Chapter 5: Threat Consequences

“Finally, a breakthrough.” Xu Qing stood up and threw a punch. A crisp sound echoed through the air, and the gust of wind it generated even caused the house’s door to tremble.

This sight made Xu Qing’s eyes widen. He could feel that he was much stronger now than he had been yesterday.

If he were to face the giant horned python now, Xu Qing believed a single punch would be enough to shatter its abdominal scales.

Not only that, his senses were also sharper than before. He could see more clearly and his hearing was exceptionally keen. At that moment, the sound of knocking from outside the yard reached Xu Qing’s ears.

Xu Qing paused, startled. He walked to the side of his house door. Using the moonlight from outside, he peered through the crack and saw the silhouette of the little girl standing outside the bamboo gate of the yard.

She seemed to be injured; her body trembled slightly.

Xu Qing frowned. He initially had no intention of responding, but the little girl persisted, knocking softly.

After a while, Xu Qing pushed open the house door and stepped outside.

Upon seeing Xu Qing’s figure, the little girl visibly tensed up. She resisted the urge to retreat and gazed at Xu Qing through the bamboo gate.

“Is something wrong?” Xu Qing asked.

“I... I also got residency in the camp,” the little girl stammered, “and... and I found a job in the camp.”

“I see.” Xu Qing nodded, about to turn and go back inside.

“Wait a moment…” the little girl quickly said, “Thank you. I came here to thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I wanted to eat it, it had nothing to do with you,” Xu Qing said, turning and walking back towards the house.

Watching Xu Qing’s retreating back, the little girl pursed her lips, then suddenly spoke loudly.

“Regardless, I still thank you. This kindness... I will repay it in the future.” After speaking, she stumbled away, disappearing into the darkness.

Xu Qing glanced back, but paid it no mind. Back in his house, he took a deep breath. He felt the changes within himself, and his desire to live a better life felt more attainable.

However, a faint tingling pain in his left arm made him suspect that the anomalous substance in his body was now highly concentrated. Even the snake gall had not significantly diluted it.

The night was quiet, with no roars of ferocious beasts outside. Xu Qing walked to the bed, looked at the clean bedding, then at his own dirt-covered clothes.

He thought for a moment. After rolling up the clean bedding and placing it aside, he lay down on the wooden bed board with his clothes on.

Instinctively, he drew out the dark iron skewer, gripping it in his hand, and waited for sleep to come.

This iron skewer was his most trusted companion.

Since he found it in a garbage pile years ago, and realizing its sharpness and toughness, he had always carried it with him as his personal weapon.

“Tomorrow, I’ll look for a place selling white pills in the camp.”

Xu Qing muttered to himself. He touched his leather pouch; inside were some of his savings from over the years, and a few valuable gems he had found in the city.

He dared not take too many gems; he had witnessed the principle that 'a man's wealth is his own ruin' when he was young.

Amidst these thoughts, sleepiness slowly crept in, and Xu Qing’s eyes gradually closed.

However, the iron skewer in his hand remained gripped tightly, without the slightest relaxation.

A peaceful night passed as sunlight poured in.

The next morning, Xu Qing, who had woken up early, left his small house.

Before leaving, he looked towards Captain Lei's room. The captain didn't seem to be inside; perhaps he had gone out. So Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and walked through the camp.

Perhaps it was because of the shocking scene of him extracting the snake gall yesterday, but as Xu Qing walked through the camp, he clearly felt the difference in the way the surrounding scavengers looked at him.

They no longer saw his youthful figure as easy to bully and thus harbored malice.

Instead, there was more recognition and more wariness. At the same time, the dull eyes of the youths of his age hiding in corners showed envy when they saw him.

Dignity was earned through one’s own efforts.

Xu Qing thought silently.

While searching for a shop in the camp, Xu Qing also familiarized himself with the environment.

He noticed many wild dogs in the camp, growling and fighting over food. Although most were scrawny, some were sturdier than certain people.

After observing the wild dogs, Xu Qing continued to survey the camp.

He mentally mapped out the entire camp. Following this mental map, he found a shop in the inner ring area.

The shop was quite large and bustling with people coming and going. It seemed to sell everything.

Xu Qing observed from outside for a while. He noticed the little girl from yesterday inside the shop, dressed as a shop assistant. She was clearly doing odd jobs, rushing about, her forehead beaded with sweat.

It wasn't until Xu Qing entered the shop that she noticed him. She was about to speak, but was then called away by a scavenger inquiring about an item.

Xu Qing didn't immediately focus on the items in the shop. Instead, he first looked at the other people around him who were also there to buy goods.

There were seven people in total. Some were scanning items, some were deep in thought, and some were bargaining. Among them, two—one fat, one thin—seemed to be a pair.

The fat one was rotund, the thin one had a long face. They clearly had an aggressive demeanor and strong spiritual energy fluctuations. At this moment, one of them was scolding the little girl, seemingly dissatisfied with her answer.

Amidst the little girl's anxious apologies, Xu Qing looked at the items in the shop.

Just as he had surmised, it was a general store. It had everything: pills, weapons, clothes, food, and more.

So he withdrew his gaze and walked to the counter. He calmly addressed the shopkeeper, who sat indifferently, smoking a pipe.

“How much are the white pills?”

“White pills are limited, only five sold per day,” the shopkeeper replied, lifting his eyelids and sweeping a glance at Xu Qing. Perhaps recognizing him as the youth from yesterday's beast fight, his attitude softened slightly. “There are two left for today's quota, ten spirit coins each.”

Despite being mentally prepared, Xu Qing still frowned slightly at the price.

His total savings from all these years amounted to only twenty-three spirit coins. But the tingling pain from the anomalous points on his arm left him no room for hesitation. He carefully took out twenty spirit coins from his leather pouch and handed them to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper swept the spirit coins into his hand. He then pulled out a cloth bag from under the counter and tossed it to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing caught it and opened it, seeing two white pills inside. He frowned again.

Parts of the pills' surfaces were already tinged green. Their quality had clearly deteriorated; they weren't fresh, emitted no medicinal scent, and appeared to be of poor quality.

“All the white pills in the camp are like this,” the shopkeeper said with a forced smile, noticing Xu Qing's doubt. “We don't have any in good condition here. Even if these are rotten, they still work. Just eat them without worry.”

Xu Qing was cautious and didn't consume them immediately. He planned to go back and ask Captain Lei about them. So he put them away, preparing to leave.

Just then, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and his body sharply swayed to the side.

Almost simultaneously with his dodge, a hand landed where he had just been, grabbing only air.

Xu Qing looked with cold eyes. He saw the long-faced scavenger who had been scolding the little girl earlier. The man had now withdrawn his hand and was looking at him with a hint of surprise.

At the same time, his rotund companion stood at the doorway, blocking the exit. He stared at Xu Qing, grinning to reveal his yellowed teeth.

“It’s Fat Mountain and Ma Si from the Blood Shadow team!”

“This kid was brought back by Captain Lei. Thunder and Blood Shadow have always been at odds,” the indifferent shopkeeper said, drawing the attention of the other customers who whispered among themselves. “So I won't get involved in your business, but don't waste too much time; I still have business to do.”

Pedestrians outside the shop also noticed the commotion. They stopped and watched with interest.

The little girl, on the other hand, was full of anxiety, unsure how she could help.

“Don't worry, it won't take long,” Ma Si smiled, looking at Xu Qing, a cold glint in his eyes.

“Kid, I've killed plenty of giant horned pythons, so I won't make things difficult for you,” Ma Si continued. “I need white pills; give me your two white pills, and I'll let you leave safely. Otherwise, I'll slit your throat and take the white pills from your corpse.”

These words made Xu Qing's gaze colder. He looked at the man's neck, then at the fat man blocking the door. Noticing the considerable crowd outside, he weighed his options.

Either of these two, despite their significant spiritual energy fluctuations, seemed to be at the second level. He was confident he could kill one of them alone within ten breaths.

Even if both attacked together, he could still kill them, but it would take a bit longer.

However, this was a busy marketplace; if a fight broke out, and since they were part of a team, reinforcements would surely arrive.

He didn't want to place all his hopes on Captain Lei arriving in time. That wasn't his nature. He preferred to be in control himself, rather than relying on others.

So Xu Qing expressionlessly glanced at Ma Si's neck again. He took out the cloth bag with the white pills in his right hand and, without hesitation, tossed it over. The man caught it, glanced inside, and chuckled triumphantly.

His companion, Fat Mountain, also moved aside with a laugh. Xu Qing stepped out, not looking back.

The surrounding crowd, both inside and outside the shop, reacted as if this was normal. Under the law of the jungle, the weak had to know their place; that was the way to survive.

The little girl also breathed a sigh of relief. She had been holding her breath moments ago. Now that the crisis was resolved, she continued her busy work.

As for Fat Mountain and Ma Si, they swaggered out of the shop, chatting and laughing as they walked away.

However... no one noticed that behind Fat Mountain and Ma Si, a figure that seemed to have walked away and disappeared was, with ample patience and without revealing himself, following them from a distance like a shadow.

His eyes, like a wolf stalking its prey, watched the two men.

This figure was none other than Xu Qing.

Time passed, and dusk approached.

Fat Mountain and Ma Si visited several locations within the camp. They spent the entire day wandering, never noticing the figure constantly following them.

It wasn't until the moon hung high that the two men finally separated.

Fat Mountain went to a place with a bonfire. Ma Si, however, with a lecherous intent, headed towards the dark, outer perimeter of the camp, where tents adorned with feathers were clustered.

Just as he was about to reach his destination and emerge from a dark spot within the camp, a whooshing sound suddenly came from behind him.

Ma Si, on alert, immediately turned his head. But there was nothing behind him. His expression changed in confusion. He was about to act, but it was too late.

In an instant, a small hand reached out from beside him, clamping firmly over his mouth. At the same time, a sharp dagger was pressed against his neck. Without the slightest hesitation or pause, it was drawn across forcefully.

With a gush, blood suddenly spurted out. Ma Si's eyes widened, and he tried to struggle.

But the small hand covering his mouth possessed immense strength. It dragged his body backward, and no matter how he struggled, it was futile.

His feet could only kick helplessly, as he was irresistibly dragged into the darkness.

Finally, like a chick, he was dragged into a corner.

Yet, even then, the small hand clamping his mouth still didn't release. Instead, it waited for a while, ensuring he had lost all resistance. Only after he was suffocating and too weak to struggle from excessive blood loss did it let go, laying his trembling, feeble body onto the ground.

It was at this moment that Ma Si, in despair, used the dim moonlight to clearly see the cold-faced youth standing before him.

“Ugh... ugh…”

Ma Si's eyes held disbelief. He never imagined that the youth who had docilely handed over the white pills earlier that day would act so decisively and viciously.

He seemed desperate to tell the youth that his threat to slit his throat earlier was just that—a threat—not meant to be taken literally…

But the blood in his throat prevented him from speaking. He could only make weak gurgling sounds, watching in despair as the youth knelt down, expressionlessly rummaging through his pockets.

After searching completely, Xu Qing found his white pills, plus five extra ones. In addition, there were some of the victim's spirit coins and miscellaneous items.

After putting them away, while Ma Si was in extreme terror, Xu Qing carefully took out the burlap cloth wrapped around the snake's head, cautiously opening it. He then expertly used the snake's fangs to pierce Ma Si's body.

Ma Si's body instantly twitched again. From the wound, he slowly began to melt. The sensation and agony of being corroded alive caused him to completely break down.

It wasn't until Xu Qing lifted his hand and covered his eyes that Ma Si's world lost all light forever.

His entire body melted into a puddle of blood, seeping into the soil.

Learning from his past oversights, Xu Qing pulled out a prepared bag from his person. He collected Ma Si's clothes and miscellaneous items before turning and leaving.

After he left, two figures emerged from the shadows at the spot where Ma Si died.

It was the extraordinary old man in purple robes and his servant, whom no one had seen in the beast arena yesterday.

The old man lowered his head to look at the spot where Ma Si had melted, then raised his head to watch Xu Qing's retreating figure, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

“He's a promising talent,” the old man mused. “He can endure, yet is decisive in killing. Most impressively, he is vicious in his actions but also handles things cleanly. Not bad.”

The servant beside him looked somewhat surprised.

He had followed the old man for many years and rarely heard him praise anyone. Yet, this youth had now caught his master's attention twice. So he also looked up towards the direction where Xu Qing had disappeared.

“An interesting young fellow,” the old man smiled, then asked casually.

“How much longer until Master Bai arrives?”

“Seventh Master, according to Master Bai's itinerary, he should arrive here within the next day or two,” the servant replied respectfully, withdrawing his gaze.

“He's finally coming,” the old man chuckled. “This time, I'll have a good talk with him. That wretched place, Violet Earth, is nothing but rules. What's there to miss? He might as well come to my Seven Blood Eyes and live freely.”

The old man laughed heartily, seemingly very pleased. He then looked towards the direction where Xu Qing had disappeared.

“Come, let's go see what this little wolf cub does next.”

***

I am very happy, truly delighted, to see so many old friends return these past few days. Thank you for your support, and thank you for your trust!

I won't get sentimental; I'll just say this: with this book, I've found my original intention.

Thank you, everyone. *Beyond the Light*, I will not disappoint you.

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