Douluo Continent: Azure Dragon Slays Evil, Qilin Suppresses the World

Xuan Qing stood up, his eyes hardening. Now that he had figured it out, he would do it.

Since it's about seeking truth in the mortal world, how can one succeed without experiencing it firsthand? Staying in the herb garden and racking one's brains won't help.

He looked at Dugu Bo: "I'm leaving the old poison master here to you. See you in a year or two."

Dugu Bo bowed solemnly: "Young master, rest assured, as long as the medicine garden exists, I will remain here. Unless I die, no one can enter."

Xuan Qing nodded. He trusted Dugu Bo completely. With the Crimson Swan Kiss around, even groups of Title Douluos wouldn't stand a chance.

He then looked at Zi Ji: "Let's go, let's start from the border and proceed step by step, no need to rush, let's take our time and see what's happening."

Zi Ji agreed, and the two left the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye and flew towards the border of the Heavenly Dou Empire.

This time they didn't go to big cities, but specifically chose remote places. The smaller and more remote the village or town, the more likely it was to be their target.

Three days later, the two arrived at a small border village, a small area with only a few dozen households.

The houses were all made of adobe bricks, and they looked very barren.

Xuan Qing found the village chief, a thin old man, and handed him a gold soul coin.

"Grandpa, is this enough money to rent a place for a month?"

The village chief's eyes widened in disbelief. He had rarely seen gold soul coins in his life and usually used copper soul coins.

"That's enough! That's more than enough! Our esteemed guest can stay as long as he/she wishes."

He vacated a side room in his house, cleaned it thoroughly, and although it was simple, it provided shelter from the wind and rain.

Xuanqing and Ziji settled down.

Life was very ordinary; he would just wander around and chat with the villagers every day.

The villagers are very simple and honest; although the village is poor, they are all kind-hearted.

Children played in the mud at the village entrance, while elderly people sat in their doorways basking in the sun.

Xuanqing liked this atmosphere very much. He would help the villagers with chores, such as carrying water, chopping firewood, and doing everything. At first, the villagers were not very willing to ask him to do anything.

Later, we got to know each other better, and it became natural.

Zi Ji would also try to help, though she was clumsy, she was very earnest. She began to understand why Xuan Qing had come here.

More than twenty days passed in the blink of an eye, and just when Xuanqing thought the trip would be peaceful, something happened.

That afternoon, a group of soldiers arrived outside the village, about thirty men dressed in the standard armor of the Heavenly Dou Empire.

The centurion, riding arrogantly, waved his hand, and his soldiers stormed into the village.

"All assemble! Obey the Lord's command, conduct a population check, or face execution!"

The villagers were terrified, huddled together at the doorway, and the children hid behind the adults, bursting into tears.

Xuanqing and Ziji stood quietly under the eaves in the distance, watching. Ziji wanted to make a move, but Xuanqing stopped her.

"Let's take another look."

The centurion took out the booklet, pretended to tap it lightly, then his face suddenly darkened, and he pointed at several strong villagers.

"You lot are suspected of colluding with spies from the Star Luo Empire! Arrest you."

The villagers were completely dumbfounded. They had never even left their local area, so how could they know anything about spies?

"Your Honor, I'm innocent!"

A villager knelt on the ground, crying and shouting, "We're just ordinary farmers, we've never even left the village!"

The centurion sneered, "Innocent? I say you're guilty, so you're guilty! Take him away!"

The officers and soldiers rushed forward and tied up the villagers, including men, women, and children; more than twenty people were arrested in total.

Xuan Qing narrowed his eyes. He understood. They were here to capture slaves. They could just fabricate a crime and take people away.

This kind of thing is common at the border. The border between the two countries is chaotic, and the city lord colludes with the auction house to make a fortune.

The villagers cried and begged for mercy, but it was no use. The soldiers punched and kicked them, dragging them away.

Xuanqing didn't move, just stood there watching until the soldiers took everyone away and the village returned to deathly silence.

Xuanqing returned to the room, and Ziji followed him in, asking in a low voice.

"Senior, shouldn't we save them?"

Although she and Xuanqing hadn't lived together for long, they gradually developed human emotions and she was no longer the savage beast she once was.

If it were the old her, she would have wanted as many humans as possible to die.

Xuan Qing's voice was as cold as ice.

"Save them, of course we should save them, but not now. We need to find out the whole story and take them all down at once."

He sent Ziji to gather information, and with Ziji's abilities, infiltrating the city lord's mansion would be a piece of cake.

That night, Zi Ji returned, her face grim, clearly having uncovered quite a bit of information.

"Senior, we've investigated everything. The city lord colluded with the Heavenly Dou Auction House to capture border villagers as slaves."

"Those soldiers were the city lord's private army, disguised as imperial troops, and every time they arrested someone, they would accuse them of treason."

"Those who are arrested will be sent to auction houses. The men will be forced into hard labor, and the women... will suffer an even worse fate."

Zi Ji paused for a moment: "I also found the ledger, which records the time, number of people, and price of all transactions."

"The villagers who were arrested are being held in the dungeon. They are not in immediate danger, but they will be taken away in a few days."

Xuan Qing nodded, understanding.

He walked to the window and picked up a piece of wood, which was left over from chopping firewood a few days ago.

He took out a knife and began to carve the wood. Zi Ji looked at Xiao Qing curiously but did not explain. After an hour of focused carving, the wood turned into a mask.

It was a hideous Nuo mask, with a blue face, fangs, and fierce eyes; it was terrifying to look at.

Xuanqing put on the mask, leaving only his eyes exposed, and stood up to stretch his wrists.

"Let's go to the city lord's mansion, release the people first, and then settle the score."

Zi Ji nodded, and the two quietly left the village, flying towards the city.

The city lord's mansion was about thirty miles away, which would be a blink of an eye for Zi Ji.

The two landed in Chengdu Prefecture without alerting anyone. Xuanqing asked Ziji to release them from the dungeon while he went to find the city lord.

"Senior, you're all alone..."

"It's alright, he's just a Soul King City Lord. I can handle him. Hurry up."

Zi Ji asked no more questions, turned and disappeared, while Xuan Qing walked towards the main courtyard.

The city lord was talking in his study to a middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes. The man was the auction house's manager outside, and the two were dividing the spoils.

The manager said with a smile.

"This batch of goods is of good quality, especially those young women. One of them even has a mutated martial soul characteristic. They can definitely fetch a good price."

The city lord smiled too.

"That's natural. Although the women on the border are rough, they are still quite beautiful."

The two were chatting happily when the door was suddenly kicked open, and Xuan Qing walked in, his mask appearing exceptionally ferocious and terrifying in the candlelight.

"who!"

The two were startled and jumped up.

Xuan Qing didn't speak, but walked over step by step, his soul power surging, and three soul rings appeared.

One yellow, one purple, and one black—the color combination was very strange. The city lord and the steward's expressions changed. Was this a Soul Master?

But this spirit ring configuration... something's not right!

The city lord forced himself to remain calm as he spoke.

"Who are you? What brings you to the city lord's mansion in the dead of night?"

Xuan Qing ignored them completely and charged straight at the two of them, moving so fast that he was just a blur. He punched the city lord in the face.

The city lord was, after all, a Soul King, and his reaction was quick. He dodged to the side and released his Martial Soul at the same time. It was a huge rhinoceros with five Soul Rings, two yellow and three purple.

The manager also made a move; his martial soul was a venomous snake, and four soul rings—three yellow and one purple—appeared.

The two worked together, one defending and the other attacking.

Xuan Qing calmly activated his first soul skill, and a light rain began to fall in the study.

As the rain poured down on them, their soul power began to drain away, and the city lord's expression changed drastically.

"What kind of soul skill is this?"

Xuanqing seized the opportunity to launch a strong attack, activating his second and third soul skills simultaneously, causing his attributes to surge.

A punch landed squarely on the city lord's chest. Although his defenses were strong, they couldn't withstand the blow.

Crack! The sickening sound of bones breaking rang out, and the city lord coughed up blood as he crashed into the bookshelf.

The manager tried to run away, but Xuan Qing kicked him in the leg. His leg bone broke, and he fell to the ground screaming in pain.

Xuan Qing walked over, and two streams of soul power condensed in his hands, rushing directly into their dantian.

puff!

Their soul power was destroyed, and they both spat out a mouthful of blood.

Just then, Zi Ji returned with an account book in her hand: "Senior, everyone has been released, and the equipment has been obtained."

"Let's go to the entrance."