Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 109: Initial [2]

"Yes!"

Dai Shu nodded.

Before long, the vehicle drove up to a compound.

This was the location of the Zhu Xi branch in Qirong City, though its area and architectural scale were no match for the Zhu Xi in Anshan City.

After the car came to a stop, several figures emerged from a lit building in the distance.

The man in the lead was middle-aged, with a square face, a full beard, and wearing a black suit.

Seeing Hu Qi and Dai Shu get out of the car, his gaze swept past Dai Shu and landed directly on Hu Qi, who followed her out.

They had been notified of Hu Qi’s arrival beforehand, and the man had seen a photo of him, so he recognized him at a glance.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Hu. I am the one in charge here, Zhang Que."

From the man’s aura, one could faintly tell that his Cultivation was around the Qi Blood Third Transformation and the Snake Form Stance Eighth Layer.

Hu Qi’s publicly disclosed Cultivation was also merely the Qi Blood Third Transformation.

The reason the man addressed Hu Qi as Senior Brother was for no other reason than his status as a Direct Disciple.

This was a matter of seniority, as well as a reflection of his potential.

Even if Hu Qi were just an ordinary person at the moment, Zhang Que would still have to respectfully address him as Senior Brother.

Hu Qi and Zhang Que shook hands briefly.

"Junior Brother Zhang, I’ve come this time to track down those Blood Slaves. Do you have any leads?"

Hu Qi said.

This was also one of the reasons he had returned to Qirong City.

Before coming here, he had already accepted a mission on the Zhu Xi network concerning Qirong City—one that had been posted for months without anyone taking it.

To say no one had taken it wasn’t entirely accurate. A few people had accepted the mission, but they had failed to complete it, at most finding traces of only one or two Blood Slaves.

But Hu Qi’s goal was by no means just these few Blood Slaves, but the Lower-Rank Black Blood Species behind them.

"These are the most recently compiled locations where Blood Slaves might be appearing."

Zhang Que was taken aback, not expecting Hu Qi to be so direct.

However, after a brief moment of surprise, he handed a stack of reports to Hu Qi.

They all documented places where Blood Slaves were likely to appear.

"Good. Thank you. I have other business, so I’ll be leaving now."

Hu Qi nodded and expressed his thanks.

"Not at all. This is what we’re supposed to do. Senior Brother Hu, please go attend to your business. Don’t mind us."

A smile was plastered on Zhang Que’s face.

Then, the two of them got back into the car.

They drove out of the compound and headed into the distance.

"I haven’t seen him in just half a year. I never thought he’d have reached such a level already."

In the crowd, a young man with freckles watched the departing figures of Hu Qi and his companion.

His expression was complicated. This was none other than King’s Power, whom Hu Qi had met once before at Hanlin Garden.

"He’s a Direct Disciple who reached the Qi Blood Third Transformation in just three months. With that kind of talent, as long as he doesn’t meet an untimely end, his path to becoming a Martial Arts Family is practically set in stone. Don’t just stand there gossiping behind his back. Be careful he doesn’t hear you."

Zhang Que sighed, patted King’s Power on the shoulder, and then walked back inside.

But his once-straight back was now inexplicably hunched, making him look somewhat dejected.

Clearly, Hu Qi’s monstrous talent had dealt him a significant blow as well.

The feeling was like the college entrance exams. You give it your all just to barely get into a decent university, while someone else gets accepted into a top global university before even graduating high school.

Just hearing about it is one thing. But only after meeting him in person and seeing the contrast for yourself could one truly understand the gap and the despair it brings.

In the car, Hu Qi flipped through the files. They listed six locations where Blood Slaves were most likely to be found—a good place to start.

...

「In a dimly lit room.」

An old woman in her sixties or seventies was on all fours, scuttling across the ground and up the wall with spider-like agility.

Beneath strands of graying hair, a pair of eyes glowing with a crimson light stared fixedly at the tall figure standing a few meters away.

However, her eyes showed none of the usual greed and bloodlust they held at the sight of blood. Instead, they revealed an unimaginable fear and terror.

Because the terrifying aura radiating from this person made her tremble uncontrollably.

It was as if she wasn’t facing a person, but a colossal python.

This intense sense of threat made her extremely uneasy.

"Who in the world are you?"

A hoarse, grating voice escaped her lips.

The man, however, didn’t speak. He simply drew his long saber.

"AGH!"

Seeing this, the old woman’s face twisted into a snarl. She let out a sharp, ear-piercing shriek and lunged straight for him.

The only exit was blocked. She knew there was no escape.

At this thought, the red light in her eyes flared even brighter, almost overflowing from their sockets.

"I don’t care who you are, just—"

Before she could finish her sentence, a dazzling flash of Sword Light appeared. The old woman’s figure, lunging in mid-air, froze and was instantly sliced in two.

Blackish-red blood and viscera splattered across the floor. She couldn’t be more dead.

The edges of the wound looked as if they had been seared by intense flames, and a faint smell of burnt flesh hung in the air.

Hu Qi gave it a single glance, flicked the blood from his blade, and turned to leave.

’The third one...’

These days, the Blood Slaves that were like invincible monsters to ordinary people were nothing more than a one-slash affair for him.

The only thing Hu Qi found slightly regrettable was that he hadn’t found the whereabouts of that Lower-Rank Black Blood Species.

Furthermore, due to the absolute control High-level Black Blood Species exert over Blood Slaves, forcing them to reveal the whereabouts of the Lower-Rank Black Blood Species through interrogation was simply not an option.

Hu Qi walked straight out of the residential complex and got into the car parked by the road.

"On to the next location. Also, there’s a Blood Slave inside. Notify the Cleaners to come and take care of it."

Hu Qi said flatly.

"Understood. They’ve already been notified."

Dai Shu nodded. She appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, she was utterly shocked.

It was for no other reason than Hu Qi’s incredible speed.

’How long has it been since he went in and came back out?’

It was as if he could spot a Blood Slave hiding in the shadows with a single glance.

One had to understand that ordinary Secret Martial Artists of the Qi Blood Realm had to be cautious when facing these Blood Slaves, often even needing to form teams. Even then, casualties were still possible.

Because of this, the reverence in Dai Shu’s heart grew even stronger.

’No wonder he was accepted as a Direct Disciple. It’s not just about outstanding aptitude. His combat talent is even more amazing.’

Killing three Blood Slaves in such a short amount of time was simply inconceivable.

The reason Zhu Xi knew the locations where Blood Slaves appeared was based on deductions from various clues.

It was fundamentally impossible to accurately identify a Black Blood Species in its normal state.

After all, some Black Blood Species were transformed from humans, and when they weren’t making a move, they were nearly impossible to distinguish by appearance alone.

Hu Qi was unaware of Dai Shu’s thoughts.

He closed his eyes slightly, but in reality, his senses were magnified to their absolute limit. Within a hundred-meter radius, no leaf stirred in the wind without him perceiving it.

Ordinary people, and even Secret Martial Artists in the Qi Blood Realm, might not be able to distinguish a Black Blood Species in its normal state.

But that did not include a Martial Arts Family.

After opening the Essence Element Divine Treasure and igniting the Qi Blood Furnace, an individual’s perception would reach an inconceivable level.

These so-called Blood Slaves couldn’t hide from such perception at all, as if the person possessed a personal radar.

And that was precisely why Hu Qi was always able to lock onto the Blood Slaves the moment he arrived at a location.