The scene fell silent. Yang Ye, Wang Changye, and the others arrived one after another. They stared at the body on the ground, utterly shocked.
WHOOSH...
Yang Ye took a deep breath. He walked over to the Corpse Ghost's body and knelt down to examine it, the shock in his eyes impossible to contain.
"This... this..."
Yang Ye's mouth hung open, finding it hard to accept. "Beheaded in a single strike! This Corpse Ghost was decapitated by a Sword Dao master with one blow."
"One strike!"
"Just one single strike!"
"What?!"
Wang Changye's eyes went wide. Hearing Yang Ye's words, he was stunned. He quickly walked over, knelt, and began to inspect the Corpse Ghost's body.
"It really was a single strike."
Wang Changye could also see it. "In the Outer City of Qingbei Town, there can't be more than a handful of masters with Swordsmanship skilled enough to decapitate a Corpse Ghost in one blow."
"That's right."
Yang Ye nodded. "The cut is so clean. Indeed, very few people in Qingbei Town's Outer City possess this level of Swordsmanship."
"Xu Qing."
Yang Ye looked up at Xu Qing and asked, "You were the first one on the scene. Did you see anyone else when you arrived?"
"N-no."
Xu Qing shook his head, his expression vacant. "Actually, I only got here a moment before you, Captain Yang. I had just arrived when you all showed up."
"Besides,"
"I didn't see anyone else when I got here. All I saw was this Corpse Ghost's body on the ground. I don't know anything."
"What a pity."
Yang Ye shook his head. "If you had seen them, Xu Qing, we could have figured out which senior expert took action and eliminated this Corpse Ghost menace."
From beginning to end, no one present—not Yang Ye, not Wang Changye—suspected Xu Qing. It was naturally impossible for them to think Xu Qing was the 'Swordsmanship master.'
However, only the two members trailing behind Xu Qing felt a flicker of doubt. 'With Xu Qing's speed,' they thought, 'he should have arrived here much earlier than us.'
Of course, they didn't dwell on it.
「The next day.」
「At dawn.」
Although there had been a murder on Red Leaf Street, a family of three brutally slaughtered by a Corpse Ghost, the creature had been eliminated. Thus, Yang Ye and his team were still credited with a meritorious deed.
Therefore, when Xu Qing left today, he received twelve taels of silver. In addition to his usual daily salary of two taels, he got a ten-tael bonus.
"Not bad."
Xu Qing nodded in satisfaction.
Before heading back, Xu Qing went to the Cangying Martial Arts Hall and spent another thirty taels of silver on three catties of Tai Sui Spirit Meat. Only then did he return to his residence and begin his Cultivation for the day.
Time passed quickly. Today was the third day of patrol.
「Dusk.」
WHOOSH...
Xu Qing slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
[Baji Fist LV5: 140/160 (...)]
'I'm still twenty Experience Points short.'
Xu Qing pondered for a moment. 'Forget it. I won't go on patrol today. I'll just keep training. In just four more hours, my Baji Fist can reach the next Level.'
With this in mind, Xu Qing focused and began practicing Baji Fist again. As gusts of wind followed his movements, he became completely immersed in the profound mysteries of the Martial Art.
[Experience +1]
...
[Experience +1]
...
「Meanwhile.」
The sky was already growing dark.
"Where is he?"
Yang Ye's expression was grim. It was only the third day of patrol. Aside from not being late yesterday, Xu Qing hadn't even shown up today.
"Captain Yang."
Wang Changye sneered. "That guy Xu Qing was probably scared off by the Corpse Ghost yesterday. That's why he didn't dare to come today."
"What a useless coward."
Yang Ye took a deep breath and cursed, "If it weren't for Chief Zhao's sake, I would have taught him a lesson for daring to be late on the very first day."
"And now today he doesn't even show up."
"Fine, fine, fine."
Yang Ye glanced at Wang Changye. "Wang Changye, from now on, you'll take Xu Qing's place as vice-captain."
"Thank you, Captain!"
Wang Changye was overjoyed.
This way, he would be able to collect twenty taels of silver tomorrow.
"Could Xu Qing really be that scared?"
"Tsk, tsk..."
"Someone who got in through the back door is still just that. No real skill, and a coward to boot. He ran into one Corpse Ghost yesterday and is too scared to show up today."
"Exactly..."
The other members chimed in, their tones dripping with sarcasm.
「In the blink of an eye.」
「Late at night.」
"HAAH!"
BOOM!
Xu Qing threw a punch with an explosive burst of Fist Force. He glanced out the window. The sky outside was completely dark, and many households had already extinguished their candles.
[Baji Fist LV5: 160/160 (Upgradeable!)]
"Upgrade,"
Xu Qing said softly.
HUM!
The Encyclopedia of All Things flashed with a fluorescent light. Before Xu Qing's eyes, countless tiny figures seemed to appear. Wavering between illusion and reality, they continuously practiced Baji Fist, flooding into his mind.
BOOM!
Xu Qing's mind jolted, and his consciousness felt as if it had entered a mysterious space. Within this space, he endlessly deduced and practiced the Martial Arts mysteries of Baji Fist.
Gradually, Baji Fist became even more profound and wondrous in Xu Qing's hands.
[Baji Fist LV6: 0/320 (This is a profound Fist Technique that combines combat application and a Training Technique. Its movements are fierce and powerful, simple and unadorned. It generates force swiftly with extreme explosive power, capable of condensing the strength of one's entire body—flesh, blood, muscles, and bones. The force penetrates to the bone, and An Jin forms naturally.)]
POW!
Xu Qing threw a punch, a faint ripple-like vibration emanating from his fist. The An Jin within his body had grown stronger, and his physical constitution, strength, and overall power had all improved.
WHOOSH...
Xu Qing exhaled a turbid breath. Sensing the changes within himself, he nodded in satisfaction. "Baji Fist has reached Level 6, and the An Jin in my body is stronger."
'It's getting late.'
Xu Qing glanced at the sky again. 'Last night, I made up an excuse to ask Yang Ye some questions. The Government Office will probably trace things back to me soon.'
'If I calculate the time...'
'Tomorrow will be the eleventh day since I joined the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. That's not even half a month. I originally planned to reveal my Cyan Eagle Force after half a month.'
'Looks like I can move that up by a few days.'
'As for this position on the night Patrol Team, it's just a temporary measure, a way to gather information about the Government Office's situation.'
Afterward, Xu Qing prepared to go to his bedroom to rest.
"AHHH!!!"
Suddenly, less than half an hour after lying down on his bed, having just begun to rest, a blood-curdling scream pierced his ears.
"Hm?"
Xu Qing's eyes snapped open, a hint of alarm on his face. He scrambled out of bed, and with a glint in his eye, he retrieved his Iron Sword and an Evil Ghost Mask from the head of the bed.
The Evil Ghost Mask was the one Yu Chen had gotten for him before.
"Record,"
Xu Qing's gaze fell upon the Evil Ghost Mask in his hand. He communicated with the Encyclopedia of All Things with his mind. As the Encyclopedia flashed with a fluorescent light, a white glow that only he could see flashed over the mask.
[Evil Ghost Mask LV1: 0/5 (This is a mask fired from clay by a skilled artisan.)]
At the same time, a piece of information appeared in Xu Qing's mind, telling him how the Evil Ghost Mask could gain Experience Points.
"Gain by wearing it,"
Xu Qing said.
So, Xu Qing put the Evil Ghost Mask on his face.
「A moment later.」
「One minute later.」
[Experience +1]
'I get one Experience Point for every minute I wear it,' Xu Qing thought.
"Let's go."
Xu Qing changed into a gray cloak, fastened the Iron Sword to his waist, and executed the Snake Body Technique, rushing to the scene at top speed.
"I'm here."
「Four minutes later.」
Xu Qing arrived at the scene.
At this moment:
[Evil Ghost Mask LV1: 5/5 (Upgradeable!)]
"Upgrade,"
Xu Qing said.
HUM!
A white light flashed across the Evil Ghost Mask.
Upgrade complete.
Faintly, Xu Qing seemed to see a vision of the Evil Ghost Mask being reforged.
[Evil Ghost Mask LV2: 0/10 (This is a mask crafted by a skilled artisan with their life's blood. It has the effect of hiding one's face and concealing one's aura, but it is relatively easy to see through.)]
"Oh?"
Xu Qing's eyes lit up, a pleased expression on his face. "I didn't expect this Evil Ghost Mask to gain such an effect after leveling up. Not bad, not bad at all."
'This is perfect for me.'
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!!!
On Red Leaf Street, the surrounding houses were all shut tight. Only a few of the braver residents dared to peek through the cracks in their doors.
Xu Qing saw a total of three Corpse Ghosts. Just like the one from yesterday, these were all Corpse Ghosts that had been strengthened by consuming fresh flesh and blood.
Furthermore, standing behind the three Corpse Ghosts was a Corpse Monster covered in black hair.
It was a Black-haired Zombie.
Generally speaking, when a corpse reanimates, it starts as a simple Corpse Ghost. After consuming fresh flesh and blood, a Corpse Ghost can be strengthened. Once it has consumed enough flesh and blood and absorbed sufficient Yin Qi and Corpse Qi, it can evolve into a 'Black-haired Zombie.'
A Black-haired Zombie was not something an ordinary Mingjin Martial Artist could handle.
「On the battlefield.」
Yang Ye, Wang Changye, Qin Daniu, and ten other members were there. Among them, three had already been brutally killed, and the other seven were all injured to varying degrees.
Yang Ye, Wang Changye, and Qin Daniu were also pale-faced.
"When will reinforcements get here?!" Wang Changye shouted.
"Soon! They should be here any minute!" Yang Ye replied.
"I don't think we can hold out much longer," said Qin Daniu.
A Black-haired Zombie plus three strengthened Corpse Ghosts... On Yang Ye's side, there were only two Mingjin Martial Artists and about ten other men. They were completely outmatched.
By this point in the battle, everyone was more or less wounded, and three men were already dead.
If this continued, Yang Ye and his men were likely to be wiped out.
'What in the world is happening in this Outer City?' Xu Qing frowned. 'Three strengthened Corpse Ghosts and a Black-haired Zombie all at once... Has the Government Office lost control?'