Chapter 78: Danger Lurks from Behind

Qian Ye was taken aback by the news and promptly ordered the visitor to be brought in. When he had received Song Zining’s letter at Black Ridge, his emotions were a mix of feelings. Qian Ye’s appearance, identity, and even his aura had changed. Most of those who had fought alongside him in the past had fallen in the fateful battle. Even if he met the Red Scorpion’s Blood Scorpion Camp, there was no need to worry about his true identity being exposed. Yet, a lingering sense of melancholy still lingered in his heart.

General An Shaonian, whom Qian Ye had never met, was someone whose dossier he knew well. When Qian Ye was with the Red Scorpions, An Shaonian was not yet a general but a veteran Scorpion King. With the high mortality rate and the tradition of senior officers covering for others, it was rare for a Scorpion King to serve more than ten years.

Another name surfaced in his memory: Wei Lishi. Colonel Wei, one of the Scorpion Kings alongside An Shaonian, had been the one to bring Qian Ye into the Red Scorpions, only to perish in that treacherous plot. Qian Ye took a deep breath, calming the boiling blood within him.

The clear and brisk voice of Seventeen announced the arrival from outside, and the door was pushed open, revealing a tall, lean, and rugged man—clearly a typical soldier, a typical Red Scorpion.

“General An, please have a seat. If there’s anything I can assist with, feel free to ask,” Qian Ye greeted, rising to meet him with an unconscious familiarity.

An Shaonian returned the greeting simply but did not sit down immediately. Instead, he gave Qian Ye a thorough once-over, his eyes sharp as knives, and suddenly shouted, “Pardon me!”

Before the words faded, his body surged with origin power, and he delivered a punch straight to Qian Ye’s chest!

A brief flash of surprise crossed Qian Ye’s face, and his pupils turned a deep, oceanic blue. In his true vision, the surrounding origin power instantly surged, with strands gathering towards the edge of An Shaonian’s fist.

Though the punch seemed simple, a basic straight punch in military combat, the mobilization of environmental origin power made every inch of force evenly thick and solid, leaving no weakness to exploit.

Qian Ye roared softly and met An Shaonian’s punch with a simple, straightforward one, the two fists colliding with a thunderous crash! A shockwave rose from the point of impact, silently cutting a bowl-sized hole in the ceiling, piercing through the roof. However, everything else in the room remained untouched, even the tea table and sofas between them did not budge.

After the punch, An Shaonian appeared unperturbed, while a flush briefly appeared on Qian Ye’s face before quickly subsiding, indicating that he had suppressed the origin power backlash and counterattack in that brief moment.

A look of obvious surprise flashed across An Shaonian’s face. As a Scorpion King, even though he was just a brigadier general, his combat strength was formidable. Even generals like Zhang Zixing in the Imperial main army dared not take him lightly.

Even if An Shaonian hadn’t used his full strength, Qian Ye had not relied on any fancy moves or secret techniques to deflect the punch but instead met it head-on without being knocked down. This was already the standard for a Scorpion King in the Red Scorpions.

Moreover, An Shaonian’s warrior talent was precise control of origin power, which allowed him to unleash combat strength beyond his rank. The minimal overflow of power in that punch demonstrated his exquisite control. Unusually, Qian Ye had achieved the same level of control, despite not being a warrior.

An Shaonian praised, “I heard that Captain Qian Ye started as a bounty hunter and built the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps from scratch, swallowing the 7th Division of the Expeditionary Force in less than a year. I thought the rumors might be exaggerated, but your combat strength exceeds the legends. If we were to fight at full strength, the outcome might still be uncertain.”

“General An, you are too kind. You are no ordinary general,” Qian Ye smiled. The true combat strength of Red Scorpion warriors far exceeded their nominal ranks, especially in complex environments.

“You are no ordinary captain either,” An Shaonian laughed, then his expression turned serious. “Captain Qian Ye, I’m sure you’ve guessed the purpose of my visit. I am here for Colonel Nan Gong.”

Qian Ye nodded slightly, having guessed that An Shaonian’s visit was about Nan Gong Xiaoniao.

After a moment’s hesitation, An Shaonian carefully chose his words. “I’m sure Captain Qian Ye is aware of the importance of Colonel Nan Gong to the Red Scorpions. However, Xiaoniao is quite stubborn and determined. If she insists on staying, it would be difficult to persuade her. Moreover, if she leaves alone, she might face even more dangerous situations.”

Qian Ye was also troubled by this, but remembering Nan Gong Xiaoniao saying, “I will be useful, don’t send me away,” his heart softened.

An Shaonian continued, “I have another important mission on the Evernight Continent and will soon leave. I suggested leaving some people with Colonel Nan Gong, but she refused. In fact, even if I could leave people, the number I can spare is very limited.”

Qian Ye was well aware of the Red Scorpions’ situation. An Shaonian’s mission might be no less than that one which had involved a third of the Red Scorpions, implying a higher level of danger.

Qian Ye thought for a moment and said, “General An, you should know that I have recently been fighting against the dark races. But as long as Xiaoniao stays in Blackstream City, I will do my best to ensure her safety.”

Hearing this, An Shaonian’s expression eased slightly. “With you and Miss Yu Ying here, I’m sure Colonel Nan Gong’s safety won’t be an issue. However, there might be people who will cause trouble for you, and these people may not just come from the Nan Gong family.”

Qian Ye nodded, “I understand. Thank you for the reminder, General An.” He was not surprised; the Red Scorpions had political and military enemies, and a person of Nan Gong Xiaoniao’s importance would naturally attract the attention of those who lurk in the shadows.

“However, even though the Nan Gong family wouldn’t dare to openly act against Colonel Nan Gong, this is Evernight, where the deterrence of the Imperial Army is much weaker. There’s little I can do, so I’ll leave this small thing behind. It might come in handy,” An Shaonian said, placing a small box on the table.

Recognizing the familiar lead seal, Qian Ye felt a slight tug in his heart. Opening the box, he found a black titanium annihilation bullet inside. This implied that the dangers An Shaonian mentioned likely came from humans, not the dark races.

An Shaonian chuckled self-mockingly, “A military officer’s life is hard. After years of saving, I can only afford a bullet. I hope it serves its purpose in Captain Qian Ye’s hands.”

Qian Ye suddenly felt the box grow heavy in his hand. An Shaonian, like him, came from a common background. Even with the Red Scorpions’ generous merit points and various privileges in exchanging for military supplies, advancing to a warrior still required enormous resources.

Qian Ye pushed the box back, “General An, please take this back. To be honest, I also have a black titanium annihilation bullet.”

An Shaonian shook his head, “The Red Scorpions’ duty is to fight against the other races. This kind of thing is not very useful to me. But for you, in Evernight, the enemies in front and behind are equally numerous.”

A heavy sigh escaped Qian Ye’s lips. He was well aware that the Red Scorpions’ targets were not solely the dark races. In fact, some internal missions offered even more rewards and were less dangerous, but this was merely An Shaonian’s personal choice.

An Shaonian smiled and said, “Fighting the dark races is relatively simple. I have limited talent, so I take the easy way out and do the simpler tasks.”

With that, An Shaonian left, his back straight as a pine.

To the north of the continent of Yue, a great river named Yishui stretches across three provinces, winding for a thousand miles. One of these provinces is Yidong, located in the middle section of the Yishui, known for its rich and fertile land. The Nan Gong family’s fiefdom is within Yidong, where nearly sixty-seven percent of the population bears the surname Nan Gong.

Surrounding the Yishui, the Empire has bestowed titles upon three marquises and eleven counts, but only the Nan Gong family uses the title Marquis of Yishui, indicating the Emperor’s favor and their immense power. Hundreds of years ago, when the Empire and the dark races contested for the continent of Yue, the Nan Gong family was one of the three marquises. They repeatedly distinguished themselves in battles, becoming the sole regional marquis around the Yishui, with unrestricted development of their private army.

Now, the entire continent of Yue belongs to the Empire, and there are no more wars. The Nan Gong family’s private army is mainly dispatched to the borderlands of the eastern and western continents and to guard resource sites outside their fiefdom. In recent years, with the peace in Yue, the Nan Gong family’s private army on the mainland has gradually been reduced, but it still far exceeds the other two marquises.

In the provincial capital of Beiyue, the Nan Gong Manor occupies half of the city, earning the successive heads of the Nan Gong family the nickname: Half-City Nan Gong.

As the name suggests, the depth of the mansion is vast. The main residence is built halfway up the North Hill and extends down to the foot of the hill. The vast fields and estates in the city belong to the various branches of the Nan Gong family.

In the study of a large residence in the main compound, Nan Gong Yuanbo’s face was ashen, roaring, “Worthless, all worthless! Can’t even handle a minor task, what use are you to me!”

Several people knelt in the spacious room, including Nan Gong Ling, her maidservant, and the head of her guard. Seeing Nan Gong Yuanbo’s anger, they all kept their heads low, afraid to provoke his wrath further.

After a while, Nan Gong Yuanbo’s anger subsided, and he said, “Ling, get up.”

Nan Gong Ling stood up, still keeping her head lowered, not daring to meet Nan Gong Yuanbo’s gaze.

Nan Gong Yuanbo paced the room, hands behind his back, then suddenly stopped in front of Nan Gong Ling, “You said Wuying slapped you?”

Nan Gong Ling’s body trembled slightly, and she hurriedly replied, “Yes. She did it in front of all the noble ladies, and she said… she said…”

“What did she say?”

“She said, ‘Go ahead and report me, it won’t do any good wherever you go!'”

With a snap, the jade lion Nan Gong Yuanbo was toying with shattered on the ground, and he raged, “How presumptuous!”

“Yes! She’s just a female thug…”

Before Nan Gong Ling could finish, she was slapped across the face, sending her to the ground. Clutching her swollen cheek, she looked up at Nan Gong Yuanbo, stunned.

Nan Gong Yuanbo snorted, “Even a thug has a grandfather who is a Duke of the Hidden Kingdom! I wish I had such a daughter. Wuying is a potential future divine general, how far can you go? Second, or third rank?”

No one dared to speak under his fury. With Nan Gong Ling as an example, everyone in the room was too afraid to provoke Nan Gong Yuanbo further.

“Can’t even handle a single Nan Gong Xiaoniao, and the marriage alliance with Wei Qiyan probably got lost with a slap. What use are you now!”

After a furious outburst, Nan Gong Yuanbo took a deep breath to calm himself and called out, “Xiaofeng!”

A man emerged from the shadows of the bookshelves, “I’m here.”

Nan Gong Yuanbo spoke in a grave tone, “Go to Evernight and annihilate that Dark Flame. A bunch of lowlifes daring to meddle in the affairs of the Nan Gong family—they should be praying for a better rebirth in their next life!”