Chapter 60: The Looming Peril (Part II)

Yemu Lan softly said, “The Zhao family has always been haughty. Although among the four great clans, our two families are relatively close, it’s not as tight as the Bai and Zhang families. Zhao Junhong is one of the four young masters of the Zhao family, a core figure of the younger generation. If we help him out of his current predicament, he will surely be grateful. If we can befriend Zhao Junhong, we can draw closer to the Zhao clan.”

Song Zining frowned, “But Zhao Junhong is not outstanding among the four young masters. The most promising ones in the Zhao family are Zhao Jundu and Zhao Ruoxi. Oh, right, there’s also Zhao Yuying from a side branch.”

Yemu Lan sighed in frustration, “Zining, Zhao Jundu and Zhao Ruoxi hardly interact with outsiders. Last time, your eldest brother was given the cold shoulder by them. Everything has to be done step by step. After all, Zhao Junhong is their second brother.”

Yemu Lan didn’t notice the sneer that flashed in Song Zining’s lowered eyes. To show goodwill? To please someone, you first need to understand their preferences. Zhao Junhong is proud and self-righteous; such methods won’t work on him.

“Alright, you go with some people, have Song Ge follow,” Song Zining said with a weary expression. “I still have a bit left of my mountain landscape painting, just enough to finish it.”

Yemu Lan paused, quickly calculating in her mind. It would be better if she led the team, to prevent any unexpected incidents or having to avoid QiQi again. Song Ge, being Song Zining’s personal attendant, is well-known among the various clans, and his presence would sufficiently display their stance.

After her calculations, Yemu Lan agreed softly, stood up, and prepared to leave, but was suddenly pulled back by Song Zining.

Song Zining’s eyes were as gentle and bright as spring water. He suddenly exerted force, pulling Yemu Lan into his arms, and then hot breath covered her ear and neck. “Lanlan, it’s still early…”

Yemu Lan was unwilling, but Song Zining undid her belt.

The tent flap moved without a breeze, drawing down abruptly. In an instant, a moan echoed inside!

For some reason, the seventh young master was exceptionally vigorous today. At first, Yemu Lan tried to suppress her voice, but eventually, she couldn’t hold back and her cries grew louder, becoming hysterical. But the seventh young master was relentless, his assault more intense, until Yemu Lan begged for mercy. After countless rounds, the battle finally ended.

Exiting Song Zining’s tent, Yemu Lan was pale and weak. After just two steps, her legs gave way, and she nearly fell. The Song family guards had already dispersed, pretending they saw and heard nothing.

Yemu Lan gulped down several cups of water, rested for a moment, then gritted her teeth and stood up, saying in a hoarse voice, “Prepare the equipment, we’re leaving!”

A Song family guard approached, whispering, “Miss, do you want to rest for a while?”

“No! Leave immediately!” Yemu Lan said coldly. A moment later, she led five guards away, leaving the two best fighters to protect the camp.

After Yemu Lan left, Song Zining leisurely emerged from the tent, watching the group running along the ridge with a cold look in his eyes. After a while, he called the two guards, set up a table, and laid out paper and brushes. After a moment of contemplation, a black and white mountain landscape gradually took shape under his brush.

Looking at the painting, Song Zining seemed extremely satisfied. He murmured softly, “Qianye, could it really be you?”

Song Zining sighed, picked up the brush again, and slowly added a few strokes. On the painting, several leaves appeared, about to fall. The once serene moonlit mountain forest suddenly became chilling and bleak!

It was mid-afternoon, with pleasant sunlight, yet the sky suddenly turned gray, as if shrouded in mist.

Two guards in the camp swayed and fell, still breathing steadily, whether asleep or unconscious. Song Zining dragged them into the tent, changed into a common azure warrior’s attire, and wrapped himself in a cloak with a windproof mask. He walked to the edge of the camp and disappeared, as if blending into the sudden fog.

The painting remained on the central table, held down by an inkstone. But the paper moved without wind, and the leaves on the painting seemed to come alive, swirling in the autumn breeze, refusing to fall.

An ancient secret technique, the Three Thousand Floating Leaves Skill. Among the myriad paths, the world of mortals is an obstacle, and the floating leaves and flowers are all techniques. When cultivated to perfection, it is said that one leaf can foretell autumn, and one leaf can blind. No one in the Song clan had mastered this in centuries.

The Yin family hunting team was still relaxed. QiQi and several guards sat around a barbecue, the camp filled with the rich aroma of food. Ji Yuanjia, accompanied by a guard, emerged from a nearby forest, his expression somewhat serious.

Seeing him return, QiQi handed him a large plate, asking curiously, “Anything new?”

Ji Yuanjia took the plate but put it aside, saying, “Miss, call Qianye back. This is really going to offend the Zhao clan.”

“If he likes it, let him continue. The Zhao clan isn’t so petty,” QiQi said nonchalantly, slicing the meat and eating it. “Qianye suddenly targeting the Zhao clan must mean there was a conflict. Otherwise, he wouldn’t act this way. It’s just a game within the rules, what can Zhao Junhong say?”

Ji Yuanjia smiled bitterly, “Regardless of what happened, the loss of half of Second Young Master Zhao’s guards is already significant. Qianye’s strength lies in long-range sniping. If he’s cornered, he’ll suffer greatly.”

QiQi suddenly froze, then stood up abruptly, “So that’s why those families suddenly started crossing borders, these opportunists!”

A guard hurriedly handed the latest information on the positions of the various hunting teams to Ji Yuanjia, who quickly scanned it, saying urgently, “I noticed some clans passing through our hunting area earlier.” Ji Yuanjia had felt uneasy during his patrol, but with his understanding of Qianye’s combat power, those clans weren’t a real threat. But with the involvement of other noble hunting teams, it was different.

Another guard rushed into the camp, whispering to QiQi. Her face changed, and she gritted her teeth, “The Song clan is also here! That wretched Yemu Lan!”

Ji Yuanjia’s face darkened. Smaller noble hunting teams were manageable, even if they cornered Qianye, it wasn’t certain they could keep him. But the Song clan was different; their combat power was not something Qianye could match.

At this critical moment, QiQi remained calm, waving her hand, “You, prepare the equipment.” Once the guards were busy, she stood and thought for a moment, then said, “Yuanjia, you and Old Xiao take a team each and clear the border. Whether they are crossing or passing through, drive them out. Especially the Kong family’s leading members!”

She pointed to a fully equipped guard, “Go to the Wei family’s hunting area and inform the Wei Prince about what’s happening here.”

Finally, QiQi said, “I’ll go through the middle!”

Ji Yuanjia was shocked, “Miss, you want to directly enter the Zhao clan’s hunting area?”

“Of course me!” Cutting through the Zhao clan’s hunting area was the shortest route, but it also meant the highest chance of a direct confrontation.

“But…” Before Ji Yuanjia could finish, the guards all opposed.

QiQi shrugged, “I’m on the list, what are you afraid of? Besides, who can keep up with my speed?” Each noble clan’s core member had a high-ranking guardian, and even if the hunting team split, the observer would only follow QiQi.

After making all the arrangements, QiQi took out a gigantic origin gun from the tent. The barrel was large enough to fit a child’s fist. She slung the menacing gun over her back and dashed into the dense forest.

On the other side of the forest, Wei Po Tian’s roar kept echoing, “Hurry up, what are you dawdling for? If you waste time, I’ll break your legs!”

Wei Po Tian was leading the charge, breaking branches and flattening flowers. His guards trailed behind, some already falling behind, with only a couple of personal attendants keeping pace.

Wei Po Tian ignored them, racing towards the Zhao clan’s hunting area. The messenger from the Yin family was still en route, and when he arrived at the Wei camp, it was empty.

Wei Po Tian’s mind was straightforward, but occasionally sharp. With the latest intelligence, he screamed, jumped up, and dashed towards the Zhao clan’s hunting area without even packing. His only thought was that if he was too late, he might only see Qianye’s corpse!

But the Wei hunting area was the farthest from the Zhao clan. The road ahead seemed endless. Wei Po Tian roared in frustration, threw his origin gun aside, and discarded his heavy armor, then ran in his inner clothes.

The guards were stunned, scrambling to gather his things, yelling, “Prince, be careful!”

Wei Po Tian impatiently retorted, “I’m the Wei Prince. Who dares to touch me?”

The guards looked to Wei Huai, the leader and one of the few who could keep up with Wei Po Tian. The reserved young man smiled, followed Wei Po Tian, and gave simple commands, dividing the hunting team.

Qianye was still tailing Zhao Junhong but hadn’t acted for a while. He was hesitating whether to stop and leave. Calculating the points, the Zhao clan had suffered heavily, and continuing didn’t seem meaningful. Moreover, he had an uneasy feeling.

Qianye glanced deeply at Zhao Junhong and turned to leave.

Zhao Junhong, standing on the ridge, watched Qianye disappear into a patch of purple flowers and sparse woods, saying calmly, “Clever, but it’s probably too late!”

He instructed a guard, “Follow him, don’t attack. But if he’s about to die, bring him back alive. Understand?”

“Understood, Young Master.” The guard, grinning like a wolf, pursued Qianye.

Another guard rushed up, whispering to Zhao Junhong.

Zhao Junhong’s face showed surprise, “The Song clan?”