Chapter 191 - 189: Sting Operation

Qin Su was closer to Lu Chuanshan and Cui Xuanye; he had only gotten acquainted with Chen Yuan during the Furnace Opening Assembly.

He never expected that after merely sending a letter to ask for help, Chen Yuan would actually come.

Moreover, judging by the timing, Chen Yuan must have set out the moment he received the letter, which moved Qin Su deeply.

"Brother Qin, is the situation here really that bad?"

Chen Yuan glanced at the corpses, surprised to see many bodies of Six Gates constables among them.

The system of Great Xia's Six Gates primarily dealt with Jianghu people who caused trouble in local areas.

The constables and Chief Constables of the Six Gates were by no means weak, yet many of them had died. One could only imagine how dire Qin Su's situation was.

Qin Su sighed. "We have troubles from within and without. We haven't caught the culprit, but my Six Gates in Jieyang Prefecture has already suffered heavy losses."

"That's not all. The main issue is that I previously offended the Chief Constable of Qin Province. He's always trying to make things difficult for me and has given me a one-month deadline to solve this case."

"On top of that, the son of the Pavilion Master of Heaven Returning Pavilion—a major sect here in Jieyang Prefecture—is getting married soon. He invited many Jianghu forces to attend, and many other Jianghu people have also come to join the festivities."

"The ones in Jieyang Prefecture being drained of their Qi and Blood are all these visiting Martial Artists. This has made the Pavilion Master of Heaven Returning Pavilion, the 'Life-Restoring Saint Hand' Wu Daoquan, very displeased with my Six Gates, which has also put a lot of pressure on me."

"This Pavilion Master Wu once healed many nobles of the Great Xia Royal Family and is well-connected within the Great Xia Court. His displeasure only adds to the pressure on the Six Gates."

Qin Su shook his head. "Brother Chen, you must be tired from your journey. Come inside and rest first. We can talk more after a meal."

Chen Yuan nodded. After traveling all this way, he really was a bit hungry.

Entering the Six Gates Government Office, Chen Yuan looked around.

The entire Six Gates Government Office looked a bit old and worn, but it was still imposing.

Qin Su had a considerable number of Chief Constables and constables under his command, more than five hundred in total.

Qin Su's position was similar to that of an Inspector of Zhenwu Hall, though his responsibilities were much broader.

Qin Su arranged a banquet for Chen Yuan. Chen Yuan asked, "Brother Qin, besides me, is anyone else coming?"

"It seems you're the only one who came, Brother Chen."

Qin Su said with a wry smile, "This incident happened at a rather inconvenient time."

"After being defeated by someone from the South Sea Pavilion last time, Brother Lu went back and threw himself into arduous training. He even went to Destruction Island, a secret location of the Jianghai Alliance, to undergo life-and-death trials."

"When I sent a message, it was the Jianghai Alliance who replied. The letter said that Lu Chuanshan's training could last anywhere from a few months to a year."

"As for Brother Cui, Cui Xuanye, he couldn't make it either. Recently, the Astronomers of the Cui Family in Celestial Official City were observing the night sky and discovered that the star of calamity hangs high while the Emperor Star is unstable. It portends great chaos in the world, a time when heroes and villains will rise."

"So, all the Astronomers of the Cui Family in Celestial Official City have entered seclusion as a group to observe the stars and divine the celestial phenomena. As the foremost of Celestial Official City's younger generation, Brother Cui naturally had to join them, so he can't get away for the time being."

"As for Brother Gu, he wanders the Central Plains Martial Arts world without any fixed location."

"However, he did leave me the address of a friend of his before he left. I've already sent a message there, but whether Brother Gu will receive it is anyone's guess."

Qin Su felt he was extremely unlucky.

Jieyang Prefecture was peaceful most of the time, and he could usually handle any trouble caused by Jianghu forces on his own without needing to ask for help.

He never thought that when a truly difficult problem arose, most of his connections would be tied up with their own affairs, leaving only Chen Yuan to answer his call.

Chen Yuan nodded, then said suddenly, "Brother Qin, have you had a breakthrough?"

Only then did Chen Yuan notice that Qin Su's aura was incredibly solid, much stronger than it had been during the Furnace Opening Assembly. He must have stepped into the Condensing Truth Realm.

Qin Su, who had been frowning constantly, finally broke into a smile. "Although I didn't place at the Furnace Opening Assembly last time, I did receive some elixirs as compensation."

"On my way back to Qin Province, I had a few fortunate encounters. Coupled with the elixirs from Medicine King Valley, I was able to successfully break through to the Condensing Truth Realm."

"But that's nothing compared to you, Brother Chen. I saw your achievements on the Hidden Dragon Rankings."

"Your divine might is unparalleled, Brother Chen. Slaying a Primordial Pill expert while at the Condensing Truth Realm... such a powerful feat is rarely seen even on the Hidden Dragon Rankings."

"As they say, fists fear the young and strong. I just killed an old, decrepit Primordial Pill expert. It's nothing to brag about."

Chen Yuan shook his head. 'Part of that was humility, but on the other hand, Providence truly is an unpredictable thing.'

'Although Qin Su seemed to come from humble origins and even felt a bit insecure around Lu Chuanshan and Cui Xuanye...'

'...he was ultimately one blessed by Providence. Who knew when he might stumble upon some great opportunity.'

'He was like this, as was Gu Lichuan, and Zuo Feiyu before them.'

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Chen Yuan didn't delay and immediately went with Qin Su to examine the bodies.

All the Martial Artists who had died in Jieyang Prefecture, whether from the Six Gates or otherwise, had their bodies drained of Qi and Blood, turning them into desiccated corpses. The method was very similar to that of the Blood God Sect.

However, after examining the corpses, Chen Yuan immediately concluded, "This wasn't the work of the Blood God Sect. Their Martial Artists' methods aren't this crude."

"These bodies all had their arteries torn open by some external object, and then a Secret Technique was used to create an extremely powerful suction to draw out all their Qi and Blood."

"But doing it this way actually leaves a portion of the Qi and Blood behind in the body, as it can't be drawn out completely. The powerful suction also destroys a portion of the Qi and Blood Power in the process."

"If a Martial Artist from the Blood God Sect were to act, they could directly use the Blood Spirit Scripture to control the victim's Qi and Blood, forcibly stripping it from their body."

Chen Yuan himself cultivated the Blood Spirit Scripture; how could he not be clear on the methods of the Blood God Sect's Martial Artists?

'These people's methods are too crude. This way of forcibly plundering Qi and Blood is not only wasteful, but the extracted Qi and Blood isn't even pure.'

Qin Su naturally trusted Chen Yuan's judgment. Hearing this, he sighed. "So it's not the Blood God Sect... that's even more troublesome."

If it were the Blood God Sect, at least they'd have a target.

But since it wasn't, that meant his own deductions were wrong.

"Brother Qin, after all this time, haven't you managed to capture any of them?"

Qin Su said, "Of course I have. The attackers weren't exceptionally strong. A few were at the Condensing Truth Realm, but most were at the Sea of Reincarnation and Qi Casting Realms."

"It's just that the Cultivation Technique they practice is extremely heretical, and every single one of them is determined to die."

"Whenever I manage to capture one, they instantly use a Secret Technique to self-immolate, turning themselves to ash in a moment and leaving nothing to investigate."

"They're also extremely vigilant. The moment I find them, they burn their Qi and Blood to flee frantically. If they can't escape, they self-immolate. They never engage in a direct fight."

"That's why I've been unable to determine their origins based on their Cultivation Technique."

Now that he was sure it wasn't the Blood God Sect, Chen Yuan was ninety percent certain that these people were collecting Qi and Blood as a sacrifice for the Seven Kills Stele.

'However, in the future he knew, this Seven Kills Stele Fragment from Qin Province had changed hands many times, so Chen Yuan couldn't rely on his knowledge of the 'plot' to determine who the attackers were.'

"Self-immolation? If that's their method, I might be able to try and capture one alive."

Chen Yuan's eyes narrowed.

'Trying to self-immolate in front of someone with the Celestial Fire Secret Manual? That was no different from showing off your broadsword skills in front of Guan Gong.'

Qin Su nodded. "I'll have my men keep a lookout. They'll notify us as soon as they spot the culprits."

Chen Yuan shook his head. "That's too slow. Don't these culprits want Qi and Blood? The Qi and Blood from the two of us should be more than powerful enough, shouldn't it?"

"Let's disguise ourselves as ordinary, lone Jianghu people and see if we can lure one out tonight."

Qin Su's eyes lit up. "Brother Chen, that's a brilliant idea!"

Chen Yuan looked at Qin Su, slightly speechless.

'This Chief Constable of Jieyang Prefecture, the future God of Capture, seemed to lack a bit of flexibility.'

'However, the reason Qin Su would one day be known as the God of Capture wasn't because of his skill in solving cases and deduction.'

'It was because he hated evil as if it were his personal enemy and was incredibly tenacious.'

'Whenever the most vicious criminals fell under his jurisdiction, he would scour the mountains and seas to find them, never resting until they were caught.'

'Moreover, he ignored the rich and powerful, feared no authority, and dared to challenge even Jianghu Major Sects if they committed a crime. That was why the men of the Six Gates respectfully called him the God of Capture.'

'But it was precisely this personality that led to him offending the Great Xia Royal Family later in life, getting kicked out of the Six Gates, and ending up wandering the Jianghu in a desolate state.'

After nightfall, Chen Yuan and Qin Su changed out of their original clothes, putting on simple disguises.

Chen Yuan wore a brocade robe with an ordinary long sword at his waist. He suppressed his aura to the Qi Casting Realm, making him look like a young master from a well-off family who was new to the Jianghu.

Qin Su posed as his attendant and guard, suppressing his aura to the Sea of Reincarnation Realm. His Qi and Blood felt potent and strong, and he shed the dignified air of a Six Gates Chief Constable for the rougher feel of a Jianghu veteran.

The two of them headed straight for the west side of Jieyang's Prefecture City.

This was the old district of Jieyang Prefecture, a motley area with a chaotic maze of streets. It was home to countless cheap taverns and brothels, and it teemed with gangs.

Carrying a wine gourd, Chen Yuan stumbled out of a tavern, pretending to be drunk.

Qin Su followed behind him, appearing relaxed, but in reality, every muscle in his body was tensed like a fully drawn bow.

However, since he was pretending to be a guard, this vigilance was perfectly normal.

Chen Yuan staggered along, and soon the two of them had left the main streets and entered a dark alley.

Time passed in silence. Just as the moon reached its zenith, Chen Yuan's eyes snapped open.

"They're here."

Chen Yuan casually tossed the wine gourd aside. In the darkness, two auras shot toward them at high speed, both at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.

Two shadowy figures appeared like phantoms, completely shrouded in black robes that allowed them to almost blend into the night.

Two jet-black daggers stabbed diagonally from behind, so swift that even the sound of them cutting through the air was incredibly faint.

Just then, Qin Su spun around abruptly. A powerful surge of True Qi erupted from him as he grabbed his attacker's arm and, with a sharp CRACK, twisted and broke it.

Meanwhile, the dagger of the person assassinating Chen Yuan continued its descent, plunging straight for the back of Chen Yuan's heart.

But in the next moment, a deafening CLANG rang out. A blinding golden Buddha Light erupted from Chen Yuan's body. The dagger struck him as if hitting a steel plate, unable to advance even half an inch!