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And now, Xu Qing finally got a chance to see a Nightshade in person. There were a total of four who were being sent into Unit C.

They didn’t look at all like humans. Nightshades were thin and small. In most cases they were about the same height and size as a twelve- or thirteen-year-old human. Their skin was gray, and they had large heads with large, lidless eyes that were as black as night. Their hair came in the form of spikes that stuck out of their heads like weapons. In the darkness of Level 90, the spikes emanated a faint glow. They were heavily bound and looked weak and dispirited. They bore the scars of the heavy interrogation they had endured, many wounds being so deep they revealed bone. Each one had a long, black needle stabbed into its head that was covered with countless tiny magical symbols.

As Xu Qing took in the scene, Ghost Hand made some final arrangements with the swordsages who had brought the Nightshades in. Seeing Xu Qing looking on, he glanced at the four Nightshades, his eyes flickering with killing intent.

“You don’t see Nightshades in Sea-Sealing County very often,” he said.

With that, he had the Unit C jailers take three of the Nightshades into the minor world.

The grim smiles on the faces of the Unit C jailers made it clear that they were going to have some fun with these rarely seen inmates.

“Remember not to kill them,” Ghost Hand said harshly. “Leave them alive so everybody can have a chance to train on them. Don’t just keep them to yourselves.” The Unit C jailers didn’t mind Ghost Hand’s harsh tone. Grinning, they took away the three other Nightshades.

Soon enough, only Xu Qing, Ghost Hand and that one Nightshade were left behind on Level 90.

“Come, Xu Qing. We didn’t have a specimen during my training lecture. So now we’re going to have a little makeshift class.”

Ghost Hand licked his lips as he glared at the Nightshade gasping for breath. Walking over, he picked it up.

“Nightshades don’t like sunlight. That’s their fatal weakness. However, don’t be fooled by that common assessment. It doesn’t mean that they’ll literally die if light touches them. After all, Nightshade lands have a moon. The reality is that if you want to kill them, you need to have very strong, very pure sunlight. Otherwise all that happens is you make them uncomfortable.”

Eyes glitter maliciously, Ghost Hand continued, “Note the Nightshade’s eyes. Countless sealing marks converge in those eyes, as their eyes are important to their cultivation method. Their signature cultivation art relates to enslavement.”

As Xu Qing watched, Ghost Hand jabbed his fingers into the Nightshade cultivator’s eye and ripped it out of its socket.

As the Nightshade screamed, black blood splashed everywhere. Ghost Hand tossed the eyeball to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing’s expression was the same as ever as he caught the eyeball and examined it. Sure enough, he could see innumerable magical symbols in the eye, densely packed into what appeared to be a spell formation.

“That thing can be considered a weapon. Keep it as a souvenir.”

Realizing that it was a precious item, Xu Qing put it away and then clasped hands thankfully.

“Now, let’s continue with the class,” Ghost Hand said, roughly shaking the Nightshade he held in his hand. “Because of the Nightshade’s cultivation and also their innate abilities, they have some of the best divine sense of all the species. In fact, their divine sense is so strong they can use it to kill someone without leaving behind any evidence. They can use it to control all physical matter, and it’s one of the ways they’ve enslaved so many countless species.

“The strongest Nightshade experts can ‘create something from nothing,’ and materialize corporeal objects out of thin air. Inside of each Nightshade’s head is a growth we call a brain crystal. It’s very valuable. Brain crystals are key to this species’ ability to absorb mutagen and use it in cultivation. In the past, there were humans who tried to take them, absorb them, and use them in cultivation. Such efforts failed.

“What I’ve explained so far are the most basic features of this species. Nightshades are a prolific species, so as you might expect, they have all sorts of sects, clans, factions, and the like. And of course, their magical techniques are just as varied and complex.

“By the way, their hair is their most basic weapon. It contains a poison capable of wiping out souls. If you ever run into Nightshades, be wary of their hair.”

Ghost Hand was about to continue when Xu Qing hesitantly said, “Senior, can I keep one of those hairs as a souvenir?”

Hearing that, Ghost Hand laughed heartily. Plucking out three of the spike-like hairs, he tossed them to Xu Qing. Then he went on to explain more details about the Nightshades, being very explicit and comprehensive.

Toward the end, he cut open the Nightshade to reveal its internal workings. It was very brutal.

Xu Qing’s expression never changed, and he watched until the very end. He had no sympathy for this Nightshade. He knew that if he was captured by their species, he would go through similar torment. The animosity between the two species was well-known throughout Revered Ancient.

That said, Xu Qing started to get the feeling that Ghost Hand wasn’t just teaching a class. It was more like he was using the pretext of a class to indulge in his own hobbies.

Pretending not to have realized that, Xu Qing just paid close attention.

About two hours later, Ghost Hand was done, and he wrapped up the lecture. “It’s too bad we don’t have more specimens to work with. Hopefully next time we can go into much further detail.”

Licking his lips, he took a big swig of alcohol, then hummed a little tune as he entered the minor world.

As of now, there weren’t four Nightshades in Unit C. There were three.

Xu Qing clasped hands and bowed as he left.

The arrival of the Nightshade inmates didn’t change his day-to-day life. Everything remained the same as usual. During the days, he would check in at D-132 and then spend time getting used to the natural laws in the prison world. Eventually, his hard work ensured that he went from a limit of 1,000 breaths of time to 1,500 breaths of time. He was rapidly approaching the goal he had set for himself.

One day after what seemed like a very long period without any communication, the Captain messaged him.

“Hey hey, little Junior Brother. You at your sword pavilion?”

Xu Qing had just ended his shift and returned to his sword pavilion. Considering the form of address the Captain used, one of two things was obvious: either the Captain was with someone else, or he had something very important to talk about.

“Yeah, I’m here,” Xu Qing replied.

After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, the Captain showed up with a decidedly uncomfortable Ning Yan. [1]

As soon as they were inside, the Captain shoved Ning Yan forward, and then gave a meaningful look to Xu Qing as he laughed heartily.

“Little Junior Brother, this fellow wanted to ask for something, but didn’t dare come here and thus begged me to act as the middle-man.”

Xu Qing clasped hands in greeting to the Captain, then just looked coldly at Ning Yan.

Ning Yan shivered and his face turned a bit ashen. The truth was that he had no other option than to ask Chen Erniu for help getting in touch with Xu Qing.

“Elder Brother Xu Qing...” Ning Yan said, clasping hands in greeting.

Xu Qing ignored him and looked back at the Captain.

Inwardly, the Captain was delighted, and couldn’t have been happier to be back around Xu Qing. All it took was a single word, and Xu Qing knew what he was thinking. Clearly, the way he had clasped hands in greeting had been intended to give the Captain face.

“Remember how this brat didn’t actually become a full swordsage back in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture? He had to take the test again here in the county capital. Well guess what? He passed! However, the final segment requires a personal endorsement from another new swordsage from the same prefecture. Sadly, Ning Yan doesn’t know a lot of people. Qing Qiu ignored his requests, and though I offered to step in, he refused. Therefore, what do you think about stepping in as the one to help him?”

The Captain looked at him and blinked a few times.

All it took was a glance for Xu Qing to realize that the Captain was either taking advantage of Ning Yan, or needed him for some plan of his. After all, there was no way the Captain would go to all this trouble if it didn’t benefit him.

Xu Qing thought about it. If Ning Yan had come with this request, he would have refused. But since it came from his Elder Brother, he mulled it over for a bit and then nodded in agreement.

Seeing that, Ning Yan’s face lit up with joy. A lot of people had told him that Chen Erniu wasn’t reliable, but now he could see the rumors weren’t true. Chen Erniu had insisted that he could get Xu Qing to agree to help, and now it was actually happening. Ning Yan was very impressed. He quickly offered profound thanks. Then Xu Qing agreed to meet up in seven days at the Archives Branch to go through the formalities. Clasping hands, Ning Yan left.

The Captain stayed. Once they were alone, he sat down across from Xu Qing, pulled out an apple to eat, and chuckled. “Little Ah Qing, this Ning Yan isn’t a bad person for the most part. Don’t worry about recommending him.”

“What do you need him for, Captain?” Xu Qing asked.

“He has some special techniques. Remember how Qingqin had captured him yet he didn’t get hurt...?” The Captain’s eyes glittered, and he lowered his voice as he continued, “I secretly tried to take a bite out of him, and turns out it didn’t work! No matter how hard I tried to bite down, nothing happened! Something is seriously off about him.”

Xu Qing gave the Captain an odd look. The Captain pretended not to notice.

“He said something about a bloodline ancestral awakening, but I don’t believe him. Ning Yan is definitely keeping some big secrets. As for what exactly they are, I don’t think it matters. The point is he has some very tough skin that will be a massive advantage to us when we accomplish our next big job.

“Think about it. In all previous scenarios, whenever we faced danger, we had to flee for our lives. When some serious magical technique was about to blast into us, not only would we be forced to risk death, but also, all the good loot around us would get destroyed. But Ning Yan... can totally resolve that issue!”

The Captain blinked a few times. Xu Qing blinked back at him.

“Trust me, my little Ah Qing. I’m not wrong about this. Ning Yan is obviously a genius, so I’m just setting the stage early. If we wait until we actually need him, we won’t have time to subtly get him on our side.”

As the Captain sat there looking very much like a master strategist, Xu Qing asked a single question.

“Is Wu Jianwu also a genius?”

“Don’t even mention him...” the Captain said, taking a vicious yet depressed bite out of his apple. Then he suddenly looked somehow wily and mysterious as he changed the subject. “Little Ah Qing, is it true that they brought some Nightshades to the Corrections Division recently?”

The Captain’s eyes shone as he waited in anticipation for Xu Qing’s answer.

Xu Qing knew that the Captain excelled at being in the know about things. But the Nightshade situation was supposed to top secret. Xu Qing only knew because of his status as a jailer. As a result, the Captain’s questions caused a look of surprise to appear on his face.

That expression told the Captain everything he needed to know. Eyes glittering victoriously, he licked his lips and said, “You need to think of a way to lay eyes on those Nightshades. Ideally, take some image recordings. Make sure you note their way of speech, mannerisms, and physical appearance. Everything. The more detailed the information, the better. Once you have everything written down, get it to me. I can make very good use of it! Trust me, little Ah Qing, the time is almost here to go on our next really big job!”

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted. He was really dying to get more military credits. And though the Captain’s plans never really went as he said they would go, the results... usually made them worth it. They tended to involve great danger. But as far as Xu Qing was concerned, life in this world involved danger anyway. In that case... if the rewards were worth it, then the danger was worth it. That was especially true considering he had already invested some spirit stones in this endeavor.

After some more thought, he looked at the Captain and asked, “The plan has to do with the Nightshades?”

The Captain plastered a very mysterious look onto his face. Taking a bite out of his apple, he smiled complacently at Xu Qing.

“Like I said before, little Ah Qing, the Swordsage Palace obviously values me a lot, otherwise they wouldn’t have assigned such an important post in the Credit Auditing Branch.

“In the time that’s passed so far, I’ve come to a thorough and exhaustive understanding of the Credit Auditing Branch. I know the activities and arrangements made by every single swordsage in the Swordsage Palace, from the most important to the least important.

“Unless someone doesn’t keep a record of their military credits, then this pair of extremely sharp eyes of mine will be able to see everything about them.”

The Captain’s proud tone of voice made it seem like he was explaining some of the most complex societal issues.

Xu Qing sighed inwardly, and couldn’t help but feel some deep admiration for the Captain. After all... he was able to take a very unremarkable assignment and do some amazing things with it. That seemed to indicate without a doubt that the Captain was much more of a genius than Ning Yan.

“And therefore, little Ah Qing, I think it goes to show that you still lack experience. You need to learn a thing or two from me, don’t you see? Don’t go charging around like random with those spoiled brats. What the hell good will that do? Going on outside missions all the time will wear you out, and you won’t even get much military credits.

“Speaking of which, I really have to offer you some constructive criticism. This whole time, I’m the only one who’s been taking care of business!”

Xu Qing blinked a few times. He could tell the Captain was a bit peeved about something, as this was the third time he had mentioned something along these lines. Xu Qing quickly decided to make sure the admiration he felt showed prominently on his face. He also took out a very large apple and gave it to the Captain.

The Captain instinctively felt that he shouldn’t take it, but at the same time, instinctively took it. Glancing at Xu Qing, he prepared to continue speaking, except Xu Qing beat him to the punch.

“Eldest Brother,” he said softly, “not too long ago Arch-Immortal Plumdark took me to meet her best friends here in the county capital. One of them is named Li Shitao....”

1. Ning Yan was introduced without a name in chapter 359, when he attacked Xu Qing. After that incident, Xu Qing never liked him. He was named the adjunct swordsage in 372, and was last seen in a major way in chapter 391. ☜