Chapter 20: What Makes It Different

Ji Rui cast a deep glance at Qian Ye, shaking his head, “I truly wonder where your confidence comes from, General.”

Qian Ye replied with the same words, “The City Lord will know after giving it a try.”

Ji Rui’s eyes flickered, but in the end, he couldn’t muster the resolve to make a move. This test would not only reveal Qian Ye’s final trump card but also create a formidable enemy out of nowhere. Qian Ye had already demonstrated his ability to escape from Ji Rui, and if Qian Ye managed to flee, who in Nanqing City could stand against him except Ji Rui himself?

At that point, the situation would be as Qian Ye said: Nanqing City’s business would be over. While inviting Spider Emperor and Wolf King might ensure Qian Ye’s capture, the problem lay in the difficulty of dismissing such powerful allies. Once these two set foot in Nanqing City, whether the city would still bear the name Ji would be uncertain.

In a moment, Ji Rui made up his mind, stepping forward and kicking the courtyard gate open.

The courtyard, though small, was serene and elegant, unique in its style. Stepping inside, a warm, slightly humid breeze welcomed them, bringing a sense of comfort. It was clear from the climate-regulating prime force array installed in the small yard that Lady He was highly favored.

The small courtyard was divided into two parts, with a rear garden containing a small courtyard well, followed by the main house. The four side rooms were for the maids’ quarters.

Qian Ye’s senses swept through the tiny yard, revealing that aside from a woman in the main house and two maids, there were no traces of the High Huns or Honglian.

This result was within Qian Ye’s expectations. Given the commotion caused by his encounter with Ji Rui, which even destroyed a corner of the City Lord’s mansion, Honglian would have been foolish beyond redemption if she hadn’t fled.

The condition he proposed was merely to give Ji Rui a way out. After this confrontation, Ji Rui would not dare to scheme behind his back. Of course, with Ji Rui’s cunning, if he were to challenge Qian Ye again, he would come fully prepared.

But Qian Ye was not afraid. Ji Rui could never predict Qian Ye’s cultivation speed. In a year, Qian Ye could ascend two levels in Dawn Prime Force. With the balance of power in Dawn Prime Force, he could steadily advance to Marquess in the Evernight side. Then, even without the Ancestral Gun or the legacy of the Finger King, Ji Rui would face a sure defeat.

Lady He, hearing the commotion, stepped out to investigate. Seeing Qian Ye, she first froze, then gritted her teeth, her face contorted with anger, almost ready to pounce. But Ji Rui stood beside her, having sternly reprimanded her before, and she knew Qian Ye’s strength; even fighting to the death would be futile.

“Where is Honglian?”

Qian Ye asked casually, not expecting an answer. But Lady He, after a moment’s hesitation, burst into laughter, “You want to catch Honglian? I’ll tell you, she’s long gone. You’ll never find her, never! Offending the High Huns means a life of constant fear in the Neutral Zone. After you die, your women and daughters will become playthings, gifted to the spider demons to be toyed with and devoured, ha, ha, ha!”

Qian Ye remained indifferent to Lady He’s vicious curse, merely looking silently at Ji Rui.

Ji Rui’s face turned red and pale, finally losing his temper. He slapped Lady He, roaring, “Shut up!”

Lady He staggered to the ground, staring at Ji Rui in shock, stammering, “You, you hit me? How dare you hit me? If it weren’t for my father’s mercenary group, you wouldn’t be here today! How dare you hit me now!”

Ji Rui’s face darkened, cursing, “Fool!” and turned to leave. As they exited the courtyard, Chief Steward Liu approached, asking softly, “Lord, what should we do now?”

“Watch her, don’t let her step out of this courtyard! And those maids, drag them out and beat them to death for their audacity!”

“Uh… yes!” Chief Steward Liu, seeing the City Lord in a foul mood, dared not argue.

Qian Ye followed Ji Rui to the study, where they sat. Qian Ye asked, “City Lord, what about this matter?”

Ji Rui sighed bitterly, “Why must you be so aggressive, General?”

Qian Ye smiled faintly, “This is the Neutral Zone. To get what you want, you can’t just talk; you have to fight. That’s the lesson the City Lord taught me.”

Ji Rui sighed heavily, “Women cause trouble, indeed! How do you propose to resolve this, General?”

“Three warship crossbows, Imperial-made, level three or above, premium quality.”

Sweat immediately broke out on Ji Rui’s plump face, exclaiming, “Impossible!”

Warship crossbows were used as main cannons. A level three cannon could be mounted on a destroyer-class airship as the main gun. Qian Ye was asking for the main guns of three destroyers.

“Just three,” Qian Ye insisted.

“This, this would drain half my wealth! I’d rather declare war than give in. Besides, if it weren’t for that woman, you wouldn’t have had the chance to demand this, right?” Ji Rui laughed bitterly.

If Lady He hadn’t revealed that Honglian stayed with her, the situation would have been different. Qian Ye was initially prepared to apologize and resume normal trade. Given the circumstances, Qian Ye knew Ji Rui was likely unaware of the attack, planned secretly by Lady He and Honglian.

Now that Ji Rui had said this, Qian Ye, who had initially set a high price, asked, “What does the City Lord propose?”

“One level four crossbow, Imperial-made, eight-tenths new. No more!” Ji Rui said painfully.

In Qian Ye’s plan, the flanking cannons on the Hall of Eminent Spirits were to be level four, equivalent to frigate-level crossbows. Though a frigate seemed insignificant, a level four crossbow served as the main gun, and a frigate typically could only carry one. More would overload the ship.

Such items were extremely rare in the Neutral Zone, and even as the City Lord, Ji Rui had few. Offering an eight-tenths new one would be a significant loss.

Qian Ye didn’t press further, nodding, “Agreed.”

They renegotiated, settling on seven level four crossbows and two level three crossbows, with Qian Ye paying in black crystals. Including the one Ji Rui had to compensate, it totaled ten.

With the accompanying bolts, it was a nearly million gold business. After giving away one level four crossbow, Ji Rui’s profit was minimal, and his smile was forced.

Qian Ye understood. A level four crossbow cost at least sixty to seventy thousand, a significant sum. Now, due to Lady He’s indiscretion, tens of thousands of gold coins had vanished, souring anyone’s mood.

But that wasn’t Qian Ye’s concern. After finalizing the deal, Qian Ye took his leave, confident that Ji Rui wouldn’t dare intercept the shipment again.

After Qian Ye left, Ji Rui sat in his study, silent and grim. Recently, he spent more time in his study.

As night fell, Ji Rui ordered the lights lit, taking a scroll from the shelf and reading carefully. The scroll contained Qian Ye’s past. The more he read, the more his brows furrowed.

Qian Ye left the City Lord’s mansion and found an inn in Nanqing City. The High Hun gunner followed, his face miserable. Having betrayed Honglian, he was now stuck, dependent on Qian Ye.

However, the gunner was useful. His machine gun skills were exceptional, and he was a reliable laborer. He carried all three machine guns without complaint.

Settled in the inn, Qian Ye asked the gunner about Honglian.

It turned out that Honglian and Qingyue were close in age, with a similar bloodline, making them cousins. Honglian was a year older, and both were candidates for the High Hun Warrior Woman. Qingyue, thanks to her perfect compatibility with stealth devices, was favored by the elders, narrowly defeating Honglian and becoming the High Hun Warrior Woman, earning the right to control spatial equipment.

The High Huns, known for mechanical modifications, valued any spatial equipment as additional energy and ammunition, boosting combat power. With a few pieces of spatial equipment, Qingyue’s power grew, nearly matching Honglian.

Honglian resented this. Her maternal clan, influential among the High Huns, had many secret actions. In the dragon nest, the two elders supporting Qingyue perished, shifting the power balance in the elder council.

When Qingyue declared allegiance to Qian Ye, planning to establish a new homeland, the news shocked the High Huns, ending the debate over her leadership. Despite the long process, once completed, Qingyue would become the new chieftain, leaving Honglian no chance.

Honglian, ruthless, knew Qian Ye was the key. She secretly entered Nanqing City, aiming to assassinate Qian Ye and steal his secrets. Using High Hun connections, she allied with Lady He, who helped her set up an ambush in the city, awaiting Qian Ye’s arrival.

Honglian’s plan was deadly. Even Ji Rui, a skilled fighter, would have been severely injured if caught off guard by three gunners. The human body, inherently fragile, was a hard fact.

But Honglian never expected Qian Ye to withstand the three gunners’ fire unscathed!

The three gunners and their support team were wiped out, a heavy blow. Such gunners, of which her clan had only four, halved her forces.

After recounting the story, the gunner pointed to one of the machine guns, “Sir, this one is different. It’s one of our High Hun treasures.”

Qian Ye looked at the machine gun. To him, all three looked identical. Level five multi-barreled machine guns, while rare, weren’t particularly valuable, so Qian Ye didn’t pay much attention.

“Oh? What makes it different?” Qian Ye asked.