Chapter 10

In March, although the earth was warming, it was still somewhat cold.

If one had just come out of the restricted area, they wouldn't feel much of the cold, but if they stayed outside for a long time, their body would still feel the bone-chilling cold.

Especially at night, the cold was even more intense.

As the cold wind blew, Xu Qing's figure did not pause at all; he just wrapped his fur coat tighter around himself.

He still had things to do, so he carefully moved through the camp in the darkness.

On the way, he saw some stray dogs baring their teeth at him, but after meeting his gaze, they seemed to sense the blood on him and all shut their mouths, hiding away.

Xu Qing's gaze moved from the stray dogs and continued forward.

Until he reached a house in the central area, he squatted in the dark, motionless, staring at a large house in the distance.

There was an extinguished campfire there.

Xu Qing remembered that Fat Mountain, who had separated from Ma Si, had gone there, so he decided to wait and see if the other person would go out at night.

The cold seeped into his body, but Xu Qing's figure was like a statue, standing there motionless, patiently waiting.

Behind him, on the roof of a building, Seventh Master and his servant had followed, watching Xu Qing squatting there. Seventh Master smiled.

"Indeed as I expected, this little wolf is determined to eliminate all threats."

"I'm very curious to see how this kid will perform if he enters the restricted area nearby." Seventh Master squatted down, watching with interest and speaking to his servant.

The servant smiled and squatted beside Seventh Master, observing Xu Qing in the distance.

As time passed, half an hour went by, and Xu Qing's brows slightly furrowed.

After some thought, he turned and left through the shadows, moving like a ghost, silently coming and silently leaving.

He didn't immediately return to Lei Team's residence but circled around the area.

After confirming no one was following him, Xu Qing slipped into Lei Team's courtyard and quietly returned to his small room.

Inside, he took a deep breath, rubbed his hands, as if trying to drive away the cold with this action.

Then he wiped the blood off his body and sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes filled with contemplation.

"These scavengers often take jobs and go out, and Ma Si is lecherous, so as long as it's not too long, no one will notice his death, and Fat Mountain is unlikely to become wary."

"But to be safe, I need to quickly take care of Fat Mountain." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes.

Just like when he killed Cattle, growing up in the slums, he wouldn't allow any threats to his life to remain.

Killing Ma Si was because the other person had stolen his belongings and threatened him, and dealing with Fat Mountain was for the same reason.

After some thought, Xu Qing rummaged through Ma Si's items in the leather bag, carefully inspecting them.

Most were miscellaneous items, and there was a palm-sized iron block, nothing special, like a material.

In addition, there were over seventy spirit coins, which was a large sum for Xu Qing.

He carefully counted them, then took out the white pills, comparing his own with Ma Si's, and found that these white pills were not fresh.

Thus, he believed seven-tenths of what the shopkeeper at the general store had said.

After some thought, Xu Qing took one pill and swallowed it, then closed his eyes and quietly sensed.

Soon, he felt a warm current rise in his body, eventually converging at the mutation point on his left arm, bringing a comfortable feeling.

After a while, when the feeling disappeared, Xu Qing opened his eyes and immediately looked at his left arm. The two mutation points there were slightly lighter, and the pain had lessened.

"It works." Xu Qing's eyes showed joy, and he took the second pill and swallowed it.

The same feeling appeared again, and when it disappeared, the pain was gone.

A clear and refreshing sensation spread through his body, making him feel as if his flesh had been cleansed, and he felt his speed and strength had increased.

He didn't take the remaining white pills but put them in the leather bag, closed his eyes, and began to practice.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Xu Qing opened his eyes, got up, and went out.

Just as he pushed open the door of his room, he saw Lei Team sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, seemingly meditating.

Xu Qing didn't disturb him, quietly opened the courtyard gate, and carefully closed it before walking away.

The wind today was even colder than last night, making people shiver, and even the stray dogs were hiding in their dens, rarely coming out.

Xu Qing could see his breath as he exhaled, which brought up some unpleasant memories of the slums in his mind.

He hated the cold.

For a homeless child, the cold was a disaster, a struggle to survive.

So, as Xu Qing passed a clothing shop in the cold, his steps involuntarily paused, looking at the thick and clean clothes hanging inside.

He touched the bulging leather bag, turned, and walked in.

There were few people in the shop. Xu Qing came in and looked at the hanging clothes seriously.

The shopkeeper glanced at Xu Qing, not paying much attention, and instructed the assistant.

"Go to the back and organize the custom-made clothes that haven't been picked up for a month, and hang them for sale."

"But what if the person who ordered the clothes comes back?" The assistant, who seemed to be new, hesitated.

"Come back? People in the camp often go missing, some die in the restricted area, some disappear mysteriously. Only ghosts come back. Go quickly."

The shopkeeper waved impatiently, and the assistant hurried to the back.

Soon, before Xu Qing had chosen his clothes, the assistant had already brought out a large number of clothes and hung them. Xu Qing immediately set his eyes on a dark-colored fur-lined coat.

It was a custom-made coat that someone else had ordered but could never come back to pick up.

After a while, when Xu Qing walked out of the shop, he was wearing the dark-colored fur-lined coat.

This coat was warm and not heavy, much warmer than Xu Qing's previous clothes.

The only downside was that because he was small and thin, it looked like a large coat on him, very uncoordinated.

But Xu Qing was very happy and carefully avoided dirty places as he walked.

Just as he was about to look for Fat Mountain, he noticed a commotion outside the camp, and many scavengers were coming out, looking expectantly in the direction of the noise.

Xu Qing also looked up.

Gradually, he saw under the sunlight, a convoy of over ten horse-drawn carriages driving towards the camp.

The people sitting on the carriages, even the guards, were dressed in fine clothes, with rosy faces and sharp eyes, and most had astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations.

As for those in the carriages, Xu Qing couldn't see, but he could guess they were people of high status.

Such convoys, Xu Qing had heard Lei Team mention, often came to the camp, either for trade or to purchase the seven-leaf grass needed to refine white pills.

Fat Mountain's figure also appeared in the crowd, catching Xu Qing's attention. He no longer paid attention to the convoy but narrowed his eyes and followed Fat Mountain.

However, perhaps because of the convoy's arrival, the camp was very lively all day, forming a market, and Xu Qing never found an opportunity.

Until late at night, he saw Fat Mountain return to the large house again, so he put away the dagger in his sleeve and turned to leave.

Although he didn't have a chance to act that day, Xu Qing was very patient. After returning to his small room, he sat in meditation wearing the new clothes he had bought, not even taking them off to sleep.

The next morning, as he prepared to go out and look for another opportunity, he carefully took off the fur coat and put on his old torn fur coat.

Looking at the new clothes, Xu Qing felt he had been a bit rash yesterday.

Wearing the old fur coat, Xu Qing walked through the camp, passing by the bustling market, his gaze seemingly inspecting the convoy's encampment but actually looking for Fat Mountain.

In the distance, Seventh Master yawned, sitting on a rooftop with his servant, his gaze sweeping over the convoy and then looking at Xu Qing, casually asking his servant.

"Did you deliver the letter to Master Bai?"

"Seventh Master, it has been delivered, but Master Bai said he is not feeling well recently..."

"Not feeling well? He's a doctor, what's this... Hey, this kid was wearing new clothes yesterday, why did he change back today?" Seventh Master, while speaking, noticed Xu Qing's clothes and was surprised.

As Seventh Master was puzzled, Xu Qing, in the crowd, caught Fat Mountain in his peripheral vision.

Thus, under Xu Qing's watchful eye, the day passed.

As night fell, the Fat Mountain, who was about to return to his house, suddenly changed direction and walked towards the outer ring area.

That place was relatively remote.

"Did you notice me?" Xu Qing's brows furrowed, his eyes narrowing, becoming colder.

He didn't follow but looked around, and after confirming that the other person was going alone, he circled around and stealthily arrived at the outer ring ahead of Fat Mountain.

After confirming there were no ambushes, his eyes became even colder, and he hid in the dark.

At that moment, Fat Mountain also arrived in this area and suddenly stopped.

"Brat, I noticed someone following me yesterday. Come out, this place is remote, suitable for disposing of your body. If you don't come out, next time it won't just be me alone. Even if Lei Team protects you, we Blood Shadow can still make you pay."

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. With the other person's words, there was no need to hide anymore, so he stepped out from the dark.

"Ma Si wasn't secretly taking a job and going out; you killed him, didn't you? I underestimated you." Fat Mountain sneered, looking at Xu Qing.

"But it doesn't matter. I've been annoyed by him for a long time. If you didn't kill him, I planned to kill him on my next outing. So, I should thank you. As for his life, I don't care, but something in his leather bag should be with you, right?"

Fat Mountain looked at the pocket on Xu Qing's waist, his eyes filled with greed. Without waiting for Xu Qing's answer, his body moved, and his fat, round body burst with speed exceeding the second level of Qi Condensation.

The spiritual energy fluctuations around his body also strengthened, forming a layer of magical energy outside, bringing a cold wind, making him like an ice ball, charging at Xu Qing.

He wasn't at the second level of Qi Condensation; his spiritual energy fluctuations had already reached the third level.

It was precisely because of this, and the desire to get something from Ma Si's leather bag, that he went out alone.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. It was his first time facing a cultivator in a direct battle, especially with the other person's magical energy clearly visible outside his body, but he believed in his strength and speed.

So, the moment the other person approached, Xu Qing rushed out, his speed at full burst, leaving some afterimages.

In an instant, he avoided Fat Mountain's body, and as Fat Mountain clearly hesitated, Xu Qing was already behind him, his right hand raised and bursting with full strength, delivering a punch.

This was Xu Qing's first use of his full combat power. The punch created a loud sound, and when it landed on Fat Mountain's back, it made a loud thud.

Fat Mountain's whole body trembled violently, the barrier formed by the magical energy outside his body shattered, his internal organs churned, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Xu Qing's eyes were filled with killing intent.

As he raised his right hand, an iron spike appeared, and his body moved, passing by Fat Mountain's staggering body, the iron spike ready to pierce Fat Mountain's head.

But in the next moment, Xu Qing's expression changed, and his body rapidly retreated.

Just as he retreated, a fierce light appeared in Fat Mountain's eyes.

Two black lines suddenly shot out from his ears, one in front and one behind, whistling sharply towards Xu Qing's face.

The two black lines were black-winged centipedes, moving extremely fast. Just as they were about to reach Xu Qing, he drew his dagger with his left hand and cut them off one by one.

The last one was cut just inches from Xu Qing's eyes.

This dangerous scene made Xu Qing's eyes even colder, and he rushed forward again.

While Xu Qing retreated, Fat Mountain's internal organs, which had been churning, recovered somewhat.

His fat, round body rapidly retreated, and he raised his hands to form a seal. His face turned red, and he spat out a mouthful of poisonous mist at the approaching Xu Qing.

The mist rolled, covering a large area, and as it passed, the ground sizzled, showing its intense toxicity.

After doing this, Fat Mountain's face turned pale, and his belly shrank. He retreated again, his eyes filled with both ruthlessness and fear.

Xu Qing's strength was beyond his expectations.

He didn't expect that with his third level of Qi Condensation and his poison attacks, he would almost be killed in one blow.

This mouthful of poisonous mist was his ultimate technique. If it still couldn't deal with the other person, he would have to call for help, making the other person wary.

But if he called for help, he would likely not get Ma Si's item.

He actually had another forbidden item that he hadn't used yet, a piece of amber.

While hesitating, he looked at the area where Xu Qing was, shrouded in mist.

But just as he looked, the mist violently spread out, and Xu Qing's figure instantly rushed out.

His speed was so fast that Fat Mountain's vision blurred, and his heart sank. Just as he was about to crush the amber and call for help, it was too late.

A black iron spike, with an intense sharpness, arrived in an instant, piercing through his head, blood splattering onto Xu Qing's body.

Fat Mountain's body stiffened, unable to turn his head, and his corpse slowly fell, motionless.

Without looking at Fat Mountain's corpse, Xu Qing, panting, cautiously observed the surroundings.

This place was remote, and after confirming that no one had noticed, he quickly approached Fat Mountain's corpse and took his leather bag.

Just as he was about to use the venomous tooth to stab, Xu Qing noticed that Fat Mountain's right hand seemed to be holding something. He pried open Fat Mountain's fingers and saw a piece of amber that was mostly shattered.

This item looked ordinary, with nothing special about it, except for a scorpion's tail sealed inside.

Xu Qing carefully took it, treated the corpse, and after it turned into blood, he quickly left.

As he walked, he wiped the blood off his body and disappeared into the night.

Seventh Master and his servant emerged from the darkness.

Looking at where Xu Qing had disappeared, Seventh Master, who seemed not very concerned about the battle between Xu Qing and Fat Mountain, suddenly had an epiphany.

"I get it. The kid didn't wear new clothes because he was afraid of getting them bloody. He's so poor, he's worried about the clothes."

The servant also sighed in relief.

Seventh Master had been thinking all day about why the kid didn't wear new clothes. Now that he had the answer, he didn't have to ponder it every time he heard about it.

---

Although it's two updates, they are actually large chapters. This chapter is nearly 4500 words, and the next one is almost 4000 words.

They could be split into three chapters, but I think it's not necessary as it would break the chapter's completeness.

I hope you can feel my sincerity. Thank you for your support.