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All of a sudden, Xu Qing came to the realization that Kong Xianglong and the Captain were similar in some ways. The difference was that the Captain tended to be slow because of greed, while Kong Xianglong was slow because of posturing. Xu Qing sighed inwardly, thinking that it would have been great to have the Captain along on this mission. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t possible, as this little group clearly didn’t trust the Captain.

And thus, they sped through the night until dawn. By that point, they were far, far away from the border, and could be certain that no enemy was risking death to follow them. Exhausted, they found a grassy hill where they all dropped down to catch their breath.

It had been a very busy night. And the final battle with the Black Guard had very nearly drained them to the core. Once they all laid down in the grass, they felt limp and completely unwilling to stand back up.

That included Xu Qing. Though his injuries had already healed up, he was absolutely spent mentally.

Sir Mountain-River cursed a bit as his blood energy faded away, leaving him feeling completely empty. Duskspirit was no longer in her demonized form, and lay there looking like she was too tired to even breathe. Wang Chen moaned a bit as he painted sealing marks all over himself. It looked like if he went any slower with the sealing marks, he would be in big trouble.

Kong Xianglong was also having trouble catching his breath. That said, he looked to be in slightly better shape than the others. Looking over at them, he suddenly started laughing.

Sir Mountain-River, Duskspirit, and Wang Chen exchanged glances, and then they started laughing as well. They suddenly felt completely carefree. But then their laughing started opening wounds, and they cursed a bit, then kept laughing even more. Xu Qing laughed with them.

“That was awesome!” Kong Xianglong exclaimed. Waving his hand, he produced five bottles of alcohol. After distributing bottles to everyone, he held his bottle high.

Xu Qing raised his bottle. Sir Mountain-River, Wang Chen, and Duskspirit all followed suit. The three of them no longer looked at him like he was a stranger. Quite the opposite.

“Cheers!”

They drank deeply, then lay back down and laughed some more. As they drank and drank, they thought back to the young man who had dreamed of becoming a swordsage, and their laughter turned into emotional sighing. In that manner, time passed. The alcohol, the laughter, and the sighing drew them together. It’s often the case that friendships form when people go through a dramatic event together. Especially an event that was fundamentally the wrong thing to do....

Eventually, Kong Xianglong got to his feet. “When we get back, we’re done for. The palace lord is definitely going to lock us up. And the pro-Holytide factions in the city will be badmouthing us, especially the Yao Clan. Ai. I think all of us need to lay low for a while.” Looking at Xu Qing specifically, he continued, “Xu Qing, you’re going to have it rougher than the rest of us. Trust me, I know the ol’ palace lord. Since you’re a jailer in the Corrections Division, he’s definitely going to punish you even harder.” Kong Xianglong blinked a few times.

“He’s right, Xu Qing,” said Sir Mountain-River. “You’re really going to be in for it.”

Wang Chen sighed dramatically. “Ai. That said, Xu Qing, you can always think of it this way: as a jailer, being locked up in the Corrections Division is going to be a great experience.”

Sir Mountain-River, Wang Chen, and Duskspirit kept joking around a bit, all the while keeping an eye on Xu Qing to see how he would react. They bore no ill will. This was actually an expression of approval. It was how friends got along.

Face expressionless, Xu Qing coolly said, “The Unit D jailers are my colleagues. You could even say we’re close. So if we really get locked up....” Xu Qing looked at the four of them one by one then solemnly continued, “Then I’ll just be going home. I hereby welcome all of you to be locked up at home with me.”

Kong Xianglong raised his alcohol and took a drink. Sir Mountain-River and the others smiled wryly and sighed heavily. That said, the way they looked at Xu Qing was different from before. More amiable.

In fact, Sir Mountain-River even cleared his throat and said, “In that case, Xu Qing, is there any chance you could arrange for me to be locked up in a cell block with a female jailer who—”

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Chen kicked him.

“Ignore him,” Wang Chen said. “He’s sick in the head. As if he’s going to get anything out of any female jailers. Xu Qing... when the time comes, is there any chance you could get me into a cell block with a lot of female prisoners?”

His eyes glittered with anticipation.

Sir Mountain-River immediately offered a heated retort, and the two of them were soon arguing back and forth.

Xu Qing had never seen this group acting like this before. That said, it wasn’t a surprise. Most people will act differently in front of their friends compared to strangers.

Duskspirit looked at Sir Mountain-River and Wang Chen with cold despisal. Taking out some flesh and blood melon seeds, she started eating.

Kong Xianglong looked at Xu Qing and chuckled. Then he asked Xu Qing about his divine abilities. “Xu Qing, that poison of yours is incredible. But what really caught my eye was how you turned your hand transparent, then ripped out your enemies’ gold cores. That technique... is totally gruish!”

Sir Mountain-River and the others also looked at Xu Qing curiously.

Xu Qing didn’t feel the need to be too secretive, so he held his hand out in front of him and turned it transparent for them to see.

“It’s a technique my Master created for me. It’s related to the Gruegloom species.”

Kong Xianglong could sense a bit of what the technique was about, and he sighed in admiration. “I bet when you cultivate that technique to its full potential, you’ll be able to turn your whole body into that same state.” He cocked his head in thought. “Grueglooms, huh? After we get back, I have a gift I want to give you. I killed a Gruegloom a few years ago, and still have some things left over from it.”

Xu Qing opened his mouth to speak, but Kong Xianglong waved his hand dismissively and said, “You can’t refuse a gift from a bro!”

Xu Qing looked at him for a moment, then nodded. After that, Sir Mountain-River and Wang Chen joined the discussion about divine abilities. They didn’t feel the need to be secretive either, and went so far as to show some of their techniques to Xu Qing. It gave him a lot of inspiration, and also a greater understanding of the magical techniques associated with the three great sects. That was especially true of Duskspirit’s demonization technique. Xu Qing was very interested in that.

Noticing Xu Qing’s interest, Duskspirit continued to munch flesh and blood melon seeds as she said, “The Demonization Art is my sect’s special magic. People say it has an extremely long history. Because of our sect’s rules, I can’t say much more than that. However, you can study it on your own if you want. The basic cultivation method isn’t difficult. What’s difficult is gaining enlightenment of the sect’s demonization symbols. You have to imprint them into your sea of consciousness. Once you succeed to a certain level, then you can use the Demonization Art to summon it outside and transform yourself into a greater demon.”

With that, Duskspirit gave a quick demonstration.

Shaken, Xu Qing thought of his Ghost Emperor mountain. From a certain perspective, that mountain could be considered a greater demon. It got him wondering what would happen if he mastered the Demonization Art. Could he possibly use it to summon it outside of himself? That seemed a lot simpler than the method his Master had described. Xu Qing suddenly felt his heart beating a bit faster.

“If it sounds like something you’d like, go study it!” Kong Xianglong said with a smile. “Remember, the three great sects are all deeply tied to the Swordsage Palace. There’s long been an agreement in place that allows a swordsage to spend military credits to study any of the techniques from the three great sects.”

It was Xu Qing’s first time hearing about anything like that. Nodding, he decided that after he got back, he probably would take a shot at learning the Demonization Art.

Eventually, when it was about noon, and the group all felt rested, they started traveling again.

The trip back went smoothly, and there were no twists and turns. What was more, Xu Qing felt even closer with Kong Xianglong and the others thanks to the time on the road. Before the final major teleportation, Kong Xianglong lowered his voice and said, “Xu Qing, I’m not trying to stir up trouble, but... I feel like I need to offer some friendly advice. Be careful about that Eldest Brother of yours. He doesn’t seem like a good person to me.”

“That’s right,” Sir Mountain-River said. “Chen Erniu always goes around looking very shifty. Given that one-meter light, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he turns traitor one day.”

Hearing that, Xu Qing calmly replied, “My Eldest Brother and I have gone through many life-or-death situations together. There’s no one I trust more than him.”

Kong Xianglong didn’t say anything further. Giving Xu Qing’s shoulder a squeeze, he stepped onto the teleportation portal. A moment later, bright light glittered, and they vanished.

When they reappeared, they weren’t in the Swordsage Palace. Instead, they were in a valley a short distance away from the county capital. In that valley was a short-range teleportation portal set up in a secret hideout Kong Xianglong had set up. Using this smaller portal was Kong Xianglong’s idea based on his extensive experience. According to him, if they teleported into the city using one of the Swordsage Palace’s portals, there would be a record of it. But the smaller portal would allow them to return secretly. It would be a lot safer that way. Then they could hide out for a few days, and when they made a public appearance, could truthfully say that they had been back for a while.

“I set up this place in secret,” Kong Xianglong said with a chuckle. “And to this day—” Before he could finish, his face fell as the portal activated of its own accord.

A moment later, all five of them vanished, then reappeared on a teleportation portal in the middle of the Swordsage Palace. When they materialized their hearts dropped as they saw the palace lord standing just outside the portal, his eyes cold and his expression grim.

The palace lord had long known about the teleportation portal that Kong Xianglong thought was a secret. And he had stationed himself here waiting for them.

Kong Xianglong started trembling. Sir Mountain-River, Wang Chen, and Duskspirit all looked very guilty. Xu Qing looked down and prepared to be thoroughly chastised. As swordsages, it was no small matter for them to have deviated so dramatically from mission protocol.

As the moments ticked by, and the palace lord didn’t say anything, Xu Qing looked up slightly and saw the palace lord studying them. In fact, it almost looked like he was checking to see if they were injured.

Xu Qing wasn’t the only one to notice that. The others, to their surprise, saw the same thing.

Seeing the five of them looking at him, the palace lord snorted coldly. “What are you standing there for? You’re preventing other people from teleporting in! Get out of here!”

With that, the palace lord coldly turned and walked away. It seemed as if he had come only to check if they were seriously hurt or not. And he was apparently relieved to find them hale and healthy.

“Weird!”

“He actually didn’t punish us?”

“He cares about us?”

The five swordsages exchanged delighted glances, then hurried off the teleportation portal and went their separate ways.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Xu Qing looked in the direction the palace lord had disappeared. All of a sudden, the palace lord didn’t seem as unreasonable as before. With that thought on his mind, he left the Swordsage Palace.

***

Around the same time, Yao Yunhui and Zhang Siyun were also leaving the Swordsage Palace.

Yao Yunhui wasn’t happy with the post her son had been assigned to, and had repeatedly made appointments with Zhang Siyun’s Sect Grandfather to talk about the situation. However, his Sect Grandfather, Honor Guard Sima, just kept pushing off the meeting.

Therefore, she had decided to personally come to the Swordsage Palace to talk to him. After the discussion, she and Zhang Siyun were leaving when they spotted Xu Qing.

When Zhang Siyun saw Xu Qing, malice glittered in his eyes. However, unnoticed by him, his mother suddenly seemed a bit absent-minded when she spotted Xu Qing. She stopped walking. For some reason, whenever she thought about Xu Qing in recent days, she found herself pondering his good sides. As such thoughts persisted in her, they slowly intertwined with her revulsion of him, and gradually created some very complicated emotions.

When Zhang Siyun realized his mother had stopped walking, he turned to look at her. Noticing her facial expression fluctuation between different emotions, he felt worried.

“Mother…?”

Yao Yunhui was wearing a black gauze dress that created a perfect contrast with her fair skin, and really brought out her beauty. The cut of the dress accentuated her ample bosom and long legs, making her seem especially tall. In fact, even though she was standing there motionless, she seemed indescribably attractive. Normally speaking, her face was colder than ice, but it also contained something warm and bewitching.

As she looked at Xu Qing some distance away, the mixed emotions in her heart caused her to inexplicably murmur, “Yun’er, did you ever notice that Xu Qing looks a lot like your father?”

A tremor passed through Zhang Siyun, and his expression flickered wildly. His eyes went wide as waves of indescribable astonishment ran through him. It felt like his mind was being struck by millions of lightning bolts.

“What did you just say?” he blurted.

Yao Yunhui started. Realizing she’d said something strange, her face turned cold again.

“Pathetic. All pathetic.” Snorting coldly, she stalked off, a malicious expression filling her face. As her dress clung to her curves and swished as she walked, she attracted the attention of quite a few surrounding swordsages.

Seeing her react that way caused Zhang Siyun to breathe a big sigh of relief. It was the first time in his life that hearing his mother curse his father actually made him feel relieved.

***

Meanwhile, high in the air above the county capital, another person noticed Xu Qing leaving the Swordsage Palace. It was an old man. His jaw dropped when he spotted Xu Qing, and he rubbed his eyes. Then his heart started pounding.

Th-that’s... that’s.... Just how damn unlucky could I possibly be? What is that little bastard doing here??

It was the innkeeper from Plankspring Way. He had come to the county capital to buy some things Ling’er needed for her legacy. He hadn’t done much other than buy the necessary items, and was now on his way out, only to spot Xu Qing off in the distance. In addition to his disbelief, he also felt incredible happiness.

It’s a good thing I didn’t bring Ling’er along! I definitely can’t let her know that vile Xu kid is here!

Grinding his teeth, he suddenly realized Xu Qing might be able to see him, so he quickly hurried on his way.

I’m never coming to the county capital again!