Chapter 64: Half the Harvest

Only when Bai Kongzhao vanished deep into the wilderness, her figure no longer visible, did Song Zining finally come to his senses, still hardly believing what he had just experienced. This girl, who was a bloodthirsty killer, not only did not attack him, but even left a package behind?

Although the girl did not explicitly say so, Song Zining had an instinctive feeling that this package was for Qian Ye.

The relationship between Qian Ye and Bai Kongzhao was far from harmonious, and in fact, it was dangerously close to bitter enmity. Song Zining knew a little about their entanglements during the Blood Wars, knowing that the two would fight whenever they met. Therefore, every time he encountered Bai Kongzhao, Song Zining was prepared for a life-or-death battle.

Even though Qian Ye could not handle Bai Kongzhao, it did not mean Song Zining couldn’t. In fact, a strong cultivator like Seventh Young Master, who was proficient in celestial mechanics and divination, was the perfect counter to someone like Bai Kongzhao, who relied on her terrifying combat intuition. At least in front of Seventh Young Master, the girl’s ability to seize opportunities in battle would be significantly weakened.

However, the number of incredible battle records Bai Kongzhao had was astounding, and she had once received the full support of the Bai Clan, making Song Zining have to be extra cautious. The depth of the Four Clans’ power was most clearly understood by the Seventh Young Master, who came from the Song Clan. Not to mention anything else, just the two ancient scrolls of the Song Clan were enough to explain everything.

When facing Bai Kongzhao, Song Zining preferred to err on the side of caution, not daring to act without absolute certainty. Who knew what powerful items she might have obtained from the Bai Clan? So, even as he watched the girl leave, Song Zining never had the thought to pursue her.

Holding the package in his hand, Song Zining suddenly couldn’t suppress his curiosity: what exactly was Bai Kongzhao giving to Qian Ye? It surely couldn’t be a token of love.

This waist pouch still carried the aura of the Wolf King. It was fastened with only a few simple clasps, which could be easily opened. There were no hidden locks or mechanisms on the waist pouch. After all, this was something the Wolf King kept close to his body; why would he need such protective measures? Even the Wolf King himself might not have thought that this waist pouch would one day fall into someone else’s hands.

Song Zining was tempted to open the pouch, but felt it was a bit awkward. He tried to sense what was inside using his perception, but the pouch, made from the skin of some fierce beast, completely blocked his perception, making it impossible to discern its contents. However, the full, heavy pouch piqued Seventh Young Master’s curiosity.

“Hmm, there might be some dangerous mechanism inside. Qian Ye is too straightforward and wouldn’t think of such things. If he gets hurt, it would be a shame. No, I can’t just stand idly by!” Song Zining muttered to himself.

Just as he was about to convince himself to open the pouch, a hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, deftly taking the pouch away and opening it with a few clicks.

Seventh Young Master was dumbfounded, looking at Ji Tianqing, who had suddenly appeared, at a loss for words. While unpacking, Ji Tianqing justified herself, “Qian Ye is too honest. This pouch might contain some treacherous mechanisms. What if he gets hurt? As his friend, you should consider his safety. I, as a sister, wouldn’t be so heartless!”

Miss Tianqing spoke so confidently, making Song Zining sigh in admiration. Truthfully, Song Zining was also extremely curious about what Bai Kongzhao had given to Qian Ye. Since Miss Tianqing had already done it, he decided to thicken his skin and peek in.

At first glance, Song Zining let out a surprised sound, his expression changing.

The pouch contained various stones, crystals, and metal pieces. These were either rare minerals, uncommon energy crystals, or raw ore of precious metals, each of significant value. Compared to these, the dozens of high-purity black crystals at the bottom of the pouch seemed insignificant.

The problem was, these minerals looked strangely familiar to Song Zining. A few of them had distinct marks, making it impossible to mistake them.

Ji Tianqing took out a piece of raw ore, weighed it in her hand, squinted her eyes, and said, “Seventh Young Master, wasn’t this raw ore found by me? Didn’t I tell you to bring it back to Nanqing City? You said it was already stored.”

“About that…” Even with Song Zining’s thick skin, he felt a bit embarrassed.

Ji Tianqing, however, was relentless, pointing out, “This one is mine, and this one, and this one, and this one…”

In a blink of an eye, she turned the pouch upside down, then stared at Song Zining, asking, “This is only half of it. Where is the other half?”

Song Zining, obviously feeling guilty, stammered, “It was a large backpack. This is only a small part, not even half, right?”

“The valuable parts are here. So this is indeed half! Where is the other half?”

Song Zining could no longer dodge, and had to confess how Bai Kongzhao had tricked him with a few low-level mercenaries and stolen the backpack after they left the edge area.

The more Ji Tianqing listened, the wider her eyes grew. When Song Zining finished, she burst into laughter, laughing so hard that she couldn’t straighten up. If not for a bit of decorum, she might have rolled on the ground.

Song Zining’s face turned ashen, waiting for her to finish laughing. This was one of the few humiliations of his life, which is why he kept it secret. He hadn’t expected that Bai Kongzhao’s pouch would expose everything. If he had known, he would have buried the pouch on the spot.

Ji Tianqing laughed non-stop, while Song Zining remained silent, walking towards Nanqing City. Ji Tianqing, clutching her stomach, ran after him, asking, “Why are you in such a hurry? Let me laugh a bit more, ha ha!”

Without turning back, Song Zining replied, “I need to return to the city and mobilize troops to pursue the main force of the Wolf King.”

Ji Tianqing, slightly sobering up, said, “Isn’t that a bit risky?”

“The Wolf King is severely injured, and the rest are not a threat. If we don’t strike now, when will we?”

In military strategy, even Ji Tianqing acknowledged that Song Zining was better, nodding, “Alright, I’ll follow your lead. I’ll go with you.”

“Then let’s hurry.” Song Zining quickened his pace, moving like a leaf drifting in the wind.

Ji Tianqing sped up, walking beside Song Zining, saying, “If you don’t want others to know about this, it’s easy. Just treat us to drinks in the future.”

“Us?” Song Zining felt a sense of unease.

“Me, Li Kuanglan, and that fool Qian Ye.”

“Wait, not Qian Ye!”

“No way! I haven’t had a drink with that fool yet. I bet he’d be hilarious when drunk,” Ji Tianqing said with anticipation.

“…You just want to get information out of him when he’s drunk, don’t you?” Song Zining saw through her intentions.

Ji Tianqing chuckled, saying, “Do you think I’m that kind of person?”

“Yes, you are!”

At this moment, in Nanqing City, Qian Ye lay quietly on his bed, his body cold to the touch. Li Kuanglan sat beside him, holding a sword across his knees, his eyes closed, icy blue vapor swirling around his mouth and nose.

Qian Ye lay motionless like a lifeless statue. Deep within his body, the blood core pulsed weakly, with long intervals between each beat.

Li Kuanglan sat still, neither moving nor speaking, his patience seemingly endless.

This state continued for some time, and then, above Qian Ye’s blood core, the Book of Darkness silently appeared, opened to a certain page, and a stream of blood essence flowed into the core.

The contracted blood core began to expand, slowly returning to its original size, and then started to pulse strongly.

Li Kuanglan’s eyes suddenly opened, sensing that Qian Ye’s aura was rapidly strengthening. Such a recovery speed surprised even him. In his knowledge, even among the twelve ancient clans, no one seemed to have such a terrifying regenerative power.

With each pulse of the blood core, the Gold Ignition blood reappeared, surging throughout his body, reigniting his vitality.

The Dark Gold blood qi, as if awakening from hibernation, floated out of the blood core. It seemed curious about the Book of Darkness, cautiously circling around it, but not daring to approach. The Book of Darkness gradually released less and less blood essence, and when the last drop was absorbed by the blood core, it vanished, as if it had been an illusion all along.

Qian Ye’s consciousness had awakened, but his body was still immobile. He lay quietly, observing the changes within, waiting for his strength to return.

After the Book of Darkness disappeared, the Dark Gold blood qi lost its target, floating aimlessly around the blood core. Qian Ye watched silently for a while, then remembered the original form of the Dark Gold blood qi. Where had the Origin Wing gone?

As soon as he thought of the Origin Wing, Qian Ye felt a faint resonance. The Dark Gold blood qi suddenly struggled violently, then settled on the blood core, unmoving. A bulge appeared in the middle of the blood qi, growing rapidly, and finally, the surface cracked open, revealing a much larger pair of Dark Gold wings!

In an instant, Qian Ye reestablished his connection with the Origin Wing. The new Origin Wing was much larger and more vivid than before. Each wing had seven light feathers, though they were currently dim.

As the connection with the new Origin Wing deepened, Qian Ye became more aware of its properties. First, it significantly enhanced the power of primordial weapons, and second, it greatly increased the number of Origin Spears it could store.

At this point, Qian Ye roughly understood the upgrade mechanism of the Origin Wing. When the number of light feathers representing Origin Spears reached a certain amount, the wings could potentially upgrade. When all fourteen Origin Spears were fully stored or used, the Origin Wing might undergo another transformation.

Back when the Blackwing King created the Origin Wing, he had not had the chance to nurture it, thus not knowing how it could be upgraded. The trigger for this upgrade might have been the all-out effort Qian Ye put into launching that Origin Spear.

Although the Origin Wing was still shrouded in mystery, its existence and increased power were undoubtedly good news. Qian Ye let out a long breath, slowly opening his eyes, and saw the handsome young man in blue, blurting out, “Why are you here?”