The movements of this group were quite peculiar. The battlefield had already been cleared, and there was nothing valuable left on the bodies of the fallen from either side. Yet, they still went to the trouble of transporting all the corpses. From their direction, it seemed they intended to retreat. Could it be that they had made such a laborious trip just for a few corpses?
Qian Ye was tempted to follow them, but Yan Zi and Zhu Ji were still in Ling Gang City. Though they could protect themselves, Qian Ye was reluctant to go too far, wary of a repeat of what had happened with the Empire.
The Neutral Zone was extraordinarily strange. Back when he was still in the Empire, many unique resources came from this region. Here, anything could happen, with unknown dangers lurking everywhere. The battlefield’s situation was becoming increasingly severe, with powerful individuals rapidly increasing in number, and numerous bizarre abilities that Qian Ye had never seen before.
Qian Ye did not wish to take any risks, at least not for this war. Thus, he abandoned the idea of tracking them and instead chose a better spot for an ambush, hoping some prey might come his way.
He selected a prominent, oddly-shaped rock and settled into a shallow pit beside it, camouflaged perfectly. The rock was very noticeable, and anyone who saw it would naturally glance at it first before looking around. That initial glance was often cursory, and Qian Ye used this psychological blind spot to his advantage. In his fully camouflaged state, only those above the rank of God General could detect him.
Qian Ye did not have to wait long. A figure, completely shrouded in a cloak, appeared on the horizon. He moved with incredible speed, each step rhythmical, and even while being cautious, there was an air of grace. This was typical of the bloodline race, though after spending so much time with Yan Zi and seeing the true upper echelons of the Blood Clan, Qian Ye found this individual’s mannerisms somewhat affected.
Dealing with the Blood Clan was Qian Ye’s forte. The bloodline warrior passed right by Qian Ye without noticing him. Qian Ye loaded a primal bullet infused with blood energy into his Twin Blossoms and fired, hitting the Blood Clan’s thigh.
They were less than a hundred meters apart. The Twin Blossoms, though lower in grade, produced minimal primal fluctuations when fired, catching the Blood Clan off guard and nailing him in the leg.
For a first-tier viscount, this was merely a minor flesh wound, but the ambush filled him with shock and fury. He drew his weapon and fixed his eyes on Qian Ye. His weapon was unique—a massive sword with serrated edges, which contrasted sharply with his cultivated elegance. Along the spine of the blade was a thick gun barrel, with the hilt serving as both a grip and a trigger mechanism, creating a weapon that combined a sword and a gun.
The Blood Clan, eyeing Qian Ye, especially his Twin Blossoms, showed disdain in his eyes. With a peculiar, almost melodic voice, he said, “You dare ambush the brave and wise Viscount Robert? I must admire your courage, foolishness, and… luck. Such a firearm, a mere product of the continent, managed to injure me. Quite unexpected indeed.”
The Twin Blossoms were clearly a continental creation, exquisitely crafted and designed more like an art piece than a practical weapon. Though its grade was not high, it retained its full power in the Neutral Zone after Anduya’s modifications. This was equivalent to raising its actual potency by a level. Qian Ye knew the Bloodthorn Mallow-infused bullet would hurt him, and that’s why he used it.
Robert seemed to enjoy talking, particularly making victorious declarations in front of weaker foes. Rather than immediately dealing with Qian Ye, he spoke in a uniquely arrogant tone, “Prostrate yourself before me, beg and praise me, and I may consider granting you a quick death. You have one last chance; if you can compose a sufficiently eloquent poem praising and glorifying me, I might spare your life…”
Mid-sentence, his expression suddenly changed, and he clutched his chest, dropping to his knees.
“What, what is happening to me?” Robert was both shocked and angry.
“Only now do you notice something amiss?” Qian Ye’s voice carried a hint of mockery.
“You poisoned the bullet? But what kind of poison can make a noble like me suffer so?”
The Blood Clan was highly resistant to toxins, perhaps second only to the spider demons in the entire Evernight world. But for them, Qian Ye’s blood energy was extremely toxic.
Finally, Robert realized he could not suppress the blazing blood energy within him. Terrified, he crawled towards Qian Ye, pleading, “Spare me! I can tell you a secret, a secret that will make you the king of the Neutral Zone!”
Qian Ye laughed, saying, “If you have such a secret, why don’t you become the king yourself?”
“I lack the talent!”
Qian Ye squatted in front of Robert and said, “Tell me your identity, your purpose here, and anything that might interest me. If I sense you lying, you know the consequences.”
“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you! But you must spare me! I, I belong to the Moonlight White Devil, a member of the Thirteenth Assassin Squad. Here, take this, you must let me go!”
Robert hurriedly took out an envelope and handed it to Qian Ye. Inside was a folded paper, a beautifully hand-drawn map with two marked locations.
“Is this a treasure map?” Qian Ye sneered.
Treasure maps were meant to deceive the naive. Even if there were real treasures, knowing their location was useless without the means to retrieve them. King Blackwing’s treasure, containing a fragment of Anduya’s will, had sent Qian Ye miles away after imparting his legacy, to prevent pursuit. Any intruder entering the treasure site would not face a harmless shimmer, but likely the Primordial Spear.
Furthermore, Qian Ye doubted someone with such questionable taste as Robert could find any treasure worth having.
Robert shivered and said, “This map marks the two secret vaults of the Moonlight White Devil, both of the highest tier. I obtained this information while hunting a defector, but I couldn’t access them. If you present this map to the Spider Emperor, the Wolf King, or Su Dingqian, you will receive a huge reward.”
That made more sense, Qian Ye thought. But raiding the Moonlight White Devil’s vaults was a dangerous prospect. If discovered, it would bring endless pursuit.
“What brought you here?”
Robert answered quickly. His mission was to gather intelligence and, incidentally, hunt down experts in Ling Gang City. As a core member of the Moonlight White Devil, Robert was actually quite formidable, with several kills of peers under his belt, and even a successful assassination of a count.
Qian Ye, himself a count, knew the fundamental difference between a count and a viscount. Achieving such a feat was no small matter.
Robert was confident he could escape from two deputy commanders of the city guard, provided he didn’t encounter the commander or Su Dingqian. He didn’t expect to run into Qian Ye, and now, with the blood energy inside him, his skills were utterly useless.
After thorough questioning, Qian Ye learned little else. At Robert’s rank, he wouldn’t know the real secrets.
Qian Ye searched Robert thoroughly and found him quite wealthy, even richer than most viscounts of the Evernight. It seemed being an assassin paid well.
Among the jewels, a lacquer box caught Qian Ye’s attention. It emitted a strange scent, one Qian Ye felt he recognized.
Twisting the lock open, Qian Ye’s face darkened upon seeing its contents: a human girl’s foot, delicately beautiful, obviously once belonging to someone lovely. Now, it was a macabre trophy, with teeth marks visible on the ankle.
“Food for a Blood Banquet?”
Robert, startled, said, “You know of the Blood Banquet? This one is particularly grand, with exquisite main courses. Since I’m on a mission, I can’t stay for the entire banquet, so I took this little snack. It’s so exquisite, I hadn’t yet savored it. Sir, surely you must find it appealing?”
In Robert’s view, Qian Ye was also of the Blood Clan, with incredibly powerful blood. While few in the Neutral Zone enjoyed the Blood Banquet, it wasn’t unheard of. If Qian Ye shared this penchant, Robert’s chances of survival improved.
“I find you interesting.” Qian Ye’s voice was cold, and with that, he plunged a blood-drinking blade into Robert’s blood core.
“Sire, you…” Robert, utterly unprepared for this, gasped. His voice faded, and he withered away. With his essence drained, he could no longer contain Qian Ye’s blood energy, and his body rotted from within.
Snorting, Qian Ye tossed the “snack box” aside and re-examined Robert’s belongings. Besides the valuables, the most precious item was the sword-gun.
Qian Ye quickly left the area, moving to the next battlefield.
As he traveled, he sensed an underlying strangeness. Whether it was the Crystal Spider’s reconnaissance squad, the Wolf King’s hunting party, or Robert, they all seemed to have ulterior motives, not simply waging a straightforward war. Su Dingqian’s excessive enthusiasm for Qian Ye also raised suspicions.
Ling Gang City’s gates remained open, allowing people to come and go freely. The city walls offered no real defense, more for maintaining order.
The roar of engines filled the plains outside the city. A convoy raced toward the city, raising dust clouds dozens of meters high. The guards, recognizing the emblem on the vehicles, went from tense to elated, shouting, “The Second Young Master has returned! Inform the Captain!”
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