Almost at the same time that the little boy spoke, the door of the house at the side silently opened.
The little boy's parents walked out expressionlessly and stared coldly at Xu Qing.
Vaguely, the sunset was covered by black clouds, as though it would rain soon. Waves of rumbling thunder echoed, and bolts of lightning flashed in all directions.
In the town, in the face of the impending storm, the residents hurriedly returned to their respective homes. The gravels on the ground trembled slightly at the moment the wind blew, and a large number of fallen leaves were also swept up.
To outsiders, all of this was a natural change caused by the weather. However, in Xu Qing's eyes, all of this scene came from this little boy in front of him.
"Interesting."
Xu Qing tilted his head and his gaze swept past the little boy's parents. The Ghost Emperor Mountain in his sea of consciousness suddenly shone at this moment, appearing in Xu Qing's pupils.
At the next instant, the little boy's parents' bodies trembled and horror appeared in their cold gazes. It was the same for the little boy's eyes. They looked exactly the same as his parents' gazes.
Xu Qing didn't release his pressure. After a glance, he retracted the pressure of the Ghost Emperor Mountain and no longer looked at the little boy's parents.
Those two figures were meaningless.
He focused his attention on the little boy who was looking at him with a forced smile. He then leaped up and landed in front of him.
The little boy's expression changed and he quickly retreated.
Xu Qing waved his hand and threw the white token Old Master Seventh gave to the little boy.
"This is the entry token of the Eight Sects Alliance's Seven Blood Eyes."
The little boy didn't take it and allowed the token to land on the ground in front of him. When it came into contact with the gravel, it emitted a crisp sound.
Xu Qing didn't mind. He walked forward and calmly spoke when he passed by the little boy.
"Do you want to become a human?"
With that, Xu Qing continued forward, walking further and further away from the town.
The moment he left, heavy rain poured down on the entire town.
The pitter-patter sounds of the rain were accompanied by thunder and lightning, washing the ground and everything.
In the rain, only the little boy and his parents stood rooted to the ground. They were both staring at the white token on the ground that wasn't touched by the rain.
After a long time, the little boy suddenly spoke.
"Do you guys think I should go take a look?"
The boy's parents fell silent.
"I forgot that I created you guys. Your thoughts are monotonous, so it's impossible for you to answer my question."
The little boy mumbled and looked at the token again, revealing a tempted expression.
He wasn't a human or a nonhuman. He was a bizarre entity, a special bizarre entity.
His combat strength wasn't strong but he had clear thoughts and intelligence like all races. At the same time, for some reason, he longed for the life of the human race since he gained consciousness.
Hence, he came to this small town many years ago and transformed into a human before creating his parents.
He went to school happily every day and the cycle repeated.
Moreover, every few years, he would erase the memories of the people in this small town and let everything start over again.
This way, he could continue to go to school happily every day.
He couldn't remember how long such days had passed. Year after year, generation after generation.
He watched as his school companions grew up, grew old, and died. But he was still the same.
It was also because of his secret protection that this small town was peaceful. This was also the reason why there were so many old people and children.
The moment Xu Qing manifested the image of the Ghost Emperor Mountain in his eyes earlier, he had seen all of this very clearly. He also made a judgment in his mind. Moreover, Old Master Seventh had given this little boy a token, so he naturally knew of this.
As for whether this little boy would come to the Seven Blood Eyes in the end, it wasn't something Xu Qing could consider.
He only felt that this bizarre entity was indeed a little different.
At that moment, Xu Qing returned to the magic ship floating in the wind and rain. The moment he stepped in, Old Master Seventh didn't ask anything. He flicked his sleeve and the magic ship buzzed, instantly leaving.
On the way back, Old Master Seventh wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he casually strolled around.
Sometimes, he would bring Xu Qing and Ding Xue to a large city and sit on a tree in front of a wealthy family's mansion to observe a young master inside.
Sometimes, he would bring them to a small country and look at those suffering people. It was unknown what he was thinking.
There were also times when he went to places like the scavenger campsite and observed everyone there until he saw someone interesting. He would smile and ask Xu Qing and Ding Xue how this person was.
If he encountered a suitable one, Old Master Seventh would hand Xu Qing a white token and let him send it over.
The people who obtained Old Master Seventh's token were all young boys and girls.
Among them, there were children from wealthy families, suffering scholars, beggars, or skinny children.
As he handed the tokens, the scene of him at the scavenger campsite appeared in Xu Qing's mind. At that time, the person following Old Master Seventh was his servant.
On this trip, it wasn't very convenient for the servant to follow him, so Xu Qing did this job.
Gradually, Xu Qing also saw some clues. These people who obtained Old Master Seventh's token all had some special characteristics.
For example, the soul and body of that rich young master didn't match very closely. Outsiders might not be able to tell but after Xu Qing manifested the Ghost Emperor Mountain in his pupils, he could tell at a glance.
This rich kid should have been possessed.
There was also a poor person from that small country. She was a silly girl who smiled and begged for food all day. Her body was covered in rot but everyone who bullied her during the day would have nightmares at night.
The reason was that this silly girl would dig out the rotting places on her body at night and perform some kind of curse.
This curse wasn't like a spell but more like an innate talent.
However, she hid herself very well and outsiders couldn't tell. Those who had nightmares wouldn't die immediately but the possibility of encountering an accident when they went out would increase infinitely.
Another example was the scavenger campsite's medical shop's kid. Every night, he would be forced by the shopkeeper to eat soil. Every time he finished eating it, he would bleed from all over his body.
The shopkeeper would carefully collect the blood and store it in small bottles. He would sell it as healing medicine the next day.
Things like this were hidden very deeply. However, Old Master Seventh seemed to be very good at searching. Hence, Xu Qing saw a lot during this period of time. Every one of them made him feel that they were extraordinary and had great potential.
After handing out more than 20 tokens, Old Master Seventh stopped searching and sighed with emotion in front of Xu Qing.
"As expected, a great era is coming. Back then, I came to the Yinghuang Province and searched around. There weren't many good seedlings. In the end, only your third senior brother was left.
"However, now that we're here again, there are actually many more good seedlings here."
"This time, I still plan to choose one out of 50. Let's see who can become your junior brother or junior sister in the end."
Old Master Seventh was clearly very satisfied with his harvest from this trip.
"Xu Qing, Xue'er, which of the seedlings who obtained the token this time will stand in front of me?"
Ding Xue thought about it and immediately spoke.
"Uncle, I think that silly girl who can curse others can do it!"
Old Master Seventh smiled and looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing fell silent and recalled the people he had seen. In the end, the one who appeared in his mind was that rich kid.
"I think the one who was possessed has the highest possibility."
Old Master Seventh was a little surprised.
"Why do you say that? I thought you were going to mention the first boy to obtain the token."
Xu Qing shook his head.
"He's not cautious enough. Among these people, only that rich kid is the most cautious."
"Interesting." Old Master Seventh laughed. He controlled the magic ship and headed straight for the Seven Blood Eyes, ending this trip.
It was rare for Xu Qing to be free. He continued to ponder about the opening of the 121st magic aperture and vaguely had a plan. However, before he continued thinking along that line, he asked Old Master Seventh.
Old Master Seventh's reply was that the Seven Blood Eyes' Taboo magic treasure might have a certain effect on searching for the 121st magic aperture. He told Xu Qing to give it a try.
Xu Qing fell into deep thought and recalled the small mirror he had obtained on this trip. He held it in his hand and studied it.
Old Master Seventh swept his gaze over but didn't speak.
Xu Qing didn't ask anymore. He pondered for a few days and gradually figured it out.
This item was a magic treasure fragment. The intact magic treasure might also be a mirror, the same as the shape of the Seven Blood Eyes' Taboo, but their abilities were naturally different. As for this magic treasure fragment, its function was to stimulate the soul.
As long as one looked at it, their soul would be in a daze for an instant and their eyes would feel an intense piercing pain. If they were killed by it, this small mirror would form a bizarre entity.
In terms of ability, it was alright. However, this item had clearly not been sacrificially refined. To mortals, its effect was astonishing like a supreme treasure. However, to cultivators with a certain level of cultivation, the effect was average and couldn't be fatal.
"However, if I catch someone off guard, I might be able to use it as a support." Xu Qing recalled the scene when he obtained this small mirror. At that time, when he glanced at it, he felt a piercing pain in his eyes and was distracted for a moment.
If used well, this split second of distraction could often decide life and death.
After Xu Qing fell silent, he kept the item. He planned to slowly experiment later and see where its limit was.
Just like that, another few days passed and the Eight Sects Alliance was in sight.
The moment he returned, under Ding Xue's reluctant gaze, Xu Qing left Old Master Seventh's magic ship and flew toward the Transportation Department where Zhang San was.
This trip was a little long and the magic ship had experienced two self-destructions. Although it could still be used, Xu Qing felt that it was better to repair it.
At that moment, it was noon and the sun was shining brightly. Just as Xu Qing was whistling through the Seven Blood Eyes' main city, his expression suddenly changed and he abruptly lowered his head to look at the ground.
Xu Qing saw the little mute on a street.
For the first time, the little mute didn't wear a dog skin coat and a Daoist robe. Instead, he only wore a Daoist robe.
His way of walking was also different from usual. He didn't stick close to the corner of the wall but swaggered in the center.
Although his sense of vigilance was still there, it was still a little different from what Xu Qing remembered.
Now, his vigilance contained some excitement and curiosity about the outside world. In the past, his vigilance kept the strangers away, as though he could devour them at any time.
Most importantly, the little mute was very weak. This weakness wasn't in his body but in his soul.
Xu Qing had seen the same scene before. It was on the rich kid who had been possessed.
Looking at the little mute, the shadow of the Ghost Emperor Mountain appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. After carefully sizing up the little mute, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes.
He took a step forward and instantly arrived in front of the little mute.
Xu Qing's appearance was too abrupt. The little mute's expression changed and he instinctively retreated. After seeing Xu Qing's face clearly, he hurriedly lowered his head and immediately knelt down.
However, at the next instant, Xu Qing had grabbed the little mute's neck, pulling the little mute whose face was red and whose eyes were filled with horror in front of him.
Xu Qing's gaze was calm with a hint of coldness. He looked into the little mute's eyes and spoke.
"Who are you?"
