Xie Qing was helpless. No matter how much he shouted and scolded Bao Xia, the truth remained the truth. He could not access the information regarding the whereabouts of his mother.
"How annoying. I can't do anything and all I can do is ask for Master's help. Although I don't want to drag her into my family's affairs..."
However, even if he abandoned this idea, wouldn't he just be digging himself into an even deeper hole? Xie Qing immediately darkened.
An involuntary thirst for killing began to emerge from him, which was too weak because he had only killed three people, but... along with his Qi, it had a strong effect.
"Why are you scaring the juniors, uncle? I can acknowledge you as my father, so stop scaring Xiao Xia!" Bao Xia complained in his thoughts.
To his great fortune, Xie Qing left after muttering something. And when Bao Xia took out the token to contact Xie Xui, he suddenly froze.
"Huh?"
When the blade sliced through the air, it made a barely audible whistle. With one swift and precise movement, the sword descended upon Bao Xia's neck, separating his head from his body. The force of the blow was so great that the head rolled back several feet, stopping with a dull thud.
"I-I... died?"
Bao Xia's body collapsed to the ground, shaking and convulsing for a few moments before finally becoming still. Blood spread around the lifeless form, staining the ground a deep red.
"Ah..."
Several onlookers gasped in shock and horror at the brutal sight, but no one dared to intervene. How could they? They were mortals, and... who would approach a killer who had just killed a cultivator?
Xie Qing stood over the body, his gaze cold and ruthless. He looked at Bao Xia's severed head with disgust and disdain.
"As I said, a rat is always a rat. Die in the dirty gutters where you belong, you son of a bitch."
Then Xie Qing turned and left, leaving behind a grim scene. The onlookers could only stare in stupor as Bao Xia's body lay in a pool of blood.
***
The cold night wind brushed against Xie Qing's cheeks as he left the city. He sat on a rock near the city gates and soaked a cloth in the river, then began to clean the blade of the blood.
"Hm... it's good that I got rid of that bastard son. Of course, he would have tried to contact that scumbag Xie Xui," Xie Qing muttered, looking at the reflection of his face in the river: "Oh, I can have such an expression on my face? Amazing."
The man in the reflection was neither smiling nor frowning. His face had an expression of true indifference, and his gleaming eyes had become dark like the gloomy night sky.
Xie Qing sighed. After killing Bao Xia, he felt a little better. At the very least, he had eliminated the most obvious spies.
"It's good that I killed him in time, otherwise the information about my cultivation level would have been leaked to the Xie family," Xie Qing thought.
Before he reached the Qi Condensation - 9th stage, he did not want to reveal himself. He planned to present a little surprise to his family, and then take control of the family, eliminating all the worms.
"The elders, yes... a lot of money from the family goes to their maintenance, and according to my knowledge, they severely restrict the head of the family, ostensibly to prevent him from doing something stupid," Xie Qing thought and sneered: "Of course, when I take control of the Xie family, they won't have a chance. I'll kill them and not feel sorry, those evil bitches."
When a cancerous tumor appears, it must be destroyed at an early stage. Unfortunately, the cancerous tumor in the form of the elders of the Xie family had settled in too deeply, and it would be difficult to remove them from a political point of view, but...
"I am a cultivator. If I gain many connections and possess formidable power myself, who can stop me?" he thought and smiled, shaking his head. Xie Qing hurried to calm himself: "Alright, let's not rush. First, I need to take care of the matter of my development.
He closed his eyes, inhaling the pure cold air. Xie Qing's mind was somewhat shocked, but he gradually calmed down, enjoying the silence and tranquility. He needed this moment of rest to gather his thoughts and calm his heart.
And just as he was about to return to the sect, a gentle voice sounded behind him. It was a voice that had accompanied him for four years of his life in the sect, a voice that was always there for him in difficult times.
"There you are, foolish disciple."
Xie Qing slowly turned around and saw her - his Master, Xu Mei. There was a smile on her face, as usual, but her eyes betrayed concern. She pretended to be sarcastic and behaved as usual, but she was worried about him.
"Master," Xie Qing whispered, looking into her face, and then smiled, but this smile was too forced: "How are you? It's cold today, dress warmer, okay?"
"Huh?"
Xu Mei raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding Xie Qing's words.
"I wouldn't freeze even if I went into a refrigerator naked, what are you talking about?" her gaze seemed to say.
To which Xie Qing merely shrugged.
Silence fell between them. Xie Qing averted his gaze and looked at the starry sky, while Xu Mei slowly approached him, and after a small stream of doubts...
"Hm?"
Xie Qing was distracted, feeling softness on his chest. He looked at Xu Mei and his lips trembled when he saw that she had pressed herself against him and was looking at him with puppy dog eyes.
"M-master?" Xie Qing stammered, not quite expecting this and being charmed, looking at her face.
"You need to rest. You're like some kind of book hero today," she muttered, gently stroking his cheek. She smiled and patted his chest: "And also, I found out that you almost killed your opponent. Now he's locked himself in his room and can't cultivate because of fear. I barely calmed down the elders."
"Hm? Zhao Zhao was scared?" Xie Qing raised an eyebrow, highlighting Xu Mei's words, and then smiled, adding: "I don't care, he didn't hold back in the first place, so I decided to do the same."
"Cruel, but quite fair. In the world of cultivation, those who do not possess sufficient power will never see tomorrow," Xu Mei coldly noted, brushing her hair behind her ear. She suddenly noted: "By the way, Lian Xin was very worried about you... hm, are you two close?"
"Huh?"
Xie Qing let out a surprised sigh and then smiled. He could imagine Lian Xin's puzzled and worried face, and it looked very cute. However, under his Master's jealous gaze, he returned to reality.
"Are you jealous, Master?" he noted with a sarcastic smile, and then took her by the waist, pulling her close. His lips approached her ear, and he muttered: "There will always be room in the disciple's heart for my Xu Mei..."
"!!!!"
Puff! Steam began to rise from the top of Xu Mei's head. She overheated from his words, and her face turned red.
"Heh..."
Xie Qing smiled gently, and his brows relaxed, as did the corners of his eyes, which had been twitching earlier with anger.
Now he felt a little more confident.
"..."
As Xu Mei lay in his arms, blushing, Xie Qing thought for a moment, and then sighed and said,
"Master, I have a request."
"Hm... m?! W-what request?"
Xu Mei replied, stuttering. Her face turned red, and her heart was filled with anticipation. But Xie Qing's words were not what she expected.
"My mother... I can't contact her," Xie Qing said with a grim expression, and then added, "I suspect she may have been eliminated. Xie Hai has shown great impatience in recent years and is eager to seize power in the family."
"What?"
Xu Mei immediately became serious.
"I doubt that your mother could be easily neutralized..." Xu Mei began to say, and without paying attention to Xie Qing's surprise, she added: "So... there can only be one method."
"Are you saying that... my mother was first weakened?"
"Correct."
Xie Qing narrowed his eyes and a chill emanated from him. His mother was a strong woman who held the Xie family in a firm grip, and the only thing that could stop her was the weakening of her power as a cultivator, as well as the head of the family.
"I don't like this..."