This time, the tavern truly fell silent, as people hurriedly avoided Qian Ye’s gaze and lowered their heads to focus on their drinks.
The old man behind the counter smiled bitterly, “Hey, kid, was it really necessary to be so harsh? His nose is still quite useful.”
Qian Ye had already sat down at the counter, calmly saying, “But his brain isn’t very functional.”
“Did you come here just to provoke others?”
Qian Ye remained unflinched, “I’m here on business. But if someone provokes me, then that guy’s nose is the answer I’ll give.” He narrowed his eyes, hinting, “I have no interest in the feuds between the furred creatures and the vampires. Just don’t get in my way.”
The wrinkles on the old man’s face nearly converged, mumbling something. He didn’t continue on this topic but instead offered Qian Ye a drink.
Qian Ye lifted the glass, taking a small sip. The liquor was exceptionally spicy, with several flavors blending together, creating an indescribable sensation. However, after lingering on the tongue for a moment, it began to spread an unusual sweetness in the mouth.
Qian Ye raised the glass slightly, giving it a gentle swirl, watching the clear liquid create a ripple along the glass. Despite its colorless appearance, it dissolved into multiple distinct flavors upon entering the mouth. He stared quietly at the curved glass, and the blurry silhouettes of the majority of the tavern’s patrons flashed before his eyes.
This tavern was more dangerous than it appeared. When that repulsive man shouted, half of the people, including the old man behind the counter, reacted with dark origin power!
These individuals were either completely fallen to the dark side or deeply entangled with the dark races. Of course, there was a rare type: the Blood Hunter, who lived solely to hunt dark races and would embrace dark origin power for greater strength.
Such a place existed in Dark Blood City, seemingly with a long history.
Qian Ye had heard of such places before, but this was his first time experiencing one. It was actually a stronghold of the underground dark forces in Dark Blood City, a true gray area between black and white. Many things unobtainable from the pure Dawn and Eternal Night factions could be found here.
This was an underground trading point for humans and the dark races.
In Dark Blood City, such trading points were not unique, and some were even larger, dealing in more goods. Nevertheless, both in Dark Blood City and among the expeditionary forces, and even in the Empire, the existence of these trading points was often turned a blind eye to.
On one hand, the volume of transactions was limited, with a large part being intelligence—both human and dark race. In comparison, more intelligence flowed from the dark races. As a result, these trading points became important sources and channels for human intelligence, sometimes becoming the most crucial ones in the environment of the Eternal Night Continent. On the other hand, some strategically important materials could also be obtained through these channels, though the Empire’s ironclad control limited the outflow of strategic materials.
The dark races also needed a significant amount of strategic materials, like black crystals, red crystal iron, and black crystal iron. They couldn’t get enough from these semi-open trading points, so they sought other channels, such as Wu Zhengnan. This was the real reason why the Empire’s upper echelons found it difficult to tolerate forbidden transactions. Those were truly concealed channels, with the quantity of black crystals flowing out being uncontrolled, driven solely by economic gain. Over time, quantity could lead to qualitative changes.
Qian Ye thoroughly shook off the blurry shadows on the glass, then tipped his head back and took a large swallow of the fiery, spicy liquor, letting the burning trail scorch all the way to his heart. Only then did the golden blood energy, which had been agitated around his heart, settle down slightly.
The others present wouldn’t know that the lecherous man was telling the truth. The moment Qian Ye stepped into the tavern, the golden blood energy reacted intensely. When the man approached, it started to flow uncontrollably along the bloodline, emitting an aura of origin power.
Qian Ye used the mist-like crimson origin power glow to conceal himself, and the golden glimmers the man inhaled were the aura of the golden blood energy. Even Qian Ye hadn’t expected that the uncontrollable golden blood energy was so toxic to the owners of dark origin power. Even the slightest trace immediately broke down flesh and drained strength instinctively.
When the golden blood energy contacted the man’s origin power, Qian Ye sensed some feedback, finally understanding why both sides reacted so strongly. The man’s dark origin power attribute was in the werewolf range.
When Qian Ye finished his drink, the old man at the counter seemed to sense something, raising his head to say, “The person you’re waiting for has arrived. Go in! He’s behind that door.”
Qian Ye followed the old man’s direction, entering an unassuming small door beside the bar, and walked deep into a passage, reaching a small room at the end. The door was open, and inside sat a somewhat gaunt middle-aged man with a stern expression and a noticeable shadow on his forehead.
Qian Ye walked in directly, sitting down in front of the middle-aged man, “I didn’t expect to see someone with demon blood. What should I call you?”
“Yuegen. You can also call me Black Owl, a name better known.”
“Mr. Black Owl, I’ve heard you can provide me with the necessary assistance?”
“That depends on what you need. But before we delve into more detailed topics, may I see your token?” Black Owl spread his hands, “You know, in our line of work, if one isn’t careful, they would have died many times over.”
Qian Ye took off an ancient jade ring from his middle finger, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Black Owl.
Yuegen carefully picked it up, inputting a trace of origin power. Two fine threads within the ring lit up, revealing a pattern of an eagle’s head holding crossed swords. He sighed in relief, pushing the ring back to Qian Ye, “Indeed, it’s the Wei family of the Far East, the highest level inspector’s token. Alright, I understand. I will provide any service within my capabilities.”
Qian Ye calmly slipped the ring back onto his finger. This was given to him by Wei Po Tian before he left Qin Lu, along with addresses and information for a few places, including this tavern. Now, Qian Ye understood that this trading point, even if not directly under the Wei family, was significantly influenced by them.
“I want to investigate some transactions, those involving the dark races,” Qian Ye said.
Qian Ye’s words made Yuegen visibly tense. He moved his intertwined fingers on the table, asking, “Who is involved? What kind of transaction?”
“Black Flow City, the Seventh Division of the Expeditionary Forces. Forbidden transactions.”
“Forbidden transactions!” Yuegen sucked in a breath, slowly saying, “You must know who can conduct forbidden transactions. Are you sure you want to proceed?”
“Yes.” Qian Ye’s tone was calm but firm.
“It’s quite a coincidence. I happen to know about a recent one.” Yuegen took out a piece of paper and quickly sketched a map, marking a location and writing a date. He showed it to Qian Ye, then burned it, watching it turn to ashes.
Qian Ye had already memorized every detail, then took out a black crystal and handed it over. Yuegen pocketed it without hesitation, saying, “Good luck.”
Under Yuegen’s guidance, Qian Ye left through the back door, disappearing into the night.
Over the next few days, Qian Ye’s life was peaceful, filled with cultivation. He barely went anywhere else until he received news from the Hunters’ Guild.
Yuegen provided precise transaction locations and times, while the Hunters’ Guild’s intelligence was more fragmented and vague. Nevertheless, Qian Ye learned some of Wu Zhengnan’s history.
Wu Zhengnan’s Seventh Division had secretly traded with the dark races for years. The transaction Qian Ye encountered with Qi Yue was not the beginning but an attempt to open a new channel. The main items traded by Wu Zhengnan were not vital supplies, equipment, or intelligence, but rather top-tier vampire luxuries. Though these items did not enhance the human army’s combat power, they yielded much higher profits.
After comparing the intelligence from both sides, Qian Ye confirmed the authenticity of the next forbidden transaction, which was not far from Black Flow City, approximately two hundred kilometers away.
Qian Ye thought for a moment and decided to personally observe the content of the next forbidden transaction.
Wei Po Tian and Qian Ye had agreed to meet in a month. Wei Po Tian would bring people to the Eternal Night Continent to remove Wu Zhengnan from his position. The details of how this would be achieved were not a concern for the Wei family, as they would provide skilled strategists and planners. Wei Po Tian only needed to give his approval symbolically.
As a result, Qian Ye was still somewhat unclear about how to cooperate with the Wei family. However, one thing was certain: he needed to gather as much evidence as possible about Wu Zhengnan’s forbidden transactions. The more evidence he had, the harder it would be for Wu Zhengnan to escape impeachment.
Early the next morning, Qian Ye boarded an airship bound for Black Flow City. By noon, he was carrying a large backpack, leaving the city and entering the wilderness.
Shortly after Qian Ye left, Black Flow City suddenly grew noisy. A fully armed squad rushed to the city gate, interrogating the guards but coming up empty-handed. The squad returned frustrated.
Inside Black Flow City, Qi Sicheng sat in his study, his face grim as he listened to the soldiers’ report. When he heard that no one was caught, he erupted in anger, cursing the reporting officers and sending them away.
Once the study was quiet, Qi Sicheng stood up, staring at the map on the table, pondering for a long time. The intelligence he received was vague, and the failure to catch anyone was expected.
“Who is so interested in our transactions? But, can such matters be meddled with so easily? Be careful not to break your claws!”
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