Then, he began to cast one peculiar Fate Skill after another around the house and in the yard.
After a full four hours of work, Li Qingxian finally drifted off to sleep, exhausted.
Around noon, a common government official dressed in black with red trim walked slowly along a street near the County Magistrate’s Office. Upon reaching a secluded spot, he flicked his wrist, and a Yellow Talisman in his right hand burst into flames.
The Yellow Talisman transformed into an invisible black hawk and shot straight toward Li Qingxian’s courtyard. Halfway there, it was struck by an invisible arrow. The black hawk shrieked and dissipated.
The government official was slightly surprised. He walked in a few circles, his brow furrowed.
That direction was a mix of many large, communal courtyards, originally used as overflow offices when the County Magistrate’s Office ran out of space. Now that the black hawk had vanished, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact location.
The government official walked to the spot where the black hawk had disappeared and vaulted over the wall into the nearest courtyard.
The moment he cleared the wall, several invisible forces materialized around him.
A black umbrella appeared over his head, a white rope bound his ankles, a green cloth blindfolded him, and a bloody handprint was stamped onto his back.
He had only taken a few steps when he heard footsteps and quickly ducked into a nearby latrine.
The acrid stench was like rotten mud assaulting his nostrils, and the buzzing flies sounded as if they could crawl into his ears at any moment.
He saw an extremely tall, sturdy man squatting to one side, holding toilet paper. A diagonal scar ran across his face. The large man glanced over before turning his gaze forward again.
The government official’s gaze tightened. Although he couldn’t discern the man’s Grade Level, he knew he was definitely stronger than him. He quickly looked away, undid his belt, and squatted down far from the man, listening for any movement outside.
A short while later, the sturdy man stood up and left.
Watching the sturdy man leave, the government official let out a long sigh of relief. ’I’m already at the peak of the Fifth Grade,’ he thought. ’He must be an even stronger Fifth Grade, or possibly even a Fourth Grade.’
’His appearance is a bit like the legendary Madman Zhou, but I’ve never seen him, so I can’t be sure. Surely I’m not so unlucky that I’d run into Madman Zhou in a latrine...’
After waiting a moment and hearing no footsteps outside, the government official pulled up his pants and stepped out of the latrine.
The instant he stepped out of the latrine, a large hand landed on the back of his neck. A surge of True Essence instantly sealed his own True Essence and all his Meridians.
"A Middle-Grade expert dressed as a common government official, squatting empty-handed in a latrine. You’re coming with me." As if carrying a baby chick, Zhou Henn lifted the man by the scruff of his neck and walked away.
The assassin looked completely bewildered. He couldn’t for the life of him understand. ’How could I be so unlucky? This man has to be Madman Zhou!’
When Li Qingxian woke up, he sensed that the Fate Skills he had laid out had been triggered. Upon hearing that Zhou Henn had caught an assassin, he immediately headed for the prison.
Seeing Li Qingxian arrive, Fei Yan put down his teacup, stood up, and smiled. "A Fifth-Grade death-sworn warrior trained by Nether Mountain. Thankfully, Lord Zhou was swift and decisive, subduing him instantly. That’s how we were able to get the poison out from between his teeth. We’ve been questioning him for a while, but he’s not talking. You want to try using your Fate Skills?"
"I’ll give it a try."
"Please, go ahead."
"Where’s Uncle Xiaozhou?"
"Lord Zhou Henn must have been sent secretly by Lord Zhou Chunfeng. He’s long gone," Fei Yan said.
Li Qingxian entered the cell with Fei Yan and saw the man nailed to an execution rack, covered in blood.
"You went too far," Li Qingxian said.
Fei Yan gave a dry chuckle. "We were in a bit of a rush."
Li Qingxian glanced at the assassin. "I’m a Fate Master. Whether you talk or not, I have methods to find things out about you. And once I do, I can announce that you were the one who told me. In short, I’ll get the results I want regardless of whether you confess. If you’re willing to renounce the darkness and embrace the light, I can guarantee your Grade Level won’t fall. You’ll live the rest of your life without a care in the world, and I might even be able to get you a position in the Imperial Court. But the moment I begin the Inference of your fate, you’ll no longer have a choice."
The man slowly raised his head. His eyes, caked with dried blood, stared at Li Qingxian as he spoke with great difficulty.
"Ever since my family died in the Dead Demon Land, life and death mean nothing to me! I’m not afraid of dying, so why would I be afraid of a Fate Master? Ptui! A bootlicker like you has the gall to call himself a Fate Master?" He finished with a contemptuous sneer.
His voice was strangely distorted, affected by Magic that prevented his teeth from touching his tongue.
Seeing the dark look on Li Qingxian’s face, Fei Yan quickly interjected, "We have nothing to do with the Demon Sect. We’re just following orders. Besides, you people bring chaos to the world, while we give the people peace and stability. We’re not on the same side."
"As long as the Evil Emperor lives, the Demon Sect will never die! So where’s this peace and stability you speak of? Cut the crap. If I so much as flinch, then I’m not a man! Ptui!"
The man spat a mouthful of blood on the floor and stared coldly at them.
"Are all the people from Nether Mountain like this?" Li Qingxian asked.
Fei Yan replied, "Of course not. Only a few are this tough. Most of them are just desperate outlaws who break under pressure and confess everything. I have to say, I truly admire these people. A shame that rebels are still rebels."
For some reason, Li Qingxian’s heart felt heavy.
Fei Yan tried to console him. "If you can get anything out of him, it will be a major accomplishment. It’s rare to capture a Fifth-Grade rebel assassin alive. I guarantee, if you can destroy their stronghold on Changg Mountain, on top of your previous achievements, the Emperor will surely bestow upon you a Qi Fortune Official Body and Qi Fortune Treasures. Don’t mind that you’re only Ninth Grade now. If you were granted a Qi Fortune Seventh-Grade Official Body, I promise your Cultivation speed would increase tenfold."
"That much faster?" Li Qingxian had heard of this before, but he didn’t realize it was so powerful.
"Why do you think all the major powers fight tooth and nail to get into the Imperial Court? Why else would the Emperor, who is never the strongest expert himself, be able to command the loyalty of so many powerful figures? It’s precisely because the Emperor can bestow the Qi Fortune of the Human Race upon others to aid their Cultivation."
"Does a Qi Fortune Official Body interfere with one’s personal Cultivation?"
"No. As long as you don’t betray the Human Race, the Qi Fortune Official Body will always remain." Fei Yan suddenly lowered his voice. "I heard that someone once committed treason and fled to Dongding Country, and it didn’t affect his Cultivation at all."
"Can the Emperor take it away?"
Fei Yan chuckled. "It’s like if the Emperor gives you a blueberry to eat. Once you’ve eaten it, how can he take it back? In short, the Qi Fortune Official Body has countless benefits and no drawbacks. The only restriction is that when you’re breaking through from Lower Grade to Middle Grade, or from Middle Grade to Upper Grade, it’s best not to rely on it. Otherwise, it becomes much harder to advance to the next major Grade."
"Doesn’t that mean the Emperor can create Upper-Grade Experts on a small scale?"
"That’s how all those Upper-Grade Experts and Eunuchs suddenly appeared after the Emperor ascended the throne. Duke Lu himself had no talent for martial arts. After barely scraping his way to Fourth Grade, he was only able to advance to Third Grade thanks to a personal gift from the Emperor," Fei Yan said.
"I see."
Li Qingxian cupped his fists. "This man is worthy of respect, but officials and outlaws are destined to be enemies. We each serve our own master, and I am simply following orders. My apologies to you, righteous warrior."
The man merely sneered, saying nothing.
Li Qingxian activated his Spiritual Eye and looked, but there was nothing above the man’s head.
"Lord Fei, please cripple his Dantian. The lower his Grade Level, the more accurate my Fate Skill will be."
"Very well." Fei Yan stepped forward, gently pressed his right hand on the assassin’s abdomen, and then withdrew it. Blood trickled from the corner of the assassin’s mouth, but his expression never changed.
"Next, I’ll ask you to formally sentence this man for his heinous crimes and affix the Official Seal."
"Easily done."
Fei Yan left the cell to draw up the official writ. He convicted the assassin of several capital crimes, including rebellion and treason, and stamped the document with the Great Seals of the Internal Factory, the Night Guard, and Beichang County.
When Fei Yan returned to the cell, Li Qingxian looked above the man’s head again. It was now a complete void.
’The absolute severance of the Four Banes. His death is certain.’
Li Qingxian focused his Divine Thought and entered the man’s Life Mansion.