Qianye wanted to defend himself since assisting the flight with his origin power wasn’t that easy, either. Nonetheless, he ultimately decided to keep quiet since there was no outtalking this young miss’ temper and sharp tongue.

After a period of rest, Ji Tianqing said, “What did you do in the city that you were chased down like this? You would’ve been captured if I wasn’t waiting there for you.”

“I wanted to interrogate Rui Xiang at first, and see if I can figure out Song Zining’s fate. Who would’ve thought that old man would be so shrewd? He activated a certain mechanism and fled, activating a city-wide alarm in the process.”

“Did you get anything out of him?”

Qianye shook his head. “Nope, but I broke his other leg. I think he’ll speak up the next time.”

Ji Tianqing glared at Qianye. “Next time my a*s!”

Qianye laughed. “There’s no other way.”

Ji Tianqing leaned forward and tapped at his chest. “Your escape ability is indeed powerful, but it’s not completely unrivaled. The city lord managed to figure out your target destination. Do you think you can still escape from him next time?”

“I can still use it one more time.”

“Then? Find a place to hide?”

Qianye had no choice but to admit. “Yes.”

Ji Tianqing said angrily, “So what if you can flash away one more time? That fiery-eyed city lord just needs to stand in the air and let his subordinates comb the land, little by little.”

This problem was on point. Actually, Qianye had also thought about this, but he simply wasn’t willing to give up on rescuing Song Zining.

The worst-case scenario had happened during his entry into the city. Although he had managed to activate Spatial Flash and leave the city, the city lord had still managed to sense his target location.

Originally, Qianye had planned to execute a second Spatial Flash and find a place to hide with his Bloodline Concealment. The dangers of this plan were self-evident—Luo Bingfeng could trap Qianye with Ji Tianqing’s method and find his location sooner or later.

Spatial Flash was powerful, but Qianye’s current strength wasn’t enough to jump long distances or multiple times. The power Andruil left behind back then had actually transported Qianye hundreds of kilometers away.

Noticing Qianye’s silence, Ji Tianqing asked once again.

Qianye had no answer no matter how many times he was asked. Ji Tianqing eventually stopped asking after understanding this. She only sighed lightly, saying, “Well then, just promise me you won’t enter Tidehark again, okay? It’ll be over for Song Seven once you die.”

Qianye finally nodded. “Fine, I promise.”

Ji Tianqing finally smiled as she produced several bags of food and ammunition. “I’ll be gone for a while. You should rest well before going back there, don’t rush. Perhaps there’ll be some new developments after a couple of days.”

Qianye was somewhat startled. “What are you going to do?”

“Seek powerful reinforcements of course! How can we save that stupid Song Seven on our own?”

Qianye sat down to cultivate after Ji Tianqing’s departure, waiting patiently until his origin power was at its peak. Luo Bingfeng was so powerful that there were only a handful of people in the empire who could suppress him with relative certainty. Hence, Qianye was still a bit skeptical about Ji Tianqing’s potential reinforcements. On the other hand, he would still have to keep up the pressure on Tidehark even if she could bring back support.

But Qianye was in no rush after provoking Luo Bingfeng into action. Right now, all he needed to do was let people see that he was fine and that his combat strength was intact.

...

Another uninvited guest had arrived in Southern Blue.

Luo Yun, dressed in ordinary mercenary attire, arrived unobstructed at the Dark Flame headquarters to meet Li Kuanglan.

Li Kuanglan’s countenance was clear, free from the hardships of mortal life. She picked up her teacup with jade-like fingers and said after taking a small sip, “What good news does Steward Luo bring for his second coming?”

Luo Yun felt a bit surprised because Li Kuanglan seemed different from the last he had met her. Back then, she was like an unsheathed blade—her momentum was incomparably sharp, almost to the point of being rude. The current Li Kuanglan was calm, graceful, and impressive. Even her action of drinking tea was completely perfect.

If the previous Li Kuanglan was a peerless swordsman, the current her was a master of the imperial residence. The former quality could be trained, but the latter was a temperament brought about by one’s upbringing. This was what shook Luo Yun.

The steward suppressed his astonishment and said respectfully, “Mister Li, I come in the city lord’s name to discuss an exchange.”

Li Kuanglan said indifferently, “Didn’t we come to a result back then? Why are you back?”

“The city lord is determined to go through with this trade. He’s suggested some new terms for your consideration.”

Li Kuanglan didn’t inquire about the offer. “Determined you say…”

At this point, a certain person beside her said with a cold harrumph, “What a big tone of voice.”

Luo Yun was shocked out of his wits to find an old man sitting beside Li Kuanglan. His facial features were ordinary, without any special characteristics to speak of. It was he who had mocked the steward, but the latter hadn’t noticed his presence at all while entering the room!

The old man closed his eyes after saying those words. Luo Yun also shifted his gaze to the floor, not daring to look at him for too long. Luo Yun found his memory of the old man fading rapidly after looking away, and he was no longer able to remember his appearance after a while.

He was worried that he would anger the elderly man if he were to look over again. Luo Yun wasn’t afraid of death, but he didn’t want to delay the city lord’s business. Li Kuanglan’s noble demeanor also made it difficult for one to look straight at her. Luo Yun wasn’t willing to offend anyone at this point.

Fortunately, Li Kuanglan finally said, “So what does the city lord have in mind?”

Luo Yun said, “The city lord wishes to trade Song Zining for Qianye’s cultivation art.”

Li Kuanglan was somewhat moved, not expecting such an offer. After some deliberation, she said, “What is Song Seven’s situation? Your city lord can forget about it if we’re just trading for a cripple.”

Luo Yun replied, “With Qianye’s character, he will surely do the trade as long as Song Zining remains alive. Can Mister Li decide for him?”

These words were fairly sharp, but Li Kuanglan seemed unaffected. “I thought Steward Luo was knowledgeable at first, but you’re apparently quite short-sighted. It would seem the neutral lands isn’t a good place.”

A flash of anger appeared in Luo Yun’s eyes. “How am I short-sighted? Do explain.”

Li Kuanglan replied calmly, “A secret art capable of cultivating Venus Dawn is priceless. What’s more, Qianye’s Venus Dawn is even purer than the Madam City Lord. Even a heavenly monarch will be moved by a complete art of this level. Won’t you say I can just as easily invite a heavenly monarch with it and have him wipe Tidehark off of the surface of the earth?”

As calm as Luo Yun was, he couldn’t help but reveal an astonished expression. “But you won’t be able to save Young Noble Zining that way.”

Li Kanglan said indifferently, “If Zining dies, all related people will accompany him. That’s not a loss.”

Luo Yun said, “These are the neutral lands, not the empire. Even the power of the Song clan might not reach this far.”

Li Kuanglan replied indifferently, “Just as I said, do you think that person on the Throne of Blood will interfere if a heavenly monarch arrives for a short while?”

“So what if a heavenly monarch comes? He can’t stay for very long. Destroying a city is simple, but it’s not so easy to kill everyone. Mister Li and Qianye will have to worry about their own safety before a heavenly monarch really arrives.”

Luo Yun’s words were quite harsh. The old man near Li Kuanglan opened his eyes and shot him a glance. The moment their eyes met, the steward felt as though he had been struck by a sledgehammer and almost blacked out from the pain.

The sensation receded in a flash, leaving Luo Yun drenched in sweat and gasping for air. It took quite a bit of effort for him to remain standing.

The old man finally looked straight at him. “You’re actually standing, your foundation is quite solid it seems. On account of that, I’ll tell you a bit more. Just let your city lord and madam come if they want to touch Kuanglan, I’ll see if they can even enter Southern Blue.”

Luo Yun had no words to follow up with, and he was also extremely shocked. He couldn’t quite guess how a terrifying expert of this caliber would appear near Li Kuanglan, but thinking back to her grace and poise, it didn’t seem so strange all of a sudden. It was just that Luo Yun didn’t dare to keep connecting the dots and guess her true identity.

Li Kuanglan said, “Steward Luo, there’s no meaning in beating around the bush. What is Young Noble Song’s condition? If you’re still not willing to talk, then you may go back. There’s no need to come back again, either.”

Luo Yun replied, “Umm, Young Noble Song is fine. The city lord promises that he will neither be crippled or suffer hidden injuries that will affect his potential.”

Li Kuanglan nodded. “Why didn’t you just say so sooner?”

Luo Yun smiled wryly. “I thought I could gain some more benefits for the city lord.”

Li Kuanglan said coldly, “Without sufficient strength, what do you think your mouth alone will get you?”

Luo Yun was speechless.

Li Kuanglan took another sip of her tea before saying slowly, “These terms aren’t sufficient. If he wants Qianye’s art, tell him he should offer Song Seven in addition to Mortal Enlightenment.”

Luo Yun was surprised. “That might not be appropriate! We should let Mister Qianye decide.”

“This is the last condition. There will be no further discussion if he doesn’t agree.” With that, Li Kuanglan waved her right hand in a gesture to send off the guest.