Chapter 869: Thef (1/2)

After a while, Song Zining couldn’t help but ask, “Where are we going?”

“To collect resources.”

“Seriously?” Song Zining was clearly skeptical. Ji Tianqing was clearly here to spy on Nighteye, and these so-called resources were just excuses.

However, Ji Tianqing kept going with a serious demeanor and Song Zining had no better choice but to follow.

The closer they were to the continent border, the more adverse the void tempests and environments became. The rocks here were extremely hard after being immersed in void origin power for many years, probably even harder than steel alloy.

Fierce storms would kick up without warning, and void lacerations could appear at any moment. This place was filled with danger at every turn.

Ji Tianqing went on without rest, scaling mountains and passing through valleys as she brought Song Zining through dangerous lands. Twice in less than a single day, Song Zining had been blown away by powerful winds and flung into rocky cliffs. Even someone at his level couldn’t take this kind of repeated damage. He had broken two ribs and sustained numerous injuries at this point.

Seeing that Ji Tianqing had no intention of taking a break, Song Zining cried out amidst the raging winds, “Wait, where are the resources you were talking about? I think we’ve already come here before!”

“Resources? Here they are.” Ji Tianqing picked up a random rock and smashed it open. She then dug out a blue crystal which she duly tossed to Song Zining.

Having operated Ningyuan Heavy Industries for many years, Song Zining was highly knowledgeable about various rare materials. He knew at a glance that this topaz was a high-grade material used in certain origin arrays. A finger-sized piece like this one was enough to build a high-grade origin gun, and its value was extraordinary.

However, such materials were usually hidden deep inside rocks and difficult to notice unless exposed—at least Song Zining had no way of sensing them. They could crack every rock open, but these things were extremely hard, and even Ji Tianqing had to smash each of them several times. There were a great number of mountain peaks all around them and rocks numbering in the millions. How many years would it take them to crack all of them?

Song Zining wanted to probe more about this matter, asking questions about the resources every now and then. Sometimes, Ji Tianqing would ignore him completely, and at other times, she would dig out strange, ice-sealed herbs or shiny rare ores.

Just like that, the two walked on for an entire three days. Song Zining’s backpack was filled to the brim with all kinds of rare objects.

“Wait, Tianqing, that’s enough resource gathering, don’t you think? We should go back now.” Song Zining spoke tactfully, but in truth, he was all bedraggled, full of injuries, and he really didn’t want to go through this ordeal anymore. He hadn’t gotten any rest for the past three days, so much so that he hadn’t even healed his broken ribs. All he could do was protect the damaged area with origin power.

Ji Tianqing was also showing some signs of fatigue, but she was faring so much better than the seventh young master. She wasn’t exactly stronger, but her endless repertoire of secret arts allowed her to foresee and take precautions against most dangerous situations. At the very least, she was never blown away by fierce winds.

Only after seeing Song Zining’s situation did the anger in Ji Tianqing’s eyes subside slightly. Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief when she finally changed directions and began heading inland.

Although the things in his backpack were worth a fair amount of money, Song Zining was smart enough to know that Ji Tianqing was never here for resources. All she wanted to do was torment him. The seventh young master also understood this. He allowed himself to be blown away by the winds several times, breaking his ribs and sustaining injuries, before he managed to appease the young miss’ anger.

After leaving the continent border, Song Zining asked cautiously, “Tianqing, why are you so angry?”

Ji Tianqing replied coldly, “No reason, I just don’t find your notion amusing.”

“But…”

“No buts! Do you want to collect more resources?”

Song Zining shut up obediently.

Ji Tianqing’s methods were highly unpredictable. Even Qianye couldn’t see through her, much less Song Zining. Up until now, the latter still couldn’t figure out whether she was truly angry or if she had other intentions. This made the all-round perfect Song Zining feel somewhat helpless.

After traveling silently for half a day, Ji Tianqing finally spoke up, “I need to go get some things, you go back first.”

Song Zining asked cautiously, “You’re not going back to the empire, are you?”

“Of course not.”

With that, Ji Tianqing left Song Zining alone and vanished southward into the wilderness.

Song Zining had no idea what lay in that direction or what she wanted to do there. As clever as he was, he still had no idea why Ji Tianqing would spy on Nighteye or spend three days torturing him. Was it just to vent her anger? To the best of his knowledge, at the very least, this girl had never done anything so pointless before.

Watching Ji Tianqing leave, Song Zining shrugged and put on his radiant smile once more. “Luckily, this young master has prepared some contingency plans, I’m not afraid you won’t bite.”