121: Chapter 121 Green Snake Meets the Constable
Ignoring the wails, pleas for mercy, and curses, Xu Qing broke through the clouds and flew to the Yang Gourd Realm.
That's right, Xu Qing had divided the gourd into the Yang Gourd and the Yin Gourd.
Before flying to where the heaven-accepting gourd had transformed into a sun, Xu Qing patted the gourd's body, and a wisp of black Qi streaked out.
The black aura entwined around his fingertips, giving the snake a cold and evil sensation.
"Let's test its power first."
With a flick of Xu Qing's finger, the black Qi shot out and transformed into a twisted figure.
The figure's eyes were blood-red, its five fingers tipped with sharp black nails, and its hair hung loose, writhing and twisting like a mass of long worms.
It was precisely a Vengeful Spirit condensed from resentment.
[Vengeful Spirit] Nameless
[Dao Cultivation] 101 Years
[Realm] Foundation Establishment Early Stage
[Skills] Resentment lv4, Sharp Claws lv2, Deterrence lv2, Berserk lv2, Constrict lv3, Wind Control lv2, Concealment lv3, Long Howl lv3, Bite lv2, Swiftness lv3
"It's just average."
"But considering it's resentment provided by a bunch of Mortals, this effect is already quite good."
Xu Qing looked at the Vengeful Spirit before him.
Perhaps he was being too gentle and wasn't torturing them harshly enough, which was why the resentment wasn't thick enough.
It couldn't be helped; the Green Snake felt he lacked creativity and couldn't think of more creative, more painful ways to torture them.
If they hated him just a bit more, they might provide even more resentment.
Currently, the hell pagoda had only one floor: the Fire Punishment Hell.
The main reason was that the yin si stone and creation fluid could only sustain one floor of Hell.
If he established a second floor, the creation fluid would be spread too thin, and the Yin Qi provided by the yin si stone wouldn't be enough either.
Once those Vengeful Spirits grew accustomed to the pain of being scorched by flames, they might not hate him enough anymore.
At that point, the resentment they provided might even decrease.
"It seems I must get my hands on something similar to the yin si stone to establish a second floor of Hell and develop new tortures."
"That way, I can subject these ghosts to two different types of torture and generate more resentment."
"And I need to capture more souls..."
"The Great Art of Vengeful Spirit Summoning has a long way to go."
Xu Qing let out a deep sigh.
Besides, this Vengeful Spirit's appearance wasn't very good either.
When the time came for him to punish evil and promote good, and he started by summoning a guy like this...
People who didn't know better would think that he, the beautiful, gentle, and simple Green Snake River God, was the villain.
"Come back."
Xu Qing formed a hand seal and patted the heaven-accepting gourd.
The Vengeful Spirit in front of him twisted and turned back into a plume of black smoke, drifting into the heaven-accepting gourd.
Leaving the gourd's interior,
Xu Qing returned to his inn room.
He patted his waist, and the heaven-accepting gourd turned into a streak of light, autonomously drifting to Xu Qing's waist and hanging there motionless.
It looked just like an ordinary jade gourd ornament.
"Sleep, sleep! This snake is exhausted!"
Xu Qing lay down on the bed, his long green tail still trailing on the floor.
After all, the bed was only so big.
"Lousy inn, they don't consider Yao Beast guests at all."
Early the next morning.
Xu Qing woke up from the bed and stretched.
Touching his large tail, Xu Qing formed a hand seal.
"Retract!"
The large green tail shimmered with green light, shrinking bit by bit until it transformed into legs.
Human legs were truly something a snake couldn't feel at ease with or adapt to.
Afterward, Xu Qing flipped his hand to take out the tiancheng cloth to blindfold his eyes, stuck the Plum Blossom Hairpin back into his hair, and left the inn.
As soon as he stepped out of the inn, he found the entire street buzzing with talk about one thing.
The Wang residence had been massacred. In the imperial court, the Emperor was furious, and the White Emperor had issued an imperial decree to capture the villain at all costs.
And that villain?
He was currently holding a pancake, eating it while picking deserted alleys to walk through.
He ate the pancake because it reminded him of the taste of pancakes from his previous life.
He walked through deserted alleys to lure some people into attacking him.
As for why?
It couldn't be helped; Hell was short on ghosts!
So King Yama was very anxious and could only use his own body as bait.
However, yesterday was clearly an exceptional case.
Today, he didn't encounter any blind fools.
The Capital, Eastern City.
Constables in brocade robes and Imperial Guards were moving through the streets and alleys.
And Xu Ke was one of the head Constables.
In his youth, he was a hero who roamed the Jianghu. Later, he was recruited by the government and became a head Constable specializing in solving crimes committed by Jianghu heroes, managing several Constables under him.
His martial arts were considered top-tier among the head Constables.
Importantly, his youthful experiences roaming the Jianghu gave him considerable fame and connections in that world.
This was a great help in solving cases; he had cracked a large number of them and was highly valued.
But because of his Jianghu air, he was also disliked by colleagues who had risen through the ranks of traditional Constables.
"The killer used a sword."
"The strikes were extremely fast, with extraordinary movement techniques. Their swordsmanship has already reached the Grandmaster Realm."
Looking at the corpses filling the Wang residence, Xu Ke was secretly alarmed.
He specialized in the saber, but he had also studied swords.
Such swordsmanship was unheard of.
Among the dead were many Martial Artists with significant attainments, but without exception, all were killed with a single sword stroke to the throat, without the slightest power to resist.
"There are only a few sword-wielding Grandmasters in the entire Jianghu of the Xia Dynasty."
"With such fast and precise swordsmanship, could it be the Wandering Dragon Swordsman, Li Siqiu?"
"But he is a smooth character who knows how to adapt; he wouldn't do something like this in a moment of passion."
Xu Ke gripped the hilt of the saber at his waist with one hand and rested the other on his belt, thinking quietly.
"Head Constable Xu, Head Constable Xu!"
"The Constables outside have caught a suspicious blind man!"
"Old Guo and the others told the blind man to take off his blindfold, but he refused, so an argument broke out!"
Xu Ke's contemplation was interrupted.
He sighed. Though he sometimes didn't want to admit it, the men under him were indeed not as disciplined as the Constables under other head Constables.
The Constables under him were all former Jianghu men, and their Jianghu air was too strong.
"Mm, I'll go take a look now."
Xu Ke walked out of the Wang residence's courtyard and finally saw the blind man surrounded by his Constables.
The blind man wore a strange set of green clothes whose style couldn't be identified.
He looked to be about eleven or twelve years old, but his temperament didn't seem childish at all.
The jade gourd at his waist and the red jade hairpin both indicated that this blind man had an extraordinary background.
As for his appearance...
One look and he understood what his Constables were thinking.
They had seen a beautiful little blind girl and wanted to harass her!
He strode forward and pulled his Constables away.
"The government is conducting an investigation, what kind of behavior is this!"
"Get back inside!"
His voice was full of vigor.
Hearing this, the Constables visibly shrank their necks and obediently returned to the Wang residence.
"Damn it, ruining my good business!"
He vaguely seemed to hear the beautiful blind person in green mutter this before turning to leave.
"Miss, wait a moment!"
"Where do you live, Miss? I see you seem to have some difficulties; do you need me to escort you?"
"No need."
Xu Qing casually glanced at the sturdy man in front of him.
His features were upright and his bearing was dignified. This dignity didn't mean he was particularly handsome.
Rather, he gave off a sense of being upright and honorable.
In plain terms, he looked like an honest man.
"Then, safe travels, Miss."
"I am Xu Ke. My subordinate Constables have no brains; please bear with them."
Xu Ke cupped his hands in a salute to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing didn't even look back, only waving his hand impatiently.