Chapter 69: The Unfathomable War (Part II)

Zhu Meng reached out and closed the eyes of a fallen warrior, his voice slow and steady. “The city lord probably doesn’t know about these matters. If I don’t return, then you must tell the city lord what I just said.”

“General, you…”

Zhu Meng shook his head. “Dying in battle is the duty of us warriors.”

Before he could finish his words, an eerie, ghostly scream suddenly pierced the air. The instant it hit his ears, Zhu Meng bellowed, “Be careful!!” and threw the officer to the ground. He himself stood straight, holding a heavy shield, scanning the surroundings.

Zhu Meng’s reaction was swift, but someone was even faster. The elder leaped into the air like a cannonball, as if scalded on the buttocks, looking rather embarrassed.

A beam of azure light silently streaked across the sky, like a phantom meteor in the night.

The azure light passed under the elder’s feet, pierced through the chest of a bearded general, and then shot far away, vanishing without a trace.

The bearded general opened his mouth wide, but no sound came out. He tried to raise his hands to stop the wound in his chest, but it was a bowl-sized transparent hole; how could he possibly block it?

The bearded general swayed and slowly fell backward, lifeless.

Only then did Zhu Meng cry out in grief, “Old Ma!!”

This bearded general had been Zhu Meng’s deputy for many years. Zhu Meng knew well of his partner’s strength, but the azure light had come too fast and with too much power. The elder, who was originally in its path, had suddenly leaped to avoid it, resulting in the bearded general being hit in the vital point, unable to dodge in time.

The elder slowly landed, his face showing a mix of unease and fear.

The azure light was actually a primal force bullet, which, due to its incredible speed and ferocity, had appeared as a flash of blue light to the naked eye.

This shot had come from a kilometer away, reaching its target in an instant, piercing General Ma, and then continuing to fly a great distance before dissipating into light.

Upon reflection, the elder felt a chill run down his spine. If that shot had hit him, he would have been gravely wounded. If not for his instinctive evasion, he might not have been so lucky.

But what kind of gun could shoot so far and with such deadly precision?!

Just then, a roar of anger sounded in the elder’s ear, “Rui Xiang! Why didn’t you stop that shot and save Old Ma?!”

In a bad mood, the elder responded coldly, “If he couldn’t dodge, who else is to blame? Should this also be my fault?”

“If you had at least pushed him aside, he wouldn’t have died!”

The elder snorted, “What if I couldn’t stop it? Should I have died in his place?”

“A single primal force bullet from a kilometer away! You might only suffer minor injuries, but Old Ma could have survived!” Zhu Meng roared.

Rui Xiang, enraged, sneered, “Is a brute worth me getting hurt for?”

Zhu Meng, choked with anger, finally roared and picked up the bearded general’s body, turning to leave.

The elder’s face darkened, his gaze sinister as he watched Zhu Meng’s back.

Returning to his camp, a military officer beside Zhu Meng said, “General, Rui Xiang is the king’s close confidant. Now that he bears a grudge against you, what if he speaks ill of you to the king?”

Zhu Meng snorted, “Let him say what he wants! I’ve had enough of this nonsense. Ever since the king entered seclusion, these scoundrels have turned everything into chaos.”

The officer continued, “General, should we go after the sniper who killed General Ma?”

Zhu Meng stopped and turned, shouting, “Are you crazy? The person who can shoot from a kilometer away is not someone you can chase down. The only one who can go after them here is…”

Here, Zhu Meng fell silent. Everyone knew the only one capable of doing so was Rui Xiang. Zhu Meng might fall short, as he was better at breaking through formations than tracking in the wilderness. But despite General Ma’s death, Rui Xiang showed no intention of pursuing the sniper, either out of fear or acknowledging he couldn’t catch up.

The elder was known for his cautious nature.

After Zhu Meng left, Rui Xiang remained standing, still feeling a faint, tingling sensation on his skin—a sign that he was being targeted. The sniper was bold, still lingering at the original spot and directly aiming at the elder’s vital points, unmasked. It was a clear provocation.

Rui Xiang several times considered pursuit but held back. The gun was too powerful and menacing. Beyond a hundred meters, he was confident in dodging or blocking, but within a hundred meters, a shot could seriously injure him, and escape was uncertain. Although hitting the elder within a hundred meters was difficult, if it succeeded, the consequences would be dire.

After much deliberation, the elder was unwilling to take the risk. He was at a critical moment of becoming a divine general, and a serious injury could jeopardize his path.

On a distant hill, clouds hung low, and a dark wind stirred. Qian Ye, half-kneeling, held his heart, the crosshairs of his rifle moving slowly over the camp.

Seeing Rui Xiang’s restraint, Qian Ye knew further provocation was futile and switched his target.

After the recent attack, almost all the generals were nowhere to be seen, except Zhu Meng, who busied himself checking casualties. He and Rui Xiang were the only ones in the camp capable of blocking or dodging Qian Ye’s shots. Ordinary soldiers and lower-ranking officers continued their tasks, orderly and unperturbed. They knew their value was not high enough to warrant a shot from Qian Ye.

Li Kuanglan appeared behind Qian Ye, saying, “You can’t fire another shot, so why don’t you leave?”

“Leaving now would let that old man know I can’t fire another shot. Besides, I’ll be able to fire again soon.”

In Li Kuanglan’s perception, Qian Ye’s aura was rising, indicating rapid recovery. In half a day, he would be back at his peak. He sighed, “You’re a monster. They are unfortunate to have provoked you.”

“There are always such people and such things. I’m used to it.”

“Why not ask the Song Clan for help? If they intervene, Song Qi won’t be in danger. I have a way to send a message to the Empire. It will take some time, but during this period, Song Qi will at most suffer, not die.”

Qian Ye put down his rifle and shook his head, “If the Song Clan knows, they might not come to the rescue, and Ning Yuan Heavy Industry might be swallowed up.”

Li Kuanglan was surprised, “Why? The Song Clan seems to have a good relationship with Song Qi. Several elders think he might be the future savior of the clan.”

Qian Ye laughed coldly, “Good relationship? In noble families, do brothers and sisters truly have a good relationship?”

Li Kuanglan replied without hesitation, “Yes! Your Zhao Clan is.”

Qian Ye was at a loss for words, sighing, “I’m no longer part of the Zhao Clan.”

“But Zhao Si and Yu Ying still consider you one of them. Zhao Si even intercepted a classified military message for you, which caused quite a stir.”

Qian Ye was startled, asking, “What happened?”

Li Kuanglan explained, “The military’s agents in the neutral zone found your trail and sent a classified report to the Empire. Zhao Si intercepted it, hence why Song Qi suddenly came to the neutral zone. But the military agent sent three reports, and the military eventually found out. The right chancellor impeached the Duke of Cheng’en and Zhao Jiandu in court.”

“Right chancellor? What was the outcome?” Qian Ye was shocked. The right chancellor was a true imperial heavyweight, wielding more power than dukes and generals. He hadn’t expected this to reach the right chancellor, bringing trouble even to the Zhao Clan.

Li Kuanglan said, “Such things rarely have outcomes. It’s still unresolved. Princess Gaoyi has been pulling strings, so the Imperial Court hasn’t made a decision. Most likely, it will be swept under the rug. Most things in the court end up this way.”

“Princess Gaoyi…” Qian Ye recalled the indifferent woman, and many memories resurfaced.

Her involvement was expected, as Zhao Jiandu was her son. But that she could counterbalance the right chancellor was unexpected.

Seeing Qian Ye’s surprise, Li Kuanglan explained, “Princess Gaoyi was no ordinary figure. Her marriage to the Duke of Cheng’en was a real step down. Otherwise, with the Zhao Clan’s pride, they wouldn’t have accepted the title. This title barely pacified some anger. Otherwise, that incident wouldn’t have been so smooth.”

Qian Ye hadn’t realized the extent of Princess Gaoyi’s influence. She was almost invisible during his time with the Zhao Clan.

But her high status was good for Zhao Jiandu and Ruo Xi. For Qian Ye, having ties with the Zhao Clan now would only bring trouble and give ammunition to his political enemies.

Zhao Jiandu’s daring move to intercept the military report was beyond reckless.

Qian Ye sighed, put away his rifle, and stood up, saying, “Let’s go, there’s no opportunity now.”

“Not going to save Song Qi?”

Qian Ye shook his head, “We can’t save Zi Ning alone.”

“Just like that?”

“Of course not. I will do this many times. Those people will understand that as long as I live, they should not touch Zi Ning. Just as, while Zi Ning lives, no one dares to covet Ning Yuan Heavy Industry.”