tang Qian'er's lips. "It's ready."
Tang Qian'er was still staring blankly at Su Qing.
When she failed to react, Su Qing pinched her cheek with his other hand in puzzlement. "What are you thinking about?"
"N-nothing!" Tang Qian'er snapped out of her daze, her pretty face instantly flushing as she stammered an explanation.
Su Qing merely assumed she was shaken by their encounter with Blood Butcher that day. He held the meat to her lips. "Open wide. Ah~"
Tang Qian'er's face grew even redder, a pink flush spreading down her neck. After a moment's hesitation, she opened her mouth and bit off the meat.
"Mmm." Tang Qian'er looked expectantly at Su Qing, then at the ribs.
Su Qing couldn't help chuckling at her expression. "Is it cooked through?"
"Yes."
With a turn of his hand, Su Qing passed Tang Qian'er a knife. The two sat together before the brazier, slowly slicing off strips of meat to eat while chatting intermittently.
Much later, listening to the rain pattering against the tent, they laid their sleeping bags beside the brazier and went to sleep.
The next few days passed with calm winds and tranquil waves.
Su Qing and Tang Qian'er hunted down several more spirit beasts along the way.
The Liu Domain's team left without a sound. Only Liu Mubai occasionally cast a long, penetrating look at Su Qing and the others before looking away.
Soon, the day marking the end of their training in the Northern Spirit Plains arrived.
The students were all exceptionally excited, for today their training results would be judged.
Some brimmed with confidence, while others were anxious and uneasy.
Su Qing and Tang Qian'er stood shoulder to shoulder at the front of the East Courtyard students. Mu Chen was laughing with Mo Ling, Su Ling, and the others, looking equally confident.
After eating a Jade Spirit Fruit, Tang Qian'er had also broken through to the late stage of the spirit movement realm, while Mu Chen had used his to condense a second Senluo Death Seal.
Su Qing had absorbed the remaining Jade Spirit Fruits using his medicine-taking method, turning them into solid stones reinforcing his foundation.
Master Mo and Instructor Xi stood in the clearing before the students, surveying them.
Compared to before, the students carried themselves with greater sharpness and discipline. Clearly, this training in the Northern Spirit Plains had brought them considerable gains.
Seeing that everyone had gathered in the center of camp, Master Mo cleared his throat, his resonant voice ringing in their ears.
"As of today, our training in the Northern Spirit Plains has officially ended. Judging by how you all look, you've gained quite a lot during this period of training. Your efforts have not been wasted."
"Next comes the final moment, when we assess your results. First, please remember this: whatever your final results may be, all that matters is that each student has done their utmost and earned the rewards they deserved here."
"Now, each team will come forward in turn and take out the spirit beast essence you've collected during this period. We will record it and use it to assess your results."