Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 63: The Diligent Xu Qing

Cultivation demanded resources.

This was especially true following the arrival of the Fragmented Face of God. With all of creation saturated by Mutagen, acquiring those resources had become a grueling, blood-soaked endeavor.

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed in calculation. The sheer volume of Spirit Stones and materials he required was staggering, and the profit margins from liquidating his White Pills fell woefully short.

“The Homicide Department pays a base salary of three Spirit Stones a month. As for the White Pills… if I push myself, I can squeeze out another twenty. That puts my monthly gross at twenty-three Spirit Stones.”

Xu Qing frowned.

Maintaining his current rate of cultivation burned through one Spirit Stone a day. Furthermore, the refining materials he had priced at the Sixth Peak disciple’s shop all started at several dozen Spirit Stones.

“The monthly docking fee for my berth is thirty Spirit Stones. That means I need a minimum monthly revenue of sixty Spirit Stones just to keep my head above water and sustain my cultivation. If I want to upgrade my Dharma Boat, the overhead will be exponentially higher.”

Xu Qing opened his Storage Bag to audit his finances. Inside were twenty Spirit Stones, the reward from the Homicide Department for killing Qing Yunzi.

“To earn more, I have three options: hunt in the Forbidden Zone, hunt bounties, or go out to sea and gather materials myself.”

Xu Qing pondered. The first option required a pass from the First Peak, as entry and exit to the Sect’s adjacent Forbidden Zone were strictly controlled. Disciples from other peaks had to pay a fee.

As for the third option, hunting at sea was the most suitable, but it demanded not only a certain level of cultivation but also a sufficiently robust Dharma Boat. Without one, it would be a one-way trip.

Xu Qing was confident in his cultivation, but his Dharma Boat was too low-grade. Upgrading it required Spirit Stones and materials, creating a vicious cycle.

“So the fastest method is still hunting bounties, or plundering fellow disciples, to quickly upgrade my Dharma Boat and cultivation. Then I can hunt at sea, letting everything snowball until it becomes unstoppable!”

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing’s eyes. Compared to plundering fellow disciples who hadn’t provoked him, he felt hunting bounties was more suitable.

Having made his decision, Xu Qing sat cross-legged in his second-grade Dharma Boat, added a Spirit Stone to the Spirit Gathering Array, and began cultivating.

But he hadn’t cultivated for long before he opened his eyes, puzzled, and took out his identity token. A voice transmission message appeared on it.

“Junior Brother Xu Qing, this is Zhou Qingpeng. Was that you I saw at the medicine shop the other day? You’ve changed so much; it took me a while to figure out it was you. I noticed you seemed very interested in that Ghost Desire Horseshoe Crab. I’m familiar with it; my family deals in medicinal materials. If you need one, I can have someone get it for you, though the price is a bit steep.”

Xu Qing read it thoughtfully, recognizing that Zhou Qingpeng wanted to make some Spirit Stones off him. He did indeed want a Ghost Desire Horseshoe Crab to study its poison, so he agreed.

Time passed, and six days went by.

During these six days, Xu Qing paid close attention to the list of wanted criminals whenever he was on duty at the Homicide Department. He also instructed his informants to focus more on this area.

However… many in the Homicide Department made money this way, and such information was mostly kept secret. So, even when Xu Qing occasionally got a lead, he would often arrive too late.

This forced Xu Qing to change his approach.

Meanwhile, the Homicide Department had taken on new recruits in the days following Xu Qing’s arrival.

But this newcomer clearly had connections. He wasn’t in the same department as Xu Qing and wasn’t assigned as a regular member; he was directly appointed as the captain of the Third Team in the Earth Department.

Moreover, this person seemed to have some skill. Within two days of taking office, his more than twenty team members were all obedient.

However, the four departments of the Homicide Department, under different department heads, mostly operated independently except for large-scale collaborative missions. Friction between them was common.

So, the news of the Earth Department’s Third Team getting a new captain was usually just gossip for other departments, not something to pay much attention to. But this newcomer’s appointment caused some ripples.

Because… this new captain of the Earth Department’s Third Team was not human.

Xu Qing had seen him from a distance once and immediately recognized him as the young non-human who had returned with the Third Highness days ago, standing in the back.

That day, the young non-human had watched as the Third Highness embraced his two fellow tribeswomen, a look of disdain in his eyes that Xu Qing had noticed.

His identity was soon uncovered by those in the Homicide Department who paid attention. Xu Qing heard from members of the Sixth Team that he was from the Mermaid Tribe.

The Mermaid Tribe, though non-human, was an ally of the Seven Blood Eyes Sect, with extensive trade relations. This individual was said to be of noble status within his tribe.

After being brought back by the Third Highness, and because he wished to join the Seven Blood Eyes Sect, he was placed in the Homicide Department under the Third Highness’s arrangement.

As for the Third Highness’s identity, Xu Qing had his suspicions and confirmed them by asking around.

The Peak Lord of the Seventh Peak of the Seven Blood Eyes Sect had three personal disciples: two males and one female.

Each of these three was like a crown prince or princess within the Seventh Peak, capable of making countless disciples bow with a single word. This held true even across the entire Seven Blood Eyes Sect.

They belonged to the Sect’s personal disciple sequence.

Because the Seventh Peak’s Peak Lord himself was exceptionally talented, his fame spread throughout the South Phoenix Continent, with overwhelming combat prowess and authority. Thus, his personal disciples held very high positions within the Sect’s sequence.

Among them, the First Highness had been in secluded cultivation for years, attempting to break through a bottleneck, and hadn’t been seen by anyone in a long time. But Xu Qing heard from his teammates that this First Highness was extremely mysterious and terrifyingly powerful.

While at the Foundation Establishment stage, he had killed multiple peers and slaughtered several small non-human tribes. Across the entire Seven Blood Eyes Sect, the First Highness’s sequence ranked second among all peak personal disciples.

During the discussion, the Sixth Team captain, munching on an apple, cut to the chase.

“Generally speaking, people like that aren’t necessarily bloodthirsty; they just have extreme personalities. Touch their reverse scale, and they’ll naturally kill.”

Xu Qing found this statement deeply resonating.

As for the Second Highness, his teammates looked somewhat fearful when mentioning her. Compared to the mysterious First Highness, whom few had seen in recent years, many had seen the Second Highness.

She often strolled around the port, with a very domineering personality and decisive actions, known for her tyrannical ways. Yet, she also possessed monstrous strength. Once enraged, even the Elders of the Seventh Peak found her a headache.

“That’s an illness; it needs treatment,” the captain whispered from the side.

Among the Peak Lord’s disciples, the most popular was the Third Highness.

Apart from being lustful, the Third Highness had almost no flaws. He usually wore a smile, had no airs around disciples, and was extremely generous.

He did his best to help disciples with their requests, especially being well-connected with maritime non-human tribes. Many disciples called him the Seventh Peak’s diplomatic ambassador.

His romantic affairs were also hotly discussed among the disciples.

The Sixth Team captain, eating his apple, seemed to want to comment but, thinking of something, ultimately didn’t speak. He just took two more bites of his apple, smiling as he watched everyone.

Though Xu Qing listened attentively to his teammates’ discussions, he didn’t pay too much attention. Whether it was the young Mermaid or these three crown princes of the Seventh Peak, they had little to do with him.

Xu Qing’s focus during this period was on wanted criminals. As for finding them, he had found a new direction: lying in wait.

One night, it was Xu Qing’s turn for night duty.

The night was dark, the wind high, the moonlight sparse. The sea breeze, carrying moisture, permeated every corner of the city, as if to witness the various shadows that emerged at night.

Gambling dens and brothels bustled with activity after dark, with a constant stream of people coming and going. Occasionally, figures in black could be seen leaping across rooftops.

From the alleys, fluctuations of spiritual energy occasionally emanated, as if with the moonlight, all sorts of demons and monsters slowly descended upon the mortal world.

Yet, all this noise quieted somewhat as a figure passed by.

Only after the figure left did everything return to normal.

This figure was Xu Qing.

Ever since he had dragged Qing Yunzi’s corpse through half the city, this had been the case every time he was on night duty.

There were no secrets in the main city. Being able to capture Qing Yunzi alive, even if he was only a minor Sect’s ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivator, and render him unable to escape and utterly miserable, still spoke to one’s strength.

Moreover, being able to leave safely after confronting the shopkeeper outside the Banquan Road inn was enough to show that this newcomer to the Homicide Department was not to be trifled with.

This was also one reason why Xu Qing hadn’t encountered other wanted criminals since.

But it didn’t matter; Xu Qing felt he had found a new method. Now, walking through the city’s shadows, he arrived at Banquan Road. Watching the open inn not far away, he stood motionless in a corner under the eaves.

His body seemed to merge with the darkness as he waited silently.

Since he couldn’t find leads or wanted criminals, it was better to lie in wait and be patient.

Patience was something Xu Qing had in abundance. As for offending the old man at the inn by waiting here, Xu Qing had considered it, but Spirit Stones were more important. Moreover, Xu Qing felt his current combat prowess wasn’t something to scoff at.

Thus, time passed. Two hours later… just before dawn, a figure silently sped over from the distance, heading straight for the inn.

This was a thin, middle-aged man with small eyes and a long beard, making his already pointed chin look even more peculiar, like a rat.

Now, his narrow eyes held vigilance. As he got closer to the inn’s door, he relaxed inwardly, a look of emotion on his face as he hurried toward the inn.

“The main city of the Seven Blood Eyes is truly wonderful, especially these inns that stay open at night. They follow the rules and provide shelter—perfect. It’s just damn expensive.”

“Eighty the first day, one hundred sixty the second, doubling every day… Looks like I’ll have to hit a small town again in a few days. Pity those ordinary folks in small towns; apart from screaming miserably, they don’t have much savings.” The thin man muttered, only two zhang away from the inn. He leaped, about to cross the threshold.

But at that moment, a cold breeze blew from behind him, and a chilling voice entered his ears.

“Daoist Mouse?”

The thin man’s eyes narrowed, all his hairs standing on end. Without hesitation, he swung his right hand backward, as if scattering powder, and his body burst forward, speeding away.

But it was too late. Almost as soon as he raised his right hand, a dagger appeared at his throat and slashed hard!

The next instant, blood sprayed as the thin man trembled all over, his limbs convulsing. He made gurgling sounds but couldn’t speak, struggling to turn and see the expressionless Xu Qing behind him.

The powder had no effect on Xu Qing.

“Daoist Mouse, from the Departed Path Sect, skilled in confusing drugs, twisted in nature, delights in slaughtering ordinary people for fun. Wanted by Purple Earth half a year ago with a bounty of fifteen Spirit Stones, announced throughout the South Phoenix Continent.”

Xu Qing didn’t look at the lifeless Daoist Mouse but raised his head to gaze at the old man standing inside the inn, his face gloomy, reciting the contents of the wanted jade slip.

“No need to recite it; I know he’s a wanted criminal,” the old man said gloomily.

Xu Qing fell silent, cut off Daoist Mouse’s head with a slash, took his leather bag, and kicked the corpse.

With a thud, the corpse landed at the inn’s entrance.

“He didn’t enter the inn; I didn’t break your rules. The corpse doesn’t cost you anything to buy; I’m giving it to you.”

With that, Xu Qing retreated several steps until he was at a safe distance. Then, carrying Daoist Mouse’s head, he quickly left.

“This month, I still need forty-five more Spirit Stones…”