Star Gate

Chapter 161: Hou Xiaochen (III)

“Teacher, absorb energy from the sword first.” Li Hao ran through a boxing technique as they conversed. “We can go to the ruins and figure something out if that’s the end of it. There should be a way to replenish the weapon.”

The energy in the jade sword seemed to be running out, but there should still be a little left. Yuan Shuo hadn’t absorbed it all, possibly out of concern that they’d be unable to refill the weapon once it was empty.

“There’s no rush!” The professor was also running through a boxing routine. “I won’t die that easily. This way is better, so we should maintain this condition for a few days. Hao Lianchuan is able to discern a thing or two. It’d raise his suspicions if I’m suddenly recovered.”

With that, Li Hao dropped the topic as well. They finished their morning training and ate the breakfast that the Institute delivered. After that, Li Hao received a call from Liu Yan—someone had come from Night Watcher headquarters.

Huang Yun!

The old man from White Moon City who’d been scared off by his teacher. To think that the Night Watchers really would send them rewards. How rare!

Li Hao looked at his sunbathing teacher after he hung up. “Teacher, will you be paying a visit to the Inspectorate?”

“Let’s go. We still need to show Hou Xiaochen face, given that he sent someone with the items,” Yuan Shuo laughed. “But he has nothing good to give, I know all of the treasures that the Night Watchers possess. I personally dug many of them up and they’re not useful to me.”

Neither teacher nor disciple held high hopes, but they would accept whatever it was since it’d been delivered to their doorstep. It was an unnecessary waste otherwise!

......

At the same time.

The law enforcement building.

Hao Lianchuan was rather surprised. He couldn’t help but look at Huang Yun and growl with curses. “Those guys didn’t listen to orders and went rogue, but Director Hou is rewarding them so richly for it? Isn’t that encouraging them to do the same thing next time??”

Blood pearls, and five of them! There was even one belonging to a Solar being given away!

Hao Lianchuan knew a little about them. Some Red Moon powerhouses carried them on their body, but they were very hard to locate and extremely difficult to extract. He’d speculated that their Brokensky owned one, but didn’t have the ability to retrieve it. Only Director Hou could with the origin weapon, but the director never left White Moon City. So while Hao Lianchuan thought there was likely to be one on the Red Moon powerhouse, he didn’t think of trying to claim it.

The Night Watchers held very few of them in storage. This one from a Solar was the only one of its level.

The agency used this material to nurture new talent. They gave Darkmoon blood pearls to rookies, facilitated their breakthroughs to Slayer, then crossed over to the supernatural domain. Most directly entered Darkmoon and saved everyone a great deal of time.

Take Wang Ming, for instance. He’d received a Darkmoon blood pearl at the beginning, though he hadn’t known what it was. Director Hou was rewarding the Silver City branch with so many!

“I don’t know, '' replied an innocent Huang Yun. “Manager Yu wanted me to deliver them, so here I am, the errand boy.”

“It’s nothing to do with you!” Hao Lianchuan retorted with dejection. How should he assign them? Although Director Hou hadn’t given instructions, he knew that the Solar level one had to go to Yuan Shuo.

The Sunflare one must be for Liu Long. As for the three Darkmoons... supernaturals didn’t have much use for them, so they were probably meant for Li Hao, Liu Yan, Wu Chao, and Chen Jian. But what was the point of only providing three blood pearls? There should be four!

Hao Lianchuan suspected that Director Hou didn’t know that Li Hao had become a martial master, or that he knew and hoped that the young man would make the crossover in the future. That was why he didn’t send one for Li Hao, out of concern that the lad would find it difficult to ascend after he improved as a martial master.

“So this means that the director wishes for Li Hao to become supernatural, and not to advance further on the path of martial dao?” Hao Lianchuan thought rapidly. Although Director Hou hadn’t said anything, he could more or less guess the director’s meaning.

Did he think well of Li Hao or not?

Liu Long and the others arrived as Hao Lianchuan mused over the possibilities. Wang Ming beamed radiantly when he saw Huang Yun. He was very familiar with this particular Sunflare as they’d carried out missions together. It was also Huang Yun who sent him to Silver City.

What a good man he was!

Although Silver City was a bit disorderly and killed people left and right, Wang Ming had obtained 120 cubes after killing someone. He needed to thank Huang Yun for sending him here!

The current Wang Ming didn’t even want to return to White Moon anymore. Although unexpected gains occasionally took place at headquarters, they were in the form of one or two cubes for a small mission. It was a tidy sum over the course of a year, but couldn’t hold a candle to 120 cubes at once after killing a Sunflare.

Pangs of guilt struck Huang Yun’s conscience to see Wang Ming and the others. He hadn’t thought battle would break out in the city so soon after he sent them here. But when he saw Wang Ming’s brilliant smile, he took a second guess. Was the boy actually satisfied with these arrangements?

He couldn’t tell!

The door swung open as he guessed at the answer; Li Hao walked in supporting Yuan Shuo.

Huang Yun swiftly got to his feet, petrified of giving offense. The old demon was growing ever more domineering and Director Hou had said that he’d possibly fought another Solar. Damn, the old man was terrifying!

“Director Hou sent Huang Yun with rewards.” Hao Lianchuan skipped the pleasantries. “Five blood pearls! They’re a precious medicine that can enhance a martial master’s internal force and enhance their physical body! Yuan Shuo, Liu Long, Li Hao, Wu Chao, and Chen Jian will each receive one!

“The others will go without for now since these treasures are ineffective for supernaturals.”

Wang Ming and the others didn’t mind; Li Hao stayed silent. It was fine that he didn’t receive any. He didn’t really care.

But when Hao Lianchuan took out the flasks in the box, Li Hao’s eyes darted around. Yuan Shuo’s pupils shook as well when he sniffed the fragrance. The professor wasn’t familiar with blood pearls because he’d never received one, but he was rather surprised in this moment.

Blood pearls?

Their presence... seemed a bit like the unique energy ripples stemming from scarlet shadows. He could also sense one of them particularly brimming with energy. It was richer than the scarlet shadow that Li Hao had absorbed last time.

“What is this?” Yuan Shuo couldn’t help but ask. “Where is it from?”

“Director Hou expended a lot of effort to obtain them,” Hao Lianchuan answered curtly. “Ordinary people can’t extract it. He even utilized an origin weapon to secure them! Use them well, Professor Yuan. This is the only Solar level blood pearl in all of the Night Watchers!”

Solar level?

Blood pearl?

Yuan Shuo mused deeply, first glancing at Hao Lianchuan, then at Li Hao. He had some guesses—perhaps... these came from Red Moon. Hou Xiaochen once killed a Red Moon executive outside White Moon City. Was it then that he obtained their scarlet shadow?

Origin weapons...

If ordinary people were unable to extract blood pearls, they might be able to when equipped with origin weapons. Of course, Red Moon might have their own unique methods.

This was a marvelous item! Last time Yuan Shuo was heavily injured, he’d used both sword energy and scarlet shadow energy to recover. The latter was even more effective when neutralized by sword energy.

The professor had found it quite regretful when the scarlet shadow energy was exhausted, so to think that Hou Xiaochen would send over a Solar level treasure at this time! Not only that, but there was another one that looked to be Sunflare.

Yuan Shuo glanced at Liu Long and suddenly said, “Liu Long, you don’t need yours. I’ll buy it off you for three hundred cubes.”

Liu Long was a Dominator. A Sunflare scarlet shadow was additional splendor to his strength, but not much use. Therefore, Yuan Shuo wanted to give it to Li Hao. If the young man absorbed it, he might swiftly progress to mid or late Sunderer!

Added to that the effect of aura, that would propel Li Hao into Dominator faster.

“Professor Yuan, you cannot force a transaction...” Hao Lianchuan frowned.

Three hundred cubes of mysterious power was a lot! However, Director Hou plainly wished for Liu Long to utilize the blood pearl to set foot into the Dominator level or heal his old wounds. The item was also very useful for latent injuries.

It was very normal for a veteran Sunderer like Liu Long to have accumulated wounds. The blood pearl would enable him to make a full recovery and enter Dominator of Thousands.

Liu Long didn’t know about the benefits of this item and wouldn’t care if he did. His injuries were healed.

“It’s fine.” He nodded. “Take it if you like it, Elder Yuan. I don’t care about mysterious power...”

“Now that would be robbery,” Yuan Shuo chuckled. “Three hundred cubes it is. It’s worth this amount. The item’s effects are different from person to person, but just know that it won’t be that effective for you.”

“I trust Elder Yuan.”

Hao Lianchuan had to interrupt. “Don’t agree so easily, Liu Long. He won’t dare do anything while I’m here! This item can heal your wounds and help your cultivation take a step forward. It’s much more valuable than mysterious power for you!”

It was one thing if he didn’t know, but once he did, Liu Long cared even less about it. I’ve already broken through! No wonder Elder Yuan says it won’t be effective.

“Thank you, Director Hao, but I don’t need it. I’ll find a way to progress myself...”

Idiot! Hao Lianchuan cursed. These Silver City people were completely intractable! Liu Long didn’t understand a word he said, so it was his own fault for being tricked by Yuan Shuo!

I wash my hands of this!

He passed three blood pearls to Wu Chao, Chen Jian, and Liu Yan. He tossed the remaining two to Yuan Shuo and walked downstairs. “I’m going back, you guys do as you wish!”

A place like Silver City gave him high blood pressure every time he visited.

Huang Yun hastily caught up to the director. He didn’t want to be alone with Yuan Shuo.

Laughter traveled out of the office when they left.

“Looks like Director Hou’s ticked off,” Liu Long chortled.

Yuan Shuo chuckled as well, then reminded the team, “Don’t brashly eat the blood pearl. Fatty and skinny, you two need to think carefully. You’ll easily break through to Sunderer if you take it, which means ascending to the supernatural will be very hard for you. You need to consider things carefully!”

With that, he clapped Li Hao on the shoulder. “We’re going back!”

Blood pearls formed from scarlet shadows!

Yuan Shuo was in a very good mood. His injuries might be healed if he took the Solar level one. Of course, he’d rather use sword energy if there was enough of it. His student wouldn’t be able to digest the Solar blood pearl. If he could neutralize it with sword energy, it might launch him one step forward on the path of Dominator.

Hou Xiaochen really had given them a good treasure this time!

Yuan Shuo quickly descended the stairs with Li Hao in tow. The young man was also worked up. The Sunflare blood pearl was likely for him. So... did this mean he could grow stronger again?