Chapter 37: Unvanquished

“That’s different!” Song Zining growled, pacing back and forth, appearing extremely agitated.

“I’ve already made the Wolf King pay a price, and I will continue to make him pay for it,” Qian Ye said.

Now, it seemed their roles had been reversed; Qian Ye needed to keep comforting Song Zining.

Song Zining suddenly became irate and shouted, “You don’t understand! Don’t get involved in this. I’ll handle it myself. If they don’t see what I’m capable of, they might think this puny place, the Neutral Grounds, can harbor dragons and tigers!”

Qian Ye was taken aback, then laughed, saying, “You can’t even beat fatty Ji, let alone the Wolf King. What are you going to do, go and get yourself killed?”

“Can you beat him?!”

“At least I can take down fatty Ji.”

“You…!” Song Zining was momentarily at a loss for words, his face turning red. Personal combat power was always a sore spot for the young master. He could never quite catch up with Qian Ye, always a step behind. This small difference, on the battlefield, would be magnified a hundredfold.

Stirred by Qian Ye, Song Zining finally calmed down a bit, glaring at Qian Ye as he took off his backpack and threw it to him, saying, “Here, take this. Make sure to stay alive. Don’t let them kill you when I’m not paying attention!”

The backpack was unusually heavy, and as soon as Qian Ye grabbed it, he had to add some strength to hold it properly.

“What is this?”

“Why don’t you open it and see?”

Qian Ye unzipped the backpack and found it filled with components for an origin gun, the most prominent being the barrel left by Lord Zhiji.

Could Song Zining have assembled this gun in such a short time? Qian Ye was both surprised and delighted.

In terms of origin guns, Qian Ye was already a master. He picked up the components, looked at them, and knew how to assemble them. His hands moved swiftly, and with a series of crisp sounds, a slender origin gun took shape.

The gun was a deep gray, its surface dull and without shine, exuding a sense of sturdiness yet also finesse. The origin arrays were seamlessly integrated with the metal’s natural patterns, a masterpiece crafted by a master. Compared to Elder Cui Yuanhai, this work was even more refined.

The entire gun was made of metal, incredibly sturdy, and also extraordinarily heavy, weighing hundreds of kilograms. An ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to carry it, let alone use it.

However, if one could overcome its weight, the design of this gun offered many advantages. The primary advantage was its durability, making it usable even in the harsh environment of the Neutral Grounds. Additionally, the gun itself was a weapon, with the grip almost as hard as the Eastern Peak, capable of smashing even arachne into submission.

Only this integrated design, using high-strength, rare alloy, could fully unleash the power of the barrel crafted by Lord Zhiji.

Qian Ye examined the gun over and over, becoming increasingly fond of it. This gun was tailor-made for him, perfectly fitting his hand, and aligning well with his usual combat habits. Even the extraordinary weight, much heavier than what an average person could bear, was designed specifically for Qian Ye.

Qian Ye was accustomed to using the Eastern Peak, which, though weighing hundreds of kilograms, felt almost weightless to him. The added weight, however, allowed the use of special materials, enabling functions that regular guns couldn’t achieve and fully leveraging the unique, powerful features of the barrel.

On the gun’s body, two gracefully written characters were engraved: “Zangxin” (Heart’s Burial). This was the gun’s name, fitting well with Lord Zhiji’s state of mind. Seeing these words, Qian Ye was lost in thought, involuntarily thinking of Qian Ye and their unattainable goal.

How much of that goal did Qian Ye set to avoid feeling despair?

Though beautiful, the two characters lacked the forceful, desolate, and silent dominance of death. However, these characters were clearly written by Song Zining, who, despite his talent, couldn’t yet grasp the depth of Lord Zhiji’s emotions at that age.

After examining it for a while, Qian Ye reluctantly put the Zangxin down. The only drawback was that while the gun fully harnessed the barrel’s power, it didn’t enhance it.

Qian Ye sighed, feeling a bit disappointed. But on second thought, he realized something. The barrel itself was already beyond level nine, approaching the status of the top ten famous guns of the era. Still, it wasn’t quite there. After Song Zining’s work, the Zangxin had reached level nine. If the components could further amplify the barrel’s power, wouldn’t it become another renowned gun of the era?

This was a feat even Lord Zhiji couldn’t achieve. How could Song Zining do it?

However, the Zangxin reaching level nine was a pleasant surprise. Qian Ye was so fond of it that he didn’t want to put it down.

But the Zangxin’s power was sufficient, and its consumption matched the standard of a level nine gun, even exceeding it. Qian Ye tried to input origin power, and it was continuously absorbed, but the Zangxin remained motionless.

It took a considerable amount of origin power before the Zangxin’s origin arrays responded, and the barrel activated.

At this point, further testing was unnecessary. Qian Ye estimated that one shot from the Zangxin would drain him completely.

Though Qian Ye currently had only four origin vortices, their concentration was nearly crystallized. In terms of quantity, his four vortices equaled the eight of other warlords. Even so, the Zangxin would still deplete him, showing its enormous energy demand.

With the Zangxin in hand, Qian Ye felt like a tiger with wings. Combining the Zangxin with the Primordial Wings, the power of one shot was unimaginable.

Just as Qian Ye put the Zangxin into Anduia’s space, a familiar voice came from behind: “This engine is truly amazing. I didn’t expect they actually made it. Hmm, this must be the control interface. With this, I’ll become the master of this Valhalla!”

Qian Ye, startled, turned around and saw a girl standing in front of the dragon’s heart, studying the engine embedded in it. The engine cover was open, revealing the internal mechanisms. She seemed intent on reaching in to touch it.

“Stop!” Qian Ye, without thinking, teleported behind her and grabbed for her hand.

The girl’s figure became ephemeral, and she turned gracefully, leaning back, her eyes half-smiling as she looked at Qian Ye.

It was Ji Tianqing!

Shocked, Qian Ye tried to stop, his feet sinking into the ground, anchoring him to the ship’s floor. His fingers were mere inches from Ji Tianqing’s chest, just a little closer, and he would have grabbed her.

Qian Ye barely managed to stop, but Ji Tianqing, the troublemaker, took a deep breath at that moment!

Whether she was preparing a powerful attack or a deafening scream, it didn’t matter. What mattered was her chest rapidly expanding and colliding with Qian Ye’s fingers.

Then, Ji Tianqing let out a scream: “Indecent assault!!”

Qian Ye’s vision darkened, and he almost fell. Straightening up, he said sternly, “No, I didn’t.”

Ji Tianqing grabbed Qian Ye’s hand, yelling, “Trying to deny it! The evidence is here!”

“But this is my hand.”

“Exactly! What was it doing just now? If this isn’t evidence, what is?”

Despite spending time together, Qian Ye had never anticipated Ji Tianqing’s sharp tongue.

“Wait, Tianqing, let’s talk calmly. How did you get here?”

“I have military orders!”

Qian Ye sensed something was amiss and asked, “What orders?”

“Here!” Ji Tianqing pulled out a blank sheet of paper and waved it in front of Qian Ye.

Qian Ye was puzzled. The paper was of a special format, unmistakably for important military orders, impossible to forge. But it was blank, completely blank.

Seeing Qian Ye’s expression, Ji Tianqing, who had been smug, checked the paper and was dumbfounded, looking embarrassed.

But she wasn’t one to give up. She took out a brush, quickly wrote on the paper, and then stamped it with a copper seal, breathing on it first.

“There! Here you go!” Ji Tianqing handed the paper over, looking very pleased.

Qian Ye read the order: “By order, Imperial Colonel Ji Tianqing is to report to the Neutral Grounds and serve as Qian Ye’s personal adjutant, effective immediately.”

Another personal adjutant, only this time, her rank had been upgraded from major to colonel.

Qian Ye was speechless. When he saw the seal, he almost jumped in shock.

The seal bore the ancient script: “Zhiji Questions the Way.”

It was Lord Zhiji’s seal!

From the size and style, it should be Lord Zhiji’s personal seal. Though not typically used for military orders, Lord Zhiji’s seal carried the same authority regardless.

Qian Ye looked at the order, then at Ji Tianqing, and finally asked, “Is this seal real?”

“Of course, it is.”

Her confident reply made Qian Ye instinctively believe her. Lord Zhiji’s personal seal was indeed in her possession, making the situation complex.

“I’m no longer part of the Empire. This order isn’t appropriate for me, is it?”

Ji Tianqing smiled innocently, “Not really, but since it’s stamped with Lord Zhiji’s seal, it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to refuse, would it?”

The threat was clear. Qian Ye could disregard the Empire’s orders, but how could he refuse Lord Zhiji’s?

But accepting the order felt awkward. Qian Ye pointed to the seal and asked, “How did you get this? Lord Zhiji wouldn’t send his personal seal to the Neutral Grounds, would he?”

“I stole it,” Ji Tianqing admitted candidly.

“Stolen…?” Qian Ye was speechless. Shaking the order, he said, “If it’s stolen, then this order…?”

“Of course it’s valid!” Ji Tianqing interrupted, grinning triumphantly. “He values his reputation, so he won’t admit the seal was stolen. Therefore, this order is real!”

“…Alright, you win.”

“I’ve never lost!”