Chapter 153
Chapter 153
Xiao Che had spent most of his time preparing Jintang Valley for construction, but Xie Yanhong and Xiao Jingxing had also explained the Northern Frontier’s current balance of power to him.
For years, the region had been controlled jointly by the Eight Great Families of the Northern Frontier.
Those families and the imperial forces in Bei’an City kept one another in check. No one wished to disrupt that balance. Each side simply profited from the others.
The strongest of the eight was the Murong Family of Tieshan City.
The Murong Family commanded the most powerful force of all, twenty thousand iron cavalry, most of whom were of mixed Hu and Han ancestry.
The other seven included the Wang Family of the Yunzhou Governor’s Office, which controlled five thousand provincial troops.
The Lushan Qi Family employed three thousand enforcers. It had risen through the fur trade routes and monopolized the Northern Frontier’s fur business.
The Yanchi Zhou Family had two thousand salt workers and controlled seventy percent of the region’s salt. Its sole concern was quietly making money, and it never provoked trouble on its own.
The Heishan Zhao Family commanded an armed force of mountain folk who farmed in peacetime and fought as one in wartime. They hated the wealthy, had explosive tempers, and lived harsh lives. They also avenged every grievance, so the other families gave them a wide berth.
The Baishui Xiao Family controlled the river docks. Its fleet had grown into a formidable force that traveled between the Northern Frontier and the Capital, making the family overlords of the waterways.
The Qingya Qin Family had founded Qingya Academy. Its students could be found throughout the Northern Frontier and even all of Great Xia, including descendants of the other great families. The Qin Family was a rare breath of clean air in the region. It kept to its own corner, stayed out of disputes, and maintained a haven of peace.
The Xie Family estate currently stood on the outskirts of territory controlled by the Lushan Qi Family, the Baishui Xiao Family, and the Qingya Qin Family.
If Prince Cheng’s soldiers came, those three families might sell them out directly to protect themselves.
They might even join Prince Cheng in attacking the Xie Family estate. Xiao Che and his people would then face enemies before and behind, with threats on every side.
They had to learn why Prince Cheng had suddenly marched north and chosen the Murong Family as his first target.
If Hongying’s information was true, Prince Cheng’s people must already control Bei’an City.
Their current forces could not confront Prince Cheng’s army directly. This was the time to conserve their strength and avoid his spearpoint. They had to withdraw to Jintang Valley immediately.
Deep in the night, beneath a bright moon and scattered stars, Tieshan City’s city lord residence lay silent.
The faint scent of blood still drifted through the main courtyard.
Not a single servant could be seen in the enormous compound.
A figure dressed entirely in black robes stood in the study.
The Black-Robed Man’s whole body was concealed, and even his hands were covered by black gloves.
He stood motionless behind the desk. No lamps burned in the room.
He seemed to have merged with the darkness, and the study was terrifyingly still.
Only the Crystal Ball before him gave off a dim blue glow. An image appeared within the light.
A little pink face was sleeping soundly, with a glistening trail of drool at the corner of its mouth.
After mumbling in her sleep, the girl rolled over. One plump white foot kicked the blanket away.
A pink undergarment covered her little belly. Her two fair arms sprawled across the heated platform as she lay spread-eagled and began snoring once more.
The Black-Robed Man extended one gloved palm and gently stroked the Crystal Ball.
“Star Maiden, it is time to remove the Crystal Core from your brain. My spacecraft is still waiting for it to provide enough energy to return to Planet Hasake. Let’s see where you can run this time.”
With that, he slowly removed his hood, revealing an inverted triangular face. Two bulging eyes, each as large as a fist, dominated it. His head was bald, and swollen veins showed beneath the skin. If Jin Bao saw his face, she would recognize him at once. Wasn’t this exactly what aliens looked like on television?
Jin Bao could never have imagined that, even after her soul traveled into ancient times, someone would still chase her down to dig into her brain. The world was terrifying.
Jin Bao had only been able to cross into ancient times because an energy fluctuation from the Crystal Core in her brain tore open a tunnel through space-time and carried her consciousness to this era.
The Crystal Ball in the Black-Robed Man’s possession could locate the Crystal Core. That was how he had provided Prince Cheng with Jin Bao’s precise whereabouts throughout her journey.
In truth, Prince Cheng was nothing more than one of the Black-Robed Man’s pawns.
Wave after wave of men sent by Prince Cheng had been eliminated by Jin Bao. Growing desperate, the Black-Robed Man finally intervened in person. Unfortunately, he had remained on this planet too long, and his energy was rapidly running out. He had to obtain the Crystal Core in Jin Bao’s brain as quickly as possible to replenish himself and power his spacecraft.
There was another reason he had to seize it soon.
Every new power Jin Bao acquired consumed a little more of the Crystal Core’s energy.
From his observations through the Crystal Ball, the Black-Robed Man estimated that the Star Maiden had already gained speed, strength, and the Wood-Type Ability.
In barely one or two hundred days, she had absorbed that much energy from the Crystal Core.
If she absorbed all of it, she would become completely invincible throughout the universe. She could even travel across the cosmos without any obstruction and exist for all eternity. What a terrifying being that would be!
He had to stop her while she had absorbed less than one percent of the Crystal Core’s power.
The Black-Robed Man was staring darkly into the Crystal Ball when the little girl inside suddenly sat bolt upright and looked directly at him with her clear, watery eyes.
He instinctively pulled his hood back on. Only a moment later did he realize that she did not seem able to see him.
Jin Bao had been dreaming about gnawing on a huge chicken leg when she sensed someone watching her. Afraid that person would steal her chicken leg, she startled awake. Her chest fluttered uneasily, and she stared blankly in a certain direction.
She could not shake the feeling that a pair of invisible eyes was watching her through the air.
Jin Bao looked around but found nothing. Her little body went limp, and she flopped back down to sleep.
Early the following morning, Xiao Che sent Ye Qi south with a team of Shadow Guards and one hundred carefully selected Dragon Tiger Guards. Hongying traveled with them to guide their efforts to bring as many homeless women as possible to Jintang Valley.
Xie Chengyan handled the final details of the withdrawal.
With the jade pendant and letter Xiao Jingmo had given him, Xiao Che prepared to visit the Lushan Qi Family.
Before leaving, he went to check on Jin Bao.
The little girl should still have been asleep, but instead, she sat on the heated platform in a daze.
“You’re awake, Daughter? What are you sitting there thinking about?”
Smiling, Xiao Che sat at the edge of the platform, picked Jin Bao up, and settled her on his lap.
She wore only a little undergarment on top and a pair of sleep trousers below. Her two fuzzy braids sat at different heights, and her large eyes remained unfocused.
“Daddy, Baby thinks someone is watching her.”
Xiao Che immediately went on alert. He scanned the surroundings and pricked up his ears, listening carefully for movement. Apart from the servants sweeping outside, no one else was in the courtyard.
“Daughter, are you sure you aren’t still dreaming?”
Jin Bao’s little face was certain. “Daddy, someone really is watching Baby. They’re peeking at her.”
Xiao Che did not know what else to say. He could only play along. “Then let’s hurry and get dressed. Daddy will take you to visit the Lushan Qi Family.”
He had not originally planned to bring her. But something seemed wrong with the little girl, so it would be better to take her out and distract her.
The moment Jin Bao heard they were going out, she perked up.