Chapter 422: Day and Night
Chapter 422: Day and Night [V5C129 – A Distance Within Reach]
Nighteye was never one to do a sloppy job. She began her assault by prying open Qianye’s lips almost violently and stretching her tongue inside.
With a boom, a certain flame ignited within Qianye’s being and almost made him go insane! He could no longer care about other stuff as he reciprocated ferociously like an erupting volcano.
Qianye was pressed down to the ground with a loud thud, but he soon flipped over with great force.
The sounds of panting beasts suddenly rang out in that corner of the small town, almost like a tremendous quake.
A window suddenly opened up not so far away, and a voice akin to a strangled duck shouted, “How can people sleep with that ruckus?!”
An unidentified object flew out from the dark and slammed right through his teeth and into his mouth. The person dragged the hard object out with great difficulty and placed it under the lamplight—his soul almost flew away in shock upon seeing the origin power grenade! Fortunately, the safety hadn’t been pulled out.
The window closed tightly with a bang and even the lights were put out. There was no longer a single sign of movement thereafter.
With that, the quake at the village corner went on.
Nighttime was long on Evernight Continent, but no matter how long, dawn would eventually arrive. At this moment, an entire night had passed by, and a faint glow was appearing over the distant horizon. The perpetual dark grey sky under the iron curtain only lightened up slightly and became suffused with an aged white hue.
Qianye tossed his body onto the ground, feeling as though it had grown several times heavier than before. He felt his body aching everywhere as he lay there on his back, breathing heavily. He felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, but there was also a deep leaden hue staining this joyful moment, its color very much like the sky above.
Nighteye lay beside Qianye, her black hair drenched in sweat and sticking to her forehead. She bunched up her messy hair and slowly propped herself up, but even this small movement caused her to frown with a pained expression.
“Still painful?” Qianye asked cautiously.
“No kidding! I’ve never seen you so fierce in battle!” Nighteye rolled her eyes.
“But it’s you who asked me to go hard.”
“Of course! How can you be called a man if you don’t put in the effort at such a time?”
Qianye’s explanation was stuffed back into his mouth by Nighteye’s words. He had no idea how to reply since it sounded wrong no matter how he phrased it.
Nighteye glanced up at the sky and calmed down all of a sudden. “The dawn is breaking.”
Her words sounded like nonsense because daytime under the Iron Curtain was fairly dusky, while the nighttime wasn’t as dark. There was little difference between night and day. But for some indescribable reason, Qianye’s heart ached after hearing these words.
Nighteye scanned their surroundings, collected her clothes, and then put them back on one by one. Her calm demeanor made the morning seem like any other—not at all like one who had passed a night of flaming passion and shared the most intimate relationship with a man.
Qianye got up in silence and also dressed up. He had many questions and many words he wanted to say to Nighteye, but not a word came out. He was still very much afraid, and this time, he was afraid that the night would really end after that one question.
But the night would inevitably pass, and the daybreak would still arrive in the end.
Nighteye combed her black hair with her fingers and tied it behind her head in a ponytail. Apart from that, the girl looked exactly as she had when she arrived at the little town. Nothing extraordinary could be sensed about her apart from those deep eyes—no origin power, no blood energy—she was just like an ordinary human girl.
Qianye wasn’t surprised at this. It was the same when he saw her for the very first time. Qianye had already fought countless vampires back then, and yet, he had still failed to discover her identity. Now that Qianye also possessed this Bloodline Concealment ability, he naturally understood that some secret arts and talents could not only blind the eyes, but also deceive the senses.
Nighteye glanced at Qianye and said calmly, “It’s dawn. I should leave now.”
“Me too.”
“Next time...” Nighteye paused momentarily, “there won’t ever be a next time.” Her final words were spoken with great calmness and resolution. There wasn’t a shred of hesitation, as if those words weren’t just an ordinary goodbye.
Gazing at Nighteye’s receding figure, Qianye understood that there would never be a next time. Even if there were opportunities for them to meet again, it would be for the best if they did not. [1]
She stood on the side of Evernight, and Qianye belonged to daybreak. This one step distance was akin to an eternal chasm. Great earthquakes may change the lofty mountains and great rivers one day, but no one knew what it would take to extinguish the enmity imprinted into the two factions. Qianye’s hands were stained with the blood of innumerable vampires, just as countless human experts had fallen to Nighteye.
This vendetta had gone on for a thousand years and would seemingly continue for eternity.
Their next reunion would definitely be on the battlefield. So what was the point in meeting?
Qianye stood there in silence for an unknown length of time. It was only when night fell anew that he slowly turned to leave the grey market, quickly disappearing into the dark night.
This grey market was a trade outpost that had appeared spontaneously under the Iron Curtain, a natural paradise for the wild and adventurous. But its existence was fairly short-lived compared to similar establishments along the border region. Not long after Qianye’s departure, the diverse crowd also poured out and eventually scattered in different directions. This grey market existed only for a single week.
The place had turned into a battlefield by the time night fell once more. Several units from The Empire and the Dark Nation met one another here. An intense battle ensued which lasted for several days and nights, and the flames of battle ravaged the entire town. Only that little bar known as Apocalypse Nightfall remained standing amidst the rubble, preserving some of the memories from that fateful night.
Qianye chose to go south. He had already confirmed that the grey market was located north of human-controlled territory, but was still over two thousand kilometers from Blackflow City. The Iron Curtain stretching into human territory was in the shape of a long arc—Blackflow lay in the southwest, while the grey market was to the northeast.
Qianye had unwittingly reached such a remote place. The reason for this was naturally the live Black Forest. It not only warped time and space for the creatures that had entered, but its own location was also shifting constantly in relation to the fixed continents.
No matter how far, it was manageable as long as he could get a fix on the location. Qianye made preparations to head south and kill his way back into human territory before boarding an airship back to Blackflow City. That was the fastest route.
The situation in Blackflow City, at this moment, was on the verge of ignition.
Waterfront, a small city not even a hundred kilometers from Blackflow City, had turned into a major army camp. The beasts in the area had been swept clean, and large fleets of airships were landing and taking off in turn.
Entire units of soldiers walked out from each airship to unload large numbers of excellent equipment—everything from heavy cannons to military trucks. Escorting this massive fleet of airships was actually a number of regular-army-grade destroyers.
Over three thousand warriors had gathered in Waterfront City, and each of them was a member of the Nangong family’s elite private soldiers. There were several other camps around Waterfront City, bustling with an endless stream of mercenaries and adventurers who had set up camp here.
Nangong Yuanwang nodded in satisfaction as he watched the airships landing one after another. He asked his aide, “How much longer until the assembly completes?”
Someone beside replied, “Elder, the last batch of soldiers will arrive three days later. However, it’ll take another ten days for all the equipment and resources to be shipped.”
Nangong Yuanwang placed his hands behind his back. “No rush. It’s not too late to attack after making sure of everything. Any news from Jiancheng?”
Another person replied cautiously, “Elder, Sire Jiancheng and all the soldiers left behind to set up an ambush have gone missing. That Black Forest has also disappeared completely. My guess is that Sire Jiangcheng might’ve entered the Black Forest by accident and lost contact with us.”
Nangong Yuanwang sighed deeply. His countenance was rather gloomy because Nangong Jiancheng was a great general from his lineage. Their strength would surely suffer now that he had disappeared along with so many elite soldiers, and his position in the family hereafter might also be shaken.
But it was too late for regrets. Nangong Yuanwang glanced toward the distant Blackflow City with eyes full of hate. He had long since transferred his wrath onto Blackflow and Dark Flame—even Song Zining and the Song clan had been dragged in.
“Any changes in Blackflow City?”
His aides were all hesitant. At last, one of them braced himself and said, “No change at all.”
Nangong Yuanwang’s eyes flickered with ferocity. “Are our Nangong soldiers’ corpses still hanging on the city wall? Have the emissaries not returned?”
That person said with a bitter expression, “Elder, the men we sent have returned. But that, Song Zining is fairly arrogant. H-He said…”
“Speak!”
“He said those people have committed a grave offense and must be hanged there for a couple more days.”
“Insolence!” Nangong Yuanwang was furious. Winds kicked up around him, causing all of his subordinates to sway left and right.
One of his trusted aides stabilized his body and said hurriedly, “Elder, please calm your anger! That Song Seven is surely seeking his own demise by being so arrogant. But this subordinates believes we shouldn’t mobilize just yet. Why don’t we…”
Nangong Yuanwang retracted his might and said coldly, “Speak!”
That man approached and said in a hushed tone, “This subordinate just received news that the dark races are amassing a big army on the other side, and that their movements are unclear. Doesn’t ‘that person’ have a deep relationship with the other side? If we leak some news, we might be able to draw the dark race army to Blackflow City. At that time, no matter which side emerges victorious, our Nangong army will flatten them as the autumn gale sweeps away fallen leaves.”
Nangong Yuanwang said with a frown, “These dark race members are as ruthless as they are cunning. Even if we leak the news, how can we be sure that they’ll move as you’ve predicted?”
The aide moved even closer and said in a soft voice, “Elder, the one inside Blackflow is the Song clan’s second in line. Such a character will fetch a significant sum of contribution on the other side. There’s no need to worry about them not taking the bait.”
Nangong Yuanwang appeared enlightened. “This plan is brilliant! Very well, let’s do it as you said. I’ll record a big contribution under your name if the dark race army attacks Blackflow City.”
The aide cupped his hands and said, “Thank you, elder, for the cultivation. This subordinate has something else to say, but I am not sure whether or not I should speak of it.”
Nangong Yuanwang was in a great mood. “Just say it.”
“We’ve lost so many men here. Not only has Sire Xiaofeng been badly injured, but the two sires, Tiancheng and Jiancheng, have also fallen in battle. The source of all this isn’t Qianye or Song Zining, but a woman called Nangong Xiaoniao.”
Nangong Yuanwang snorted loudly. “This elder naturally knows about this matter. That Nangong Xiaoniao is good looking, but far from being a kingdom toppling beauty. Moreover, she’s the descendant of a distant branch. What’s so good about her?”
“Elder, the clan lord mobilized in full force just for this woman. Not to mention the waste of manpower and resources, the warriors of the family have also suffered significant casualties. Many people are dissatisfied about this matter!”
Nangong Yuanwang was visibly moved and inquired despite knowing the answer, “You mean?”
[1] West River Moon (by Sima Guang)
Her bundled hair hung loose, and her make-up faintly worn.
Those threads, like gossamer, were dancing in the green mist.
We should not have met again. For reunion
begets more yearning, just as love begets more pain.
I awoke as the music faded away.
The courtyard was empty and the moon was high in the sky.