Chapter 132: Scheming

Qian Ye pondered, but for a moment, he couldn’t recall which of the top clans bore the surname Li. Li was a common surname, both among the noble families and the humble ones. Like Li Pei, who had unfortunately perished in a blood battle with his uncle a few days ago, came from the Azure Li clan of Yue Land.

However, Qian Ye had recently read two political briefs sent by Gousuo, which proved useful as he tentatively asked, “The current empress, if I’m not mistaken, is surnamed Li, isn’t she?”

The man’s voice immediately rose, saying, “Exactly! I am Li Xu, and we should get to know each other better.”

Qian Ye suddenly smiled, “The esteemed Li Clan of Jing Tang, a prestigious family, how could they possibly mix with the blood race and even resort to robbing a small caravan like this?”

Li Xu’s face changed slightly, and he said angrily, “What do you know? It’s not just this one caravan…”

As soon as he spoke, Li Xu realized his slip and stopped immediately, then stared at Qian Ye, saying, “Young sir, you are so young yet possess such great talent. Working under me would be a waste of your abilities. After returning, I will recommend you. With your capabilities and the support of my clan, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to rise to prominence, perhaps even becoming an arm to the emperor and empress in the future. As for the collaboration with the blood race, it’s best you forget about it for now. There are hidden circumstances, but it’s not something you should know about yet.”

Li Xu had a silver tongue, speaking with heartfelt sincerity. If Qian Ye were an uninvolved passerby, he might have been swayed by his words.

“Is there anything else you want to say?” Qian Ye asked, while taking out a small leather bag and opening it to reveal a dozen or so fine tools.

As soon as these tools were displayed, Li Xu’s eyelids twitched, and he exclaimed, “Elite corps’ battlefield instruments of torture!”

Qian Ye was slightly taken aback. Not many people could recognize these things so definitively, indicating that Li Xu was indeed not lying about his identity.

In the next half hour, as Qian Ye began to use the instruments, Li Xu confessed everything.

It turned out that the caravan they were targeting was a large one, with supplies worth enough to equip a main force division. Song Yi Nian’s merchant group was merely one of its branches. However, the main goal of the person behind Li Xu was not to rob the caravan; they had a grander scheme, and raiding the caravan was just a prelude.

However, Li Xu’s knowledge was limited. He didn’t know why this particular caravan was chosen or what the grand scheme entailed. All he revealed was their current collaborators: besides the Jing Tang Li Clan, there were also powerful forces from the dark races, including ancient clans that had sent high-ranking warriors.

Yet, Li Xu wasn’t very clear about who these people were, only knowing that the Blood Race referred to her as the Lady. Li Xu’s status within the Jing Tang Li Clan was average, and he had climbed up mainly due to his stunningly beautiful sister.

Hearing this, Qian Ye knew he could learn no more. The title of the Lady of Monroe, however, weighed heavily on his heart, making it hard to breathe.

While Qian Ye was lost in thought, Li Xu stole a glance at him, carefully smiling, and said, “Young sir, I have told you everything I know. Can you let me go? I have some savings, and as long as you spare my life, they are all yours.”

Qian Ye ignored him, still immersed in his thoughts. The fact that the current imperial in-laws were colluding with the ancient blood clans indicated a significant plot. Perhaps not just the in-laws, but many human factions were secretly in cahoots with the dark races.

For the first time, Qian Ye realized how turbulent the battlefield beneath the Iron Curtain truly was. Caught in the middle, Qian Ye and Darkflame risked being torn apart with any misstep.

“Sir?” Li Xu called out cautiously again.

Qian Ye finally reacted, glancing at him and said blandly, “If I release you, it won’t be long before the people sent to kill me arrive, will it?”

Li Xu’s eyelids twitched, and he forced a smile, “How could that be? Sir, you must be joking…”

Before he could finish, Qian Ye raised his hand, and a knife pierced through Li Xu’s heart. Though Li Xu was not a formidable warrior, he was cunning and patient, and with a sister who was a royal consort, releasing him would cause endless trouble. Qian Ye did not want to leave a troublesome enemy for Song Zining.

Li Xu’s strength was low, but he carried a considerable amount of wealth, including a dozen black crystals, giving Qian Ye a modest windfall. Among his belongings, Qian Ye found a waistband named the Defense Ribbon, which not only blocked heavy blows from Dongyue but could also be recharged repeatedly, rarer than the one-time-use high-grade defenses he had seen in the Song clan.

However, it was also a hot potato; if someone recognized its origin, it would bring trouble. The Li Clan, though not prominent in the empire, was far from simple, having displaced the Zhao clan’s daughter for the empress position. This position was not one that could be held by mere beauty alone.

After stowing the Defense Ribbon into Anduya’s mysterious space, Qian Ye stepped out of the carriage. Song Yi Nian greeted him, saying, “Young sir, the battlefield has been cleaned up. The important captives are over there. Do you want to take a look?”

Qian Ye nodded and followed Song Yi Nian. On a nearby open ground, several bodies of high-ranking blood race nobles, all at least of the rank of baron, were laid out, including the elite bodyguard who specialized in assassination. The items on the bodies were untouched, and Song Yi Nian clearly knew his place.

Qian Ye quickly searched the bodies, finding a plaque on Casus. This was a common identifier in the dark race clans, but the elegant flower pattern resembling an angel’s horn, yet with thorny stems like hellish brambles, made Qian Ye feel strangely heavy.

The Flower of Fear, the Mandragora, was the emblem of the Monroe clan.

Qian Ye was not afraid of the Monroes; he had killed offspring of the twelve ancient clans before. Seeing the Monroe emblem, he couldn’t help but think of the same pattern on Nighteye’s weapons and clothes, and whether Casus knew her.

As Qian Ye and Nighteye’s strengths gradually grew, their paths began to intersect, but this intersection was on the battlefield.

There wasn’t much of interest on these people, except for the vampiric blades. Casus was from the Monroe, while the other viscount, Norris, came from a minor clan. Both had fifth-level vampiric blades, but Casus’s was superior. However, seeing the prominent Mandragora mark on Casus’s blade, Qian Ye ultimately chose Norris’s.

Song Yi Nian waited patiently until Qian Ye finished, then approached, glancing at the truck and lowering his voice, “Young sir, what happened to that person?”

“Dead,” Qian Ye replied tersely.

Song Yi Nian’s face changed slightly, but he quickly composed himself and asked, “Then… how should we handle it?”

Qian Ye paused and said, “This person has a background. It’s best if he never existed. Understand?”

Song Yi Nian, a seasoned operator, immediately replied, “Understood! I will clean up all traces, and those below will not speak of it.”

Qian Ye nodded and left swiftly.

Song Yi Nian watched Qian Ye disappear from view, then turned back. A confidant approached and said, “Sir, what about the captives? They’re a bit tricky.”

A flash of killing intent crossed Song Yi Nian’s face, and he made a chopping motion, indicating that they should all be killed.

Qian Ye altered his route, heading towards the caravan’s designated assembly point. Song Yi Nian’s caravan was just part of a larger convoy, likely carrying the entire fortune of Ningyuan Heavy Industries. If it were lost, Song Zining’s years of hard work would be in vain.

Moreover, if Song Yi Nian’s secret route was intercepted, then the other assembly points were no longer secure.

As Qian Ye ran, he suddenly felt the pulse of his blood core slowing, followed by an overwhelming drowsiness, making his eyelids feel as heavy as lead.

“Damn!” Qian Ye suddenly remembered something, feeling uneasy. For the blood race and other dark races, entering a state of hibernation after injury was a means of accelerating recovery.

When Qian Ye was ambushed by Li Xu’s subordinates, the damage to his blood core triggered a terrifying ability, instantly slaying all nearby enemies and using their vital essence to repair the wound. But a full-power attack from an eleventh-rank warlord was not easily mended, and the blood core judged that it needed to enter hibernation to recover.

Now was not the time for hibernation, but drowsiness was different from pain; willpower was greatly weakened against it. Since the blood core was like a second heart, heavily influencing Qian Ye’s body, he could not resist the sleepiness and quickly found a secluded spot to lie down and fall asleep.

At this moment, the blood eagles Casus had released before the battle had flown hundreds of kilometers and appeared over a dense forest. In the center of the forest was a well-concealed camp, detectable only upon close inspection.

The blood eagles, trained to recognize their handler’s scent, descended, and the information they carried was collected and delivered to the central tent.

Inside the tent, several figures were gathered, discussing matters. One of them, a middle-aged man with a short beard, took the secret message and, after a quick scan, said, “Casus, the viscount, has confirmed that the caravan is real.”

Relief spread across the faces of the others, and one of them said, “Since this route is real, the others likely are too. Three convoys have already reached the assembly point, and the remaining one is not far behind. I think we should act now to avoid any unforeseen issues.”

Another frowned, “I think it’s better to investigate further. Song Zining is notoriously cunning. This seems too smooth, and I feel something is off.”

The first man sneered, “Colonel Gu, because of your suspicion, we’ve already encountered unnecessary complications and wasted time intercepting the last convoy. You still think it’s wrong? How many important people are here, with major tasks to handle? Who are you, a mere colonel, to dictate? Keep talking, and I’ll throw you out!”

The rebuked one was Gu Liyu, an army colonel, humiliated in front of all. His face turned from pale to red, looking terrible.

Yet, he could only remain silent, as these people, with their illustrious backgrounds, would not treat him kindly, even as a general.

Previously, Gu Liyu had insisted on verifying the authenticity of the convoy, leading to the dispatch of Viscount Casus and Zhao Xu to ambush a merchant group. Now, with the facts proving Gu Liyu wrong, these aristocratic children showed no mercy, even knowing that Gu Liyu had backers.

Which influential figure in the noble families did not have a few lackeys like Gu Liyu?