Chapter 093: What a Kind Soul

The Shi family possessed many unique martial arts. The most renowned among them were “Frost Smoke Technique,” “Rending Eagle Claw,” and “Nine Yin Soul-Severing Sword.” Of these, the “Nine Yin Soul-Severing Sword” was the most infamous. This sword technique was brutal and fierce, each strike shrouded in a chilling wind, cold enough to pierce the bones. When paired with the frost smoke true energy generated by the “Frost Smoke Technique,” ordinary martial artists of similar rank stood no chance. If the sword’s energy entered the body, it was almost impossible to cleanse. Many in the Shi family earned their formidable reputations by mastering this sword art. Shi Jindong was one such figure.

At fifty years old, Shi Jindong had once, with a sixth-grade cultivation, defeated a renowned fifth-grade expert from the northern district of Qinghe City. His secret weapon was none other than the “Nine Yin Soul-Severing Sword.” It was said that though that northern district expert survived, the frigid sword energy remained in his body, tormenting him day and night with relentless cold. Now, with Shi Jindong slain by Nie Renqiu, it underscored just how powerful Nie Renqiu truly was.

...

The crematorium was abuzz with commotion. Su Jingxing found Feng Tiejian and hurried with him to the scene by car. Feng Tiejian assumed Su Jingxing was simply eager to witness the excitement firsthand and thought little of it, his own heart beating with unexplainable anticipation. Little did he know, Su Jingxing’s true purpose was to collect a card.

If he didn’t act quickly, the Shi family would reclaim their kin’s corpse. Outsiders believed the Shi family did this to find clues to the murderer from the wounds. But Su Jingxing knew otherwise—investigating the murderer was only one reason. The greater concern was the bloodline.

The Three-Yin Candle Blood!

Did the Shi family take back the bodies to prevent the Three-Yin Candle Blood from leaking, or were they testing the purity and potency of their bloodline? Su Jingxing couldn’t say, nor did he care. He was there to retrieve a bloodline card, unlock it, obtain the blood pearl, and feed it to “Thunderclap,” hoping to revive the blood spirit weapon as soon as possible.

As it turned out, his timing was impeccable. When the corpse transport arrived, the Shi family had just finished packing Shi Jindong’s body, preparing to leave.

[Corpse detected. Retrieve?]

“Yes!”

Leaning against the car, Su Jingxing answered silently, watching as the Shi family’s vehicle slowly picked up speed and vanished from sight.

“Damn, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have come,” Feng Tiejian grumbled, kicking the tire, his expression sour.

“The Shi family’s people move fast,” the driver agreed, sighing.

“Heh, so what if they’re fast? Shi Jindong is dead, and everyone knows who killed him—Nie Renqiu! If they’ve got the guts, let them drag Nie Renqiu out themselves!” Feng Tiejian’s partner mocked.

“Speaking of Nie Renqiu, that guy is incredible. He doesn’t seem like a sixth-grade at all—more like a fourth-grade.”

After venting, Feng Tiejian perked up, gloating, “Do you think he’ll keep targeting the Shi family? There are plenty of sword experts in that clan, just like Shi Jindong.”

“I don’t think so,” the driver shrugged.

“If it were me, I’d keep going after the Shi family,” the partner said seriously, analyzing, “Think about it—by conventional thinking, the Martial Control Department, the Shi family, and the Swordplay Pavilion are all hunting Nie Renqiu. Normally, he’d hide. But if he doesn’t, if he strikes again while everyone’s on edge, the Shi family would be caught completely off guard! As long as he’s fast enough, he could take out another one or two and still escape easily!”

“Exactly!” Feng Tiejian clapped his hands, excited. “That’s a real possibility! It looks like tonight’s going to be lively!”

Su Jingxing: “...”

There was indeed a good chance his companion’s analysis was correct. Still, Su Jingxing had no intention of following any longer. He’d been busy all day and stayed out half the night; lingering further would only draw attention. This wasn’t the way to enjoy the spectacle. After all, no matter whom Nie Renqiu killed, outwardly it had nothing to do with Su Jingxing.

To Kong Dabao, Feng Tiejian, and the others, Nie Renqiu’s killing spree was just juicy gossip. So, after returning to the crematorium, Su Jingxing finished his shift and headed home. Before leaving, though, he asked Feng Tiejian, who was on duty, to text him if Nie Renqiu struck again later that night. A phone call would be too much concern; a text would suffice.

Compared to Earth, on Planet Deistar, the crematorium was always the first to receive news of deaths. The common people cared little for grudges or vendettas; they only knew that when a corpse appeared, it had to be burned quickly. If luck ran out and corpse-devouring maggot eggs infested a body first, turning it into a corpse puppet, the ones who would suffer most were ordinary folk like them.

One reason Su Jingxing chose to work at the crematorium was precisely this—he could receive corpse news the fastest, in the greatest number, and most conveniently.

...

Returning to his small courtyard at the foot of the mountain, Su Jingxing took an Essence Pill to dispel fatigue and restore his energy. He then took out the card he’d retrieved from Shi Jindong’s corpse, holding it in his palm to read its information.

As expected, it was a bloodline card. Unlocking it yielded a blood pearl the size of a mung bean, which he fed to “Thunderclap.” Sensing the recovery progress of the blood spirit weapon, he found it was still far from complete.

Fortunately, Su Jingxing had prepared himself and wasn’t discouraged. He stored “Thunderclap” away and took out another card—this one obtained from Ouyang Qinhu’s corpse: an Insight Card. Unlocking it, he chose to study the “Blade Control by Qi” chapter of the “Giant God Blade.”

Although the odds of success were higher for the “Earth Element” chapter of the “Trinity Blade Technique,” the “Blade Control by Qi” chapter was more useful to Su Jingxing at the moment. The “Earth Element” was better suited for combat in the wilds, but within the city, flying blades were more practical. Weighing the two options, he chose the “Giant God Blade.”

The result exceeded his expectations—not only did he successfully comprehend the “Qi Control” chapter, but he also gained partial insight into the “Spirit Control” chapter. This efficiency was due to the fact that the three chapters of the “Giant God Blade” shared the same foundation. The main differences lay in the methods of exerting force and the use of true energy and spirit. The same applied to the three chapters of the “Trinity Blade Technique.”

Su Jingxing was quite pleased with this progress. With mastery of “Qi Control,” it was time to buy quality flying blades.

Seeing there was still time, he changed his clothes, packed his illicit cash, and headed straight for the black market. There, he visited a weapons shop and bought three precious flying blades. Their small size made them less expensive—three top-grade blades cost him a total of 8.88 million. The ten million in dirty money left by Wan Rong was now spent. For this, Su Jingxing was grateful—his precious saber and three flying blades were all courtesy of Wan Rong. Truly, a “good man” indeed.

...

Back in his small mountain courtyard, Su Jingxing practiced the “Qi Control” chapter of the “Giant God Blade” with his three flying blades. With the foundation laid by the “Force Control” chapter, by dawn he had successfully mastered “Qi Control.” He put away the blades, freshened up, and had just stepped out of the bathroom when his phone rang.

Su Jingxing answered the call.

“Hahaha! Su, are you up? I’ve got explosive news—Nie Renqiu has killed another fifth-grade expert!”