Xu Qing had no intention of answering the Blood Demon Desire Woman's question. If he hadn't been cautious after noticing the Evil Ghost Mask fluctuate in response to Yu Hu's aura, he feared the boy would have died tonight.
Moreover, if Qinglian absorbed the Yin Qi from the Extremely Yin Wood and then drained Yu Hu dry, she could have certainly escaped Qingbei Town. At that point, the mastermind before him—the Witch responsible for the deaths and injuries of countless residents of Qingbei Town—would have gotten away to continue her evil deeds unpunished.
Besides, Xu Qing had run into a lot of trouble recently, and all of it was inextricably linked to this Blood Demon Desire Woman. In truth, they were already sworn enemies.
"You don't want to die, do you?"
Xu Qing asked.
"Of course I don't want to die. Who in this world wants to die?"
Qinglian replied swiftly, "What in the world do you want?"
"Answer a few of my questions."
Xu Qing's tone was calm. "And I might consider letting you live."
"Ask."
Qinglian said.
"What are the origins of the Blood Demon Sect?"
Xu Qing asked.
"You... you don't know about the Blood Demon Sect?"
Qinglian was stunned for a moment.
"Speak."
Xu Qing's expression turned cold.
"The Blood Demon Sect is a notorious Demon Sect throughout the Great Zhou Martial Country. Its influence spans the entire nation. Within the sect, I'm just a small fry," Qinglian answered.
"Oh."
Xu Qing pondered, listening carefully to Qinglian's description. A general picture of the Blood Demon Sect's basic situation slowly formed in his mind.
To put it one way, it was like the White Lotus Sect from Earth. It recruited all sorts of capable people—or those dissatisfied with the Great Zhou Court—who worshipped the 'Blood Demon', and its power was immense.
The main tenet of the Blood Demon Sect was to overthrow the Great Zhou Court, establish a new dynasty, and ensure that the common people would no longer starve.
"Who else in Qingbei Town is a member of the Blood Demon Sect?"
Xu Qing asked.
"I... I don't know..."
Qinglian shook her head. "The Blood Demon Sect has a strict hierarchy. Lower Tier members can't contact Upper Tier members. We can only be reached when they initiate contact."
"I just heard you mention Demonic Ghost Cultivators."
Xu Qing said, "Tell me, besides the Martial Dao, what other cultivation paths are there in this world? For example, the Demonic Ghost Cultivator you just mentioned."
"You..."
Qinglian was stunned again.
The questions Xu Qing was asking were far too simple, almost elementary. 'He controls a genuine Evil Ghost, yet he knows nothing? Or perhaps these questions are just a test to see if I'll tell the truth.'
In the end, Qinglian didn't dare make anything up.
"Throughout the world, there are a total of six main cultivation paths: Dao, Martial, Confucianism, Immortal, Demon, and Deceit. The Blood Demon Sect mainly cultivates the 'Demon Path'," Qinglian answered. "In the Court, the civil officials and Great Scholars primarily cultivate the 'Confucian Path', while the high-ranking military officers cultivate the 'Martial Path'. The 'Taoist Sects' are reclusive and rarely seen."
"The 'Deceitful Path' is often the 'Ghost Path'. The departed souls of the world cultivate the 'Ghost Path' to become 'Ghost Cultivators'. There are also 'anomalies' born of calamity that plague the world and are difficult to exterminate."
"Finally, there is the 'Immortal Path' of the 'Qi Cultivators'. It is said that those who consume qi become divine and undying."
"It is claimed that at the pinnacle of their cultivation, Qi Cultivators can attain 'Longevity'. Emperor 'Zhou Di' of the Great Zhou Martial Country heeded treacherous counsel and pursued the 'Undying Immortal Dao' to attain Longevity. This led to corruption within the Great Zhou Court, where treacherous officials seized power. The people were left in misery, so destitute they resorted to swapping children to eat."
"You have to understand, there is no Immortal dynasty in this world, so naturally, there can be no Emperor who achieves Longevity. Emperor Yuanwu, Zhou Di, was wrong from the very beginning."
"In this day and age, our Blood Demon Sect gathers capable people from all over the world to overthrow the court of the Great Zhou Martial Country and bring peace and prosperity to the common people."
"Heh heh..."
Xu Qing let out a cold laugh. "You built nine Blood Pools, refining Corpse Ghosts, and killed who knows how many people."
"And now you're telling me you want to bring them peace and prosperity?"
"There are always sacrifices on the path to success. Their deaths paved the way for future victory, so their sacrifices were worthwhile," Qinglian immediately retorted.
"So, what is the Blood Demon Sect's true purpose in Qingbei Town?"
Xu Qing asked.
"That... I... I don't know..."
Qinglian shook her head.
In fact, Qinglian really didn't know.
She was merely following the orders of an Upper Tier member, completing the tasks assigned to her.
"Are the six you mentioned really the only cultivation paths in the world?"
Xu Qing asked another question.
"Those are the six main cultivation paths. As for any others, I'm not too sure. Even if there are more, they definitely can't compare to these six," Qinglian answered.
Next, Xu Qing asked a few more questions, but he couldn't get any more useful information from Qinglian. She really didn't know much.
He had originally thought Qinglian was a big fish, but it turned out that in the grand scheme of the Blood Demon Sect, she was just a somewhat special little shrimp.
"C-Can I go now?"
Qinglian asked.
"Mm."
Xu Qing nodded.
"..."
A joyful look appeared on Qinglian's face.
HUM!
She was about to transform into a wisp of blue smoke and flee.
ROAR!
The next moment, the Witch Evil Ghost let out a roar. Like a starving tiger, it transformed into a streak of gray smoke and pounced on Qinglian.
"AHHH!!!"
Qinglian let out a scream from the depths of her soul, staring at Xu Qing with immense hatred. "You... You went back on your word! I curse you to a horrible death! A horrible death!!!"
However, Qinglian was quickly devoured by the Witch Evil Ghost, her curses cut short.
HUM!
With a thought, Xu Qing controlled the Evil Ghost Mask. The Witch Evil Ghost turned into a wisp of gray smoke and merged back into the mask, and Xu Qing quickly left the area.
The Witch Evil Ghost had just informed him that powerful experts were rapidly approaching.
Just half a minute later.
SWISH! SWISH!
Two figures descended from the sky.
The figures were none other than Deng Wanping, one of the nine Commanders of the Government Office's Demon Extermination Agency, and Zheng Wanhai, the Chief Constable of the Governmental Agency.
"We're late."
Deng Wanping surveyed the surroundings and frowned. "The Supreme Commander has been furious these past few days, berating us for not being able to find a single person after all this time."
"Same here."
Zheng Wanhai shrugged. "Can they really blame us for this? Wasn't it the two Supreme Commanders themselves who failed to capture that Blood Demon Desire Woman and let her get away?"
"I heard the County Magistrate really tore into the two Supreme Commanders that night."
Apparently, Qingbei Town had been on lockdown these past few days, allowing entry but no exit. If not for Xu Qing's status as an Official Disciple of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, he wouldn't have been able to leave Qingbei Town either.
Therefore, the Demon Extermination Agency and the Governmental Agency had dispatched numerous people to patrol at night.
Zheng Wanhai and Deng Wanping were on patrol tonight. During their patrol, they sensed a strong Yin Sha Qi from this direction and rushed over.
Unfortunately, they were still a step too late.
By the time they arrived, the battle was already over, and Xu Qing was long gone. Thanks to the concealment of the Evil Ghost Mask, Zheng Wanhai and the others couldn't track his aura or any trace of him.
"Let's go."
In the end, Zheng Wanhai and Deng Wanping exchanged a glance, and with no other choice, they gave up and left.
「The scene shifts.」
Inside Xu Qing's courtyard.
Bedroom.
At this moment, Xu Qing had already taken off the Evil Ghost Mask and returned to his normal appearance. He glanced at the sky; it was getting late. He lay down on his bed to sleep.
'Emperor Yuanwu, the Undying Immortal Dao, the Blood Demon Sect...'
Xu Qing mused to himself, then shook his head. 'These things are still too far removed from me, not something I can get involved in yet. Besides, I have no idea what's really going on with all this.'
'The Blood Demon Desire Woman was just a small fry. There must be more deeply hidden members of the Blood Demon Sect in Qingbei Town. I just wonder what they're truly after.'
'Mm.'
Xu Qing contemplated, a decision forming in his mind. 'In a few more days, after my Baji Fist upgrades, I should be able to break through to the Huajin level.'
'Then...'
'I can focus on improving my Cyan Eagle Claw Force to the Peak of Ming Jin. That way, I can obtain more advanced Martial Arts from Master.'
The night passed without a word.
「The next morning.」
Xu Qing woke early. As usual, he ate breakfast and was preparing to leave town, but unexpectedly, Yu Chen and his wife, Wang Cuilan, came rushing over, carrying Yu Hu in their arms.
"Brother Xu, you must save my child!!!"
"..."
THUD!
Yu Chen and Wang Cuilan knelt before Xu Qing. Yu Chen held Yu Hu in his arms. The boy's face was pale, without a trace of color. His eyes were tightly shut, and his brows were furrowed.
Also, Yu Hu's hands and feet were ice-cold, as if he had lost all normal body heat.
"This is..."
Xu Qing hesitated.
"What happened?"
Xu Qing asked.
"We... we don't know either!"
Yu Chen said, "Just this morning, I went to wake Hu Zi up, and when I entered his room, I found him like this."
"Brother Xu, I... I don't know what to do, so I could only come to you. You have to save Hu Zi! He... he's your disciple, after all!"
In fact, the reason Yu Hu was like this was simple. It was because of what happened last night. Qinglian's Yin Qi had entered his body, causing his current condition.
Because Yu Hu was just a child, he couldn't resist the corrosion of Qinglian's Yin Qi.
"Yu Chen."
Xu Qing thought for a moment, then asked, "Didn't Yu Hu always wear a wooden token around his neck? Why isn't it there today?"
"And."
"Where did that wooden token on his neck come from?"
"The wooden token."
Yu Chen froze for a moment. He looked at Wang Cuilan and asked, "Cui Lan, I remember you gave him that wooden token for his tenth birthday, right?"
"You said at the time you got it from a temple as a blessing. Tell me the truth, where did that wooden token really come from?"