Chapter 54: The Robbery

After walking for a while, Song Zining finally couldn’t help but ask, “Where are we going?”

“To collect resources.”

“Are there really resources?” Song Zining clearly didn’t believe it. Ji Tianqing was obviously here to spy on Ye Tóng, and the so-called collection of resources was just an excuse.

However, Ji Tianqing walked forward with a serious face, and Song Zining had no choice but to follow.

As they got closer to the edge of the land, the void storms grew more intense, and the environment became increasingly dangerous. Near the true boundary, every rock here had been steeped in the primal force of the void for years, becoming incredibly hard, harder than high-strength alloy steel.

Moreover, sudden gales often erupted without warning, and combined with the potential appearance of spatial rifts, every step was perilous.

Ji Tianqing continued to move, scaling peaks and traversing valleys, leading Song Zining in a big loop through this treacherous area. Within less than a day, Song Zining was blown away by the strong winds twice, crashing heavily into rock formations. These collisions, even for him, were unbearable, leaving over a dozen wounds on his body and breaking two of his ribs.

Seeing that Ji Tianqing continued without pause, Song Zining, who was nearly swept away by the wind again, could no longer hold back and shouted, “Wait, where are the resources you mentioned? It seems we’ve already been here before!”

“Resources? Isn’t this it?” Ji Tianqing picked up a rock, broke it open, and dug out a dark blue crystal, tossing it to Song Zining.

Having managed Ningyuan Heavy Industries for years, Song Zining was well-versed in various rare materials. At a glance, he recognized that the dark blue crystal was a high-grade material used in specific primal force arrays. A single crystal of that size could be used to create several high-level primal force guns, making it quite valuable.

However, such materials were hidden deep within the rocks and impossible to detect unless exposed. At least, Song Zining had no way to do so. Smashing every rock to see if it contained something was not feasible. The rocks here were extremely hard, and even Ji Tianqing had to use considerable force to break them. Looking around, there were countless peaks and boulders—how long would it take to check them all?

Song Zining, wanting to test her, asked about the resources at regular intervals. Sometimes, Ji Tianqing ignored him, and sometimes she would casually dig, unearthing rare medicinal herbs or picking up a stone filled with tiny crystal grains, which turned out to be a rare ore.

For three whole days, they continued like this, with Song Zining’s backpack gradually filling up with a myriad of strange and valuable items.

“Hold on, Tianqing, haven’t we collected enough resources? We should head back,” Song Zining said diplomatically, though in reality, he was in tatters, covered in wounds, and had long since abandoned any pretense of suaveness. He was truly at his limit. Moreover, due to the constant lack of rest over these three days, he hadn’t even had the chance to treat his broken ribs, relying solely on primal force to protect them.

Even Ji Tianqing showed signs of fatigue, but she was in much better condition than Song Zining. This wasn’t because she was stronger; rather, she had numerous secret techniques that allowed her to discover valuable mineral resources and predict most dangers, always avoiding them ahead of time. At the very least, she hadn’t been swept away by the winds once.

Seeing Song Zining’s state, the anger in Ji Tianqing’s eyes dimmed somewhat, and she changed direction, heading inward towards the continent. Song Zining finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Though the items in his backpack were indeed valuable, Song Zining, being as smart as he was, knew that Ji Tianqing had not spent the past few days collecting resources to help him but to torment and punish him. Therefore, he was aware that letting himself be blown away by the wind several times, effectively breaking his own ribs, had somewhat quelled Miss Tianqing’s anger.

When they left the edge of the land, Song Zining carefully asked, “Tianqing, why are you suddenly so angry?”

Ji Tianqing, with a cold expression, replied, “Nothing, I’m just no longer interested in your plans.”

“But—”

“No buts. Do you still want to collect resources?”

Song Zining wisely kept quiet.

Ji Tianqing’s methods were unpredictable, even Qian Ye couldn’t fathom her, and Song Zining certainly couldn’t either. So, even now, he couldn’t tell whether she was truly angry or had some other motive. This made the usually smooth-talking Song Zining feel helpless.

Walking in silence for half a day, Ji Tianqing finally spoke, “I need to get something. You go back first.”

Song Zining asked cautiously, “You’re not going back to the Empire, are you?”

“Of course not.”

With those words, Ji Tianqing left Song Zining behind and headed south alone, disappearing into the vast wilderness in moments.

Song Zining had no idea what she was after or what she planned to do. Even someone as astute as him couldn’t understand why Ji Tianqing had come secretly to spy on Ye Tóng, nor why she spent three days torturing him. Just to vent her anger? As far as Song Zining knew, she never did such trivial things.

Looking in the direction Ji Tianqing had gone, Song Zining shrugged, a bright smile returning to his face as he muttered to himself, “Good thing I had a backup plan ready, no worry she won’t take the bait!”

The distance to Nan Qing City was quite far, and Song Zining was in no rush to leave. He found a place to rest, set his broken bones, treated his wounds, and took a night to recover fully before setting off again.

He had long heard of the dangers of the neutral zone and would never put himself in unnecessary peril.

Unfortunately, luck seemed to be against Song Zining. Not long after leaving the mountainous region at the edge of the continent, he was intercepted by a group of mercenaries.

Looking at the ragged, low-level mercenaries, Song Zining felt an inexplicable sense of resignation. He looked around, but there was no one in sight—not even a bird.

Yet, in this desolate wasteland, the mighty Song Clan’s Seventh Young Master was stopped. Although Song Zining had no intention of changing directions, being intercepted here was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Could the world really be this coincidental?

From the mercenaries, a tall, burly man stepped forward, eyeing Song Zining with disdain. He poked Song Zining’s chest with a crude primal force gun and said, “Pretty boy, look at your scrawny body. I bet I could knock you out with one punch. Hand over your backpack and empty your pockets. I’ll spare you some water and rations.”

The mercenary, looking rather simple-minded, held a primal force gun that appeared to be from a small, rural workshop. It barely qualified as a gun, just a thick iron pipe with a stock attached.

Song Zining’s smile now looked rather odd, his emotions indescribable.

The burly man then added, “Look at you, dragging along with broken bones. Must be desperate for money, aren’t you?”

Song Zining was startled, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

This clumsy mercenary could see his broken ribs. Could he also see all his other secrets? Song Zining had perfected the Three Thousand Floating Leaf Technique, which even Qian Ye found hard to penetrate, let alone being detected by others through divination. Could this clumsy mercenary be a disguised enemy?

In an instant, countless faces flashed through Song Zining’s mind: high-ranking military officials, key figures from the Bai Clan, rivals from Ningyuan Heavy Industries, and various elders and siblings within the Song Clan. Suddenly, Song Zining realized he had quite a few enemies, and that was just within the Empire. The Evernight side surely wanted his head too.

As Song Zining pondered his possible enemies, he felt a lightness on his back—his backpack strap had been cut. A figure dashed away, with his backpack trailing behind.

Seeing the white dress and the seemingly stiff, yet incredibly swift movements, Song Zining was shocked and exclaimed, “Bai Kongzhao!”

He started to chase, but after a few steps, he stopped. The girl moved too fast, quickly disappearing into the distance. Her aura blended perfectly with the surroundings, and Song Zining couldn’t lock onto her. Moreover, the mere thought of pursuing her sent chills down his spine, a premonition of great danger.

Song Zining had heard much about Bai Kongzhao’s battle record. Despite her average strength, she could create bizarre battle situations, defeating many powerful opponents.

Some analyzed that her combat intuition was incredibly strong, but there was always a limit. Song Zining had studied some of her battles but found them baffling. With other pressing matters, he had put it aside. He never expected to encounter her again in the neutral zone.

The complex terrain of the wilderness was her perfect battlefield. Being cautious, Song Zining didn’t want to engage her without assurance. Moreover, the backpack contained only rocks and minerals picked by Ji Tianqing, which to him, were less useful than a single vein of blackstone.

Feeling the danger, Song Zining decisively halted. Chasing her would likely be futile, and Bai Kongzhao had shown no intent to kill, focusing solely on the backpack. If she had intended to attack, Song Zining would have sensed it.

This realization left Song Zining dumbfounded. Was the girl here in the neutral zone just to steal?

Turning to the mercenaries, he saw them change their demeanor, kneeling and pleading for mercy, claiming they were forced here by a female demon.

Seeing these clearly distressed mercenaries, Song Zining couldn’t bring himself to harm them. Sighing, he kicked the burly man and considered the matter settled.

Song Zining left without further delay, vanishing over the horizon.

Once he was gone, the mercenaries stood up, their earlier groveling forgotten. One laughed, “Miss was right. These aristocrats can’t stand to see others beg for mercy. We got through easily. Such easy money!”

The burly man grumbled as he got up, “Easy my foot! My bones almost got broken! No, split the money now!”

“Split the money, split the money!” the mercenaries clamored, and the leader reluctantly opened the purse, dividing the loot.

Unbeknownst to them, Song Zining was nearby, watching the scene, his face turning pale with anger. Thankfully, his domain concealed him, or in his rage, he might have killed them all.