Monarch of Evernight - Chapter 743

Chapter 743: 743

The ancestral hall went silent . The eyes of the clan lord and fifth elder fell upon Xue Ding and Xue Wu . The two brothers had little contact since Xue Ding became the Wolf King’s foster son, and most of them were in secret . Who would have a relationship with them and coincidentally come to seek help at such a time?

As smart people, both the clan lord and elder had already gotten an idea after listening to the report .

Xue Ding said hurriedly, “Wait . ”

However, the fifth elder had already started speaking . “As I see it, we should seize that man first . Things will be troublesome if he falls into the Wolf King’s hands . ”

“How can he fall into the Wolf King’s hands? Port City isn’t under his jurisdiction!” However, Xue Ding’s argument received no response .

The Xue clan lord nodded, saying, “We should indeed capture him first and observe . ”

Xue Ding could only sigh as the matter had already been decided .

…

Qianye and Nighteye took their sweet time packing their things, spending almost the entire night . The courtyard wasn’t big, but there were many small things inside . The only thing truly valuable was the store of beast meat in the ice room and the wood used to build the house . However, the two found many little things they were reluctant to leave behind . For instance, wooden sculptures, handmade furniture, lamps, etc . There were so many little things here filled with good memories .

Qianye had never imagined he would be so attached to trivialities .

Yet this wasn’t a move but a long journey, so they couldn’t put them away . After repeated deliberation, Nighteye decided to take away a wooden sculpture of Qianye running through the wilderness while carrying her on his back . She simply had to have this carving despite some flaws in the knifework .

After everything had been cleared away, Qianye placed piles of firewood around the small courtyard—this home would be no more after igniting them .

“I feel a bit reluctant,” Nighteye said softly .

“I’ll build you an even better one later on . ”

Nighteye sighed gently . “Dummy, that’s not the same . ”

“What else can we do then?” Qianye was bewildered .

Nighteye said hesitantly, “Nothing, wherever you go, I’ll follow . That’s enough . ”

Qianye was still puzzled . “I’ll bring you along of course, that’s a given . ”

“Mm, okay . ”

Qianye found Nighteye’s thoughts to be quite strange, but he was no Song Seven . Grasping a lady’s thoughts wasn’t his specialty, so he decided not to spend more thought on this . He ignited the torch and tossed it into the firewood pile . The Black Grove wood burst into raging flames that surged into the sky .

The flickering blaze projected its light upon the two, pulling their shadows further .

As the fire reached its peak, Qianye said with a sigh, “Let’s go, there’s no need to look further . ”

Nighteye nodded . She had already etched the flames into her mind and had no wish to see their home reduced to embers .

Qianye halted his steps at this moment and, without a moment of hesitation, blasted a nearby shadow with Cui Yuanhai’s giant gun!

This was the gun’s maiden blast . Its rumble reverberated through the Black Grove and even echoed on the Eastern Sea . A shockwave spread out in all directions, causing the nearby flames to lean to one side .

Despite his strong constitution, Qianye found his ears ringing from the sudden blast . This was no gun! In terms of soundwaves, even a heavy cannon couldn’t get louder than this .

The origin flames that spat out from the muzzle were several meters long, forming an incomparably magnificent fire dragon . That origin bullet itself was engulfed in flames as it smashed the target like a shooting star .

Following a cry of astonishment, a figure shot away from the shadows and, at the brink of crisis, produced a round shield to protect his body .

The bullet blasted onto the shield, tearing it into many pieces . Naturally, the owner wasn’t in better shape . He let out a miserable cry and fell to the ground like a kite with its strings cut .

Nighteye flitted past Qianye like a specter, a strange wiggling shadow reflected in her eyes . A wretched cry rang out from the distance as two men stumbled out of the shadows . They began rolling on the ground with their hands tightly clutching their chests .

Qianye pulled back the bolt and shook out a smoking, fist-sized round . Then, he pushed a new shell inside and closed the latch .

Seeing Qianye ready to shoot, a human silhouette moved across the distant treetop and fled into the distance . This person had lost confidence in his hiding abilities after seeing his companions being injured one after the other .

However, Qianye took his sweet time reloading because he was waiting for this moment . In a flash, he activated the Eye of Control, and that person’s legs were yanked back violently as though they had been lassoed!

The person had already jumped into the air at this point . How could he have the ability to change directions midway? He immediately fell headfirst to the ground and was sent into a daze .

Terrified, he struggled with all his might and finally managed to untangle the invisible rope around his ankles . He had just clambered up when a gun of shocking size and firepower appeared in front of his eyes .

“Bang!” Qianye smashed the target’s head with the gun, effectively knocking him out . The old man’s gun was indeed quite sturdy—it could pound a mammoth unconscious and still remain intact .

By the time Qianye had dragged this person out of the Black Grove, Nighteye had already completed a brief circuit through the forest . She shook her head at Qianye, indicating that there were no other enemies .

Qianye threw the unconscious fellow down and went to observe the other three . Two of them had lost their lives to the Eye of Destruction . Qianye knew from touch that their innards had been crushed despite them looking fine on the surface . The fellow who had suffered a direct shot from Qianye wasn’t in great condition, either . A shard from the shield had torn through half his neck, and it would seem he was on his last breath .

Seeing that the three were no longer able to hold on, Qianye returned to the unconscious fellow while shaking his head .

Nighteye and Zhuji were crouching beside him . The former was observing his combat robes while the little lass was sniffing his pockets apparently in search for food .

Qianye looked through his possessions and saw that most of them were ammunition, food, and medicines . There was nothing on him that could discern his identity . Those with such a habit were either assassins or mercenaries on secret missions . These people were most afraid of having their identities found out .

Finding nothing from his belongings, Qianye kicked the man awake .

“Let me!” Zhuji took the initiative to jump up and stomp on the man violently . Her small body descended like a cannon-shell, immediately eliciting a cry of misery from the man as he woke up . He quickly curled into a ball, almost like a cooked shrimp .

This person was just about to jump to his feet after sobering up, but Zhuji stomped him flat with one foot . His bewildered expression fluctuated rapidly, and it looked like he would lose consciousness very soon .

“Zhuji, get down! You’ll stomp him to death!” Qianye pulled the girl away by the neck . This little fellow was strong enough to tear beasts in half . How could ordinary people endure? Fortunately, this fellow was a champion of outstanding constitution . That was the only reason he hadn’t been stomped to death .

After sobering up with great difficulty, his eyes were full of terror upon seeing Zhuji again . He subconsciously wanted to draw away from this little demon .

Qianye pressed down on his shoulder, preventing him from moving an inch . “Speak, what were you here for?”

The man’s eyes shifted about—he was just about to speak when Qianye strengthened his grip, causing the former’s shoulder bones to creak and groan . He only loosened the force after eliciting several screams .

After a period of gasping, the man asked, “Where are my companions?”

“They’re all dead, and that’s the only reason you’re alive . ”

“All dead?” His mood hit an all-time low .

Qianye gave him some time to think and only watched in silence .

This was a man in his thirties, clad in night-time combat robes, and sporting a champion’s cultivation . He couldn’t be considered outstanding, but his judgment, decision, and reaction in battle were quite good . Even when he was knocked out cold by Qianye, he still managed to instinctively evade and counterattack . It was just that Qianye was too fast, far beyond the limits of his reaction .

After calming down, the man sighed . “I knew this bounty wouldn’t be that easy to take, but I never imagined it would be this hard . ”

“Bounty?”

“The Wolf King’s bounty, it has spread all across the Eastern Sea . ” He shot a glance at Qianye and Nighteye . “You two are the targets . ”

“Are there any drawings?”

“Yes, and very life-like ones, too . However, this little princess is not in it . ” He trembled a bit after looking at Zhuji . It would seem her shadow in his heart was even greater than Qianye’s own .

Qianye naturally wasn’t jealous of Zhuji . “What kind of rewards are being offered? Let’s hear it . ”

“The bounty says anyone capturing Gary’s murderers will obtain six hundred thousand gold coins and those who kill the targets, two hundred thousand . Even those who provide information can obtain five thousand . Additionally, those who kill or capture the targets will become a general under the Wolf King . ”

“General? Elaborate . ” Qianye frowned .

“The Wolf King’s generals can rule over a territory, levy taxes, build cities, and recruit soldiers . ” Seeing that Qianye wasn’t clear about the status, the man explained things in detail .

Qianye inquired more about the forces each general possessed and said to Nighteye, “It’s almost like the expeditionary army . ”

“But their territories are much larger,” Nighteye added .

Qianye turned to the mercenary and said, “Such a heavy bounty, were you guys gunning for six hundred thousand or two hundred?”

The mercenary smiled wryly . “How can we have that kind of ability? I knew at a glance that this reward isn’t something we could swallow . It was just that our mercenary squad happened to be operating in the area and we were quite experienced in stealth . So, we wanted to confirm the reports and take those five thousand gold coins . ”

“Five thousand? Isn’t that too little?” Qianye mocked .

“For small mercenary bands like us, five thousand gold coins is equal to two years of income . Our usual missions are just as dangerous and we risk our heads all the same . As such, we wanted to take a chance here, who would’ve thought…”

At this point, the mercenary gazed into the distant night wherein lay his three companions .

Qianye asked him more questions until he was certain there was no more information to be obtained . In the end, he let go of the man and said, “Go, tell those mercenaries and assassins that you are the last one to leave our hands alive . Those who want this bounty will have to pay for it with their lives!”