Chapter 82: The Return Journey

In the True Vision, Zhao Youping’s initial stance was not just for show. The surging origin force radiated from his body, spreading out in seven ripples that reached in all directions. These were the potential attack paths he could take, almost covering the entire fan-shaped area in front of him.

Zhao Youping’s body swayed gently, like a crane dancing in the wind. As he moved, the seven ripples fluctuated, ready to deliver a powerful strike at any moment.

The Sky Soaring Waterfowl Fist indeed lived up to its name as a secret combat technique. The movement of the origin force showed it to be both offensive and defensive. By using this swaying motion, not only did it provide multiple attack options, making it difficult for the opponent to predict, but it also offered a robust defense, able to respond calmly within its coverage. If Zhao Youping had reached the rank of War General, that fan-shaped area would have expanded even further.

However, in Qian Ye’s eyes, all the subsequent moves of the Sky Soaring Waterfowl Fist were clearly visible. This secret martial art, like the traditional style of the Zhao family, was elegant and magnificent, exuding grace and composure at every turn. But it was precisely because of this elegance that it lost some of its power.

Qian Ye gathered his origin force, stepped forward, and delivered a simple, straightforward punch to the chest.

It was a jab from the military combat technique, without any frills, but as the punch was thrown, there was a faint sound of thunder in the air.

Zhao Youping’s swaying suddenly intensified, and he found himself involuntarily tilting towards Qian Ye’s fist, nearly losing his balance. He was shocked; a powerful suction force was coming from the front, and it felt exhausting to resist.

Without time to reposition himself, Zhao Youping hastily countered with a high-pitched scream, his right hand flapping like a wing, striking down on Qian Ye’s fist.

When fist met palm, a thunderous sound erupted. Zhao Youping, as if struck by lightning, was violently shaken, and was thrown backward, crashing through desks and bookshelves, until he hit the wall, spewing a mouthful of blood.

Zhao Youping had never expected this situation, and in his shock and anger, his mind went blank. Seeing Qian Ye stride towards him, his reaction was delayed.

Qian Ye followed with a sweeping kick, as swift and deadly as a scythe. Zhao Youping, finally waking from his stupor, barely managed to dodge with all his might.

Another thunderous sound, and Qian Ye brought another crushing blow down. With no place to dodge, Zhao Youping crossed his arms to block, but couldn’t help but spit out another mouthful of blood.

Qian Ye’s attacks came like thunderbolts, leaving no room for Zhao Youping to catch his breath. Each move was direct and concise, mostly basic techniques from military combat, fast, heavy, and ruthless.

Zhao Youping, having lost the initiative, had to use all his strength to block Qian Ye’s casual punches. He couldn’t understand how, being at the same eighth level, Qian Ye’s strikes could be so overwhelmingly heavy, as if a mountain were pressing down on him, heavy enough to drive one to despair.

In a flash, Zhao Youping’s protective origin force was shattered, and Qian Ye’s palm struck straight into his chest. There was a crunching sound as Zhao Youping’s chest caved in, unable to even spit out blood.

Qian Ye slowly withdrew his hand, looking at the nearly dead Zhao Youping.

Zhao Youping panted like a bellows, snarling, “The Zhao family will never… let you off! To the ends of the earth, we will hunt you down. I’ll go first and wait for you below!”

Qian Ye, unperturbed, said, “Then wait.” He then casually pulled a long sword from the weapon rack by the wall and stabbed it into Zhao Youping’s heart. He glanced around the room, threw the sword aside, and gracefully leaped out the back window, vanishing into the night.

The battle was over in mere moments, concluded in less than a dozen moves. It wasn’t until Qian Ye left that the guards rushed into the study, and alarms began to blare.

Qian Ye raced through the night, heading straight for the airship landing field. At this time, the whole of Li Bin City was in chaos, but the area adjacent to the West Gate remained quiet, though the number of guards had increased several times.

To Qian Ye, the heavily guarded field was like an open door, and he easily crossed the perimeter. Three massive airships were parked side by side, and Qian Ye chose the “Centurion” type, a combined passenger and cargo airship.

Opening the emergency hatch at the rear of the airship was a trivial matter for Qian Ye. The set of metal tools he carried could be used for torture or to open simple mechanical locks. The “Centurion,” a common dual-use airship in the Empire’s public channels, had no complex structure.

Qian Ye slipped inside through the emergency entrance, locked the door, and erased any traces. The public airship, scheduled to depart for the Zhao family capital in two days, was now silent, with no passengers or crew, though the cargo hold was already half-filled.

Qian Ye made his way to the lower fuel chamber, where the black stones had been replenished, piled up like a small hill. He found a corner near the inner wall, dug a hole, and used a piece of military waterproof cloth to create a small space, then crawled inside.

Using a burst of origin force, Qian Ye caused the surrounding black stones to roll and bury him, then he controlled his breathing, allowing his body temperature to drop, entering a state similar to hibernation.

The chaos in Li Bin City slowly subsided after the other two generals of the city guard took charge, but the tense atmosphere lingered.

Zhao Youping, a city guard general, being assassinated in one of his private residences, was no small matter. A city guard general in an important city was a mid-level figure with real power in the Zhao family.

The city guard combed the entire city for a day and night, but found nothing. The airship field, a key area, was thoroughly searched. Passengers and their luggage were strictly checked, and the airship’s interior and cargo were no exception. However, no one thought to dig up the entire pool of black stones.

Even with such thorough searches, the city maintained its outward order. Otherwise, even if the city lord had died, they would still be reprimanded by the Zhao family.

Thus, the “Centurion” type airship departed on schedule, carrying Qian Ye steadily toward the Zhao family capital, Xiji City.

Everything in the Zhao family mansion in Xiji City continued as usual, but the news of Zhao Jundu’s impending departure spread privately.

This news surprised some. The three eldest sons of Cheng En Gong had just gone to the battlefield and hadn’t returned, Zhao Ruoxi was also leaving the city, and Zhao Wei Huang, who was often with the Wolf Smoke Corps, only returned for major festivals and sacrifices.

Though the daily affairs of the Zhao family ran smoothly, the absence of all the key figures in the Cheng En Gong line drew much attention.

Curiosity ran rampant among the various mansions. However, this time, Zhao Jundu seemed to be planning to travel alone, as even his close guards received no notice to prepare for the trip, let alone learn the destination.

The case file of the assassination of the Li Bin City Guard General landed on Zhao Jundu’s desk the next day. The nature of the incident was serious, but not too major, classified as a third-level document, which meant someone had already handled it, and he only needed to be informed.

Zhao Jundu glanced at the title, closed the file, and tossed it onto his desk. His mood had been poor for the past few days, and seeing that a city guard general had been assassinated within the city, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.

The file didn’t stop on the desk but fell to the floor with a slap, and a loose page floated out. It was a portrait. The search in Li Bin City had been fruitless, leading to the conclusion that the perpetrator had likely fled, and the main family had been asked to issue a wanted notice across the Zhao family province.

Zhao Jundu bent down to pick up the file, and when he saw the portrait, his expression changed. The young man in the portrait was ordinary-looking, unlike the handsome youths in the other two portraits, but Zhao Jundu had a strong, inexplicable hunch that connected the two.

He composed himself and reviewed the file again. There was nothing new; the individual had killed several soldiers in Li Bin City and assassinated the city guard general, with no known motive. He studied the portrait for a while and suddenly realized what felt familiar.

The eyes! Whether ordinary or handsome, those eyes were too similar. Generally, even with a not-too-complex disguise, one wouldn’t change the shape of the eyes…

Zhao Jundu couldn’t help but rub his temples, and suddenly thought of Zhao Ruoxi. He realized another issue: regardless of who the person in Li Bin City was, the clear eyes in the portrait Wang Bo had given him were uncannily similar to his little sister’s.

After some thought, Zhao Jundu wrote four characters on the file: “Reinvestigate.”

When the Wen Yuan Pavilion, responsible for the Zhao family’s daily affairs, received the returned file, they were surprised. Zhao Jundu typically only read and didn’t comment on such matters. Could there be more to the Li Bin City assassination?

Considering the Li Bin City Lord’s long illness and the unclear report of the assassination, the manager immediately sensed something. Before dusk, several secret orders were sent to Li Bin, and the spies, loyal only to the main family, began investigating the cause.

While the Zhao family and Li Bin City were busy, the airship carrying Qian Ye arrived in Xiji City after two days and nights of flight.

The airship landed at the public airship base outside Xiji City. When the night was deep and quiet, Qian Ye emerged from the fuel chamber. Fortunately, the Zhao family was wealthy, and the airship had been fully fueled, so only half the black stone pool had been used, leaving Qian Ye enough hiding space.

The airship was now empty, and the cargo had been unloaded. Qian Ye made his way to the emergency hatch and left without leaving any trace, as he had done when he entered.

Xiji City, located in the heart of the Western Continent and the core of the Zhao family’s four provinces, kept its gates open at night and even waived the entry tax to display the grandeur of the great family. Before entering Xiji City, Qian Ye removed all his disguises, severing any connection to the Li Bin City incident.

Xiji City, the first city of the Western Continent, was also the most well-informed. Qian Ye was most concerned about the war in the Eternal Night Continent, and the current news indicated that the war had ended, truly ended.

Although the war was over, Qian Ye didn’t need to rush, but he couldn’t stay in Zhao territory for long. Disguises weren’t foolproof, and true powerhouses had many unpredictable ways to track someone. He needed to leave the Western Continent as soon as possible.

Qian Ye booked the next available public airship to the Taihang Mountains, heading to a remote town. He planned to cross the Silent Fire Plain and return to the Eternal Night Continent via the Gray Channel, just as he had come.

Qian Ye stayed in seclusion in Xiji City, hardly leaving his hotel room. When the time came, he hurried to the airship base and boarded his flight.

Soon, Qian Ye stood by the window, watching the ground recede, finally relaxing. The airship soared over mountains and rivers, flying away.

Not long after Qian Ye’s airship took off, Zhao Jundu received a message from the Sixth Elder.