Chapter 129: Day and Night

Night Pupil never dawdled. She nearly violently pried open Qian Ye’s lips, plunging her tongue in to conquer and plunder.

A fierce blaze ignited within Qian Ye, almost driving him mad with heat! He abandoned all restraint and responded with the ferocity of a volcanic eruption.

With a thud, Qian Ye was forcefully pushed down. But he strained and flipped over, regaining the upper hand.

In a corner of the small town, bestial heavy breathing could be heard, causing the earth to shake and the mountains to tremble.

Suddenly, a window nearby opened, and a shrill voice cried out, “Can’t you let people sleep?!”

Out of the darkness, something flew through the air, forcefully lodging itself between the man’s teeth, blocking any further words. After much effort, he managed to extract the hard object from his mouth and examined it under a lamp. The sight sent shivers down his spine; it was an origin power grenade, fortunately not armed.

With a bang, the window slammed shut, and the lights went out, leaving no further disturbance.

But the seismic activity in the corner of the town continued.

The night in Evernight was especially long, but even the longest night must give way to dawn. The whole night had passed, and there should have been some faint light on the horizon. However, under the Iron Curtain, the sky remained a deep gray, only slightly lighter, with a tinge of aged white.

Qian Ye tossed his seemingly much heavier body onto the ground and lay there, panting heavily. His entire body ached, yet he felt an indescribable satisfaction. Amidst the joy, however, there was a heavy, leaden shadow, just like the current sky.

Night Pupil lay beside Qian Ye, her black hair drenched in sweat, sticking to her forehead. She raised a hand to tidy her disheveled hair, propping herself up slowly. This simple action caused her to frown slightly, revealing a hint of pain.

“Still hurting?” Qian Ye asked cautiously.

“Nonsense! You’ve never been this brave in battle!” Night Pupil glared at Qian Ye fiercely.

“But, it was you who told me to use force…”

“Of course, if you don’t exert yourself at a time like this, are you even a man?”

Qian Ye’s defense was stifled by Night Pupil’s retort, leaving him at a loss for words. He felt that whatever he said would be wrong.

Night Pupil looked up at the sky and suddenly calmed, saying, “It’s dawn.”

This seemed like a trivial statement; under the Iron Curtain, the day was dim, and the night wasn’t so dark. There wasn’t much difference between dawn and not. Yet, Qian Ye felt an inexplicable pang in his heart.

Night Pupil searched around, gathering her clothes and putting them on one by one, her face as calm as if it were just another ordinary morning, rather than the passionate night she had just spent with a man, their first intimate encounter.

Qian Ye silently got up and dressed as well. He had many questions and many things to say to Night Pupil, but he couldn’t utter a single word. He was still very afraid, fearing that if he asked, this night would truly be over.

Yet, the night would always pass, and dawn would inevitably come.

Night Pupil combed her black hair with her fingers, tying it into a ponytail behind her head. Apart from that, she looked no different from when she first arrived in the small town. Besides her deep pupils, there was nothing extraordinary about her, no sign of origin power or blood essence, making her seem like an ordinary human girl.

Qian Ye wasn’t surprised; she had been like this when he first met her. At that time, Qian Ye had already fought countless battles with the Blood Clan but hadn’t detected her identity. Now that Qian Ye also possessed the ability to conceal his bloodline, he naturally knew that some secret techniques and innate abilities could deceive the eyes and senses.

Looking at Qian Ye, Night Pupil calmly said, “It’s dawn. I should leave now.”

“So should I.”

“Next time…” Night Pupil paused, “There won’t be a next time.” She said this with such calmness and resolve, without a hint of hesitation, as if it were a simple farewell.

Watching Night Pupil’s retreating figure, Qian Ye knew there wouldn’t be a next time. Even if they met by chance in the future, it would be better not to.

She stood in Evernight, while he stood in Dawn. The distance between Evernight and Dawn was just a step away, yet it was an eternal chasm. Mountains and rivers might change due to the tremors of the continent, but the enmity engraved in the life marks of the two races could not be quelled by anything. Qian Ye’s hands were stained with the blood of the Blood Clan, and countless human powerhouses had perished under Night Pupil’s hands.

This hatred had endured for a thousand years, as if eternal.

If they met again, it would surely be on the battlefield. So why meet at all?

Qian Ye stood silently for what seemed like an eternity until night fell again. He slowly turned and left the Gray Market, vanishing into the depths of twilight.

The Gray Market was a spontaneous trading point that appeared during the Iron Curtain’s bloodshed, a natural haven for adventurers and opportunists. However, its existence was shorter than other similar regions on the continent’s border. Not long after Qian Ye left, a diverse crowd surged out of the town, dispersing in all directions. The Gray Market had only existed for a week.

When the cycle of day and night repeated, this place became a battlefield. Several teams from the Empire and the Dark Nation met here, and a fierce battle erupted, lasting several days and nights. The flames of war destroyed the entire town, leaving only the small bar of Dusk unscathed amidst the ruins, preserving a fragment of the memory of that night.

Qian Ye chose to head south. He had determined his location; the Gray Market was in the northern territory of the human domain, not far from the border, but Blackflow City was two thousand kilometers away. The edge of the Iron Curtain, which extended into the human territory, was a long arc. Blackflow City was in the southwest, while the Gray Market was in the northeast.

Unconsciously, Qian Ye had reached such a distant place, thanks to the activated Black Forest. It not only twisted the time and space of those who entered but, relative to the fixed landmass, its position was also constantly changing, only solidifying in a certain area after losing all vitality.

Regardless of the distance, once the direction was confirmed, it was easy. Qian Ye planned to head directly south, return to the human territory, and then take an airship back to Blackflow City, the fastest route.

Meanwhile, outside Blackflow City, the situation was tense.

In the small city of Linshui, less than a hundred kilometers from Blackflow, it had transformed into a large military camp. This was the border region of the Iron Curtain, where the few remaining beasts had been cleared. Large numbers of airships were taking off and landing in succession.

Each airship that landed disgorged a team of soldiers, unloading a vast array of advanced equipment, from heavy trucks to artillery vehicles. Escorting the massive fleet of airships were several main-class destroyers.

Inside Linshui, nearly three thousand soldiers had gathered, all elite private troops of the Nan Gong family. Around Linshui, there were several camps, with adventurers and mercenaries streaming in from all directions, setting up camp there.

On the city wall of Linshui, Nan Gong Yuanwang watched as another airship landed, nodding in satisfaction. He asked his subordinates, “How long until the assembly is complete?”

One person replied, “Elder, the last batch of soldiers will arrive in three days, but it will take about ten days to deliver all the equipment and supplies. This is our logistical limit.”

Nan Gong Yuanwang, with his hands behind his back, said, “No rush. We’ll move when everything is ready. No news from Jiancheng yet?”

Another person cautiously replied, “Elder, Jiancheng and all the soldiers who stayed behind to ambush have gone missing. The Black Forest has also vanished. Subordinate speculates that Jiancheng might have mistakenly entered the Black Forest, resulting in the loss of contact.”

Nan Gong Yuanwang sighed deeply, his face darkening. Jiancheng was one of his main generals, and the loss of many elite soldiers severely weakened his strength, potentially affecting his position in the family.

However, it was too late to regret now. Nan Gong Yuanwang cast a resentful glance towards Blackflow City, his eyes filled with hate. He blamed Blackflow City and the Darkflame Mercenary Corps, and by extension, Song Zining and the Song clan.

“Any changes in Blackflow City?”

His subordinates hesitated before one finally spoke, “No changes, Elder.”

Nan Gong Yuanwang’s eyes flashed with a cold light. “The bodies of our Nan Gong family soldiers are still hanging on the city walls? Has the envoy for negotiations not arrived yet?”

The man, looking miserable, replied, “Elder, the envoy has returned. Song Zining is extremely arrogant. He… he said…”

“Speak!”

“He said, ‘Those people committed serious crimes; they’ll be hung for a few days first.'”

“Arrogant!” Nan Gong Yuanwang roared, creating a violent gust of wind that knocked his subordinates off balance.

A close aide, struggling to steady himself, hastily said, “Elder, please calm down! The seventh son of the Song family is so arrogant that he will bring about his own downfall. But subordinate believes that it is not advisable to act immediately. Perhaps we could…”

Nan Gong Yuanwang slowly reined in his aura, coldly saying, “Speak!”

The aide moved closer and lowered his voice, “Subordinate just received news that the Dark Race has recently assembled a large army, with unknown intentions. That man has a deep connection with them. If we leak some information, we can divert the Dark Race’s forces to Blackflow City. Regardless of who wins, when our Nan Gong family’s army attacks, we will sweep them away like autumn leaves.”

Nan Gong Yuanwang frowned, “Those Dark Races are ruthless and cunning. How can we ensure they will act as we expect, even if we provide them with information?”

The aide moved even closer, speaking in an even lower voice, “Elder, in Blackflow City, there is the seventh son of the Song family, the second-ranked heir. Such a figure is a great military achievement for the Dark Races. Why should we worry about them not taking the bait?”

Nan Gong Yuanwang realized, “This plan is excellent! Very well, do as you suggest. When the Dark Army breaches Blackflow City, I will credit you with a great merit!”

The aide quickly bowed, “Thank you, Elder! There is one more thing, I hope you will permit me to speak.”

Nan Gong Yuanwang, now in a good mood, said, “Go ahead.”

“We have suffered significant losses here. Not only was Lord Xiaofeng seriously injured, but Lords Tiancheng and Jiacheng have also fallen, and three entire battalions of elite soldiers have been lost. Elder, the root cause of all this is not Qian Ye or Song Zining, but a woman named Nan Gong Xiaoniao.”

Nan Gong Yuanwang snorted, “I am aware of this. Though Nan Gong Xiaoniao is somewhat attractive, she is hardly a beauty to die for, and she is just a distant relative. I fail to see what is so special about her.”

“Elder, for this one woman, the clan leader mobilized a large force, wasting resources and manpower, and the loss of soldiers was severe. When this matter is known, many will be dissatisfied, both above and below.”

Nan Gong Yuanwang’s expression changed, and he asked, feigning ignorance, “What do you mean by that?”