Chapter 84: Qingyue Qiu

The shadows of the alleys, walls, and eaves all became Zuo Zhicheng’s best cover. His already highly skilled stealth abilities, combined with the powerful strength he had developed in this lifetime, made Zuo Zhicheng like a king of the night, moving freely through the darkness.

Rihuo was a disciple of the Chaoyang Martial Hall, but he was also one of the Hante People and a minor leader in the Hundred Families Association. So he did not live near the martial hall; instead, he lived with other Hante People on the east side of the commoners’ district, in a settlement of the native people of Xinlu Port.

Less than a hundred meters away was the courtyard where Rihuo lived. With his Infrared Vision, Zuo Zhicheng could clearly see the number of people inside, whether they were sleeping, eating, or chatting.

But under these circumstances, Zuo Zhicheng stopped and did not move forward.

“Something’s wrong,” he thought as he looked at the roofs around the courtyard, the streets, and the neighboring buildings.

“Someone is watching him.” Zuo Zhicheng’s right foot stepped on the edge of the wall without making a sound. He moved like a ghost to the rooftop behind a man.

The man had no idea; he was still lying on the rooftop, watching the courtyard. Zuo Zhicheng tapped the back of the man’s head, and the man fell unconscious.

Zuo Zhicheng searched the man’s clothes and pants but found nothing to identify him.

“Hmm?” But as he turned the man’s sleeve, the sound of wind reached Zuo Zhicheng’s ears. He pushed off with his legs and leaped aside.

A white, transparent figure passed through the spot where he had just been, like a ghost.

An ordinary person might have frozen in fear or run away at the sight of something ghostly. But Zuo Zhicheng was no ordinary person. Without hesitation, he immediately gave chase.

With one leap, Zuo Zhicheng jumped from one end of the roof to the other. But just as he was about to take another step, a white shadow shot out from the alley below and lunged at him.

Seeing the sudden appearance of the shadow, Zuo Zhicheng’s expression changed. He twisted his waist and spun backward. At the same time, he covered his nose and thought, “Is that strong alkali?”

He retreated like a whirlwind for more than ten meters before carefully studying the white figure still floating in the air. The figure looked foggy and somewhat transparent, and his Infrared Vision detected no heat from it.

“Not human… a human-shaped form made of strong alkali? Dao Arts?” Just then, the white shadow in the air paused and flew toward him again. Zuo Zhicheng retreated while picking up the man he had knocked out and threw him at the shadow.

The white shadow dodged as the man flew toward it. But Zuo Zhicheng’s eyes narrowed slightly. He stared intently at the man’s cheek where the white shadow had brushed against it.

His right eye saw a wound corroded on the man’s cheek. In his left eye, the spot where the white shadow touched the man released a great deal of heat.

“So it is strong alkali? But the person controlling the Dao Arts has average reactions.”

With a simple throw, Zuo Zhicheng had obtained the information he wanted. After roughly testing the nature, speed, and reaction of this Dao Art, he sneered, turned, and leaped into the shadows of the alley.

“Next, let’s see if you’re observing with your eyes or controlling it from a distance through a link.”

He certainly had no intention of fighting a puddle of strong alkali. Its corrosive nature could cause serious harm to a person, and it released a lot of heat that could cause burns. His target was the person using this Dao Art.

A few minutes later, on a rooftop fifty meters north of the small courtyard, Qingyue Qiu, who had her eyes tightly closed, suddenly opened them and said nervously, “He found us…”

Before she could finish speaking, the sound of swords being drawn rang out. Lin Ganghao and others from the Shadow Corps immediately surrounded Qingyue Qiu protectively.

Then, before their eyes, a black figure appeared. A tall figure, wearing a black coat and a white mask—it was Ghost Fist.

The guards of the Shadow Corps looked at Ghost Fist, who had suddenly appeared before them, with shock and uncertainty in their eyes.

‘How is this possible?’

‘He actually found this place so quickly!’

‘He didn’t even engage with the Shadow Guard and figured out the principle of this Dao Art so soon?’

Lin Ganghao also looked at Ghost Fist with admiration, thinking to himself, ‘In such a short time, he broke through the outer encirclement, saw through the weakness of the young lady’s Dao Art, and made his way here. When I saw him fighting the people from Dìyù Gate last time, I just thought he was very strong. But facing him directly like this, the pressure is like having a blade pressed against my neck.

This Ghost Fist… just who is he?’

As soon as Ghost Fist appeared, Qingyue Qiu quickly called out, “Lord Ghost Fist, we mean no harm.”

Zuo Zhicheng looked at the people before him and said calmly, “Shadow Corps? Why did you attack me?” His cold gaze swept over Qingyue Qiu’s face like a blade, seemingly unmoved by the stunning beauty before him.

“We did not mean to attack you. We only wanted to stop you from killing our man.” Qingyue Qiu did not answer immediately. Instead, she gestured with her hand, and the white shadow that had been behind Zuo Zhicheng earlier rushed past him and disappeared into a small pot at her waist.

Zuo Zhicheng frowned slightly and thought, ‘So she is the one using the Dao Arts? That means this woman has Spiritual Energy Vision?’ But he was not worried. In his usual state as Zuo Zhicheng, he wore lead clothing to prevent detection. As Ghost Fist, he fully exposed his Innate Primordial Breath.

Qingyue Qiu on the other side closed the lid of the small pot and then continued, “Lord Ghost Fist, I am the newly appointed head of the Shadow Corps in Xinlu Port, Qingyue Qiu.”

She saw that the man behind the white mask showed no intention of speaking, seemingly even colder than she was, so she could only go on. “Is your target Rihuo? If you want information about him, we can tell you. But we still have a use for this man, so we cannot let you touch him.”

“Oh?” Zuo Zhicheng glanced at Qingyue Qiu and said, “Tell me, then.”

“It is not convenient to speak here,” Qingyue Qiu said plainly. “Let’s change locations.”

“How do I know you are not trying to ambush me?”

“It is about Spiritual Energy Food,” Qingyue Qiu said. “You must need it, right?”

Lin Ganghao watched the conversation between the man and woman. Both spoke in a straightforward, monotonous manner, their voices cold, giving off a strange feeling, like puppets talking.

But when Spiritual Energy Food was mentioned, it seemed to pique Ghost Fist’s interest. He said, “Tomorrow, same time. Name a place.”

Although, in theory, the Shadow Corps had no need to ambush him, Zuo Zhicheng, as a veteran of the dark world, was used to being cautious and naturally would not follow them.

So Qingyue Qiu gave an address. Zuo Zhicheng leaped down from the roof. By the time Lin Ganghao and the others rushed over and looked around, there was no sign of Zuo Zhicheng.

Lin Ganghao ran to Qingyue Qiu’s side and asked, “Young lady, could you recognize him?”

“I’ve never seen him before,” Qingyue Qiu said, recalling the body that burned like fire in her Spiritual Energy Vision. She said calmly, “He has indeed achieved Grand Completion of Qi Training, but I have never seen anyone like him in Xinlu Port before. He must be hiding very deep.”