Withering Heart
Ye Chong had been watching this person for awhile, who was tailing him ever since he left the crowd. He was about to make his move when that person spoke up first.
"Do you know May's Night Ridge?" Ye Chong stopped walking and turned around to ask.
Guan Qingheng did not answer Ye Chong, but studied this young man in front of him instead. Up close, Ye Chong gave an even deeper impression to Guang Qingheng. Such weathered eyes could hardly be found on a 20-over-year-old. The coldness in those eyes were also decidedly uninviting.
"Is your surname Guan?" Guan Qingheng pondered for a moment before asking.
That was an interesting question. Just from Guan Qnigheng's question alone, Ye Chong could deduce a lot. He could not help but thought of Lunatic Guan, and nodded. "Yes."
Guan Qingheng appeared puzzled. Of the 14 Tribes in May's Night Ridge, only the Guan Family had the surname Guan. However, all these years, only the Eldest Young Miss and Youngest Young Miss had left May's Night Ridge. This young man was probably around 20 years of age - could he be the son of the Eldest Young Miss? Guan Qingheng immediately dismissed the silly idea. How could he even come up with such an impossible answer? Could the Eldest Young Miss possibly bear child at 10?
However, the fact was that only the Eldest Young Miss and Youngest Young Miss had left May's Night Ridge for as long as he remembered.
The Guan Family was in decline, but it was still a true Elder Family compared to the other families. The Guan Family was one of the Five Elder Families that founded May's Night Ridge, and up until now, its entitlement for a place in the Ridge had never been challenged. For the newer members of May's Night Ridge, they would probably have branches outside of the Ridge. For the Guan Family, which had stayed in the Ridge for who knew how many years, it would not have any branches.
"Perhaps it was a coincidence that this person also had the surname Guan," Guan Qingheng
thought to himself with a little sadness.
"What is your business in May's Night Ridge?" Guan Qingheng asked. After all, the Ridge never dealt with outsiders.
Just then, a voice came from behind Guan Qingheng, "I saw, Vice Squad Captain, we should be going." The female voice sounded a touch cynical and mocking.
Guan Qingheng scrunched his eyebrows slightly together. He need not turn around to know that it was Shi Mingbei, Squad Captain of the procurement squad.
Ye Chong looked up to see the woman who interrupted them. She was about 20 years old, with her right hand hovering right by her waist. This was a standard stance for an alchemist. As she approached them both slowly, her right hand never left her waist, where many small pouches hung from her belt in a way that was not easily noticeable. Her fingers were long, and seemed capable of quick movements.
Ye Chong assessed the female alchemist to be very capable.
For the uninitiated, however, she was an entirely different person. Here was a flirty young lady with neat, white teeth, a coquettish smile on her face as her hand rested on her waist while she walked towards the two men. Her slender waist looked like a fragile willow branch, and people could not help but gulped as they watched from the side.
"Oh, who's this young man here? I say, Vice Squad Captain, when did you get acquainted with such a handsome young man? And you didn't even introduce him to me, it breaks my heart!" She complained teasingly.
Guan Qingheng seemed to try his best to ignore her antics, and replied coldly, "You jest, Captain Shi." Everytime he saw this woman, he could not help but feel repulsed by her.
Shi Mingbei was from the Shi Family [1]. The Shi Family was admitted into the Ridge in the last Ridge meeting. Unlike the historical Guan Family, the Shi Family operated in a more utilitarian manner. This allowed the Shi Family to expand their influence rapidly. Their members could be found in many of the important departments of the Ridge Council.
Guan Qingheng
Qingheng never liked the Shi Family. Besides, his position in the procurement squad was awkward - he was 35, and Shi Mingpei 24, but their positions did not reflect their ranking in seniority.
"Has our Vice Squad Captain forgotten about the rules of the Ridge? This young man here is going to suffer from it!" Shi Mingbei had an attractive smile, but her eyes were shining with a cold gleam.
Guan Qingheng's eyes widened as realized what was happening.
A sweet scent wafted in the air. Shi Mingbei smiled even more invitingly, her eyes narrowing into two crescent moons.
As he studied the two conversing individuals, Ye Chong's nose twitched, and his brows lifted in surprise!
A cold exclamation! The wooden spear in his right hand suddenly turned around and striked!
"Ah!" A woman cried in pain! A shadow hit Shi Mingbei's left shoulder, the huge momentum throwing her backwards, landing her heavily on the ground.
Crack. Guan Qingheng's face twisted with dread. Good hearing may not be an alchemist's trademark ability, but he could still hear the clear sound of bone cracking. Almost every alchemist was experienced in treating injuries, and Guan Qingheng could tell that Shi Mingbei's scapula sustained a highly comminuted fracture.
Shi Mingbei's expression contorted in pain. Her beautiful face was no longer visible under the torturing pain she felt. She gritted her teeth, her right hand reaching for her waist! She did not know how the other person noticed. She should have used an even stronger alchemy substance.
She finally reached her waist, but stopped abruptly, her entire body freezing like a statue. She dared not move. A large bead of sweat trickled down from the tip of her nose. Her face was white as a sheet, and her eyes were filled with terror!
A jet black spearhead was less than a millimeter away from the tip of her nose!
She could even see the patterns on the spearhead, and the unique scent that came from the black spearhead.
Being admitted to May's Night Ridge implied that the Shi Family was an exemplary in the field of alchemy.
of alchemy. As one of the more capable members of the Shi Family, Shi Mingbei was of course well versed in alchemy.
She knew exactly how dangerous the poison on the tip of the spearhead was! She did know the exact components of the alchemy substance on the spearhead, but that did not stop her from deducing its effects. She could tell that even a tiny scratch on her skin from the spearhead would kill her before she could even reach for the antidote.
The spearhead stopped less than a millimeter away from the tip of her nose. The air around her seemed to stop flowing. Already she had forgotten the pain from her injury as she stared at the spearhead, the symbol of death. She dared not move a muscle, in case her opponent thought she was fighting back. Any minor movement from her enemy would give her a fatal ending.
Her back was drenched with sweat as she felt a chill down her spine.
She watched without moving as the spearhead moved downwards slowly.
The spearhead finally stopped at her waist.
Rip! She felt a chill at her waist. As the spearhead lightly graced her skin, she felt goosebumps all over her, and the terror in her eyes intensified.
The spearhead had ripped a large hole in her clothing, and the fair skin underneath attracted the eyes of passersby like bees to honey.
Ye Chong's eyes were cold and emotionless. He bent down and began to search Shi Mingbei's waist with careful movements. Even while bending down, his other hand was holding the wooden spear steadily, as though his two shoulders belonged to two different human beings.
To the passersby, it was easy to mistake the situation as that of a young man using a wooden spear to threaten the young lady and take advantage of her.
"You wretched b*stard, how dare you act so recklessly? Stop now!" A loud cry interrupted the silence around them. This same script is used for every opening act of chivalry, no matter the era.
Ye Chong did not seem to hear the voice at all.