An agreement was quickly reached, with each division promising to send their troops within a week. This was essentially a protection fee handed over to Qian Ye, a price that seemed steep, but paled in comparison to the total annihilation of one’s own defense zone.
However, the more protection fees he received, the greater his responsibility. If he could not withstand the attacks of the dark races, everything would be over.
After seeing off these officers, Qian Ye welcomed a special guest.
This was a man in his forties, short and stout, with a prominent belly. Yet, when seated opposite him, Qian Ye felt an underlying sense of danger. This feeling was even stronger than when facing the numerous expeditionary army officers.
The middle-aged man sat down on the sofa, stiffly straightening his back, subconsciously rubbing his hat as he placed it on his knees, appearing quite nervous, like a small businessman suddenly finding himself in front of a high-ranking official.
Even Qian Ye had to admire his acting. If not for the True Vision Pupil clearly reflecting the dim origin power fluctuations on his body, he might have been deceived into thinking this was just an ordinary, unremarkable fat man.
Qian Ye waved his hand, sending Song Hu out as well. Now, the reception room was left with only him and the middle-aged fatty.
“Cut to the chase; there’s no need to act. I can tell you’re at least an Elder, regardless of which family you belong to.” In other words, the man who came to meet Qian Ye under the guise of a small businessman was actually a war general.
The middle-aged man looked deeply at Qian Ye, his gaze suddenly sharp as a knife, “Lord Qian Ye indeed has keen eyes. However, having recognized my identity and still daring to be alone with me, this shows extraordinary courage.”
Qian Ye smiled slightly, “It has nothing to do with courage. I’ve killed many Barons and Elders in the past, and I’ll kill more in the future. It doesn’t matter whether it’s one more or one less.”
The middle-aged man’s expression immediately froze, then his imposing aura suddenly dissipated, returning to the amiable fatty, “Ah, at my age, with a family and career weighing me down, I’m not as daring as the young. If it were five years ago, I would have asked Lord Qian Ye for guidance without hesitation.”
Qian Ye smiled without answering. Such talk was meaningless; true strength could only be determined through action.
The middle-aged man’s expression turned serious, “My name is Zhou Cai Guang, and I am a senior elder of the Ghost Rope, recently transferred to Evernight. I will be responsible for the six counties in the northwest region, which are part of the future expeditionary force’s territory. Thus, I’ve come to pay my respects to Lord Qian Ye, hoping to see if there’s any opportunity to serve you in the future.”
His words were smooth and pleasant. Had Qian Ye not exposed his disguise, who knows what different story he would have told.
Upon hearing the name Ghost Rope, Qian Ye’s eyebrows twitched. He picked up a teacup, took a sip, and then looked at Zhou Cai Guang, “Ghost Rope? I’ve heard you operate primarily in the Western Continent. Do you have a branch in Evernight as well?”
Zhou Cai Guang replied, “The Western Continent is the Zhao Clan’s territory, and Ghost Rope’s reach is limited there. Evernight, however, is a place of free development.” These few words laid bare the ambition of this middle-aged fatty.
Qian Ye said coolly, “But there are many organizations like yours, and some are even larger. Even native Evernight organizations are familiar with the local situation. Why should I work with you?”
Zhou Cai Guang laughed, “Regardless of how Ghost Rope operates in the Western Continent, entering Evernight is a new chapter. The forces you mentioned have long existed, and while they may be temporarily stronger, they are entangled in various personal relationships. While it may be convenient at times, it also comes with many restrictions, and it’s difficult to discern who stands behind them.”
Qian Ye raised an eyebrow, surprised by this seemingly unremarkable fatty’s eloquence. In the intricate world of Evernight, the biggest obstacle to alliances and cooperation was often mutual trust, as economic interests were not the only factor in some areas.
“However, I am different. Ghost Rope in Evernight is as clean as a newborn, worthy of your trust. Your Dark Flame is powerful, but it’s also relatively new. I believe we can cooperate in many areas. As time goes on, you’ll see that Ghost Rope is not just about killing. That’s why I chose to visit you first. Additionally, I’ve prepared something for you to review.”
As he spoke, Zhou Cai Guang pulled out an envelope and handed it over. Qian Ye opened it to find a list of properties mortgaged as collateral. To his surprise, the signature on the document was Wei Po Tian.
Zhou Cai Guang fixed his gaze on Qian Ye, taking in every subtle expression, and then smiled, “You see, this demonstrates my sincerity. All the properties listed are mortgaged to Prince Wei. If there are any issues with our cooperation in the future, given your relationship with Prince Wei, you can always reclaim these properties as compensation.”
At this, Qian Ye couldn’t help but admire the fatty’s methods. It seemed Zhou Cai Guang did not know about the past grudge between Qian Ye and Ghost Rope and had chosen Dark Flame purely for business reasons. To facilitate this, he had even gone to Wei Po Tian to vouch for his credibility, indicating that he had done his homework on Dark Flame and Qian Ye.
Qian Ye pondered for a moment before asking, “What can you offer me?”
“We can start with the simplest things, like intelligence. Dark Flame can pay a monthly fee, and we will provide regular information. I guarantee you’ll see things that you won’t see elsewhere, but which you’ll definitely find interesting.”
Qian Ye smiled. This was custom service, and it seemed Zhou Cai Guang was genuinely sincere in securing Dark Flame’s market.
Zhou Cai Guang handed over a thin file. It was only a few pages, divided into several categories: world events, imperial dynamics, and Evernight affairs. Each category contained several to a dozen pieces of information, including two updates on the imperial family. Each piece of information was concise, with only a few sentences describing the events.
Qian Ye flipped through it, and Zhou Cai Guang explained, “Given your youth and the situation you’ve created, once you break through to the rank of War General, your future is limitless. Therefore, you need such information now. To achieve great things, you must have a broad perspective.”
Qian Ye put down the report and said, “This seems a bit too simple.”
Zhou Cai Guang smiled, “This is just an introductory level brief, costing one hundred gold coins per month. If you need more, we have two higher-level briefs, which are much more expensive, ten times more. If you have a particular interest in any area, we can provide more in-depth reports. As for Ghost Rope’s specialty, that’s also within our scope of services.”
The so-called specialty was, of course, assassination. Actually, assassination was Ghost Rope’s main business, but this Zhou Cai Guang had prioritized intelligence, making him an interesting character.
Qian Ye nodded, putting down the brief, “Alright, I’ll keep this. Leave me your contact details, and I’ll get in touch if needed.”
Zhou Cai Guang extended his fat hand and smiled, “It is an honor to serve you, sir.”
Qian Ye shook Zhou Cai Guang’s hand, suddenly feeling a terrifying force. Without resistance, even hardened steel could be crushed. This seemingly amiable fatty could not resist testing Qian Ye’s strength.
Qian Ye activated his origin power, suddenly adding force. His overwhelming origin power, combined with the Bloodline’s strength, surged out!
In the reception room, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed. Zhou Cai Guang’s face turned pale instantly, sweat pouring down his forehead, and his whole body trembled. His attacking origin power, upon collision with Qian Ye’s, rebounded.
Seeing Zhou Cai Guang unable to hold on, Qian Ye slowly withdrew his origin power, releasing his hand. Zhou Cai Guang’s right hand was already swelling, with a clear purplish handprint visible.
Zhou Cai Guang tried to move his fingers, wincing in pain, but luckily, each finger could still move. Clearly, Qian Ye had shown mercy and had not intended to crush his bones.
Zhou Cai Guang smiled bitterly, “Lord Qian Ye’s strength is truly astonishing. Although I am not impressive, I never thought I’d be helpless against a mere tenth-level War General. I didn’t expect to be unable to hold up for even a few minutes. The moment you activate your origin power, thunder rumbles in the void, a realm that not every War General can achieve.”
At this point, Zhou Cai Guang couldn’t help but ask, “When do you plan to advance to War General?”
“Not in a hurry,” Qian Ye didn’t feel the need to answer this question.
Zhou Cai Guang realized his mistake, bowed slightly, left his contact details, and took his leave.
Over the next few days, people like Zhou Cai Guang kept coming to visit, a constant stream of visitors from all walks of life. This, in fact, indicated that after Dark Flame’s swift and decisive actions, including the conquest of the Seventh Division and the western expansion, they were gradually gaining recognition throughout Evernight, finally establishing a firm foothold.
Among those who came, some were organizations like Ghost Rope seeking cooperation, others were influential families and ambiguous forces looking to expand their business in the Black Stream City territory, and even representatives of some lesser families arrived arrogantly, treating Qian Ye as if he were a subordinate, demanding his allegiance and offering grand favors.
Qian Ye paid no attention to such people, having them dragged out and beaten, then thrown outside the Black Stream City. Their threats of “you’ll regret this” and “the people behind me are not to be offended” were dismissed as mere barking by the Dark Flame warriors.
One or two incidents might be tolerable, but as such occurrences became frequent, Qian Ye realized not everyone was well-informed or knew the proper etiquette.
Recalling this, he thought about how, without the channels of Song Zining and Zhao Yuying, he would have been clueless about events beyond the battle zone. In the Hunter’s Home, information was often more expensive than the rewards for missions.
Thus, Zhou Cai Guang’s brief did seem important, at least ensuring he wouldn’t be completely ignorant of major events. And the other topic raised by Zhou Cai Guang stirred a slight ripple in Qian Ye’s heart, prompting him to seriously consider the possibility of advancing to War General.
Becoming a War General among humans or a Baron among the dark races was a significant threshold, distinguishing the upper echelons from the lower. No matter how strong Qian Ye’s combat prowess, no matter how many War Generals he slew, he would not receive the same respect until he broke through to War General.
The key to human advancement to War General was simple: gather the origin power into a vortex. At the nine critical nodes, let the origin power condense to a certain degree, naturally forming a vortex. This would greatly increase the speed of absorbing origin power, allowing the use of environmental origin power, and improving the body’s constitution to some extent.
Advancing to War General was a comprehensive enhancement, a watershed moment, with the difference in strength being like that between clouds and mud.
Yet, among War Generals, the size and purity of the origin power vortex could vary greatly. The purer the origin power, the closer it was to its source, and the greater its power and potential for further advancement. Ordinary War Generals’ origin power condensation was only slightly better than that of a soldier, and that was why geniuses sought to suppress their ranks and refine their origin power to the utmost.
Thinking of this, Qian Ye recalled that Song Zining had mentioned that great clans had their own secret methods to assist in the advancement to War General, not only significantly increasing the success rate but even enhancing the purity of the origin power to a higher level.
The top-tier training chamber Qian Ye used in the Song Clan was one such method, the cost being astronomical for ordinary people. He was somewhat curious about the Zhao Clan’s methods.
With the Iron Curtain in place and a major battle imminent, Qian Ye decided not to suppress his rank and to advance to War General ahead of schedule. While this might slightly affect his future achievements, if he died in the heat of battle due to insufficient strength, what future would there be?
The constant stream of visitors finally slowed after a few busy days, giving Qian Ye the chance to focus on his cultivation. He began preparations for advancing to War General. Dark Flame officers were instructed not to disturb him unless it was an emergency, and daily operations were handed over to Song Hu and other senior officers.
On the second day of Qian Ye’s secluded cultivation, an inconspicuous small airship flew to the Black Stream City. It looked ordinary, but its ability to safely reach the city under the Iron Curtain indicated its extraordinary nature.
Under the Iron Curtain, not only land beasts became frenzied, but the sky-dominating ferocious birds as well. Ordinary transport ships had ceased flying, and only convoys escorted by warships dared to take to the air.
The airship landed on the landing field, and the cabin door opened, the gangway lowered, and out stepped an elderly man with a refined appearance, his silver hair meticulously groomed.
He wore plain clothes, with little decoration. However, those in the know could see that the cut and fabric of his attire were the work of a master, with every detail impeccable. The value of just this outfit could buy several houses in the remote and impoverished Black Stream City.
Behind the old man followed a handsome young man and several attendants.
The old man’s sharp, eagle-like gaze swept over the scene, and he said coldly, “This is Black Stream?”
“Yes, we’ve arrived,” the young man beside him answered.
The old man made no comment on the cityscape, merely saying, “Since we’re in the right place, let’s go find the young lady.”
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