Ji Qing reached into his bloody abdomen and pulled out the hidden weapon. It was a Bone-Piercing Nail. Blocked by Ji Qing's Inner Power, it had only embedded itself two inches into his flesh.
"Huh? The hidden weapon isn't poisoned?"
The blood on the Bone-Piercing Nail remained a bright crimson; it didn't look like he had been poisoned.
Although Ji Qing had slain the Lingdong Three Monsters with a single saber strike moments ago, he had also been hit by their hidden weapon. Fortunately, it had missed his vitals, leaving him with only a minor wound. Squatting down, he tore a strip of cloth from the corpses of the Lingdong Three Monsters to bandage his abdomen. Then, he began searching the bodies. He didn't just loot the Lingdong Three Monsters; he didn't spare the corpses of the Desert Eighteen Riders, either. From a total of twenty-one bodies, he only managed to scrounge up a little over one hundred taels of silver.
"People in the Martial World are truly poor..." Ji Qing shook his head.
However, he did find a Secret Martial Arts Manual on the Desert Eighteen Riders. He didn't look at it closely and had no idea what kind of Martial Arts it contained.
"Right, Chief Han, is there a bounty of silver on these Lingdong Three Monsters?" Ji Qing looked over at Han Jin.
Han Jin hurriedly shook his head and said, "Although the Lingdong Three Monsters are Green Forest Warriors, they are not treacherous or evil villains, nor have they committed any major crimes. They do not have a bounty in the Martial World."
Ji Qing looked thoughtful. The Lingdong Three Monsters looked strange and had eccentric tempers, yet they surprisingly weren't bandits. No wonder the Bone-Piercing Nail hadn't been coated in deadly poison.
"However, the Desert Eighteen Riders do have a Government bounty, and the silver reward is quite substantial. There are fifty taels of silver on each of their heads."
"Fifty taels?" Ji Qing's eyes lit up.
Fifty taels of silver per head meant that eighteen heads were worth nine hundred taels of silver. That was a lot! However, he had a long journey ahead of him and was bringing Ji Yao along; there was simply no way he could carry eighteen severed heads.
Ji Qing returned to the temple and held out his hand toward Han Jin. "Alright, hand over the silver! Just eight hundred taels, and the corpses of the Desert Eighteen Riders are yours. You guys can even earn a hundred-tael profit from the difference."
"Uh..." Han Jin's expression stiffened.
In the end, Han Jin still handed over eight hundred taels in silver notes. After all, the corpses of the Lingdong Three Monsters were still lying on the ground—did he dare refuse? He had to "earn" this price difference whether he wanted to or not!
"Brother, you're bleeding..." Ji Yao was on the verge of tears.
"It's a minor wound. It's nothing." Ji Qing sprinkled some Golden Wound Medicine on it to stop the bleeding, then immediately closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
On the other side of the temple, Miss Lin gazed at Ji Qing's figure with a hint of astonishment in her eyes.
"Chief of the Escort, the eighth on the Evil People List doesn't seem to be as vicious as the rumors in the Martial World say..." Miss Lin said in a low voice.
"Miss Lin, I have traveled the Martial World for many years and know well that many rumors in the Martial World are untrustworthy. Regardless of Young Master Ji's temperament, the fact that he has committed heinous crimes is supported by irrefutable evidence. It is best that we do not interact with him too much. We will just wait until dawn tomorrow and then go our separate ways," Han Jin reminded Miss Lin softly.
Miss Lin frowned slightly. Her "Third Uncle" had always wanted her dead. Even if she managed to enter the city smoothly this time, what would happen afterward? She likely wouldn't be able to avoid a struggle with him, and it was hard to say who would ultimately emerge victorious. Ji Qing had been able to decapitate the Lingdong Three Monsters with a single saber strike, proving his profound strength. If he was willing to enter the city and lend her a hand, her odds of winning would increase tremendously! As for his reputation... if her Third Uncle could take in the Desert Eighteen Riders, why couldn't she recruit Ji Qing?
Thus, Miss Lin made her decision. She stepped out of the crowd and approached Ji Qing.
"Young Master Ji, if you are willing to accompany me into the city and lend me a hand, I will reward you handsomely!" Miss Lin said softly.
However, Ji Qing acted as if he hadn't heard her, keeping his eyes closed without any response.
"If you can help me, I am willing to compensate you with three thousand taels of silver!" Miss Lin took light, graceful steps forward, offering an even more enticing condition.
"Stop!
"Those who cross the line, die!"
Ji Qing didn't even raise his head, his tone icy.
Miss Lin's face turned deathly pale. She looked down at the line drawn in charcoal; she had almost crossed it. The man before her was no benevolent soul, but the eighth on the Evil People List, a Great Demon renowned throughout the world! If he said those who crossed the line would die, then they would absolutely die!
"Miss, let's go back quickly..." the servant girl hurriedly grabbed Miss Lin's hand and pulled her back into the crowd of the Weiyuan Escort Agency.
Han Jin let out a long sigh and said, "Miss Lin, Young Master Ji is not interested in your affairs. Do not force it. There are still loyal and righteous men left behind by Master Lin in Li City who will surely be able to protect you."
Miss Lin cast a complex glance at Ji Qing and ultimately nodded.
Ji Qing meditated and regulated his breathing for a Two-hour before finally opening his eyes. Unaffected by Miss Lin's little interruption, he took out the Secret Martial Arts Manual he had searched off the Desert Eighteen Riders.
"Rising Sun Skill." Ji Qing examined it closely. It was a Third-class Martial Arts used for the Cultivation of Inner Power, but it should be considered quite outstanding among Third-class Martial Arts. This Martial Arts could only be Cultivated every morning when the sun was rising, so it was extremely time-consuming. However, once mastered, the resulting Inner Power would be fiercely overbearing and endlessly continuous. It was vastly superior to the Jade Skill and could be considered a Top Level Third-class Martial Arts!
Ji Qing currently lacked any Second-class Martial Arts. If he wanted to break through to the Second-class realm, he could only Cultivate several more Third-class Martial Arts. This Rising Sun Skill perfectly met his requirements in every aspect.
In the blink of an eye, it was the early morning of the next day. The sky had yet to lighten, but Ji Qing was already awake. He glanced at the sky, then sat cross-legged and quietly circulated the "Rising Sun Skill," taking advantage of the morning's rising sun energy to Cultivate.
Sure enough, this Rising Sun Skill could only be Cultivated in the morning. Last night, Ji Qing had also attempted to Cultivate the Rising Sun Skill, but he couldn't grasp the basics. Now, by Cultivating in the morning, a trace of Inner Power was born within his body after only a short while. This trace of Inner Power was different from that of the Jade Skill; its quality seemed higher, and it was much more overbearing.
After Cultivating for half a Two-hour, Ji Qing stopped circulating his power. The Rising Sun Skill could only be Cultivated for half a Two-hour every morning; any longer would actually be detrimental.
At this moment, an extra strand of Rising Sun Skill Inner Power had appeared in Ji Qing's body. Although his Rising Sun Skill could currently only be considered barely at the beginner stage, his Inner Power, which had been stagnant for many days, had finally seen a trace of improvement. This was a great thing! As long as he Cultivated the Rising Sun Skill step by step, his Inner Power would continue to progress.
It was a pity that his Source Points were used up. Otherwise, he could use Source Points to rapidly upgrade the Rising Sun Skill to Great Success, or even Perfection! Without Source Points, Ji Qing could only Cultivate the Rising Sun Skill on his own for the time being. As for what level he could Cultivate it to, that entirely depended on his own talent.
Ji Qing glanced at the people from the Weiyuan Escort Agency. Both sides had spent the night in the ruined temple, minding their own business, and they had managed to coexist peacefully.
"Yao, it's time to go," he said, gently patting Ji Yao's head to wake her up.
Ji Yao rubbed her eyes and obediently climbed into the bamboo basket. Ji Qing stood up, slung the basket onto his back, and strode out of the ruined temple.
Watching Ji Qing's slowly disappearing figure, Miss Lin let out a long sigh and said, "This man's Martial Arts are incredibly high. It is a pity that he cannot be used by me, otherwise he would definitely be able to help me reclaim my father's legacy!"
Han Jin shook his head. "Miss Lin, we actually dodged a disaster. If it weren't for the Lingdong Three Monsters and Young Master Ji last night, the Desert Eighteen Riders would have wiped us out.
"Furthermore, since Young Master Ji is ranked eighth on the Evil People List, the troubles he carries are likely no smaller than ours. If he were to stay by your side, it's hard to say whether it would be a blessing or a curse..."
Miss Lin's heart skipped a beat. He was right. She had only focused on Ji Qing's high Martial Arts, failing to realize the troubles surrounding him. How massive would the troubles of the eighth on the Evil People List be?
"Thank you for the reminder, Chief of the Escort..." Miss Lin stopped thinking about Ji Qing and continued to follow the people of the Weiyuan Escort Agency toward Li City.