Chapter 76: The Bargain

Finally, Li Kuanglan made a move, heading towards Qian Ye. The four generals responsible for restraining him wisely stood to the side, making no moves. At this moment, Li Kuanglan seemed calm, but he was like a turbulent sea, just waiting for the right trigger to explode.

Li Kuanglan strode through the four of them, and suddenly, a blue light flashed in his hand. The four immediately felt a chill at their necks. They were startled, reaching up to touch and finding their hands covered in blood. Fortunately, they were all seasoned fighters, and they quickly realized that it was only a minor flesh wound, with just a shallow cut on their throats, nothing serious.

But if the skin could be cut, so could their necks. The four now understood that they couldn’t stop Li Kuanglan at all. They were still alive simply because he chose not to harm them.

Li Kuanglan approached Qian Ye, gritting his teeth. “You’re insane!”

“Of course not.” Qian Ye gave him a radiant smile.

“Don’t move! How long do you plan to carry these two daggers?” Li Kuanglan placed a palm on Qian Ye’s shoulder, and a stream of cold energy flowed down, instantly covering Qian Ye’s body in a thin layer of icy blue. This cold energy sealed the wounds and dispelled the hostile force lingering within them.

Li Kuanglan reached out to grasp the hilt of one of the short daggers, about to pull it out, but for some reason, he suddenly lost his courage, unable to bring himself to do it.

Instead, Qian Ye patted his shoulder, saying, “Go ahead, it’s fine.”

Li Kuanglan’s whole body trembled, as if struck by lightning, snapping back to reality. He gritted his teeth, gradually applying more force, and finally, the dagger slowly came out.

Qian Ye frowned slightly. “If you had been quicker, I might not have felt so much pain.”

Li Kuanglan bit his lip, pulling the short dagger out with a strong yank. The blade was now pitted and damaged, only half its original size. It seemed that if it had remained in Qian Ye’s body any longer, it would have been completely corroded away.

Seeing the condition of the blade, Li Kuanglan was stunned, involuntarily glancing at Qian Ye’s abdomen. It was hard to imagine what was inside his body that could have caused such damage to a high-quality dagger.

In truth, the Golden Flame Blood flowing within Qian Ye’s body, upon encountering foreign objects, sought to erode and dissolve them. This was its way of protecting the body. The dissolving power of the Golden Flame Blood was extremely potent, and though the two daggers had only been in his body for a short time, they were already half-destroyed.

Pulling out the second dagger, Li Kuanglan acted more smoothly and calmly. The second blade was in the same state, also half-destroyed. Li Kuanglan flicked his fingers, shooting several streams of cold energy, sealing the wounds on Qian Ye’s abdomen. The precision of his technique was truly commendable.

Qian Ye took a deep breath, a flush spreading across his face. Suddenly, a scarlet-golden flame ignited on his body, melting away the icy cold and stabilizing his aura. His wounds began to close. He patted Li Kuanglan’s shoulder. “Let’s go, I need to rest. I think they won’t dare to come out of the city for a while.”

Li Kuanglan nodded, silently walking beside Qian Ye. They didn’t try to hide their tracks, traversing mountains and valleys. Guards and mercenaries occasionally appeared around them. Seeing Li Kuanglan and Qian Ye, they all paled, daring not to attack after the Emperor’s escape.

In that recent battle, Qian Ye brazenly attacked and destroyed nearly half of the convoy, and almost all the high-ranking officers of the city guard were wiped out. Only the four ordered to intercept Li Kuanglan survived, thanks to their luck. After surviving, they lost the courage to fight. They left the chaotic scene behind, even abandoning the severely injured deputy commander.

Fortunately, the deputy commander was also destined to survive. Several loyal guards risked their lives to carry him back to Tide City.

The once widely distributed city guards, now in a disorganized retreat, left behind a convoy with more than half of the vehicles intact, abandoned and forgotten.

Qian Ye and Li Kuanglan slowly moved into the distance, leaving behind a world filled with destruction and fear.

Suddenly, Qian Ye said, “By the way, what about that letter?”

Li Kuanglan replied irritably, “You tore it up without even looking, and now you’re asking about it?”

Qian Ye smiled. “I thought there was no need to read it then, but now I’m curious about what he wanted to say.”

“There was no need to read it. The letter said that Luo Bingfeng wants you to cultivate the ‘Dawn Awakening’ technique and would offer a secret method of equal rank in exchange.”

Qian Ye was taken aback, chuckling. “He really does have some imagination.”

“Perhaps he has a secret method of equal rank, which might be useful to you. But it should be his primary cultivation method. It’s strange, though. The ‘Dawn Awakening’ should be incompatible with his current technique. What could he possibly want with it?” Li Kuanglan mused.

“No matter what he wants, I won’t exchange,” Qian Ye firmly refused. Not to mention, if Qian Ye really did consider the exchange, he could only imagine the reaction of Luo Bingfeng upon seeing the War Command and the Song Clan’s ancient scroll.

Li Kuanglan shook his head, sighing. “What a pity. I was hoping to see what kind of technique could stand alongside the ‘Dawn Awakening.'”

“What about Tian Qing? Any news of her?”

Li Kuanglan shrugged. “Don’t worry, she’s crafty. Even if we’re dead, she’ll be fine.”

“But she hasn’t shown up for days,” Qian Ye frowned.

“She’ll show up when she wants to.” Li Kuanglan seemed completely unconcerned.

At this moment, they passed a temporary camp recently set up by the city guards. Qian Ye said, “This place is better than my little hideout. Let’s stay here tonight!”

The camp was empty, and Li Kuanglan naturally wouldn’t refuse a comfortable sleep, following Qian Ye into the camp.

A quiet night passed.

In the early morning, before the night had fully faded, Li Kuanglan departed as quietly as he arrived, disappearing into the distance. Qian Ye, after replenishing his supplies, vanished once again into the vast wilderness.

On the battlefield of the previous day’s defeat, shadowy figures began to appear, mostly in small groups, cautiously surveying the area and collecting valuable items. The undamaged trucks started up, one by one, returning to Tide City. They were extremely cautious, never more than two or three trucks moving at a time, afraid to anger Qian Ye.

Qian Ye watched from a distance, with no intention to intervene. The city sent out only the lowest-ranking mercenaries, cannon fodder on a regular battlefield. Given Qian Ye’s current strength and status, there was no need or justification to target them, as they posed no threat unless they deliberately provoked him.

As long as the people in the city stayed put, Qian Ye had no intention of exterminating them. His true targets were Rui Xiang and the upper echelons of Tide City. For some instinctive reason, Qian Ye was very reluctant to enter Tide City, especially near the holy mountain where Luo Bingfeng resided. In their previous encounter, Qian Ye noticed that Luo Bingfeng’s power weakened the farther he was from the holy mountain.

This was a dangerous game, with Qian Ye walking on the edge of a knife. The key to the game was for Qian Ye not to be captured.

Still, there was no word from Song Zining. Qian Ye could only hope that, after displaying his strength and resolve, the people in Tide City would show some restraint and be willing to negotiate. He would even be willing to hand over the entire Darkflame organization if it meant getting Song Zining back.

Inside Tide City, the atmosphere was tense, like an early autumn.

All the prominent figures gathered once again in the city lord’s mansion, including Rui Xiang, whose face was grim and tight-lipped. He didn’t want to attend this meeting but was practically forced to by Du Yuan’s personal intervention.

When everyone was present, the side door of the conference hall opened, and the sturdy deputy commander entered. His face was pale, his breath weak, and his abdomen still wrapped in thick bandages. Normally, with his cultivation, a flesh wound would heal in a single night. Why was he still like this?

More shocking was his gaze, vacant and lifeless, unlike the fierce warrior he once was.

Du Yuan’s brows furrowed, and he asked sternly, “Ming Kang, what’s wrong with you?”

This man, Yu Ming Kang, was promoted to deputy commander by Du Yuan, a half-teacher and half-friend, which was why Du Yuan addressed him differently.

Hearing Du Yuan’s voice, a flicker of clarity returned to Yu Ming Kang’s eyes. He smiled bitterly. “Commander, I’m just… scared.”

A commotion swept through the hall, and Du Yuan’s brows knit tightly. Warriors of their caliber usually had unwavering will and a fierce fighting spirit. Many would not fear death in critical moments. If they didn’t fear death, what else could scare them? For Yu Ming Kang, who had fought his way to his position, to admit to being scared was unimaginable.

Du Yuan’s voice rumbled like thunder, silencing the hall. “Ming Kang, do you know what you’re saying?”

Yu Ming Kang spoke slowly, “I’m truly scared. That Qian Ye… he’s not human, not even a living being. He’s a cold killing machine, excelling only in the most efficient and painful ways to end your life. When my twin blades pierced his body, I saw nothing in his eyes, not even the slightest change in his expression, not even a twitch of his eyelids! It was as if those blades hadn’t touched him at all, or he simply didn’t exist.”

Rui Xiang, who had been silent, suddenly asked, “Are you sure there was no change in his expression?”

Yu Ming Kang nodded firmly. “I’m certain. No change, not a single one. From the moment my blades entered until they were fully in, no change!”