[V7C008 – In Life and In Eternal Rest]

Unexpectedly, the alcohol tonight suited his taste very well. The seventh young master had never lacked good clothes and wine, but what he liked to drink wasn’t the expensive type. It was a kind of cheap, strong alcohol that tasted very similar to the one they had gotten drunk on back at Yellow Springs.

It was a mystery how Nanhua had found out Song Zining’s tastes, but she had brought such a wine tonight. Song Zining thought about it when he raised the gla.s.s, and but his amazing memory registered having mentioned it to her vaguely at one point. He hadn’t imagined she would remember it until now.

Greatly moved, Song Zining made an exception and didn’t send her away. The two thus drank in silence. Perhaps due to the exhaustion and pressure, he revealed a moment of weakness and wanted someone to accompany him for a while.

The bottle was soon emptied. Nanhua quietly got another one and put it on the table. She neither spoke nor asked him anything; all she did was accompany him in drinking. As they drank on, a clear drop of water fell into the wine gla.s.s. She rubbed her eyes without saying anything and kept on drinking with a smile.

In the blink of an eye, several empty bottles had piled up around the two. Despite being quite capable, neither of them was in the mood to resist the alcohol and thus began to drift into intoxication.

Song Zining finally spoke in a gloomy voice, “Do you know? I’ve known Qianye for a long time. He was really dumb and stubborn, but he was also the only one in Yellow Springs I can count on to have my back.

“Qianye was never smart, never.

“He’s so stupid that he took a shot for me and almost died because of it. Haha!

“I would’ve died twice over if that bullet had landed on me.

“This is the second time in this war that he had almost died. No, perhaps he’s already dead. There probably won’t be any chance for him to do dumb things again.

“How terrible would it be if only the intelligent people remained in this world?”

Song Zining didn’t know what or how long he had been speaking. Tiredness came over him in the end and he fell asleep right on the chair. He hadn’t slept a wink since going into isolated divination on the floating continent.

Nanhua was also staggering as she dragged Song Zining onto the bed and lay him down properly. Then, she curled up on his arm and lay there waiting for sunrise.

At dawn, the first rays of light had already fallen upon the main Qin continent while Evernight remained submerged in darkness. According to imperial tradition, it was dawn for the whole empire once the capital sees daybreak.

Nanhua, who had been lying still the whole night, clambered up in the darkness and glanced at the man beside her. Song Zining was still asleep. He was simply too tired—from his body down to his heart and soul. Moreover, he had made all the arrangements he could before coming back to Blackflow. All that was left was to wait for the results and Nighteye’s return.

Nanhua bent over and, with eyes full of reluctance, kissed Song Zining’s forehead. She then got up resolutely and left, closing the door gently behind her.

At this time, Blackflow City was already starting to turn lively with people starting up their morning business. The gas lamps kept the bustling streets as bright as day. Nanhua had changed into ordinary clothing and now resembled a female hunter one would find everywhere in the city. As though attracted by the aroma, she walked into one of the shops that had opened early.

There was already someone dressed in a similar manner sitting in one of the corners. Through the unb.u.t.toned leather jacket, one could see pockets of all shapes and sizes, carrying numerous types of firearms and ammunition. It would seem his life hadn’t been all that good, judging by how worn his coat was. Then again, that was the case for most hunters—why else would they remain in this profession? In fact, most patrons of this cheap breakfast shop were suffering some form of frustration.

The continuing expansion of Song Zining’s mining industry brought about a boom in Blackflow City’s economy. Currently, the income of a Ningyuan Heavy Industry guard had exceeded that of an ordinary hunter. This undoubtedly attracted the lower-level ones because a guard would be provided with standard equipment and the job was mostly safe, a stark contrast to the perilous life of a hunter. Hence, many hunters from the nearby towns came over to Blackflow to try their luck here.

This, in turn, increased Blackflow City’s safety in a positive feedback loop.

Nanhua was welcomed by several wolf-whistles as she went in. Despite having covered up most of her beauty, her temperament was still head and shoulders above ordinary female hunters. However, many of them shrugged and turned away when she sat down at the corner table. Apparently, the man sitting there was a powerful fellow.

That hunter finally looked up, revealing a handsome face with bright, clear eyes. It was just that there was a giant horizontal scar on his face, ruining his handsomeness and making him look rather sinister.

Seeing Nanhua sit down, he pushed over a bowl of steaming soup and said, “You’ve finally arrived.”

The thick, meaty stew and the small pieces of hard biscuits were enough to fill a burly man with a good appet.i.te. Moreover, it could keep one full for the remainder of the day, hence gaining the love of many a hunter and adventurer.

Normally, Nanhua wouldn’t even look at such basic food, but now, she picked up one of the broken biscuits and started eating it with the stew.

The scarred man said, “Long time no see, I never thought we would meet here. What is this if not fate?”

Nanhua’s movements stopped for a moment, and then she said with a self-deprecating laugh. “Fate? Ha, perhaps.”

With that, she swallowed the hard biscuit as though she were venting. Soon, tears started streaming down her face as she ate.

The scarred man laughed wryly. “It looks like you still love him.”

Nanhua nodded. “Correct, he’s been the only one, and my heart hurts all the more right now.”

The scarred man sighed softly as he patted Nanhua’s arm. The latter’s hand trembled somewhat, but she didn’t pull away. However, the scarred hunter didn’t go further after seeing this. Instead, he picked up the jug nearby and poured a gla.s.s of water for himself, his hand trembling as he did so.

Nanahua’s eyes landed on the man’s left hand. “Still not recovered?”

“How can it ever recover? You know how expensive an arm that can both cultivate and grow is, don’t you? My role in the army is minuscule, how can I ever afford that? Let it be, it’s been so long that I’ve gotten over it.” The scarred man seemed quite carefree.

Nanhua retracted her gaze and said, “What would you do in my shoes?”

The hunter smiled. “I don’t really amount to much so I’m satisfied just to get by. If I were you, I’d just stay by his side and count the days. Isn’t he treating you pretty well right now? It’s just that the seventh young master’s ambitions are lofty and not something a person like me can compare with.”

Nanhua’s face turned pale. “True, the world in his heart isn’t limited to just a va.s.sal nation, probably not even a continent. I, I am nothing in his heart, he has so many women around him.”

“Those ladies are but pa.s.sing smoke and cloud, the seventh young master will probably forget them by the next day. Why must you pay them so much attention? Rest a.s.sured, I’m quite certain he doesn’t like those ordinary women.”

But Nanhua’s face turned even paler and her fingers trembled slightly. “You don’t understand, it’s like a slash to my heart whenever a woman appears near him. After such a long time, my heart has been cut into too many pieces to put back together. Besides, he doesn’t even have a va.s.sal nation in his eyes, what is one va.s.sal nation princess to him? There are so many princesses in each of them. In fact, I’m nothing more than an ordinary woman to him, the type he simply doesn’t like.”

The scarred man sighed. “You’re overthinking it. I can’t think of any woman more outstanding than you are.”

“I thought so too in the past, but that’s no longer the case now. I saw a certain person, a woman who shouldn’t even exist in this world.”

“Is she very beautiful?”

“No, not at all, but I knew when I saw her that she doesn’t need to be.”

“There’s such a person?” The scarred man seemed surprised.

Nanhua said nothing and only kept on crying in silence. As though he had understood something, the scarred hunter also stopped asking questions.

Nanhua finally stopped her sobbing and said, “I’ll agree to this, but I also have a condition.”

“What is it?”

“Kill that woman too!”

The scarred man asked in astonishment, “Don’t tell me the seventh young master has already laid hands on her?”

“No, and he won’t be able to, either.”

“Why is that?”

“Because he simply won’t, it’s Qianye’s woman.”

“Oh, Qianye… no wonder.” The hunter’s expression s.h.i.+fted at the mention of this name.

Nanhua didn’t notice the change. She clenched her teeth and said, “No one will get what I can’t! I’ll destroy him, and before that, I’ll destroy everything he holds dear. Everything!”

Her volume rose subconsciously as she spoke. The scarred hunter waved his hand and formed an origin power barrier, which served to contain the sound inside. Seeing him perform such a technique, many of those who had glanced over s.h.i.+vered in fear and no longer dared to look on. They even stopped chatting amongst themselves.

The scarred man said to Nanhua, “This matter isn’t impossible. You know our power, there’s little in the empire we can’t do. But, you need to tell me everything you know.”

“Fine!” Nanhua agreed immediately.

Song Zining gradually opened his eyes around noon. Everything that had happened last night was blank in his head. He sat up and was surprised to find that he simply couldn’t recall anything. He couldn’t help but groan because his head felt heavier than a rock.

Song Zining glanced at the surroundings and felt somewhat relieved that he was in his bedroom. It was just that the ineffable intoxication gave him an uneasy feeling.

It was at this time that the door opened and in walked Nanhua with a tray of hot breakfast. Apparently, the food was freshly prepared just now.

“You’re awake? I’m just in time then. I made you breakfast,” Nanhua said with a smile.