Chapter 131: Departure Before the Storm

In the pavilion within the rear garden of the Imperial Trading Firm, four maidens in the bloom of their youth stood respectfully at the four corners. Their eyes remained fixed and unwavering, focused upon the esteemed Dean Nodin, who possessed a profound and steady aura, and the graceful, noble lady seated across from him.

This beautiful woman was Lan Qing, the owner of this imperial firm and the younger sister of the current Emperor of the Qingyun Empire. Though she had passed the age of forty, she was so well-preserved that she appeared as youthful as a young matron.

Lan Qing had come to share tea and play chess with the Dean. Ever since Dean Nodin arrived at the Blood Alliance, she would bring along a few sensible maids whenever she had leisure time to engage in a match with him. On this day, the weather was exceptionally fine, and Nodin, unable to refuse his former student, sat down to play a game with her.

"You have lost again."

"Teacher’s skill at chess is truly becoming more and more formidable. No matter how I try, I cannot win." Lan Qing knit her charming brows, her face filled with a blend of regret and admiration.

The four personal maids were long accustomed to this. They knew that only in front of Nodin—her teacher—would their mistress speak with such girlish candor. In the years since she had come to the Blood Alliance, this was the only moment she could truly relax; in her daily life, the dignity, arrogance, and untouchable nature of a princess were indispensable aspects of her persona.

"Heh heh." Nodin shook his head with a gentle smile, stroking his long beard as he remarked, "Usually, with your level of skill, you could still put up a fight against me. But your layout today... hmm, it is chaotic and loose, far too hasty. Your mind is clearly not on the chessboard. Are you troubled?" Despite his advanced age, his insight was second to none.

Lan Qing gave a strained smile and had someone clear the board before letting out a soft sigh. "Teacher, you know as well as I do. The entire Qingyun Empire is now in a state of extreme anxiety. As long as the people from the Dark Empire remain undiscovered, no one can feel at ease. My intuition tells me that the Dark Empire’s sudden silence is merely the calm before the storm. Once they make their next move, it will surely bring a reign of blood and misery, leaving the people with nowhere to turn."

Nodin’s expression darkened slightly, and he nodded slowly. "From the moment the Dark Empire ended its state of isolation, I knew this day would eventually come. It is inevitable that the Qingyun Empire will be plunged into war. We cannot stop it, and the Blood Alliance is equally powerless to intervene, and besides..." He sighed deeply.

Lan Qing knew what her teacher was implying. She slowly paced to the edge of the pavilion and gazed toward the north, her face filled with worry. "If they choose to stand by and watch, this brutal war will surely be even more devastating than the one hundreds of years ago!"

The silent, heavy atmosphere of the garden was broken by the sound of rapid, hurried footsteps. Lan Qing frowned slightly, turning to look at her teacher, who remained unmoved, his head lowered as he sipped his tea in a state of utter tranquility.

"What is it?"

A flustered maid rushed into the garden and knelt before the princess, her tone anxious. "Reporting to the Princess, Young Master Xu has left the training chamber. He left a message saying he is going out to train on his own for a period of time!"

"Young Master Xu?" Lan Qing was in the middle of discussing major affairs with the Dean and had no idea who this 'Young Master Xu' was. Even if he were Dean Harman's direct disciple, it was not the place of a princess to worry about him day and night.

Only after clarifying who the maid was referring to did she show a hint of surprise. "Training?"

"He has been in seclusion for less than a month. Did he say where he is going or how long he will be gone?"

The maid did not dare to raise her head as she replied, "Young Master Xu said he is going outside to cultivate. He did not specify a location, and regarding the duration, he said he will return when he needs to."

Lan Qing glanced at her teacher. "Very well, I understand. Going out to train is not a major issue. Do not be so flustered next time; it is unbecoming."

"Yes, I understand, but..." The maid replied in a low voice, burying her head even deeper, as if there was something more to say.

"Do not frighten the child; rise and speak. Did Young Master Xu have any other instructions?" Dean Nodin spoke up. Under the influence of his spiritual power, the pressure the maid felt from the princess was invisibly reduced, and her voice became clear. "Dean, Young Master Xu did not leave any instructions, but... I discovered that Young Master Xu’s cultivation seems to have dropped to the three-star level..."

The maid hesitated, looking at the Dean and the astonished Princess before quickly bowing her head again.

"Oh, just that? Understood, you may leave."

"Yes." The maid left the garden.

The Princess turned to face Dean Nodin, her eyes filled with faint confusion. "Teacher..."

Nodin knew what she was going to ask. He briefly explained the effects of the 'Breath-Concealing Pill,' dispelling the princess’s doubts, and expressed no surprise at Xu Wen's departure.

"Concealing his cultivation by three stars? Does that mean his cultivation has already reached the six-star level? A fifteen-year-old six-star fire mage... Teacher, if we let him leave alone like this, will he be in danger?"

"Rest assured." Dean Nodin smiled slightly. "Anyone might suffer a loss, but not him. This child..." He paused for a moment before continuing, "is very intelligent and very special. His future achievements will be immeasurable!"

Lan Qing was slightly stunned; this was the first time she had heard her teacher evaluate a student with such certainty and seriousness, and with such high praise.

***

High in the sky, dozens of miles away from the Blood Mansion, an exceptionally majestic black eagle soared, outstripping several hawk-cats and letting out a joyous cry that echoed through the clouds. Whenever someone scanned them with spiritual power, they were amazed to find that the youth atop the Black Wind Eagle was so incredibly young.

A four-star, eighth-rank contracted beast, yet its master was merely a three-star, second-rank minor mage. It was the first time they had ever seen a beast tamer whose cultivation was lower than that of his contracted beast!

But they did not know the truth.

Three-star, second rank—that was only the surface; one had to add another three stars to reach Xu Wen’s true strength. Since Dean Harman had sacrificed his own strength to forcibly expand Xu Wen’s chaotic sea of consciousness, raising his cultivation to the peak of the five-star, ninth-rank, Xu Wen had mastered a five-star Heaven-level spell and a six-star Earth-level spell from the manuals during his seclusion, pushing his cultivation to the peak of the six-star, second-rank.

As for Dean Harman, although Xu Wen had proactively severed the connection to his chaotic sea of consciousness and absorbed his soul into a pure crystal ball capable of storing undead, the Dean had fallen into a coma due to the excessive exhaustion of his divine sense and mental power and had not yet awakened. The crystal ball was currently stored in his treasure belt.

Recalling the earth-shattering secret the Dean had revealed before falling unconscious, Xu Wen dared not linger at the Imperial Trading Firm. A nine-star necromancer equipped with an artifact was something that the Blood Alliance and the Qingyun Empire could not possibly confront together! Once the battle broke out, the Blood Mansion would no longer be a safe haven.

However, Xu Wen did not dare to leave the training chamber rashly. Having gone from five-star, fourth-rank to six-star, second-rank in less than a month of seclusion—how would others perceive that? He hadn't even had the chance to visit Nodin before taking a 'Breath-Concealing Pill' and fleeing the city.

Xu Wen was headed for a sparsely populated town.

When a storm approaches, the most prosperous cities are the most conspicuous and dangerous. The more remote a place, the easier it is to survive the ravages of war. For a novice like him, who had no influence on the outcome of the war, the best strategy was to find a place to hide and wait until the situation clarified before deciding on his next move.

Although the Black Wind Eagle could not travel ten thousand miles a day, a thousand miles was well within its capabilities. In less than two hours, Xu Wen appeared over a sparsely populated plain area, where no large city could be seen for a hundred miles in any direction. After circling in the air for a while, Xu Wen chose a small town near a river and landed.

This town, which could not be called dilapidated, was named 'Red Aloe Town,' named after the beautiful red aloe that grew outside the town. In cities like those in the Blood Alliance, only magical beast resources could attract mercenaries and adventurers and stimulate prosperity; such common crops clearly could not make this town wealthy. Consequently, the town’s population was low, with fewer than twenty thousand people, and merchant caravans from other regions would not pass through this valueless city.

But for Xu Wen, this place was an excellent refuge!

The town was not large; if there were any signs of trouble, he would know immediately. Xu Wen did not expect to find anything useful in such a place, so he walked straight into the local Mercenary Association, intending to rent an independent training chamber to continue contemplating the magic manuals left by Dean Harman and improve his strength.

Among necromantic spells, there was indeed a forbidden technique to forcibly transplant a human soul into another body, but Xu Wen was not yet capable of it. He lacked the necessary spiritual cultivation, and furthermore, completing such a forbidden technique required many precious materials and a sufficiently powerful 'vessel,' which Xu Wen could not obtain at present.

Fortunately, Dean Harman was currently in a deep state of slumber, giving him enough time to further improve his strength!

After picking up a token and leaving the Mercenary Association, Xu Wen, who was walking in a hurry, did not notice that at a corner not far down the street, half a face was slowly peeking out.

"What is this kid doing, running alone to a place like this?"

"His cultivation is also bizarre."

The self-mumbling stalker was a member of the Evil Owl Mercenary Group who had once had a run-in with Xu Wen in the White Mist Forest and had been scared off by a signal rocket. From the moment the Black Wind Eagle flew into the town, the rogue had locked onto him, only realizing after following him to the Mercenary Association that it was the same youth he had crossed paths with before.

Determined that the target was alone, the rogue stared at Xu Wen’s back with a sinister smile. *The boss seems very interested in him. I'll just drag him back!*

"You've been following me for a long time. Come out."

After turning into an empty alley, Xu Wen stopped and turned around.

*Whoosh.*

A faint sound erupted and vanished instantly. A black shadow vaulted from the courtyard next door into the alley, standing ten meters away from Xu Wen. A thin, mocking smile hung on his lean face. "Interesting. Now I'm interested in you, too."

"Unfortunately, I have no interest in you. Are all seven of you in this town?"

"Heh heh, quite smart. Since you know, come with me. My boss hasn't been able to stop thinking about you since that time."

"You are a dead man, so I won't be going with you."

Xu Wen’s gaze was calm. Knowing that there was only this one pursuer, he saw no need to be polite. A six-star rogue appearing so brazenly before a six-star mage—the man did not even realize his own predicament. Ignorance was truly the most terrifying thing.

A slender, deep-black flame rapidly extended from his right shoulder. Xu Wen had no intention of wasting time with him.

The rogue snorted coldly. With a flick of his hand, a blindingly white light shot toward Xu Wen’s eyes, and his figure vanished from the alley at the same time.