Monarch of Evernight - Chapter 748

Chapter 748: 748

That was a major quake . Not just the room, but the entire hotel and even Port City itself was shaking . Cracks spread all over the walls as dust sprinkled down from the ceiling .

Qianye rushed over to the wall and looked out . At the extremes of his vision, he could see the sheds in the slums starting to crumble . These crudely constructed shacks simply couldn’t withstand the might of the rocking earth .

“Earthquake?”

Ding Shiheng wasn’t alarmed at all . He merely shook his head and said, “It’s not an earthquake, just the earth dragon turning over . It’ll be gone soon . ”

As expected, the shaking lasted only a few minutes before gradually subsiding . Even so, the number of collapsed buildings in Port City weren’t few in number, and most of them were located in the slums .

In fact, the entire of Port City was fairly simple in decor . If it wasn’t clearly indicated, Qianye would find it difficult to tell the slums apart from the normal city area . Only the noble’s district around the city lord’s mansion looked like a proper major city . The demarcation became more evident after the quake because most of the collapses took place in the impoverished areas and rarely in the city districts .

After the large quake, people immediately became busy . Some began cleaning up the rubble, while others collected reusable materials and cared for the injured—everything was carried out in proper sequence . The order amidst the chaos went to show that such incidences were a common occurrence here . Even people at the lowest level were used to them and knew how to deal with the aftermath .

These shacks were so roughly built that they were nothing more than a couple of poles and a roof-frame . The walls and roofs were all made of thin wooden sheets, which reduced the damage if they were to collapse . It was also easier for others to rescue those buried under the rubble . Moreover, shacks like this would take less than a day to build .

The hotel Qianye was staying in and the much better-built courtyards nearby were all supported by steel frames . Such a quake would, at most, cause them to tilt slightly—someone with rank four cultivation could set them straight and fix them in place . As for the walls and ceilings, they were even easier to repair and even ordinary people could do it . Additionally, the furniture was also of the simplest type, so that there wouldn’t be much losses in case they were destroyed .

After the quake had passed, there was a knock on the door . The person said from outside the door, “Everyone, please don’t be alarmed . Someone will come to repair your walls very soon, everything will be done before dinnertime . ”

After saying that, the attendant headed to the next room to inform the guests there .

The earth was still rocking gently at this point . Qianye, with his sharp senses, noticed that the exposed ground was rippling gently like water . Although barely discernible, it was clearly not something an earthquake should have .

“Earth dragon? What is that?” Qianye was more wary than interested in this existence capable of shaking the entire city .

This was no secret in Port City . Ding Shiheng replied without the slightest bit of hesitation, “That’s the legendary giant creature hiding in the depths of the earth . Some say it’s a void colossus, but no one has ever seen it before . It’ll turn over or get restless every once in a while . This time, it was only turning over gently . When it gets restless every few years, the quake will last several days and collapse half the city . ”

Qianye finally understood why the architecture in Port City was so odd—they were specifically designed to avoid the need for reconstruction . Apparently, only the city lord manor and the buildings in the noble district were permanent . Even if the others were built with steel frames, they could hardly last through the yearly tremors .

Qianye’s eyes lit up with a blue tinge as he gazed back at the city lord’s manor . In his True Sight, there was a faint glow of origin power covering the buildings in the noble district—there was a protective force field protecting them . The radiance on the city lord’s manor was the strongest as there was a light barrier covering the entire structure . They actually had an origin net constructed htere, a significant expenditure even by empire standards .

Seeing these things gave Qianye a new impression of Port City’s strength . One would need sufficient power to support such wealth in the neutral lands .

At this moment, a large number of people converged onto the street and began pushing their way out of the city .

“What are they going to do?”

Ding Shiheng said, “They’re all off to hunt . Whenever the earth dragon flips over, some special lifeforms will be driven out from the depths of the ground . Rainbowfish and spiked rats, for instance, can only be caught during this period . ”

Rainbowfish and spiked rats were the regional specialties of Port City . Not only did they taste great, but they could also strengthen one’s origin power perception and consequently improve cultivation speed . This delicacy was almost irresistible to the demonkin and thus became an important smuggling commodity .

Additionally, some other rare species would be driven from the depths of the earth to its shallow layer . This was their only opportunity at capturing them . At this point, Qianye understood why people were willing to stay in Port City despite needing to reconstruct their houses every few years .

Qianye inquired further about the power distribution in Port City, and then let Ding Shiheng leave after obtaining sufficient information .

As expected of a local bully, Ding Shiheng arrived at the hotel at noon the following day . His arrogance disappeared immediately after entering the room . The man stood respectfully in front of Qianye, his eyes never straying toward Nighteye and Zhuji .

The news he had brought caused Qianye to break into a frown . “You’re saying that an old man fitting this description did come to Port City but disappeared the next day after meeting the people from the Xue family?”

“Yes, I mobilized all my assets but still couldn’t find his whereabouts . Some of my sources are guessing…” Ding Shiheng stole a glance at Qianye . The Xue family was, after all, a massive entity to him and even simple matters would become complicated after getting involved with them .

“Speak . ”

“Reportedly, there were some abnormal movements among the Xue family guards that day . That’s why some think that they might’ve captured Elder Cui . ”

Qianye said with a frown, “Did you confirm this with someone from the Xue family?”

Ding Shiheng said carefully, “Sire, the highest contact someone of my status can have is no more than the lowest-tier members of the Xue family . They know nothing about this matter . This means that either the Xue family has nothing to do with this, or it is a secret even within the family . If it is the latter, then this lowly one is powerless to do anything . ”

Qianye nodded . “Very well, I understand . Tell me the location of the Xue family, and if possible, get me a map of the Xue family residence . ”

Ding Shiheng stood up and said, “This lowly one will go immediately . ”

By evening, Ding Shiheng had already delivered the residence’s map . One had to admit that this local tyrant was fairly adept at handling matters .

With the location and map in hand, the preparations were already sufficient . Qianye and Nighteye left the hotel in the dead of the night and vanished into the darkness .

The Xue family residence was naturally in the noble district, but it wasn’t very large, only three compounds in total from front to back . This so-called not large was only relative to other cities . It was still a bonafide mansion in Port City . In the noble district, every building was connected to a shock-protection array . Even if it was just for face, they couldn’t let their mansions suffer damage . Hence, large mansions would involve terrifying consumption rates .

Qianye had already learned beforehand that the ones living in this mansion belonged to a branch of the Xue family, with the main family dispatching people to assist them . The Xues owned a fair number of estates and industries in and around Port City, all of which were managed from this place .

Qianye stood not far away, sizing up this residence .

The mansion was tall, wide, and built in a fairly imperial fashion . It was just that the entire structure was a tenth in scale compared to true aristocratic families, nowhere near the Zhao clan’s half city-sized residences .

“Let’s go in and see . ” Qianye beckoned to Nighteye as he leapt into the compound .

Qianye had learned from Ding Shiheng that the most powerful person in this Xue mansion was the branch family head Xue Haiyang . As a rank-thirteen champion, he was more than enough to protect the interests of the Xue family in Port City .

It was already late at night and many areas of the residence had gone dark . There were some guards patrolling the area in addition to two hidden sentries . This kind of defensive structure was loose but allowed for no gaps, denying evil mercenaries and adventurers any opportunity they could take advantage of . None of this could deter Qianye, however . He leapt soundlessly over a group of guards and entered the residence .

Nighteye landed beside him and, after scanning the courtyard, pointed toward the main building .

Qianye nodded . He arrived before the door, and following a flash of red light, the vampiric blade in his hand had sliced through the lock . Only the faintest of sounds was produced in this process, but it was enough to rouse the person inside from his sleep . “Who goes there!?”

Qianye pushed the door open while Nighteye flashed into the room like a bolt of lightning and held her vampiric blade against the man’s neck .

The person on the bed was a man in his forties . He had just propped himself up halfway when his entire body froze . The vampiric blade was so sharp that it had left faint red lines on his neck even before actually coming into contact .

There was a rather beautiful lady beside him who hadn’t woken up just yet . She merely turned around, revealing a fair, well-rounded body that was entirely unclothed .

The man remained calm and said in a deep voice, “I’m Xue Haiyang, the lord of this Xue family branch as well as an officer of the main family . May I ask what business the two of you have with me?”

Qianye locked the door behind him . “Mr . Xue, what composure, what courage! Since that’s the case, then I’ll not beat around the bush . I have a friend called Cui Yuanhai . He’s in your hands, right?”

At the mention of this name, Xue Haiyang’s expression shifted drastically . His composure was quickly replaced by shock as he exclaimed, “You’re the ones wanted by the Wolf King!”

“The Wolf King is rather generous . If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t even know that my head was worth so much . ” Qianye laughed .

Xue Haiyang’s heart sank . He glanced at the vampiric blade at his neck and said with a wry smile, “It turns out you two are vampires . ”

Qianye said calmly, “She is, I am not, but that’s not important . Mr . Xue, are you trying to stall for time? You should know that it’s meaningless . ”

Xue Haiyang laughed ruefully . “I know, you even dare to kill the Wolf King’s son . There’s no way you’ll put a small character like me in your eyes . Cui Yuanhai did pay me a visit, but this matter was too important, so I had to report it to the main family . The main family’s response was to seize the man and watch him strictly . ”

“Where is he now?”

Xue Haiyang whispered helplessly, “Probably kidnapped . ”