Qiao Peng swiftly headed outside without further word. Qiao Feilong mulled over the situation after his son left and addressed a corner of his office.
âDid you sense anything special?â
âNo, heâs very ordinary, but he looks to have absorbed mysterious power. I can sense that his physique is quite decent and his skinâs tenacity is very good. He might be a Slayer of Tens.â
âThat is to be expected!â Qiao Feilong dismissed the assessment. âHeâs Yuan Shuoâs student and has absorbed mysterious power. With the New Book of Five Styles in hand and supposedly wielding its breathing method as well, setting foot into Slayer of Tens is only a matter of time!â
âThen does the boss think...â the person in the shadows lowered his voice. âIs there anything special about his blood?â
âIt may not be as simple as just his blood. The so-called bloodline may need to be distilled from the blood. Mere blood flow will not do!â Qiao Feilong waved the conversation to a close. âAlright, letâs set this aside for now. Do not incite trouble as the city is unstable at the moment. Wait for the right moment to act!â
âUnderstood.â
The discussion was over.
......
At the same time.
Wreathed in smiles, Li Hao reached the first floor still reeling from shock. Was Qiao Feilong a Solar? Could his teacher kill a Solar now without the swordâs help? Would they reap large amounts of mysterious power if they killed this Solar? What kind of supernatural was the corporation president?
Scattered thoughts ran through his mind. To think that this old guy would hide himself so deeply!
He must carry a treasure on him!
Qiao Feilong wouldnât conceal his energy ripples so perfectly otherwise. There was nothing to sense and in fact, it appeared that he held them completely within his body.
Got us a big one!
This was definitely a large catch, one that was staying put in Silver City. Logically speaking, even Heaven Favored found it difficult to break through if they didnât do battle or see the rest of the world. Yuan Shuo had commenced his fair share of wandering when he was young, which enabled his eventual breakthrough to Dominator.
No one could absorb mysterious power and passively make their way to Sunflare or Solar.
Can it be that... theyâve taken something from my ancestral tomb? The possibility suddenly occurred to Li Hao, alongside deep anguish. Bastards! The guy mustâve dug into and robbed my ancestorsâ graves! Thatâs how heâs able to ascend in Silver City and become peak Sunflare or even a Solar. Damn it, he stole from me!
It was highly likely and a given that something was afoot at the Qiao mines. What a pity that they could not afford to alert the enemy at this time! But the trip had not been made in vain. Heâd discovered Qiao Feilongâs strength and obtained ten cubes of mysterious power. The latter was an unexpected gain, but these two together were enough.
âLi Hao!â Wang Ming glanced at his colleague and took note of the box in his hand. âAn energy storage box?â
âYou recognize it?â
âOf course!â Wang Ming furrowed his brows. âYou accepted more presents?â
It was one thing to take small gifts, but this was mysterious power! Heâd already forgotten how he derided Li Hao for his small worldview. One should either not accept gifts, or take only dozens or one hundred cubes of mysterious power!
âItâs not for me, itâs for Sis Liu,â Li Hao muttered. âShe lacks this and itâs her compensation. You donât understand, this is blood money!â
âYouâre making the decision on Liu Yanâs behalf?â Wang Ming was startled that the young man dared accept this.
Li Hao leered. âItâs fine! Itâs our loss if we donât take it!â
Will Sis Liu want it?
Not under normal circumstances, but Li Hao felt that Sis Liu would want it if he put in a few words. Using the enemyâs gift to strengthen oneself and then kill the enemy in return... Why not accept something like this!
Well well, their relationship really extends beyond the norm! Wang Ming sniffed. Li Hao appeared to be an honest boyâhe really kept his tendencies well under wraps.
They needed to carry out their duties well after accepting a present. The group quickly arrived at the mines outside the city. Li Hao didnât even walk inside. He took a look from the entrance and quickly left in merry delight. He seemed to be in a hurry to return to headquartersâwell, of course as he carried a box of mysterious power. He didnât set it down once.
Qiao Peng suddenly spat on the ground when Li Hao and Wang Ming disappeared from view.
âEyes of a rat that can only see an inch of light!â he cursed at Li Hao. The kid had been so upright and righteous before, but look at him after receiving a gift! He was worried about dirtying his shoes at the mine inspection and decided on taking a look from the outside before running off.
âThe Night Watchers are blind to let this guy be the deputy director!â he spat. But this was just as well, it would save him a lot of effort.
......
At the same time.
In the car.
Li Haoâs smile slowly withered and he looked at Wang Ming. âOle Wang, are Sunflare real powerhouses?â
âNo shit!â Wang Ming rolled his eyes. âDo you know how many Night Watcher Sunflares there are in all of Silver Moon? Sunflare is the equivalent of Dominatorâone against a thousand! Which one of them isnât a heavyweight?â
Li Hao nodded silently. Really? Well, fuck! I saw three balls of light in the depths of the mines! If Qiao Feilong is thrown into the mix, then there might be one Solar and three Sunflares at Qiao Mining! And you say that Sunflares are apex powerhouses that are rarely seen? Who are you kidding??
Iâve only been at it for a few days and have seen a ton of Solars! Hao Lianchuan, Brokensky, and now possibly Qiao Feilong! Thereâs the Sunflare that died last time, Huang Yun, and the one hidden in the shadows of the Qiao office... That makes for three Sunflares!
The Qiaos!
A reeling Li Hao once more questioned if the Qiaos were just a money-making machine in the mundane world for Yama.
Hells no!
If Yama was that powerful, then Red Moon and the Night Watchers paled far in comparison. Who would assign so many powerhouses to a mundane fringe group designed to fund the organization?
It must be something from the eight families thatâs propelled them forward. Itâs got to be! One hundred percent!
Li Hao was certain that there was much more behind the Qiao curtain. They mustâve discovered something and possibly stashed it away for their own use. They wouldnât be so powerful otherwise. Wasnât that belittling the Night Watchers, to produce so many powerhouses in a family corporation from a fringe city like Silver City? n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
If Wang Ming said Sunflares were powerhouses, then they were powerhouses. It just pained Li Hao that the Qiaos was making use of some treasures. Had they emptied the ruins? Liu Yanâs husband had been dead for many years. With these years of excavation, perhaps they really had made off with plenty of loot.
The Qiaos bide their time and thereâs no movement from YamaâI havenât heard of any major disturbance in Silver City. Are the two in cahoots or not? Or are the Qiaos conducting some secret operations behind Yamaâs back?
He nursed some suspicionsâthere should be more than Qiao Feilong on the scene. There might be other Solars from Yama, waiting in the shadows to reap their harvest. They would at least place checks on each other!
I need to go to teacher! Li Hao was both frightened and excited. Perhaps theyâd make out like bandits this time, if they didnât die in the attempt.
Off to the side, Wang Ming looked strangely at his counterpart. Just look at his expression change! What, was he a chameleon? Was he this excited to receive mysterious power? Was there a lot in that box?
Impulses stirred in Wang Ming, but he quickly dismissed the notion. Iâm not Li Hao. This guyâs vision for the future is so meager that he accepts bribes! Iâm going to report him one day!
Of course, if he was given some... Bah! I, Wang Ming, will never share his loot!
Wang Ming stomped on the accelerator as various thoughts ran through his head.
......
Veteris Institute of Silver City.
It hadnât been long since Li Haoâs departure, but he hadnât visited Yuan Shuo last time; heâd gone directly to the principalâs building. This time, he set course for his teacherâs residence.
Wang Ming wasnât with him out of a decreased desire to run around. He waited outside with the car; Li Hao let him be.
......
Inside the yard.
Yuan Shuo was facing off against a dog. He found it fun to educate Panther on a daily basis. Li Hao didnât know where a screw had gotten loose in his teacherâs mind. Heâd matched wits and valor with the dog for almost half a month!
âTeacher!â Li Hao waved a greeting. Panther howled and barrelled out, rearing up on Li Haoâs thigh.
âAouuuu! Arf arf! Meow meow!â
Li Hao blinked. What were those cries?
âPanth, what are you imitating a cat for?â
âAouuu, aouuuu,â Panther answered frantically. It didnât want to either, but that terrifying old man said that he might not be a dog, that he might be a mixed breed and could possibly climb a tree like a cat, bite like a wolf, and plow the fields like a cow...
Panther wallowed in an abyss of misery! This was too painful, so when it finally saw Li Hao, it itched to immediately run off with the young man. It didnât want to spend a single second more with the old human!
âYouâre here, eh?â Yuan Shuo looked much younger together. He casually wiped off his hands, ignoring the dog. âDonât randomly run around on errands when youâve got free time. You should take advantage of the opening to practice martial techniques. That Little Wang you work with is here too, right?â
âCorrect, weâre here on official business and didnât want to disturb teacher.â
âItâs fine.â Yuan Shuo didnât mind and didnât ask why Wang Ming wasnât present. It was normal, the kid was too embarrassed to come.
âThis dog is quite nice!â the professor chuckled. However, Panther was so frightened it nearly shook.
âDid you hit it, teacher?â Li Hao asked helplessly.
âHit it?â Yuan Shuo grinned. âHow would I? Iâm an academic sort and rarely punish humans or dogs. Tell me, have I ever punished you?â
âThatâs... true. You havenât.â Li Hao found it odd. What was Panth afraid of if it wasnât being beaten?