Shen Family Fortress

"A good man should kill; with both hands drenched in blood, he looks down upon ghosts and gods in terror!"

Eight thousand Overlord's Soldiers clad in blood-red garments rolled past along the great road between the two cities like a river of blood. Every bandit soldier proudly stretched out his right hand and lightly flicked the blood-colored leather helmet on his head, producing neat, uniform snapping sounds. Their song brimmed with murderous intent, its lofty notes seeming to smash even the clouds in the sky into scattered fragments. A pale, colorless sun hung overhead, numbly scattering its sunlight at random.

On the walls of the two tiny cities stood the city lords, commanders, and officials of every rank, staring blankly. Their bodies trembled violently as they watched the Overlord's Soldiers race past their cities.

Duty to defend the land for the kingdom, responsibility to keep the borders peaceful—none of the officials atop those walls had such thoughts in their minds. They only wished they could burn tall incense and pray to Heaven to let these utterly vicious bandits pass through quickly. Raise the city garrisons to suppress the Overlord's Soldiers? They would not even dare entertain such a thought in their dreams.

Riding a towering steed red as glowing charcoal, Ling Batian suddenly roared, "Stop!"

Crash! The eight thousand Overlord's Soldiers halted at once, like a surging river suddenly frozen solid, shifting from utmost motion to utmost stillness with such natural harmony that it seemed wrought by Heaven itself. The officials and soldiers on the walls were all dumbfounded. What a terrifying army this was!

On the wall of the small city to the left of the road, the city lord rolled his eyes back and actually fainted from fright at the sudden stop of the Overlord's Soldiers.

On the wall of the small city to the right, the city lord shook like chaff in a sieve, though he barely managed to remain standing. Trembling, he raised his voice, his throat hoarse as a duck strung up by the neck, and wailed, "My lord Overlord, this city is small and poor, and we have no martial experts. Please, please show mercy and do not breach our city!"

By the Great Yuan Kingdom's laws concerning city lords, if a city was breached during a city lord's tenure, their entire family would be enslaved!

Ling Batian glanced at the city lord and waved a hand. "I'm not attacking your cities. Each city offers five hundred taels of gold, five thousand taels of silver, and five million copper coins, and I'll take my men and leave!"

Thud! The city lord who had barely been standing dropped onto the ground on his backside as well. Trembling all over, he stared at Ling Batian and nearly followed his colleague across the way into unconsciousness. The sum Ling Batian had named was truly astronomical for their two small cities. Yet refusing to pay was plainly impossible. Overlord Ling Batian was known throughout the land for one trait: he wanted money to the death. If his demands were not met, his eight thousand Overlord's Soldiers could breach the two small cities in no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, the gates of both cities opened wide. A convoy emerged from each, its carts piled heavily with tribute for Ling Batian.

To scrape together this enormous payment, the two city lords had emptied their treasuries. Silver-inlaid chamber pots could even be seen on the carts, sent over to make up the amount. Yet the Overlord's Soldiers did not disdain them. Like Ling Batian, they never turned up their noses at yellow gold, white silver, or gleaming copper coins.

The minor episode lasted no more than half an hour before the Overlord's Soldiers once again rolled onward.

Lin Xiao woke at that very moment. He had been thrown onto a cart carrying provisions, with soft grain and fodder beneath him. Though the cart jolted and bumped, it was somewhat comfortable. Lying on his back, Lin Xiao opened his eyes and stared blankly at the sky. Only after a long while did he suddenly realize his situation. He cried out in fright, scrambled up, and stood atop the tall mound of supplies. Ahead stretched a long column of blood-clad soldiers, and behind him stretched another long formation of blood-clad troops. In the wasteland on both sides of the road, mounted scouts in blood-red clothing could still be seen riding back and forth.

Overlord's Soldiers—he truly was among the Overlord's Soldiers! Lin Xiao could not describe what he felt. He merely sat cross-legged atop the sacks of grain in a daze, staring at the blood-clad soldiers ahead.

A burly man in blood-red armor rode up beside Lin Xiao and casually stuffed a small bundle into his hands. The man said carelessly, "Kid, this is your bundle. All the gold, silver, and valuables inside have been confiscated. From now on, the Overlord's Soldiers are your household. You don't need to save any private money."

Lin Xiao clutched the bundle to his chest and stared blankly at the burly man.

The man bared his teeth in several strange, grating laughs, then nodded at Lin Xiao. "I'm Xue Wu, Fifth Brother among the Overlord's eighteen Blood Kill personal guards. You can call me Fifth Brother. That genealogy was your family's? Damn, for thirty-six generations, every generation had only one son. Tsk, tsk. It was not easy for your generation to finally have two brothers, but now you're the only one left! Your Lin family really hasn't had it easy!"

Those words struck directly into the deepest wound in Lin Xiao's heart. He drew several sharp breaths and glared furiously at Xue Wu. Xue Wu looked back at him without a care, continuing that unbearable "heh-heh" laugh. Lin Xiao gritted his teeth hard. Only after a long time did he barely suppress the rage and grief in his heart, lowering his voice as he asked, "Guihua City... really?"

"Dead clean. Not even a rat was left behind!" Xue Wu said loudly. "Under the Jimo Sect's Four Phases Soul Locking Array, not even a mosquito could escape, much less living people. So now you're the last root of your family. If you don't want to die, be obedient and serve as our Overlord's Soldiers' army physician. We won't treat you badly. When you're two years older, we'll find you a pretty woman and have you produce a whole pile of brats to carry on your old Lin family's bloodline! Hahaha!"

Slapping his mount on the head, Xue Wu galloped off in wild laughter. Lin Xiao sat blankly atop the grain sacks, with only the two unfamiliar terms "Jimo Sect" and "Four Phases Soul Locking Array" churning through his mind. He still did not understand what those two names represented, but he knew that his life now held its first mission, one he had no choice but to shoulder: destroy the Jimo Sect!

"Father!" Lin Xiao suddenly hugged the little bundle and burst into tears. Lin Shan's face kept flashing before his eyes. Ever since he could remember, Lin Shan's kind, lean face had supported everything in Lin Xiao's world. Yet that face, so dear to him, had been utterly destroyed by the force called the Jimo Sect! Even Hua Wuniang and Lin Yao, whom he had once hated, were now people Lin Xiao desperately missed. At the very least, with them there, he would not feel that he was all alone.

After all, Lin Xiao was only a boy of fifteen or sixteen.

Xue Wu rode up to Ling Batian's side and reported in a low voice, "Boss, there was nothing suspicious on that kid. That poisonous patch was probably something Spring Return Hall accidentally made while cultivating some herb or another. The boy's just a greenhorn, scared witless. There's nothing worth noticing."

"Accidentally made?" In the eyes of the rough-faced Ling Batian flashed a shrewd light entirely unsuited to his appearance. He sneered. "A patch of poison made by accident forced twelve Jimo Sect experts, men on the verge of forming their cores, to cut off their own arms? Hmph. That was poison for cultivators, not something ordinary commoners could make."

Xue Wu said anxiously, "But Boss, while the kid was unconscious, we searched him from top to bottom. He had nothing suspicious on him. His internal cultivation is no more than ordinary martial skill, nothing strange. The brothers even tore apart that secret chamber, and there was nothing unusual there. There's probably really nothing valuable on him."

"Never mind all that! Keep him within the Overlord's Soldiers regardless. Send someone to watch him carefully. He must not die, and he especially must not escape." Ling Batian furrowed his brows and muttered, "I keep feeling things aren't that simple. That bastard Commander Wutian, hmph, he definitely hid something from me. I should have split him in two with one slash."

With a cold snort, two streaks of bloody light shot nearly three inches from Ling Batian's eyes. They vanished in a flash. Ling Batian said calmly, "Keep watch over the kid. Hm, even if he has nothing important on him, he's not bad as an army physician. At least we Overlord's Soldiers aren't like those Black Blade Bandits. They would rather their men suffered grievous casualties so they could use them to refine demonic arts. What we want are warriors tempered through a hundred battles, not filthy, corrupted undead."

"Yes!" Xue Wu answered respectfully before slowly riding away.

"Jimo Sect! Hmph, hmph. This time, we of the Blood Kill Demonic Path will have a proper contest with you!" A savage smile flashed across Ling Batian's face.

The Overlord's Soldiers continued onward and onward, crazily scraping away the people's flesh and blood along the road, filling their basins and overflowing their bowls. As the wealth they "collected" grew greater and greater, Ling Batian's smile became ever brighter. Hoarding treasure was his greatest obsession. A purely private obsession, purely so.

Lin Xiao remained atop that tall supply cart, watching coldly as the seemingly tireless Overlord's Soldiers hurried onward day and night. He did not know where they were going or what they intended to do. None of that concerned him. He only kept recalling every word Lin Shan had told him.

The Pill Token tucked into his inner pocket constantly released threads of cool aura that nourished his body. It was precisely this cool, gentle aura, so full of life and vitality, that allowed the exhausted Lin Xiao to endure these past days. Lin Xiao knew someone else had touched the Pill Token, because the token that had once glimmered with faint blue light was now withered and dry, like a blackened piece of rotten wood, utterly inconspicuous. If not for the wondrous aura flowing from within, Lin Xiao would not have dared believe that this was the Pill Token Lin Shan had given him.

Clenching the Pill Token tightly, Lin Xiao raised his head and looked at the bright full moon hanging high in the sky. Suddenly, he let out a faint sigh.

The road ahead was vast and boundless. Lin Xiao did not know where his future path lay.

Perhaps even if the moon in the sky could see all things in the world, it could not give Lin Xiao even the slightest guidance.

Sitting atop the sacks of provisions, with the night wind softly brushing his cheeks and cool mist spraying against his face, Lin Xiao suddenly felt an unfamiliar emotion rise within his heart. He did not yet understand what this feeling, which made his heart ache, was. Only much later did he realize that it was loneliness.

Ling Batian rode up from behind, constantly encouraging the soldiers under his command, telling them their target lay on a hillside less than twenty li ahead. As he passed the supply cart, Ling Batian suddenly saw Lin Xiao seated cross-legged upon it. Bluish-white moonlight spilled over Lin Xiao's blue robes. Between his picturesque brows and eyes lay a thread of loneliness and desolation that should never have belonged to someone his age. Several stray strands of hair drifted lightly behind his head in the night wind. An ethereal, otherworldly spirit seemed to rush toward Ling Batian, causing his breath to catch.

Many, many years later, Ling Batian would boast of this night as the greatest anecdote of his life. He told everyone he knew that he had already known that night that Lin Xiao was destined not to remain a thing trapped in a pond. That was why, when Lin Xiao later fled for his life with others, he had magnanimously spared Lin Xiao and let him keep his little life.

The Overlord's Soldiers continued racing forward. After another twenty li, a great mountain appeared ahead.

For dozens of li in every direction, the land here was a flat expanse of sand and stone, while a great river wound from north to south. The mountain stood proudly alone on this small plain, comfortably radiating an awe-inspiring majesty in all directions. A vast fortress rose from its mountainside, with a twisting, winding horse road leading straight from the foot of the mountain to the fortress gates.

The fortress was already comparable in size to a small city, yet the standards of its walls were absolutely those of a prefectural city.

The walls rose five zhang high, their brick seams sealed with molten copper, giving them an indestructible appearance. The massive gates were covered in barbs over a foot long, gleaming with cold greenish light beneath the moon. Teams of fortress guards, chests out and heads high, patrolled the walls with weapons in hand. Between the crenellations, several city crossbows—objects absolutely forbidden by law—had even been mounted!

Atop the walls stood a tall flagpole. On its great black banner edged in red, a huge golden character for "Shen" had been painted.

"Damn! What imposing airs!" Ling Batian lightly scratched at his thick beard and said in a strange tone, "Looks like guarding Feiyun Pass is a cushy post. Otherwise, how could he build such a huge fortress? Tsk, tsk. Xue Yi, calculate it. If we take down a fortress like this, how much gold and silver could we get?"

A burly man in blood armor riding close behind Ling Batian laughed strangely. "Boss, judging by the size of this fortress, if there isn't at least a hundred thousand or eighty thousand in gold and silver inside, it would really be an insult to us brothers!"

"A hundred thousand or eighty thousand in gold and silver?" Even Ling Batian's gaze changed. He tightened his grip on the Three-Pointed, Two-Edged Blade and said oddly, "Then even without the Third Prince's request, I'd have to take this fortress. Men, charge! Damn it, capture Shen Family Fortress, and I'll reward each of you with two taels—no, one tael—no, five mace of silver for private spending!"

Lin Xiao, seated atop the grain cart, stared at Ling Batian in astonishment. How could such a stingy bandit leader possibly lead such a ferocious, tiger-and-wolf-like elite force?

However, Xue Yi's addition gave Lin Xiao the best explanation. Xue Yi roared, "Men, loot Shen Family Fortress! Eat great chunks of meat and drink great bowls of wine! Whichever unit is first to break into the fortress will earn the right to learn the third level of the Blood Kill Demonic Art! Men, kill! Break Shen Family Fortress, kill!"

The eight thousand Overlord's Soldiers gave an excited roar. One by one, they rubbed their fists and readjusted their armor, then rushed toward Shen Family Fortress with blades in hand. Their formation appeared disorderly, yet a closer look revealed that the Overlord's Soldiers had actually arranged themselves into an exceptionally profound and complex battle formation. The eight thousand moved as one body, surging forward with the irresistible momentum of a collapsing mountain.

The boundless killing aura of eight thousand soldiers seasoned by countless battles condensed into a faint blood-colored baleful intent, charging at the walls of Shen Family Fortress like a demonic dragon.

A vicious wind suddenly swept across the flat ground. The flagpole atop Shen Family Fortress was snapped by the gale, and the banner fluttered down from the wall with a heavy crash.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Urgent gongs rang out from the walls as the fortress guards on night patrol shouted, "Bandit attack! Bandit attack! Everyone, come quickly! Bandit attack!"

Several city crossbows on the walls were quickly drawn. Dozens of solid steel bolts, six feet long and as thick as thumbs, were set upon the strings. At an order, the dozens of steel arrows tore through the air in a wild barrage.

Pfft! Pfft! More than a dozen Overlord's Soldiers failed to evade in time and were struck by the rushing steel arrows. The powerful crossbows drove the arrows straight through their bodies and deep into the ground. Fountains of blood sprayed from their bodies. They lost the ability to move at once and could only collapse on the ground in furious frustration, hacking wildly at the earth with their sabers and sending countless sparks flying.

Lin Xiao's work had arrived. Piles of medicine were thrown before him, and wounded soldiers were continuously carried over. Xue Wu stood beside him with a smile and said blandly, "Doctor Lin, everything is in your hands now. The brothers' wounds are severe. A healer has the heart of a parent—you won't stand by and watch them die, will you?"

A healer had the heart of a parent? Lin Xiao looked at Xue Wu mockingly and said coldly, "Save them so they can go kill again?"

Xue Wu blinked. Then he suddenly drew a saber and placed it against Lin Xiao's neck. Xue Wu said calmly, "Your Lin family had thirty-six generations of single heirs."

Lin Shan's face suddenly flashed before Lin Xiao's eyes. Lin Xiao gritted his teeth hard and said furiously, "I... will treat them!"

The wounded Overlord's Soldiers were in for suffering. A healer had the heart of a parent, so Lin Xiao, this army physician taken by force, was surely their stepfather and stepmother combined! He applied the most irritating medicines to their wounds, stitched them with the crudest methods, bound their bandages with the greatest force, then forced them to drink the bitterest medicinal brews, deliberately using several bitter herbs beyond the limits of ordinary endurance.

Lin Xiao's medical methods were highly effective. Every wounded Overlord's Soldier survived. Even one whose belly had been split open, exposing his internal organs, had his life preserved under Lin Xiao's emergency treatment. Yet every Overlord's Soldier treated by Lin Xiao lay in the open space nearby, screaming hysterically. They felt as if they might die at any moment. Their treated wounds seemed to hurt a hundred times more than when they had first been injured!

Xue Wu's eyes and mouth twitched repeatedly as he watched. If he had not heard the wounded men's screams growing ever more vigorous and resounding, he truly would have been unable to stop himself from attacking Lin Xiao. There were actually several doctors traveling with the Overlord's Soldiers, but when had anyone else ever treated patients so brutally?