Big Brother, Wasn't I Here to Save You?

Liu Wei's gaze swept over the scene before him. The ground was littered with headless corpses.

Some were human, and some were monsters.

The humans' heads were gone, their necks torn open in huge gashes. One could still make out the horrific sight of someone being snatched up and bitten's head clean off.

The monsters had been beheaded with a single slash. One had even been cut in half at the waist.

Blood had long since stained the ground around the severed remains, forming pools of blood that made one's heart seize.

And Chen Bin stood proudly in the center of that blood-soaked place, facing his arrival. His blood-speckled clothes snapped in the foul wind.

Liu Wei's heart tightened, and he couldn't help asking, "Where are the others?"

Chen Bin glanced casually around him. His tone was so calm, you'd think he was talking about the weather. "They're all here!"

They're all here?

Liu Wei's heart jolted. He looked more closely. Other than the men he'd brought, there was only Chen Bin, standing alone.

In an instant, he understood. The men Kang Ronghao had brought were all dead.

Liu Wei drew a deep breath, trying to quell the shock within him. This bloodbath was far beyond anything he'd imagined.

He looked up at Chen Bin. The other man's imposing presence was no weaker than his own, and Liu Wei was even more astonished. "You've reached the Qi Gathering Realm?"

"Lucky break." Chen Bin rolled his arm, and his joints cracked. "Since Banner Officer Liu is here, you can take care of these corpses!

"I'm exhausted. I need to find somewhere to rest."

With that, he turned and went looking for a corner where he could get some proper rest.

"What about Little Banner Kang?"

Liu Wei hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he asked the question weighing most heavily on his mind.

Chen Bin shot a sidelong glance at the enormous corpse beside him, which stood as high as a man's shoulder even lying down. He replied nonchalantly, "He's in that fellow's belly. I think his name was Tiger One."

"Y-you killed Tiger One?" Liu Wei's eyes widened in disbelief, and his voice rose without him meaning to.

"I killed him. So what?" Chen Bin's lips curved into a faint smile. "There's no need to make such a fuss."

Then he gave a huge yawn and trudged toward the dilapidated house in the distance. "Call me when you've dealt with the bodies. I'm going to get some sleep."

With his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled along at an unhurried pace, as if he'd just gone for a casual walk instead of fighting a bloody battle.

What the hell!

Looking at the corpses strewn across the ground, Liu Wei grumbled inwardly, So I'm the one stuck cleaning up?

Wasn't I here to save you?

Only after Chen Bin had left the threshing ground did the constables and captains, who had been holding their tongues in fear, dare to speak up. They all began talking at once.

"Sir, what should we do?" Li Kun walked up to Liu Wei with an air of respect and quietly asked for instructions.

"What can we do? Hurry up and clear the battlefield. Take the bodies back to the county town."

Liu Wei frowned deeply and gazed at the mountain range stretching into the distance. His expression was grave. "Tiger One is dead, and Kang Ronghao is dead too. We're in serious trouble."

"Send a few more men to bring back the horses that bolted in fright along the roadside," Liu Wei added.

The horses had been spooked by the fighting and had long since vanished. Finding them again would likely take quite some effort.

"Yes, sir!" The captains and constables responded in unison, their voices ringing out around them. Then they sprang into action.

A captain shouted, "Go see if any villagers have carts. We can't haul this many corpses back to the county town by hand."

But they all knew that the villagers of Nanxi Village had been slaughtered by the Mountain Lord's Ghost Servants. All that remained were empty houses, devoid of life.

"These monsters have thick hides. Let's just drag them back," someone suggested.

"Idiot. Their pelts will be ruined if you drag them. Then they won't be worth a thing," someone immediately retorted.

"Then take the doors and beams apart and make a makeshift sled," someone else suggested.

"Get to work. Everyone will get a silver reward when we get back."

At the captain's order, the constables and runners immediately threw themselves into the work, full of energy.

Chen Bin sat alone on the stone table in the courtyard, surrounded by silence, with only a gentle breeze drifting past.

His eyes were closed, and his attribute panel appeared before him.

[Name]: Chen Bin

[Realm]: Qi Gathering Realm (Tanzhong: 20/30)

[Merit]: 671

[Map]: Detectable range: thirty-two zhang

[Martial Arts]:

Demon Suppression Blade Technique (Transcendent)

Pure Yang Art—Qi Gathering Chapter (Proficient: 40/150)

Wind Thunder Saber Technique (Beginner: 0/100)

Ten Perfect Steps (Proficient: 0/150)

Looking at the figures, Chen Bin thought back to the battle he'd just fought and saw one of his weaknesses clearly.

His hands and feet were not strong enough in combat. In close-quarters fighting, he had no fist or leg techniques to rely on, and his movements weren't nimble enough.

His saber technique was certainly fierce and powerful, but his short-range combat ability was far too weak.

It seemed he'd have to find a sophisticated fist or leg technique to practice once he got back.

With that thought, Chen Bin drew his attention back and focused on [Pure Yang Art—Qi Gathering Chapter].

The Pure Yang Art—Qi Gathering Chapter was the very cultivation method he relied on to survive.

Without hesitation, he focused his mind and poured 110 Merit into it.

In an instant, countless streams of energy surged from every part of his body, as if slumbering beasts had been roused. They seemed endless.

The energy gradually converged, turning into tangible currents of "qi" that rushed frantically toward his chest.

At last, the "qi" flooded into the Tanzhong Acupoint, swelling it full of powerful energy. Yet more qi continued to pour in from behind.

Then the qi flowed slowly along his meridians into the [Zhongting Acupoint].

Under the impact of this tremendous force, the [Zhongting Acupoint] began to swell as well. A piercing pain shot through Chen Bin's mind.

Chen Bin clenched his teeth. His face twisted slightly with pain, but he remained unmoved, enduring it through sheer force of will.

No one knew how long it took, but the [Zhongting Acupoint] seemed to reach its limit, unable to bear the powerful force any longer.

A sharp crack rang out, as if something inside Chen Bin had shattered. The qi broke through the [Bigu] and surged through the [Bigu Channel] toward the breach.

Under the qi's assault, the [Bigu Channel] widened continuously, and soon the energy reached the [Jiuwei Acupoint].

The [Jiuwei Acupoint] filled in next to no time. The qi did not stop, but continued surging forward.

The [Juque Acupoint] proved unable to bear the full force of the powerful qi.

A faint sound of the acupoint wall breaking rang out in Chen Bin's mind, and at last the qi came to rest in the [Shangwan Acupoint].

Only then did this advance in his cultivation realm, brought about as a side effect of his improved understanding of the technique, finally come to an end.

At the same time, as the new prompt faded, the values on the panel quietly changed.