Zhao Kai’s face was filled with confusion. People with straightforward personalities tend to be stubborn, and once they have set their minds on something, it’s hard for them to change.
Moreover, Zhao Kai was different from Wang Bo. He was a legitimate cousin of Zhao Weihuang, and he had watched over the growth of Zhao Ruoxi and her siblings. At that time, Zhao Weihuang’s branch was not the head of the family, so in his mind, he more resembled an elder rather than a vassal like Wang Bo.
Wang Bo suddenly interjected: “Brother Zhao, think carefully. If another person can use the Manjushage, it wouldn’t be good for Miss and might not be good for our Zhao clan either. Furthermore, this person has formed such an astonishing talent form without even reaching the rank of a war general, which means his lineage and secret methods are extraordinary. If he is from another noble family…”
Zhao Kai felt a chill. Indeed, when it came to a famous gun like the Manjushage, there was no guarantee that this young man would join the Zhao clan. The Imperial Family might make a move first. If he is from another noble family, the benefits would not fall to the Zhao clan.
He almost immediately said, “Then why not…” but he swallowed the rest of the sentence about cutting off all ties.
A seventh-level warrior being chased by a dark war general meant his identity was far from simple. Moreover, the young man hadn’t died; there might be companions nearby. Such a matter of silencing someone would fear the status of the deceased and the risk of it not being kept secret, as it could easily be uncovered afterward.
Thinking this way, to take the risk of recruiting or silencing someone for a talent with many flaws, the risks were too high. It was better to keep quiet and let the matter pass, which was the safest choice.
Zhao Kai nodded, still a bit reluctant, but beginning to accept this method of handling the situation.
Xixi’s eyes flashed with a mysterious expression, slowly saying, “Uncle Kai knows the hardships of our Cheng En Gong line. Although my brother and I are not very smart, we feel we can carry on our father’s legacy. In the future, whoever becomes the patriarch will not mistreat the two elders.”
Seeing the girl’s calmness, different from her usual self, Zhao Kai felt a great sense of relief, as if his family’s daughter had finally grown up. Nobles never feared ambition; they only feared the lack of it, as followers would then have no future.
Cheng En Gong was Zhao Weihuang’s title, but the two hereditary marquisates of the Yan Yun Zhao family were the Yan Marquisate and the You Marquisate. The head of the family usually alternated between these two lines. From this, one could imagine the various hardships behind what Xixi said. Zhao Kai naturally knew that Zhao Weihuang had faced numerous storms and power struggles to sit in the position of the patriarch of the Zhao clan.
Even now, two years after Zhao Weihuang ascended to the position of patriarch, the situation was still unstable. On one hand, the Yan and You marquisates were deeply rooted and influential. On the other hand, the title of Cheng En Gong was not hereditary, meaning Zhao Weihuang’s marquisate could not be passed to his children.
Among Zhao Weihuang’s children, Zhao Jundu had the best chance of inheriting his father’s legacy. He was a recognized genius who reached the threshold of a war general at the age of twenty. Xixi, however, was an exception. She showed an affinity for the Manjushage at the age of three but suffered from a weak constitution and had been critically ill several times in her childhood. Therefore, although the owner of the Manjushage held a high status, she rarely involved herself in mundane affairs.
Xixi’s last words actually hinted at another layer of meaning: she had formed an alliance with Zhao Jundu. With the two of them working together, the chances of the next patriarch coming from the Cheng En Gong line increased significantly. For Zhao Kai and others who had attached themselves to Zhao Weihuang, this was a tremendous piece of good news.
However, despite their alliance, Xixi and Zhao Jundu also competed with each other. News like the existence of a second Manjushage user could not be revealed to the other. If Zhao Weihuang found out, whether he would favor his son or daughter would be hard to say.
Zhao Kai now understood completely, and he patted his chest, saying, “Miss, don’t worry. I’ll keep this matter in my stomach.”
Xixi smiled charmingly.
As for Wang Bo, he was an old retainer brought to the Zhao clan by the Fourth Prince and Princess Gaoyi, making his allegiance clear.
At this moment, Qianye stood beside the body of the vampire viscount, recalling the memories before he lost consciousness. He clearly remembered the bottomless abyss that appeared when the hammer struck, as if it would suck in the entire world.
Qianye frowned, certain that the gun was problematic.
The principle of a force gun was to infuse force to activate the array and release power. The user’s control, the depth of force, and the compatibility with the array all affected the final power. In this process, the wielder was always the active party; it was unheard of for a force gun to draw power on its own as if it had a soul.
Soul? Qianye’s heart stirred, and he suddenly remembered the legend that every famous gun had a soul and would choose its master.
Previously, like most people, he thought this was an exaggerated metaphor. The soul was a mysterious domain, and even the top figures in the Empire debated its existence. As for the dark races, it was said that the demonic witches had a secret method to bind souls, but no one in reality had ever encountered it.
Could it be the Manjushage?
It was simply unbelievable. This absurd thought flashed through his mind, but even Qianye himself did not believe he could fire the Manjushage. Of the ten famous guns, in the long span of time, many times no one could use them, let alone have two masters at the same time.
He shook his head vigorously, deciding not to waste time on such mysterious matters. Although this mountainous area was closer to human territory, there was still a chance that dark races might pass through. If it was discovered that he had killed a viscount from the Byn family, the subsequent troubles would be even greater than stealing the Twin Flowers from the Duke of Ross.
Qianye quickly searched the belongings of Zaelen, the vampire viscount. It was evident that the viscount had left in a hurry, with no intention of prolonged pursuit. All the weapons on Zaelen were light, and there were two empty blood crystal boxes, hardly enough to be considered supplies.
The gun was a level six force pistol, with a five-round magazine, now empty. Recalling Zaelen’s shots, it was clear the viscount’s shooting skills were poor, so he didn’t bring much ammunition.
Zaelen did not carry the long sword typical of high-ranking vampires, only a knife slightly shorter than the Glittering Fang. Qianye looked closely and found that the middle fingers and thumbs of both hands were covered with thin, flexible gloves, made of an unknown material.
Qianye was startled, a cold shiver running down his spine. He now felt grateful for his caution and luck, not allowing Zaelen any close combat opportunity. Judging from the weapons the dark war general carried, he was obviously skilled in close combat, especially with his hands.
Qianye drew the short knife and saw an insignia near the hilt, named Crimson Fang. This knife was of the same level as the Glittering Fang, and in terms of quality and craftsmanship, it was slightly superior.
By now, Qianye had considerable experience with vampire close combat weapons. From the intricate patterns, he recognized several force arrays, no more than the common ones for durability, sharpness, and blood absorption.
Holding the Crimson Fang, he glanced at Zaelen’s corpse, hesitating.
After advancing to a war general, a vampire’s body changed similarly to a human forming a force crystal. For vampires, the heart condensed into a blood core, gathering the essence of half the body. Even the lowest-level blood core could fetch a high price, used in force arrays or potions. A single blood core could be exchanged for a level six gun.
If Qianye absorbed it, his strength would certainly rise.
But after a moment’s thought, he put the blood core in an empty blood crystal box.
The blood essence of a dark war general took a long time to digest, and the lesson from the Viscount Brahms was still fresh. If anything went wrong, Qianye would be immobilized for at least a day, which was too dangerous in this border region. He also needed to deliver the Jade Core Book to its destination and couldn’t hide for ten to fifteen days.
Qianye inserted the Crimson Fang into Zaelen’s empty heart, and the remaining blood energy flowed into his body, invigorating him.
Finally, there were some miscellaneous items in a bag, including crystal currency, several hair-like crystals, the largest denomination of dark race currency, each worth a thousand imperial gold coins.
A red crystal pendant, casually strung on a black leather cord, entirely unlike the refined elegance of vampire jewelry. Qianye felt the pattern on the red crystal was a force array, but it did not react to his input of force, so he tossed it into the pocket.
The contents of the other two small boxes, however, surprised him.
One was a blood crystal, much darker than any Qianye had seen, with strange purple streaks in the center. From this blood crystal, Qianye sensed a familiar aura, similar to the purple blood energy in his body. He wondered why Zaelen hadn’t used it.
The other was a force bullet box. Even without opening it, he could sense the wild power inside. Through the crystal cover, he saw a deep purple-red force bullet, with extremely complex and fine patterns engraved on its surface, forming a force array that locked the force within.
Qianye broke out in a cold sweat. He recognized the material of the bullet, though he had never seen it, Red Scorpion’s courses had described the highest-end weaponry.
It must be the legendary Black Titanium. A rare metal found only in the densest dark force, incredibly strong yet lightweight.
Black Titanium had a devastating effect on life, especially lethal to the Dawn faction due to its properties. Combined with the craftsmanship of a master and the locked-in wild force, its power far exceeded the Mystic Silver Bullet.
In the Empire’s weapon assessment, the Black Titanium Annihilation Bullet was listed as a war general’s weapon. It was said that a human war general hit by one would either die instantly or be severely injured.
Fortunately, Black Titanium was extremely rare, and the continents with the densest dark force were not suitable even for the dark races. Thus, the Annihilation Bullets could not be mass-produced, or the human casualties would increase.
It seemed the vampire viscount had not wanted to use such an expensive and rare bullet on Qianye, allowing him to escape. Otherwise, even if Zaelen’s aim was poor, the explosive damage would still have caught Qianye.
Qianye cleaned up the scene, removing all traces of himself and Xixi, and threw Zaelen’s body into a natural ravine a thousand meters away.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage