Chapter 663

Chapter 663

I Can See Through Everything

“Senior Lu, taking the day off again today?”

Seeing Lu Qing hang up the “Closed for Rest” sign, the owner of the pill shop across the street chuckled as he spoke.

“Yes. After working hard for a whole month, I should at least rest for a day,” Lu Qing replied with a smile.

This time, in Zhoutian City, he was going by the alias “Lu An.”

“Senior Lu, you really know how to live. We wouldn’t dare take a break like that—the rent and taxes here in Zhoutian City aren’t cheap.” The pill shop owner sighed.

Inwardly though, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy. This man hadn’t been in the city for long, but over the past few months, his business had steadily risen. It was almost surpassing his own shop, which had been running for over a decade.

Fortunately, Lu Qing only sold artifacts and weapons, so they weren’t in direct competition. On the contrary, Lu Qing’s shop had drawn more foot traffic to the street, and his pill shop had benefited with a rise in sales as well.

“No matter how busy you are, you’ve got to balance work and rest. I’ll be heading out first, you take care.”

The shopkeeper could only watch Lu Qing’s departing figure with envy, though not with surprise. This weapon refiner had already been in the city for nearly half a year, and every fifteenth of the month he would close his shop and rest. Everyone was used to it by now.

Leaving his shop, Lu Qing wandered aimlessly through the city. Whenever he came across a stall with food that caught his interest, he would stop and sample it. Around noon, he slipped into a secluded alley. When he emerged again, his appearance had already changed.

With his current familiarity with Zhoutian City’s outer districts, no one could detect anything unusual about him.

Only after changing his appearance did Lu Qing head in the direction of Dream Rapture Pavilion.

Before long, the extravagant and gaudy building came into view. But Lu Qing didn’t go inside. Instead, he crossed the street and entered a restaurant across from it. Taking a seat by the upstairs window, he ordered a full table of dishes and began eating leisurely.

Across the street, Dream Rapture Pavilion was unusually quiet. Its usual bustle was gone, replaced with an oppressive silence.

None of the wealthy clansmen or Golden Core cultivators who normally frequented the place dared appear. The surrounding streets too had become eerily silent. No one dared raise their voice.

Everyone knew why—today was the half-yearly outing of the Gongshu Clan’s Patriarch.

That old monster loathed noise disturbing his pleasures. Once, a fool had dared to make such a mistake. The outcome was so horrific that even those who merely witnessed it still shudder when recalling it.

So, although no one dared disturb the place, many watched with hidden anticipation.

On the restaurant’s upper floor, a few gossips whispered excitedly.

“How many women do you think that old Patriarch will play to death this time?”

“They say Mengyun Pavilion specially prepared fresh beauties for him today.”

“Of course—they’ll all be top-grade!”

“I even heard they’ve brought in Golden Core realm cauldrons this time. Truly extravagant!”

“Hah, why do you think Mengyun Pavilion has managed to remain the top brothel in Zhoutian City? Without that old Patriarch’s backing, it would’ve been swallowed long ago. Naturally, they’ll spare no expense to hold on to his thigh!”

“That old freak must have toyed with at least a thousand women over the years.”

“Likely more than that.”

“They say he won’t allow women he’s played with to fall into others’ hands. Afterward, he uses vile techniques to drain them dry, replenishing himself. I don’t know if it’s true.”

“All I know is, no woman has ever survived…”

Though whispered, none of this escaped Lu Qing’s ears. His face, however, showed no change. He continued drinking and eating slowly.

Time passed as he ate. About half an hour later, just as he finished most of the dishes, an oppressive aura surged into the street, instantly plunging everything into dead silence.

Even breathing seemed dangerous. Everyone knew—the Gongshu Patriarch had arrived.

Lu Qing calmly set down his chopsticks and looked down the street.

A massive chariot drawn by eight exotic beasts slowly came into view. A stern old man in purple robes sat upon it, with several beautiful women standing by his side.

Each of the eight beasts was Golden Core level, and even the women were cultivators no weaker than mid-stage Golden Core. Those familiar with the Gongshu Clan knew these were all the Patriarch’s concubines.

Lu Qing silently opened his ability, letting information stream before his eyes.

The chariot stopped in front of Mengyun Pavilion.

From within, a heavily painted middle-aged madam sashayed out, her voice dripping with charm: “Patriarch, you’ve finally arrived. I was growing so anxious waiting for you~”

Her sultry tone bewitched the onlookers, drawing them into a haze of desire. Only the higher cultivators resisted, watching her warily, wary of her terrifying charm arts.

“Have you prepared what I asked for?” The purple-robed Patriarch cut coldly through her coquettish act.

The madam trembled and quickly bowed. “Yes, Patriarch. Eighteen Foundation Establishment girls and three Golden Core beauties await inside. All untouched—perfect cauldrons for you to enjoy.”

“Good. If I’m satisfied, your Mengyun Pavilion’s taxes will be waived again this year.”

The Patriarch’s eyes gleamed with cruelty, already brimming with impatience.

“Thank you, Patriarch!” The madam prostrated in joy. This meant another year as the undisputed top brothel in Zhoutian City.

“You stay here.” The old man told his concubines.

“Yes, Husband.” They bowed respectfully.

The crowd dared not look directly at him, eyes lowered in fear.

Except for Lu Qing.

At his window, Lu Qing’s ability displayed the details.

[Gongshu Lian: One of the Gongshu Clan’s three Nascent Soul Patriarchs.]

[Cultivation: Nascent Soul First Tribulation Peak.]

[With no hope of advancement and dwindling lifespan, he abandoned cultivation for pleasure. Known for brutality and using demonic arts to drain women’s essence.]

[Over the past thirty years, no fewer than a thousand women have died by his hand.]

Reading this, Lu Qing’s killing intent rose.

The moment it stirred, Gongshu Lian felt it. He froze, snapping his head toward the restaurant. His eyes locked on Lu Qing’s cold, merciless gaze.

What shocked him most wasn’t just the stranger’s youth, but his mere early Golden Core aura. How could such a junior dare show killing intent toward him?

Was he courting death?

But before the thought could settle, Lu Qing smiled. Then he vanished.

“Not good!” A wave of dread engulfed Gongshu Lian. His Nascent Soul power erupted violently.

Boom!

The unleashed power annihilated everything nearby—the chariot, the eight beasts, even his concubines—shattered in an instant.

Even the Golden Core madam was hurled away, vomiting blood.

“P-Patriarch!” she cried in terror, not knowing why he had suddenly gone berserk.

But when she looked back, she froze forever.

A young man now stood before the Patriarch, sword tip pressed against his brow. The once-mighty Patriarch stood rigid, lifeless. No aura. No breath.

The madam’s mind reeled. Had the Patriarch… been killed?

From the inner city, an enraged roar shook the heavens. “Audacious! Who dares slay my Gongshu Clan’s Nascent Soul!?”

A terrifying aura surged closer.

Lu Qing wasted no time. He beheaded Gongshu Lian in one stroke, seized his storage artifact, then appeared before the madam. One finger touched her brow.

“No—”

Her scream died as Lu Qing’s Heaven-Shattering Sword Qi erased her soul, leaving nothing behind.

Collecting her body, Lu Qing turned into a streak of sword light and fled. Only Gongshu Lian’s headless corpse and the wreckage remained.

Moments later, a black-robed elder descended. His eyes blazed as he saw the corpse. “Seventh Brother!”

Though grief-stricken, his heart chilled. However incompetent Gongshu Lian had been, he was still a Nascent Soul cultivator. To be slain so swiftly within Zhoutian City meant the killer was unimaginably strong.

Two Tribulation? Impossible. Three? Four?

“Whoever you are, daring to kill a Gongshu Clan Patriarch in Zhoutian City, even if you are a peak Nascent Soul, you will not leave alive!”

He crushed a jade talisman into the ground. Instantly, ripples spread, and a vast formation lit up. A shimmering barrier enveloped the entire city.

The Grand Zhoutian Star Formation had been activated.

Only then did the black-robed elder chase after Lu Qing’s aura. No matter the cost, they could not allow this humiliation to stand.

Within the inner city, countless cultivators stirred as his divine message spread.

“Fourth Brother, why did you activate the Zhoutian Star Formation?”

“Are the demons attacking?”

“What happened?”

The black-robed elder’s grim reply echoed in all their minds. “Seventh Brother has been slain. The killer is still inside the city. His cultivation is unknown, but I alone may not stop him. So I activated the formation to keep him from escaping.”

Silence. Then fury. One after another, terrifying auras burst forth from the inner city.