All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 167 - 27 Scrounging (Thanks to all the readers for their tips)

Chapter 167: Chapter 27 Scrounging (Thanks to all the readers for their tips)

"Granny, it was my fault."

Just as Granny Huai sighed, a golden glow illuminated within the shadows.

Without a sound, the girl with the Mysterious Pupil Golden Eye stepped forward slowly, "My bloodline is special, deeply connected to the Earth Vein."

"Although I can conceal myself using the Earth Vein, if a Feng Shui Master makes a move, they can also use the Earth Vein to find me."

"Even though they do not know I am here with you, to find me, they would surely take control of this node."

"It is I who have caused you harm."

The girl’s voice was soft and full of self-reproach, leading Granny Huai to shake her head, "Nonsense. From the moment I found you unconscious at my doorstep in the middle of the night, I knew you must be in big trouble."

"You have always been reluctant to reveal your origins and the reasons for your escape because they are of great importance, and you did not want to involve me."

"Knowing this, I hid you. I had foreseen such outcomes."

"Granny... why bother?" The girl approached Granny Huai, who lovingly embraced her and caressed her smooth, long hair, "I am about to die, if not this year, then the next."

She spoke calmly about her own impending demise, with a detachness hard to imagine, "When I was young, I faced perils, saved by a benefactor at the cost of never leaving this place."

"Since then, I vowed to help others for the rest of my life. And you, I could tell at first glance, though your thoughts are profound and complex, you have a purely kind nature. You are the kind of child I lived to help."

"Soul-Reviving Skills... I see."

Within the old lady’s embrace, the golden-eyed girl murmured to herself. Then, lifting her head, her eyes blazed, "Granny Huai, it is indeed inappropriate to stay here long. After this failure, those people will resort to even more severe measures next time."

"You have done so much to help me, how can I just watch this happen? Though it might be dangerous, please come with me. I might... have the ability to extend your life!"

"Silly child, how could you..."

Granny Huai smiled bitterly, she wanted to say something but stopped abruptly upon seeing a purple-blue glow.

She saw it.

She saw a piece of Divine Jade embedded just below the collarbone, at the center of the girl’s chest.

Within the jade, energy swirled in hues of purple and blue, with dragons and snakes intertwining.

On the other side.

During the same earlier period.

An Jing quietly followed these carelessly fleeing ruffians.

His gaze was piercing, recognizing among these ruffians one who seemed timid as a mouse but had a stable gait and possessed profound martial skills.

This clearly was the true instigator; following him might lead to the mastermind.

As expected, though the Martial Artist seemed to flee with the crowd, he quickly slipped away, and after several turns, arrived in a secluded alley.

In the alley, among several hidden rooms, two constables were playing cards. Upon seeing the Martial Artist arrive, they stood up, "Why are you back so early? Did it go well?"

The ruffian dressed as a Martial Artist spat, "Bad luck, that Dust Li kid messed things up."

Hearing this, the constables were surprised, "That kid from Dust Li? What does he have to do with it?"

"Isn’t he just a beginner with ’Inner Breath like Silk’? It’s one thing for Old Guan and his partner not to stop him, but you were scared too?"

"Tough nut to crack."

The Martial Artist sat down, ready to play a few hands of cards, "Just like the boss said, probably some big clan’s youngster from Dust Li’s side, skillful and sharp, I’m nothing in front of him."

"The boss meant to ’invite’ him over for a chat to see which clan he’s from. We agreed not to meddle, yet they sent someone to probe us."

"Unable to stop him and even messed up the teahouse thing, I don’t know what punishment awaits us when we return."

"Dammit," the constables remarked nonchalantly, "It’s typical for folks from Dust Li to be underhanded, it happens all the time, at most they’ll get a talking-to."

"Tough nut to crack, next time bring more guys, make him kneel and call you ’grandpa.’ Come on, let’s play cards, no more talk about this."

"As if it’s you who are being punished, planning a next time without even a word of comfort, totally lacking in brotherhood!" the Martial Artist grumbled, but he continued to play cards with them.

Using Mysterious Steps, An Jing followed behind, resembling a ghost deep in thought.

"So, it was still a problem of identity."

He said to Sword Spirit in his mind, "It seems that the surrounding Dust Li clans have already reached an agreement with them recently not to get involved in this matter. My disguise as a Dust Li person was too good, not raising any suspicions about whether I was a Dust Li person or not, but it made them unclear about the situation, forcing them to capture me for questioning."

Although the current situation was still somewhat murky, it had largely clarified.

The mysterious organization needed to harness the power of the Earth Vein for some reasons. They seized the opportunity during the chaos in Ming City due to the death of Grandmaster Shu Zheng to take over places like Huai’s Teahouse, which were located at nodes of the Earth Vein.

The mysterious organization was not the Demon Sect; in fact, they might even be at odds with the Demon Sect, only infiltrating the city after the Demon Sect’s forces around Ming City were severely damaged.

However, they also had influence within the city, having bribed many constables and ruffians at least.

An Jing was very patient. He knew very well that no matter how happily these people were slacking off and playing cards during work hours, they would eventually return to report.

It didn’t take long.

After a game, An Jing saw a man who had lost a lot complaining about his ’bad luck’ before leaving, heading towards one of Ming City’s major trade centers, Chongyi Building.

"Interesting, it seems that Chongyi Building is targeting me?"

Raising his eyebrows, An Jing thought, "I remember, that Golden-haired Bear skin was bought by Chongyi Building... They have strong connections; even the constables have been bought off. That hunting team must be relying on Chongyi Building as well, no wonder they found out about the talisman I sold so quickly."

"Is investigating Chongyi Building next?"

Sword Spirit said, "Your, drone is really useful. If it weren’t for a martial artist unfamiliar with this field, even if they sensed it, they might think it was just a small insect or bird."

"No rush."

An Jing pondered for a moment and slowly shook his head, "These people are still playing cards right now, and the information hasn’t been compiled back yet. It will be more valuable to investigate after all these people have gone back to report."

"As for now, I will help them out."

Saying this, An Jing showed a smile, "I’ll first clean them up to relieve my anger, and at the same time give them a bit more information to report, to see what exactly is going on behind them."

With that, he shed his overly conspicuous outer clothing, revealing the tight outfit underneath.

An Jing took out an Evil-warding Mask from Tianyuan Realm from his bosom, put it on, and took a step forward. With both hands pushing forward, he had already pushed open the door and stormed into the dark room gathered by these mysterious organization agents.

"Who’s there? What’s all this commotion?"

The few constables and martial artists who were playing cards were thoroughly absorbed and excited. When they saw the door open, they instinctively thought it was another colleague coming over and instinctively reprimanded.

But the next moment, he felt his head buzz, and then he passed out completely.

An Jing pulled back his fist. He had restrained his strength; he hadn’t blown the constable’s brains out of his ears and nose, but a concussion lying down for ten days and a half was inevitable.

The other card players turned around in shock; as soon as they saw An Jing’s terrifying mask, they immediately understood what had happened and got up one after another, ready to fight. But at that moment, An Jing’s figure rapidly closed in like a ghost, delivering a solid punch to the forehead or temples of each person in turn.

The dull sound of bodies hitting the floor rose, but since the alley was too quiet, originally intended for partially closed doors and underground gambling tables, no one cared, and no one heard.

In one breath, An Jing had taken care of everyone in the dark room; none had the chance to use any alert methods or retaliate, all losing consciousness.

"Too easy."

An Jing withdrew his fist. With his current strength, let alone beating a few weaklings, even if he faced the entire Patrol and Arrest Division of Ming City head-on, the victory would surely not be on the other side.

As for whether he should reveal his strength... Not to mention the high probability of not having his real identity discovered, even if it was found out, so what?

Not to fight for justice, An Jing had practiced martial arts, and he was nearly trapped at the inn’s entrance this morning, unable to leave. If he didn’t vent on these fools today, he would doubt what he had been practicing!

Not to mention, these people also possessed many valuable items, offering him a chance to profit further.

"Interesting."

An Jing skillfully maneuvered through the fallen crowd, and then with a quick reach, he searched a leading constable and found a warm and translucent semi-translucent jade.

A Spirit Stone.

"The origins of these people are indeed extraordinary!"

Savoring the Spirit Stone in his hand, An Jing turned his head to look at the group that had passed out, showing a smile like seeing an unattended wallet: "To think there are pure Spirit Stones, this time it’s a huge profit."