Night Pupil herself was unaware of this, and even if she knew, her disposition would not allow her to care. She reveled in these peaceful days, the only unease stemming from her yearning for Qian Ye. Yet, it was precisely this longing that infused life with its most enchanting allure.
Upon hearing Nan Hua’s praise, Night Pupil merely smiled, not taking it to heart, and continued chatting casually with Nan Hua.
Nan Hua’s enthusiasm for conversation was high, rambling about everything under the sun, her laughter echoing frequently. She was clearly a lively girl, but her inherent arrogance made her view Blackstream City as an even more desolate place than the frontier, a land of meager resources and harsh conditions. The inhabitants, including the hunters and mercenaries who came here to earn a living, were all deemed as the lowliest of people, with whom she saw no reason to interact. It was solely due to Zi Ning’s influence that she resided here, and now with Night Pupil as a conversational partner, her talkativeness blossomed.
As they chatted, Nan Hua suddenly remarked, “Do you know, in not just Blackstream City, but the entire county, the only ones I can bear are Zi Ning, Qian Ye, and now you. As for the rest, there’s no need to waste words on them!”
Night Pupil now understood that Nan Hua was a princess from a small border county. These counties nominally belonged to the Empire, but in reality, they functioned like independent kingdoms. Most of these counties were located in war-torn areas, serving as a buffer against the dark races. Thus, while their status wasn’t exalted, their strength was on par with the great families of the Empire. It was clear that Nan Hua, accustomed to her lofty position, could only offer such high praise.
However, Night Pupil merely smiled, nothing more.
Her former identity in the blood clan had been one of the highest, second only to the Saint Son Edward among the new generation. In terms of bloodline potential, she was not inferior to Edward. Although the Night Queen was considered stronger than the Blackwing King, Edward’s awakened bloodline purity was limited, while Night Pupil was believed to possess nearly the complete bloodline of the Blackwing King. In comparison, Night Pupil might have greater potential.
If compared, in the Empire, only the top-ranking princes and princesses, or exceptional geniuses like Jun Du Zhao or Zi Ning Song, with both noble lineage and outstanding talent, could be mentioned in the same breath. A princess from a small border county would need to consider her mood before requesting an audience with Night Pupil.
Yet, Night Pupil had long since cast these things aside. Her current identity was that of Qian Ye’s woman, a simple woman yearning for a tranquil life.
After a few more idle exchanges, Nan Hua suddenly said, “Zi Ning is also very concerned about you. He specifically sent a message asking me to check on your well-being. In fact, he inquired about you quite often; out of ten sentences in his letter, six or seven were about you.”
Night Pupil, oblivious to the slight change in Nan Hua’s tone, simply asked, “Oh, Zi Ning wrote. Any news about Qian Ye?”
“He’s reportedly very powerful, with many impressive victories. Many seasoned strongmen have been bested by him,” Nan Hua’s eyes lit up when mentioning Qian Ye, though her gaze on Night Pupil grew more complex.
“Is he injured?” Night Pupil’s concern was clearly not about Qian Ye’s military achievements.
“No word of it. Don’t worry, Qian Ye is so formidable, even Zi Ning admires him, how could anything happen? But there is something else you should be worried about!” At this, Nan Hua covered her mouth and laughed, her laughter tinged with a peculiar note.
“What should I be worried about?” Night Pupil asked, somewhat bewildered.
Nan Hua chuckled, “Worried that someone might snatch your Qian Ye! As far as I know, quite a few people have set their sights on him recently!”
“Ah!” Night Pupil felt a slight surprise, never having considered such matters. However, she soon smiled, “It’s good if others like him, but Qian Ye won’t change.”
Nan Hua replied, “You’re truly confident. Sigh, but you indeed should be. Apart from you, I can’t think of anyone who deserves Qian Ye.”
Nan Hua, still in high spirits, chatted for a long time before leaving.
Returning to her quarters, Night Pupil found another letter from Zi Ning. As usual, it inquired about her well-being, casting a shadow over Nan Hua’s face. Yet, thinking of Qian Ye, she felt a subtle sensation.
Whether in Blackstream City or elsewhere, Zi Ning stood out brilliantly. But when he and Qian Ye stood together, someone like Nan Hua would see Qian Ye as an iceberg, with only a fraction visible above the water, the true bulk hidden beneath the surface. Even that small part seemed to match Zi Ning’s radiance.
When standing before Qian Ye, Nan Hua felt an involuntary shudder.
At this moment, Zi Ning paced restlessly in his cabin, growing increasingly impatient. With the high-speed warship’s travel time, they were only half an hour away from their destination. Yet, even this short wait was almost unbearable.
Zi Ning sat at the desk, penning a letter, starting by asking about Night Pupil. After a few lines, he grimaced, tearing up the paper. A letter had been sent not long ago, and writing another so soon would be too obvious, easily revealing his intentions to the perceptive.
But his unease grew, and despite his injuries, he tried to divine the future. However, the results were hazy, providing no clear direction.
This place, the Floating Land, was a battlefield where both sides fought fiercely, both on the ground and in the void. Behind the scenes, their divination experts clashed in an invisible struggle. Everywhere, the void was chaotic. Even Lin Xitang, without proper preparation, might not find answers, let alone the injured Zi Ning?
Another consequence was the weakening of the innate danger sense of the strong on the Floating Land.
Zi Ning took deep, slow breaths, forcing himself to calm down and reorganize his thoughts. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t pinpoint the source of his unease. He knew his concern for Night Pupil, and her sensitive identity, had robbed him of his usual composure.
The warship shuddered, the engine roar increasing as it slowed. Zi Ning, knowing they had arrived, composed himself, tidied his appearance, and stepped out of the cabin. No matter the time or place, the Young Master must always present a flawless image.
As the warship decelerated, Qian Ye also sensed it and left the cabin.
The warship docked at a relay base on the outskirts of the Zhao family’s territory, unloading the wounded and taking on reinforcements and supplies before returning to the fortress to assist in its defense.
Upon disembarking, Qian Ye saw a scene of bustling activity. Rows of soldiers marched toward the ship, more lined up in the distance awaiting the next vessel. Supplies piled high at the edge of the landing field, trucks weaving back and forth, some officers carrying urgent supplies directly onto the ship.
A designated officer led Qian Ye to a rest area for a health check. Official records listed Qian Ye as severely injured, but in truth, his wounds had largely healed, though his blood force and origin power were severely depleted.
Thus, Qian Ye declined the hospital and requested a training room to recover his origin power.
The officer agreed and swiftly arranged it. Just then, a jeep roared past, and Yu Ying Zhao and Zi Ning waved to Qian Ye. Unlike Qian Ye, they needed to stay in the hospital for a day or two.
At this moment, Yu Ying Zhao appeared weak, her pale face showing the full effects of the earlier suppression. Having lost a significant amount of blood and nearly all her origin power, even her strength couldn’t withstand it.
Qian Ye felt a pang, and by the time he thought to wave back, the jeep was already far away.
The Zhao family’s military efficiency was commendable, and within half an hour, the training room was ready.
Guided by the officer, Qian Ye crossed half the base to reach the training area. As he stepped through the gate, a messenger rushed over, saluting Qian Ye and urgently declaring, “General Qian Ye, the front-line fortress has fallen! General Zhao Junfang requests your immediate presence to discuss countermeasures!”
Qian Ye was stunned, hardly believing his ears, “Fortress fallen? The last fortress?”
“Yes, the last fortress.”
Qian Ye found it hard to believe, exclaiming, “Impossible! How much time has passed?”
From their evacuation of the second fortress, only three hours had elapsed. They had left by warship, while the dark army traveled on foot. The journey alone would take over an hour, meaning the third fortress had held for barely more than an hour.
In response to Qian Ye’s disbelief, the messenger firmly stated, “The intelligence is accurate! Please attend the military council immediately!”
Qian Ye immediately followed the messenger to the main building, but his doubts multiplied on the way.
Setting aside other factors, Qian Ye was well aware of his own prowess and the impact of his role in the first two fortress defenses. He had slaughtered countless dark race elites and high-level warriors, inflicting more casualties than all others combined. It was not an exaggeration to say that Qian Ye had doubled the dark army’s losses.
Such heavy casualties, even for a duke’s army, would be devastating. It was impossible for the dark army’s strength to remain unchanged. Furthermore, the Zhao family had stationed their strongest forces at the third fortress. With enhanced defenses and a weaker-than-expected dark army, the third fortress should have held for at least a day. How could it fall in just an hour?
In such a short time, the Zhang family’s forces hadn’t managed to withdraw, remaining in peril.
Entering the military council chamber, Qian Ye saw Yu Ying Zhao and Zi Ning already present, along with several imperial generals. The meeting was chaired by a gray-haired major general, whom Qian Ye recognized as Junfang Zhao, the base commander. A trusted lieutenant of Zhaowei Huanghai, renowned in the Canglang Legion, Junfang was tasked with overseeing this strategic location.
As he read the battle report, Junfang’s face turned ashen, and after a moment, he slammed the report on the table, fuming, “An ignorant child, capable only of armchair strategizing, ruining our Zhao family’s plans!”
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