Chapter 86: A Perilous Predicament (Part I)

“Gentlemen, this is the reward for the battle of Lingang City. Most of what Su has left is here. After receiving your reward, you are free to leave or stay as you wish; Su will not force anyone. Of course, if you are willing to stay and fight another round with me, you are most welcome!”

These words comforted the hearts of the many strong warriors, and many began to calculate their military achievements and potential rewards. Others were tempted by the second half of the speech.

Su Dingqian nodded to Liu Daoming, who then took out a book and said, “The achievements of the battle of Lingang City are recorded here. I will now read them one by one. If any of you have objections, please raise them immediately. Otherwise, we will follow this record in distributing the rewards.”

“Of course, we follow the commander’s decision; we have no objections.”

“City Lord Su’s insight is like a torch; how could there be any mistakes?”

“Indeed.”

Everyone expressed their agreement. During the previous night’s battle, Su Dingqian was at the center, and the perception of the divine generals was so powerful that every corner of the battlefield was covered. Trying to claim false military achievements in front of him would be impossible.

Liu Daoming cleared his throat, his face showing a slight expression of surprise, and announced, “First in military achievement: Zhao Ye. He killed or severely wounded over four hundred iron puppet soldiers, killed three strong warriors from the White Devil Legion, and accumulated some minor merits.”

“Four hundred!”

“How could it be so many?”

“I killed a dozen, and it was already a life-and-death struggle. Mr. Zhao, this… This is truly…”

This list of military achievements immediately caused an uproar. Everyone knew how difficult the iron puppet soldiers were to deal with. Even a war general would find it challenging to kill one, and four hundred of them, even if they stood still, would be beyond their power to kill.

Everyone was shocked by the number of iron puppet soldiers, but they did not realize that Liu Daoming’s surprise actually came from the three strong warriors of the White Devil Legion. Others only thought that Qian Ye had killed three war generals, and although the White Devil Legion’s war generals were stronger than those from other places, they were still not as impressive as four hundred iron puppet soldiers. However, Liu Daoming knew who Qian Ye’s opponents were.

The three-knight team of the White Devil Legion was their elite squad, specifically skilled in ambushing and killing powerful individuals, with a record of taking down a sixteenth-level warrior. Even Liu Daoming himself would find it troublesome to face these three. But the lethal combination of the White Devil Legion was defeated by Qian Ye. At this moment, Liu Daoming already considered Qian Ye a serious opponent. This sounded rather ridiculous, given that Qian Ye displayed only twelfth-level origin power, while Liu Daoming was a seventeenth-level grandmaster. How could they be on the same level?

Qian Ye’s reward was three dream-eating worms and ten thousand gold coins’ worth of black crystal.

Seeing the dream-eating worms go entirely to Qian Ye, Su Yueyuan’s eyes flickered, and he wanted to speak, but under Su Dingqian’s long-established authority, he dared not oppose. Meanwhile, Qingyue sat motionless, seemingly lost in thought.

Next, the second in military achievement was Liu Daoming himself, and the third was Qingyue. Though Qingyue appeared weak in origin power, she had also managed to kill one of the enemy’s strong warriors, which was unexpected. Compared to Qian Ye’s four hundred kills, the dozens of iron puppet soldiers she had slain paled in comparison.

The remaining strong warriors received various rewards, which were much more generous than usual, making them feel that their bloodshed and efforts were worthwhile. With Su Dingqian showing his intention to recruit, many immediately expressed their willingness to follow him. Now, Su Dingqian was starting over, and joining his ranks now would carry more weight than before. Put simply, joining now would be like following a rising dragon.

Qian Ye, having obtained the dream-eating worms, felt that his business here was concluded, and he proposed to take his leave. He had no interest in following a king to conquer the world; all he wanted was to find a quiet place with Nighteye, build a small nest, and live a peaceful life.

Su Dingqian felt greatly regretful and tried to persuade Qian Ye several times, but in vain. As Qian Ye was about to leave, Su Dingqian held his hand and sighed, “Mr. Zhao, you are young and capable, far better than I was in my youth. Are you really not considering staying? When I grow old, Lingang City will be yours.”

Qian Ye was somewhat surprised and replied, “City Lord Su, you jest. I do not know how to govern a territory. Besides, young master Yueyuan is so outstanding; he can easily take over your mantle. Why look for someone else?”

Hearing this, Su Yueyuan’s expression improved somewhat.

Su Dingqian sighed, “If we were on the mainland, Yueyuan would indeed be outstanding, and he could take over the business when I get old. But here in the neutral land, where blood is spilled daily and danger lurks everywhere, his talent and strength are still lacking. If I am not around, with the wolves circling, how can he defend this foundation? At that time, this city and its territory will be a noose around his neck, the more abundant, the more dangerous. If I hand over the foundation to you, at least you will remember our old friendship and protect him from poverty and hunger, right?”

Qian Ye had not expected Su Dingqian to think so clearly. After careful consideration, he found it very reasonable. Even with Su Dingqian’s cultivation, he could not defend Lingang City, and Su Yueyuan, who struggled to break through to the divine general rank, would be even less capable. The larger the foundation, the faster he would meet his end.

Still, Qian Ye said, “City Lord Su, you are in your prime and can still reach greater heights. There is no need to rush now.”

After several refusals, seeing Qian Ye’s firm resolve, Su Dingqian did not force the issue and personally escorted him out of the city before returning.

The other free strong warriors did not express any dissatisfaction. Judging from their achievements, they knew that Qian Ye’s strength far surpassed theirs, and he deserved such treatment.

The small town had nothing valuable, so Su Dingqian gave Qian Ye a relatively new truck and provided ample food, water, and ammunition. Qian Ye and Nighteye boarded the truck and drove leisurely, spotting the outline of a city on the horizon after two days.

This city was not far from Lingang City, nominally part of Wolf King’s territory, but it was actually in a semi-independent state, a mix of good and bad. Such a place suited Qian Ye’s needs, and it was also convenient for searching for Cui Yuanhai’s whereabouts.

If Cui Yuanhai had been captured by the Spider Emperor or the Moonlight White Devil’s people, given his status as a master of origin guns, he would likely be stationed in Lingang City with the army.

This city, named Nanqing, was quite large, with a population of about two to three thousand. Qian Ye paid a fee at the city gate and entered without any hindrance. He then found a hotel and booked a small independent courtyard.

After settling in, Qian Ye took out the dream-eating worms and said to Nighteye, “Let’s take them now, so we don’t delay.”

“Are you really giving them all to me? Don’t you want to keep one for yourself? They can enhance your soul.”

Qian Ye shook his head, “Fixing your soul is the top priority.”

“Even after a hundred days, I haven’t forgotten you, have I?”

Qian Ye felt that Nighteye seemed different now, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly how. It seemed her aura had changed. Seeing Nighteye hand him a dream-eating worm, he pushed it back, saying, “Fixing your soul is the most important thing.”

Nighteye looked at Qian Ye, her eyes seeming to have a mysterious glow, and said, “You really don’t want it? Don’t regret it later.”

“Of course not,” Qian Ye thought Nighteye’s words were puzzling.

Without further ado, Nighteye focused and inhaled the dream-eating worm, closing her eyes and remaining motionless. Moments later, her body gradually became hot, with thin threads of blood qi emerging. These blood qi threads had a tainted smell and dissipated upon leaving her body.

With her soul damaged, Nighteye’s strength had decreased, and the blood qi in her body was no longer as pure as before. Now, as her soul was repaired, the impurities in the blood qi were expelled.

Knowing that the process should not be disturbed, Qian Ye quietly left the room, closed the door, and sat outside, placing Dongyue across his knees, closing his eyes to rest, and waiting for Nighteye to finish her cultivation.

Perhaps taking three dream-eating worms at once was too much; it took two full days and nights for Nighteye to emerge from the room.

Seeing Qian Ye waiting outside, her eyes showed a slight fluctuation, which quickly subsided.

“How do you feel?” Qian Ye asked.

“Very good, very good. But to completely repair my soul, it may require an enormous amount of dream-eating worms.”

“As long as it works, that’s fine. If dream-eating worms can be obtained, I will find a way to get them for you, no matter how many.”

Nighteye shook her head, “The more dream-eating worms you take, the less effective they become. So, to completely repair my soul, the number needed might be very surprising. Moreover, I have a feeling that when the repair reaches a certain point, the dream-eating worms will stop working.”

“Regardless, as long as they are effective, I will get them for you. Even if it takes a hundred, I will find a way.”

Nighteye sighed, “Fool, it might take more than a hundred. Where will you get them? Su Dingqian only has a few.”

Qian Ye smiled, “You don’t need to worry; I will find a way.”

Nighteye hesitated, then sighed.

“Hmph! If it weren’t for Li Fengshui, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this! He is just a figurehead; there must be a high-ranking military official behind him. This matter is not over!” Thinking of the past, Qian Ye still clenched his teeth in anger.

Nighteye sighed again, “Qian Ye, let it go. We are doing well now. In fact, only in the neutral land can we truly be together.”

“Unless I root out Li Fengshui and his faction, how can I vent this anger? Just his death would be too lenient.”

Nighteye showed signs of fatigue, “Do as you please. I am tired and need to rest.”

Qian Ye escorted Nighteye back to the room and made sure she was comfortable before leaving the courtyard to explore the city and gather information about the battle of Lingang City.

Tension permeated the city of Nanqing, with armed warriors constantly patrolling. As Qian Ye stepped aside to let a group of warriors pass, he asked a passerby, “Why is everyone so tense?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The Spider Emperor and the Moonlight White Devil have amassed a large army near Lingang City, only a few days’ journey away. What if they attack us?”

“Didn’t Wolf King ally with them?”

The passerby snorted, “You don’t know? Nanqing City is only nominally under the Wolf King. In reality, we rely on ourselves. Besides, after driving Su Dingqian out of Lingang City, how long do you think that alliance will last?”

Qian Ye found the passerby’s insight remarkable and asked a few more questions.