Chapter 42: Key in Hand

Su Qing lurked in the shadows, quietly arriving at the agreed place.

"Lu Xien, come out!"

A thin figure slowly stepped out of the darkness and said in a low voice, "You're one minute late..."

"I'm really sorry, I didn't expect you to be so punctual."

Su Qing spread his hands and said, "On the way I avoided patrols, which took some time. By the way, do you still want revenge?"

This time Lu Xien didn't speak, merely scanned Su Qing up and down, then sniffed, before saying reassuringly, "Lead the way!"

The two didn't delay, immediately following the planned route as they sneaked toward the tomb chamber.

"Aooo..."

The wolf howls grew louder and closer; it looks like the werewolves have launched a full-scale attack.

Thinking that, Su Qing stopped his steps in front of the iron gate outside the tomb chamber.

Seeing that, Lu Xien, who had been following behind him, changed expression, quickly widened the distance, took a defensive stance, and warned warily, "Kid, are you trying to back out?"

"No no no." Su Qing turned around, shook his head, and said, "Lu Xien, I just temporarily wanted to make a deal with you."

"What deal?" A flash of severity crossed Lu Xien's eyes; he asked calmly on the surface.

"Give me that necklace around your neck..." Su Qing said.

Before he could finish, Lu Xien loudly refused: "Impossible!"

"What a pity, I was originally planning to bring you into the tomb chamber!" Su Qing said with regret.

"You..." Lu Xien's face changed, he stared at Su Qing with eyes full of killing intent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll give it to you, but if you bring up any more conditions, I'd rather give up the chance to deal with Victor than kill you."

"Here." He decisively broke the necklace from his neck and threw it over.

Su Qing reached out to take it, rubbed it with his fingers to confirm it was real, put the necklace in his pocket, and said, "I said it was a trade, so I'll naturally exchange something with you."

Saying that, he didn't give Lu Xien a chance to refuse, pulling a package from his black robe and tossing it over.

Lu Xien instinctively reached out to catch it, thinking Su Qing was trying to extort him, but didn't expect it to really be a trade.

But that was the necklace of his deceased wife, his only keepsake—how could it be so easily taken?

While he was inwardly sneering, he heard Su Qing say expectantly, "The thing inside the package is something I specially picked for you—why don't you open it and take a look now?"

Lu Xien frowned, a bad premonition rising in his heart, but he still untied the package's knot.

As the package opened, a withered head was revealed.

At the instant he saw the head, Lu Xien's spirit jolted, his eyes locked on it unwilling to look away.

"Exactly, this face!"

He would never forget it.

"Victor, this is Victor's face—no, his head."

Lu Xien snapped back to reality, staring at the head in his hand, a surge of anger rising in his heart.

"How could Victor have died?"

"How dare he die?"

"I haven't even..."

Lu Xien angrily lifted his head, just about to question Su Qing, but found nothing before him.

"……" Lu Xien opened his mouth, nearly spitting out a mouthful of old blood, his expression turning ferocious: "I'll kill you, black-robed kid."

Meanwhile, taking advantage of Lu Xien's distraction, Su Qing, who had fled early, ran into trouble.

"Damn, that guy Lu Xien." Watching the werewolf sprinting madly toward him, Su Qing's originally good mood instantly soured; he had known Lu Xien wouldn't keep his promise, but hadn't expected him to station this fellow here as a snipe clam.

By the way, the two clans are currently fighting fiercely outside; having lost Laohei, this combat mainstay, Lu Xien isn't afraid of the Wolf Clan being wiped out.

In the midst of his thoughts, Laohei came charging like a frenzied war chariot, crushing forward toward Su Qing.

Bang bang bang… bang bang bang…

The swiftly moving figure paused, blood blooming all over his body, yet his speed didn't lessen in the slightest—in fact, it increased a bit.

Seeing that bullets were ineffective, Su Qing shifted his step, dodged Laohei's claw, and without lingering kicked off the wall, shooting outward.

"Aoo..."

Werewolf Laohei hurriedly gave chase, trying to intercept.

But Su Qing, equipped with primordial bloodline, had his physical abilities enhanced again; Laohei couldn't even touch his coattails, repeatedly lunging and falling flat on his face.

"Bye-bye!"

After throwing out that line, Su Qing's speed suddenly surged, a few leaps vanishing into the night.

Meanwhile, Laohei fared badly; he chased Su Qing all the way, unknowingly being lured into the hall.

Coincidentally, he ran into Elder Amiliya coming downstairs.

All that could be seen was her wearing an ancient battle armor, holding a hand crossbow, with a sword slung at her waist, standing on the stairs, both swift and imposing.

"Die!"

Seeing Laohei, Amiliya's face turned icy; she raised her hand and fired a crossbow bolt that instantly pierced Laohei's thigh.

"Aoo..." Laohei let out a miserable scream, wanting to rush in for a kill.

But Amiliya had other Blood Clan guards beside her; even if Laohei were braver, two fists can't fight four hands—he was struck with no power to retaliate, collapsing unable to rise.

Just as it seemed Amiliya's arrow would blow Laohei's head off, Lu Xien arrived in time by breaking through the wall, using the smoke and dust as cover to carry away the heavily wounded Laohei.

"Lu Xien!"

Although it was only a brief glance, Amiliya still made out the visitor's appearance; her face instantly changed, eyes filled with disbelief.

"He wasn't supposed to be dead!"

"How could this happen……"

"Could it be that Kailwen deceived us?"

Amiliya's face darkened as she led the Blood Clan out of the great house; then she heard a loud wolf howl, and the werewolves that had been frenziedly attacking actually began to retreat.

Seeing this, even though she was unwilling to believe it in her heart, Amiliya could not help but admit a fact: the king of the Wolf Clan, Luxien, is still alive!

She then seemed to recall something, turned, and rushed toward the tomb chamber.

When she arrived at the tomb chamber and saw the coffin lid flung open and the coffin opened, Amiliya's heart sank; she knew the thing she least wanted to see had still happened.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind her.

Amiliya turned around and saw Selinna standing respectfully at the doorway, saying, "Pass the word down—I want to convene the Blood Clan Council!"

"Yes, my lady!" Selinna replied, immediately turning and withdrawing.

The Blood Clan Council is the highest authority beneath the Three Great Elders, responsible for handling daily affairs; previously, Kailwen, as second-in-command, was a member of the council and held the greatest power.

Now that Amiliya is convening the council, it is obvious she intends to announce something major.

Selinna understood this perfectly.

Meanwhile, Su Qing shook off Laohei, discarded his black robe, and mixed into the battlefield; then, as the werewolves retreated, he smoothly returned to the room.

Only then did he have time to study the two keys.

Taking out the one large and one small key, he simply compared them—their grooves matched.

"Click!"

The two metal pieces fit together precisely.

Looking at the complete key in his hand, Su Qing knew the werewolf progenitor bloodline was secure.