Chapter 85: The Gathering Storm

Ji Yuanjia walked into the room and, at first glance, saw the parts scattered across the table. His gaze lingered on the conspicuous gun barrel before he remarked, “It looks like the latest custom-made Eagle Strike?”

“Yeah, and it’s equipped with the Heavy Punch.”

“Heavy Punch?” Ji Yuanjia thought for a moment and recalled what it was. He found the gun chamber part among the myriad of components, picked it up, and examined it carefully. Then, he infused a bit of origin force, and the sub-arrays lit up one by one, outlining the shape of a fingernail-sized chip. He praised, “This is truly a fine piece!”

Ji Yuanjia, more often than not, behaved like a typical soldier. Although his secret combat technique was swordsmanship, he had a keen interest in various firearms, though he lacked the innate talent for long-range sniping.

Qian Ye was toying with the half-meter-long “Shining Fang,” a peculiarly designed fifth-level origin force weapon, slightly longer than the standard military dagger of the Empire. The blade’s front edge had several vertically aligned serrations, exuding an elegant yet bloody ferocity, characteristic of the bloodline style. Noticing the intense interest in Ji Yuanjia’s eyes, Qian Ye tossed the dagger to him.

As Ji Yuanjia took hold of the dagger, he felt its weight—astonishingly, it was over ten kilograms! Such a heavy weapon, once swung, would unleash a power disproportionate to its size.

Ji Yuanjia smiled, “It really suits your fighting style.” He had witnessed Qian Ye’s sheer physical strength without the use of origin force. He took the black and dark red-patterned scabbard from the table, sheathed the “Shining Fang,” and then looked at Qian Ye, asking, “Are you leaving?”

“Yes.”

“Why not stay? The Yin family can provide the resources for you to advance to the rank of war general, and you have the talent and aptitude for it.” Ji Yuanjia’s gaze swept over the Eagle Strike parts on the table and added, “More importantly, your combat abilities and specialties can only be fully utilized in the army. An individual’s power is limited, but only the army can serve as the cornerstone against the dark races.”

Qian Ye raised his head and met Ji Yuanjia’s gaze, sighing inwardly. With Ji Yuanjia’s insight, he must have already noticed that Qian Ye’s fighting style originated from the military, and it wasn’t hard to see that what Qian Ye most desired was to kill as many dark races as possible. If they had met under different circumstances, they might have become true comrades.

“I still feel that the life of a hunter suits me better. It offers freedom and requires less consideration.”

Ji Yuanjia’s expression dimmed, and he said, “About that incident at the Earth Castle, if I had been more attentive back then…”

Qian Ye shook his head, interrupting him, “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Neither was it Miss QiQi’s fault.”

Qian Ye looked at Ji Yuanjia, his obsidian eyes gleaming, and coldly replied, “True, it wasn’t a mistake. It was just the Yin family’s bigger picture, not mine.”

Ji Yuanjia fell silent, then sighed. This was a never-ending cycle; they had discussed this many times, but since their initial stances differed, there was no resolution. Despite any personal conflicts between QiQi and Gu Liyu, when facing outward, they were a united front of the Jing’an Hall. For the Yin family, Gu Liyu’s value was far greater than a mere battle company. Perhaps, in the future, this situation would change, but not now.

Qian Ye softened his tone, saying, “I’m sorry, Yuanjia, the Yin family isn’t for me. I hope to do things that I can control and truly want to do.”

Ji Yuanjia heard the firm resolve in Qian Ye’s calm voice and, after a moment of silence, said, “Even after you leave, be careful. Many people noticed you during the Spring Hunt, and the Seventh Young Master Song not only investigated you from our side but also sent additional people to look into you.”

Unable to explain further, Qian Ye simply nodded in acknowledgment.

After a moment of hesitation, Ji Yuanjia continued, “Later in the Spring Hunt, Miss QiQi’s relationship with the Seventh Young Master Song became very strained. Someone from both sides tried to mediate, and he proposed… giving you to him as compensation.”

The part in Qian Ye’s hand nearly slipped, unsure how to react. He had learned from Song Zining about the details of QiQi’s complaint to the Song family, so he understood that Ji Yuanjia’s vagueness was to avoid making him feel like a target again. However, this compensation condition reminded him of something: QiQi had stopped dragging him to social events to… protect him?

Ji Yuanjia also found this suggestion absurd, but he always felt that Song Zining was extremely dangerous, and Ye Mulan had already become a mortal enemy of Qian Ye. After a moment’s thought, he added, “Be careful, the Seventh Young Master Song’s combat ability is far greater than he shows. I’m not his match, and even the Second Young Master Zhao might not win against him.”

Qian Ye nodded, “Thank you.”

Ji Yuanjia’s voice suddenly dropped, saying, “Qian Ye, by leaving, you’re pushing Miss QiQi towards that person.”

“You’re wrong. What’s pushing her towards him is not me, but the interests of the Yin family.”

Ji Yuanjia was stunned and, after a brief silence, asked, “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow, after bidding farewell to Miss QiQi.”

“There’s no need; Miss QiQi has already left.”

“Back to the upper continent?” Qian Ye was slightly surprised.

“Miss QiQi went to the frontlines. Her message is that if you choose to stay, you should find her. If not, there’s no need for a farewell.”

For a moment, Qian Ye felt a mix of emotions. Over these days, he had seen two completely different sides of QiQi. She was gifted, and the power and resources she was born with made most things go smoothly, which led to common flaws among the elite—self-centeredness and laziness. Yet, the most difficult part of her life stemmed from her blood-related family, and in dealing with this, she seemed like a helpless little girl. This stark contrast resulted in her extreme personality.

If Qian Ye hadn’t taken on such a suicide mission, he might not have faced the darkest and most chaotic aspects of the noble families, and he might have, as he initially thought, found a place to settle under the protection of a powerful force and grown strong enough to reclaim his past.

But there were no “ifs” in the world. Though Qian Ye could understand what had happened, he couldn’t accept it.

Ji Yuanjia took out a white jade book box and placed it on the table, saying, “Miss QiQi asked me to give this to you, the final part of your reward.”

“Is this a secret cultivation method?” Qian Ye picked up the book box, and on the jade lid were three ancient characters: Hua Yu Jue (Rain Transformation Technique).

“This is an intermediate secret cultivation method of the Yin family. It accelerates body recovery and heals moderate injuries. It can also be used as a cultivation technique for origin force. Although the progress of Hua Yu Jue is slower, it gradually heals internal injuries during cultivation, making it suitable to replace Bing Fa Jue.”

Qian Ye sighed, “Please thank Miss QiQi for me…”

Ji Yuanjia wanted to say more but only shook his head, bid Qian Ye farewell, and left.

The next day, the Eternal Night Continent remained shrouded in mist. A military off-road vehicle carried Qian Ye away from the Yin family’s villa, and after a long flight, he finally saw the grand gate of Dark Blood City.

The city was as bustling as ever, and Qian Ye arrived at noon, just as the unusually clear weather brought a surge of people out. Qian Ye felt that there were more people in the city than when he left.

As Qian Ye entered the Hunter’s Home, Second Elder behind the counter froze, and the book in his hand dropped to the floor with a thud.

Qian Ye walked straight to the counter, placed his large backpack at his feet, and tapped the counter, saying, “Second Elder, I’m back. Any good stuff?”

Second Elder slid over a small wine flask, saying, “Only this is left. But it can’t compare to the good stuff you mix yourself.”

Qian Ye opened the flask, took a few large gulps, and, satisfied, exhaled a breath of alcohol, saying, “Not bad! Real wine. I don’t want to taste stimulants anymore; I’ve used them too much, my tongue is numb.”

“Did you complete your mission?” Second Elder asked tentatively.

“Of course!”

Qian Ye seemed relaxed, but the worldly-wise Second Elder noticed a hint of seriousness in his eyes. He didn’t press further, knowing that if the mission was completed, the client would soon send a message to close the case.

“Any good missions lately?” Qian Ye leaned on the counter, his cheeks starting to flush, as they always did, regardless of how much he drank.

Second Elder shook his head, saying, “Nothing interesting. Recently, the area outside the city has been chaotic, with an abnormal increase in the number of dark races, making it hard to track their movements. There are no so-called safe areas anymore, so many hunters have retreated to the city. The wilderness is too dangerous. Unless you have the strength to fight a dark race squad, it’s not safe to venture too far from the city.”

“Why are there so many dark races here?”

“What do you mean…?”

“I mean in Xichang, where the dark races’ forces have suddenly increased several times. The battlefront has already engaged in several battles with the dark races, each time involving several field armies.”

Second Elder’s eyes narrowed, and he mused, “This is unusual.”

“How so?”

“Large-scale actions by the dark races are rare. From Xichang to here, the front line stretches thousands of kilometers. Similar situations are happening in the middle and further areas. I’ve heard such news more than once. In the history of the Eternal Night Continent, this either means something significant is about to happen or is a precursor to a full-scale war.”

Qian Ye, however, wasn’t tense. He smiled, saying, “Sounds like it won’t be boring for a while.”

Second Elder gave a wry smile, “Boring? You’re quite a madman!”

“Maybe so!” Qian Ye chuckled, saying, “You should upgrade my hunter rank, right?”

At the mention of his hunter rank, Second Elder’s eyes widened, and he said, “Why are you in such a hurry, young man? I’m always fair and just, judging by records and rank. Your past records are sufficient, but your rank is still far off, wait! Your rank, rank…”

Second Elder, taken aback, asked, “You’re already level five?”

“Yes.”

Second Elder stared at Qian Ye as if he were a monster, clearly remembering that Qian Ye had just reached level four when he left. He then said, both annoyed and pleased, “You really are a monster! Alright, take this, and don’t lose it!”

With that, Second Elder tossed over a hunter badge with five stars. However, the five-star hunter badge wasn’t much better than a one-star badge, both made of cheap, low-quality materials.

Qian Ye’s heart stirred, and he said, “I need to buy some information.”