Chapter 21: The Heir’s Trial

“That’s good,” Qianye let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t believe that Miss QiQi would be lacking in suitors. With her illustrious status, no matter what she looked like—even if she were a sow—plenty of handsome, capable men would still flock to her.

But then Qianye furrowed his brows again, “Why does it sound like I have to do everything? Does that mean I actually don’t have to do anything?”

“Exactly. Whatever Miss QiQi asks you to do, you must do it, and do it well. The reasons will be clear after you pass the interview tomorrow. If she doesn’t require anything, you just need to stay by her side.”

Qianye continued to frown, feeling that this task was one he had no solid reason to refuse, but it was also clearly going to be troublesome. In the end, he agreed. Compared to the generous reward, a bit of potential trouble wasn’t a problem.

That night passed. Early the next morning, Second Master brought Qianye to the most luxurious hotel in the city, straight to the top floor.

The hotel was exorbitantly priced, with the entire top floor reserved, likely costing several gold coins a day. Such extravagant spending for someone coming to interview him left Qianye with an indescribable feeling. Not long ago, he was still working for silver coin rewards. Both parties stood on the same floor, yet they seemed to belong to two different worlds.

Qianye sat in the spacious living room for a full forty minutes before the crisp sound of footsteps signaled the entrance of a middle-aged woman.

She was a well-preserved woman, though her eyes showed a hint of age. She wore a wide robe with broad sleeves, her long hair parted in the middle and tied into a high bun at the back of her head. Every bead on her garments was meticulously placed, without a single flaw. However, even with a neutral expression, one could sense her extreme harshness and fastidiousness.

“You are Qianye? Stand up!”

Qianye rose as instructed, his gaze cautious. This woman in vintage attire was a seventh-level expert!

Qianye could handle sixth-level warriors without much difficulty, but against a seventh-level, it was a different story. Especially since the high-ranking experts from noble families often practiced one or more secret martial arts, making their combat power far superior to those of the same level.

Back at Xiangyang’s recruitment center, Qianye didn’t think much of the noble family’s secret techniques. But after witnessing the battles of the rookie angels, he realized that as one’s level increased, these secret techniques truly began to show their power. For instance, Wei Po Tian, with his secret technique: Thousand Mountains, instantly became a nearly invincible hard-shelled tortoise. Thus, he became more wary of these noble experts.

The woman circled Qianye twice, her brows knitted together, “You’re fourth-level, not third. Hmm, a little better than expected, but still a waste. You probably don’t realize how lucky you are to be here and how much others have sacrificed for you. Anyway, it’s none of my concern. Now, remove your makeup.”

Qianye hesitated for a moment, then went to the bathroom for a few minutes, wiping off the small disguises on his face, and returned to stand before the woman.

Instantly, her eyebrows relaxed, and her gaze softened. Nodding, she said, “Good, very good! You are suitable! Go pack your things. You have two hours. Leave behind anything unimportant. At Miss QiQi’s place, you’ll get whatever you need!”

“Wait a minute…”

“Go pack your things, now! Throw away all the unnecessary items, keep nothing. Money is not an issue.”

Qianye opened his mouth, realizing that there was no point in communicating with this domineering woman. He bid farewell and left the floor.

Second Master was waiting at the door, his anxiety evident. Seeing Qianye, he immediately asked, “How did it go?”

Qianye shrugged, “She told me to pack my things, giving me only two hours.”

Second Master breathed a sigh of relief.

Qianye was somewhat curious, “Is this mission really that important to you?”

Second Master gave a faint, helpless smile, “A person of Miss QiQi’s stature can influence many people’s futures with just a word. At least for now, this mission makes her happy, and it can change the fate of two families. Do you think it’s important? Of course, this mission benefits you too, with a large sum of money and resources for enhancing your strength. The latter might be impossible to obtain even with money in Dark Blood City, so it balances out the drawbacks.”

Qianye sensed the helplessness in Second Master’s words.

“What about Ying Nan? Why haven’t I seen her return?”

“She has already left.”

Qianye was taken aback, “Left? Where did she go?”

“Her family issues have been resolved, so she can return to her family and doesn’t have to be a hunter here. She said she wouldn’t say goodbye, and you can take whatever you like from her house. I’ll keep the rest for her for now.”

Qianye felt a twinge of melancholy, asking, “Does her family have anything to do with this mission?”

Second Master sighed, “There’s some connection, but… not too significant. Miss QiQi has always wanted to help her, but Ying Nan kept refusing. That child can be quite stubborn sometimes.”

Second Master patted Qianye on the shoulder, “Do your best, for yourself and for Ying Nan!”

Qianye nodded silently.

Two hours later, an airship lifted off, carrying Qianye toward the distant horizon.

In a cemetery on the outskirts of Dark Blood City, several burly men were lowering an unusually large coffin into a grave. The coffin was still uncovered, and Yu Ren Yan lay inside, his expression peaceful, as if asleep.

Yu Ying Nan stood by the grave, watching the coffin being lowered. Second Master stood beside her, sighing, “Won’t you reconsider?”

“Brother always said he wanted to be buried where he died. He killed those scoundrels to protect me from their insults and brought me to this abandoned place. Now that he’s gone, I’ll fulfill his dream. His greatest aspiration was to become an Imperial General, leading the army to eliminate those black-blooded bastards. So, I’m going back to Qin Land to join the Imperial Army.”

“But…”

“I’ve made up my mind!”

At that moment, Yu Ying Nan seemed to sense something and turned to look at the sky.

Above the western part of Dark Blood City, several airships floated, some taking off, some landing. One, particularly opulent, stood out. It was a rare ship with a floating cabin, its white sails hoisted, revealing a blue zhu horse head, slowly turning with the wind, gradually disappearing into the distance. It was the Yin family’s private airship.

Until the airship vanished, Yu Ying Nan watched. She suddenly untied her ponytail, holding her long hair in one hand and drawing a military knife with the other. With a swift cut, she severed her hair and tossed it into the air.

The wind carried the severed locks, flying them away.

Second Master’s wrinkles deepened, and he sighed deeply, “I didn’t know you and Qianye were that close.”

Yu Ying Nan smiled, “We’re not that close. I know he doesn’t like me, so there’s no regret in leaving. When I recommended him to QiQi, I had already decided to give up. Second Master, you know someone like QiQi; once she sees Qianye, she won’t let him go. Maybe for Qianye, QiQi is more suitable!”

The coffin was covered, and the men began filling the grave. Soon, a new tomb appeared in the cemetery, the gravestone blank, with no name. This was also Yu Ying Nan’s wish. What should be remembered will be remembered, and words carved on a tombstone won’t prevent forgetting.

Yu Ying Nan walked to Second Master, hugged him, and said, “Second Master, I’m leaving. Thank you for taking care of me for so long. Take care, and see me become a general. On that day, I’ll come back to drink with you!”

Second Master sighed deeply, his eyes involuntarily moistening, “Ying Nan, I’ll give you one piece of advice: Live!”

Yu Ying Nan smiled, nodding firmly.

She took a few steps back, shouldered her backpack, and walked toward the public airship base.

Her short-haired silhouette, in the twilight, was both spirited and desolate.

Qianye sat in the airship, watching the landscape recede through the window, feeling a slight emptiness, as if something was missing. But the feeling was light, like the breeze heralding the Light Season.

At that moment, the middle-aged woman, Aunt Lan, approached, handing Qianye two pieces of paper, “These are the key points of your mission. Also, remember this person. You might encounter him during your mission. If he obstructs you, don’t be polite, do whatever you need to, as long as you don’t kill him.”

Qianye took the papers and saw that the main task was to assist Yin QiQi in completing the core inheritance exam of her family. The exam involved fighting the dark races on the Eternal Night Continent, with battle achievements as the score. Obtaining rare resources and important intelligence were secondary bonuses.

This was a common test for noble families, and Qianye had participated in a similar mission during his time with Red Scorpion. A certain high-ranking official used a Red Scorpion squad to ensure his son got a better score.

On the other piece of paper was a portrait of a young, handsome man. Though it was a simple sketch, it conveyed a vibrant and confident aura, indicating a talented young man. Next to the portrait, his biography was written in small letters. As Qianye read it, his expression grew serious.

Gu Liyu, from a noble family, entered the Imperial Military Academy with full support from his family, graduating in the top ten. He then joined the “Flame Sword” legion, serving for five years, earning numerous commendations. Last year, he left the Flame Sword to join the Imperial Military Department and is now a lieutenant colonel.

His record was impressive, though his individual combat achievements were not as notable as Qianye’s. The elite “Flame Sword” legion, which was always overshadowed by the “Red Scorpion,” suggested that Gu Liyu’s focus was clearly on command, not martial prowess. Still, his personal strength was not weak, having reached seventh-level, and he was only twenty-nine years old.

For someone from a noble family, such rapid advancement was worthy of pride. After all, the potions for auxiliary training were extremely expensive, beyond the means of most noble families, whose family martial arts were generally not great. If one didn’t want to practice high-consumption martial techniques, they could only rely on slim chances, such as joining a noble family or finding a master.

“Who is this person?”

“Miss’s fiancé.”

Qianye found himself between laughter and tears. The opponent was a seventh-level expert, and the three-level advantage was not to be underestimated. A person who could enter an elite legion and then work for the military department was certainly not an ordinary seventh-level warrior, even without secret techniques.

Moreover, if Gu Liyu was QiQi’s fiancé and seemed to be a talented young man, what was QiQi’s real intention? Was hiring Qianye for the family exam, or to deal with her fiancé?

If it was for the family exam, what use could a fourth-level, two-star hunter be in a war? They couldn’t know Qianye’s true combat ability, and from the initial meeting, they didn’t seem to care. If it was to deal with her fiancé, why not find someone stronger?

Qianye smelled a whiff of conspiracy.