Ning Song was startled, having never expected anyone in the Yin family’s courtyard to discover his movements while his secret arts remained undetected. When he saw that it was Po Tian Wei, it suddenly dawned on him. “Wait…”
But before he could finish his sentence, Po Tian Wei punched him right in the face, a vicious grin on his face. “Wait for your mother! Get down!”
Ning Song frowned, pressing his palm against the rapidly approaching fist, while simultaneously retreating. His secret arts were still in play, and within a few feet, it seemed like a different world, with leaves fluttering and flower petals swirling, as if it were autumn. The shock of Prince Wei’s punch was confined within this small realm, not spreading outwards at all.
When his punch was blocked, Po Tian Wei immediately noticed something strange about the surroundings. He couldn’t miss Ning Song’s intent to avoid drawing attention, and he sneered, “A pervert, hiding here? What’s the point?”
Being called a pervert twice made Ning Song’s face dark. “Prince Wei…”
Po Tian Wei let out a deep breath, unleashing another punch, and the glow of his primordial force flickered like stars. “Do I even know you? Get down first!”
Ning Song finally understood. This man, who often appeared foolish but occasionally cunning, was deliberately pretending not to recognize him, treating him as a thief.
At that moment, a shower of falling leaves obscured their vision. Po Tian Wei felt as though he was caught in a torrential autumn rain, his senses suppressed by the thick autumn atmosphere. Each punch he threw felt like wading through mud. Only where the Thousand Mountains’ light shone did things become fluid again.
Po Tian Wei shrank back. “Damn, how can perverts be so strong these days? Could it be that I, the great young master, am going to lose tonight?”
Hearing this, Ning Song’s anger flared. While he was multitasking, both dealing with Po Tian Wei and controlling the environment, he seemed to have the upper hand, but it was becoming increasingly strenuous. Po Tian Wei’s punches were extremely powerful, though they couldn’t penetrate his secret arts. However, each hit left him with surging blood, and the situation was deteriorating rapidly.
Ning Song narrowed his eyes, his voice cold. “Prince Wei, do you really want to continue this farce?”
Po Tian Wei laughed heartily. “Just surrender!”
Ning Song didn’t say a word. His figure, already elusive amidst the falling leaves, now moved in unpredictable trajectories, appearing and disappearing in an instant. Wherever he lingered, a leaf would light up, its outline glowing as if it had gained a physical form.
A cool breeze arose, chilling to the bone, as the leaves detached from invisible branches, floating lazily toward Po Tian Wei. These leaves danced in the wind, yet their speed was astonishing, reaching the Thousand Mountains’ barrier in a blink.
Po Tian Wei instantly sensed danger, roaring and activating the Thousand Mountains, a mountain shape faintly emerging in the glow of his primordial force.
Suddenly, a sharp sound, like metal being scratched, echoed. The leaves, adhering to the Thousand Mountains, began sliding down, producing a series of eerie, ear-piercing sounds. Brown streaks appeared on the light barrier, not yet breaking through, but lingering stubbornly.
As Ning Song’s figure flickered, more leaves rose, and Po Tian Wei shouted, “Pervert! Stop—”
A thunderous sound cut through the air, and a powerful fist wind sliced between them, clearing everything away.
They both turned to see Ye Qian standing quietly at the doorway, his expression peculiar. Voices and footsteps were already heard from the inner courtyard.
When Ning Song focused fully on Po Tian Wei, he no longer controlled the battlefield, and Prince Wei’s full-throated, agonized cry echoed through the Yin family’s courtyard.
Po Tian Wei scratched his head, pointing at Ning Song, saying confidently, “Little Ye, this pervert was spying outside your room!”
Ye Qian’s face darkened, and his right fist twitched, eager to strike.
When Yuan Jia Ji arrived, seeing the group and hearing Po Tian Wei’s words, he almost covered his eyes. Surely, Prince Wei realized that the one most likely to beat him wasn’t Seventh Young Master Song, but Ye Qian, forced to appear as Miss Qi Qi’s “female companion.”
Ye Qian suppressed his anger, turning to Ning Song.
Ning Song’s usual gentle demeanor was replaced with a menacing calm, reminiscent of his time in the Netherworld. He nodded at Ye Qian without a word, turning and leaving. As he leaped over the wall, he threw a cold remark, “Prince Wei, I look forward to meeting you on the arena.”
Po Tian Wei boasted, “Sure thing! Who’s afraid of whom?” He then turned to Yuan Jia Ji and the Yin and Wei family guards, waving. “Everything’s fine. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves. I’m going to…uh, practice with Little Ye for tomorrow’s match!”
Prince Wei’s bizarre statement once again caused a commotion, and when the outdoor fighting arena was set up, Po Tian Wei sent everyone away, claiming he needed to practice his secret arts in private.
Once everyone was gone, a bewildered Ye Qian looked at the mysterious Po Tian Wei. “What’s going on?”
Po Tian Wei said smugly, “To prevent eavesdropping, especially by those sneaky and invisible guys!”
Ye Qian looked around, admitting that Po Tian Wei had chosen a good spot. The arena was large, with clear visibility, making it impossible for anyone to sneak up undetected.
However, Po Tian Wei’s use of “sneaky” reminded Ye Qian of the earlier embarrassment. Some of the Yin and Wei family guards, hearing the gossip, had cast suspicious glances at him when Po Tian Wei mentioned the pervert.
Ye Qian’s eyes flashed. “Since you said we’d practice, let’s start with a sparring match!”
Po Tian Wei, always eager for a challenge, agreed, “Alright!”
A fist flew at him, and the sound of waves roared in his ears. Three hits broke through his defenses!
Moments later, Prince Wei groaned, getting up from the ground. Ye Qian shook his right wrist, feeling much better.
Seeing Ye Qian smiling, Po Tian Wei became excited, giving him a bear hug. “Little Ye! I thought you were dead! It’s so good to see you’re alright!”
Ye Qian patted his shoulder, smiling. “I didn’t expect to see you either!”
Po Tian Wei lowered his voice. “Did you become a Blood Clan member?”
Ye Qian’s heart skipped a beat. “I was injured by the Blood Clan and thought I’d become a blood slave, but for some reason, the blood poison never activated.”
Po Tian Wei nodded. “It must be because of your special talent!” He explained, “I heard that the Grand Steward of Duke Wei came to check your talent, and I was worried the old man might find something wrong, so I came to see for myself.”
Ye Qian felt a bit touched. “I don’t know what happened, but the blood poison just disappeared.”
Po Tian Wei grinned. “Good! I was worried you’d become a Blood Clan member. That day in Dark Blood City, General Bai Longjia said your blood had the scent of fresh blood.”
Ye Qian’s heart skipped again. “Bai Longjia?”
“Yes, him. But General Bai is a good man. He said you were already on the list of the fallen, so there was no need for further investigation.”
Ye Qian’s back broke into a cold sweat.
Po Tian Wei suddenly became serious. “Ye Qian, there’s something else I need to tell you!”
Ye Qian’s heart raced, sensing something important, with a mix of anticipation and dread.
Po Tian Wei said gravely, “Even if you don’t have the problem of dark blood anymore, don’t return to the Red Scorpion.”
Ye Qian felt a sudden buzzing in his head, ringing in his ears. “Why…?”
“After your incident, I only saw a simple death notice, so I wanted to know more,” Po Tian Wei clenched his fist, remembering the disbelief. “But strangely, the battle isn’t recorded in the imperial military reports. Even if it was in high-level classified archives, it should have been marked. After a few months, even the death notice was untraceable. In that battle, the Red Scorpion lost a third of its Red Scorpion-level soldiers, equivalent to four-winged levels in our Broken Angel Corps. How could there be no news of such heavy casualties? Not even a proper military funeral was held!”
Ye Qian felt as if an invisible hand was choking him, forcing him to take deep breaths.
Po Tian Wei continued, “I asked many people, but the battle seemed to have vanished from everyone’s memory, even within the Red Scorpion Corps.”
Ye Qian felt a mix of emotions. He had been through that battle, and it reeked of conspiracy. Now, it seemed even more shadowy, with the power to silence the Red Scorpion Corps being a rare one.
Po Tian Wei whispered, “After becoming the heir, I gained higher clearance and heard a rumor…” He hesitated, “It’s just a rumor, unverified.”
“Tell me,” Ye Qian slowly calmed down.
“The initial order for that battle came from Marshal Lin’s headquarters. Afterward, Marshal Lin sent someone to the Red Scorpion to take all records of the battle. The battle archives were classified as level zero, and entering the marshal’s archives… even if I become a marshal one day, I won’t easily get access. So, Little Ye, don’t go back…”
Ye Qian remained silent, ignoring Po Tian Wei’s last attempt to divert the topic. “Are you saying Marshal Lin Xitang planned this?”
“Very likely…”
Before he could finish, Ye Qian interrupted, “Impossible!”
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