Brothers Plot in Secret

The lights blazed in the Warm Pavilion at Qin Lai's house.

The table was laden with food and wine. Large bowls brimmed with stewed meat and braised meat, glistening red with oil and rich with savory aromas. A pot of liquor sat warming, sending up clouds of steam.

Qin Wang sat at the head of the table while Qin Lai eagerly poured wine for his elder brother, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Big brother, how many days can you stay home this time?"

"Three to five days." Qin Wang took a sip of wine and said blandly, "There's a lot of work at the county office. Winter's here, and the caravans from beyond the frontier are returning one after another. Things have been unsettled in the north lately. The foreign tribes won't keep to themselves, so the city's on high alert."

He made it sound trivial, but Qin Lai knew that his elder brother had made a far better name for himself in Tieling County than appearances suggested.

In his early years, Qin Wang had saved an official from the county office and first became a hanger-on. Later, by means Qin Lai could only guess at, he had actually married the official's daughter.

She was only a concubine-born daughter, but she still came from an official's family. With that connection, Qin Wang had steadily established himself at the county office. Now he was Fast Runner Squad Leader, a man with a voice in its affairs.

Over the years, Qin Lai had traded on his elder brother's name to run gambling games with partners, secretly deal in human trafficking, and scheme to seize good farmland...

These shady businesses had earned him a substantial fortune. He shared some of his gambling winnings with his brother in exchange for his support.

"Big brother, you've finally come home. You have to stand up for me." Qin Lai topped up Qin Wang's wine again, his face darkening with resentment.

"That Qin Meng, I don't know what's gotten into him lately. He's become completely brazen!"

He told his version of what had happened over the past few days, embellishing the story at every turn. He made himself out to be a good Samaritan and cursed Qin Meng to high heaven.

Qin Wang set down his wine cup and fixed his younger brother with a sharp gaze. "You're saying that useless Qin Meng used to drink and gamble, then took a fall and became a different person? He hunted two Spotted Deer alone, and Chen Yong slunk away?"

"Every word is true!" Qin Lai hurried closer. "That brat's so brazen now, he's practically..."

Qin Wang waved him off, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "I've spent years at the county office. I've seen plenty of people. When a dullard suddenly gets smart, either he's had a stroke of luck or he's been hiding his abilities all along."

His eyes narrowed. "You said Qin Tianbao wants him in the Fort Militia?"

"That's right. Qin Tianbao invited him in front of everyone." Qin Lai nodded repeatedly. "Big brother, if he gets registered with the army, we won't be able to touch him!"

"We can't let him in," Qin Wang said firmly.

Qin Lai grew anxious. "But Qin Tianbao has already—"

Qin Wang sneered. "There's no point going straight to Qin Tianbao. The county office's Military Affairs Office has to approve the militia roster. I can talk to Clerk Li, who's in charge."

Qin Lai's eyes lit up. "You mean...?"

"Prepare a generous gift. I'll make the introductions," Qin Wang said in a low voice. "Clerk Li can find some pretext to cross Qin Meng's name off the list. As long as he isn't registered, he's just an ordinary hunter. Then..."

He paused, a cold glint passing through his eyes. "Chen Yong took a humiliating loss today, and he's still fuming. It'll be easy enough to borrow his knife to deal with a hunter."

Qin Lai grew excited, then immediately frowned. "But the gift..."

"I'll pay most of it, and you cover the rest." Qin Wang glared at him. "And don't botch it again. Keep this quiet. Don't let anyone hear about it."

"Yes, yes!" Qin Lai replied quickly.

Qin Wang lifted his wine cup, then added, "By the way, we're all neighbors. Buy some things and go apologize to Qin Meng when you get the chance."

"What? I'm supposed to apologize to him?" Qin Lai nearly jumped to his feet.

"This is for the people in the fort to see," Qin Wang said coldly. "Especially Qin Tianbao. If we're going to make a move, we have to wait until he lets his guard down."

Qin Lai gritted his teeth, but in the end he didn't dare argue again.

Meanwhile, in the Qin family's small courtyard...

"Whoosh, whoosh—" The night was deep, and the only sound in the yard was the keen hiss of a blade cutting through the air.

Qin Meng was practicing his saber, unaware of the scheme against him. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. The two cultivation methods offered by the militia didn't suit him, and he hadn't accepted Qin Tianbao's invitation. His priority was to train hard in Martial Skills.

Bare-chested, his muscles tightened and bulged with every swing. The moves of the Evil-Slaying Blade-Breaking Saber were strange and unpredictable, unlike the fierce Eight Blade Breaking Techniques. Practicing it required him to stir his qi and blood and use a unique method of channeling force.

Sweat ran down the furrows of his back, spattering dark droplets across the flagstones.

After another round of practice, he swallowed a Blood-Scaled Deer heart. A warm current burst from his belly and swiftly spread through his limbs and bones. His parched muscles, like a drought-stricken field finally touched by rain, greedily absorbed the essence in the Exotic Beast's flesh and blood.

After catching his breath for a moment, he raised his saber and practiced again, repeating the cycle over and over.

By the time he had consumed the last deer heart, it was midnight.

Qin Meng lowered his saber and settled into a stance, his chest heaving.

A force far more powerful than before burst from deep within his marrow, surging through his body. It was like an invisible hammer repeatedly tempering every inch of his bones and sinews.

He closed his eyes and felt the change: his blood flowed more thickly and forcefully, his heart thudded like a war drum, and the qi and blood he generated surged ceaselessly through his meridians.

When he opened his eyes, several lines of small text appeared:

[Evil-Slaying Blade-Breaking Saber—Proficient (2/500)]

[Martial Skill Progress: 19%]

[Effects: Physique Enhancement, Sharpness]

[Special State: Evil-Slaying (Emerging)]

Physique Enhancement: Greatly enhances the body's physical capabilities.

He clenched his fist, his knuckles crackling like popping beans. With a quick swing of one arm, he now had the strength of ten thousand catties—an ability ordinary martial artists could only attain after reaching the peak of the third Blood Changing Realm.

And he hadn't even formally begun cultivating this world's Martial Path techniques.

Qin Meng looked toward Tieling County, his gaze growing colder.

He doused himself with well water, washing away the sweat. When he returned to the inner room, Xiao Xue was curled into a ball on a straw mat in the corner.

Shen Qiuyue had finished her physical training not long ago. She had just washed up and was wiping her neck with a cloth. When she saw him come in, she asked softly, "Finished practicing?"

"Mm." Qin Meng sat beside her, catching the faint scent of soapwort in her hair. "The craftsmen are coming to repair the house tomorrow. Prepare some extra food."

"I know."

They said nothing more. They blew out the lamp and went to bed.

In the darkness, Qin Meng considered how to deal with the ambush that might be coming.

At the first faint light of dawn, Qin Meng was already practicing his saber in the courtyard. The Evil-Slaying Blade-Breaking Saber was gradually showing its power, its gleams weaving a net through the morning mist.

He continued until the sun stood high in the sky and its warmth drove away the chill, then slowly brought his movements to a stop.

Just after he had finished breakfast, Old Man Yang, the master carpenter, arrived with several apprentices and a cart. It was piled high with blue bricks, gray tiles, lumber, and other supplies.

"Little Brother Qin, we've got everything ready!" Old Man Yang grinned, showing the gap where his front teeth were missing.

Qin Meng came out to greet him. "Thanks for all the trouble, Uncle Yang. The inside and outside both need fixing. You're the old hand here, so please take the lead and do what you think best."

"Haha, we'll have it done in a jiffy!"

The craftsmen immediately set to work, bustling with activity.

Some mixed mortar, others carried bricks or raised beams. Each had his own task.

Qin Meng rolled up his sleeves to help pass them materials as he chatted with Old Man Yang.

"Have you heard? There was another battle beyond the frontier. The Border Army went out to suppress the foreign tribes..."

"Grain prices have gone up again in the county town. A dou of brown rice now costs eighty copper coins. How are people supposed to live..."

Qin Meng silently stored away the news. With the times in turmoil, he needed to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

At lunchtime, Shen Qiuyue brought out a full basin of stewed venison. The Exotic Beast meat had been simmered until tender and glistening with oil. Served with brown rice, it smelled irresistible.

Old Man Yang rubbed his hands, looking embarrassed. "Little Brother Qin, this is too much of a feast..."

"You're all working hard to repair the house. You should have some meat." Qin Meng ladled meat into everyone's bowls. "As long as the work's done well, there'll be meat at every meal."

The craftsmen were grateful to hear it and worked even harder that afternoon.

In the afternoon, Qin Meng saw that there wasn't much firewood left at home, so he slung the Zhanma Dao over his back and headed into the mountains.

He knew the woods east of the fort like the back of his hand. While gathering firewood, he also knocked down seven or eight fat doves with pebbles. On his way back, he ran into Li Tiezhu in an alley. The latter had just come from the militia camp, a flower-tipped spear in his hand.

"Tiezhu." Qin Meng strode over.

"Mengzi? Whoa, that's a lot of doves!" Li Tiezhu's eyes lit up.

Without another word, Qin Meng grabbed his arm and led him home. He called toward the house, "Auntie, Tiezhu's eating at our place tonight!"

Li Tiezhu was a martial artist who had just entered the Blood Changing Realm, with the strength of two oxen in his arms, yet Qin Meng pulled him along so hard he stumbled.

He stared at Qin Meng in alarm. "Mengzi, how are you this strong?"

"I took a fall and got lucky." Qin Meng turned and grinned. "Practicing saber alone is dull. You'll have to spar with me tonight."

"I use a spear!"

"No problem. We'll spar with spears, then."

Dinner was especially lavish: stewed venison, vinegar-sautéed snake, deer blood pudding, dove and deer-trotter soup, two plates of greens, and a whole bucket of mixed-grain rice.

Li Tiezhu swallowed hard as he looked at it. "This is way better than the militia's lunch!"

Old Man Yang and the others felt awkward accepting so much and started packing up their tools to leave, but Qin Meng warmly urged them to stay.

"Brother Mengzi, are you home?"

Just as everyone was eating, a shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.