Ning Zining listened very carefully to Qian Ye’s entire story, pondered for a moment, and then said, “If you go to the Zhao Mansion, remember not to enter directly. First, use a token to contact Jun Du, and have him come out to meet you.”
Qian Ye was surprised by Ning Zining’s words and was left speechless, “Do you think he was telling the truth?”
A complex expression flashed in Ning Zining’s eyes, “Zhao Jun Du, the fourth young master of the Zhao Clan, although he has an extremely bad temperament, is a man of his word.” Besides, with Zhao Jun Du’s status and power, why would he arbitrarily recognize a blood brother?
There was a moment of silence in the room.
Ning Zining finally said, “Although the various clans will definitely send their younger generation to celebrate the old ancestor’s birthday, the chance of encountering Zhao Jun Du is not high. His status is already quite elevated. In fact, in recent years, such events are usually attended by the eldest, Jun Yi, and the second son, Jun Hong.”
The two did not say much more and began preparing for the trip.
The journey from the Evernight Continent to the Imperial mainland, specifically to the Song Clan’s Gaoling Province, was a long one. The Dowager’s birthday was in just six days, making the time very tight.
Most things were prepared in advance. The most troublesome part was that Qian Ye needed to change his identity, including a complete disguise. However, the Song Clan had many experts, and an excessive disguise wouldn’t fool the keen eyes of the strong. He only used drugs to change his skin color and made appropriate adjustments to his eyebrows, eyes, and hair to alter his aura.
Qian Ye’s new identity was An Ren Yi, a real person. Two years ago, Ning Zining recruited him as a steward, and he was about three or four years older than Qian Ye. What was rare was that they were similar in height and build. This person was one of Ning Zining’s hidden agents, rarely seen in public, and was about to embark on a distant mission with no traceable identity.
Originally, Qian Ye was supposed to replace this person to take the major exam and become a guest of the Song Clan, thus obtaining an identity he could use openly. But fate intervened, and who knew he would be discovered by Zhao Jun Du in the Western Land.
On the third day at noon, the airship carrying Ning Zining and Qian Ye landed at the airship base outside Shangqiu City.
Shangqiu City, the capital of Gaoling Province and the main city of the Song Clan, had been meticulously developed over hundreds of years and was incredibly prosperous. Backed by Yunshan, facing the Lan River, and embracing the Canglan Plain, the city was divided into eight districts, with a population of several million, rivaling the scale of the capital.
It was also the key transportation hub of the province. Unlike the other three great clans, the Song Clan, which relied on trade, had only one province located in the heart of the empire. Even if they expanded, it would only result in disconnected territories. Despite the limited land, it was a fertile and rich place, producing several times more than the cold and harsh border regions.
As the airship gradually descended, Qian Ye looked out the porthole. The city was still far away, but before his eyes was a small airship city.
The runway stretching into the distance was actually parked with dozens of large airships, lined up in a row, almost endless. Dozens of airships were circling in the sky, waiting to dock. On the eighteen landing pads on the ground, airships were constantly taking off and landing.
Perhaps because the Dowager’s birthday was approaching, many medium and small airships bore the marks of different clans and families, while the Song Clan’s airships, with their family emblem, were mostly cargo ships, reflecting their commercial nature.
The attendants Ning Zining left behind in the main family had already come to wait. Their vehicle bore the emblem of the Song Clan’s direct line, yet they still had to wait in line for nearly half an hour when leaving the base.
Qian Ye and Ning Zining rode in the same car, with the scenery outside the window flying by rapidly.
Their destination was not in Shangqiu City but at the “Wen Dao Manor” in the western suburbs, where the Dowager resided in seclusion.
However, just by looking at the road conditions, it was clear that although Wen Dao Manor was called a hermitage, its status in the Song Clan was not inferior to the capital. It was a grand avenue wide enough for eight off-road vehicles to travel side by side, comparable in scale to the ring road around Shangqiu City.
Not long after they entered the grand avenue, Qian Ye saw a single eighteen-meter-high power tower. It was a specialized power facility for lighting and defense, a configuration unique to the Empire’s first-class highways.
Several off-road vehicles quickly overtook them on the adjacent lane. As the two fleets intersected, someone in one of the off-road vehicles suddenly exclaimed, and the vehicles immediately turned, forcing their way between Ning Zining’s fleet.
The driver of the car slammed on the brakes, and the tires screeched against the ground.
Ning Zining’s body suddenly became light as a feather, supporting himself with a hand on the front seat, floating slightly in the air. Qian Ye, on the other hand, braced himself against the side of the car, causing the steel plate to dent, but he remained firmly seated, unmoving.
However, an attendant in the front passenger seat wasn’t as capable. He crashed into the window and flew out, landing on another car and then bouncing to the ground with a thud.
The off-road vehicle spun wildly in place, colliding forcefully with the intruding vehicle before skidding to a stop by the roadside.
The door of the opposing off-road vehicle opened, and a young man with a smile on his face jumped out.
He spread his arms and shouted in an exaggerated tone, “Ah! Isn’t this my dear seventh brother? I never expected to see you here. You have no idea how hard it has been without seeing you!”
He then snapped his fingers behind him, angrily saying, “Get out of the car, what are you doing, sitting there like big shots in front of the seventh young master! Watch me chop off your legs when we get back!”
Dozens of burly men, all of whom were fighters of no low rank, jumped out from the seven or eight off-road vehicles. They stood behind the young man and chorused, “Greetings, Seventh Young Master!”
Ning Zining hadn’t brought many people. Apart from him and Qian Ye, there were only eight warriors in the three cars. They all got out, but standing opposite the other group, they appeared much weaker.
Qian Ye’s eyelids twitched, and he said softly, “Quite an eye-opener, I thought the guys from the Heavenly Snake Gang had come back to life.”
Ning Zining asked with a hint of curiosity, “Heavenly Snake Gang?”
“A third-rate gang on the Evernight Continent that I wiped out.”
Ning Zining coughed lightly, opened the car door, got out, and smiled, “Cousin Ziqi, it’s a surprise to see you here. Are these your new recruits? They look unfamiliar. Where are the old ones?”
Song Ziqi’s eyes glinted with a cold light, “There was an accident recently, and I suffered some losses. But as you can see, I’ve already replenished my ranks. Of course, I will definitely recover my losses, don’t you agree, Little Seven?”
Ning Zining smiled but said nothing.
Song Ziqi glanced at the attendant who had fallen to the ground, “Didn’t I already collect a bit of interest? Oh, he can still move, his life must be quite tough.”
As he spoke, the driver of an off-road vehicle next to him suddenly started the engine and drove directly towards the severely injured attendant!
The faces of Ning Zining’s warriors changed dramatically. One of them immediately rushed out, grabbed the fallen attendant, and retreated hastily. However, his action was a bit too slow, and the vehicle brushed against him. He stumbled back several steps, his face paling slightly.
As the off-road vehicle started, Qian Ye suddenly felt a bone-chilling killing intent lock onto him. He looked up and saw a short-bearded, grim-faced man behind Song Ziqi, sneering and staring at him without any attempt to hide it.
He was a ninth-level warrior, always exuding the smell of gunpowder and blood, clearly a seasoned veteran who killed without mercy. Such people were very difficult to deal with, often more dangerous than higher-ranked warriors in unrestricted battles.
Qian Ye smiled slightly and moved his left hand. Ning Zining suddenly reached over and pressed down on his shoulder. Thus, Qian Ye reined in his aura and remained quietly standing beside him.
Ning Zining said calmly, “Since Big Brother is so eager to collect the interest, then go ahead.”
Song Ziqi took two steps forward, closer to Ning Zining, and said softly, “Do you think I’m so foolish? Killing someone on the street without reason would result in the loss of my inheritance rights. Haha, I just wanted his legs, that’s all.”
Song Ziqi turned to look at Qian Ye, sensing him without restraint, and then laughed sarcastically, “So, this is your guest warrior, not even a ninth-level. Little Seven, your standards are getting worse, or have you gotten so poor that you can’t even afford a ninth-level warrior? If you’re really broke, tell me, I’ll lend you some money! Ahahaha!”
Laughing, Song Ziqi turned to Qian Ye and reached out to pat his head, as if he were a pet.
Ning Zining’s smile remained unchanged, but a leaf-like cold light appeared between his fingers.
But Qian Ye’s brows furrowed, and he suddenly kicked Song Ziqi with lightning speed!
Song Ziqi never expected Qian Ye to attack at this moment and was completely unprepared. The kick landed solidly on his stomach, sending him flying backward like a cannonball, knocking down several of his subordinates and crashing heavily into one of his off-road vehicles, causing the front hood to crumple.
The sudden change caught everyone on Song Ziqi’s side off guard, and they drew their weapons, shouting and cursing.
Qian Ye ignored those who were surrounding him and looked beyond the crowd at a few burly men standing still. They exuded an aura that made him somewhat wary.
Ning Zining, maintaining his calm, stepped in front of Qian Ye, blocking the incoming warriors. They, however, lacked the courage to attack the Song Clan’s Seventh Young Master in broad daylight.
Meanwhile, Song Ziqi had already landed on the ground, gritting his teeth, “Little bastard, daring to attack me, even if Little Seven protects you, today you’ll leave in seventeen or eighteen pieces!”
Ning Zining suddenly laughed, “Song Ziqi, what’s the point of shouting? A war general being kicked out by an eighth-level warrior, is that something to be proud of?”
At that moment, someone nearby said, “Stop the car.” With the sound of the engine and brakes, a convoy stopped.
Everyone in the standoff turned to look in surprise.
Even though the road wasn’t empty since the conflict began, all the passing vehicles avoided them.
The Song Clan’s vehicles, of course, recognized the emblems of both sides. Whether they were ordinary members or other heirs, none of them wished to see them. Other clans and families would certainly not come to watch the Song Clan’s spectacle at this time.
Qian Ye felt someone watching him and turned to see that the person stepping out of the main car of the convoy was Zhao Jun Hong. His attire was formal, a traditional robe with silver and black as the main colors, clearly indicating that the representative from the Zhao Clan was him.
Zhao Jun Hong’s smile was as usual, with a hint of casual arrogance, “Third Young Master of the Song Clan, Zining, it’s been a long time.”
Song Ziqi’s face turned ugly first. Zhao Jun Hong’s greeting clearly showed his indifference, and he couldn’t do anything about it. The Zhao Clan was known for their lack of tact, always acting as they pleased with pride and arrogance.
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