Chapter 15: Blood for Blood

Qianye could not understand much of what Yu Renyan had said. He did not clarify who the little girl was, nor did he mention the name of the person he wanted Qianye to help take care of. But in the final words, Qianye heard the voice of a true warrior.

Every genuine soldier of the Great Qin Empire, when stepping onto the battlefield, is prepared not to return alive.

The Great Qin Empire, founded on martial prowess, has a fierce military ethos. Over the past thousand years, although other human kingdoms have successfully been established, none can compare to the high casualty rate among high-ranking officers in the Empire.

Qianye straightened his back and, at this moment when no one was watching, saluted the lifeless Yu Renyan with a military gesture.

This was a true fighter, a warrior who died on the battlefield. Perhaps he had many flaws, but his achievements against the dark races could outweigh all else.

Qianye left the ward and told the doctor, “He’s gone.”

The doctor nodded and led several assistants to handle Yu Renyan’s remains.

Qianye and Second Master stood in the hallway, waiting silently. The military from Blackflow City didn’t have time to arrive, so the Hunter’s Guild took over the funeral arrangements.

“What mission was he on? How could it result in such heavy casualties?” Qianye asked.

Second Master sighed and said, “They saw a Blood Feast at a settlement on the border, so they couldn’t resist and chased into the dark race-controlled area, where they were ambushed. An entire squad of high-level hunters! Only Yu Renyan managed to escape. It’s said that four Blood Knights and a demon-warrior appeared on the other side.”

“Blood Feast!” Qianye’s eyes instantly filled with killing intent.

During his time with the Red Scorpion, Qianye had witnessed the scene of a Blood Feast more than once. Each time, he was deeply shocked by the horrific sight, a natural sorrow felt by any normal being upon seeing their kind being brutally tortured and murdered.

Even within the dark races, there is controversy over the practice of Blood Feasts. Only a few factions that adhere to the ancient traditions still hold them. These dark races are the irreconcilable enemies of humanity.

The Empire’s principle is that whenever a Blood Feast occurs, the perpetrators must be hunted down relentlessly. If the actual perpetrator cannot be found or if conditions temporarily prevent the hunt, the Empire will launch a massive slaughter in the same area, repaying blood with blood.

This is the Empire’s unyielding stance. Even though this persistence has often been exploited by the dark races to set traps, the upper echelons of the Empire have never wavered. Even if the cost of revenge is high, the Empire is willing to bear it.

An imperial marshal once said, “In the face of blood vengeance, reason and pragmatism are meaningless.”

Because of the Blood Feast, this marshal led an army to fight several battles under unfavorable conditions, ultimately achieving victory at a great cost. Though more than half of the troops who followed him died, and he faced constant political attacks, no more Blood Feasts occurred in his territory for the rest of his life.

Qianye took a deep breath and said to Second Master, “I need to go out for a few days. Let’s put that task on hold until I return.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“To kill a few black-blooded bastards!”

Second Master was startled, “Are you mad? There’s a demon-warrior there! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

Qianye calmly replied, “Of course, I won’t go there to die, but there are plenty of black-blooded bastards in other places. Facing this kind of hatred, repaying blood with blood is the duty of every soldier of the Empire!”

“You’re not an imperial soldier!” Second Master said, exasperated.

Qianye suddenly realized his mistake and quickly changed the subject, “It doesn’t matter if I’m an imperial soldier or not. Those hunters weren’t soldiers either, yet they pursued the dark races into their territory.”

“They were a whole squad, and you…”

Seeing Qianye’s expression, Second Master didn’t continue, sighing deeply instead, “The panoramic scope has arrived. Come with me to get it, and then you can go. It might give you a better chance of survival.”

Qianye nodded, “Don’t worry, I won’t be reckless. Only the living can kill more black-blooded bastards!”

At this moment, Yu Renyan’s body was wheeled out of the operating room. His expression was peaceful, as if he were merely sleeping.

Qianye watched silently as the body was taken away, saying goodbye in his heart, “Farewell, friend.”

This man, despite only having a brief conversation with Qianye, had fought fiercely alongside him. It was their shared hatred for the dark races and the common traits of imperial soldiers that had brought them closer. In Qianye’s heart, this man was already a friend.

An hour later, Qianye, armed with the Eagle Strike and fully equipped for the wilderness, left Darkblood City and headed towards the dark race-controlled area. He chose a direction opposite to where Yu Renyan’s squad had been attacked. He would not rashly seek out the demon-warrior, but any high-ranking dark warrior, even those with noble titles, was on his hit list.

Whether for revenge against the Blood Feast or to avenge a friend, Qianye marched resolutely into the dark-ruled territory. Even if he could no longer wear the imperial uniform, he would never forget the honor and responsibility of being a soldier.

In just one day and night, Qianye traveled hundreds of kilometers. He then slowed down, carefully advancing. This area was already under dark race control, and organized patrols might appear. These were regular dark race soldiers, different from the scattered mercenaries he usually hunted in human territories.

Relying on his new panoramic scope, Qianye successfully avoided several patrol groups and infiltrated near a dark race settlement.

Lucky for him, it was a vampire settlement.

The settlement was an ancient castle with an attached estate, typical of traditional vampire architecture. The main building was cylindrical, with narrow, elongated windows starting seven or eight meters off the ground. Thorny vines covered the walls, intertwining and obscuring their original form after many years. The most striking feature was three conical towers, adorned with numerous grotesquely beautiful sculptures, giving the entire castle a grand yet eerie appearance.

Qianye quietly loaded the original force bullet he had made into the Eagle Strike and observed the settlement through the scope for a long time.

The castle was brightly lit, day and night, with figures constantly moving behind the long windows. It was a small clan, consisting of about a dozen formal vampires. The leader was an elderly vampire of baron rank, with silver hair, elegant and dignified. The other members included a Blood Knight and fewer than ten high-level warriors. The rest were ordinary vampires, and there were also a few pure-blood offspring, not yet grown.

Behind the castle, the estate had rows of low, flat-roofed houses, home to hundreds of humans. During the day, they worked the fields and cared for livestock. At night, when the vampires prepared for their “sacred meal,” these humans became the main course.

But these humans were rarely killed; they were bled in turns to provide sustenance for the vampires.

Seeing this, Qianye knew the clan was part of the more moderate faction, known as the “New Party,” which generally did not drink blood directly but consumed it as a beverage. This way, the humans providing the blood were not contaminated and could be used repeatedly.

Regardless, whether moderate or traditional, they were vampires, and thus Qianye’s targets. However, the vampire castle was a small fortress, and Qianye could not attack it head-on. So, he patiently waited for an opportunity.

Finally, late the next night, the clan’s elder, along with several warriors, left the castle to attend a banquet at another settlement. The baron, escorted by guards, climbed into a four-horse carriage, its body wrapped in deep blue velvet, with elaborate family crests embroidered on both sides.

As the old baron relaxed and settled into the comfortable seat, Qianye pulled the trigger!

The crisp sound of the Eagle Strike shattered the night’s silence. The bullet, enhanced with heavy-duty capabilities, carried a glimmer of energy and a wisp of blood essence. The shot was perfectly timed, at less than three hundred meters. The baron was halfway to sitting, and the guards had dispersed, leaving no time to dodge or block.

With a loud boom, the carriage door and half the compartment shattered. The baron was flung into the air, his body half-mangled. Chaos erupted; the terrified horses struggled to break free, while the guards rushed to shield the baron, fearing a follow-up attack.

Qianye loaded a second self-made original force bullet, slightly adjusting the aim to the castle gate six hundred meters away. A young Blood Knight was sprinting out, caught off guard, wearing only a linen shirt and trousers, carrying a slender rapier, without even his armor on.

The Eagle Strike fired again, the bullet’s silver glow cutting through the sky, heading for the Blood Knight. The knight, stunned, froze at the sight of the incoming silver light, unable to believe it was aimed at him.

What kind of original force gun could shoot seven hundred meters?

No one answered his question. Before the Blood Knight could react, the bullet slammed into him, putting him in a near-death state.

Qianye injected a military stimulant into his neck, enduring the burning pain as the liquid surged into his body. This stimulant, designed for combat, not only accelerated the recovery of original force but also temporarily increased his strength and reaction speed by about twenty percent.

He then rose from his hiding spot, kneeling on one knee, and grabbed a large-caliber, powder-type sniper rifle, loading it with a five-round curved magazine. He began to fire, each shot felling a vampire guard.

Qianye’s aim was impeccable, using the powerful sniper rifle like a pistol. The rapid shots sounded almost like a continuous roar. The sniper rifle’s power was comparable to a level two original force gun, deadly against vampires below level three and capable of wounding those up to level five.

The remaining vampire warriors, seeing Qianye’s reliance on the gun, scattered, accelerating and dodging, ghost-like, towards him. Against a human sniper, getting close meant certain death!