Chapter 40: Behind the Scenes

Weipotian remained utterly unresponsive, and the figure exerted even more force, flipping Weipotian over so that he faced upwards. Yet, Weipotian still did not react, snoring loudly.

The moonlight seeped through the window, casting a clear shadow of the person—it was Song Zining. Seeing that Wei Pigskin was thick-skinned, neither grabbing his hair nor pulling his ears could wake him up. Frustrated and angry, Song Zining raised his hand to deliver a slap. However, he reconsidered and let out a cold laugh, taking the teapot from the table and using his primordial force to melt the ice inside. Then, he tilted the pot, pouring a stream of water into Weipotian’s nostrils!

Weipotian, about to sneeze, instead inhaled the entire stream of water. This startled him like a jab to the bottom, making him jump up and cough violently until he was red-faced and breathless.

Weipotian suddenly realized there was someone in the room. Looking up and seeing Song Zining, he immediately became enraged, lunging at him with both hands aimed for the throat, shouting, “I knew you had no good intentions!”

Song Zining neither dodged nor evaded, simply asking, “Do you want to save Qian Ye?” which made Weipotian freeze mid-air.

“Of course, I do! But how can we save him when he’s already gone?”

“It’s simple. You just need to do a small task.”

Weipotian instantly widened his eyes, saying, “What are you trying to trick me into this time? Our entire family’s secret operatives were wiped out, and I nearly lost my position as the heir. If it weren’t for my extraordinary talent and unmatched progress in Thousandfold Mountain, you would have gotten me killed!”

“Did you manage to save Qian Ye?” Song Zining countered.

Weipotian was at a loss for words, stammering, “But Nightrise… she…”

“There’s nothing we can do about that. The outcome isn’t too bad, is it?”

Weipotian suspiciously asked, “What exactly do you want me to do? I warn you, if you try to trick me again, don’t blame me for turning my back on you!”

Song Zining looked disdainful, “You’ve said that before.”

Just as Weipotian was about to lash out, Song Zining put on a mysterious expression and handed him a small box, lowering his voice, “Go to this place and put the box on the ground. You’ll get your reward.”

As Song Zining described the location, Weipotian looked increasingly skeptical. It was a middle ground between two warring armies, ravaged by battles countless times, unlikely to have any special significance.

Despite his skepticism, Weipotian saw Song Zining’s insistence and, while muttering about his poor choice in friends, prepared his gear. As for the so-called reward, he didn’t believe a word. After so many losses, he was not going to trust Song Zining’s promises lightly.

A short while later, under the cover of Song Zining’s domain, Weipotian managed to slip out of the Wei family compound, sneaking out of the city and heading towards the designated location.

The night was thick with darkness and cold. However, the night was not peaceful. Distantly, one could see towering flames and hear sporadic gunshots. Weipotian, seeing the burning location, frowned, “The battle has reached here? That’s strange; it shouldn’t be so.”

Weipotian was looking at the military’s defense zone. He was no fool and, at a glance, could tell that Wu Daoyu had been beaten terribly. Over the past few days, Weipotian had been confined to his home and was unaware of Wu Daoyu’s repeated defeats.

Soon, Weipotian found the place Song Zining mentioned. There, a lone, barren tree stood, quite conspicuous.

Weipotian scratched his head, finding the tree odd. Perhaps the place Song Zining referred to was related to this tree? He walked around, studying it from all angles, but saw nothing unusual. So, he reached out to knock on the trunk. Just as he was about to tap, a woman’s face, pale and bloodshot, appeared on the tree, staring at him intently!

This shock was no small matter. Weipotian screamed and leaped back. Suddenly, a breeze blew from behind, and before he could react, a silver figure jumped down from the treetop, stomping on his head, knocking him out cold.

As Weipotian fell, the silver figure revealed itself—it was William.

The tree trunk split open, and a graceful woman emerged. The one who had terrified Weipotian was actually Twilight. With a gesture, the ancient tree crumbled into dust, returning to the earth. This was a simple yet incredibly practical disguise, especially when used by Twilight, indistinguishable from reality, a truly formidable secret technique.

Twilight had used the secret technique to create an ancient tree, hiding herself and William, thoroughly deceiving Weipotian.

William shook his fur, circling Weipotian. Suddenly, he swiped at his pocket, and a box fell out. Recognizing the mark on the lid, William reached out, but then remembered he was still in wolf form, unable to pick things up.

Twilight hurried over, saying, “What is this? Let me see.”

Hearing her, William panicked, biting at the box. But Twilight grabbed his nape, missing the box by a hair’s breadth.

His golden fur seized, William grew furious, a dangerous aura spreading. Twilight paled. When William turned back, Twilight quickly released him, stepping back and raising her hands in a show of peace.

William, undeterred, growled, “This time, I’ll spare you for the sake of our cooperation, but I’m cutting your share by twenty percent. If it happens again, I’ll bite off both your arms!”

Twilight, visibly upset, forced a smile, “I didn’t know it was forbidden to touch. It wasn’t intentional.”

William snorted, shaking his golden mane, “No one touches it!”

However, Twilight didn’t hear William’s inner mutter, “If it were that person, they’d touch it. Not that I wouldn’t try, but I just can’t beat them.”

Feeling more at ease, William’s gaze sharpened. Twilight’s heart skipped, “What do you want? I warn you, reducing my share by twenty percent is my bottom line. I won’t budge.”

“Thirty percent!” William declared, leaving no room for argument.

Twilight gritted her teeth, “Fine, thirty percent.”

“Let’s make it twenty,” William said smugly, turning to the box.

From anger to surprise, the gap was too great. Twilight, momentarily stunned, realized William was playing her. This realization infuriated her, almost making her say, “I’ll take none,” but losing even ten percent was too costly. She swallowed her pride.

Still, the indignation stuck in her throat. While she was fuming, she noticed William staring at the box, motionless. A sudden idea struck her. She walked to William, saying, “Can’t open it, huh? No hands, right?”

William’s fur bristled but soon drooped. The ability to transform into a giant wolf was rare, but, as Twilight said, it left him unable to open a box.

Twilight, in front of William, calmly picked up the box. Under William’s angry and helpless gaze, she blew off the dust, flicked the lid, and flaunted. As William growled, she laughed, swiftly opening the box and showing her slender fingers.

William, not being polite, swiped at her. Twilight pulled back, and his paw hit the ground, causing ripples in the soil.

Unfazed, Twilight slowly opened the box. William rushed over, their heads almost touching, watching the lid open.

Inside, a crystal vial held a drop of blood, red with a hint of gold. It wasn’t refined blood, just a regular drop.

Looking at the golden threads in the blood, Twilight’s eyes filled with complexity. Her lifelong goal, and the dream of all bloodline nobles, was to see such a thread—a sign of pure lineage, a faint hope to reach the second generation.

With mixed feelings, Twilight asked, “Is this her blood?”

William sniffed, “Yes, it’s Nightrise’s, no mistake.”

Twilight forced a smile, “Since it’s correct, we can proceed.”

William circled Weipotian, and Twilight, puzzled, asked, “Do you know him? Is he your enemy?”

“Big enemy!” William gnashed his teeth.

Twilight turned Weipotian over, examining him but couldn’t find anything remarkable. If they were mismatched in strength, there’d be little reason for enmity.

Despite her inquiries, William refused to reveal the cause. That dark history was buried deep.

Twilight stood up, “This guy is as stupid as they come, and his strength is average. I wonder what the humans are thinking, putting such a task on him. Is he worth cultivating?”

William replied, “Humans are cunning. We don’t need to know their thoughts, just complete the deal. The Zhao Clan claims they won’t move if their defense zone remains untouched, but who knows when their promise will end? We aren’t those old fools. Finish quickly and leave.”

Twilight shrugged, not opposing. She kicked Weipotian, “He’s in luck.”

Her figure blurred, dispersing into a cloud of blood mist. When it dissipated, a dozen bodies lay on the ground, most prominently a Demonkin.

Twilight took out a dark-golden sealed leather tube, placing it in the Demonkin’s hand.

With everything set, Twilight and William hastily departed under the cover of night.