84: Chapter 84 Bounty

Yingshui City, at the Law Enforcement Hall of the Luoshui Sect.

A slightly slender figure slowly walked up the steps in front of the Law Enforcement Hall; the person who arrived was none other than Li Qing.

Li Qing stepped into the Law Enforcement Hall. The hall was spacious and bright. In the very center was a long table, and sitting behind it was a small steward of the Law Enforcement Hall, whose aura radiated the pressure of a top-tier expert at Qi Refining Perfection.

This person was looking down, flipping through documents, while several Disciples nearby were busy registering and verifying items, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Li Qing walked straight to the long table, waved his hand, and four heads landed on it with four soft thuds.

Each head had disheveled hair, eyes wide open, and their faces still bore the terror and ferocity from before their deaths.

"I am here to claim the bounty. These three are the Pi Island Three Brothers, and this one is Hua Zirong."

Li Qing's voice was calm, as if he were recounting something very ordinary.

But as soon as these words were spoken, the steward who had been looking down at the documents suddenly raised his head, his eyes full of astonishment. The Disciples who had been busy also hurriedly gathered around, surrounding the long table, their eyes fixed on the items on it, their expressions slowly changing from confusion to shock!

"The Pi Island Three Brothers? Hua Zirong?" A Disciple with freckles on his face shouted out involuntarily. He reached out to touch the heads but quickly pulled his hand back, turning to look at his companion beside him.

"Did you hear that right? Did he say the Pi Island Three Brothers at Qi Refining Level 9? And that lecherous thief Hua Zirong at Qi Refining Perfection?"

Another slightly chubby Law Enforcement Disciple swallowed hard, his eyes wide, and with trembling hands, he picked up the head closest to him to inspect it.

It was indeed Pi Hu, the eldest of the Pi Island Three Brothers!

Following that, the heads of the second brother, Pi Bao, and the third brother, Pi Lang, were identified one after another. Although their aura had dissipated, the residual Spiritual Qi fluctuations could not deceive anyone; they were undoubtedly the Pi Island Three Brothers who had been wanted for over half a year!

One must know that the Pi Island Three Brothers had been committing evils around the Luoshui Sect for years. The three cooperated tacitly, and even an average Cultivator at Qi Refining Peak might not necessarily be able to defeat them. The bounty notice had been posted for a long time, and many Cultivators had gone to capture them, only to return in failure or lose their lives. Unexpectedly, today, someone had actually beheaded them and brought them to the Law Enforcement Hall.

Before everyone could recover from the shock of the Pi Island Three Brothers, their gaze fell on Hua Zirong's head, and the room completely erupted.

The chubby Disciple carefully picked up Hua Zirong's head, compared it carefully with the bounty portrait posted on the wall of the Law Enforcement Hall, and probed the residual Spiritual Qi. His face instantly turned pale, and he looked up at the steward, his voice trembling: "Hao... Senior Brother Hao, it's true! It really is Hua Zirong! Qi Refining Perfection cultivation, that's right, it's this lecherous thief!"

Senior Brother Hao, who was sitting behind the table, could no longer sit still. He stood up and walked over to the heads, verifying them personally. The more he looked, the more alarmed he became. He raised his eyes to size up Li Qing, scanning him up and down several times before asking in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist, are you sure you killed these people with your own hands? The Pi Island Three Brothers are each at Qi Refining Level 9, and Hua Zirong is a top-tier expert at Qi Refining Perfection who has harmed many female Cultivators. In addition to our Luoshui Sect's bounty, he is also jointly wanted by two Immortal Cultivation Families. You... you are only at Qi Refining Level 8?"

Li Qing nodded, his tone remaining calm:

"I killed them myself; otherwise, why would these heads be with me? It's not like I picked them up, right?"

Li Qing thought about it but decided not to mention Luo Bing. Since she let him come to claim the bounty, it was clear she didn't want to get involved.

As soon as these words were spoken, the Law Enforcement Hall fell silent for a few seconds, followed by an even louder burst of discussion. The Cultivators who were originally handling other matters all gathered around, staring at Li Qing one by one, their eyes full of shock, confusion, and deep disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? A Loose Cultivator at Qi Refining Level 8 killed three at Qi Refining Level 9, and also slaughtered a Hua Zirong at Qi Refining Perfection? This is too outrageous!"

"I know how powerful the Pi Island Three Brothers are when they work together. Last time, my Senior Brother, who is at Qi Refining Peak, almost lost his life when he encountered them. This Loose Cultivator is too fierce!"

"Hua Zirong! That's a character who even gives the Luoshui Sect Inner Sect Disciples a headache. So many people have tried to take his head and failed, and he actually fell into the hands of a Loose Cultivator!"

Several Law Enforcement Disciples looked at each other, their shock impossible to hide.

The freckled Disciple picked up the bounty ledger on the side, flipped to the corresponding page, and began to calculate with trembling fingers, muttering to himself:

"The Pi Island Three Brothers, one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones each, that's three thousand for the three; Hua Zirong, the Law Enforcement Hall bounty is five thousand, the East City Gao Family and West City Sun Family each have a bounty of one thousand, adding up to seven thousand, totaling... totaling ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

"Ten thousand?!"

As soon as this was said, the entire Law Enforcement Hall was in an uproar. Everyone's gaze focused on Li Qing, filled with burning intensity, envy, and undisguised greed and covetousness.

One must know that for a Loose Cultivator, Spirit Stones are their lifeline. An ordinary Loose Cultivator at the Late Stage of Qi Refining could consider themselves lucky to save up one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones after working themselves to the bone for a year. Ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones is simply an astronomical figure!

Even for an Inner Sect Disciple of the Luoshui Sect, the monthly allowance is only a few hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Ten thousand is enough for a Loose Cultivator to Cultivate steadily for several years, and they could also buy quite a few Cultivation Techniques and Magical Artifacts, enough to make countless Cultivators green with envy.

Senior Brother Hao was also stunned; clearly, he hadn't expected the bounty amount to be so large. He steadied himself and instructed the Disciples:

"Quickly go to the treasury and withdraw ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and distribute them to this Fellow Daoist according to the rules."

Several Law Enforcement Disciples received the order and left, constantly looking back at Li Qing along the way, the shock in their eyes never fading.

They had been in the Law Enforcement Hall for so many years, seen people claim a few hundred Spirit Stones, and seen people claim a few thousand, but they had never seen a Loose Cultivator at Qi Refining Level 8 take away ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones at once. This was simply unheard of.

Not long after, two Law Enforcement Disciples walked in carrying a heavy wooden box. When the box was opened, a pile of shiny Low-Grade Spirit Stones was neatly stacked inside, Spiritual Qi overflowing, dazzling everyone's eyes. It was exactly ten thousand, not a single one less.

Li Qing stepped forward, waved his hand, and the Spirit Stones entered his Portable Cave Abode. He nodded slightly to Senior Brother Hao and turned to leave the Law Enforcement Hall.

The moment Li Qing turned around, he could clearly feel dozens of gazes sticking to him. In those gazes, there was envy, jealousy, and even more, raw covetousness and killing intent.

Among the Cultivators surrounding the hall, there were a few Loose Cultivators wearing gray clothes, their eyes sinister, staring at Li Qing. They exchanged glances and quietly followed him.

There were also two Cultivators dressed in the attire of Immortal Cultivation Families—they were from the Gao Family and the Sun Family. They had originally come to inquire about news of Hua Zirong, but didn't expect to happen upon Li Qing claiming the bounty. Looking at those ten thousand Spirit Stones, their mouths were practically stretching to their ears, their eyes full of greed, and they also quietly followed him.

Several Law Enforcement Disciples, watching Li Qing's back, couldn't help but whisper: "This Loose Cultivator is in big trouble now. Carrying ten thousand Spirit Stones while alone, he had better not step out of Yingshui City."

"Indeed. Wealth moves people's hearts. Ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones are enough to make many desperate criminals take risks. Even if he, a Qi Refining Level 8, could kill Hua Zirong, he can't withstand being outnumbered."

"Our Sect only cares about distributing the bounty; we don't care if he can take it away safely. In this world, you have to have the life to take it, and the life to spend it."

Senior Brother Hao said, and after finishing, he continued his work. To him, Li Qing's matter was merely an unexpected episode.