Brothers' Conspiracy

The warm chamber in Qin Lai's house was brightly lit.

The table was laden with a rich spread of food and drink. Large bowls were filled with stewed and braised meat, glistening with oil and emitting a savory aroma. A pot of shaojiu was heated to a pleasant warmth, wisps of steam rising from it.

Qin Wang sat upright in the seat of honor, while Qin Lai busily poured wine for his older brother, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Brother, how many days can you stay at home this time?"

"Three or five days, perhaps." Qin Wang took a sip of wine and said indifferently, "The yamen is busy. Winter is coming, and the caravans from beyond the Great Wall are returning one after another. The north hasn't been peaceful lately; the foreign tribes are restless, and the city is under strict inspection."

He spoke lightly, but Qin Lai knew that his brother was far more influential in Tieling County than he appeared.

In his early years, Qin Wang had saved a certain official from the county yamen, which led to him becoming a yamen runner. Later, through unknown means, he actually married that official's daughter.

Although she was only a daughter by a concubine, she was still of official lineage. Leveraging this connection, he had established a firm foothold in the yamen step by step. Now, he was a fast runner squad leader, a man of significant standing in the office.

Over the years, relying on his brother's reputation, Qin Lai had partnered with others to run gambling dens, secretly engaged in human trafficking, and set traps to forcibly seize fertile land...

These various illicit businesses had allowed him to amass a considerable fortune, a portion of which he used to pay tribute to his brother in exchange for his support.

"Brother, since you've finally made the trip back, you must stand up for your brother." Qin Lai filled Qin Wang's cup again, his face twisted with resentment.

"It's that Qin Meng. I don't know what kind of medicine he took recently, but he's become insufferably arrogant!"

He embellished the events of the past few days, painting himself as a helpful soul throughout his story while cursing Qin Meng for everything he was worth.

Qin Wang set down his wine cup, his sharp eyes fixed on his younger brother. "You're saying that this good-for-nothing Qin Meng, who spent his days drinking and gambling, fell down and turned into a completely different person? He hunted two spotted deer by himself, and Chen Yong left with his tail between his legs?"

"It's the absolute truth!" Qin Lai leaned in quickly. "That brat is so arrogant now, it's as if..."

Qin Wang waved his hand, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. "I've spent many years in the yamen and have seen all kinds of people. For a quiet, dull man to suddenly become sharp, he either stumbled upon a stroke of luck or has been hiding his true self all along."

He narrowed his eyes. "You said Qin Tianbao wants him to join the fort militia?"

"That's right, Qin Tianbao invited him publicly." Qin Lai nodded repeatedly. "Brother, if he really gets into the military registry, we won't be able to touch him anymore!"

"We cannot let him get in." Qin Wang said decisively.

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

Qin Wang sneered. "Going directly to Qin Tianbao is useless. The militia roster must be reviewed by the military affairs office of the county yamen. I have influence over Clerk Li, who is in charge of it."

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

"Prepare a generous gift, and I will act as the go-between." Qin Wang lowered his voice. "I'll have Clerk Li find some excuse to strike Qin Meng's name off the list. As long as he isn't on the roster, he's just an ordinary hunter. When that time comes..."

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Chen Yong took a beating today and is currently full of hatred. Using his blade to deal with a mere hunter will be easy enough."

Qin Lai grew excited, but then his face clouded with worry. "But this gift..."

"I'll put up the majority, you cover the rest," Qin Wang glared at him. "If you mess this up again, make sure it's done discreetly. Don't let word get out."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Qin Lai replied repeatedly.

Qin Wang raised his wine cup and added, "Right, we're all fellow villagers. When you have time, go buy some gifts and pay Qin Meng a visit to apologize."

"What? I have to apologize to him?" Qin Lai nearly jumped out of his seat.

"This is for the people in the fort to see," Qin Wang said coldly. "Especially for Qin Tianbao. If we want 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 to argue further.

Meanwhile, at the Qin family courtyard.

"Hoo, hoo—" The night was deep, and only the sharp whistle of a blade cutting through the air remained in the yard.

Qin Meng was practicing his saber technique, unaware of this scheme, and even if he knew, he wouldn't care. The two cultivation methods of the militia team were simply not suited for him. He hadn't accepted Qin Tianbao's invitation, prioritizing the hard training of his martial skills instead.

He was shirtless, his muscles tensing and bulging with every slash. The moves of the evil-slaying blade-breaking saber were treacherous; unlike the fierce and powerful eight blade breaking techniques, practicing it required mobilizing one's blood and qi, combined with unique techniques for channeling force.

Sweat slid down the grooves of his spine, splashing into dark spots on the bluestone floor.

After another round of practice, he swallowed a piece of blood-scaled deer heart. A warm current exploded in his gut, rapidly spreading through his limbs and bones. His parched muscles, like a long drought meeting rain, greedily absorbed the essence within the exotic beast's flesh.

After a moment of catching his breath, he raised his saber to practice again, repeating the cycle.

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

Qin Meng sheathed his saber and stood still, his chest heaving violently.

A force far more robust than before erupted from the depths of his bone marrow, scouring his body like an invisible heavy hammer repeatedly forging every inch of his sinews and bones.

He closed his eyes to feel it: his blood flow had become thicker and more powerful, his heartbeat sounded like a war drum, and the surging power of his blood and qi rushed ceaselessly through his meridians.

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

[Evil-slaying blade-breaking saber - Proficient (2/500)]

[Martial skill progress: 19%]

[Special effects: physique enhancement, sharpness]

[Special state: Evil-slaying (initial manifestation)]

Physique enhancement: Greatly enhances physical constitution.

He clenched his fist, and his knuckles popped like roasting beans. With a single swing of his arm, he possessed ten thousand jin of force—this was a realm that ordinary martial artists could only reach after completing the third blood changing realm.

And he hadn't even officially begun practicing the martial path methods of this world yet.

Qin Meng looked toward Tieling County, his gaze gradually turning cold.

He poured well water over his body to wash away the sweat. When he returned to the inner room, Xiao Xue was already curled up into a ball on a straw mat in the corner.

Shen Qiuyue had just finished her physical training and was wiping her neck with a cloth after washing up. Seeing him enter, she said softly, "Finished training?"

"Yeah." Qin Meng sat down beside her, catching the faint scent of soap from her hair. "The craftsmen are coming to repair the house tomorrow. Prepare some extra food."

"I know."

The two fell silent, blew out the lamp, and went to bed.

In the darkness, Qin Meng calculated how to deal with potential ambushes.

At the first light of dawn, Qin Meng was already in the courtyard practicing his saber technique. The evil-slaying blade-breaking saber was gradually revealing its power, the blade light weaving into a net amidst the morning mist.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky and its warmth had dispersed the chill that he slowly withdrew his stance.

Just after breakfast, the master craftsman Old Man Yang arrived with several apprentices, pushing carts. The carts were piled high with blue bricks, grey tiles, timber, and other materials.

"Young Master Qin, everything is ready!" Old Man Yang grinned, revealing a gap where his front teeth were missing.

Qin Meng went out to greet him: "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Yang. Both the inside and outside of the house need repairs. You are an expert in this field, so please take charge and handle it as you see fit."

"Haha, I'll make sure it's done right!"

The craftsmen immediately set to work with great enthusiasm.

Some mixed mud, some moved bricks, and others raised the beams, each attending to their own duties.

Qin Meng rolled up his sleeves to help pass materials, chatting with Old Man Yang as he did so.

"Have you heard? There was another battle beyond the pass. The border troops were deployed to suppress the alien tribes..."

"The price of grain in the county has risen again. A dou of brown rice is eighty wen. These times..."

Qin Meng silently noted these pieces of information. With the situation in turmoil, he needed to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

At lunch, Shen Qiuyue brought out a large basin of venison stew. The meat of the exotic beast was stewed until tender and glistening with oil; paired with brown rice, the aroma was mouth-watering.

Old Man Yang rubbed his hands together, looking embarrassed. "Young Master Qin, this is too extravagant..."

"Everyone is putting in the effort to fix the house; it's only right that you eat some meat." Qin Meng ladled meat into everyone's bowls. "As long as the work is done well, there will be meat at every meal."

The craftsmen were grateful upon hearing this, and they worked even harder throughout the afternoon.

In the afternoon, seeing that the firewood at home was running low, Qin Meng shouldered his zhanma dao and headed into the mountains.

He was very familiar with the woods east of the fort. While chopping wood, he used pebbles to knock down seven or eight plump turtledoves. On his way back, he ran into Li Tiezhu at the alley entrance—the latter had just come out of the militia camp, holding a spear in his hand.

"Tiezhu." Qin Meng strode forward.

"Mengzi? Whoa, so many turtledoves!" Li Tiezhu's eyes lit up.

Without a word, Qin Meng grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the house, turning his head to shout inside, "Auntie, Tiezhu is eating at my place tonight!"

Li Tiezhu was, at the very least, a martial artist who had just entered the blood changing realm, possessing the strength of two oxen in his arms, yet he was dragged along, stumbling.

His face was full of shock. "Mengzi, how do you have so much strength?"

"Took a tumble, a blessing in disguise." Qin Meng turned his head and grinned. "Practicing the blade alone is dull and boring. You have to spar with me tonight."

"I use a spear!"

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

Dinner was exceptionally lavish. Stewed venison, stir-fried snake slices with vinegar, deer blood curd, turtledove and deer trotter soup, plus two plates of greens and a bucket of steamed mixed-grain rice.

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

Old man Yang and the others felt bad and began packing up their tools to leave, but Qin Meng kindly insisted they stay.

"Brother Mengzi, are you home?"

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