Qian Ye nodded, realizing that the goods which Lord Roth had specifically requested from the spider demon leader were, in fact, them.
When Qian Ye first met Lu Shenjiang at the “Copper Sparrow Platform,” he learned that the “Twin Blossoms” had a significant background.
The Blood Noble who was eliminated turned out to be a descendant of Lord Roth. Although not particularly powerful, he was clearly favored by the Lord, who even bestowed upon him the famous twin pistols. However, Qian Ye not only raided the Blood Noble’s castle and seized the Twin Blossoms, but also successfully brought dozens of “Blood Rations” back to the human realm. This was an unparalleled humiliation for Lord Roth.
However, the bounty on Qian Ye failed. The fate of Lu Shenjiang made many reconsider their actions. After all, while the reward was tempting, their lives and reputations were more important. Working secretly for the blood race was one thing, but being exposed in public was another. After Qian Ye went to Qinland to participate in the Tianxuan Spring Hunt, the native nobles of the Evernight Continent could no longer track his movements, nor did they dare to reach out to the upper continent.
In frustration, Lord Roth directed his anger toward the Blood Rations that Qian Ye had rescued. He spent a fortune to track them down and bought them back to the Dark Realm. The Lord wanted to make it clear that anyone who betrayed him would face a dire fate.
The sharp, glowing teeth effortlessly broke the shackles on these people’s hands. Qian Ye first selected the warriors, cut off their origin power restraints, and then let them free the others. Checking their bodies, he was surprised to find their condition unexpectedly good, with few injuries and no serious internal wounds, indicating that neither the humans nor the dark races had tortured them.
As he observed, the term “Seeds” suddenly came to mind. These were individuals chosen to bring fresh blood to the human population in the Dark Realm, which explained why they were of such high quality. They were usually not mistreated or forced into hard labor, and even had basic living conditions. However, their future was akin to that of breeding stock.
These humans were young, with those around thirty years old being either First-Class Warriors or having special skills. In this context, a pleasing appearance was also a valuable trait, given the Blood Race’s almost obsessive aesthetic sense.
Qian Ye also noticed that many of them were warriors. Some were soldiers from the Imperial Regular Army, exiled to the Evernight Continent as punishment and later sold. Others were mostly mercenaries, hunters, or adventurers, with only a few being scavengers, but of the highest quality.
Gathering such a group of humans in the Evernight Continent was extremely difficult, and no one knew how much effort Wu Zhengnan had secretly put in.
Looking at the people helping each other to remove their shackles, Qian Ye decided to change his original plan. Initially, he intended to leave the settlement undisturbed as evidence against Wu Zhengnan, allowing the people to scatter and find their way back to human settlements, giving them a chance to survive.
From past experiences, Qian Ye knew that bringing these people directly back to the city would cause significant trouble. The expeditionary force might quarantine them, and what happened afterward would be beyond his control. Even if they all passed the quarantine, integrating the “Blood Rations” into human society would be nearly impossible. Others wouldn’t fare much better, as there weren’t many job opportunities in the cities of the Evernight Continent. Without work or roots, they would eventually become victims, just like the ones Qian Ye had saved.
These people were unusually quiet and obedient, or rather, numb and mechanical, as they saw no future.
But now, Qian Ye realized that though he couldn’t provide them with a future, others might. At least the Wei and Song families could. Though their foundations were in the upper continent, like other noble families, they had properties of varying sizes in the Evernight Continent. Where there were properties, there was a need for people.
More importantly, these people, including the children, were not without value. They were carefully selected “Seeds,” ensuring a certain level of quality. In fact, in the aristocratic circles, they had many uses. Over half of them, with some training, could become capable family warriors. The hundred or so children, in their growth period, were perfect for building a foundation and cultivating loyalty.
Being useful meant they could support themselves with their own hands. This was the real reliance.
Qian Ye decided to try again. He would take all these people to the Broken River City, about two hundred kilometers away from Black Flow City. There, a base affiliated with the Wei family might offer them a true place to live.
However, leaving Black Flow City’s control area and heading to the Broken River City would be a long journey, and the energy supply for the trucks was insufficient. But not far away, there was a large supply of black stones at the trading point used by the Seventh Division.
Qian Ye planned to capture that settlement. Whether it meant losing evidence against Wu Zhengnan, it was less important compared to the lives of hundreds of people.
He glanced at the neatly lined people in front of him and said calmly, “We cannot stay here. I will take you to the Broken River City. But the vehicle’s energy is not enough. We must return to the slave camp to get some supplies.”
No one spoke. Qian Ye nodded and said, “Those who can drive the trucks, step forward!”
To his surprise, dozens of people stepped forward. Next, he asked for those who could use various weapons, and even more people responded. Qian Ye distributed the weapons found on the trucks and the corpses of the dark races, and divided the First-Class Warriors among the vehicles.
He instructed calmly, “Your task is to protect the others.”
A soldier from the former 65th Legion asked, “Are you planning to fight alone?” As a warrior, he easily understood the implications of Qian Ye’s command, his voice filled with disbelief.
Qian Ye turned slightly, smiled, and jumped onto the first truck, directing the convoy towards the settlement. There, about a hundred warriors awaited, with only a third awakened to origin power. Commander Zhou was a Fifth-Level strength, a negligible obstacle for Qian Ye.
When the convoy appeared within sight of the town, the watchtower first detected the anomaly, and the alarm sounded, causing a commotion. Commander Zhou appeared on the wall, surrounded by an increasing number of warriors.
Qian Ye stopped the convoy five hundred meters away and walked alone towards the town, stopping at a hundred meters.
Silence reigned on the walls as everyone watched Qian Ye. For some reason, facing him alone, they felt not superiority in strength but deep fear.
“Who are you?” Commander Zhou shouted from afar.
“Someone who killed the dark race caravan,” Qian Ye replied simply.
A collective gasp of shock swept through the walls. They knew the strength of that “caravan” and during their stay, everyone had been silent, even witnessing a warrior being devoured under a pretext. And now, a lone youth outside claimed to have annihilated the entire caravan?
“How can I believe you?” Commander Zhou frowned.
“You don’t need to believe me; just surrender. That way, fewer people will die.”
“Damn it!” Commander Zhou cursed under his breath, then raised his voice, “You think a few words will make me surrender? Just because you’re alone? Forget it!”
Qian Ye coldly said, “You bow to the dark races, but you dare to fight me? I don’t understand where your courage comes from, just because I’m human, a familiar kin?”
Commander Zhou’s brows furrowed, weighing his options. When he saw the familiar convoy behind Qian Ye, he knew things were dire. Those were valuable goods worth tens of thousands of gold coins, and the ferocious werewolves and spider demons wouldn’t let them go easily.
Qian Ye suddenly raised the Eagle Strike high, shouting, “Look, what is this? Resistance is futile. Do you think I won’t kill? Surrender now, or die!”
Seeing the two-meter-long deadly weapon, Commander Zhou’s heart sank. A long-range sniper! Now he knew the fate of the dark race “caravan.” The Eagle Strike’s range and power were lethal, and anyone in the settlement, including him, could be taken out in one shot.
Surrender or escape? Commander Zhou didn’t know where this youth came from, but the settlement held too many secrets that, if exposed, would mean more than just death. He grabbed a flask, gulped down some strong liquor, and shouted, “Charge! Get to that youth, and kill him!”
Spurred by their commander, the warriors roared and leaped off the walls, charging towards Qian Ye. The hundred meters closed in a blink.
Qian Ye shook his head, sighed inwardly, and felt a burning rage. He couldn’t understand why these people lacked courage against the dark races but had the gall to charge at him, who had killed those dark races.
Holding the Eagle Strike, Qian Ye ignored the charging warriors and locked eyes with Commander Zhou still on the wall.
Feeling the intense threat of death, Commander Zhou screamed and jumped into the town. But it was too late. The Eagle Strike roared, and the origin bullet blasted through the wooden wall, striking him precisely!
Stunned, Commander Zhou watched his lower body disintegrate in the explosion, unsure whether to regret or feel something else.
A few small bursts of origin power glowed on Qian Ye, and the force of the incoming origin bullet pushed him back a few steps.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage