Chapter 70: A Tranquil Life

Qian Ye slapped away Song Zining’s hand, growling, “Absolutely not! If she goes to the heart of the Empire and her identity is revealed, there will be no chance of escape. I know that being with her will bring endless trouble, but I can’t just let her go back and marry that damned Holy Son! If the Evernight Continent is no longer safe, then we’ll go to the Neutral Zone. If the Holy Son pursues us, we’ll fight to the death there!”

Song Zining looked at Qian Ye and sighed, “There’s actually more news, something I’ve been pondering. It’s said that before the Battle of the Giant Beast’s Slumber, the Queen of Night herself issued a decree: if Nighteye could retrieve a fragment of the Ancient Essence, she would be granted her freedom. But now, she’s returned with you.”

Qian Ye was stunned, thinking of that fragment of the Ancient Essence and the somewhat unreasonable way Nighteye had forced him to absorb it.

Seeing the change in Qian Ye’s expression, Song Zining didn’t continue on that topic but instead said, “This is an external problem, but there are also internal troubles. I just got word from the Expeditionary Army; it seems someone is investigating your time in the Red Scorpion Corps.”

“Red Scorpion?” Qian Ye’s eyes turned cold. The Red Scorpion was a wound in his heart, one that still bled when he thought about it.

Song Zining said, “Don’t worry for now. The identity I set up for you should hold. They won’t find anything. Of course, if they really dig deep, they might discover that your identity has some flaws.”

A glint of killing intent appeared in Qian Ye’s eyes as he coldly replied, “If they insist on digging, they’ll eventually trace it back to you and me.”

Song Zining lightly tapped the windowsill, saying, “When that time comes, I’ll play with them. But Qian Ye, you should think about who you’ve offended, that they would start such an investigation through the military.”

Qian Ye thought for a moment. His real enemies were only the Dong family, Gu Liyu, and Xu Lang.

Hearing these names, Song Zining simply nodded, saying nothing further.

The two stood side by side at the window, falling into silence.

After a while, Song Zining slowly said, “Qian Ye, we are brothers. No matter how big the trouble, I’ll share it with you.”

For a moment, Qian Ye couldn’t find the words, and merely nodded silently.

The surgery took over an hour. Lu Ju finally opened the door, looking a bit weak, and said, “It’s done.”

In the room, Nighteye was examining herself in the mirror, a hint of bewilderment on her face. The face in the mirror was completely unfamiliar, making it hard for her to adapt. She touched her face, hardly feeling the mask covering it. Amazingly, the mask even provided a sense of touch, like her own skin.

Her hair had been dyed, adding an amber sheen to the black. When she turned from the mirror, even Qian Ye and Song Zining were momentarily startled. If not for her unchanged aura, they might have mistaken her for someone else.

Nighteye then retracted her aura, entering a state of bloodline concealment, drawing all her primal energy and blood vigor inward, leaving only a trace of a normal person’s presence. Even Qian Ye might not recognize her if they met face-to-face now.

Lu Ju brought a basin of clear water, saying, “Submerge your face in the water to remove the mask.”

Nighteye followed his instructions, dipping her face in the water. After a moment, a layer of skin peeled off, separating from her cheeks. The mask had over a dozen fine, hair-like tentacles, floating in the water like a strange jellyfish.

Nighteye then retrieved the mask and reapplied it.

The tentacles slowly pierced her skin, her face distorting and then gradually becoming clear again. After hearing Lu Ju’s explanation, what truly amazed Qian Ye was that the tentacles could penetrate Nighteye’s skin, providing sensations of real skin. Nighteye’s body was only slightly weaker than Qian Ye’s, and Lu Ju had needed a sharp golden needle to draw a drop of her blood.

During the creation of the mask, Lu Ju had incorporated Nighteye’s blood, allowing her body to recognize it as part of her own. For this alone, Lu Ju deserved the title of master, and the price Song Zining paid must have been substantial.

Lu Ju circled Nighteye several times, exclaiming, “Perfect, truly perfect! This is the peak of my work! Who could possibly see through a mask made by me, Lu Ju, from now on?”

Qian Ye leaned close to Song Zining, whispering, “This Master Lu, he doesn’t make masks exclusively for the Blood Clan, does he?”

Song Zining whispered back, “You guessed right. He’s best at making masks for the Blood Clan, far better than for humans or the Demonkin.”

Qian Ye looked at Lu Ju, feeling conflicted. Making masks for the Blood Clan, their primary use was surely to infiltrate the Empire. Killing this man would cut off many infiltration channels. But he had just made a mask for Nighteye, so how could Qian Ye do it?

Seeming to read Qian Ye’s thoughts, Song Zining said, “There are many like him. If one is killed, another will appear. Besides, Master Lu did us a favor this time. Qian Ye, it seems you’ve been fighting too much lately; your mind is muddled.”

Lu Ju packed his tools and grabbed an old leather suitcase. Song Zining smiled, saying, “Master Lu, I’ve prepared an airship for you in Blackstream City. You can leave immediately. Once you reach the mainland, there will be someone to receive you. Everything is arranged, so rest assured!”

Lu Ju nodded, his plump face breaking into a smile, “Naturally, the arrangements by the Seventh Young Master are excellent, hahaha!”

Song Zining personally opened the door for Lu Ju, saying, “Master Lu, please!”

Lu Ju, however, remained still, respectfully saying, “No, Your Highness first!”

Nighteye was used to going first, but this time she stood by Qian Ye, letting him lead. Qian Ye hesitated, but Nighteye gently pushed him, sending him out, then followed gracefully.

Lu Ju was dumbfounded, unable to recover for a long while. He had never paid much attention to Qian Ye, but the revered Blood Princess was entirely focused on him.

Everyone climbed into the off-road vehicles and returned to Blackstream.

After a smooth return, Song Zining arranged for Lu Ju to board an airship bound for the mainland. Nighteye, on the other hand, followed Qian Ye home.

Qian Ye’s place was simple, just a modest set of rooms next to the Dark Flame Command, with plain furnishings. He spent most of his time fighting, with few extended stays in Blackstream City. Thus, he didn’t care much about the accommodations.

But Song Zining clearly had different tastes. In the days before Qian Ye’s return, he had already arranged for a secluded villa. The villa was surrounded by tall trees, shading the courtyard and the building. A small pond added a poetic touch.

Opening the door, they entered a spacious living room. The fireplace was already lit, with top-grade smokeless black stone emitting a warm, clear flame, filling the room with warmth and light without any unpleasant smell.

A circle of sofas was placed in the center, with a thick carpet and a low table holding fruit and books.

Upon entering, the rich, warm ambiance of home life greeted them, showing the effort Song Zining had put into the setup.

The kitchen was fully equipped, with cabinets stocked with ingredients. Nighteye’s eyes lit up, and even Qian Ye was tempted to show off his culinary skills.

As it was dinner time, Nighteye said, “I’ll cook!”

“Let’s do it together,” Qian Ye smiled.

They changed out of their combat gear and started cooking, sharing amusing stories from their lives and laughing heartily.

Nighteye was skilled with twin swords, but a kitchen knife felt awkward in her hand. The large fish in her left hand was slippery, almost harder to handle than her worst enemy. Her attempts to cut the fish were clumsy, leaving it in pieces, and she nearly cut herself. However, her hand was far stronger than the knife, and the cut left only a white mark, nearly breaking the knife.

Qian Ye watched and couldn’t help but laugh. He took the knife and a piece of fish. In his hands, the knife seemed to come alive, deftly slicing the fish into paper-thin slices, piling them on a plate. At the end, only a bare fish spine remained in his hand.

Nighteye was astounded.

Qian Ye chuckled and tapped her head, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Nighteye, still a young girl at heart, showed excitement and curiosity, asking, “You can cook?”

“Don’t you remember where we first met?”

Without hesitation, Nighteye said, “A dilapidated bar with terrible taste, why?”

Qian Ye, half amused and half annoyed, tapped her head again, “That was my bar. And what do you mean by ‘terrible taste’?”

“It was terrible!”

Amidst their playful banter, dinner was ready. A few imperial-style dishes and a bowl of clear soup. Qian Ye brought out a bottle of wine, pouring each a glass.

They sat down, exchanged smiles, and began eating. The meal was quickly devoured, and Nighteye, still hungry, looked at Qian Ye with pleading eyes. Finally, Qian Ye surrendered, heading to the kitchen to cook a few more dishes until she was satisfied.

Satiated, Nighteye contentedly buried herself in the sofa, kicking Qian Ye to the kitchen to do the dishes.

After cleaning up, Qian Ye returned to the living room, finding Nighteye engrossed in a book.

Since returning, Qian Ye hadn’t noticed the book on the coffee table. He walked behind the sofa and asked, “What are you reading?”

Instead of answering, Nighteye turned, hooked her arm around Qian Ye’s neck, pulling him down for a kiss.

It was like throwing a torch into a powder keg, instantly igniting the entire living room.

Qian Ye, suppressing his worries, lifted Nighteye. She flipped and wrapped her legs around his waist. With his unparalleled agility, Qian Ye carried her upstairs to the bedroom, pressing her onto the bed!

The cool night breeze wafted, but the villa seemed to be spewing fire from its windows.