A tumultuous night passed.
As dawn broke, Qian Ye, who had been missing all night, returned to the city lord’s mansion, this time bringing with him another head—the head of Du Xiuyuan, the patriarch of the Du family. By now, all the heads of families who dared to openly oppose him in Tidetide City had turned into corpses, and their strongholds had suffered heavy losses, greatly diminishing their strength. Even if Qian Ye were to remain a bystander in the upcoming power reshuffle, they would struggle to maintain their current standings.
Upon his return, Qian Ye secluded himself within the city lord’s mansion.
In the ancient Totem War Fortress, Wolf King stood on the balcony, gazing at the faintly visible Tidetide City in the distance. The morning breeze was cool and damp, wetting his long hair. This was the kind of weather he hated the most, but today, he stood in the morning wind for an entire morning.
A trusted attendant who had followed him for many years approached and said, “My lord, we have ascertained the cause of last night’s fires in the city. The new city lord, Qian Ye, has eradicated all the Qin Empire’s military strongholds in Tidetide City. Furthermore, he launched a surprise attack on the Du family’s estate outside the city, beheading the current patriarch, Du Xiuyuan.”
Wolf King pondered for a moment, then chuckled, “Those two slaps were certainly loud enough!”
The attendant, trying to gauge his thoughts, dared not speak rashly.
Wolf King did not need the attendant to respond. He paced back and forth, then halted and commanded, “Prepare the floating warships and gather our most battle-hardened warriors. I am going to launch an expedition against the pirate base!”
“An expedition… against pirates?” The attendant was somewhat confused.
Between the neutral zones and the various continents, there were many void pirates roving about, but they were mostly small in number and scattered, often consisting of one or two fast boats. They typically targeted isolated merchant ships. Why would the Wolf King personally lead an expedition, bringing the fortress’s elite?
Truth be told, many void pirates existed because the major powers tacitly allowed them. Some dirty and tiresome jobs were entrusted to them. On a deeper level, pirates served as a buffer.
At this juncture, why would the Wolf King launch such a grand campaign against pirates? Clearly, Qian Ye in Tidetide City should be the more important target.
This was a significant decision. After much deliberation, the attendant steeled himself and asked, “Great Chieftain, shouldn’t we first take care of Qian Ye?”
Wolf King gave a half-smile, “Take care of him? With what? How? Who?”
The attendant thought for a moment and then realized, “Do you mean, let the Heavenly Palace deal with it themselves?”
Wolf King smiled, “Now that Qian Ye is alone, he can attack or retreat freely, making him very difficult to handle. From his recent displays of power, only a divine general could possibly subdue him. The old man in the Heavenly Palace, who was once severely wounded by Qian Ye, is likely too scared to do anything. Even if we provide him with more men and better equipment, he will still pretend to be dead. If I don’t leave, this troublesome task will fall on me. Zhang Bushou is still nominally in charge, and giving such an order would put everyone in an awkward position.”
The attendant was somewhat puzzled, “Are you afraid of Qian Ye?”
Wolf King laughed heartily, “I’m not afraid, but that doesn’t mean I want to fight him! His shots hurt quite a bit when they hit.”
The attendant’s expression turned odd, and his voice lowered, muttering, “That’s not like the Great Chieftain you.”
Wolf King patted the attendant’s shoulder, “Indeed, you are quite smart. If I were to take action, I could make Qian Ye run around like a headless chicken, but I couldn’t kill him. What’s the point of that? It would only solve Zhang Bushou’s problem. For every day Qian Ye stays in Tidetide City, it chips away at Zhang Bushou’s prestige. We just need to watch and see how long Zhang Bushou can endure. I want to know if his seclusion has been a success or a failure!”
“If Zhang Bushou really comes out of seclusion, wouldn’t he be displeased with you?”
“If he comes out, his first move would be to deal with Qian Ye, not to bother me. Heh, whether he can get past Qian Ye is another matter.”
The attendant, startled, quickly asked, “Why do you say that?”
Wolf King said meaningfully, “You don’t know the true strength of Luo Bingfeng, but Zhang Bushou and I do. Even if Zhang Bushou hadn’t become a heavenly king, he might not be a match for Luo Bingfeng. The key figure in the battle against Luo Bingfeng was an old man, who not only blocked Luo Bingfeng’s strongest attack but also injured him. This old fellow might still be in the Eastern Sea!”
The attendant gasped, “That’s unlikely, isn’t it?”
Wolf King replied slowly, “Don’t forget, there is Song Zining in Nanqing City. This young man is quite powerful in the Qin Empire, and he’s been behind many recent events. With him around, everything must be handled with caution. If Qian Ye didn’t have a backup plan, why would he be so bold? Taking over Tidetide City was already a blow to Zhang Bushou, and now he’s adding more. This is too abnormal; it makes one suspicious!”
The attendant’s eyes lit up, clapping his hands, “I understand! You really need to leave immediately, or that old man will use you as cannon fodder to probe Qian Ye and Song Zining!”
Wolf King laughed, “You finally understand!”
“We must act quickly. I’ll go make the arrangements.”
The attendant dashed off, and an hour later, several floating warships took off from the ancient Totem War Fortress, slowly flying toward the distance.
On the horizon, a high-speed floating boat appeared, heading full speed toward the ancient Totem War Fortress. An old man stood on the deck, gazing intently into the distance.
He suddenly exclaimed, “What’s that? Give me a telescope!”
His subordinate immediately handed him a high-powered telescope, and several burly generals also took out telescopes to look ahead.
Through the telescope, they saw several floating boats slowly forming a formation and turning direction above the ancient Totem War Fortress.
One of the generals asked in surprise, “What’s going on? Are cargo ships and warships being mixed together? And this formation, is it for battle, or are they just going to die?”
Before he finished speaking, another floating boat slowly ascended. The fleet had completed its formation and was moving away at a snail’s pace. The lagging boat was struggling to catch up, swaying behind.
This further surprised the generals. The last floating boat was bulky and slow, clearly a cargo ship, yet it was included in the fleet. However, despite the distance, they could see soldiers lining up on the deck, indicating it wasn’t just a cargo ship.
The group was puzzled, and the old man frowned, suddenly saying, “Full speed ahead, head to the ancient Totem War Fortress as quickly as possible!”
The speed of the boat increased, and it shot like a meteor to the ancient Totem War Fortress, sending a landing request signal. The fortress responded positively, verifying their identity and providing a priority landing code.
However, the good service at the landing field ended there. After a few minutes without landing guidance, the generals felt something was amiss. Below, the area was chaotic, with haphazardly stacked goods and slaves bustling about. The scene was busy, but no clear landing area was prepared.
After circling for half an hour, the chaos below remained unchanged. The old man finally lost patience and leapt from the floating boat, landing directly in a small square before the main building of the fortress. He bellowed, “I am an envoy from the Heavenly Palace! Send someone to take me to the Wolf King immediately!”
Many people were rushing around, and some nearby stopped, looking at the old man blankly. No one came forward to speak with him. The old man repeated his demand three times, but no one responded. He was so angry his face turned green. These people were clearly laborers, and even a minor official was absent.
Moreover, the Wolf King was not someone to be trifled with. Even Zhang Bushou treated him politely. With ten times the courage, the old man wouldn’t dare to force his way into the Wolf King’s fortress. With no other choice, he took matters into his own hands, running out of the disordered loading area to find a guard and ask him to relay the message.
The guard, though physically strong, was mentally slow and had bristling black fur on his face, resembling an immature pup. He spoke incoherently and refused to enter the fortress.
After a tussle, a wolfman in attendant’s attire ran out of the main building, smiling, “Your Excellency, please forgive us for not greeting you promptly. As you can see, the fortress is in complete disarray. The Wolf King just left with his troops, and these clumsy fools haven’t cleaned up yet.”
The old man’s heart sank, grabbing the attendant and urgently asking, “What did you say? The Wolf King is not in the fortress? Where did he go?”
The attendant, smiling, calmly said, “His Excellency only mentioned a distant expedition and took a large force. I don’t know the specifics. However, he has been planning this for over half a month. It took a while to gather the troops and prepare the logistics.”
The old man’s face was a mix of confusion and anger, asking, “Are you saying the Wolf King just left?”
“The fleet left a while ago. Didn’t you see it on your way? Oh, your floating boat hasn’t landed yet! These foolish things, they are so inefficient. I will have to give them a good lashing.”
The attendant’s demeanor changed, and he shouted angrily at the field. Finally, a spot was cleared for the high-speed floating boat to land.
The old man’s face was grim. When the generals arrived, he asked the attendant, “Who is in charge of the fortress now?”
The attendant hastily replied, “His Excellency ordered me to manage the fortress’s affairs temporarily.”
The old man scrutinized the attendant, then said, “In that case, please gather the fortress’s warriors. I bear a royal order from the Heavenly King to assemble a force for a special mission.”
The attendant was extremely surprised, hesitating before saying, “This… is a serious matter. May I see the royal order?”
The old man, without a word, handed over the order.
The attendant examined it carefully for a quarter of an hour, activating the origin signature below, watching a faint light flash across it. Finally, he smiled and returned the order, saying, “It is indeed the Heavenly King’s order. Please wait a moment, and I will gather the troops for you to choose from.”
The attendant swiftly went off, and soon, the fortress’s bells rang, and warriors gathered from all directions in the parade ground.
During this lull, the generals got a general idea of the situation. One couldn’t help but say, “Sir, if we had pursued them earlier, we could have caught up. Why did you let this fellow delay us?”
Another puffed out his chest, “Even now, I can catch up with them if I drive the boat!”
The old man forced a smile, “Catch up? Even if we do, what can we do?”
A general glared, “Of course, make the Wolf King return and obey orders! Does he dare to defy the Heavenly King’s command?”
Others nodded in agreement, with one saying, “He’s just a dog of the Heavenly King. What tricks can he play?”
The old man shook his head, saying coldly, “The Heavenly King is the Heavenly King, and we are we. The Wolf King follows the Heavenly King, not us. Remember, you don’t represent the Heavenly King. If the Wolf King is the Heavenly King’s dog, we are less than dogs. Pursue him? For what? To die?”
“Does he… really dare…” the generals were dumbfounded.
The old man snorted, “In the wilderness, if he does it, who can prove it was him? Enough talk, let’s check the troops.”
By now, the troops had mostly assembled. The old man took one look and his face turned ashen.
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