Bloodshed Shook the Four Quarters

[Life Source +6%]

[Life Source +5.5%]

[Life Source +6.3%]...

Threads of Life Source energy flowed into his body, but Qin Meng furrowed his brow slightly. He had accumulated enough, yet that feeling of "source enhancement" still hadn't returned.

The forest briefly fell silent. More than a dozen vicious giant wolves lay dead, with only five or six lucky enough to escape into the depths of the woods.

From farther in the forest, faint howls answered!

Qin Meng shook the wolf blood from his blade. His expression was calm, as though he'd merely warmed up. He looked up at the three men still frozen in the tree.

"Had your fill of watching? Get down. We need to move."

Wang Tieniu was the first to react. He scrambled down the tree and rushed up to Qin Meng, so excited he could barely get the words out. "Brother Mengzi, it really is you! You're incredible! The blade, the arrows—so fierce and fast..."

Li Tiezhu helped the weakened Qin Xiaoshan down from the tree. His own legs still felt unsteady when he touched the ground.

He looked at the wolf carcasses littering the ground, then at Qin Meng, gratitude and lingering fear in his heart. "Mengzi... we owe you this time. Without you, the three of us would've ended up in the wolves' bellies today. I won't forget this, Li Tiezhu!"

Qin Xiaoshan gave Qin Meng a weak, grateful look. His lips moved, but he didn't have the strength to speak.

Qin Meng waved it off and glanced at Qin Xiaoshan's leg. "Can you walk?"

Li Tiezhu gave a bitter smile. "He's lost too much blood, and we're both shaken. I'm afraid we can't make it along the mountain path right now."

Qin Meng nodded and said to Li Tiezhu, "Apply some medicine first, then bandage it and stop the bleeding. I've got a drag sled hidden up ahead. We'll haul him out of the mountains."

Li Tiezhu and Wang Tieniu both froze.

Wang Tieniu asked curiously, "Brother Mengzi, did you get some prey too? Is it big?"

Qin Meng ignored him and gestured for Li Tiezhu to help.

He took out some clean strips of cloth and carefully rebandaged Qin Xiaoshan's injured leg. His movements were practiced and sure, and he tightened the bandage just enough to stop the bleeding without cutting off the circulation.

When he finished, Qin Meng stood up. "Let's get out of here first. The blood stinks too much. It might attract something else. Gather up all these wolf carcasses."

Wang Tieniu was unusually obedient now. He and Li Tiezhu used branches and vines to make a simple drag sled, then loaded the two Spotted Deer and the wolf carcasses onto it. It was a heavy load; it took both of them to drag it.

Qin Meng helped Qin Xiaoshan along, and the four of them quickly reached the spot where the prey was hidden.

When Qin Meng pulled away the branches covering the sled, revealing the two enormous, grotesque Iron-Armored Salamander Demon corpses—

"Hiss!"

Li Tiezhu and the others drew in a sharp breath in unison, their eyes wide.

The black scales covering the creatures' bodies still gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen. Their limbs were thick, their claws hooked, and their mouths were full of fangs. Even in death, a heart-pounding Killing Intent seemed to roll off them.

"This... what is..." Li Tiezhu's voice trembled. He'd hunted plenty of times, but he'd never seen anything so terrifying. That aura... it was no ordinary beast.

Wang Tieniu was dumbstruck. He circled the sled twice, then stammered, "B-Brother Mengzi, those are Demonic Beasts, right?"

"This... you killed these? By yourself?" Qin Xiaoshan had even forgotten about his injured leg. He stared blankly at the two Demonic Beast corpses, his expression vacant.

"I happened to run into them." Qin Meng kept it brief as he set about arranging his own sled. He cleared some space and spread soft branches over it. "Help him sit here."

Li Tiezhu helped Qin Xiaoshan onto the sled.

Qin Meng retied the ropes, securing the Iron-Armored Salamander Demon corpses more firmly.

He listened closely. The faint howling from deep in the forest seemed to be growing more frequent.

"Tiezhu, Tieniu, hurry." Qin Meng took hold of the rope at the front of his sled. His voice was steady, but carried an urgency that allowed no argument.

"So many wolves are dead. The stench of blood is spreading. A bigger pack could show up at any moment."

Li Tiezhu shuddered. "Right. Let's go!"

Qin Meng said no more. He gripped the rope in one hand and dragged the heavy sled ahead of them.

Li Tiezhu and Wang Tieniu exchanged a glance, suppressing the turmoil in their hearts. Together, they hauled the sled loaded with prey and hurried after him.

This time, the group moved more slowly, but nothing went wrong, and they made it safely out of the forest. They headed straight for Linshan Town to sell the spoils, as they'd agreed along the way.

Heishui City, seat of Tieling County, stood on the northern frontier of the Yanhan Dynasty. It was one of several important border cities guarding the prefectural city. It controlled the pass at Duanlong Gorge and was also the first checkpoint for merchant caravans returning south from beyond the border, making it a place of vital importance.

Though it was no match for the prosperous cities of the interior and had a population of only a few hundred thousand, the border city was quite prosperous, with a large garrison stationed there and a canal nearby. The river reflected the city walls, turning its waters inky black—hence the name Heishui, or Blackwater.

That afternoon, Qin Lai left through the side gate of County Magistrate Cheng's residence with his elder brother Qin Wang, unable to hide his delight.

With his brother's introduction and generous gifts, he'd just secured a connection to the county magistrate's finance steward.

The plan to suppress Qin Meng was now set in stone.

All it would take was to brand him "insubordinate," and he could be excluded from the militia recruitment. Later, Qin Lai could even block him from enlisting in the army. Against a commoner with no backing, Qin Lai had plenty of ways to make him "disappear" in an accident.

He was about to treat his brother to a celebratory meal at a restaurant when a yamen runner in a squad leader's uniform hurried over. The moment he spotted Qin Wang, he greeted him.

"Well, if it isn't Squad Leader Qin!"

Qin Wang recognized him as Squad Leader Li of the Cavalry Fast Squad. "Brother Li, what's the rush?"

Seeing there was no one else around, Squad Leader Li lowered his voice. "Something's happened in Linshan Town."

"What?" Qin Lai's heart tightened. He cut in and asked, "What happened?"

Squad Leader Li glanced at him, displeasure on his face.

Qin Wang hurriedly smiled apologetically. "This is my younger brother. He's from Linshan Town."

Only then did Squad Leader Li continue. "Hongyun Gambling House was slaughtered last night. The owner, Lin Hai, and everyone in his residence were killed.

"The Leiming Martial Hall also lost a Body Forging Realm warrior.

"The killer left the name 'Song Jiang of Liangshan Marsh.' His methods were brutal, and he was wildly brazen. The county magistrate has already been alerted. I'm here on orders to inform County Magistrate Cheng."

"I won't keep you. See you later."

With that, he clasped his hands in farewell and hurried into the residence.

Qin Wang frowned and spoke sternly to Qin Lai. "The end of the year is near, and the town's full of all kinds of people. When you get back, don't go out again unless you have to."

Qin Lai's face had gone pale. He gave a vague answer.

Hongyun Gambling House... Shopkeeper Lin...

Who was this "Song Jiang"? Could he have something to do with that matter? A shadow fell over Qin Lai's heart.

Qin Wang noticed his strange expression and added, "Brother, now that your business is settled, why not stay in the city a few more days? When I have time, I'll accompany you home."

"No need to trouble yourself, brother." Qin Lai forced a few laughs. "I know what I'm doing."

News from Linshan Town swept through Luming Fort like the wind.

"Have you heard? Someone butchered everyone at Hongyun Gambling House!"

"Serves them right. That black-hearted den drove who knows how many people to ruin!"

"Retribution! They did the kind of things that bring a family's line to an end!"

The townsfolk gathered under the eaves by the well and out among the fields. Most of their chatter was gleeful.

The gambling house had been notorious for its wickedness. To the simple country folk, its downfall was nothing less than the workings of heaven's justice.

As they talked, someone remembered the few hooligans in the fort.

"Has anyone seen Liu San or Wang Laizi lately? It's been two days, hasn't it?"

"Those two pests cheated and stole from everyone. They were bound to get what was coming to them!"

"Exactly. The fort's been a lot more peaceful without those pests around."

Shen Qiuyue was picking vegetables in the garden, her hands never stopping. But she heard every word: "the bloody case at the gambling house in town," "Liangshan Hero," "the owner's violent death."

Her face remained as calm as ever, but a storm had already risen in her heart.

Lin Hai... the owner of that gambling house...

And Liu San and Wang Laizi, who'd suddenly disappeared without a trace...

She couldn't help recalling the faint smell of blood on her husband when he'd come home late that night, along with the pills, medicinal herbs, and silver he'd brought back.

He hadn't said much at the time. But looking back now...

Shen Qiuyue picked up her basket and went home. After closing the courtyard gate, she leaned against it and took several deep breaths before she could quell her worries.

She didn't panic. Instead, as usual, she changed into a practical outfit and began practicing the basic conditioning movements Qin Meng had taught her in the courtyard.

Every bend and every stretch was perfectly executed.

Before long, sweat dampened her hair at the temples.

Still, she kept increasing the difficulty. Her thoughts kept drifting to Qin Meng, and she prayed that his hunting trip in the mountains would go smoothly and that he'd come home safe and sound.