The wind picked up as the darkness of night deepened. The moonlight only made things colder. The night was so deep that it was like the hand of death, poised over the Book of Life and Death, covering everything with ink.0

Eventually, the scene became a dark painting of death. Everything was black. The only color was the ghastly red blood dripping out of the neck of the criminal who was now pinned to the wall. The footsteps grew louder and a figure in gray appeared, slowly emerging from the painting.0

As that figure neared, it superseded the flowing blood, and became a source of frigid cold outside the inn on Plankspring Way. In fact, it was so cold that the dripping blood seemed to congeal. At the same time, the innkeeper’s pupils constricted as he looked at the newcomer.0

It was a young man with flowing black hair. He was tall and slender, with cold eyes that perfectly matched the sharp angles of his face. He looked like an unsheathed blade as he approached.0

He was none other than Xu Qing.1

His expression was calm as he walked past the innkeeper to the corpse. Reaching down, he took the criminal’s sack, then pulled the dagger out of the wall, twisting it so that it decapitated the corpse. As the body fell to the ground, Xu Qing kicked it.0

The corpse flopped down in front of the grim-faced innkeeper.0

A whooshing sound could be heard as the anaconda appeared, peeping past the innkeeper to look at Xu Qing. Her eyes glittered.0

“Coo. Coooo.”3

“My treat,” Xu Qing said coolly.0

Looking very happy, the anaconda swallowed the corpse and gave Xu Qing a nod.0

“This is too much, Xu Qing!” the old innkeeper said, glaring at him coldly.0

Xu Qing turned to look at the old man, then flicked his wrist, sending his dagger flying out into the darkness. It pierced through the wind, then provoked another scream as a second criminal who had...0