Chapter 55: The Counterstrike

Zhao Junhong grew even more furious and retorted, “What do you think?”

Another guard nearby hurriedly interjected to smooth things over, saying, “Although that kid’s level isn’t high, his reaction was incredibly swift. He must be a seasoned veteran in mountain warfare. So even if we were to pursue, it would likely end in futility. In my humble opinion, we should focus on accumulating points.”

Zhao Junhong did not respond immediately but recalled the person’s reactions after being suddenly attacked. Now, thinking carefully, the opponent’s dodging movements were unpredictable, their judgment of danger was extremely accurate, and their tactical use was just right. Even if Zhao Junhong himself had struck, he might not have been able to pin down the opponent. Such an adversary would be a formidable challenge in the complex terrain of the mountains; their level was almost irrelevant.

Realizing this, Zhao Junhong’s face darkened, but he quickly composed himself and asked, “Who does that kid belong to?”

A guard replied, “From his attire, he seems to be from the Yin family’s hunting team.” He hesitated for a moment, “But, I recall seeing this face at the Duke of Wei’s banquet. Er, wasn’t he the escort of Lady Qiqi?” As he said this, he felt a bit confused—clearly, that kid was not a woman.

Zhao Junhong pondered for a moment but couldn’t make heads or tails of it. At the banquet, he indeed saw a girl next to Qiqi wearing the same attire, but he had paid no attention to her appearance.

Zhao Junhong snickered, “That Qiqi! I wonder what tricks she is up to now!”

“Keep moving forward,” Zhao Junhong quickly put the matter out of his mind and handed his silver origin force gun to the guard. A mere fifth-level soldier was not worth his concern. If the other party was smart, they would avoid his hunting grounds in the future. On his list, the only ones he could not kill were the direct disciples of the aristocratic families, a mere two dozen or so. This kid running into his range was just asking to be killed.

Zhao Junhong’s hunting team spread out, leaving only two guards by his side. The entire group moved in an S-shape, planning to sweep up all the prey along the way.

The sounds of gunfire roared, and one by one, armored cattle beasts, black tigers, earth dragons, and thorny berserk bears fell. The Zhao clan’s score rapidly increased, widening the gap with their competitors. The Zhao clan, as a top-tier aristocratic family, was well-equipped, and everyone used reloadable origin force bullets, which greatly reduced the consumption of origin force and extended their combat endurance.

After a burst from the origin force gun, a distant scream echoed. Shortly after, another shot rang out, and the screaming stopped abruptly.

Zhao Junhong raised his eyebrows, and the guard beside him dashed towards the direction of the scream. He returned shortly and reported, “Ah Jiang saw a minor noble skulking around and shot him dead.”

Zhao Junhong hummed, “Tell him to clean it up thoroughly and leave no traces. It’s just a spring hunt, killing too many people might affect our Zhao clan’s reputation.”

“Yes, Ah Jiang is already cleaning up, it will be done soon.”

Zhao Junhong nodded and continued moving. He pointed to a hill near the water, saying, “We’ll camp there tonight. Let’s go further ahead for now.”

One guard immediately ran ahead to scout the designated location and set up the camp. The others kept moving forward, deciding to eliminate all the dangerous beasts within a few dozen miles around the camp before returning to rest.

In a dense forest, the guard named Ah Jiang was whistling as he kicked a mangled corpse into a freshly dug pit. He also sprinkled some powder to attract wild beasts, ensuring that scavenging dogs and wolves would come and devour the evidence.

Just a minor noble, yet he didn’t run when he saw Ah Jiang. He truly deserved to die! Ah Jiang thought happily.

He let out a deep breath, feeling a bit relieved, but suddenly sensed something and turned sharply! A wild dog emerged from the trees, eyeing the powdered corpse with drooling jaws.

Ah Jiang laughed, “Damn, came pretty quick, gave me a fright.”

Not far away, Qian Ye watched his grin through the scope and pulled the trigger.

Eagle Strike thrummed, but this time, it was firmly in Qian Ye’s hands.

At the roar of Eagle Strike, Ah Jiang’s face showed shock, and he desperately tried to dodge. As a seventh-level expert, his instinctive reaction to danger was highly acute. When the gun was aimed and the trigger pulled, he would instinctively evade.

However, Qian Ye was too close, just two hundred meters away, allowing Eagle Strike to unleash its full power.

Ah Jiang barely managed to twist his body, but a dark red light exploded on his chest, shattering his armor and turning his torso into a bloody mess! With a scream, he fell backward. But he was not yet incapacitated; gritting through the pain, he rolled and crawled behind a tree.

By then, Qian Ye had quickly closed in, leaping sideways, and his origin force crossbow flashed. A steel-core bolt, propelled by both the origin force array and the bowstring, shot out like lightning, piercing Ah Jiang’s lower back.

But the bolt only penetrated a third of the way, about a few centimeters. Qian Ye regretted it internally; the Zhao clan was indeed extraordinary. The armor worn by this guard was two levels stronger than the custom-made warrior suits of the Yin family. No wonder Eagle Strike’s full power only caused a moderate injury.

Ah Jiang knew this was a critical moment, so he gritted his teeth, grabbed a handful of syringes, and injected them into his thigh. Then, with a roar, he fled deeper into the forest, his speed increasing.

Qian Ye shook his head and put away Eagle Strike and the crossbow. This was his first encounter with an aristocratic guard, and their strength was impressive. Qian Ye knew he was lucky; he had ambushed from two hundred meters away. Otherwise, given the guard’s pre-shot reaction, it would have been much harder to approach undetected.

But this guy was hit with Qian Ye’s concocted plant-snake venom and suffered such a severe injury. Even if he survived, this spring hunt was ruined for him. Each hunting team only had nine members, and any drop-out was irreplaceable.

Qian Ye quickly left and jogged through the forest, approaching the camping site Zhao Junhong had chosen. The two shots had ignited his anger, fueled by the days of frustration and the encounters with Song Zining and Wei Potian. He needed an outlet, and this Zhao Second Young Master provided the perfect opportunity.

Suddenly, Zhao Junhong heard another gunshot in the distance and frowned, “Eagle Strike? We don’t have that equipment, do we?”

“It’s coming from Ah Jiang’s direction. Maybe it’s another daring minor noble. Other clans seeing Ah Jiang should know you are hunting here and won’t approach. Don’t worry, Ah Jiang will handle it.”

Zhao Junhong nodded and looked ahead. It was a region of scattered pine needle forests, with complex terrain but also open areas. He sensed the remnants of dark origin force in that area.

A smile appeared on Zhao Junhong’s lips, “Finally, we found these black-blooded bastards. Let’s go check it out!”

Including Zhao Junhong, all the guards entered a state of alert. Dark warriors were not mere beasts; they were far more dangerous. Every year during the spring hunt in Tianxuan Mountain, several high-level dark warriors appeared.

On the other side of the Zhao clan’s hunting ground, the Song clan’s territory, Song Zining strolled leisurely in light clothing, as if on a picnic. So far, he had not ventured into the areas where sixth-level beasts roamed. Beside him, Ye Mulan was anxious but couldn’t show it.

For this spring hunt, Song Zining had entrusted command to Ye Mulan, bringing only one personal attendant. All the selection, team formation, and dispatch were arranged by Ye Mulan, who wanted to perform well. The better the Song clan’s performance, the greater her merit. However, everyone listened to her, except Song Zining, who she could not command.

This was Song Zining’s first visit to the Tianxuan Mountains. The spring landscape was vibrant, with lush vegetation, abundant wildflowers, and various small animals, aside from the ferocious beasts. He seemed to treat it as a scenic tour, wandering through the mountains, stopping to admire the scenery, praising rare birds and beasts, and after dark, setting up a lamp to write and paint. His ink, brush, paper, and inkstone alone required a guard to carry.

Ye Mulan was anxious but dared not urge him. Although she led the team hunting in the surrounding areas, she had to leave enough guards for Song Zining and hunted in low-level areas, resulting in fewer points. The Song clan’s performance had slipped by one rank in the past two days.

Song Zining consoled her, assuring her that once they entered the sixth-level zone, the Song clan’s true strength would emerge, and maintaining a top-three position shouldn’t be a problem. Even if they weren’t in the top three, a top-five finish was acceptable.

Ye Mulan smiled and nodded, but once out of Song Zining’s tent, she gathered the guards and coldly ordered, “The area around the camp might not be safe. Split into two shifts and patrol continuously, eliminating all the prey without disturbing the young master’s rest. Understand?”

The Song clan guards understood. They were to hunt through the night to make up for the points lost due to Song Zining’s leisurely pace.

Ye Mulan herself, fully armed, ventured into the night behind the camp. Once alone, she erupted, hacking down a saber-toothed wild boar and chopping it to a pulp.

After venting, her anger subsided slightly, and she muttered, “Fifth place is acceptable? Haha, ho ho!” This was her command!

Due to the favoritism of the Song clan’s ancestor, Song Zining’s guard was of above-average quality, not inferior to those Zhao Junhong brought. With such strength, failing to compete with the Zhao clan would invite gossip. Getting third place would be a satisfactory outcome, but fifth place would draw widespread criticism. Her evaluation by the Song clan’s ancestor would certainly drop.

As dawn approached, Ye Mulan, exhausted and drenched in dew, returned to her tent and fell asleep. Only two hours remained until the scheduled departure, and she needed to rest. There was still a day of hunting ahead.

Song Zining’s tent was lit all night.

The Seventh Young Master stared at the blank paper on the table for hours, starting to draw only at dawn. In one go, he drew nine portraits.

The leftmost figure was Qian Ye, sans disguise. The others depicted a little boy growing into a young man, eventually shedding all his youthful naivety. The leftmost and rightmost figures bore only a slight resemblance.

“What happened?”

Song Zining placed his hand on the paper, and origin force light flickered. A translucent mist swept across the table, and the paper vanished, leaving only a pile of light gray ash.