"Lord Qiu returned just last night, and came back again this morning, rushing through dust and wind. You must be exhausted. Why didn’t you inform me, so I could arrange an escort to and from for Lord Qiu?"

Fa Hongwen tried to curry favor, but missed the mark.

"Such a small matter doesn’t need to trouble Gang Leader Fa. On the contrary, my two subordinates have received Gang Leader Fa’s care."

"Of course! Of course!"

These words were like a spring breeze, making Fa Hongwen quite happy, and he felt their relationship had drawn much closer.

But the next second, Qiu Xiaoping abruptly changed the subject.

"Gang Leader Fa, since Young Master Diao is here, there’s no need to trouble you to summon anyone. Gang Leader Fa, in fact I have something I wish to discuss with Young Master Diao alone. I’d like to ask Gang Leader Fa to grant us this convenience."

Fa Hongwen’s expression stiffened, then he nodded repeatedly.

"As you wish! As you wish!"

With that, he withdrew.

And Qiu Xiaoping swept his gaze over Qin Er and the other, and the two of them hurriedly took the hint and excused themselves.

Very soon, in the main hall only Fang Yu and Qiu Xiaoping were left.

Before Fang Yu could speak, Qiu Xiaoping suddenly turned his hand over and produced an item!

With just one glance, Fang Yu’s eyes widened on the spot!

Because the moment the thing in Qiu Xiaoping’s hand was brought out, the dense Evil Qi on Fang Yu’s body was as if strongly attracted by it, faintly being pulled toward it!

"A Talisman of Malevolence Dispelling!"

Fang Yu directly laid bare the item’s true nature in one sentence, standing up in excitement!

The effect was extremely powerful.

Even at a distance, it was already like a black hole, tugging at the Evil Qi in his body through the void!

If he actually made contact with it, the effect would only become several times stronger at least!

This effect was far stronger than the Talisman of Malevolence Dispelling in that [short-sleeved soul clothes] he currently had on hand, by who knows how many times!

But of course, that short-sleeved soul clothes—he’d been using it for so long that it had already reached its limit.

The fact that it could still slowly absorb Evil Qi showed just how remarkable the thing was.

"Young Master Diao truly is well-informed and knowledgeable, to recognize this item’s true nature at a glance."

Qiu Xiaoping tossed the square object in his hand, which resembled a seal, toward Fang Yu.

"This item is called the Dragon Soul Seal..."

By the time Qiu Xiaoping said this, Fang Yu had already reached out and caught the seal.

Just as it was drawing near to Fang Yu through the air, the Evil Qi on Fang Yu’s body had already begun to violently riot.

As if provoked by something, it wildly and fiercely danced.

The instant Fang Yu’s hands caught the item and his skin came into contact with it...

Boom!!

The Evil Qi throughout his entire body surged madly into the seal like a swimming dragon!

Shshshshshshshsh!

The dense Evil Qi that had been lingering and refusing to disperse finally seemed to have found a vent, continuously and frenziedly pouring into the seal.

The momentum was so intense, the commotion so great, that Qiu Xiaoping—who had been preparing to continue explaining the specific origin of this Talisman of Malevolence Dispelling—was stunned on the spot.

What heavy Evil Qi!

What a massive amount!

No wonder he was so desperate to seek a Talisman of Malevolence Dispelling. With such heavy Evil Qi clinging to him, anyone would hasten to find a way to dispel it.

But why would Young Master Diao have such dense Evil Qi?

Evil Qi is not something ordinary people can control.

To slaughter one is a crime; to slaughter a million is Evil.

Could it be that Young Master Diao...

Just as the thought arose, Qiu Xiaoping immediately rejected it in his heart.

Unlikely.

Young Master Diao did not seem like that kind of person. Moreover, though "a million" was a hyperbole, slaughtering even ten thousand was no easy feat; if someone had truly done so, the news should have spread long ago.

If it wasn’t Evil Qi condensed from slaughter, then it must be that he had entered some dangerous Land of Gathering Evil, or Ancient Evil Land, and been tainted by the Evil Qi within.

Ancient Evil Lands are rare in this world.

As for Lands of Gathering Evil, it was said that not long ago the Lord of Mansion of Foolish Underworld had just visited one, and such places are not somewhere just anyone can freely come and go. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

To make it out of a place like that alive, strength and fortune are both indispensable.

If it was neither of these, then it seemed only...

Qiu Xiaoping’s eyes shifted as he thought of some rumors in Thunder City about Blue Blood Disease.

It was just that the Evil Qi on those with Blue Blood Disease was far from being so dense.

Viewed this way, the possibility that he had visited a Land of Gathering Evil and thus been infected with Evil Qi was the greatest.

Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that it might truly be Blue Blood Disease either...

Qiu Xiaoping mused for a moment, then quickly pressed those thoughts down.

With利益 at stake, everything else had to be set aside.

"Is Young Master Diao satisfied with this item?"

Satisfied?

Far more than satisfied! It was perfect!

Fang Yu was even closing his eyes, savoring the feeling of having all the Evil Qi in his body swept clean away.

It had been so, so long since he’d experienced what it felt like to not have Evil Qi clinging to him.

After that short-sleeved soul clothes had stopped working so well, even though it kept absorbing, the Evil Qi on his body never truly cleared up.

Because the efficiency was too low, there would always be some Evil Qi left clinging to him.

To have it completely cleared out like today—this feeling was truly long-lost.

[System Prompt: In harmony and at peace, malicious thoughts disperse, and the body feels light.]

Opening his eyes, Fang Yu tightened his grip on the seal in his hand, looked at Qiu Xiaoping, and spat out three words.

"A fine item!"

Qiu Xiaoping smiled.

"As long as Young Master Diao likes it. This Dragon Soul Seal is said to be a relic of the previous dynasty, an official seal of sorts, with a very strong Evil-dispelling effect. Last night, after I returned to the Rebel Army, the President learned of the situation and had me retrieve this item from the storeroom."

"It’s said that the Evil-dispelling effect of this item is several times, even over a dozen times stronger than an ordinary Talisman of Malevolence Dispelling. It is part of the supplies the Rebel Army has prepared for exploring a Land of Gathering Evil in the future."

"But a Land of Gathering Evil is unimaginably dangerous; it’s not somewhere we can venture into anytime soon, not to mention that the Rebel Army is now besieged on all sides in Thunder City, with no mind to venture out. So this Talisman of Malevolence Dispelling has been left in the storeroom all this time, with no chance to be used."