As Qian Ye departed, Li Tianquan’s face turned pale, a foreboding sense of dread welling up within him. The Sky Wind Cloud Smoke Pearl was a rare treasure, and there was no extra one to spare. Although the Jing Shui Di Sheng Clan had reserves, procuring such a precious item required prior notification and preparation. It wasn’t something that could be readily handed over at a moment’s notice.
Li Tianquan sat in a daze for a moment before abruptly standing up and calling in the female scribe. He commanded, “Fetch the military merit exchange records immediately. I need them now!”
The female scribe held a ledger, her expression peculiar. “Elder, the quartermaster’s people just came by. They said there were some abnormalities in the military merit records this time. Please take a look.”
Li Tianquan snatched the record book and quickly flipped to Qian Ye’s section. His face paled as he gazed upon it, unable to contain his emotions. With a muffled groan, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
By the time Qian Ye returned to his residence, the suitcase he carried was already empty, tossed aside without a second thought. The vast quantity of black crystals inside had naturally been transferred to Andya’s space, where they were safe.
Qian Ye did not linger long in his room. Instead, he found the residence of the Lu family of Yuan Yin and paid them a visit.
As fate would have it, the middle-aged, plump man from their previous encounter was present. He rushed out, his voice booming before he even reached Qian Ye. “Brother Qian Ye, I’ve been waiting for you! So, have you made up your mind? I tell you, those twin beauties are absolutely top-notch. You must take them as your concubines; you won’t regret it…”
Qian Ye couldn’t help but laugh and cry. This man’s loud voice had alerted everyone in the courtyard. A few young men scowled, clearly smitten with the twin beauties. However, the Lu family was not a powerhouse, and none of their young men possessed the talent of a Zhao Jun Du or even a Zhao Jun Hong. Therefore, the youths merely looked on with jealousy or regret, but no one dared to challenge Qian Ye.
Following the plump man into the courtyard, Qian Ye couldn’t resist asking, “Didn’t you say those twins were the elder’s daughters? Aren’t you afraid of making an enemy of the elder by offering them around like this?”
The plump man burst into laughter. “That old man is single-mindedly trying to climb the social ladder through his daughters, even considering a separate branch. I can’t let him have his way. We’ve been at odds for decades, and one more conflict doesn’t matter. Besides, if I really hand over those treasured daughters to you, he’d be thanking me!”
Qian Ye vaguely recalled the plump man introducing himself as Lu Zhongyou, also an elder in the Lu family with considerable authority. This made sense.
Once seated, Lu Zhongyou asked eagerly, “Brother Qian Ye, do you have new goods?”
Qian Ye nodded, and Lu Zhongyou’s face lit up. Rubbing his hands together, he said, “It’s been less than a month! No problem, I’ve made all the preparations. All available funds have been gathered. How much do you have this time?”
“A bit more than last time.”
Lu Zhongyou gasped. “More than last time!”
Although the quantity of goods from Qian Ye was not large, the quality was exceptional, equivalent to the Lu family’s supply for half a year. Thus, Lu Zhongyou had invested heavily, gathering all usable funds, not just for Qian Ye’s goods but also to do business with other clans. After all, battle teams always brought back various spoils, and at fair prices, they were willing to trade these for gold and supplies.
But to think that after only a month, Qian Ye had another large batch of goods. Lu Zhongyou wiped his sweat, feeling both shocked and elated.
“How do we collect the goods?”
“Wait for me at the usual place tonight. I’ll take you to where the goods are stored,” Qian Ye replied.
“Tonight?” Lu Zhongyou’s expression changed. Venturing into the Misty Forest at night was not a good idea. Even during the day, visibility was limited to a few dozen meters, and at night, it would be even worse, barely ten meters.
Qian Ye checked the time and said, “Yes, tonight. We’ll leave in three hours.”
Given their previous experience, Lu Zhongyou guessed Qian Ye stored the equipment in the same manner. If so, they needed to hurry. No container could withstand the forest’s corrosive environment for long. Only containers more valuable than the equipment itself could last.
Lu Zhongyou made up his mind. “Tonight it is!”
By nightfall, Qian Ye and the Lu family met outside the base and headed to the storage location. The operation went smoothly, and all the black crystals Lu Zhongyou had prepared ended up in Qian Ye’s possession. On the way back, Lu Zhongyou was grinning from ear to ear, thinking about opening more shops and earning substantial dividends, enough to buy more properties for the little vixens.
At this point, Qian Ye had amassed over 200,000 black crystals and gold coins. Almost half of this came from the equipment contributed by Lu Sha’s team and the compensation extracted from Li Tianquan. This cost Li Tianquan half his fortune, his life savings.
Li Tianquan couldn’t carry such a large sum, and the funds he provided might have included some for the base’s operations, causing a financial headache. But that was not Qian Ye’s concern.
On the return journey, Qian Ye calculated his gains. He now had a full first-class merit, plus additional rewards from the Li family, totaling an extraordinary merit. Beyond that was the heavenly merit, which required killing a duke and couldn’t be accumulated. Heavenly merits were awarded for monumental achievements, and the Empire had a special treasury for such rewards, filled with treasures since its founding.
For someone of Qian Ye’s status, achieving an extraordinary merit was the pinnacle for a general. Normally, he could apply for a promotion to major general and join the regular army. With his merits, he could be promoted to a vice admiral and hold a significant position in the military. However, Qian Ye lacked military experience and could only serve in a deputy role. Still, this would be a significant step up.
For others, this was a path to the heavens. Even Zhao Yuying and Bai Ao Tu wouldn’t pass up such an opportunity. With family support, they could soon command their own legions. Good maneuvering could turn these legions into personal power bases, as exemplified by Zhao Wei Huang’s Wolfsmoke.
Only someone like Zhao Jundu, who aspired to the highest, would not be interested in a mere legion.
But for Qian Ye, this path was a perilous one. A high-ranking military position would require thorough investigation, and the military’s scrutiny was rigorous, even the Four Great Clans couldn’t interfere. Given Qian Ye’s secrets and the presence of Nighteye, it was likely he would face trouble. Thus, he dismissed the idea of military promotion.
Upon returning to the base, Qian Ye noticed a commotion at the gate.
A streak of light emerged from the edge of the Misty Forest and reached the base in an instant. It didn’t stop but continued flying towards the base’s interior.
Qian Ye observed from afar, sensing trouble. Indeed, the defensive towers within the base activated, shooting bolts of lightning that wove together in the air. An invisible barrier rose, protecting the entire base.
This was the city defense barrier, with both anti-air and protective functions, originally used in imperial strongholds. The Li family, being wealthy, built seven large power towers, moving the barrier to the floating land.
Except for marked airships, flight above the base was prohibited. Entry and exit were only through the gate, a common rule. The person in the streak of light seemed desperate, forgetting the barrier. When it activated, the streak of light collided with it.
The individual, furious and terrified, roared, “Open it!” The streak of light sped up, crashing into the barrier like a blazing meteor!
Ripples formed, and the towers unleashed a shrill whine, releasing steam and stabilizing the barrier. The towers’ performance and reaction speed indicated top-tier equipment, each worth dozens of ordinary towers.
From the streak of light, a painful roar echoed. It was thrown back, landing heavily at the gate. A man, covered in injuries, his body stained red, struggled to rise. In his arms, he held a small figure, seemingly a woman.
Several figures arrived swiftly, all strong members of the Li family.
Seeing the man, one of them exclaimed, “Brother Liu! What happened?”
The man didn’t respond but shouted, “Jin-er! Save Jin-er!”
One of the Li family’s strong members ordered, “Let them through! Prepare the hospital for Brother Liu and Lady Liu.”
Liu, relieved, slumped to the ground, his head drooping.
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