I Can Upgrade Everything Infinitely-Chapter 100 - 99: A Narrow Escape

This slash from Xu Qing was the pinnacle of his current power, condensing all of his Power. As the sword descended, Sword Light bloomed like petals from a withering flower.

All things wither.

It contained faint traces of Sword Intent.

RRRIP!

Xu Qing swept his sword with all his might. Sword Qi spilled forth and Sword Light crisscrossed the air, like a Heaven Opening strike. The explosive Power it unleashed tore apart the surrounding gray fog.

"Ice Palm!"

"Vajra Dominating Body!"

BOOM! BOOM!

At the same time, Cold Ice and Vajra also struck with all their might.

CRACK! CRACK!

BANG!

A portion of the surrounding gray fog burst apart. Xu Qing had first torn an opening, which Cold Ice and Vajra then widened significantly.

"Go!"

WHOOSH!

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Qing executed the Dapeng Escape Technique and shot through the opening, while Cold Ice and Vajra covered his retreat.

"!!!"

At that moment, Jiang Feiying’s eyes widened. She tried to shout, but with her mouth bound by a red cloth, she couldn’t utter a single word or make a sound.

And so, just before being dragged completely into the bridal sedan, she watched with her own eyes as Xu Qing actually tore through the gray fog, his Daoist Soldier taking the brunt of the disaster for him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Daoist Soldier.

A Dharma Guardian General.

Besides possessing immense combat strength, in a perilous situation like this, a Daoist Soldier could even shield its master from calamity.

Just as it was now.

The Flame Daoist Soldier had used its own body to shield Xu Qing from this disaster.

"!!!"

In the end, filled with boundless unwillingness, endless fury, and a deep-seated hatred and curse for Xu Qing, her eyes were completely covered by the red cloth.

From then on, she could see nothing, sense nothing, feel nothing.

Just like that, Jiang Feiying was pulled into the bridal sedan.

The sedan’s curtain fell.

And with that, Jiang Feiying vanished.

RUMBLE!

Meanwhile, the coffin began to shake violently. A Daoist Soldier was, after all, a Daoist Soldier—not a true living being. It had only managed to fool the Deceit for a short while.

Now, as the coffin lid slowly closed, the Daoist Soldier was exposed.

It was not a true living being.

And so, the coffin trembled violently. An endless gray fog shot toward the heavens, venting its absolute fury, while the funeral procession blew their suonas with frantic energy.

And now, the wedding procession had its bride, but the funeral procession lacked the one meant for burial.

As a result, the "Deceit: Red-White Clash" immediately began to transform.

And so, the two processions quickened their pace. They had to find a true person for the burial to fill the void in their ranks.

Before long, the procession of the "Deceit: Red-White Clash" vanished without a trace.

By this point, Xu Qing had completely escaped the range of the "Deceit: Red-White Clash." He glanced back. His Daoist Soldiers, Cold Ice and Vajra, were still with him, but he had lost the Flame Daoist Soldier forever.

As for Jiang Feiying.

Trapped in the hands of the Deceit.

She was as good as dead.

*Phew...*

Xu Qing took a deep breath. He glanced at the sky; dawn was still an hour or two away, and the wilderness was pitch-black. ’I can’t believe I actually ran into a Deceit today.’

’After all these years, this is the first time I’ve ever encountered a true Deceit.’

Of course, if Xu Qing had encountered a Deceit before, he would have been long dead. There was no way he would have survived until now.

’Just as I thought.’ Xu Qing mused, ’The saying "don’t press a cornered foe" isn’t without reason. If I hadn’t pursued Jiang Feiying all this way today, I wouldn’t have lost a Daoist Soldier.’

’Then again... if I hadn’t pursued her all this way, she wouldn’t have died at the hands of the Deceit. She would definitely still be alive, and allowing such an enemy to live is not a good thing.’

’Trading one Daoist Soldier for Jiang Feiying’s life... all things considered, I came out ahead.’

Afterward, under the protection of his two Daoist Soldiers, Xu Qing rushed back to Qingfeng Town at top speed. The journey back was uneventful, and he encountered no evil spirits or Deceits.

「The next day.」

Early in the morning, the sun had already risen.

Xu Qing returned to Qingfeng Town and stood before its gates. He had already removed the Evil Ghost Mask and reverted to his original appearance.

’I’m back.’

Xu Qing took a deep breath, his expression calm and serene as he walked toward the town gate.

"Lord Xu Qing."

Just then, at the town gate, two guards hurried over. They stood before Xu Qing and bowed, their tone filled with the utmost respect. "The Garrison Envoy requests your presence!"

"The Garrison Envoy?"

Xu Qing paused, surprised.

Clearly, Xu Qing still didn’t know what a Garrison Envoy was.

"Yes." The two guards nodded and continued, "The Lord Garrison Envoy asked us to inform you that your two apprentices are with him. And your eldest apprentice still hasn’t woken up."

’Yu Hu.’

Xu Qing frowned.

"Alright." Xu Qing nodded. "Lead the way."

"Lord Xu, please."

The two guards gestured for him to follow and began to lead the way.

The people at the gate all watched Xu Qing with awe-filled gazes.

Once inside the town, the two guards led Xu Qing onward, passing through Qingfeng Town’s Outer City and into the Inner City. They then proceeded along the Inner City’s main road.

The two guards then led Xu Qing to the Qingfeng Town Government Office.

"Lord Xu." The two guards said, "The Lord Garrison Envoy is waiting for you inside. We have other duties to attend to, so we can only escort you this far."

"Alright."

Xu Qing nodded.

"Lord Xu, we’ll take our leave."

The two guards bowed, then turned and left.

’The Qingfeng Town Government Office.’

Xu Qing looked up, gazing at the imposing gates of the Government Office, the two stone lions standing guard at the entrance, and the prominent grievance drum.

"You must be Lord Xu, Xu Qing, correct?"

Xu Qing had just arrived, and the two guards had only just left, when a constable from the entrance immediately approached. He stood before Xu Qing with a respectful tone and humble expression.

"Yes."

Xu Qing nodded.

"Lord Xu, this way, please," the constable said quickly.

"Alright," Xu Qing said.

And so, the constable led Xu Qing into the Government Office. They walked along its paths and corridors, passing rockeries and gardens.

Xu Qing soon arrived at the rear courtyard of the Government Office.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The constable knocked on the rear courtyard’s gate.

"What is it?" a dignified voice called from inside.

"My lord, Lord Xu, Xu Qing, has arrived," the constable said.

"Good."

"Have him come in at once."

There was a hint of pleasure in the dignified voice.

The constable pushed open the gate to the rear courtyard.

"Lord Xu, after you."

The constable gestured, but did not dare step into the rear courtyard himself.

"Mm."

Xu Qing gave a slight nod and walked into the rear courtyard. Once he was inside, the constable closed the gate behind him.

Inside the rear courtyard, Xu Qing noticed there were several people.

Five people in total.

"Xu Qing?"

One of them, a middle-aged man dressed in the official robes of a County Magistrate, looked at Xu Qing. He sized him up and down a few times before asking, his voice tinged with doubt.

There were four other men.

All four were elderly men with graying hair, each radiating an incredibly powerful aura that put considerable pressure on even Xu Qing.

’Clearly,’ he thought, ’these four old men I’ve never seen before must be top-tier experts of the Immortal realm. They must be the strongest masters in all of Qingfeng Town.’

"I am," Xu Qing confirmed with a nod. "And you seniors are...?"

"Duan Wanyu, the County Magistrate of Qingfeng Town," the middle-aged man in the County Magistrate’s robes replied.

"Ah, the County Magistrate." Xu Qing had already suspected as much. "This humble commoner, Xu Qing, greets Magistrate Duan."

"There’s no need for such formalities," Duan Wanyu said with a smile.

Then, Duan Wanyu continued, "This is our Qingfeng Town’s Garrison Envoy, Lord Yin Shanhe."

Duan Wanyu pointed to a thin old man beside him as he introduced him. "Lord Yin Shanhe has watched over Qingfeng Town for decades. He is immensely powerful, and his cultivation has reached the peak of the Martial Path First Realm."

"Lord Yin."

Xu Qing clasped his hands in a salute.

Yin Shanhe sized up Xu Qing and said, "Mm. I am old now. As the saying goes, heroes emerge from the young. For you to have already reached the Peak of External Gang at your age, stepping into the Immortal realm should not be difficult."

"You praise me too highly, Lord Yin," Xu Qing said.

Clearly, Xu Qing was using the Turtle Breath Technique to make his cultivation appear to be at the Peak of External Gang.

"This is the ancestor of the Zhuang Family, Zhuang Rong." Duan Wanyu continued his introductions. "He is also an expert at the peak of the Martial Path First Realm."

"Greetings, Master Zhuang."

Xu Qing clasped his hands in salute again, noting that Master Zhuang was a slightly portly old man with a long, snow-white beard who always seemed to be squinting.

"And these two are the ancestor of the Wang Family, Wang Changlong, and the ancestor of the Gongsun Clan, Gongsun Yue."

Duan Wanyu introduced the other two as well.

"Greetings, Master Wang, Master Gongsun."

Xu Qing saluted each of them in turn.

"Mm."

Wang Changlong was a square-faced elder.

Gongsun Yue’s smile was as kind as a neighborhood grandfather’s. "Excellent, excellent. Ah, Xu Qing, how old might you be? Are you married? My granddaughter is sixteen this year. If you have the chance, you two should get to know each other."

"Ahem..."

Duan Wanyu cleared his throat.

"Master Gongsun, this junior is not married," Xu Qing replied.

"That’s good to hear! If you find the time, you should come visit my estate." Gongsun Yue added, "I’ll introduce you two."

"Gongsun Yue, we sought out Xu Qing for official business," Yin Shanhe interjected sharply.

"..."

Gongsun Yue shrugged and said no more.

"Lord Yin, may I ask why you were looking for me?" Xu Qing asked.

"Xu Qing, do you know the Sword Immortal, Li Bai?" Yin Shanhe asked.

"Well..." Xu Qing said with a smile, "The Sword Immortal, Li Bai? To be honest, I know of him, but he doesn’t know me."

"I’ve only been fortunate enough to witness him in action a few times. As for the specifics, Commander Wang and his men are well aware of the situation."

"Oh."

Yin Shanhe’s expression grew thoughtful.

"Lord Yin, I’m concerned about my apprentices. May I ask how my eldest, Yu Hu, is doing? Is he still unconscious?" Xu Qing asked.