It was past eight at night, and the sky had already grown quite dark, though the moon was bright enough this evening to leave some visibility.
In this remote county town, the roads on the outskirts were narrow and in wretched condition. Potholes and ruts left behind by vehicles traveling on rainy days were everywhere along the way, deep enough to trap a car.
Fortunately, the weather had been clear for several consecutive days, and Liu Shiheng's driving was very skilled.
Even so, he didn't drive too fast. As they went along, he even quietly widened the distance between them and the truck ahead. Bumping along over the rough road, he kept glancing back at Han Qingyu, his expression caught between wanting to speak and holding back.
"Qingzi, my gut tells me we might be acting a bit too reckless this time, aren't we? It's really not just that I'm afraid to die... well, not only that." After hesitating several times, Liu Shiheng finally couldn't hold it in. "I know how strong you and Wu Xu are, but..."
Meeting his gaze, Han Qingyu nodded seriously. "I know. I've been thinking about it too."
There were many reasons he had decided to go this time.
For one, a gathering of so many source-infused people all at once was exceedingly rare, and these clans were normally difficult to track down.
By doing this, besides dealing with the He clan, they might even locate where a few more of the mysterious bones had gone, and perhaps investigate their origins and secrets along the way.
On top of that, the most pressing matter right before him was that Han Qingyu urgently wanted to know what they were plotting and intended to do by gathering so many people all of a sudden.
This made Han Qingyu very uneasy right now.
He might never become a selfless, self-sacrificing person, but within the scope of his power, he was thoroughly unwilling to see Azure's people come to harm.
Azure certainly had its terrible and disturbing aspects. Yet because of the countless people who stood together beneath that flag—because of their existence—Azure remained a warm sanctuary in Han Qingyu's heart, and most of the time, it was even quite endearing.
Those many comrades he had never met and did not know could broadly be envisioned in the image of ordinary Azure soldiers: resolute defenders and guardians prepared to fight to the death, just like the comrades by his side.
Still, the danger of going was immense.
You might think of yourself as a lurking hunter, but if things went wrong, you could easily step right into a pit—a sheep walking straight into a tiger's jaws.
Assuming six or seven clans had gathered this time... judging by the scale of the Yu clan, that meant a combat force of around two hundred people.
And if each clan had one or two experts at Yu Yindou's level, or even truly top-tier experts...
With Rusty Sister and He Tangtang absent, Han Qingyu's side currently had only himself and Wu Xu as primary combatants, which seemed far from enough.
"Qingzi, did that bounty mission from the City of Iniquity publish a photo? Do they have a picture of you?" Wen Jifei asked suddenly. "It'd be awful if the moment you walked in, they all shouted, 'Whoa, it's Han Qingyu! Hack him to death!'"
"..." Han Qingyu involuntarily pictured the scene, then said somewhat helplessly, "There probably is a photo, but anyone who hasn't accepted the bounty shouldn't be able to see it."
Han Qingyu had actually thought of that question himself, and along with it, another, even more crucial question: Had the Yu clan and the Shang clan been invited this time?
If they simply hadn't been invited, and the group pretended they had caught wind of it and come to muscle in, it would probably be fine. What he feared most was that someone had gone to invite them, only to discover that the Yu clan was gone and the Shang clan was acting strange.
Especially the Yu clan.
The situation with the Shang clan wasn't too bad; the vast majority of their people were still there, and regarding the whereabouts of Shang Nianhua and the others, an explanation had been prepared and personally handed down by Shang Nianhua herself.
Thinking up to this point, Han Qingyu turned his head and called out, "Wu Xu."
"Hm?" Wu Xu looked up, looking a bit lost. He didn't seem to have been participating in the analysis and discussion at all... his job was purely to obey orders and fight.
"Was the Yu clan familiar with the other secluded clans? And do you know anything about the experts in those clans?" Han Qingyu asked.
Wu Xu looked at him and shook his head. "I don't know."
Well, as expected. Han Qingyu gave a nod and turned to Zhu Jiaming.
"You came to the right guy! Heh heh." Zhu Jiaming seemed to have been waiting for this. The moment eyes fell upon him, he offered enthusiastically, "Out of those clans, I've stayed with five..."
Wen Jifei started in surprise. "Five?!"
"Yeah, haha!" Zhu Jiaming laughed heartily. "Actually, more than five. There were two others I stayed with that later went under, so I didn't count them."
From the sound of it, those two entire clans had been wiped out... yet he, a mere guard, was still around, hopping from place to place.
This could actually be glimpsed from his earlier behavior and interactions. His uncanny aura of "naturally acting like one of your own" was truly formidable.
With a shift in his lowered gaze, Han Qingyu looked up. "Go on."
Zhu Jiaming nodded. "Right. What folks like us usually call experts are pretty much on Yu Yindou's level. Compared to you, Young Master Qingzi..."
*Wait, young master?! Is that what you call the madam's paramour?!*
*He's changing how he addresses him already?*
Han Qingyu cleared his throat lightly and said, "Just call me Qingzi."
"Sure thing! Anyway, the experts we talk about are on an entirely different level compared to someone of your caliber, Young Master Qing." Zhu Jiaming flattered him, then rolled his eyes upward as he did the math. "And there don't seem to be that many of them either."
Without pressing further, Han Qingyu was silent for a moment, then nodded and signaled for Zhu Jiaming to continue with a look.
"As for the Yu clan, it's actually completely normal for them to be missing," Zhu Jiaming explained. "Old Master Yu is an odd man. Unless he has no choice—like the time he raided the reserve station with the He clan and had to cooperate—he absolutely hates having anyone around who can stand as his equal. Because of that, he wasn't keen on keeping much contact with other clans either."
At Zhu Jiaming's explanation, Wu Xu silently nodded at Han Qingyu from the side. In his memory, Yu Yindou really was like that.
Recalling the Shang clan's camera and Yu Yindou's toy binoculars... the Yu clan truly seemed to live in a world different from everyone else. Han Qingyu nodded, accepting the explanation.
During this exchange, Liu Shiheng had been watching Han Qingyu's expression, and by now he knew Qingzi had already made up his mind to go.
Asking all this was merely to be better prepared.
Considering the details under that premise, clothes wouldn't be an issue. For security and secrecy, Azure personnel always wore civilian clothes when out off-duty, and since it was April, they were all still wearing coats... Liu Shiheng thought for a moment and said, "What about equipment and weapons? Will they be recognized?"
Among them, Han Qingyu's twin blades were custom-made with no serial numbers, though his device had one. Wu Xu's spear and sword came from the Yu clan. The two of them shouldn't have much of a problem, but the others were all carrying standard-issue gear.
"That shouldn't matter, right? I had a Ninth-Generation device before too," Zhu Jiaming chimed in. "Whether bought from the City of Iniquity or looted from Azure, it's actually completely normal for main combatants on our side to wear Azure devices. Of course, some wear Snow Lotus devices too..."
Before he could finish, the truck ahead disappeared around a corner.
Zhu Jiaming cut himself off, rose slightly to look ahead, and said, "We're here. It's right behind this street." Then he turned his eyes toward Han Qingyu.
Everyone in the vehicle, including the wounded squad member returning with them, directed their gaze at Han Qingyu.
From Wen Jifei and the others' perspective, they were long accustomed to following Han Qingyu's arrangements for every step and phase before battle. He might have shortcomings in many areas, but when it came to the battlefield, he had always possessed an acuity, rationality, and decisiveness beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Han Qingyu spoke: "Wu Xu and I will get off at the corner. You guys find a place nearby to park. Take your time looking for a spot, and once you find one, don't get out of the vehicle."
Without explaining why, Han Qingyu turned around and had Wen Jifei and the wounded squad member draw their blades, then instructed them to hold the blades to Zhu Jiaming's neck from either side.
"If he makes the slightest move, kill him."
"Understood."
Zhu Jiaming's face went blank with bewilderment. "Young Master Qing, I... why?"
Without looking at him, Han Qingyu told the others, "If anything happens, better to kill the wrong person than hesitate... I'm not sure what his goal is, but this man is far smarter than he seems."
At this point, Zhu Jiaming bowed out of the discussion and promptly shut his mouth.
"Shiheng."
"Yeah?"
"Contact Captain Lao. Tell him what's going on here and have him report it up the chain."
"Understood."
Chapter 207