Monarch of Evernight - Chapter 1021

Chapter 1021

Chapter 1021: Guest at the Pasture

After the death of this beetle, Qianye sensed countless little specks shrinking back into the rocky crevices . He gave it some thought before deciding to give up on catching them . These poisonous beetles were too dangerous—he wouldn’t know how to handle them while alive, and their value would shrink once dead .

Qianye turned toward the other two and said, “Beware of the insects inside the rock crevices, they’re extremely poisonous . ”

Both Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan nodded . Something Qianye considered extremely poisonous had to be a rare venom .

Equipped with prior experience, Qianye became quite cautious whenever he passed by rocky crevices . As expected, he encountered numerous different insects, spiders, scorpions, and the like, all of them just as venomous as the first beetle . But now that he was guarded, the creatures had no chance to injure him .

Toward the end, Qianye would simply sweep the stone crevices with his sanguine flames . Even if the bugs weren’t killed by the blaze, they would go into hiding after sensing the dark golden blood energy .

This bare cliff was devoid of plants and beasts; no one knew how these insects survived here .

What lay above them after scaling the dangerous area was a snowy line . Some parts of the summit were covered in snow, but it was still rocky ground in most places .

Just like in the Empire, there was rarely any life after passing the snowy line . The wind in this place was exceptionally strong and contained wisps of origin power . Traveling against such a wind was akin to being attacked by an enemy who possessed origin power cultivation . Even Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan felt somewhat strained while moving through this mountain gale, let alone an ordinary expert .

Qianye memorized the places where the insects had appeared before climbing upward against the wind .

Moments later, the three finally reached the summit and put their foot on the Ashen Mountain Range .

They continued their journey without resting . The descent was so much easier, and the trio had run out of the snowy line before long . They slid down the cliffs, ran over the hillocks, and traversed two more mountains to finally arrive in a hidden valley .

This valley was surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the only way in and out was a somewhat gentle slope . The valley was fairly well-hidden as the surrounding cliffs were both steep and dangerous .

The poisonous area Qianye had just passed through was like a forbidden area to ordinary experts . Those venomous insects were just one of the many dangers along the way .

One would need to pass through several dangerous areas to enter the valley via its normal route . And because of the geography, the path didn’t stretch directly inside—one could easily lose their way along the winding path and enter dangerous regions . Who knew how many lives it took the Song clan to find the Heavenschild Pasture .

The valley was far from the operation areas of the Empire and Evernight . The Song clan had kept its location a top-secret throughout the years, preventing it from leaking out . Usually, a certain family member would ship out a batch of goods from the pasture every decade or so, and this harvest was enough to make the Song clan the richest in the Empire .

Standing before the valley, Li Kuanglan was just as calm and cold . Qianye didn’t have a good grasp of riches, either, so only Ji Tianqing was glowing from the eyes . “Let’s go, hurry! The Song clan has stashed up so many years of riches . There has to be a lot of good stuff inside, take everything once we go in . There’s no need to hold back on my account . ”

Qianye laughed wryly, not knowing how to respond .

Song Zining had likely intended for Qianye to collect the gains from the Heavenschild Pasture and hand it to him after leaving the place . Naturally, he could also leave whatever treasure he fancied for his own use . That was the proper way .

Yet, it would seem even Song Zining hadn’t expected that Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan would follow Qianye to the pasture . Moreover, Ji Tianqing possessed her own spatial gear . The situation was like inviting a wolf into the house .

Under Ji Tianqing’s urging, Qianye could only brace himself to walk toward the valley, thinking along the way whether he should tell Song Zining the truth . The seventh young noble was experienced and knowledgeable, probably not someone who couldn’t accept setbacks . Despite that, the potential blow from the Heavenschild Pasture was simply too great and would be quite difficult to digest .

After passing over a gentle slope and circling around a cliff, the area in front of them opened up to reveal an endless verdant landscape .

The valley was unexpectedly large, but those from the outside world simply couldn’t see this immortal garden hidden amidst the mountains . There were lush forests around the foothills, bearing leaves that were either green, yellow, or large patches of red—it was like a painting . A small stream stretched out from the mountains and through the trees to flow into the pond in the depths of the valley .

There was a large meadow at the center of the valley, fenced up into different plots . Each plot was home to different plants or even trees of varying heights . Some of the trees were laden with fruits, while others were covered in a sea of flowers . The scenery was unique for each lot of land .

Except for the fences, there were few traces of human activity . However, there was a small wooden hut not far from the valley entrance with a field each in front of the house and behind . Clearly, there was someone living here .

Secretly surprised, Qianye exchanged glances with the girls . The last shipment from the Heavenschild Pasture was ten years ago, which meant that the person living here had been in the Great Maelstrom for over ten years . Having seen an example in Nangong Tianyu, Qianye and the others couldn’t quite guess whether this was a friend or a foe .

Just as they were hesitating, the door to the wooden hut opened and out walked an old man with white hair . With a hoe in one hand and a basket in the other, he began walking toward the plantation in front of his house . He put down his equipment after reaching the field and waved toward the group . “Young people, why not come over and say hello since you’re already here?”

A surprised Qianye glanced to his left and right, only to find that the two girls were also shocked . He immediately knew that this old man wasn’t simple .

The three had long since activated their concealment powers . Qianye had even circulated his Bloodline Concealment, and Ji Tianqing’s aura-transforming secret art wasn’t inferior at all . Only Li Kuanglan was the weaker among them, but she was much better than an ordinary expert in terms of hiding . The three of them hadn’t really hidden themselves, but concealing their auras was much more important at this distance . After careful thought, being found out under such circumstances went to show just how frightening this old man was .

There was no backing off at this point . Qianye exchanged glances with the two ladies and simply walked into the pasture .

The old man went about his own business, plucking weeds until Qianye’s group was outside the gates . He stood up at that point and said while pounding his back, “I’m old and inflexible . Come in on your own and take a seat at the table . ”

There was an ancient tree in the courtyard with lush foliage and a few young fruits . A stone table sat beneath the tree, surrounded by four stools . One would find, on careful observation, that there was a chessboard carved into the table . Apparently, having tea over a game of chess was a refined activity here .

Qianye sat down confidently on the stone stool . Li Kuanglan hesitated briefly but also followed suit . Whether it was intentional or just a coincidence, there was some obstructing object in every direction from the stone table—be it a shrub or a row of medicine, be it near or far . As someone who excelled in high-speed charge attacks, the layout made her greatly uncomfortable . This kind of constrained environment was most suited for people like Ji Tianqing who could operate naturally in small areas .

Qianye wasn’t really at ease, either . The courtyard and the medicine orchard were both arranged beautifully, but the picturesque disorder almost seemed deliberate .

An expert like Qianye would instinctively size up unfamiliar surroundings and pay attention to paths of retreat . He scanned the surroundings and found that he wouldn’t be able to perform Spatial Flash without crashing into something .

The medicine garden had the least obstructions as there were only a few unknown plants growing in it . But everything in the Great Maelstrom could be a peerless treasure . If Qianye were to trample a couple of plants, he might be full of regret .

Despite all that, he still sat down calmly . If he couldn’t use Spatial Flash inside the courtyard, he just needed to get outside . And with a high-damage move like Excavator, he would have the advantage in a melee battle .

Ji Tianqing didn’t feel the same . She looked on the table, went around the stool, and sat down only after she had checked underneath it . Even then, she merely sat on the edge and was ready to escape anytime .

The old man couldn’t help but chuckle . “What a naughty little girl! Didn’t your grandpa teach you well?”

Ji Tianqing was startled . “Y-You recognize…”

The old man said with a smile, “The Pointer Monarch is famous throughout the Empire, how could I not recognize his descendant?”

“But I changed my appearance…”

“I wouldn’t be able to tell for sure if you hadn’t used that secret art . ”

Ji Tianqing immediately regained her composure . “You… what is your relationship with grandpa?”

The old man laughed . “What? Are you afraid I’ll report to him? Fine, I won’t bully you kids . Let me tell you, I always called him by name because I don’t like him . It’s not like I can really defeat him in battle . That bastard is a rare genius, how many throughout history can be his match? I’m a cripple who can’t even reach the apex, I wouldn’t dare to compare myself to him . ”

Ji Tianqing wasn’t happy to hear someone badmouth the Pointer Monarch . “Grandpa spent his life fighting for the Empire, making contributions both public and secret . What’s wrong with him?”

The old man broke into a laugh . “Those are old stories, you kids won’t understand . ”

Ji Tianqing pouted . “Who’s a kid? Who cares if you don’t want to tell me!”

The old man sized her up from head to toe . “Oh, I see . Indeed, you’re not a child anymore . ” He then turned to glance at Qianye until the latter felt weirdly uncomfortable .  

To Qianye, it had been quite a while since Ji Tianqing had grown out of childhood . In battle, the girl had always been decisive and ruthless at critical junctures . She would definitely be a difficult opponent once she became a divine champion .

It was true that she looked cute on the outside, but how could such a fierce character be a child?

The old man narrowed his eyes when he saw Qianye’s puzzlement, but he didn’t continue . He merely sized up the three while twirling his beard .