Inside the ancestral hall, a profound silence prevailed. The eyes of the patriarch and the fifth elder were fixed on Xue Ding and Xue Wu. Since Xue Ding had become the adopted son of the Wolf King, his interactions with Xue Wu had been few and far between, mostly in private. Who could have ties to both brothers and seek help at such a critical moment?
Both the patriarch and the fifth elder, seasoned and astute, instantly understood the situation.
Xue Ding, in a panic, hurriedly said, “Wait…!”
But the fifth elder had already spoken, “In my opinion, we should detain that person first. If he falls into the hands of the Wolf King, things will take a turn for the worse.”
“How could he fall into the Wolf King’s hands? Lian Gang City is not under the Wolf King’s control!” However, Xue Ding’s arguments fell on deaf ears.
The old patriarch of the Xue clan had already nodded, saying, “We need to detain him first and observe the situation.”
Seeing that the matter was decided, Xue Ding could only sigh.
Qian Ye and Yelu, unhurriedly, sorted through their belongings, taking an entire day to do so. The small courtyard was not large, but it was filled with a variety of odds and ends. In reality, the only items of real value were the beast meat stored in the ice cave and the timber used to build the wooden hut. But as they looked at each item, they found it hard to part with anything. There were the unique wood carvings, the ingenious furniture, the handmade lamp stands, and so much more—every little thing in the courtyard was imbued with memories.
Even Qian Ye, who had not anticipated feeling so sentimental, found himself struggling with the decision.
But this was not a move; it was a journey, and these items could not be taken along. After much deliberation, Yelu finally decided to take one of the statues. It was a carving of Qian Ye, carrying her, walking through the endless wilderness. Despite the minor flaws in the craftsmanship, she insisted on keeping it.
Once the cleanup was complete, Qian Ye piled up the wood in various spots around the courtyard. A great fire would soon reduce this former home to ashes.
“Kind of reluctant to leave,” Yelu murmured softly.
“In the future, I’ll build you something bigger and better,” Qian Ye promised.
Yelu sighed, “Silly, it won’t be the same.”
“What should I do then?” Qian Ye was bewildered.
Yelu hesitated, then said, “Nothing, just wherever you go, I’ll follow. That’s enough.”
Qian Ye was puzzled, “Of course, I’ll take you with me. Isn’t that obvious?”
“Okay, good.”
Qian Ye felt that Yelu’s thoughts were a bit mysterious, but he was not Song Qi, skilled at deciphering girls’ feelings, so he didn’t dwell on it. He lit a torch and threw it into the pile of wood. The wood from the Dark Forest quickly ignited, and the flames shot up towards the sky.
The firelight cast long, flickering shadows over the two.
When the fire raged most fiercely, Qian Ye sighed and said to Yelu, “Let’s go, no need to watch anymore.”
Yelu nodded. She had already imprinted this fierce blaze in her heart and didn’t want to see her former home reduced to ashes.
Suddenly, Qian Ye stopped, drawing out the giant gun crafted by Cui Yuanhai without hesitation. He aimed and fired at the shadow to the side!
This was the gun’s first use, and the thunderous boom echoed through the Dark Forest, even reaching the Eastern Sea. A shockwave spread in all directions, tilting the rising flames.
Though Qian Ye’s body was strong, the unexpected noise still left him somewhat disoriented. This was no ordinary gun; the sound was like a cannon blast.
The origin force flame from the gun stretched several meters, resembling a blazing dragon. The origin bullet itself burned brightly, like a meteor, hurtling towards its target in the shadow.
With a scream, a figure leaped from the shadows, barely blocking the attack with a round shield.
The bullet struck the shield, sending the person and the shield flying. The shield shattered in mid-air, and the person holding it fared no better, screaming as they crashed to the ground like a broken kite.
Yelu, like a shadow, dashed past Qian Ye, her eyes reflecting a strange, writhing shadow. More screams came from the darkness, and two figures stumbled out, collapsing and convulsing, clutching their chests.
Qian Ye pulled the bolt, shaking the giant gun to eject the hot, fist-sized shell, then reloaded and snapped the mechanism shut.
Seeing Qian Ye ready to fire again, a figure leaped from an ancient tree nearby, fleeing into the distance. Having seen his companions fall, this person lost confidence in his stealth and chose to run.
But Qian Ye had deliberately slowed down the reloading process, waiting for this moment. His Eye Control Technique activated, ensnaring the man’s feet and pulling him back sharply.
Having jumped into the air, the man had no way to resist, crashing to the ground, dazed and confused.
In shock, he struggled, finally freeing himself from the invisible ropes, only to find the massive, terrifying gun pointed at him.
Bang! Qian Ye smashed the butt of the gun onto the man’s head, knocking him unconscious. The old man’s gun was indeed sturdy; it could knock out even a giant elephant without a scratch.
As Qian Ye dragged the man back from the Dark Forest, Yelu, having circled the area, shook her head, indicating no other enemies were found.
Qian Ye dropped the unconscious man and checked the other three. The two hit by the Eyes of Destruction were already dead, their insides completely shredded. The third, hit by Qian Ye’s gun, was also in a critical state, his neck nearly severed by a shard of the shield.
Seeing all three were near death, Qian Ye shook his head and returned to the unconscious man.
Yelu and Zhu Ji squatted beside the man, Yelu examining his combat suit, while Zhu Ji, nose twitching, rummaged through his pockets, clearly looking for food.
Qian Ye inspected the man’s belongings, finding mostly ammunition, food, and potions, nothing to identify him. Such habits were typical of assassins or mercenaries on secret missions, people who never wanted their identities traced.
Finding nothing useful, Qian Ye was about to kick the man awake.
“I’ll do it!” Zhu Ji, jumping up, landed heavily on the man. Her tiny body, like a cannonball, caused the man to scream, waking from his daze, his body curled up like a cooked shrimp.
As the man regained consciousness, he instinctively tried to jump up, but Zhu Ji’s foot kept him flattened. His face alternated between pale and flushed, his eyes unfocused, close to passing out again.
“Zhu Ji, get off! You’ll kill him!” Qian Ye, lifting Zhu Ji by the scruff of her neck, removed her. With her strength, a normal person couldn’t have survived. Thankfully, this man, being a warrior, had exceptional physical resilience.
Finally regaining his senses, the man, seeing Zhu Ji, was filled with fear, instinctively trying to distance himself from the little demon.
Qian Ye pressed his hand on the man’s shoulder, immobilizing him. “Tell me, what did you come here to do?”
The man’s eyes darted around, and just as he was about to speak, Qian Ye applied a bit more pressure, causing a faint crack in his shoulder. Screaming, the man received a brief reprieve as Qian Ye lessened the pressure.
After catching his breath, the man asked, “Where are my companions?”
“All dead, which is why you’re still alive.”
“All dead?” His spirits sank.
Qian Ye gave him a moment of silence, watching intently.
A man in his early thirties, clad in a tight night combat suit, his cultivation level was that of a novice warrior, not particularly outstanding. Yet, in the brief fight, his judgment, decisiveness, and reaction speed were commendable. Even in the split second before Qian Ye knocked him out, he had instinctively dodged and counter-attacked. But Qian Ye’s speed far exceeded his limits, leaving him defenseless.
Regaining his composure, the man sighed, “I knew this bounty wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t expect it to be this hard.”
“Bounty?”
“The Wolf King’s bounty, spread throughout the Eastern Sea.” He glanced at Qian Ye and Yelu, “It’s on you two.”
“Are there pictures?”
“Yes, very lifelike. But there’s no picture of this little… princess.” Seeing Zhu Ji, he shivered, her psychological impact clearly greater than Qian Ye’s.
Qian Ye, not jealous of Zhu Ji, continued, “What’s the bounty? Tell me.”
“According to the bounty, you’re the killers of Gari. Capturing you alive nets 600,000 gold coins; killing you earns 200,000. Reporting your whereabouts is worth 5,000. Additionally, capturing or killing you grants the position of general under the Wolf King.”
“General? Elaborate.”
“Generals under the Wolf King are granted a territory, where they can levy taxes, build cities, and recruit soldiers.” Seeing Qian Ye’s confusion, he explained in detail.
Qian Ye, inquiring about the size of the forces generals typically commanded, turned to Yelu, “It’s similar to a division commander in the expeditionary army.”
“But the territory is larger,” Yelu added.
Qian Ye, turning to the mercenary, said, “With such a high bounty, were you aiming for 600,000 or 200,000?”
The mercenary laughed bitterly, “We don’t have that capability. This bounty is clearly beyond us. We just happened to be in the area and thought we might gather some intelligence to earn 5,000 gold coins.”
“5,000? Isn’t that a bit low?” Qian Ye sneered.
“For a small mercenary group like ours, 5,000 gold coins is two years’ income. Our usual tasks are equally dangerous, requiring us to risk our lives. So, we decided to take a chance, but we didn’t expect…”
Looking towards the distant, shadowy horizon, where his three companions lay, the mercenary fell silent.
After a few more questions, Qian Ye released him, saying, “Go. Tell the other mercenaries and assassins that you’ll be the last to leave alive. If they want the bounty, they must be willing to trade their lives for it.”
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