I Can Upgrade Everything Infinitely-Chapter 76 - 75: Luoshan County

"Hahahaha... What a magnificent line! ’It is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books.’"

BOOM!

In that instant,

it was as if Zhang Guoqi had achieved enlightenment. He had clearly grasped some fundamental truth, and the righteous Energy surrounding him surged, faintly reaching an extreme limit, yet failing to break through the barrier.

However,

Zhang Guoqi still seemed to have undergone a transformation.

WHUM! WHUM!

Finally,

Zhang Guoqi reined in his aura.

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Xu."

Zhang Guoqi bowed deeply to Xu Qing, his tone respectful. He bent a full ninety degrees, like a disciple paying the highest respects to his master.

"This..."

Xu Qing hesitated. "Brother Zhang, you’re too kind. I was just making an offhand remark."

"Brother Xu, your offhand remark contains a universal truth that has benefited me immensely. I am ignorant; may I ask which work this phrase comes from?"

Zhang Guoqi said with a solemn tone.

"Ahem..."

Xu Qing coughed lightly. "I’ve forgotten as well."

"A pity, what a pity..."

Zhang Guoqi sighed.

「The next day.」

「Outside the city.」

Zhang Guoqi hadn’t sold his courtyard in the Inner City. He decided to keep it, thinking he might return in the future.

At this moment,

Zhang Guoqi was mounted on a small black donkey. The donkey carried both him and his luggage. He hadn’t informed anyone from the Dragon Dance Gang of his departure; only Xu Qing and Dian Hongbo knew.

"Brother Dian, Brother Xu, I’ll be on my way."

Zhang Guoqi, sitting on his small black donkey, clasped his hands in a salute to Xu Qing and Dian Hongbo.

"Take care on the road."

Xu Qing returned the salute.

"I don’t know what got into you, deciding to leave home and travel so suddenly."

Dian Hongbo shook his head.

"Brother Dian, you are often traveling for work. With the Great Zhou Martial Country’s National Fortune in turmoil and demons and evils running rampant, you must take care of yourself out there."

Zhang Guoqi said.

"Don’t worry."

Dian Hongbo waved his hand dismissively. "Back in the day, I started as a lowly constable and worked my way up, step by step, to become a Gold Medal Demon Exterminator. What dangers haven’t I faced? In the end, I always managed to pull through."

"I, Dian Hongbo, am not some scion of a great family with powerful backing. I relied on myself to get from being an ordinary commoner to the Gold Medal Demon Hunter I am today."

"That’s true."

Zhang Guoqi chuckled. "It seems my worries were unnecessary."

After that,

they chatted for a few more moments.

Xu Qing and Dian Hongbo watched as Zhang Guoqi, riding his little black donkey, ambled leisurely down the official road.

"Phew..."

Dian Hongbo took a deep breath.

"We should head back too."

Xu Qing said.

"Right."

Dian Hongbo nodded.

"Brother Dian, how is the investigation into that last matter coming along?"

Xu Qing asked.

"No progress." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Dian Hongbo shook his head. "The culprit seems to have vanished completely, leaving no trace behind. The Supreme Commander and the others suspect they might not even be from Qingfeng Town. It’s possible they were just passing through and left after achieving their goal."

"Of course,"

"it’s also possible the person is still in Qingfeng Town."

"Therefore,"

"the Supreme Commander plans to investigate all the new faces who entered Qingfeng Town recently. By the way, Brother Xu, you also arrived in Qingfeng Town during that time, didn’t you?"

"Indeed."

Xu Qing nodded. "Brother Dian, are you suspecting me?"

"Haha..."

Dian Hongbo laughed. "How could that be? Brother Xu, while powerful, is still at the Outer Gang realm. You’re not an Inner Gang expert, so it couldn’t be you."

"Maybe I’m hiding my true strength?"

Xu Qing said.

"Brother Xu, you certainly have a sense of humor."

Dian Hongbo shook his head. "Still, you should be careful, Brother Xu. People from the Government Office might come to investigate you in a few days."

"Thank you for the warning, Brother Dian."

Xu Qing clasped his hands.

「Meanwhile.」

「Qingbei Town.」

「Outside the town.」

On this very day,

the Jiang Family’s convoy set out. Led by Jiang Feiying, the procession numbered one hundred and eighty people in total.

Moreover,

they had even dispatched a family elder who had reached the realm of Innate Gang Qi.

"Phew..."

Outside the town,

Du Cangying took a deep breath. Behind him followed the disciples of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, who had also joined the Jiang Family’s convoy.

It was well known that

the Jiang Family had made their fortune as cloth merchants, with business ties to Moon River Prefecture City. It was precisely through this trade that the Jiang Family had grown ever more powerful.

Therefore,

every year at the beginning of spring, the Jiang Family had to lead a convoy to Moon River Prefecture City to maintain their business connections. They could not afford to let this business fail.

"Let’s move out."

In the very center of the convoy was a luxurious carriage. Jiang Feiying was inside. She lifted the curtain, called out, and gave the order.

"Move out!"

"Move out!!"

"..."

And so,

the Jiang Family’s immense convoy set off.

"Jin Hong, have you still not found out where Du Luan went?"

Within the convoy,

Du Cangying’s expression was grim, his face etched with worry. He periodically glanced toward the luxurious carriage as he questioned Jin Hong, who was beside him.

"N-No..."

Jin Hong kept his head down. "This disciple has mobilized the full strength of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, but we still haven’t found any trace of Second Senior Sister Du Luan."

"I see."

Du Cangying took a deep breath, clenching his fists involuntarily.

「Time flew by.」

「Nightfall.」

Moon River Prefecture City was a great distance from Qingbei Town; it would take the Jiang Family’s convoy three days to arrive. So tonight, they stopped to rest at an inn along the official road.

With over one hundred and eighty people,

a veritable army,

they essentially filled the entire inn.

Before long,

the dead of night had arrived.

Suddenly,

in Du Cangying’s guest room, the candle that had already been extinguished suddenly flared to life again. But the flame that burned was not the light of an ordinary candle; it had turned a bizarre, deep green.

"Who’s there?!"

Du Cangying was startled awake.

"Du Cangying."

A cold voice rang out.

A graceful figure

appeared before Du Cangying. His pupils contracted as he recognized who it was.

There was no mistake.

The graceful figure was Jiang Feiying, the great miss of the Jiang Family—the very same miss renowned throughout Qingbei Town for her immense kindness.

"Miss Jiang, what are you doing here?"

Du Cangying was still in disbelief. He never would have imagined that the Jiang Family’s great miss was practicing such a Demon Technique. ’Xu Qing was right all along.’

’Damn it...’

Du Cangying secretly clenched his fists.

"Master Du."

Jiang Feiying wore a faint, unreadable smile. She seemed to be looking down on Du Cangying, though she was only about 5’7" tall, while Du Cangying, despite his age, stood at 5’11".

By all rights,

Jiang Feiying shouldn’t have been able to look down on him. Yet in this situation, despite being shorter than Du Cangying, she still projected a disorienting sense of condescension, as if she were towering over him.

"I have something to show you."

Jiang Feiying casually tossed an object. What landed in front of Du Cangying was an amber pendant. He knew it all too well—it was the one he had given his daughter, Du Luan.

"Miss Jiang, you..."

Du Cangying’s pupils shrank.

"Didn’t I order you to bring Xu Qing along with the convoy? Why isn’t he here? Are you defying my command? Defying the Jiang Family’s command?!"

Jiang Feiying’s tone was chilling. "And have you considered the consequences of defying me, of defying the Jiang Family? You don’t actually believe that just because you are the master of one of the Outer City’s Three Great Martial Arts Halls, the Jiang Family wouldn’t dare to kill you, do you?"

"Furthermore,"

"even if the Jiang Family doesn’t kill you, we have ten thousand other ways to deal with you."

"So, speak."

Jiang Feiying’s expression was calm, as if everything was under her control. "Where did Xu Qing go? Where did he flee to after leaving Qingbei Town?"

"Tell me, and I can guarantee your daughter’s safety."

"This..."

Du Cangying’s heart began to race wildly.

He had no idea where Xu Qing had gone after leaving Qingbei Town. Xu Qing hadn’t told him, only that he was leaving and that there was something wrong with Jiang Feiying.

’What should I do?’

’What do I do now?!’

Du Cangying’s mind raced, desperately searching for a way out.

"What? Is some disciple worth more than your own daughter?"

Jiang Feiying’s tone grew heavier.

"Luoshan County."

Du Cangying lifted his head and quickly called out the name of a county. "Xu Qing went to Luoshan County! It’s the farthest county from Qingbei Town and lies on the border of Moon River Prefecture, right next to Jiangnan Prefecture City. That’s where he went."

"Luoshan County."

Jiang Feiying mused.

"Yes!"

Du Cangying nodded solemnly.

Clearly,

Du Cangying was making it all up. He had no idea where Xu Qing had gone.

"Good."

Jiang Feiying gave Du Cangying a deep, long look.

WHUM!

Then,

the candle went out.

Jiang Feiying’s figure slowly vanished.

"Miss Jiang, what about my daughter?"

Du Cangying asked urgently.

"When I’ve captured Xu Qing, I will naturally return your daughter to you."

Jiang Feiying’s voice echoed back.

"Damn it!"

Du Cangying clenched his fists.

Regret.

Overwhelming regret.

At this moment,

Du Cangying was truly filled with remorse.

"Foolish! This old man has been utterly foolish!"

Tears welled in Du Cangying’s fierce eyes. "Xu Qing clearly warned me! He himself fled, yet this old man didn’t have the sense to leave as well."

"Luan’Er! Luan’Er! Father has failed you!!!"

Clearly,

Du Cangying had grown old. He no longer possessed his former drive. In his younger days, faced with such a situation, he would have fled with Xu Qing without a second thought.

But now,

Du Cangying had clung to a sliver of hope. He couldn’t bear to abandon the enterprise he had spent half his life building in Qingbei Town, couldn’t bear to part with the Cangying Martial Arts Hall he had established over decades.

Moreover,

Du Cangying hadn’t truly believed Jiang Feiying was a major threat.

After all,

Du Cangying had known Jiang Feiying for many years. When he first arrived in Qingbei Town over twenty years ago, Jiang Feiying hadn’t even been born.

Later, when Jiang Feiying was born, Du Cangying was invited to the Jiang Family for her full-moon celebration. He had even seen the newborn Jiang Feiying with his own eyes.