Despite his usual composure, Old Wang found it hard to remain calm. He could only dissuade her, “Miss, you must not act rashly on this matter.”
Zhaoruo Xi’s eyes glinted with fury as she said, “If I can’t act rashly in this, when can I? Just tell me, where is Bai Ao Tu?”
“About that…” Old Wang looked helpless. He wanted to keep silent, but then he saw Zhaoruo Xi raise the Manjushage menacingly. With the Manjushage in hand, Zhaoruo Xi could leave, and Old Wang could do nothing to stop her. Throughout the entire Unfallen City, perhaps only Duke Zhao Xuanji could stand in her way.
Old Wang had no choice but to explain, “This matter is quite complicated, and it’s not as simple as it seems…”
After a detailed recounting of the entire incident, Old Wang elaborated on the intricacies and the underlying stakes. This matter was not a small one for the entire Zhao clan, and thus the reports were especially thorough.
After a lengthy explanation, Old Wang said, “In reality, the cause of all this is Bai Kong Zhao alone. As for Bai Ao Tu, she might not even know what Bai Kong Zhao did, and she is merely protecting her subordinates. Such actions are common among our noble families, just to varying degrees.”
“Old Wang, are you trying to dissuade me from going after Bai Ao Tu? Do you think I cannot defeat her?”
Old Wang sighed, “Miss, the state’s treasures should not be used for such matters. Moreover, it is a critical time, and the entire defense zone needs you and the Manjushage. Besides, using that weapon is detrimental to your health, so it’s best to avoid it if possible.”
“What does the state’s treasure matter? It is in my hands now, and I will use it as I see fit! Tell those old fogeys that Bai Ao Tu is not the only madman in this world!”
Old Wang was shocked. He suddenly leapt forward to grab her, but where his hand landed on Zhaoruo Xi’s wrist, it transformed into a blooming flower of the other shore. The flower vanished in an instant, leaving a pine nut with an open mouth in Old Wang’s palm.
Old Wang was stunned for a moment before he sighed heavily and leapt out the window, flying away. He knew where Zhaoruo Xi was heading, but he didn’t know if he could catch up in time.
At that moment, in the cultivation chamber of an aerial ship, Qian Ye slowly opened his eyes, ending his current session of cultivation.
His current practice was mainly for healing. The damage to his origin power was actually not severe, mainly because the origin power in his two vortexes was filled with fine crystal grains, existing in a semi-crystalline form. Semi-crystallized origin power had far greater resistance to external damage than ordinary origin power. Bai Ao Tu’s punch, which would have destroyed an ordinary expert’s origin vortex and their cultivation foundation, had only caused minor injuries to Qian Ye. The real damage was concentrated on his body.
Although the physical injuries were severe, his blood nucleus was undamaged, and the golden flame blood flowing throughout his body was rapidly repairing the wounds. It would take only a day or two to recover most of his strength, and three days to be fully healed. Qian Ye had indeed not lied to Zhao Yuying about the recovery time.
However, physical recovery also required one more step: consuming a large amount of food to replenish nutrients and energy. Qian Ye left the cultivation chamber and went to the dining area to collect several meals, which he devoured in moments. Then, he went to visit Wei Po Tian.
The eldest son of the Wei clan lay in bed, wrapped in bandages, especially around his waist, layer upon layer.
Qian Ye sat by the bedside and, out of habit, gently pressed on the bandages, asking with concern, “Does it still hurt?”
Wei Po Tian let out a pained scream, “Of course it hurts! Can’t you be a bit gentler?! And this is the seventh time you’ve asked today!”
Qian Ye slapped his forehead, realizing that this was indeed his seventh visit. He practiced healing for forty minutes at a time, then ate a large meal to replenish his energy, and then came to check on Wei Po Tian, instinctively pressing on his bandages. In other words, he was torturing Wei Po Tian every hour.
Wei Po Tian looked Qian Ye up and down and couldn’t help but sigh, “Your grip has gotten stronger. Does this mean your injuries are almost healed? It’s unbelievable. You were injured more severely than me, yet you’re already bouncing back after just a day. I’m still stuck in bed!”
“You lost a big chunk of flesh and several ribs. That’s not a minor injury. Stay in bed, and you might be able to get up in a week.”
Wei Po Tian grumbled, “I should have learned some of the Yan family’s secret techniques. I’d heal faster.”
“That would delay your Thousand Mountains advancement. If your defenses were any weaker, that shot might have killed you.”
Wei Po Tian slumped back, “I’m so bored. And there’s not even a pretty doctor or nurse on this lousy ship, no eye candy at all.”
Qian Ye laughed, “When did you become like Zi Ning?”
Wei Po Tian rolled his eyes, “I’m a man too, and what man doesn’t like beautiful women? Speaking of which, is that pretty boy alright? Honestly, seeing the scars on his face makes me feel a bit better.”
Qian Ye dashed his hopes, “With Zi Ning’s character, he’ll probably spend a fortune to remove the scars. Don’t get your hopes up.”
Wei Po Tian sighed, then fell silent. After a moment, he asked, “Qian Ye, are you satisfied with this?”
Qian Ye became solemn, “If we’re talking about Bai Kong Zhao, I will kill her eventually. She won’t escape. As for Bai Ao Tu, it’s only a matter of time before I catch up to her. If I just wanted to kill her, I might not need to face her directly. But I’ve been thinking, should I do that while the enemy remains?”
Wei Po Tian, who rarely thought deeply, suddenly took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, “I wish I could beat her up right now!”
However, Bai Ao Tu’s combat power was formidable, and it would be difficult to give her a good beating without reaching the level of a divine general. By the time Qian Ye achieved that, Bai Ao Tu might have advanced further, and the outcome would still be uncertain. As for Wei Po Tian, reaching the divine general level was nearly impossible, and the hope of beating Bai Ao Tu was slim.
Seeing Qian Ye’s gloomy expression, Wei Po Tian laughed, “Don’t worry, Qian Ye. Don’t take this to heart. The Empire will have its own judgment on who is right and wrong! Our Wei family has fought for the Empire, losing many men, and we won’t be disrespected. If the Bai family doesn’t give us a satisfactory explanation, many noble families will lose faith, and they won’t get away with it easily.”
Qian Ye’s face relaxed slightly, showing a smile, though it was forced and looked worse than a frown.
Wei Po Tian said, “I told you, I’m fine! A little less flesh, it’ll grow back. You don’t think the eldest son of the Wei family can’t afford to treat his injuries, do you?”
Wei Po Tian spoke lightly, but his injuries were severe. The shot had taken a large chunk of flesh from his waist, reducing it by a third. Even if he recovered, he would be weak for a while before regaining his peak condition.
“Rest, I’ll go for a walk.”
“Wait! Qian Ye, you won’t come back in an hour to press on me again, right? If I’m not beaten to death, you’ll torture me to death!”
Qian Ye made a move to press, scaring Wei Po Tian, who then laughed, “It’s fine. My injuries are almost healed. I don’t need to practice today.”
Leaving the infirmary, Qian Ye walked down the corridor, deep in thought. This was a high-speed transport ship of the Zhang fleet, responsible for logistics and supplies. The ship was massive, and the corridors were wide enough for four or five people to walk side by side. In fact, a small truck could drive through them.
So when a person appeared in the corridor, Qian Ye instinctively ignored them. Their paths were different, and the corridor was wide enough.
However, after a few steps, Qian Ye found his path blocked by the same person. Still struggling to calm the fluctuations of his blood and origin power, his body trembled slightly. He was furious, and whenever he saw Wei Po Tian’s injuries, his anger flared.
Qian Ye instinctively stepped to the side, but the person also stepped, blocking him again. Now, Qian Ye realized that the person was intentionally causing trouble.
Suddenly, Qian Ye’s mood lightened, and in his rage, someone had come to provoke him.
The man was tall and strong, asking, “Are you Qian Ye?”
Qian Ye remained silent, his gaze falling on the man’s rank insignia and the Bai family emblem.
Seeing Qian Ye’s silence, the man sneered, “How dare someone like you challenge Lady Ao Tu? She showed mercy by not killing you with one punch, yet you dared to slander her! Are all Zhao family dogs so lowly? Today, I, Bai—”
Before he could finish, Qian Ye suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing, causing the man to flinch in pain. Then, a vice-like grip clamped down on his throat, cutting off his air!
Looking down, the man saw Qian Ye’s hand around his throat, lifting him off the ground. Qian Ye had not used origin power, but his physical strength was incredible, crushing the man’s protective origin power and making his neck bones crack, ready to break at any moment.
Though he could still move, the Bai family captain struggled to pry Qian Ye’s fingers loose, fearing his neck would snap. But his efforts were futile, and his face turned purple.
Terror filled his eyes, and he choked, unable to speak. His vision discerned that Qian Ye had not used any origin power, relying solely on brute strength to render him powerless. What kind of monster was this?
Qian Ye strode to the end of the corridor, kicked open the emergency door, and threw the man out of the ship.
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