Chapter 43: Uninvited Guests

Qian Ye and Nighteye exchanged glances, and finally, Qian Ye coughed and said, “Put down that… thing in your hand. Be careful.”

The true source of danger was the sea. Originally, Qian Ye and Nighteye weren’t too worried about Zhujie. Little Zhujie’s body was extremely robust, almost on par with Qian Ye and no less than Nighteye. Most sea beasts were no match for her; even a regular beast couldn’t break her skin. Additionally, unlike the naturally water-averse werewolves, there was a major branch of arachnids called Water Spiders. It was unknown how much Water Spider blood flowed through little Zhujie, but it was clear that she was a natural warrior underwater.

Therefore, Qian Ye and Nighteye encouraged Zhujie to go into the sea, only asking her not to venture into deep waters. However, upon seeing the lobster, their expressions changed.

Although they found Qian Ye and Nighteye’s reaction strange, Zhujie was always obedient. She forcefully threw the lobster to the ground and stepped on it before it could counterattack, making it cry out in pain, its shell creaking under the pressure.

Nighteye and Qian Ye exchanged a glance, then drew their blood blades. Crouching in front of the lobster, Nighteye tapped its head with the blade and asked, “Where did you come from? Can you speak our language?”

Zhujie seemed even more confused, “It can talk?” Both Qian Ye and Nighteye had told her that anything that could talk was not to be eaten. This made her mood plummet to the lowest point.

The lobster clearly feared Nighteye’s blood blade, hissing from its mouth. Normally, even if this lobster was an intelligent being, its natural physiology would prevent it from learning human language.

However, when Nighteye prodded it with the blood blade, a large piece of translucent shell fell off. The edges of the shell had obvious clasps, securing it firmly to the lobster’s body.

Qian Ye became interested in the lobster, picking up the shell and examining it. He bent it, and it creaked, bending without breaking, showing its excellent resilience.

“This isn’t a natural shell, but some kind of armor,” Qian Ye said, putting the shell down. He explored the lobster’s body and pulled off several more pieces of shell. If these pieces were put together, they formed a translucent lobster shell.

With the armor removed, the lobster’s aura weakened significantly, and it lay on the ground, quietly bubbling.

Nighteye tapped the lobster’s head shell, threatening, “If you don’t say anything, I’ll cook you into soup.”

The lobster seemed unaware of what “cooking” meant and remained motionless.

In Qian Ye’s eyes, there was a clear flow of origin power within the lobster, different from that of natural beasts. Though it was well-camouflaged, the fluctuations of origin power became more pronounced as Nighteye threatened it. It might deceive others, but not Qian Ye, who could detect any minute change in origin power.

Clearly, this lobster was not only intelligent but also highly so.

After several threats failed, Nighteye grew angry and knocked on the lobster’s head shell, coldly saying, “Since you won’t talk, I’ll assume you can’t.”

Suddenly, the lobster burst with great force, flinging Zhujie aside and springing at Nighteye like a cannonball! Its head glowed with deep blue light, unmistakably the glow of origin power!

However, although the lobster moved quickly, Nighteye and Qian Ye were faster. Nighteye retreated, avoiding the potentially destructive blow, while Qian Ye reached out and grabbed the lobster’s back, immobilizing it in mid-air.

The lobster’s body glowed with origin power, thrashing wildly in Qian Ye’s grip. No matter how hard it struggled, it couldn’t escape. Under Qian Ye’s fingers, its shell creaked and began to crack.

Seeing no way to escape, the lobster suddenly cried out, launching several sharp antennae at Nighteye’s chest! These barbs were extremely sharp and powerful, rivaling origin power blasts.

Though the attack was sudden, it couldn’t harm Nighteye. Her blood blade flashed, deflecting all the barbs.

Enraged by the lobster’s continuous attacks, Qian Ye squeezed harder, shattering the shell. Then, a stream of dark golden blood energy shot along the lobster’s spine, attacking its brain. The lobster let out a shrill scream, flailing its limbs, and its origin power quickly dissipated.

Qian Ye snorted, throwing the lobster to the ground, and said coldly, “You’re looking for death.”

The lobster’s mandibles clicked, producing a strange, harsh voice: “You dare to invade the ocean, you will all die, all die!!”

Without a doubt, this was the language of humanity, and specifically, the official language of the Empire. In the neutral lands, Imperial language was also the common tongue.

Unfazed by the lobster’s final threat, Qian Ye had already betrayed the Empire, and such creatures lurking in the neutral lands could hardly compare to the Empire. But he still needed to figure out the mysterious origins of this creature.

“Put this thing in the ice cellar. Tomorrow morning, I’ll ask around in town and see if anyone knows where it came from,” Qian Ye said.

Nighteye agreed, picking up the lobster and heading out. Little Zhujie, still bewildered, followed, pouting, and muttering, “No more extra dish.”

Anything that had been touched by Qian Ye or Nighteye’s blood energy or attacked by blood power was taboo for Zhujie. Qian Ye, in a fit of rage, had killed the lobster, and to Zhujie, it meant a good meal was ruined. But since the lobster had proven its intelligence, Qian Ye wouldn’t let Zhujie eat it.

A short while later, the four sat around the table. The old man, who had been silent, spoke with concern, “Maybe I should make a few ballistae to strengthen our defenses? Or perhaps we should move further from the sea.”

Qian Ye smiled and said, “Behind us is the Black Forest, and moving closer to that is not a good idea either. We are still some distance from the sea. Don’t worry; these sea creatures’ combat power is at least halved on land.”

The old man’s expression improved, but he was still uneasy, “But Zhujie can’t go into the sea anymore.”

“I’m fine,” the little one replied, engrossed in her meal.

Qian Ye thought for a moment and said, “Cui Lao is right. Zhujie, no more playing in the sea, understood?”

Zhujie reluctantly agreed.

After dinner, the old man retired to his room, and little Zhujie, always tired after eating, forced herself to the sofa and fell deeply asleep.

Cleaning up the dishes, Nighteye didn’t rest as usual but called Qian Ye over, saying, “You haven’t trained in a long time.”

Qian Ye smiled, “I need to maintain a balance between dawn and dark origin power. The problem now is that my blood energy is developing too fast, and I need to boost my dawn origin power. Once you fully recover, I’ll start training.”

“I’ve recovered most of it.”

“Without the ancient blood pool, you still need time to fully recover. This is when you are the weakest. Training can wait.”

Nighteye sighed, “My strength is already decent, back to the level of a third-rank viscount. I don’t want to hold you back.”

Qian Ye chuckled, “There’s more to do than just train in origin power. Don’t worry; our nightly activities also help improve strength.”

Nighteye sighed again, “Your behavior makes me feel like a burden.”

Qian Ye laughed, pulling Nighteye into his arms, “Who would dare call the princess of the Monros a burden? Listen, once you fully recover, I’ll need your protection during my training.”

Once Nighteye was asleep, Qian Ye quietly left the room.

Bloodline recovery required two things: ample blood energy or essence blood, and deep sleep. After the previous battle, Nighteye had absorbed enough essence blood from the numerous beasts, and now needed to slowly recover in sleep. Bloodline recovery was formidable, but during her confinement, the military had used many drugs to suppress her blood energy and blood core, and their effects hadn’t fully worn off.

Qian Ye left the room, picking up a piece of wood and walking to the courtyard, where he began to carve. The heavy Dongyue felt as light as a feather in his hands, each cut precise. A few strokes, and a wooden vase took shape.

Next, Qian Ye focused, using Dongyue as a carving knife, engraving patterns on the vase. The wood from the Black Forest was hard and tough, but under Dongyue, it was as fragile as tofu. Slightly excessive force would split the vase in two.

The night was quiet, and time slipped away. Qian Ye lost count of his cuts, and the vase became increasingly intricate. The relief depicted the first time Nighteye came to Manjushaka. As the vase neared completion, Qian Ye made no mistakes.

Perhaps due to the carving, the Black Forest emitted low, mournful sounds, interspersed with eerie wails. These noises didn’t disturb Qian Ye. Each night, the forest wailed, and Qian Ye focused on his work. Furniture and decorations continued to appear under Dongyue.

Whether the Black Forest wanted to threaten or protest, no more beast swarms appeared, and no locals showed up. It seemed Qian Ye’s slaughter had thoroughly intimidated them.

Yet, this night, Qian Ye wasn’t alone. In the sea, a pair of eyes watched him, as they did every night.

These eyes were indescribable, able to see every detail of Qian Ye’s actions, even through the layers of seawater. Nothing, not the tiniest detail, escaped their gaze.