/ 
Beyond the Timescape – Chapter 100: The Patriarch’s Anxiety

Chapter 100: The Patriarch’s Anxiety

n

n

nChapter 100: The Patriarch’s Anxiety

nA waning moon hung in the dark sky, like a curved blade that caused the wind to scream. That wind kicked up the scattered bits of snow on the ground and bent the red grass of the Crimson Wilds.

nFresh blood splashed here and there as Xu Qing walked forward like a specter. His dagger gleamed in the darkness as it slashed through one criminal after another. The evil in that blood did not qualify to melt the coldness, nor was it capable of warming the snowy wind. Even the red grass seemed to despise it, bending over so the blood dropped to the ground.

nOne corpse after another fell within the cold wind.

nXu Qing’s dagger became the last light they would ever see. With every step, he killed. When his dagger slashed through the neck of the final scavenger, the terror in the man’s eyes faded into darkness. Then Xu Qing stood there surrounded by the fallen corpses.

nEvery person died from a single slash.

nEvery wound was in the throat.

nSlitting the throat was the most convenient and quickest way to kill someone. That said, it involved a lot of blood, and Xu Qing frowned at how much had splashed on his clothes. But the killing intent in his eyes was not reduced by the blood on his clothing. When he attacked, he cut the weeds and eliminated the roots. It didn’t matter that these criminals were likely powerless to seek revenge if he let them live.

nXu Qing didn’t like carelessness, and he didn’t like potential calamities.

nBesides, he was on his way to deal with a thorn in his side. As a result, he couldn’t afford for anyone to start talking about him.

nLooking up, Xu Qing gripped his dagger and started walking toward the sound of an uproar.

nUp ahead was where the cooking was going on. Surrounding the pot were eight criminals who had previously been partaking in the soup. But after the slaughter that had just been carried out, they were now looking in terror at Xu Qing.

nHe looked back at them.

nOn the ground between the two parties were the tracks left by corpses that had been dragged across the ground. Except… no corpses were visible. Only torn clothing.

nThe corpses… well, Xu Qing knew exactly where they were.

nThe smell of meat in the air was not unfamiliar to him. He had smelled the same thing back when he lived in the slums. After all, the first person he had ever killed had been someone trying to eat him. 1

nAs he walked forward, Xu Qing kept his eyes on the eight people around the pot. Their faces fell as they stumbled backward to flee. But even the fastest among them only got a few steps away before a black iron skewer flew through the air like lightning, stabbing into his head and piercing out the other side.

nXu Qing started walking faster. His dagger flashed in the moonlight, even colder than the surrounding snow as he slashed the throat of the second scavenger.

n“Friend, don’t be so—”

nA head flew!

n“We’re sorry! We didn’t realize who you are!! We can give gifts—”

nBlood spilled from a slashed neck.

n“You’re dead, fool!!”

nA head exploded.

nThe slaughter lasted for five breaths of time. After that, everything went quiet. The lonely moon shone down, and snow drifted in the wind. The corpses bled, turning the soil red. It really was the Crimson Wilds.

nLooking around at the bodies, Xu Qing cleaned his blade and took out his Corpse-Ravaging Powder. Before long, the corpses had been melted into blood. He looked at the big pot, then extinguished the fire beneath it.

nHe was suddenly struck with a better understanding of why endless numbers of people struggled to live in the Seven Blood Eyes capital city, despite the exorbitant living fee that had to be paid on a daily basis.

nIn this chaotic world, human life wasn’t worth much.𝐞𝐨𝘃𝐞𝐥.

nTurning, he continued on his way.

nAs the night went on, the wind grew stronger, and more snow fell. As the snowflakes drifted down around him, the wind lifted his long hair behind him, and tried to burrow into his clothing. Frowning, he tightened his clothes, spit some snow out of his mouth, and kept walking.

nThe night passed.

nThe next morning at daybreak, he saw a mountain off in the distance.

nThe Crimson Wilds were mostly plains, without many mountains. And the few mountains present were usually more like hills than mountains. But this was a true mountain, though it wasn’t quite on the same level as the original headquarters of the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect. Whether in terms of extravagance or intimidation factor, it just didn’t measure up.

nXu Qing could see some buildings on the mountain, but overall, the place looked a bit bare. There didn’t seem to be very many disciples either.

n“This is the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect?” he murmured.

nAccording to the information he’d dug up, this mountain was indeed the new headquarters of the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect. Obviously, not everyone in the sect had been willing to acclimate to a new environment. That was more the case considering that the Crimson Wilds were so nasty and desolate.

nAnd given that they had only been here a short time, the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect currently seemed quite sad.

nHowever, Xu Qing kept his guard up. Just because the sect didn’t look to be doing well didn’t mean he could relax. He had no idea what things were like inside the sect, nor would he know until he took a look himself. Therefore, instead of doing anything specific, he would take some time to observe.

nLike a hunter, he would remain patient.

nTurning away from the sect, he left the area and found the nearest scavenger basecamp, which was about 50 kilometers away. It was a lot livelier than the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect, and even from a distance, Xu Qing could hear the raucous sounds of life. Before getting too close, he took out his old fur overcoat and put it on. He also took some mud from the ground and smudged up his face. Given his vigilant eyes and his physical appearance, he looked very much like an ordinary scavenger.

nAfter making sure his disguise was perfect, he headed into the camp. There were guards outside, but they did nothing more than glance at him as he passed. It almost didn’t make sense to say that Xu Qing had disguised himself as a scavenger. The reality was that he was a scavenger. He had the same air. The same eyes. The same ferocity.

nAfter entering the camp, he looked around at the tents, and then focused his attention on a spot up ahead where about a hundred scavengers were gathered. They were all cheering spiritedly, and were the source of the noise he had detected further out.

nWhat had them all excited was a brutal scene playing out in front of them. It was some sort of competition, almost like a dog race. There were eight emaciated people in tattered clothing, running as fast as they could. All eight people had strong mutagen, and their skin was mostly greenish-black. Obviously, they were very close to mutating. They looked both maddened and in despair as they ran along a course full of sharp rocks and broken blades. Every step they took caused more blood to flow, and drove them into further madness. Their goal was visible at the end of the racetrack: a blotchy white bolus.

nTo someone close to mutation, a white bolus could literally save their life, if only for a time. For this group, this was their chance to get such a pill.

nTo them, it didn’t matter if they bled a bit. They would still run with madness to get that pill.

nConsidering how raucous the crowd was, it was obvious many people had placed bets on the outcome.

nAs Xu Qing watched, one of the runners reached the end of the track, grabbed the white bolus, and consumed it. The other contestants stopped in despair and were dragged back to the starting line. Meanwhile, another white bolus was put up at the end of the track, and another race began.

nSome of the scavengers in the audience howled with delight, others cursed endlessly. But now that a new race was starting, new bets could be placed.

nTurning away from the spectacle, Xu Qing looked in the direction of the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect.

n***

n50 kilometers away from the basecamp in that very sect, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior sat in the grand hall atop the mountain, looking angrily at the sect leader, who seemed to be hesitating to speak.

n“You think I wanted to come to this dump?” the patriarch grumbled. “Obviously not! But do you know what would have happened if I didn’t? That damn shrew from the Seventh Peak is just outright evil! That ‘gift of apology’ drained me of half my life savings!!

n“And then there’s the Kid, who’s rapidly rising to prominence in Seven Blood Eyes. What do you expect me to do, sit around until he reaches Foundation Establishment and then comes to slap me to death? Based on all the ancient records I’ve read, I’m in a no-win situation….”

nPatriarch Golden Vajra Warrior was truly angry at how badly everything had gone in such a short time. The ramifications of moving the sect had been dramatic. Not everyone wanted to come along, and many of the disciples secretly fled. He had killed some for betraying the sect, but he couldn’t kill them all.

n“Well, it doesn’t matter. My medicinal pill is going to be done soon. Once I consume that pill, I’ll be able to open my 30th dharma aperture and ignite my first life flame. Once my life flame is lit, then I can enter the profound radiance state.

n“In the profound radiance state, my battle prowess will increase dramatically, and then I won’t have anything to fear from the Kid….” This thought caused the patriarch’s expression to brighten a bit. “Wait, no. According to the ancient records I read, it’s usually at an important juncture like this that something unexpected happens….”

nHaving reached this point in his train of thought, the patriarch’s face fell, and he pulled out an identity medallion. Flipping it over and over in his hand, he breathed a sigh of relief.

n“There’s no way that the Kid reached the breakthrough point yet. Besides, now that I’ve joined the Church of Departure, I count as an adherent. The Church is just as powerful as Seven Blood Eyes, and therefore, I’ve got some good protection. I’m safe for the time being. Also, Fellow Daoist Cardfortune is still here as a guest….”

nHe looked down at the identity medallion that he had spent so much to acquire, and felt a bit better. However, the medallion alone wasn’t enough, so after moving his sect here, he’d taken to inviting friends to come stay in the sect for a while as guests. Of course, every guest that came needed to be given gifts.

nUp to this point, he had extended invitations to everyone he knew, even if he’d barely done more than make their acquaintance.

n“One mistake will ruin everything….” Sighing, he looked listlessly off into the distance.

nAs the sun hit him, he looked older than ever.

n1. The story about the first person he killed was mentioned in chapter 53. ☜

n

Chapter end

<<Prev
Next>>
Catalogue
Chapter 1: Living
Chapter 2: Mutagen
Chapter 3: May You Rest in Peace
Chapter 4: An Unexpected Guest
Chapter 5: Scavenger Basecamp
Chapter 6: The Kid
Chapter 7: Please, Eat
Chapter 8: Set for Three
Chapter 9: Consequences of a Threat
Chapter 10: New Clothes
Chapter 11: A Gathering
Chapter 12: The Dangers of the Forbidden Region
Chapter 13: Vile Shadow
Chapter 14: Danger Everywhere
Chapter 15: Blood-Colored Evening
Chapter 16: You Ask When I’ll Return, My Lord; I Can’t Give
Chapter 17: What Are You?
Chapter 18: Grandmaster Bai
Chapter 19: Life
Chapter 20: Home?
Chapter 21: Thirsting for Knowledge
Chapter 22: Temple Complex
Chapter 23: Single Saber Strike
Chapter 24: Kid, You Answer
Chapter 25: Dao of Poison; Corpse-Ravaging Powder
Chapter 26: The Dusk of a Person’s Life
Chapter 27: A Stranger Like Jade
Chapter 28: You Don’t Need Light to Travel the Night
Chapter 29: The Sorrow of Parting
Chapter 30: An Unexpected Gift
Chapter 31: He Bought Insurance from Me
Chapter 32: Life to the Left, Death to the Right
Chapter 33: Eternal Darkness
Chapter 34: A Chance Encounter
Chapter 35: Troubles Bring a Frown
Chapter 36: Killing with Impunity
Chapter 37: Power over Life and Death
Chapter 38: Total Extermination
Chapter 39: A Requiem to the Mortal World
Chapter 40: Growing Up
Chapter 41: Nets Above and Snares Below
Chapter 42: Faceless Woman in White
Chapter 43: Complete Success with the Hobgoblin
Chapter 44: Cause and Effect
Chapter 45: Seeking Revenge over the Smallest Grievance
Chapter 46: Razing the Golden Vajra Warrior Sect
Chapter 47: Seven Blood Eyes
Chapter 48: Buy Corpses?
Chapter 49: Godly Blood
Chapter 50: Seventh Peak
Chapter 51: A Boat for Life
Chapter 52: Colleagues
Chapter 53: Sea Cultivation
Chapter 54: Total Transformation
Chapter 55: An Unusual Captain
Chapter 56: A New Recruit in the Violent Crimes Division
Chapter 57: Take a Spirit Coin
Chapter 58: A Birthday Alone
Chapter 59: A Lonely Figure on a Rainy Night
Chapter 60: Invitation Only
Chapter 61: A Beautiful Young Woman with an Umbrella
Chapter 62: A Ladies' Man
Chapter 63: Hardworking Xu Qing
Chapter 64: Coo. Coooo
Chapter 65: A Secret Worth 100 Spirit Stones
Chapter 66: Trying to Take Credit for My Work?
Chapter 67: Crossing the Line!
Chapter 68: Everyone Has Difficulties
Chapter 69: Fair and Just
Chapter 70: Let Me Treat You to an Egg
Chapter 71: Jabbering Patriarch
Chapter 72: Terrifying Huang Yan
Chapter 73: Domineering Second Highness
Chapter 74: The Path to the Yellow Springs
Chapter 75: Fish-Killing!
Chapter 76: Drought Demons can Scorch all Living Things
Chapter 77: Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale
Chapter 78: Zhang San Makes an Investment
Chapter 79: A New Person at Sea
Chapter 80: Bronze Dragon Chariot
Chapter 81: A Fair Price
Chapter 82: Countless Movements Became Sinister
Chapter 83: A Dragon from the Depths
Chapter 84: Magical Enlightenment from the Sea
Chapter 85: The Summit of a Fiendish Island
Chapter 86: Don’t Mess with Me
Chapter 87: A Vicious Night
Chapter 88: Xu Qing’s Rules
Chapter 89: Unbreakable Alliance
Chapter 90: A Golden Glow that Causes Madness
Chapter 91: Killing for Treasure
Chapter 92: Blood-Soaked Sealizard Island
Chapter 93: Like a Phoenix. Like a Hawk
Chapter 94: Gu Muqing
Chapter 95: The Creditor Comes Knocking
Chapter 96: A Gruish Inn
Chapter 97: The Asuras Appear
Chapter 98: One out of Fifty
Chapter 99: Traveling to the Crimson Wilds
Chapter 100: The Patriarch’s Anxiety
Setting
Font
Arial
Georgia
Comic Sans MS
Font size
14
Background