Chapter 108: Right and Wrong

The middle-aged man flicked his cigarette butt far away, sneering, “The Empire’s rewards for military achievements are generous this time. This money is too hot for you to handle! With Lord Xiao Shanbo watching over you, you can get what you deserve. Otherwise, even if you have a lot of money, it’s no fun if you don’t have a life to spend it on.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man suddenly glimpsed through the car window at two large, bulging bags on the back seat of the off-road vehicle. In the past, others who came to submit military achievements only brought one or two items, never so many as to fill two entire bags.

The middle-aged man felt his brain wasn’t processing things fast enough, and with a tremor in his voice, he asked, “Are all these military achievements?”

“Correct,” Qian Ye replied indifferently, ignoring the desperate glances from the lieutenant colonel beside him, whose face had paled.

The middle-aged man subtly gave a signal to his companion, then greeted Qian Ye with a smile, “Since there are so many, we can discuss—”

At that moment, a chill wind suddenly hit Qian Ye’s lower back, and a figure appeared behind him, holding a dagger aimed at his waist.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce into his flesh, it froze in mid-air. The assassin’s face was deathly pale, as Twin Flowers was already pointing at his face, the barrel almost inside his mouth.

“Don’t…” The assassin quivered, trying to beg for mercy.

“Goodbye,” Qian Ye said coldly and pulled the trigger.

A boom echoed, and the assassin’s head exploded into a shower of blood. The middle-aged man’s face turned grim, and just as he was about to move, Qian Ye pressed a short gun against his forehead.

The middle-aged man’s face paled, and he quickly said, “We are Lord Xiao Shanbo’s people. If you dare to harm us, you’re dead!”

Another roar from Twin Flowers, and Qian Ye did not intend to let him finish speaking.

“Everyone, attack and kill him!” The surrounding private soldiers finally reacted, and a few of the more ruthless ones lunged at Qian Ye.

Qian Ye shifted slightly, slipping effortlessly between two fists, still having the leisure to stow away Twin Flowers and draw East Peak. A single, unremarkable swing of the sword instantly sliced several front-line soldiers and their weapons in half.

Such brutal tactics finally intimidated the arrogant private soldiers, who gripped their weapons tightly and shouted, but no one dared to approach.

Qian Ye glanced at them indifferently and was about to get into the car when the commotion caught the attention of the nearby Imperial Military Achievement Registration Office. A lieutenant colonel led more than a dozen fully armed Imperial soldiers rushing over.

Upon arriving and seeing the bodies littering the ground, the lieutenant colonel was furious. He barked at Qian Ye, “Dare to cause trouble and kill at the Imperial Military Affairs Office! Seize him now!”

The Imperial soldiers immediately charged at Qian Ye. Individually, these soldiers were no match for Lord Xiao Shanbo’s private soldiers, but they wore the uniforms of the main army, representing a different identity. Offending them was tantamount to offending the honor of the Imperial main army.

Qian Ye coldly said to the lieutenant colonel, “Are you blind?”

“What did you say?!” The lieutenant colonel erupted in anger, but before he could react, his vision blurred, and Qian Ye somehow appeared in front of him, striking him hard in the face with an object.

A loud slap, and the lieutenant colonel was knocked dizzy, spitting out several teeth. However, Qian Ye held him steady by the shoulder, preventing him from falling.

The lieutenant colonel struggled to regain his senses, and as he prepared to yell, he noticed the object that hit him: an iron token.

“Take a good look at what this is.” Qian Ye’s voice remained calm, but to the lieutenant colonel, it sounded like thunder.

His left cheek was swollen like a pig’s, and his left eye was bloodshot and barely open. He strained to look at the iron token and was drenched in cold sweat at the sight of the engraved character “Zhao” in the center.

“Which… Zhao family?” As soon as the words left his mouth, the lieutenant colonel regretted it. The style and pattern of the token were those of a duke or marquis, and though Zhao was a common surname, there were not many dukes or marquises. It was likely the Zhao family he dreaded the most.

The lieutenant colonel instinctively turned to look at Qian Ye’s off-road vehicle, which displayed the flag of the Expeditionary Army with a crossbow and a blood-stained bayonet. But from Qian Ye’s mouth came a name that chilled him to the bone: “Yan Yun’s Zhao Clan.”

The Imperial soldiers, seeing their superior in trouble, pointed their origin guns at Qian Ye, but most of them also changed their expressions.

The lieutenant colonel’s change was swift, and he put on a sincere smile as he addressed Qian Ye, “Please wait a moment, sir. I will handle the paperwork; it won’t take long.”

Turning to the private soldiers, his face was icy cold. “Seize these rascals! Anyone who resists will be killed on the spot!”

After giving orders, the lieutenant colonel turned back to Qian Ye with a genuine smile, “Are you here to submit military achievements? Please follow me, and I’ll arrange for your vehicle to be parked.”

Qian Ye nodded, narrowing his eyes to look at the lieutenant colonel. Despite his swollen face, the lieutenant colonel managed a warm smile. Qian Ye followed him into the registration office, and the lieutenant colonel secretly wiped the cold sweat from his neck.

The registration office was bustling, with nearly a hundred adventurers lining up to register their military achievements. The lieutenant colonel led Qian Ye through the hall to the third floor, his obsequious manner startling the onlookers.

After seating Qian Ye and serving tea, the lieutenant colonel briefly explained the rules of military achievement registration while waiting for the proofs to be brought in. Qian Ye knew most of the public rules, and the lieutenant colonel mentioned the unspoken ones.

The nominal head of this registration office was a colonel named Qian Liu, a direct descendant of a marquis, and thus of high status. He dared not come to the city, staying far away under the Iron Curtain, leaving everything to the lieutenant colonel.

Lord Xiao Shanbo was actually part of the marquis’s faction, and this registration point was within the territory of interest of the Marquis of Wu’an. All the gains would eventually be divided according to rank.

The lieutenant colonel was vague, but Qian Ye understood.

After the introduction, the lieutenant colonel breathed a sigh of relief, seeing no anger on Qian Ye’s face. He wiped his sweat and carefully asked, “Lord Qian Ye, how do you think we should deal with those who offended you?”

“Do as you see fit,” Qian Ye replied indifferently.

The lieutenant colonel immediately called in an adjutant, whispered a few instructions, and made a throat-slitting gesture. The adjutant nodded and quickly left.

Returning to Qian Ye, the lieutenant colonel smiled, “Don’t worry, sir. Everything will be handled cleanly. You can rest assured, this will never happen again.”

Qian Ye exhaled softly, “This is within your jurisdiction. Do as you see fit. I won’t interfere. Just make sure I don’t see any of Lord Xiao Shanbo’s people next time.”

“Rest assured, it won’t happen, it won’t happen! Those guys are so slow, I’ll go and urge them!” The lieutenant colonel, having calmed Qian Ye, noticed the military achievements had not yet been brought up. He ran out to take care of it personally.

Qian Ye walked to a window overlooking the hallway, where he could see the lobby below. Perhaps those in power enjoyed the feeling of looking down, especially those who worked their way up from the bottom.

The adventurers in the hall, after submitting their military achievements and receiving their certificates, went to the other side of the hall with smiles, studying the exchange lists. They must have been exploited to stand here, but their expressions showed little resentment.

Qian Ye shook his head inwardly, realizing such exploitation happened everywhere, and there was no way to prevent or stop it. Even during peacetime, the Expeditionary Army headquarters would intercept some military achievements and supplies.

The lieutenant colonel’s swift change was due to the power balance. Lord Xiao Shanbo’s people targeting Qian Ye was akin to challenging the Zhao Clan. Since they erred first, being kicked out was normal. Even if Qian Ye hadn’t revealed his identity, Lord Xiao Shanbo’s people acted unwisely.

This was the standard for right and wrong.

Qian Ye could demand the lieutenant colonel to eliminate Lord Xiao Shanbo’s people but could not break the system. Otherwise, he would offend all the noble families on that line.

At that moment, a commotion erupted at the entrance of the hall. A group of soldiers burst in, arrogantly pushing aside the adventurers in line, shouting, “Move, move! Our young master is here to submit military achievements!”

Surrounded by dozens of soldiers, a young man in fine clothes strode into the hall, smashing a large werewolf head on the counter, shouting, “This is it!”

Seeing the wolf’s head, the adventurers in the hall were in an uproar, many exclaiming, “Viscount! That’s the head of a werewolf viscount!”

The young man in fine clothes, full of pride, tapped the counter and said to the attractive female officers, “Register this werewolf viscount under the name of the Li Family of Qingyi County, Tianqing Province, on the continent of Yuer.”

The adventurers’ gazes toward the young man in fine clothes were filled with awe. To them, a viscount among the dark races was a big deal, and encountering one meant near-certain doom. Now, a werewolf viscount’s head lay on the counter, and many felt as if they were dreaming.

Upstairs, Qian Ye activated his True Vision Eye, scanning the young man in fine clothes. He saw that the young man had just reached the tenth level, entering the realm of Warlord. However, his origin power was impure, suggesting limited potential. To kill a werewolf viscount of the same level, the young man must have been lucky.

The lieutenant colonel re-entered, followed by soldiers carrying two large bags of military achievements. His gaze toward Qian Ye now held an additional layer of reverence.

When he first saw the two large bags, the lieutenant colonel was shocked. Whether these were all Qian Ye’s harvest or not, the fact that the Zhao Clan trusted him to carry so much across the wilderness alone spoke volumes about Qian Ye’s strength and status.

The lieutenant colonel was relieved that he had swiftly dealt with Lord Xiao Shanbo’s private soldiers, leaving no room for the Zhao Clan to find fault.

The soldiers set down the items, and the lieutenant colonel rushed to the door, shouting, “All clerks, come upstairs! Suspend the registration downstairs!”

The young man in fine clothes, chatting happily with the female officers, was stunned. He looked upstairs and shouted, “Why suspend? Do you know I’m from the Li Family of Tianqing Province, Yuer Continent…?”

The lieutenant colonel impatiently said, “It doesn’t matter who you are! Come upstairs, don’t keep me waiting!”

The female officers, startled, hurried upstairs, leaving the young man and his followers in the hall.