Chicken Soup for the Soul

"Xiaoyi, bury all these corpses."

Qin Yan gave the order in a low voice.

"Yes, boss!"

Qin Xiaoyi trembled slightly, still shaken by having killed someone.

Meanwhile, everyone in the village had fallen into a panic.

Qin Yan's sudden, explosive killing spree had utterly shocked them. Those were vicious mountain bandits, men who killed without blinking an eye.

Yet Qin Yan had killed them one by one as if they were baby chicks.

The sight had completely overturned their view of the world.

So mountain bandits weren't all that formidable after all.

Qin Qing and his family were deathly pale. The third brother really had shown them mercy.

The bitterness and regret in his heart at the thought made him want to bash his head against a wall.

"Father, you always said the third brother was the one who would help the Qin Family rise. We didn't believe you before.

Now we've gone and lost him."

Qin Qing was filled with regret!

If the family had treated one another as brothers should, both brothers could have risen alongside Qin Yan.

But a moment of greed had indirectly led to their eldest brother's death and driven a wedge between them and their third brother, leaving them estranged for the rest of their lives.

Their eldest sister-in-law, Zhao He, had just finished arranging the funeral. When she heard the people around her talking about how Qin Yan had slaughtered the mountain bandits, terror filled her face.

"The Qin brothers insisted on driving Qin Yan out and dividing the family. Now he's gotten permission to trade, and he's highly skilled in martial arts.

"He'll probably be incredibly rich and distinguished someday, just like the masters in the city.

"Those two Qin brothers were truly blind, offending such a good brother as harshly as they could."

"Isn't that the truth? The eldest Qin brother deserved to die. What kind of elder brother deliberately cuts off his own brother's future?

"That's a grudge that runs deep.

"He got hurt and didn't make it through. Maybe even Heaven couldn't stand the sight of him!"

Those words struck Zhao He like blow after blow from a heavy hammer, making her face grow even paler.

She collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Could it really be that we were wrong?"

Zhao He's eyes went blank as she wept, tears and snot streaming down her face.

After they had dealt with the corpses,

Qin Xiaoyi and the others were all distracted, as if they had lost their souls.

Qin Yan knew they couldn't get past the fact that they had killed people.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Qin Yan clapped his hands, instantly drawing everyone's attention. They were all silent and truly lifeless.

"Do you know why those mountain bandits dared to kill?"

Qin Yan asked, his voice carrying a hint of coldness.

A trace of confusion flashed through Song Bao's and the others' eyes, and they immediately shook their heads.

"Because we're weak!"

Qin Yan said, "Weak people are like weeds by the roadside, to be crushed and kneaded at will.

"We can be slaughtered and squeezed dry whenever anyone pleases!

"No one cares whether we live or die!

"No one. No one ever has."

His words left everyone even more bewildered.

"Do you know why we've become the weakest of all, the ones who are always oppressed?"

Song Bao and the others still couldn't answer. They shook their heads in confusion.

"Because there are people oppressing us and sucking our blood: the imperial court, the officials, the gentry and local tyrants, even those mountain bandits.

"We toil with our faces to the yellow earth and our backs to the sky, painstakingly saving up that little bit of money.

"Those corrupt officials only have to invent a pretext, and they can plunder every last thing we own.

"They want us to work like beasts, yet they covet every scrap of flesh on our bones.

"Is it because we don't work hard enough?

"No!

"It's because those lord officials want us to live like beasts, penned up in one place until we die of old age!

"And what they spend on one meal equals a year of our hard work. The money they plunder is more than we could earn in several lifetimes.

"Why do they dare exploit us like this?"

Qin Yan looked at the crowd. "Because we're weak. They want to turn us into docile beasts and squeeze every last bit of value out of us. They eat our flesh and drink our blood.

"Why the hell should I let them suck my blood and eat my flesh? When a man dies, his bird points at the sky.

"Anyone who dares bully me, I'll kill."

Qin Yan's words were like thunder, making their bodies tremble violently, as though some kind of shackle had been unlocked.

"Those mountain bandits wanted to rob us of our money and our women!

"Why should they get away with it?

"Why should they be the only ones allowed to kill?

"Pick up a blade and chop them to death all the same. We've all got one head on two shoulders.

"It's no big deal.

"Remember, the ones you killed weren't people. They were nothing but beasts lying on top of us, sucking our blood and eating our flesh!

"We were carrying out justice on Heaven's behalf.

"They weren't people, just a bunch of beasts."

Qin Yan's words were like a fire, igniting their hearts and making them look at the world anew.

So they didn't have to be poor, or oppressed.

All of it was because they were too weak, too feeble.

"Tell me, do you want to be heroes who take up their blades and fight back, or weeds by the roadside and lambs waiting for slaughter?"

The uncertainty and confusion in Song Bao's and the others' hearts vanished, replaced by anger.

They felt a growing hatred for those corrupt officials and the gentry and bandits who used their strength to bully the weak.

"Those mountain bandits deserved to die! The boss is right. Anyone who wants to bully us, we'll chop those bastards to death."

Qin Xiaoyi spoke with a resolute expression.

"What I've taught you is meant to help you learn to make yourselves strong.

"Remember, only when we make ourselves strong will those beasts be afraid to bully us.

"If they dare come, we'll send them to their deaths!"

Seeing that his words had worked, Qin Yan couldn't help the slight rise at the corners of his mouth.

The seed had been planted. Now it remained to be seen how it would take root and sprout.

Some things required a just cause.

Then, when they swung their blades, they wouldn't have to worry about any burden on their conscience.

"The boss is right. From now on, anyone who dares come bully us, we'll take our blades and chop them to death."

Song Bao shouted excitedly, his expression feverish.

His words struck a chord with the others, and each of them nodded firmly.

"Boss, those mountain bandits may be dead, but Black Wind Mountain is still there.

"They'll definitely come after us for revenge."

Qin Xiaoyi kept himself calm as he thought of that crucial point.

"They'll definitely seek revenge."

Qin Yan sneered. "But who says they're the only ones allowed to seek revenge?"

Qin Xiaoyi's expression changed. "Boss, you want to go after the mountain bandits? That's too dangerous."

"Is staying in the village and waiting for them to come after us any less dangerous?"

Qin Yan smiled faintly. "There's no absolute safety in this world. The best defense is a good offense.

"You stay here. I'm going to test my strength."

"No!"

Qin Xiaoyi immediately objected. "Boss, take us with you. Then you'll have help."

"That's right, boss! We won't hold you back."

Song Bao and the others shouted in unison.

"You're too weak!"

Qin Yan dealt the blow without mercy. Everyone present lowered their heads, their faces flushed red.

"Train hard and become brothers who can fight at my side."

Qin Yan patted Qin Xiaoyi and the others on the shoulders, then proceeded to fire everyone up.

He whipped their emotions into a frenzy.

"Train! Train like our lives depend on it, so the boss won't have to face every enemy alone anymore."

Qin Xiaoyi and the others felt a surge of determination.

One by one, they went to the training ground to toughen their bodies and practice their martial skills even harder.