Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 56: Newcomer in the Homicide Department

The beast bone was shaped like a hook. Roughly the size of a palm, it was entirely crimson and shimmered with an eerie glow.

Upon closer inspection, natural striations marred its surface.

These patterns seemed to harbor a trace of Dao essence, autonomously siphoning spiritual energy from the surroundings and weaving it into wisps of wind that danced around Zhang San’s palm.

“The immortal bone of a Flying Wing Fish? Pair this with a Formation, and it provides a solid boost to a Dharma Boat’s speed. Zhang San, what’s with the sudden generosity?” The Captain of the Sixth Team squatted beside Zhang San, crunching on a pear. He nudged the man with his shoulder, a grin plastered across his face.

“Junior Brother Xu Qing is new here. I have to show some hospitality,” Zhang San replied, his expression the picture of simple, honest goodwill.

Xu Qing did not reach for the gift. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the Captain, silently seeking his input. His hyper-logical mind deduced that Zhang San’s sudden charity had nothing to do with him; it was an investment made for the Captain’s sake.

Seeing Xu Qing’s look, the Captain chuckled.

“Take it. He’s giving you this to tell you to come here less often to hunt criminals.”

Xu Qing glanced at Zhang San, who offered a simple, honest smile in return.

Xu Qing nodded, accepted the fish bone, examined it curiously, and placed it in his pocket.

After a moment’s thought, he imitated the Captain, squatting nearby but maintaining a certain distance.

Seeing this, Zhang San’s smile grew even more genuine.

“Zhang San, any unusual activity around here lately?” The Captain finished his pear, pulled out a peach, and took a bite.

Xu Qing immediately paid attention, looking at Zhang San.

Zhang San took out a tobacco pipe, took a puff, then tapped it on the ground. The ash fell, forming a pattern of a human face and a line of text on the ground.

“There have been many new faces at the South Pier recently.”

The Captain of the Sixth Team pondered this, patted Zhang San’s shoulder, and smiled at Xu Qing.

“Little Junior Brother, head back for now. You’re off duty today. Remember not to be late tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Xu Qing understood the two had matters to discuss. He nodded, clasped his fists toward the Captain and Zhang San, and turned to leave.

It was sunset. Orange sunlight spilled over him, casting a dazzling glow on his gray Daoist robe. As he walked away, the two squatting behind him looked up, their gazes fixed on his departing figure.

Only after Xu Qing had gone far did the Captain speak with a laugh.

“What do you think of the newcomer? You’re rarely this generous.”

“Newcomer? Where did you find such a guy? The moment he saw me, his first reaction was to look at my neck. How could I not be generous with someone like that!”

The Captain burst into laughter at this.

“You’re still laughing? What kind of habit makes someone instinctively look at people’s necks?”

Zhang San smiled bitterly, rubbing his neck. He still felt a bit uneasy and took a hard drag from his pipe.

“Of course, it’s the habit of someone used to slitting throats.” The Captain of the Sixth Team laughed heartily, finishing his peach and taking out another to take a big bite.

“That kid, he looks pretty, but he carries too much killing intent. Even though he tries hard to hide it, I can still sense it, especially in his eyes.” Zhang San’s expression turned serious.

“Did you notice? Those are the eyes of someone who holds grudges and seeks revenge. It seems killing is nothing to him as long as it fits his principles…”

“With someone like that, if you use him well, it’s fine. If not, beware of backlash. I can vaguely sense that many have died by his hand, and he gives me a very dangerous feeling.”

“If I encountered him at sea, I wouldn’t provoke him lightly. I don’t want to die.” Zhang San looked earnestly at the Captain of the Sixth Team.

“An interesting little Junior Brother.” The Captain smiled, looking toward where Xu Qing had gone. It seemed the more Zhang San spoke like this, the happier he became.

Zhang San sighed helplessly beside him, thinking to himself that he’d forgotten this guy was just as abnormal, with his bizarre and unpredictable ways.

While the Captain and Zhang San were discussing Xu Qing, Xu Qing was already walking through the streets of the port. Dusk was approaching, and the crowd was thinning. Most pharmacies were closed, so Xu Qing returned to his berth.

Upon returning, he didn’t immediately take out his Dharma Boat. Instead, he meticulously inspected the area.

Yesterday, someone had come here with killing intent, so today Xu Qing checked in detail, even sprinkling some poison powder into the sea. Only after confirming it was safe did he take out his Dharma Boat and step aboard.

As the Dharma Boat’s protective formation instantly activated, Xu Qing felt slightly more at ease upon entering the cabin.

After sitting cross-legged, he didn’t start cultivating immediately. Instead, he reflected on the day’s events.

He couldn’t see through the Captain, but he kept all his words in mind. His intuition told him the Captain’s words were likely true.

As for Zhang San, Xu Qing faintly sensed that the man seemed to harbor some hidden emotion, almost as if he was wary of him.

And then there was the disciple whose contribution points had been reset to zero, unable to leave on his own, staring despairingly at the sky before being erased into dust.

That day’s experiences made Xu Qing realize that most disciples who survived in the brutal environment of the Seven Blood Eyes’ main city were not simple. Nothing could be judged by appearances alone.

People like the Captain or Zhang San, if thrown into the Scavenger Camp, could likely manipulate others at will, deciding life and death.

And the entire Seven Blood Eyes, in Xu Qing’s view now, truly seemed like another kind of forbidden zone. So he needed to cultivate even harder.

Especially when he thought of the young man in the light purple Daoist robe he saw during the day. The other was only at the Qi Condensation stage, but his noble status and the bowed heads of those around him made Xu Qing feel the familiar gap of social hierarchy.

He had seen many similar gaps growing up and knew how to handle them.

Also, out of caution, Xu Qing didn’t ask the Captain for specific information about the person who had given him the token.

If that person wanted to appear, they would naturally do so. If not, Xu Qing wouldn’t force an answer.

“It’s probably unlikely to be Master Bai’s doing.” Xu Qing took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.

An hour later, as the outside world grew completely dark, Xu Qing opened his eyes in the silence, a look of hesitation in them.

He felt his cultivation speed had slowed significantly compared to yesterday and knew the reason.

If the body was likened to a container, yesterday his container had been mostly empty, so he could absorb more spiritual energy without much effort. But now the container was much fuller, so during cultivation, he had to enhance his absorption ability to draw in spiritual energy from the surroundings.

“Unless, without needing to exert effort to absorb, spiritual energy could pour in on its own. But that requires the surrounding spiritual energy to be highly concentrated.” Xu Qing lowered his head, pondered, then formed a hand seal with his right hand and pointed at the ship’s plank beside him.

Immediately, the spot he pointed at began to glow, revealing lines of light that spread throughout the Dharma Boat, resembling a Formation.

This Formation was clearly operating, causing spiritual energy from the surroundings to slowly but continuously flow in. This was why cultivating inside the Dharma Boat was faster than outside.

Because this Formation was called the Spirit Gathering Formation.

“I need to upgrade the power source.” Xu Qing thought deeply. Through the Dharma Boat’s jade slip, he knew that improving a boat involved not only biological material enhancements but also a key focus: the power source.

This was the core of a boat, like a heart, determining the vessel’s power, which could be increased infinitely. It was the most expensive part to replace.

All Dharma Boats of Seventh Peak disciples initially had only a Spirit Gathering Formation as their power source, slowly absorbing spiritual energy from the surroundings and storing it as an alternative power source.

If a disciple felt the power was insufficient, they could place Spirit Stones themselves to make the power stronger and the Formation’s effects greater.

Beyond that, the hearts of powerful exotic beasts were often the best materials for a power source. The stronger the power source, the greater the Spirit Gathering Formation’s potency, and both the boat’s speed and protection could be maximally unleashed.

Otherwise, if the power source’s level was insufficient, even with excellent external configurations, it would be hard to fully utilize them.

Thinking this, Xu Qing gritted his teeth, took out one of his only ten Spirit Stones, and placed it on the Formation. In the next instant, the Spirit Stone vanished, and his Dharma Boat shook violently.

The Formation’s light blazed brilliantly, and the entire Dharma Boat seemed to become a vortex, forcibly drawing in spiritual energy from all directions, much denser than before.

Xu Qing immediately began cultivating, and this time, his speed was noticeably much faster.

By dawn, Xu Qing’s eyes snapped open, a purple light flashing in them.

“Sea Transformation Scripture, sixth layer!” Xu Qing took a deep breath, sensing the 60-zhang spiritual sea within him now. Though it seemed only 10 zhang larger than before, this increase was in all dimensions, including greater depth.

So in terms of quantity, it was much larger, and most importantly, the variety of transformations had increased significantly, as had the power.

“At this rate, in a few more days, the Sea Transformation Scripture can catch up to the same level as the Sea Mountain Technique.” Xu Qing was satisfied with this speed, though he sighed at the high cost of cultivation.

In one night, a Spirit Stone had been completely consumed.

Outside, the sky was already bright. Xu Qing tidied himself up, left the Dharma Boat, and headed to the Homicide Department to begin his second day of work.

Working at the Homicide Department was both a responsibility and a source of income. According to the information on his identity token, he received a monthly salary of 3,000 contribution points.

So Xu Qing took it seriously. Not long after sunrise, he arrived at the Homicide Department, walked to the Xuan Division, and saw the Captain and members of the Sixth Team.

The entire Sixth Team had about 20 people, men and women of various appearances, each with considerable cultivation fluctuations. They saw Xu Qing too, but most were indifferent, maintaining vigilance toward each other.

Xu Qing’s nature was not sociable, so he remained silent on the side, keeping his distance from everyone. Soon, the Captain of the Sixth Team walked lazily out of the room, munching on an apple.

“Today’s task is still to go out individually and search for remnants of the Night Dove.”

“So don’t always focus on those wanted criminals. Even though the rewards are high, the Night Dove is our key target recently. Remember, if you find clues, don’t alert them. Report back to the Department, and the Department will arrange for others to verify the information and plan a full-scale operation.”

“Now, get to work!”

After the Captain finished, the Sixth Team members scattered. This time, the Captain didn’t take Xu Qing along but gave him a jade slip recording wanted criminals, assigning him to act alone. Xu Qing had no objections to this arrangement and soon left the Homicide Department, patrolling the city while checking the jade slip.

He didn’t know which direction to patrol, so he imitated the Captain from yesterday, walking through the port area, remaining vigilant as always. He removed his Homicide Department badge and mostly stayed in dark, inconspicuous spots.

From the shadows, he watched the hurried crowds on the streets and the bustling shops, gaining a deeper understanding of the main city’s prosperity.

Along the way, he saw someone selling candied haws. Xu Qing remembered his childhood longing and went to buy a stick. After checking to ensure it was normal, he ate it while walking in the shadows.

He had finished reading the jade slip on wanted criminals and understood why the Captain reminded the Sixth Team members not to always focus on catching them. The rewards were extremely generous, with the least being around 10 Spirit Stones and the highest reaching hundreds.

As the sun rose high and approached noon, Xu Qing, who had been eating slowly and still had one candied haw left, suddenly paused. He looked toward the crowd in the distance.

In his line of sight, there was a woman dressed very plainly, though her graceful figure was hard to conceal. She was skillfully picking pockets from passersby.

Seeming confident in her skills, this woman with a decent face and figure, after emerging from the crowd, weighed the leather bags in her hand, curled her lips, and revealed a smug smile.

But this smile stiffened slightly when she saw Xu Qing’s expressionless face in a corner not far away.

Soon, she put on a shy expression, blushing and lowering her head as if to walk away. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Xu Qing walking toward her.

This made her very wary, but she still didn’t recognize Xu Qing. However, an instinctive sense of crisis made her quicken her pace, about to blend into the crowd to avoid him.

But Xu Qing recognized her.

This woman was the one who had framed him a few nights ago and used the opportunity to escape.

She had caused him to have to kill someone on his very first day.

So Xu Qing finished the last bite of his candied haw and flicked the bamboo stick with his right hand. In an instant, it shot out like a bolt of lightning, cutting through the air with a whistling sound, heading straight for the woman.

The speed was so fast the woman’s face paled, and she had no time to dodge. Before her body could blend into the crowd, the bamboo stick pierced through her right foot with a thud, pinning her graceful form to the ground.

A scream immediately erupted from the pale-faced woman, accompanied by cries for help, as if she were a weak woman being bullied by a tyrant, causing the surrounding crowd to scatter in terror.

At the same time, Xu Qing’s icy voice reached the trembling woman’s ears as he walked over.

“If you utter one more sound, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”

Xu Qing’s learning and imitation abilities were just as good as his memory…