Chapter 2: The Enigmatic Gift

The shape of the bare right foot was quite beautiful, but if one were to look up and see the taut, powerful lines of the slender calf, it was clear that this kick would not be easy to endure!

Qian Ye instinctively raised his hand and seized the ankle before him. There was a muffled thud as Qian Ye’s entire body shook, and he was actually pushed off the ground by the force of the kick.

“Still lacking in power compared to a Blood Warrior…” This thought flashed through Qian Ye’s mind in an instant.

The force of the kick was weaker than he had anticipated, and although it caught him off guard, it seemed manageable.

With a surge of primal force, Qian Ye’s body suddenly pressed down, heavy as a mountain, and his feet steadied on the ground. With a solid base, he used his left hand to yank the person towards him. Although the opponent struggled, their strength was clearly being completely suppressed.

Qian Ye suddenly made a sound of surprise; his years of combat instincts told him that a primal force gun was aimed at him, followed by the faint sound of a bullet being chambered.

He gave a sudden shake and pull to the ankle, completely disrupting the opponent’s balance. Then, Qian Ye pounced, pressing the person down with the force of a mountain. The primal force pistol flew out of the person’s hand, whistling past Qian Ye’s ear and sliding across the floor until it hit the wall on the other side of the room.

The speed and timing of the pounce satisfied even Qian Ye himself. He had seized the momentary delay between the gun’s charging and firing, and with a simple tug and pounce, he had taken down the opponent and entered a close-quarters fight.

Qian Ye reached out and accurately grabbed the opponent’s wrists, holding them firmly in his left hand. A brief struggle ensued, and only after he had subdued the person, pinning them beneath him, did he relax and push himself up.

Suddenly, a flash of firelight outside the window illuminated the room for a moment.

Both the person above and below were momentarily stunned.

Under Qian Ye was Yu Yingnan, who seemed to have just come out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a bathrobe. Now, after the intense struggle, the robe had flown to another corner of the room.

As Qian Ye looked down, Yu Yingnan was completely exposed from head to toe.

Years of relentless training had given her a body like a female leopard—tight and muscular, filled with explosive power yet not overly bulky. Additionally, her chest was indeed something to be proud of. There was a peculiar scent in the air, which had been subtle before but now gave off a soft, sweet aroma, entirely different from the grassy, grain-wine smell. It was the fragrance of rice wine. Clearly, this female hunter had been enjoying herself earlier.

Qian Ye suddenly felt a shock, beads of sweat immediately forming on his forehead, and the hazy drunken feeling instantly vanished, leaving him fully awake.

After a moment of confusion, Yu Yingnan’s tense body relaxed, and she called out, “Qian Ye?”

“It’s me!” Qian Ye instinctively released his left hand, freeing Yu Yingnan’s hands, but then he froze, seemingly at a loss for what to do next.

Yu Yingnan sighed helplessly, reached out to pat Qian Ye’s face, and said, “Get off! How long do you want to keep looking!”

Qian Ye leaped up and instantly moved to the sofa, sitting down properly.

Yu Yingnan, on the other hand, was much more composed. She casually straightened her flexible waist, bent down to pick up her clothes, and put on her underwear, pants, corset, and finally, her tactical jacket, all in front of Qian Ye.

Then, Yu Yingnan pulled up a chair, sat in front of Qian Ye, who still looked a bit dazed, and patted his face again, “Well, explain yourself! What happened?”

“Um, well, it’s like this…”

A minute later, Yu Yingnan looked at Qian Ye with a strange expression and finally couldn’t help asking, “You say you drank too much?”

“Yes,” Qian Ye answered honestly.

“Just a pot of grain wine?”

“Two cups. The rest was all Second Master’s,” Qian Ye replied very sincerely.

“Isn’t that stuff as weak as water?”

“Actually, it still has some kick,” Qian Ye said seriously after thinking for a moment.

“And you got drunk?”

“Yes.”

Seeing Qian Ye’s earnest face, Yu Yingnan found it hard to decide whether to laugh or cry.

She stood up, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag, not knowing how to describe her mixed feelings. The last time they had a drinking contest, Qian Ye hadn’t gotten drunk even after more than ten bottles of strong liquor, and now he was tipsy after just two cups of rice wine? Was it alcohol-induced recklessness or courage?

Facing Qian Ye’s flimsy excuse, she could only spit out a harsh word, “Damn!”

Qian Ye stood up and said, “So… I should go?”

Yu Yingnan stopped him, “Wait! Why did you come to see me?”

“I got drunk and wandered over here.”

Yu Yingnan’s movements seemed to freeze for a moment, and she inhaled the smoke too quickly, causing her to cough violently. After several coughs, she waved at Qian Ye, “Alright! If there’s nothing else, go back!”

“Okay!” Qian Ye was obedient.

“Wait!” Yu Yingnan called out again.

Qian Ye turned around, his obsidian-like eyes gleaming in the dim room. Yu Yingnan opened her mouth, but forgot why she had called him. Perhaps there was nothing to begin with.

This time, Yu Yingnan scratched her head, and then suddenly rushed into the storage room. There was a clatter of objects, and it sounded like a shelf had collapsed. She then rushed back out, holding a large bag filled with various rations and long-lasting canned goods.

Yu Yingnan shoved the bag into Qian Ye’s hands, “Take it and eat slowly!”

Holding the large, heavy bag, Qian Ye left the room, his mind blank.

Behind him, he heard Yu Yingnan shout, “I’ll come find you when there’s a new mission!”

Qian Ye nodded and walked away.

Yu Yingnan slammed the door shut and leaned against it, breathing heavily as if she had just fought a great battle. Once she calmed down, she began to mutter to herself, “Why am I talking so much today?”

“Should I say less next time?”

“Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“Maybe I should be like before…”

“What was I like before? Oh no, maybe I drank too much.”

And so, her mutterings echoed in the room, circling back to the beginning and starting over again.

Qian Ye returned to his room in the small inn, having just moved to a new place. After closing the door and blocking out the noise from the hallway, he finally let out a long breath, feeling somewhat drained.

He felt like a child who had been caught red-handed by an adult. Though Yu Yingnan had only worked with him once, her commanding style was similar to the strict, domineering style of his previous superiors, inadvertently triggering his long-ingrained habit of obeying orders.

The only difference was that her command skills were not very good, mostly limited to “Charge” and “Go together,” far worse than even the most inept commander, Southern Sky.

Qian Ye opened the bag and saw a mountain of canned goods, sighing wryly. It seemed that Yu Yingnan had stuffed at least half of her supplies into the bag.

Qian Ye still couldn’t understand why she had given him a bunch of canned goods instead of something else, like blank primal force bullets or a good military knife, which would have been excellent gifts. Why a pile of canned goods?

Perhaps coincidentally, Qian Ye was in dire need of a lot of food. His strength was growing every day, and so was his appetite. After that night, he realized that drinking blood, especially from powerful Blood Warriors, replenished his energy and promoted the growth of his blood aura. Without blood, he needed to eat a lot to satisfy his body’s needs.

But no matter how much he ate, it didn’t promote the growth of his blood aura. So far, the only way seemed to be the spontaneous formation of primal force tides to nurture his blood aura.

Qian Ye pulled out his military knife and opened the cans one by one, eating them. As he consumed the food, the wounds from his fierce battle with the Blood Warrior continued to heal faster.

Meanwhile, after pacing around the room for a long time, Yu Yingnan suddenly rushed into the storage room, flung open the door, and saw the shelves, half-empty and one overturned. She was dumbfounded.

“Oh my God! I actually gave him a bunch of canned goods! What kind of… ” Yu Yingnan groaned and slumped to the ground.

From then on, Qian Ye did not venture out to gather information. Since the Broken Winged Angel and the Expeditionary Force had made no moves, it might mean that Wei Potian had not confirmed his identity, or perhaps for some other reason, the pursuit had ceased. This was the best outcome for Qian Ye.

Even if Qi Yue’s incident had led the trail to this place, Qian Ye did not want to leave Darkblood City unless absolutely necessary. He found the city suitable for settlement, with access to most of the resources he needed, never-closed gates, and crowds to mask his dark aura. Additionally, the high-quality goods available to high-ranking hunters in the Hunter’s Haven were also very attractive.

Qian Ye stayed in the inn for a full day and night, waiting for his injuries to heal. At this point, his Blood Warrior advancement was complete, and the subtle modifications to his body had ended. A simple strength test suggested that he could probably hold his own, even against a Level 6 warrior like Yu Renyan, unlike the night before when he had been completely helpless.

It was time to deal with Tianshe.

Qian Ye had no trust in the leader of the Tianshe Gang. Yu Yingnan had mentioned that Tianshe used to be quite principled, but the value of a single Flowing Gold Rose could make him abandon his principles. Such a person was only motivated by profit and power.

Moreover, Tianshe’s request for reconciliation without any conditions made Qian Ye instinctively feel the lack of sincerity. There was at least one condition he could have offered immediately: forgiving Yu Yingnan’s debt.

Even if Tianshe was sincere about reconciliation, Qian Ye would not accept it.

Qian Ye prepared his equipment, disassembled the Eagle Strike into three parts and packed it into his backpack, then loaded a primal force bullet into the Butcher’s magazine. Second Master’s words reminded him that the Eagle Strike was not suitable for the city, but he didn’t feel safe leaving it in the room. The security of this small inn was no better than a leaky shed.

It was about time. Qian Ye planned to visit the Tianshe Gang’s headquarters at night. He believed the best way to negotiate with Tianshe was with the Butcher pointed at his head.

The night in Darkblood City became lively again. Under the dim streetlights, women leaning against lamp posts could often be seen soliciting customers. They were heavily made up, managing to exude a certain charm in the dim light. Of course, if it were daytime and they were unmade, they would look like entirely different creatures.

Qian Ye walked down the street, appearing like any ordinary underling. Women on both sides of the road frequently threw him flirtatious glances and called out to him. Occasionally, men would see a woman they liked, and they would embrace and head to a cheap inn for a night of passion.

Qian Ye suddenly realized that a clear sign of Darkblood City’s grandeur, compared to Lighthouse Town, was that the desire-filled people here would rent a room, while in Lighthouse Town, they often resolved their desires in the bushes.

It was a curious thought, and Qian Ye didn’t know where it came from.

Qian Ye then left the bustling street and turned into a dark, dirty, and quiet alley, where he felt more at home.

However, besides Qian Ye, it was clear that someone else was also comfortable in this environment.

About ten steps away, at the corner of the alley, a shadow suddenly fell from the wall. Upon closer inspection, a lanky figure emerged, blocking Qian Ye’s path.