Star Gate

Chapter 96: Spoils of War (III)

“Recovering! Wu Chao is heavily injured and the others are wounded as well. Yun Yao is looking after them.”

Li Hao nodded, then looked at the old man that his teacher called Mister Huang. His intention was very clear—please collect the mysterious power for me. Normal people can’t gather this stuff.

Huang Yun looked awkwardly at his superior; Hao Lianchuan didn’t say anything. A living Solar was precious, while a dead one was… forgettable! Other than Liu Long, no one relied on obtaining mysterious power through killing supernaturals.

One Solar might yield one thousand cubes, but a singular Sunderer alone might require that many to make the crossover. Slightly less than that could be sufficient, but it was never worth it to kill a Solar for their power!

Li Hao thought this was the only way because he was inexperienced in the ways of the world. If this truly was the case, then chaos would’ve long engulfed the supernatural domain!

Mysterious power was both important, but negligible. Hao Lianchuan didn’t care about it. Instead, he looked at the young man, at the sword in the latter’s hand, then the young man again. The heir of the Lis!

The final heir to the eight families of Silver City! What secrets did the eight families hide that Red Moon would pay such an enormous price to kill them?

“Is this Li Hao, Professor Yuan? As expected of a vaunted disciple of the professor!” Hao Lianchuan chuckled. “I hear that you’ve joined the Inspectorate, so that makes you a colleague! You are loyal and devoted to your late friend, and you’ve also performed a great deed of merit! We made a clean sweep of all Red Moon members that came on this mission—the Inspectorate will absolutely be rewarding people according to their contributions. In my opinion, there is no problem for you to be promoted to commissioner inspector!”

“That means a raise too?” Yuan Shuo laughed. “Your pay will increase from three thousand to twenty thousand?”

That cut Hao Lianchuan off mid sentence. Was the old man listening to himself?

“We did not expect Red Moon’s ambush, Professor Yuan. Of course, it also had something to do with Li Hao. To be honest, there are certain matters that we have not fully grasped about Silver City, particularly when it comes to ancient affairs. Even the professor did not anticipate this, much less us!” Hao Lianchuan explained. “I have heard of a Silver City folk song that mentions the sword of the Lis. Might I have the honor of looking upon it?”

Li Hao looked at his teacher, then at the director. He decided to offer the little sword to the latter. Hao Lianchuan smiled in return and took a moment to probe it with his senses. It’s sealed!

A detailed inspection revealed that the seal was very strong. Though he couldn’t determine anything else, the necessity of such a substantial seal was proof that there was much more to this sword than met the eye!

“Do the Night Watchers want it?” Yuan Shuo cut straight to the chase.

“Yes!” Hao Lianchuan likewise minced no words. “There’s no need to talk in a roundabout way with Professor Yuan! One, Red Moon was very likely here for this sword. It’s too dangerous for it to remain with Li Hao—the professor should understand this as well!

“Two, we are indeed very curious about the eight families and wish to trace them back to their roots. We also desire to understand Red Moon’s goal, so we need to study the sword!

“Three, given that Li Hao has yet to unseal it, there are likely difficulties with locating the proper method. We can give it a try. The Night Watchers are a large organization at the end of the day and possess countless talents. We’ll certainly have more methods to unseal an item than Li Hao!”

The director glanced at Li Hao before settling his gaze on Yuan Shuo. “This sword has become the source of trouble!”

“We know, so my disciple’s given it to me!” Yuan Shuo smiled. “It’s not a source of trouble anymore with me! Have Ying Hongyue come find me if he wants it. He was a dog twenty years ago and he’s still a dog now!”

“Professor, it’s been twenty years like you say. Ying Hongyue has twenty years under his belt and Solars at his command. What level do you think he is now?” Director Hao said earnestly. “He took to the field once two years ago and killed a Solar. We're not sure if he even used his full strength! He’s in the central region for the time being fighting Yama, Celestial, and our headquarters. While he can’t come here, that doesn’t mean he never will!

“I won’t beat around the bush as we’re all smart people. Giving it to the Night Watchers will be safer than the professor carrying it.”

“That’s true! How about this, I can do that with minimal stipulations.” Yuan Shuo grinned. “First, publicize that you guys took the sword of the Lis. Second, ensure Li Hao’s and my safety. Third, give me ten thousand cubes of mysterious power. Fourth, Li Hao joins the Night Watchers. Fifth, I want all of the ancient tomes that you guys have collected over the years. Sixth, you will personally protect Li Hao. Seventh, Li Hao gets first pick of three ancient artifacts in the excavation to come. Eighth…”

Hao Lianchuan felt worse than if he’d eaten fecal matter. It was hard to say what level of treasure the sword of the Lis was, since it was still sealed. He wasn’t even sure if it would be easy to unseal or not. Red Moon might have a way, but the Night Watchers didn’t know too much for now. Taking the sword meant protection for Li Hao, but Yuan Shuo used it as an excuse to demand outrageous terms!

And he was still going!

The director already didn’t think he could agree to what was being voiced, but the professor only seemed to be growing more excited. He was almost telling the Night Watchers to attach themselves to his pants!

“Eleventh, return all of the red fruits that I found last time. Twelfth…”

Hao Lianchuan had to interrupt him. “Professor, take the sword!”

Have it your way, I don’t want it anymore!

“Don’t give me that!” Yuan Shuo arched a brow with a chuckle. “You have plenty of good things—I contributed a bunch from my own explorations. To put it bluntly, I’ve discovered more for you than what I want, so are my requests excessive? Would you have so much treasure if it wasn’t for my help over the years?”

“Professor, we also paid the price for them. You know how many have died in these excavations, not to mention we need to resist those unlawful characters. Some things were depleted a long time ago.”

“Then forget it.” Yuan Shuo took the sword. “I don’t care if you want it or not! There’s no problem with me hanging onto it, I’d like to see Ying Hongyue try! I wasn’t afraid of him back in the day and I’m definitely not afraid of him now! As for the eight families of Silver City… they might harbor endless secrets and treasures. We’ll uncover those ourselves!”

Hao Lianchuan had no idea how to proceed. He turned merrily to the young man. “What are your thoughts, Li Hao?”

This placed Li Hao in slightly awkward straits. He looked at Yuan Shuo and whispered, “Teacher… why don’t we give it to the Night Watchers?”

“Huh??” Yuan Shuo flew into a rage. “Have you forgotten who’s on your side?”

“It’s not that… I’m just afraid of danger seeking you out!” Li Hao replied haltingly. “We’ll be safer if it’s with the Night Watchers and… your conditions seem over the top to me. It’s just a sword, a memento of my family. I almost sold it to Wang Ming when he offered a hundred thousand for it.”

Wang Ming ardently wished to be swallowed by a hole in the ground. What was this being brought up for?

“The Night Watchers protect our homeland and need to train innumerable elites to withstand strong foes!” Li Hao continued seriously. “Teacher, what happens to them if we ask for too much? We’re on the side of justice, not robbers!”

Hao Lianchuan looked on with approval. Not bad! No wonder intelligence said that Li Hao was a smart, sensible lad who was honest and cared deeply about friendships. This was why everyone held a high opinion of him at the Inspectorate! He was worthy of their attention just from these words alone!

“And what do you know, you little bastard?” Yuan Shuo cursed. “You idiot, do you think I’m doing this for myself?! It’s all for you!”

“Teacher!” Li Hao mulishly set his jaw and didn’t meet the old man’s eyes. “Let me be headstrong for once! I… I don’t want to see the Night Watchers pay such a high price that it costs some of them their lives! I feel that you can reduce some of your terms, especially the one about Director Hao personally protecting me! He’s a supreme powerhouse who needs to safeguard the entire province, not just me!

“And the mysterious power… ten thousand? Teacher, do you know how much ten thousand cubes costs? I think… a third of that at most is enough! I don’t really understand if the other stuff is precious, but I think we should ask for one third at most!”

“……” Hao Lianchuan cursed inwardly. One third?? Kid, you really don’t know the value of things. Even one third is enough to make us vomit blood!

“That’s it!” Li Hao clenched his teeth. “That’s the most I will accept, teacher, or I’ll give it away for free!”

There was nothing more that Hao Lianchuan wanted! Yuan Shuo seemed both angered and resigned. He harrumphed after a long moment, “You make the call for your own items. It’s one third if you say so, just don’t regret it in the future! You won’t be getting this treasure back after it’s gone! In my view, it’s ten times more valuable than what I’m asking for! You idiot with no worldview, you’ll know how little I was asking for when you become a powerhouse yourself!”

The atmosphere turned tense; Hao Lianchuan suddenly couldn’t find the words to refuse. Did he accept the terms or not? Li Hao was almost breaking with his teacher for this matter!

Man, this is… difficult to manage. I can only put in the request!

He decided to say nothing more and simply observe.

Anger built in Yuan Shuo until he brandished his sleeves. “I’m going back! Also, I killed those people, so send everything to me other than what belongs to Liu Long and his team! I can’t be bothered with the Night Watcher reward!”

In actuality, they wouldn’t give it to him if he asked for it.

……

Yuan Shuo stalked away in a huff. Hao Lianchuan wordlessly watched him go. This one’s temper… was growing out of hand. The director could deter the professor on the basis of strength in the past. But now? That was a difficult feat.

“Do you want to become supernatural?” He smiled at Li Hao.

“I do!” The young man bobbed his head with delighted surprise. Mysterious power seems to only strengthen my body without opening my supernatural locks. Teacher also says to temporarily set aside the idea of becoming supernatural… so I’ll just agree for now.

This was a Solar in front of him! It was time to play the good student card again.