Starting Cultivation in Wasteland

Chapter 938 - 806: Bloodstained Millstone

Qu Jianlei learned about Youyou’s knot in her heart, but he didn’t have a solution himself, as he wasn’t good at comforting people.So he could only wait for Xiao Moshan to come back and offer some advice—after all, the two were somewhat in the same boat.

However, two days later, Youyou came over on her own, hoping he could help inquire about her family’s situation.

She stated she didn’t need to contact her family, just wanted to know how they were doing.

For such matters, approaching Granny Jia or Xiang Xue would be more suitable, but she wasn’t familiar with them, and Xiao Moshan wasn’t around.

And Youyou’s family wasn’t in the Hope Star Realm; she served as a stationed military officer.

"That’s not urgent, I’ll arrange it," Qu Jianlei could only persuade her like this.

Then he remembered something, "I do know the whereabouts of Fourth Master, are you interested in meeting him again?"

"Fourth Master?" Youyou was surprised, "Did he escape from Zarif?"

After receiving a positive response, she pondered for a moment before saying, "If convenient, let’s meet him."

Back then, Fourth Master felt a bit attracted to him, and this was something she was very aware of.

She wasn’t entirely indifferent to him either, but it wasn’t the kind of feeling to be together for life.

It was merely two people in dire circumstances seeking comfort together; she believed Fourth Master thought similarly.

Ultimately, both of them hailed from the military, both carried the "wanted" label.

And it’s been ten years; regarding feelings between them—who can say for sure?

Qu Jianlei didn’t know her exact feelings, seeing that she wasn’t very enthusiastic, he pondered and asked.

"Do you feel it’s because you haven’t fully recovered, or because of the scars on your face?"

Youyou shook her head after contemplating for a moment, "Neither, if possible, I’d like to see him. He helped me quite a bit in the end."

After she left Zarif Star, the attention from Fourth Master made her a target, but it didn’t matter much to her.

"Alright then," Qu Jianlei nodded, "I’ll arrange it."

He didn’t quite understand her thoughts, but a reunion with an old friend might ease her longing for her family.

Seven or eight days later, Granny Jia came to find Qu Jianlei, "Do you have any plans to replace your starship?"

"That’s possible," Qu Jianlei readily nodded; the starship seized from Cyan Blade Commerce Association merely aided his normal landing.

The starship’s origin couldn’t withstand careful scrutiny, as it was connected to a caravan’s disappearance.

If investigated further, perhaps his identity might be uncovered.

"But if traded away, it’s best to thoroughly modify this starship... its origin isn’t very legitimate."

Granny Jia wasn’t surprised by his response; few living in space would follow the rules strictly.

She nodded calmly in response, "Alright, then where do you plan to receive the new starship?"

Qu Jianlei paused, realizing the implication, "Is the manor not safe anymore?"

"A bit," Granny Jia nodded slightly; without issues, she wouldn’t want to disrupt this smooth cultivation.

Qu Jianlei frowned slightly, "What more do we need to do?"

"Nothing required," Granny Jia remained calm, "Just temporarily leave."

After a pause, she solemnly added, "You could leave that predecessor here to cooperate with me."

Qu Jianlei couldn’t help but glance at her, "You’re not planning to leave?"

"I need to stay to handle them for a while," Granny Jia responded casually, "But don’t worry, it’s fine."

Having a reliable companion is indeed nice; she wasn’t interested in explaining the details.

Qu Jianlei didn’t object, "Then we’ll leave now; can we clear our traces in time?"

Granny Jia answered casually, "Leaving at night would suffice, the matter of clearing traces... leave it to me."

Though she spoke lightly, Qu Jianlei wouldn’t underestimate it, "Then I’ll notify them."

An hour later, everyone was gathered, the four arrays and computing units were also packed away by Qu Jianlei.

Fortunately, no one was surprised; they cooperated well and reacted quickly.

Although no one expressed it verbally, they understood that after rescuing Xiao Moshan and Youyou, peaceful days might be numbered.

However, no one showed any emotions over this, as the two were also former comrades.

That night, everyone quietly left the manor, leaving only Granny Jia and Paranoid behind.

The next day, the group boarded a starship to Star No. 4, using false identities, encountering no issues.

Upon landing, they found inspections on Star No. 4 were becoming more lax, even "Divine Text Association" wasn’t mentioned.

Without Granny Jia accompanying them, they still felt a bit uneasy, finding a suitable residence was challenging.

Qu Jianlei had spent more than a semester on Star No. 4, but outside of Engineering College, he was unfamiliar.

Eventually, they settled in a homestay; previously unbothered by identities, now the owner verified them.

The homestay’s conditions were decent, facilities advanced, the surrounding environment pleasant, fewer residents yet orderly.

However, there’s no way to cultivate here, which left Flower Scorpion and Claire, who are focused on breaking through, looking a bit disappointed.

After a night of rest, the ladies grouped up to go out for some fun, while Qu Jianlei and Bentley only stepped out in the evening.

The two of them arrived at the "Adventurer’s House."

Bentley knew the boss had something in mind for him by the invitation, but upon glancing at the drink menu, he was a bit taken aback.

"The prices here aren’t any less than the Elf House, are they?"

"Just order some drinks," Qu Jianlei casually instructed, "nothing too expensive."

Once the drinks arrived, he asked for three more glasses and arranged them in a peculiar formation.

There were many idle people in the bar, so it wouldn’t be strange for something even weirder to happen, and no one would pay attention.

Yet, after a while, a flamboyant woman sauntered over and sat down, smiling as she spoke, "Are you two waiting for someone?"

The woman wore heavy makeup, but from her eyes, it was clear she was in her early fifties.

In the equivalent age of a Blue Star person, that would be around thirty-something, not considered young, but common enough for someone in the bar trade.

Bentley didn’t react at all, as if he hadn’t heard her, while Qu Jianlei toyed with the three glasses, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

The woman didn’t feel embarrassed at all. "Looks like there’s some business to discuss... care for some port wine?"

"I’ll have a Black Jack," Qu Jianlei replied nonchalantly, "I need some top-tier information."

The woman gave him a nonchalant glance, then got up and left, soon returning with a plain-looking middle-aged man.

The man was holding a drink, casually sitting down, "Top-tier information doesn’t come cheap... which line are you following?"

"Blood Mill," Qu Jianlei answered calmly, "Is she here?"

Blood Mill was Camille’s alias, the top assassin among the cleaners on Star No. 4.

"She’s not here," the man looked at him with surprise, speaking in a deep voice, "I can handle the top-tier information... what do you want to ask?"

This attitude wasn’t surprising; the cleaners were a money-driven organization that dared to sell everything except internal information.

"There’s an organization called the Living Dead," Qu Jianlei said in a deep voice, "I need to know their high-level information."

"Living Dead..." the middle-aged man pondered for a moment, taking a small sip of his drink before softly asking, "Why them?"

"Hmm?" Qu Jianlei’s brow furrowed slightly, speaking displeased, "Breaking the rules like this... is this on Camille’s orders?"

The middle-aged man, seeing that the name Blood Mill was called out, immediately raised an eyebrow, "Sorry, that was my mistake."

"But we’ve recently had dealings with the Living Dead, so I dared to ask."

"Would the cleaners care about that?" Qu Jianlei sneered, "Anyway, how much?"

The middle-aged man replied solemnly, "Fifty for ordinary high-level, one hundred units for two presidents."

"It’s not cheap," Qu Jianlei tapped twice on the table with his fingers, "How long until you have accurate news?"

"Money first, then goods," the middle-aged man answered earnestly, "We don’t do credit."

Qu Jianlei flipped his wrist, and a small box appeared in his hand, his tone indifferent.

"I want all the information, here’s one hundred... the remaining fifty will be paid upon delivery."

What money first, then goods—a mere excuse to deceive the weak. In the past, he even wrangled compensation from the cleaners.

The middle-aged man, seeing the box appear out of nowhere, was slightly surprised: A Storage Talisman?

For someone with an A-level cultivation level, possessing a Storage Talisman wasn’t unusual.

But to use it casually, not only would the talisman’s durability wear down, but it could also provoke others’ covetousness.

Star No. 4 is the newest developed planet in the Hope Star Realm, and chaos is inevitable, not to mention currently being inside the Adventurer’s House.

Moreover, the cleaners’ reputation wasn’t that good, at least in matters of finances, they were notorious.

The other party clearly had considerable confidence, daring to display like this.

Thinking this, he gave Qu Jianlei a careful look, then nodded, picked up the small box, and left.

—With so many eyes in the bar, it’s not a good place to count money. Since he knows Camille, there should be a basis for cooperation.

Seeing him leave, Bentley then asked in a low voice, "The Living Dead... are they also an opponent?"

How could I have so many enemies? Qu Jianlei shook his head with a wry smile, "Youyou has a friend... in a high position there."

"Friend..." Bentley mused, nodding without further questioning, as his curiosity was not that strong.

About an hour later, the middle-aged man returned, bringing along a man wearing half a mask.

The man was dressed flamboyantly, clearly one of those playboys who seek pleasure in nightclubs.

The middle-aged man instructed in a low voice, "Alright, you two talk, just give him the balance payment."

The masked playboy gave Qu Jianlei an up-and-down look, took out a small storage device, placing it on the table, "Want to check the goods first?"

Qu Jianlei glanced at the storage device, looking at the man with interest as he spoke.

"Fourth Master, long time no see!"