Chapter 321: Yanyan's Gift

Chapter 321: Yan Yan’s Gift

In the magical warship, Xu Qing opened his eyes.

During this time, Yan Yan was not the first visitor; Ding Xue and Gu Mu Qing had both come before.

Xu Qing remained unchanged, showing no sign of difference from before, if there was any, it was only in his increased silence.

Hearing Yan Yan’s voice outside, Xu Qing stood up and walked out of the cabin, standing quietly to gaze at the girl on the shore.

Xu Qing’s arrival made Yan Yan’s eyes curve into a crescent moon, her joy evident as her body leaped up, eager to step onto Xu Qing’s warship.

But in an instant, she collided with the warship’s defense and fell to the shore.

A loud bang echoed as she landed on the ground.

“Xu Qing gege, do you not like me anymore? Is there something Yan Yan did wrong? Tell me, I’ll change…” Yan Yan, somewhat dejected, stood up, her eyes slightly red, appearing ready to cry.

Her wounded hands grasped her clothing.

“Stop pretending. It’s nothing.” Xu Qing spoke lightly.

Yan Yan’s red eyes vanished instantly, she glanced at Xu Qing, a playful smile on her face, lifting her finger to her mouth and biting it, drawing her own blood, her eyes gleaming with odd brilliance.

“Looks like I can’t fool Xu Qing gege after all.”

“But Xu Qing gege, I really like your not liking me. This time, I brought a meeting gift for you.” Yan Yan, her eyes hazy, smiled dully, waving her small hand, and seven black water jars appeared beside her.

Each was half a person’s height, covered with lids, yet their heads protruded from the tops.

Inside these jars, each contained a cultivator, most of them at the third-fire foundational level, with one even radiating golden core energy—a celestial palace golden core.

Clearly all had been tortured to extremes, alive but planted like flowers in the jars.

At this moment, with the jars’ impact, they all opened their eyes, and upon seeing Yan Yan, each displayed endless horror and despair.

Among these people, there were men and women, their faces pale, some missing an eye, others an ear, some a nose, and others their mouths stitched together.

“Xu Qing gege, after I returned to Eastern Yin Island, I began hunting the Night Crow organization there, and found a clue. Following the thread, I found these seven individuals.”

“They are the minor leaders of the Night Crow organization; on their way to welcoming the Huangzhou, Xiao Chi took action and captured them.” Yan Yan spoke happily, her eyes full of anticipation, as if yearning for Xu Qing’s praise.

Xu Qing glanced at the seven people; he didn’t need to recognize them—he had killed too many Night Crow members. With a sweep of his perception, he sensed a thick layer of resentment emanating from them.

Additionally, the Seven Blood Eye Capturing Officer’s internal department had warrants for these seven, though they had been cautious, never appearing within the Seven Blood Eye’s domain.

“Very good.” Xu Qing nodded toward Yan Yan.

This nod made Yan Yan excited, her breathing slightly labored, her nose flaring, her eyes more hazy as she spoke softly.

“Xu Qing gege, shall we begin?”

Xu Qing moved forward, stepping off the warship, then gazing at the seven trembling figures, finally focusing on the one with the golden core.

This man was middle-aged, bearing a scar on his face, which was horrifying, yet his resentment was dense. Xu Qing recognized him—his file existed in the Seven Blood Eye’s records.

This man was one of the major leaders of the Night Crow in Southern Qin, known for his ruthless nature and insatiable hunger for killing, with countless lives lost to him, and many more sold by him.

At Xu Qing’s gaze, the middle-aged man’s stitched mouth emitted a whimper, showing pleading, a sight he had seen countless times in his life, and countless times in recent days.

Xu Qing’s expression was calm as he raised his hand, grabbing the middle-aged man’s water jar, which shattered instantly.

A flood of blood and water spilled out, and the limb-less body fell, struggling violently as a surge of force enveloped it, quickly moving it to Xu Qing’s side.

Under Yan Yan’s excitement, Xu Qing calmly extended his right hand, which instantly became ethereal, slowly penetrating into the man’s chest—no wound, no tear, Xu Qing’s right hand was completely ethereal, passing through.

But to the man, at that moment, his fear surpassed all previous tortures under Yan Yan. His body convulsed, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief, a mix of terror and madness.

He felt a cold hand deep into his body, exploring his consciousness, reaching his celestial palace…

Immediately, this cold hand pierced through his celestial palace, grasping the golden core sealed within.

A sudden yank!

A pain that transcended all previous ones made the middle-aged cultivator completely insane, his whimper grew sharper, as if comparing to this feeling, his past suffering was mere play.

This was the true collapse, the pain that pierced his heart.

His stitched lips tore open, a scream of horror erupted, and Xu Qing’s hand withdrew from the man’s chest.

In his hand… he held a golden core.

Behind the core, countless threads connected, and with Xu Qing’s sudden withdrawal, all threads snapped.

As the scream echoed, the man’s body convulsed, his celestial palace collapsed inch by inch, disintegrating into countless drops of fresh blood, spewing from his mouth, nose, eyes, ears, and every pore.

Even more devastating was the sight of his blood-red eyes, where he could barely see his golden core in Xu Qing’s ethereal hand, rapidly dissipating, being devoured.

This scene was enough to make all witnesses terrified, especially Xu Qing, who remained expressionless, his face as calm as water, with not a single drop of blood on his body.

Yan Yan’s eyes sparkled with light, staring at Xu Qing, realizing Xu Qing’s methods were more exciting than before.

She breathed uncontrollably, urgently lifting her finger to her mouth, biting until blood flowed, seeking that fleeting thrill within her heart.

Xu Qing glanced at Yan Yan’s fingers, each dotted with countless new and old scars, then spoke calmly.

“Next time, don’t do this—it’s not nice to look at.”

If others said this, Yan Yan would dig out their eyes or pluck out their tongues. Even if her grandmother spoke, she would do as she pleased. But for Xu Qing’s words, she nodded quickly.

“Xu Qing gege, I’ll only bite one finger next time, let it heal before biting again, so there won’t be scars, it’ll look better.”

“Xu Qing gege, may I board the ship?” Yan Yan looked at Xu Qing hopefully.

“Next time, I need to cultivate.” Xu Qing replied calmly, turning back to the warship.

The sunset lingered on the shore, Yan Yan watched Xu Qing’s retreating figure, her heart somewhat lost. She had come with a mix of joy and sorrow—joy at seeing Xu Qing again, sorrow at hearing her grandmother speak of the Seven Blood Eye.

Thus, she begged her grandmother for sufficient protection, and after peeling away the layers, she had captured these seven Night Crow culprits.

She brought them here to give to Xu Qing gege, so he could be a little happier.

She didn’t know how to make Xu Qing happy, so she thought if she were given such a gift, she would be happy.

But now, she felt a bit lost.

Gazing at the figure that had vanished on the warship, she sat alone on the shore, biting her lower lip, unable to resist lifting her hand again to bite her fingers.

Yet she restrained herself, forcing back this habit of hers.

Because Xuī Qīng disliked it.

But she could not fully control it, gradually, in this struggle between restraint and impulse, a dark aura arose upon her body.

Originally, she was already prone to such darkness, and with the fluctuation of her emotions, the aura grew even more intense.

Just at that moment, a calm voice came from the warship: "Sit down."

Yán Yán hesitated, obediently sitting, lifting her head toward the warship as a melancholy flute melody drifted out, swaying gently.

The flute's melody was ethereal and comforting, as if stretching people's thoughts for a long, long time.

As dusk fell beneath the bright moon, the dark aura gradually dissipated, and her face broke into a smile.

Until the flute's sound faded away, Yán Yán stood up joyfully, humming the melody she had just heard, feeling exceedingly happy.

Thus, after several days, until this quiet morning, Xuī Qīng, seated in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at his transmission jade slip.

Taking it out, his grandfather's solemn voice echoed in his ears: "My lord has found the traces of the burning lamp, discovered the whereabouts of the Holy Junzi, confirming this is not a trap. The alliance will now act decisively, releasing a blood-killing mission."

"Xuī Qīng, would you be willing to accept the order and participate in this matter?"

Xuī Qīng's head snapped up, his expression as cold as ice, without the slightest hesitation, replying via transmission: "The disciple accepts the order!"

Please excuse me.

It should be acute gastroenteritis; on the way to the hospital, the pain in my abdomen was unbearable, and after several hours with no improvement, I couldn't bear it any longer, so I went to the hospital. Please grant leave.