Chapter 43: Gauntlets of the Blazing Sun!
“Outrageous!”
Bang—
When Secretary Wang reported that Inspector Ye had led his men to move out of the Administration Bureau and set up a separate Inspection Office elsewhere, Luo Wu, face contorted with fury, shattered the teatable before him with a single blow.
Wang Xiang, standing to one side, frowned slightly.
Had it been anyone else, that display would have terrified them.
But Wang Xiang had long since grown used to District Chief Luo’s habit of venting his anger by smashing things. Before Luo Wu struck, he had already taken two steps back.
Thus, the flying fragments of the shattered wooden table merely grazed past his cheek, not even disturbing a single hair.
“It’s obvious—this kid wants to split away and do things his own way, free from my control. He thinks that with Tian Zhong’s backing, he can reach for the heavens?”
After venting his rage on the table, Luo Wu regained a measure of composure, though his voice still seethed with fury.
Wang Xiang said, “There’s no need to worry, District Chief. That Ye fellow is far too arrogant, and he’s offended all those great families and old clans. Sooner or later, they’ll unite against him. When the time comes, you need only stand aside and watch.”
Luo Wu nodded.
...
The news that Inspector Ye had “set up on his own” spread quickly.
While others wondered what grand scheme he would hatch next, Yang Ye took his subordinates and left Xiajing, heading to Tianyan Port.
There, the largest shipyard in Huaxia was located.
Yang Ye spent nearly one hundred billion martial coins to purchase a newly built, world-leading oceanic hunting vessel.
Everyone knew where Inspector Ye’s wealth had come from.
However, no one dared speak a word about him embezzling or growing rich off corruption.
That was because the vast majority of his spoils had been turned over to the national treasury. In just a few days, the Huaxia treasury received nearly two trillion martial coins!
With such funds, the parliamentarians could get things done if they wished, or line their own pockets as they pleased. The atmosphere was harmonious and prosperous—no one was about to trouble Yang Ye.
...
“Steward Mu.”
The stone gates of the Dragon Palace beneath the sea opened, and upon seeing the middle-aged man beyond, Yang Ye greeted him with a smile.
“You have returned, young master,” Steward Mu replied serenely.
With that, he stepped aside and gestured for Yang Ye to enter.
Crossing the threshold, Yang Ye inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh, flower-scented air.
Without Long Xiaoqing’s help, Yang Ye had exhausted most of the starlight energy he could muster from the Star Sea just to reach this depth, over ten thousand meters beneath the waves.
After a deep breath, Yang Ye took a late-stage planetary beast core from his storage ring and swallowed it.
“Young master, where is the young lady?” Steward Mu inquired.
Yang Ye smiled. “Xiaoqing is busy training my men—she’s so absorbed that she hasn’t returned.”
Steward Mu nodded. “You’ve come back for something, haven’t you?”
Yang Ye replied, “Steward Mu, I’d like to ask for some of that medicinal solution you used during my previous tempering. If it’s not too much trouble…”
Steward Mu nodded. “It’s nothing rare. I have plenty left, and you’ll hardly need it in the future. Take as much as you wish.”
With that, he raised his hand and handed Yang Ye a small box the size of a palm. “Unlike others, you just need to use the tiniest amount—a scoop with an earspoon will suffice.”
“Thank you, Steward Mu!” Yang Ye exclaimed happily, accepting the box.
Inside was more than half a box of black medicinal powder.
“I won’t linger here, since I have other matters to attend to,” Yang Ye said, having obtained what he needed.
He did, however, eye the set of Blazing Sun Armor in the treasury with some envy. Unfortunately, Steward Mu had said that only those who reached the Supernova level could wear it...
“Wait.”
Just as Yang Ye was about to leave, Steward Mu raised his hand to stop him.
Curious, Yang Ye looked at him.
With a lift of his hand, Steward Mu produced a pair of black metal gloves.
Yang Ye’s eyes lit up as he recognized them—they looked just like the gauntlets from the Blazing Sun Armor!
Sure enough, Steward Mu said, “These are part of the Blazing Sun Armor. I’ve placed nine layers of seals upon them. Though you cannot yet wear the full set, you may take it piece by piece.
“When you have fully undone the nine seals, and can wear them properly, you will have advanced to the Stellar level. Then, return to me for a pair of battle boots. In this way, you’ll steadily improve your combat power and temper yourself as well. Now listen carefully—the method to undo the seals is...”
...
After Yang Ye’s return, his ocean hunting vessel set sail from Tianyan Port toward the deep sea.
Several days later, the colossal ship came to a stop.
At the prow, Yang Ye gave the order.
The fifty men he had recruited from prison, all clad in iron armor, leaped into the sea one after another, splashing down like dumplings into boiling water.
Long Xiaoqing had already scouted these waters—the sea floor lay about six hundred meters below.
Yang Ye himself had started at more than a thousand meters, but his men’s bodies were far less robust than his, so they could only begin at five or six hundred.
“Begin!”
Once they had gathered, Long Xiaoqing stood, hands clasped behind her back, upon a coral stone on the seafloor and issued the command.
Even underwater, her voice rang clear in every ear.
In the dim light, the fifty men paired off, wrestling with each other without using any starlight energy.
Silt billowed from the seafloor, turning the surrounding water cloudy.
Within less than a quarter hour, all fifty could endure no more. They used their star power to swim to the surface, gulping air greedily.
Long Xiaoqing pursed her lips in disapproval.
Compared to her husband, these fellows were sorely lacking in both physical strength and willpower.
“Ten minutes’ rest, then again!” she called, standing atop the sea with an impassive expression.
A chorus of groans rose from the exhausted men.
Ten minutes passed quickly.
Under Long Xiaoqing’s icy gaze, the fifty men submerged once more...
The afternoon wore on.
By the time the men dragged themselves back aboard, not one had the strength to move, sprawling limply across the steel deck of the great ship, like so many dead pigs.
“Come, come, time for a bath!”
An old man, swathed in a white towel, directed a group of strongmen as they lugged enormous wooden tubs of medicinal solution onto the deck.
Steam rose from the water, carrying a strange medicinal aroma.
Yang Ye emerged as well. Once the tubs were lined up, the strongmen stripped the fifty men to their underwear and heaved them into the tubs.
At first, screams of agony echoed across the deck.
But soon after came sighs of contentment.
...
After dinner and a brief rest,
Yang Ye produced the Blazing Sun Gauntlets from his storage ring and donned them.
Forged from a unique metal, the gauntlets turned incredibly supple as soon as he channeled star power into them.
The instant he put them on, Yang Ye felt as though he bore a thousand pounds upon his body.
His inner starlight surged rapidly into the gauntlets.
“Begin!” Yang Ye gritted out.
Long Xiaoqing nodded and, without hesitation, drove her fist into Yang Ye’s torso.
With a muffled thud, Yang Ye was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the metal deck.
He tried to dodge, but the weight of the gauntlets slowed him so much that there was no escaping Long Xiaoqing’s attacks.
Yet, despite the immense pressure weighing him down, his defense had improved noticeably.
Though only his hands were protected, the power emanating from the gauntlets shielded his entire body. Even after taking a solid punch from Long Xiaoqing, he felt no pain.
“Again!” he grunted, struggling to his feet.
Another deafening impact, and Yang Ye was slammed onto the deck once more.
...
In the chill night wind, Yang Ye was knocked down again and again by Long Xiaoqing, only to rise each time and face her once more.