Chapter 24: The Distance

Qianye looked around, only to find nothing but gray mist and emptiness. There were no heads or any other objects. At that moment, he felt a sudden dizziness as the surroundings quickly turned dark, and he could see nothing.

The next moment, Qianye woke up in his bed. He was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through from inside out, and his body felt empty, his origin power completely drained, as if he had just been through an intense battle, exhausting all his strength.

He touched his sweaty forehead, pondering this strange dream. Suddenly, a feeling came to him, seemingly from nowhere. If his origin power was more profound, perhaps he could have ventured further into the dream world and explore the source of that voice.

Shaking his head, he dismissed this rather absurd thought. Yet, the existence of that voice was too real to be ignored like an insignificant dream.

Thoughts swirled in Qianye’s mind, finally settling on the three special entities he had encountered recently: the Song ancient scroll, the dark gold bloodline energy, and the fragmentary rune script. Which one of these was related to this matter?

Lying for a while, he got up and retrieved the crystal shard he had obtained from Baron Darul, carefully examining it. Apart from the incomprehensible runes and array patterns, there was nothing else. If there was any secret to be discovered, perhaps it would be easier to find in the hands of the vampire baron.

Qianye recalled the contents of Baron Darul’s notes, but found nothing useful. After returning to Black Mud Town, he had wanted to ask Hu Wei about any peculiar activities or recent deaths of single elderly people in the town, but after inquiring indirectly, he gave up on this avenue of investigation. Whether among the natives or the passing scavengers, there were many single elderly people, and no one cared whether they lived or died.

Perhaps the only clue was the mention of the Forgotten Mountains of the Blaze Continent in Darul’s diary.

The Blaze Continent was the name given by the dark races; in the imperial maps, it was called the Western Continent. This was a continent where humans and dark races were evenly matched, each occupying half the territory, and over the years, they had been in a stalemate, with neither side gaining a clear advantage.

The Western Continent was also the foundation of the Zhao clan, one of the four major aristocratic families of the empire. The famous Wolf Smoke Army under the new patriarch, Zhao Weihuang, was stationed there. Additionally, the rebel forces on this continent were significant, openly operating in several provinces, with two of them even declaring independence for a time.

At that time, the dark races had provoked a new round of war. Under the attack of the dark army and the human rebels, the imperial garrisons, including General Zhao Weihuang in the northwest, were stretched thin. The empire had to transfer Lin Xitan from the north to stabilize the situation, but the war had dragged on, keeping Lin Xitan in the west.

Now, the Western Continent was a battleground, with various factions intertwined. Except for the territories firmly controlled by the imperial aristocratic families, the areas bordering the dark territories or the rebel provinces, as well as the newly settled provinces, were extremely chaotic, not much better than the Evernight Continent.

Considering this, Qianye decided that once the Evernight battles were over, he would visit the Western Continent. The Blackwing King was a great lord of the blood race, and anything belonging to the blood race would suit him. This might be an opportunity to enhance his power. After the battles with Brahms and Sodo, Qianye deeply understood that battles between the strong determined the outcome.

He wanted to become stronger. In this chaotic world, whether to survive or to protect what he cared about, power was the foundation of everything.

Qianye’s state of extreme fatigue finally eased, and he no longer felt sleepy. He put on his clothes, opened the door, and prepared to go for a walk.

The midnight scene in Blackflow City was different. Most of the city was still brightly lit, with the steam from the giant defensive machinery covering several blocks, where the fortifications were still being reinforced. There were not many civilians on the streets at this time, but it did not seem deserted. Many temporary conscripts were camping, and the expeditionary force patrols passed by every quarter hour.

Qianye wandered aimlessly through the streets and alleys. As he passed through a street, he caught a glimpse of a figure standing at the other end of an alley. He froze, immediately stopping, hesitating for a moment before slowly walking back and looking in that direction.

The person was still standing there, ten meters away across the alley, facing Qianye.

Although her face was hidden under a hood and a dust veil, her posture, demeanor, and those eyes that seemed to hold the entire world were unforgettable to Qianye.

Qianye stood there for a long time, and the other person showed the same patience, standing quietly. Finally, he walked into the alley, and she stepped forward to meet him. They stopped in the middle of the alley.

“It’s you,” Qianye said after a long pause. He had something to say, but felt that nothing was appropriate, and so, only these two words came out.

“It’s me,” she said, slowly pulling down the veil, revealing a perfect face.

It was Ye Qingqiu.

Qianye’s expression was cold, but there was a hint of resignation in his tone, “You shouldn’t be here.”

Ye Qingqiu looked at Qianye calmly, her voice without a trace of emotion, “But I am here.”

Reuniting here, at this time, in this place.

“What do you intend to do? Kill me?” she asked, glancing at the twin flowers and shining fangs at Qianye’s waist.

Qianye instinctively placed his hand on the gun handle, but his fingers fidgeted slightly, showing a hint of unease, a small, unnecessary gesture that could be fatal on the battlefield for an experienced warrior.

“You…” Qianye said only one word and then stopped.

There was no need to ask why Ye Qingqiu was here. It was obvious that she was also part of the conscription for this war. With her perfect bloodline concealment ability, she could move freely in human territory, making her the ideal choice for infiltration and intelligence gathering. When the dark army had already swept through the entire Three Rivers County, her presence in Blackflow City was clearly to observe the city’s defenses, helping the dark commander decide whether to swallow this troublesome little city.

Qianye took a deep breath, “Leave, and don’t come back.”

A faint smile appeared on Ye Qingquiu’s lips, “What? Not going to kill me?”

“Isn’t your goal to spy on the city’s defenses? As you can see, Blackflow City is not afraid of a fight.” Wei Baine’s setup was precisely to lure the dark scouts, allowing them to see the city’s strengths and weaknesses and weigh the cost of attacking it.

Qianye’s expression was calm and icy, with an unwavering determination, “Next time, when we meet on the battlefield, I will kill you.”

Ye Qingqiu’s gaze suddenly lowered, seeing Qianye’s fingers still absentmindedly rubbing the gun handle. She smiled and raised her eyes to look into Qianye’s, saying, “Fine, I see. Then, I’ll leave.”

She turned and took a few steps, then paused and said, “If possible, leave here as soon as you can. The war in Evernight is different from what you think.” With that, Ye Qingqiu quickened her pace, preparing to leave.

Qianye’s voice suddenly came from behind, “Don’t let me see you on the battlefield again.”

Ye Qingqiu paused, tilting her head slightly, revealing a graceful silhouette. Her tone was calm but firm, “We will meet again, on the battlefield.” With that, she continued forward, quickly disappearing into the thick night.

Qianye remained standing, unsure why he had added that last sentence.

Ye Qingqiu should be close to becoming a war general, but her abilities seemed to be mostly based on her powerful eye techniques. Qianye had a premonition that he could suppress the blood race’s innate abilities, especially as his level increased, making his attacks even more lethal. If Qianye reached level 8 or 9 and met Ye Qingqiu again, and she had not yet become a war general, she would likely die at his hands.

The wind blew in from the wilderness, passing through the thick city walls and the barricades, and when it hit Qianye, it brought a bone-chilling cold.

Qianye no longer had the mood to wander and returned to his small building, falling asleep directly. However, he lay there for hours, unable to sleep. Various thoughts swirled in his mind, tangled like a ball of yarn, with a void in one corner, like an endless abyss, leaving only a sense of unease.

He and Ye Qingqiu were now in the same war zone, and along this path, they would eventually fight.

The scene of the twin flowers’ origin bullets exploding on Ye Qingqiu in the earthen castle kept replaying in Qianye’s mind. That moment, she had failed to dodge. Would she fail to dodge again next time?

The distance between dawn and evernight was the entire world.

The next morning, Qianye went to see Wei Baine.

Wei Baine was in a good mood, practicing calligraphy in his study. The half piece of the Ji Wang-made cloud smoke stone was quietly resting in the corner of the desk. Qianye had never seen Wei Baine use it; he only appreciated it when he opened the box.

Wei Baine wrote very slowly, as if he was not holding a brush but supporting a mountain.

Qianye did not disturb him, waiting quietly for the writing to be completed.

Wei Baine finished and examined it several times, satisfied, saying, “Come, take a look at my work.”

On the scroll were four large characters: Unmovable as a Mountain. The stroke was thick and steady, like four mountains standing on the paper.

Although Qianye did not understand calligraphy, he could feel the imposing aura penetrating the paper. “Truly imposing!”

Wei Baine smiled proudly, “In the later stages of our Thousand Heavy Mountain cultivation, the understanding of intent surpasses hard practice. Without achieving the majestic mountain’s intent, it is difficult to master this secret technique. However, there are countless paths, and everyone’s journey is different. I suddenly had an epiphany and discovered the way to cultivate intent through calligraphy, which allowed me to progress further. But today, I have reached my limit.”

Pausing, Wei Baine pointed at the scroll, “This is one of my proudest works in recent years. Why don’t I give it to you?” With a laugh, he added, “If you ever run short of money, you can sell it for dozens of gold coins!”

Qianye, who liked the scroll, thanked Wei Baine and accepted it.

Wei Baine then spent a lot of time carefully putting away the writing materials, with Qianye watching and waiting.

“Qianye, come and sit,” Wei Baine said after finishing. He took a sip of tea and said, “Your mind is troubled. Why?”