I was chased at the beginning, and I got the first quick sword

Chapter 570 Is there a monster?

Chu Qing glanced at Dongfang Jinghong with some surprise:
"So, you suspect that Luo Kongming's disappearance is related to Li Juechen?"

Dongfang Jinghong fell silent.

Seeing that Chu Qing was staring at him, he nodded helplessly.

"I do have this suspicion... This is also because I can't understand Li Juechen lately."

"It's as if I don't know what grudge you have against him that led him to kill you on Yuesong Mountain."
“He had clearly stayed in the Five Emperors City before, but he concealed his whereabouts.”

"If Luo Kongming hadn't suddenly disappeared and prompted me to investigate, I wouldn't have known that he had ever appeared in the Five Emperors City."

"You guessed right. In the beginning, they were indeed suspicious of you."

"After all, on that day in the Five Emperors City, in the Sword Emperor's Mansion, Luo Kongming and you exchanged a punch. He hindered your actions, and they suspected that you might hold a grudge."

“But ever since I learned that Li Juechen had also appeared in the Five Emperors City, I have felt that, compared to you, his suspicion seems to be a little greater.”

"But before this matter is thoroughly investigated, it is impossible to completely exonerate me."

"So, that's why you hid this information?"

Chu Qing frowned slightly.

Seeing that Dongfang Jinghong nodded somewhat embarrassedly, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Logically speaking, it's not unreasonable for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to have some doubts about themselves.

Regarding the situation in the Northern Region, there are actually quite a few conflicts between the two sides.

On one hand, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors forbade Chu Qing from entering the Northern Region; on the other hand, Chu Qing did not interfere with them in the Southwest Region.

Although they are united, there is also a sense of competition between them.

However, in this way, Chu Qing would most likely have become another major threat to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, following the Heavenly Cult.

However, the "catfish effect" brought about by today's cult leaders is still present.

As long as this 'big catfish' is still alive, they won't easily break ties with Chu Qing.

From this perspective, concealing the news of Luo Kongming's disappearance is perfectly normal.

If Chu Qing really does have the idea of ​​overthrowing the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, he might even take this opportunity to ruthlessly harm them.

It would be perfectly reasonable to paint a rosy picture and make Chu Qing hesitant to act rashly.

However, this almost caused Chu Qing to lose an important piece of information.

The two who brought Chu Qing news of the Underworld Assembly mentioned the death of their companion, and the cause of death made Chu Qing suspect that Li Juechen had already obtained the [Heaven-Stealing Demon Art].

Everyone who has practiced those martial arts techniques will become Li Juechen's 'food'.

Even if all these people were combined, they probably wouldn't be as good as Luo Kongming, the King of Fighters.

If Li Juechen had stolen all of Luo Kongming's martial arts skills... and combined them with those of others, it's hard to say how much his martial arts would have improved.

Dongfang Jinghong glanced at Chu Qing, hesitated slightly, and then said:

"Alliance Leader Chu, may I inform you of the grudge between you and Li Juechen?"

"can."

Chu Qing nodded:

"This feud involves the Mirror of Retribution... It's a long story, you'll have to listen carefully."

He then recounted how he had once been an assassin at the Mirror of Retribution, and how, through his investigations, he discovered that Li Juechen was behind the Mirror of Retribution.

After hearing this, Dongfang Jinghong was completely astonished:
"Li Juechen actually secretly took control of the Mirror of Karma?"

Chu Qing picked up the wine pot, but it was empty.

The waiter brought over another pot:
"I was quite surprised when I learned of this matter..."

"But before this, I was not entirely certain about this matter."

"Yue Songshan rose to prominence in one step, and Li Juechen suddenly appeared to assassinate him, which made me wonder what kind of relationship he had with the Niejingtai."

"After all, aside from this matter, I have no connection with this person whatsoever."

Dongfang Jinghong carefully considered her words before speaking:
"Then come to the Eastern Region..."

"It was also for this person."

Chu Qing smiled slightly:
"The grudges must eventually come to an end. If he weren't the one in charge of the Mirror of Retribution now, there would still be some room for maneuver between us."

"But if this person really is... then only one of us can survive."

Dongfang Jinghong suddenly looked up at Chu Qing, her expression somewhat bitter.

Chu Qing knew what he was thinking, and suddenly smiled:

"To be honest, Senior Dongfang..."

"Your thinking is actually not advisable."

"Peace and tranquility in the world are not achieved through cowardice, nor can they be concealed by whitewashing."

"Struggling to survive can only delay, not completely solve, the problem."

"You need to make your own decision."

Dongfang Jinghong's current state is contradictory.

On the one hand, he had a chivalrous heart and could not bear to see people suffer.

However, influenced by figures like the Ancient Emperor Yi Sheng, he felt that the overall situation was more important... and that personal grudges were insignificant.

But now, because of this "overall situation," countless people have died or been injured in the Eastern Region.

If it were Dongfang Jinghong in charge, that would be a true clash of swords and a tale of swift justice and vengeance.

Now, on the one hand, he feels that Chu Qing's way of doing things is not inappropriate.

It is only natural to repay kindness with kindness and to avenge wrongs with wrongs.

The problem is that Jian Jiu has already been killed by Chu Qing. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors have now lost one Ghost Emperor, one Sword Emperor, and the Xuan Emperor is still unreliable.

Their strength has been repeatedly diminished.

Even if Chu Qing is highly skilled in martial arts, how much of this hole can he fill?

Therefore, from this perspective, the overall situation is indeed very important.

Dongfang Jinghong picked up the pot of wine that the waiter had just brought and gulped it down.

The waiter secretly snorted, thinking to himself:

"Why don't you just drink yourself to death?"

After Dongfang Jinghong finished the entire pot of wine, he suddenly stood up:

"Since you came specifically for this person, you should have some information about him."

Chu Qing nodded:

"Have."

"Then I will go with you."

"Just to annoy me?"

"...No, that's not it."

Dongfang Jinghong waved his hand:

"I want to ask, what exactly is Li Juechen thinking!"

"This person's thoughts are probably different from those of normal people."

"..."

We had already finished eating and drunk most of the wine.

Chu Qing paid the bill for the drinks, and then the group stood up.

The waiter finally couldn't hold back any longer:

"Alliance Leader Chu..."

Chu Qing turned to look at him, but the second brother's lips moved, yet he couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing this, Chu Qing sighed:
"Don't panic, it will be quick."

The waiter nodded repeatedly; although the hidden pulse in his heart was still there, he had already seen a glimmer of hope.

There's still plenty of time, so there's no need to rush.

The chance encounter with Dongfang Jinghong was unexpected, but Chu Qing did not keep him at arm's length.

The group found an inn in the city to rest for the time being.

However, business at the inn was not good, and one could feel a bit of desolation as soon as they entered.

We booked several guest rooms, and the innkeeper personally led everyone back to their rooms to rest. That's another story. Around midnight, Chu Qing was meditating and resting in her room.

Then she heard footsteps hurrying downstairs. Chu Qing recognized the voice as that of the shepherd boy and paid closer attention.

Soon the shepherd boy's footsteps returned, but instead of going back to his own room, he came over and pushed Chu Qing's door.

Chu Qing was speechless for a moment.

He pretended to be asleep and didn't open the door for her, but she wasn't in a hurry and just kept knocking.

After a long while, Chu Qing had no choice but to go and open the door.

The shepherd boy plunged straight in:
Why aren't you opening the door?

"...I fell asleep."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I won't allow you to say that about yourself."

The shepherd boy was so angry he wanted to bite someone. He pushed Chu Qing aside and closed the door behind him, still feeling suspicious.

Then, ignoring Chu Qing's reaction, she climbed onto his bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, and shivered.

"...No, why are you shaking?"

Chu Qing looked completely bewildered.

The shepherd boy, his face pale, gestured for him to be quiet:

Shh! Keep your voice down!
"Quick, come here!"

Chu Qing blinked, and suddenly felt very gratified:
"You've changed your tactics?"

Along the way, the shepherd boy has come up with all sorts of tricks, though most of the time he's with Wenrou.

He tried every possible way to open Chu Qing's door and take over Chu Qing's bed.

She herself went even further, using various methods such as prying open windows and releasing sleeping gas.

Of course, Chu Qing did not let her succeed.

Is she planning to play the demure woman tonight?
"What new tricks?"

The shepherd boy said with a dark face:
"You don't know, I just went to the outhouse and overheard the innkeeper and the night watchman greeting each other."

"...You can still hear them greeting each other while you're in the outhouse?"

"What's the innkeeper talking about with the night watchman in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Chu Qing felt a little confused.

"How do I know this?"

The shepherd boy waved his hand:
"But that's not the point. The point is, there's a monster in this city."

"How to say?"

"People keep going missing every few days..."

"If it were said that all the missing women were young girls and wives, one could say it was the work of lecherous thieves."

"Those who are to be lost are mostly teenagers, who are probably part of a slave-catching team or something similar."

"The problem is that most of those who are lost are young and strong, both men and women."

"This feels really weird..."

As the shepherd boy spoke, he felt a chill in the air and couldn't help but wave to Chu Qing again:

"Come here, I'm freezing."

Chu Qing felt that this was definitely a psychological factor... but seeing how pitiful she looked, he didn't refuse too firmly.

After taking off her shoes and getting into bed, the shepherd boy shared part of the blanket with Chu Qing, then snuggled into his arms and said:
"Seriously, you're holding such a beautiful girl like me, don't you really have any thoughts about that kind of thing?"

"...That's definitely impossible."

Chu Qing was speechless for a moment:
"Liu Xiahui was the one who remained unmoved by a woman's lap, but I'm no good person."

Who is Liu Xiahui?

"A gentleman."

"I don't believe it."

The shepherd boy said:
There are no gentlemen in the world... they only weigh the pros and cons.

"Pah, who wants to talk to you about that? You said you didn't feel anything when you hugged me, so how do you feel now?"

"Isn't this supposed to be a ghost story?"

Chu Qing glanced at her speechlessly:
What are you doing right now?

"They're all in your arms, who cares about monsters anymore?"

The shepherd boy laughed foolishly:

"You can call me a monster now, I'll eat you right now."

Chu Qing reached under the covers and grabbed the hand that was groping around her waist and chest:
"Stop fooling around, your hands are still pretty cold...Are you really scared?"

“I wasn’t joking with you just now, I really heard it.”

The shepherd boy said:
"Think about it, if they specifically target able-bodied young men, it's definitely to eat their flesh and drink their blood."

"The child is too young, so there's probably not much chewing involved in eating it."

"Older people often have weaker blood and energy, and their flesh tends to be thinner..."

"Only young adults are suitable to be kidnapped by monsters... If you encounter a lewd monster, you might even think that it's good for eating and playing."

Chu Qing flicked her nose in an annoyed tone:
"I don't know what kind of nonsense I'm thinking about all day long..."

"I don't care, I'm scared, I want to sleep with you tonight."

The shepherd boy decided that there was only one tactic: to be shameless and persistent.

Anyway, she had already smoothed things over with Wu Qianhuan, so as long as Chu Qing nodded in agreement, she would consider herself successful.

Chu Qing looked at the beautiful girl with the cricket in his arms and was speechless for a moment.

Just as he was about to tell her to stop fooling around, he suddenly frowned:
"Wait... there's someone outside the window."

The shepherd boy was startled and looked up. Sure enough, he saw a shadow through the window.

But it didn't look like a human shadow... it looked more like a bat with outstretched wings.

"monster!?"

The shepherd boy glanced at Chu Qing, his tone revealing no fear. After all, she was a female thief who dared to go into tombs alone, possessing astonishing courage.

She had only overheard it from the shopkeeper and used it as an excuse to make a fuss that night.

If it really is a monster outside, she'd like to broaden her horizons.

Chu Qing told her to keep quiet, and then went down to check.

The shepherd boy didn't want to be separated from him, so he wrapped his arms around his neck.

Chu Qing felt helpless, and carrying her around was like having a pendant hanging on his body, and the two of them went to the window.

Just as I was about to open the window to take a look, the figure suddenly disappeared.

Chu Qing was taken aback before pushing the window open.

The shepherd boy clinging to Chu Qing was the first to peek out, only to find the outside empty.

Just as I was feeling confused, I heard Chu Qing sneer:
"This is the [Path of the Ghost Corpse]!"

"...What's that?"

The shepherd boy claimed to be the daughter of the Xuan Emperor, and that he was knowledgeable and experienced.

However, the term "Ghost Corpse Path" was something I had never heard of before.

Chu Qing did not answer, his eyes narrowed slightly, and then he used the Heavenly Sound Transmission Technique to connect with Wu Qianhuan and Wenrou. In the next instant, he emerged from the window.

Just as they reached the rooftop, two figures leaped out after them.

It was Wu Qianhuan and Wenrou.

She glanced gently at the shepherd boy:
"You have no moral principles!"

The shepherd boy quickly got off Chu Qing and was about to say something when he saw Chu Qing point a finger.

Following the fingertip, one could see a figure carrying a person in each hand, rushing away into the distance.

"...There really are monsters!?"

The shepherd boy looked on in surprise:
"If we arrest them, lock them in cages, and build a big shed, charging each person one or two taels of silver to come in and see them, wouldn't we be able to make a small fortune?"

(End of this chapter)