I Can Upgrade Everything Infinitely-Chapter 75 - 74: Turning Black into White

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

「The next morning.」

"Xu Qing, Xu Qing..."

Outside the courtyard.

Dian Hongbo was at the gate, knocking and shouting loudly. Roused by the noise, Xu Qing walked over, opened the gate, and saw a hurried Dian Hongbo.

"Brother Dian, what has you in such a rush?"

Xu Qing asked.

"Something big has happened."

Dian Hongbo ran inside, sat down on a stone stool in the courtyard, then picked up the teapot and took several large gulps of water.

"What is it?"

Xu Qing was unhurried.

"This morning,"

Dian Hongbo said quickly, "the patrolling constables found four bodies. Of course, it wouldn’t be a big deal if they were just ordinary people. After all, people die every day."

"The key is, these four dead men were not ordinary people."

"Oh..."

Xu Qing sat down as well. He had a faint suspicion that the four bodies Dian Hongbo mentioned were likely the men he had killed last night.

"Not ordinary people? Then who were they?"

Xu Qing asked.

"Among the four of them, there was one whose true identity shocked me to the core when I found out. I could hardly believe it."

Dian Hongbo took a deep breath. "Because he was a colleague of mine, a Gold Medal Demon Hunter who had reached the Outer Gang Realm. I even went on a mission with him once."

"A Gold Medal Demon Hunter."

Xu Qing was stunned for a moment.

’To be honest,’

’I hadn’t expected this either. The middle-aged man in the bear mask who tried to kill me last night actually had such a status.’

’It’s just...’

’A dignified Gold Medal Demon Hunter was acting as a despicable ’Hunter’ in the Black Market, only to die so ironically at my own hands.’

"That’s right."

Dian Hongbo nodded grimly. "And while the other three weren’t Demon Hunters from the Government Office, they were all Dan Jin masters and members of the three great families of the Inner City."

"They all had significant backgrounds."

"Tsk, tsk..."

Xu Qing clicked his tongue.

"What else?"

Xu Qing asked.

"Also, our detailed investigation revealed they were killed because they had entered the Black Market. They were ambushing people at the exit, acting as ’Hunters’ in the Inner City Black Market to prey on targets they’d spotted inside for large sums of money."

Dian Hongbo continued, "To be honest, with their level of strength, you’d never expect them to fail so miserably, but they did."

"Judging from the traces of the battle last night, the attacker must be an expert who has reached the Inner Gang Level. And their methods were extremely ruthless. In that expert’s hands, they were completely defenseless and were all killed with ease."

"An Inner Gang expert."

Xu Qing shook his head. "They really had some nerve, targeting an expert of that caliber. It’s like they had a death wish."

"Tell me about it."

Dian Hongbo shrugged. "But this matter isn’t over yet."

"How so?"

Xu Qing asked.

"Sigh..."

Dian Hongbo sighed. "You know, the one who died was a Gold Medal Demon Exterminator from the Government Office’s Demon Extermination Agency. Every Gold Medal Demon Exterminator is the face of the Government Office and has made significant contributions."

"By all rights,"

"the Government Office can’t just sit by and do nothing. So the County Magistrate has ordered our Demon Extermination Agency and the Governmental Agency to jointly investigate the killer."

"In addition,"

"there are also the three dead men who reached Dan Jin. They were servants of the three great families. As the saying goes, ’You have to see who the master is before you beat the dog.’ For three of their servants to die just like that, it would hurt the prestige of the three great families if they don’t make a statement."

"How is your investigation going?"

Xu Qing asked.

"We only have a few leads so far."

Dian Hongbo shook his head. "We just know that the killer bought a full three hundred jin of Level 3 Spiritual Food from the Black Market Spiritual Food Store, wore a Sheep Horn Mask, and was a suave young master."

"This information was all provided by the owner of the Black Market Spiritual Food Store."

"Brother Dian, you should be careful."

Xu Qing reminded him, "That killer is an Inner Gang expert, after all, while you, Brother Dian, are only at the Outer Gang level. If you really run into him, you can’t act recklessly. You have a wife and children waiting for you at home."

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Xu. I understand what you’re saying."

Dian Hongbo nodded and said, "Don’t worry, I won’t take unnecessary risks. Also, the reason I rushed over to warn you is to tell you to stay away from the Inner City’s Black Market for a while. It’s best not to go at all. If you’re really short on Level 3 Spiritual Food, I can use my Authority to help you buy some from the Government Office."

"If that doesn’t work, you can also go to the Outer City. With your strength, you could easily become a Vice Gang Leader in one of the three major gangs there. Then you could use their Flesh Fields."

"Okay." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Xu Qing nodded and said, "I’ll consider it."

After that, Dian Hongbo chatted with Xu Qing a bit more before leaving his courtyard. As a Gold Medal Demon Exterminator for the Government Office, he was actually quite busy every day.

CLICK!

Xu Qing closed the courtyard gate.

’The Government Office, the three great families.’

Xu Qing let out a soft laugh. ’Your people were the ones who tried to ambush and kill me. But because they were weaker than me, I killed them in self-defense.’

’And now,’

’you don’t even distinguish between right and wrong. Relying on your high and mighty positions, you’ve branded me a murderer and are sending people to investigate me, to kill me.’

’Just as I thought!’

Xu Qing’s tone was calm. ’No matter where you are, it all comes down to the fist. The bigger the fist, the more reason you have. You can even twist right and wrong and do as you please.’

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

Xu Qing took a piece of Jade White Jade Meat from his robes, placed it in his mouth, and chewed a few times. It was a bit like eating a piece of candy, but it had a unique flavor.

BOOM!

After eating one jin of Jade White Jade Meat, Xu Qing clearly felt a vast Energy spread throughout his body, bringing his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their peak.

"Dapeng Root Method."

Xu Qing let out a soft shout and began to practice the Dapeng Root Method in the courtyard.

Now, Xu Qing had three hundred jin of Level 3 Spiritual Food. Even if he needed to eat three jin a day, it was enough to last for one hundred days.

So, Xu Qing was not in a hurry for the time being.

At this moment, Xu Qing focused all his attention on practicing the Dapeng Root Method.

From this day on, Xu Qing set aside the Baji Heaven-Striking Fist and the Life-taking Thirteen Swords, dedicating all his time, thoughts, and effort to practicing the Dapeng Root Method.

In a day, there are twenty-four hours.

Xu Qing practiced for sixteen hours every day, leaving only eight hours for rest and meals. And Xu Qing could practice the Dapeng Root Method five times every hour.

In this way, Xu Qing could practice the Dapeng Root Method a total of eighty times a day, thereby gaining eighty Experience Points.

Also, Xu Qing discovered that the three types of Level 3 Spiritual Food—Blood Dragon Elephant Meat, Bitter Bamboo Meat, and Jade White Jade Meat—made no real difference to him.

No matter which one he ate, he needed to consume three jin of Level 3 Spiritual Food daily—one jin each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Only then could he sustain the physical, mental, and spiritual stamina required for a full day of practicing Martial Arts.

...

[Experience +1]

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[Experience +1]

...

[Experience +1]

...

The days passed, one by one.

Xu Qing basically stopped going out. However, every few days, Dian Hongbo would come to see him and tell him about what was happening outside.

Also, Xu Qing also saw Zhang Guoqi frequently. After spending so much time with him, Xu Qing discovered that Zhang Guoqi not only possessed the Power of a Martial Artist but also contained another kind of Energy.

This Energy was incredibly righteous and vast, carrying a majestic and grand aura, yet it also held a profound and ever-changing mystery. This truly piqued Xu Qing’s curiosity.

「One day.」

In the courtyard.

"Brother Xu."

Zhang Guoqi was smiling. He was lounging on a deck chair, holding a book. The book was none other than the "Scriptural Meaning Discussion," written by a Great Scholar of the Great Zhou Martial Country. "We’ve known each other for so long. You know Brother Dian’s identity as a Gold Medal Demon Exterminator, and you know my identity as a down-and-out young master."

"But what about you?"

"Neither Brother Dian nor I know your origins or identity."

"Brother Zhang, it’s not that I’m intentionally hiding anything. It’s just that compared to the two of you, my background is truly unremarkable."

Xu Qing shook his head and said, "Since you want to know, Brother Zhang, I’ll be straightforward."

"I’m all ears,"

said Zhang Guoqi.

"Go on, Brother Xu,"

said Dian Hongbo.

"I was born naturally foolish. At the age of three, my family realized this and abandoned me in the wilderness. Fortunately, I was saved by my grandpa, Nine Fingers."

Xu Qing spoke slowly, "Grandpa Nine Fingers was a beggar, and I became a beggar with him. When I was sixteen, he was too old and died of illness. On the day he died, my mind finally cleared."

"Since then,"

"I found an opportunity to join the Cangying Martial Arts Hall in Qingbei Town. Because my Talent for the Martial Dao was extremely high, my Cultivation in Martial Arts progressed rapidly, and I was well-liked by the Hall Master."

"Then why did you come to Qingfeng Town?"

Zhang Guoqi asked curiously.

"It’s a big world. I wanted to see more of it. I couldn’t just stay in Qingbei Town forever."

Xu Qing said casually.

"Hahaha..."

Zhang Guoqi burst out laughing. "Excellent, excellent! What a powerful line: ’It’s a big world. I wanted to see more of it.’ Brother Xu, your words have been a wake-up call for me."

"Hmm?"

Xu Qing paused. "Brother Zhang, what do you mean by that?"

"You’re right."

Zhang Guoqi stood up, his hands clasped behind his back. His hair and clothes stirred without any wind. "This world is indeed vast. And I, Zhang Guoqi, have lived for thirty-eight years, yet I’ve been cooped up in this tiny Qingfeng Town, unable to move on from things that happened so many years ago."

"I’ve decided."

"I will leave Qingfeng Town tomorrow. I’ll go out, head to the Prefecture City, to the Capital City, to the Imperial City... I’ll even travel the entire Great Zhou Martial Country."

"That’s true."

Xu Qing nodded. "As the saying goes, ’Traveling ten thousand li is better than reading ten thousand books.’"