Chapter 37: The Path of Doom

He cursed the damn weather as he quickened his pace. At this time, the warm flames in the fireplace at home were particularly inviting. Little Knife was preparing to add a piece of wood from the Dark Forest to the stove. A single piece of wood from the Dark Forest could heat up the entire house and last all night. If not for the arrival of Qian Ye, the reckless newcomer, he wouldn’t have needed such expensive wood.

Little Knife soon arrived at his residence. The moment he entered, warmth and light enveloped him. The beautiful and obedient woman sat in the hall, preparing tea. Seeing her still awake warmed his heart.

As he entered the living room, he suddenly froze. There was another person, a man, sitting in the hall!

Anger surged through his chest. His right hand trembled, and a thin, sharp, handleless blade appeared in his grasp. This blade was the source of his nickname and had slit many throats.

Hearing the footsteps, the man in the living room turned calmly. When Little Knife saw his face, his hand shook, and the blade fell to the floor. He didn’t even notice, his voice hoarse, “You?”

The man in the living room was none other than Qian Ye. After witnessing Qian Ye’s divine might in slaughtering the horde of vicious beasts the previous night, Little Knife had abandoned any thoughts of confronting him. Now, with Qian Ye appearing in his home, he recalled Qian Ye’s warning.

There was no doubt in Little Knife’s mind, only bitterness, “He was telling the truth.”

Qian Ye glanced at the fallen blade and said, “Your knife dropped.”

Little Knife smiled bitterly, “Does it matter whether I have it or not?”

Saying that, Little Knife sat down at the table and looked at Qian Ye, “Whatever you want, do it to me. Let her go. She’s the one I rescued back then; she knows nothing.”

Qian Ye smiled faintly, “Heroic bravado won’t work on me. I won’t let her spread the news. Not knowing who did it is the best deterrent.”

Little Knife’s face turned pale, “Iron Bear won’t let you off.”

Qian Ye replied calmly, “Once I’m done here, I’ll go find him.”

Little Knife was startled, “You! You knew about that night?”

Qian Ye’s smile was enigmatic, “What do you think?”

Little Knife held his head, “We never intended to kill you, just to test you.”

“Using a horde of beasts and the native races? Quite a good way to test. If it succeeded, you wouldn’t need to act, right?”

“No, of course not. We assessed your combat strength; the test would at most make things difficult for you, not fatal.”

“Why test me?”

“We wanted you to make enemies with the native races, drawing their attention. That way, you’d have to rely on our support to survive. Also, Iron Bear wants you to establish yourself in that area, to fend off threats from the sea and the other side of the river.” Little Knife looked sincere.

“What’s there in the sea and on the other side of the river?”

“Fog, a special kind. Once you see it, you’ll understand. In the fog, there are strange creatures. No one has ever seen what they look like, but once engulfed by that strange fog, no one comes out alive. And when the fog rises, high-level beasts often appear, not the run-of-the-mill ones from last night, but truly powerful ones. Only Iron Bear in the town can fight them, and even he needs the town’s firepower to drive them back.”

Qian Ye nodded, feeling a bit heavy. He knew Iron Bear’s strength well. Even among the empire’s elite corps, he was a formidable warrior. In the neutral lands, those who could stand alone were no pushovers.

Qian Ye leaned back, “It’s about time. Tell me, what reason can you give me not to kill you?”

The woman beside him tried to say something but was silenced by Little Knife’s fierce glare. After a moment’s thought, he said, “We will never trouble you again. Additionally, the monthly tax can be halved, and that’s the lowest it can go. Moreover, you’ll get fair prices for any transaction in the town. Perhaps you can get more from Iron Bear, but this is all I can offer.”

After saying this, Little Knife closed his eyes, “I know these terms are nothing. Do it.”

But instead of a deathblow, he heard an unexpected reply, “Deal.”

“Ah, this can’t be!” Little Knife leaped up in surprise.

Qian Ye stood up, patted the woman on the shoulder, and said, “She’s carrying a child. That’s why you’re still alive.”

Little Knife, both surprised and elated, embraced the woman tightly. Seeing Qian Ye about to leave, he hurriedly called out, “When you meet Iron Bear, remind him of my sister, or he’ll do something foolish!”

Qian Ye smiled noncommittally and left.

A short while later, Qian Ye stood in the main house of the mansion in the center of the town, closing the door behind him, blocking the biting cold and the guards lying outside.

In front of Qian Ye, Iron Bear, bleeding from the mouth, struggled to his feet, glaring at Qian Ye with hatred. With a roar, he lunged forward, muscles bulging, as if serpents writhed under his skin.

Reaching Qian Ye, he threw a punch. As his fist flew, a sharp crack echoed, and waves like umbrellas rippled around his knuckles, aiming for Qian Ye’s face.

However, Qian Ye raised the Great East Mountain sword, using the hilt to deflect the punch. The heavy sword then rotated, the sheathed blade tapping Iron Bear’s abdomen, making him bend over. The Great East Mountain sword whirled again, striking his shoulder, causing Iron Bear to spit blood and collapse to his knees.

Iron Bear had no strength left to fight, even lifting his head was hard. But his eyes remained defiant, staring at Qian Ye, he gritted his teeth, “The Wolf King won’t let you off!”

Qian Ye squatted before him, “Don’t you think I’m more useful than you? Why would the Wolf King use you instead of me?”

Iron Bear’s face turned grim. After all, he had seized this position from the previous mayor a few years ago, who he had thrown into the Eastern Sea, leaving no trace. Qian Ye doing the same to him was justified. In such a remote and desolate place, the Wolf King cared little about who was the mayor, as long as taxes were paid on time.

“You’re just a newcomer…” Iron Bear managed to blurt out.

Qian Ye remained calm, “If I kill those who came before me, like you, I’ll become the old-timer. Simple as that.”

Iron Bear finally lowered his head, “Do it. After killing me, remember to move the guards inside, or they’ll freeze to death.”

“Who knew you cared so much about your subordinates? Do you think people who come here would fall for that?” Qian Ye asked expressionlessly.

Iron Bear sighed, “Without me, there’s still you. But if you leave one day, and without these guards, the town will be finished. No one can stop those native mongrels.”

“Do you have anything to say to Little Knife’s sister?”

Iron Bear, suddenly enraged, rose with newfound strength, screaming, “If you dare harm a hair on her head, I’ll tear you apart!”

But he only took two steps before falling again.

Qian Ye then said, “Those words, Little Knife told me to pass on to you.”

Iron Bear, not stupid, understood immediately. His defiance waned, and he sighed, “Indeed, without defeating me, those words were useless. Fine, speak, boy, what do you want me to do? I’ll work for you, but you must promise to take care of my woman and children if I die.”

“I don’t need manpower for now. But I need information on the Great Vortex and the two items produced there. I need detailed information.”

Iron Bear was shocked, “You want to go to the Great Vortex?”

Qian Ye quickly caught the key point, “So, you can go to the Great Vortex from the neutral lands?”

Iron Bear nodded, slightly proud, “To be precise, only the neutral lands have a fixed route to the Great Vortex. Other places, even the Empire and the Evernight, can only reach it through irregularly opened channels.”

Qian Ye was slightly surprised, “If that’s the case, why don’t the human and dark races try to seize it? Can the neutral lands withstand the assault of both camps?”

Iron Bear stood proudly, “Seize it? It’s not that easy! We’ve taken down expedition fleets from the Evernight and the Empire more than once. Every time, the neutral lands unite against the outsiders. And do you think we stand alone? Hundreds of small countries, big and small, secretly support us.”

“Anything else?” Qian Ye asked.

Given the value of the Great Vortex, both camps would fight a war for the quotas. If there was a stable channel, the Human Emperors and the Dark Sovereigns would definitely take action, securing some share, and not let the neutral lands monopolize the benefits.

Iron Bear, knowing a lot, hesitated, “The channel in the neutral lands isn’t very reliable. Though it exists, it’s unstable. During intense fluctuations, even generals and marquises can’t withstand it and perish. So, every year, we gather a batch of condemned prisoners, throw them into the channel, and see if any lucky ones return. Over the years, tens of thousands have been thrown in, but fewer than twenty have come out alive.”

That made sense. The channel in the neutral lands was a path of death, which explained why the two camps weren’t interested.

“Keep collecting information for me, as detailed as possible. Also, I need information on the native races, as much as you can gather.”

Iron Bear agreed, then tentatively asked, “Are you… planning something big?”

Qian Ye smiled and shook his head, “I just don’t want anyone to plan something big against me.”

Iron Bear understood, partially, but also didn’t. Qian Ye had already turned to leave.

Watching Qian Ye’s figure disappear, Iron Bear immediately called for help, moving the guards inside to warm rooms. By the time everything was done, it was past midnight. A cold wind swept in, making Iron Bear shiver, feeling the chill seep into his bones.

He suddenly remembered Qian Ye moving freely in the cold night in just a light shirt. His strength…

At that thought, Iron Bear shivered again.