A master of comedy!

Chapter 188 Xuan Qiong Division

Zhou Sheng, unusually, ignored the mischievous red thread and quietly watched the man walking towards him. His pupils turned slightly square, and a faint green hue appeared in the depths of his eyes.

Those eyes seemed to suddenly become deep and unfathomable, like an abyss that sent chills down one's spine.

The air seemed to freeze, and even the chirping of cicadas around us became much quieter.

After his tongue was opened, he underwent a qualitative leap. Normally, he was indifferent to worldly affairs and harmless to humans and animals. However, as his energy flowed, his sharpness suddenly appeared, and the flowers, trees, insects, and fish within a radius of dozens of feet seemed to be affected.

A single glance was enough to make the man stop in his tracks.

At the same time, Yao Taifeng had already placed her hand on the soft sword at her waist; she always kept her weapon with her at all times.

"Please don't get agitated, I mean no harm."

The man put the orange cat down and let the red thread fly to Zhou Sheng's side, showing no intention of taking it hostage.

He smiled slightly and said, "Let me introduce myself, my name is—"

Before introducing yourself, please show your face.

Zhou Sheng coldly interrupted him, because the man opposite him seemed to be hiding in the shadows, and his face was not very clear.

The man's face darkened, then he smiled bitterly and took a few steps forward, exposing himself completely to the moonlight.

However, the face was still not clearly visible.

“I didn’t hide it on purpose, it’s just that… I was born with dark skin.”

Zhou Sheng was taken aback. After careful observation, he confirmed that the other party had not used any magic to conceal their appearance, but that their skin was genuinely dark.

This was a middle-aged man with dark, charcoal-black skin and an upright posture. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a handsome face, but he was unkempt, with stubble like wild grass, looking travel-worn and exuding a weathered air.

He was wearing the most ordinary cloth clothes, and his boots were covered in mud and were very worn.

In short, he was a very ordinary-looking middle-aged man; the only thing that stood out was his eyes.

He looked somewhat tired, yet there was an indescribable composure and determination about him.

The man smiled, his dark skin making his teeth appear even whiter: "My name is Bao Ying, Bao as in Bao Gong, Ying as in Ying Zheng, twenty-nine years old, a second-rank Demon Suppression Captain of the Xuanqiong Division. Greetings, Boss Long, Boss Feng..."

"And the small business owner on the red line."

The way she called him "little boss" pleased Hongxian, and she meowed, "But uncle, aren't you only eight years older than the boss? Why do you look like a little old man?"

The smile that had just appeared on Bao Ying's face froze instantly.

Is this the main focus?

"Working on cases is hard work, involving exposure to the elements, which naturally makes me look older."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Sheng's expression turned serious, knowing that the other party was a government official, and definitely not an ordinary yamen runner.

That capable demeanor, along with the faint fluctuations of magical power emanating from him, indicated that the other party was no ordinary person. Although not as powerful as himself, he was not weak either.

Zhou Sheng estimated that he was probably at the peak of the third stage, just half a step away from breaking through to the next level.

"Xuanqiong Division..."

Zhou Sheng pondered the name, a thought suddenly struck him, and he said, "The Supreme Emperor of the Mysterious Vault is the title of the Jade Emperor. Using this as your name, it seems you are... enforcing the law on behalf of Heaven."

This "heaven" naturally refers to the emperor.

“Boss Long is indeed a smart man, but in Bao’s opinion, it doesn’t matter who you work for, what matters is whether you can get things done and who will benefit from it.”

Although it was their first meeting, Bao Ying displayed an unusual frankness, her gaze clear and bright, without the slightest hint of evasion.

"There's something I'd like to ask Mr. Long for help with—"

"Were you the one who was following me today?"

Zhou Sheng suddenly asked.

"It's not me, it's my people."

Zhou Sheng gave him a deep look and said, "Even your subordinates have such methods. Lord Bao's forces are full of elite soldiers. Why bother coming to me, a mere opera singer?" Bao Ying shook his head and explained, "We followed Boss Long not out of malice, but to make a preliminary assessment to see if Boss Long is capable of doing this. If he is not capable, I would never have shown myself tonight to ask for his help."

Zhou Sheng sneered, "Do we know each other?"

We just met.

Do you have a relationship with them?

"No."

Bao Ying gave a wry smile, having already understood Zhou Sheng's meaning.

"Then why should I do anything for you? Just because you're dark-skinned, look old, and don't like taking baths?"

Zhou Sheng touched his nose and said indifferently, "I can smell your stench from three zhang away. I suggest you save your energy and go take a bath first. Qing Shui Ge in Pipa Lane is quite good, and I heard they're having a discount today."

After saying this, Zhou Sheng took Yao Taifeng's hand and prepared to leave.

The other party had a powerful background, but he wasn't afraid, because his strength was his greatest source of confidence.

Zhou Sheng could sense that when he deliberately humiliated and mocked the other party, there were twelve faint fluctuations of energy around him. Although they were very well concealed, they still revealed a flaw.

This shows that Bao Ying held a very high position in the hearts of those people, which is why they were willing to die for their lord and could not control themselves.

These people were all elites, but even combined, they weren't enough for him to kill alone. Only Bao Ying in front of him was somewhat interesting.

Therefore, Zhou Sheng casually brushed past the other party, seemingly without any defenses, but secretly harboring murderous intent.

In the darkness, Bao Ying slowly raised his hand.

In an instant, twelve killing intents appeared and disappeared, locking onto Zhou Sheng and the others from afar. They seemed to be arranged in some kind of formation, like a net that stretched across the sky and earth, mysterious and unpredictable.

But as Bao Ying made a gesture, the twelve restless auras froze for a moment, and then quickly dissipated.

Zhou Sheng smiled slightly.

"You're a smart man too; at least you saved their lives just now."

Bao Ying watched his retreating figure and sighed.

"Boss Long, can't we really discuss this?"

"Not interested."

Zhou Sheng didn't turn his head back, and his voice gradually disappeared into the wind, but the warning and killing intent in it lingered for a long time.

"Don't follow me anymore, or... you know what I'll do."

After a long silence, Bao Ying shook his head and sighed, "Just as the case file records, this person is extremely guarded and has a strong desire to kill. He is indeed a vicious person."

"Brother, I think this person is too arrogant. So what if he has profound skills? If we brothers set up the Heavenly Gang Formation together, plus the Talisman Fire Thunderbolt and the Dragon Suppressing Nail, even a master of the fourth level might not be able to win!"

A figure in black appeared beside Bao Ying, wearing a Nine Netherworld Iron Mask, revealing only a pair of gleaming eyes.

The others also appeared, all dressed in black robes and wearing iron masks, to show their approval.

Bao Ying shook her head and glared at them, saying, "We're asking for help, do you even know how to write the word 'ask'?"

“Zhou Sheng is not a demon, but a citizen of Da Xuan. How can we use the methods meant for demons on him?”

"But brother, Zhou Sheng killed so many people this week, including a county magistrate. Can he be considered a commoner of Da Xuan?"

"Yes, and you clearly found out he was the murderer, but you took the initiative to suppress the case for him, and even specially commissioned an artist to paint a picture that... doesn't look like him at all. Why didn't you say that just now?"

Bao Ying's gaze was deep, and after a long while, he slowly spoke.

“Because of this matter, I did not do this intentionally to ask for his help, but because I genuinely wanted to do it.”

"If that's the case, what does it have to do with him?"

……

(End of this chapter)