Chapter 181: First Arrival at Wan Family Fort

Lei Qing’s care and caresses seemed to be greatly enjoyed by Zuo Qianqian, whose face showed a comfortable expression. She hung her hands on his neck and looked at Lei Qing softly with her watery, big eyes. “Helping Brother Lei to share worries and solve problems is worth any hardship. Also, Big Brother Zhou Han praised my talent. He said I will surely become an outstanding scout in the future.”

“Hmm, it is easy to see that you have always been working hard,” Lei Qing said, praising her. “Your current cultivation level has stabilized at Entry-rank Bronze. However, apart from cultivating, you must also pay attention to balancing work and rest. Make sure to lay a solid foundation. You must not be greedy for quick success, otherwise, deviating from the right path will cause great trouble.” Lei Qing had a very deep affection for Zuo Qianqian, who had gone through hardships with him all the way.

“Hmm, Brother Lei, don’t worry. My grandfather’s cultivation notes repeatedly warned me about deviating from the right path,” Zuo Qianqian said, her big eyes blinking, her face slightly blushing. “Brother Lei, have I only improved my cultivation? Has nothing else changed?”

After letting go of Lei Qing with her arms, she spun around and looked at him shyly.

Lei Qing looked closely and saw that beneath her black leather armor, she revealed an aura full of youth. It seemed that her petite chest was a bit fuller, and her legs were a bit longer. Compared to when he first met her on the Heavenly Ridge Plateau, she looked more like a plump and deliciously beautiful young girl.

“Good, good. You have grown quite a lot without even realizing it,” Lei Qing smiled. “I guess in another year or two, you will be a fresh and lively young lady.”

Hearing Lei Qing’s praise, Zuo Qianqian became even happier. She giggled and hugged Lei Qing, blinking her pure, cute, and watery eyes. “Brother Lei, then when I grow up in a couple of years, will you marry me?”

“Oh, oh, my little girl’s romantic feelings are awakening, and she wants to get married,” Lei Qing laughed heartily and teased, “Marrying me is not that easy. Many people are lining up and waiting.”

Lei Qing had always treated her like his most adorable younger sister, but he also knew that it was normal for a young girl to have some feelings for her older brother.

“Brother Lei, you are really bad. You just like bullying me,” Zuo Qianqian’s eyes dimmed a bit when she mentioned the lineup. Both Yu Shanshan and Li Baobao were extremely outstanding and charming women. Qianqian felt that compared to them, she was like an immature small apple, completely unable to compete. If Brother Lei didn’t even marry them and avoided them upon meeting, how could it be with her?

Seeing her depressed demeanor, Lei Qing coaxed her with a smile. “Alright, alright. Don’t pout your mouth so much, it’s almost like you could hang an oil bottle on it. Anyway, no matter what happens in the future, you are my good treasure.”

With just one sentence, Zuo Qianqian’s ice melted, and she smiled. She nestled into Lei Qing’s arms and pecked him on the cheek like a sneak attack. Her little face was red, and she said shyly, “I knew that Brother Lei was the best to me.”

Lei Qing was moved to laughter and tears by her kiss, but he also knew that Zuo Qianqian relied heavily on him emotionally, so he let her be.

However, important matters came first.

Lei Qing handed the intelligence to Zuo Qianqian and said, “Qianqian, you are always mature and have your own opinions. You decide this matter yourself.”

Zuo Qianqian took the intelligence and looked at it carefully. Her face gradually became heavy. After a long while, she slowly put down the intelligence. “Brother Lei, is my Grandma named Wan Zhilan? Is she the younger sister of the current Lord of Wan Family Fort, Wan Yongxing? Is her status in Wan Family Fort very prominent and important? Is she like the second-in-command?”

“According to the investigation results, that is so,” Lei Qing said solemnly. Of course, under normal circumstances, even if she was Wan Yongxing’s biological younger sister, her status in Wan Family Fort would not be that of the second-in-command. It was only because Wan Zhilan had a nickname called One Hammer Worth a Thousand Gold.

As the name suggested, when she struck with her hammer, it was worth a thousand gold. Although it was an exaggeration, it showed that Wan Zhilan had indeed reached a perfect state in forging. She could easily forge weapons and armor and sell them for over a thousand gold coins.

Actually, since coming to the Free Alliance, Lei Qing had heard people mention the name Wan Zhilan, One Hammer Worth a Thousand Gold, many times. However, this legendary figure turned out to be Qianqian’s grandma. It seemed that the deceased Old Man Zuo was probably not an ordinary person either. However, Lei Qing had never heard of this name in the Free Alliance.

Perhaps it was because his identity was that of an assassin, which was relatively hidden, or perhaps because he had long retired.

Zuo Qianqian’s mood was very low. She murmured, “Brother Lei, my Grandma must be a very formidable person. But why did she let my grandpa fall into such a state? Hopping with one leg, with his cultivation completely ruined, he took me to the Heavenly Ridge Plateau to live in seclusion. In the end, grandpa was tragically killed by some bandit minions…” Saying this, Qianqian couldn’t help but shed tears and began to sob wailing.

Seeing her sad, Lei Qing let out a soft sigh. He held her delicate body in his arms and said softly, “Qianqian, it is my fault. I shouldn’t have shown you this intelligence.”

Many people would say their fate was bad, including Lei Qing, who often lamented that he had never seen his parents since childhood and didn’t know if they were alive or dead. However, Qianqian’s parents had already died when she was in swaddling clothes. She lived with her lame grandpa until she was in her teens, and her grandpa was also tragically killed in an unexpected disaster.

But she had always lived very strongly, positively, and optimistically.

“No, Brother Lei, I must go to Wan Family Fort,” Zuo Qianqian said firmly after crying for a while and wiping her tears. “I heard Big Brother Zhou Han say that you hoped to buy some iron armor in Wan Family Fort, but some petty people obstructed you. If we could reach out to my grandma, things would go smoothly.”

“Hehe, silly girl,” Lei Qing smiled and patted her head. “Do you think Brother Lei is such a useless man? Wan Liyun is only the third among his peers. He has many elders and peers. Wan Family Fort is not decided by him alone. Brother Lei has plenty of ways to open up this line in Wan Family Fort. Anyway, I don’t want to build this matter on your pain.”

Gratitude appeared in Zuo Qianqian’s eyes. But she still slowly shook her head and said, “I want to go to Wan Family Fort, not just for Brother. It is also for myself. I want to figure out why Wan Zhilan separated from grandpa, why she watched my mom and dad being killed without helping, and why she made grandpa live such a miserable life.”

“Alright, then I will accompany you to figure things out,” Lei Qing said, patting her head with a solemn expression. “If she really disappoints you, from then on, stay with me well. Just pretend you don’t have a grandma. In the future, if you have any unhappy matters in your heart, tell me. Don’t keep them inside, or you will suffer from them.”

“Thank you, Brother Lei.” Zuo Qianqian’s watery eyes were full of gratitude and attachment. She opened her arms and hugged Lei Qing tightly, smelling his scent, closing her eyes, and enjoying it. The fatigue on her little face slowly faded.

…

Ten days later, Lei Qing only brought eight Personal Guards and Zuo Qianqian, totaling ten people. Traveling lightly with simple mounts, they arrived in Lingnan after a dusty journey.

In this world, there were mostly lush mountainous areas. Riding horses seemed inconvenient, and in many dangerous terrains, people had to lead the horses on foot.

This made Lei Qing frown slightly. It seemed that exchanging warhorses for iron armor might incur some discounts. After all, in such mountains, foot soldiers should be the main force. Cavalry might not even be able to defeat foot soldiers.

But since they had come, Lei Qing had to scout the path. He couldn’t return empty-handed. After crossing a few more mountains, they arrived at an open area. This was the famous Wan Family Avenue. Many traveling merchants entered and exited Wan Family Fort through this avenue.

Wan Family Fort, although named a fort, was actually the ruler of this mountainous area in Lingnan. However, the Wan Family originated from forging weapons and armor, and had always called themselves a fort. In this Free Alliance, it was not very strange. Everyone liked to keep their original names, such as Marquis Zhu Residence, which was also a large power, and the Fire God Sect.

After taking a shortcut to this Wan Family Avenue, the road became much easier to travel. They only needed to follow the avenue all the way. After galloping for two or three hundred miles, the majestic and spectacular Wan Family Fort appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Wan Family Fort was built against the mountains and beside the river. After several expansions, it was like a huge city, towering and massive, resembling a giant fortress of war lying across the mountains.

Lingnan had abundant stone materials. The entire Wan Family Fort was built of rough giant stones, with large amounts of molten copper poured into the gaps. This made the fort very durable. Even a Holy Rank powerhouse would find it extremely difficult to break in by force.

Counting the hardest cities and forts to conquer in the world, Wan Family Fort ranked first.

Naturally, Wan Family Fort was divided into an Outer Fort and an Inner Fort. The Outer Fort was like a huge city. Ordinary people could move around in the non-restricted areas of the Outer Fort after paying the entry fee.

The Inner Fort was where the direct descendants of the Wan Family and important guests resided. Lei Qing came under his real name this time. With Lei Qing’s current reputation, various forces probably already had detailed or brief intelligence about him. Even if he tried to disguise himself and hide his tracks, he would be discovered. Rather than embarrassing himself later, it was better to come openly. After all, Young General Lei Qing was now a well-known figure in the entire Free Alliance.

Through normal diplomatic channels, Lei Qing and his party were invited into the noble guest restaurant in the Inner Fort and arranged a room with the Xuan (Mystic) label, as well as two accompanying rooms.

With his current reputation and status, staying in a Xuan-label room was not disrespectful to him. On the contrary, it was a bit of an elevation. After all, Di (Earth) label rooms were for visiting powerful figures of the level of regional hegemon, such as Xiahou Huan. And Tian (Heaven) label rooms were for the most respected guests, such as leaders of various forces or Holy Rank powerhouses like Leng Yuewu.