The Coming of a Hidden Attack

Luming Fort's militia stockade walls stood two zhang tall, built entirely from dressed bluestone. Watchtowers and arrow towers bristled along the ramparts, making it look like a small military fortress.

This was the heart of Luming Fort. The border garrison system had remained unchanged for a hundred years: every man in the fort had to join the militia and train upon turning fifteen. During the farming off-season, even women and children had to drill with bows and crossbows. It was truly a place where every citizen was a soldier.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop—"

Hooves pounded across the bluestone streets of Luming Fort, their hurried echoes ringing out.

Five swift horses charged recklessly through the streets, then skidded to a halt before the stockade gate on the western rise.

The lead rider, Chen Chao, swung down from his horse. He was a burly man with a scar across his cheek.

He wore the armor of a mounted-troop officer from Heishui City, with a saber hanging at his waist. He made no effort to conceal his Body Forging Realm peak aura as his gaze swept over the militia on the walls, bows at the ready. A trace of arrogance curled his lips.

"Well, well, Chief Chen. What a rare visitor." Qin Tianbao had already come out at the sound of the hoofbeats. He stood on the stone steps by the stockade gate, his solid frame as imposing as a mountain.

His words were polite, but his brow furrowed slightly. County mounted-troop chief Chen Chao was the older brother of tax clerk Chen Yong. The man had charged straight into the fort, arriving with such a menacing air. He clearly meant trouble.

Sure enough—

Chen Chao tossed his whip to an attendant and strode forward without wasting time on pleasantries. He pulled a document from inside his robe. "Captain Qin, let's dispense with the small talk. I'm here under orders from the county government's Military Affairs Office to deliver a notice."

He unfolded the document and deliberately raised his voice so the militia training nearby could hear. "Qin Meng of Luming Fort applied to join the militia. After reviewing his case, the county government found that he has a history of heavy drinking and gambling, has repeatedly refused to mend his ways, and has poor character. The Military Affairs Office has decided not to accept him!"

The shouts from the training ground gradually died down, and dozens of eyes turned their way.

Qin Tianbao's face darkened. He took the document and glanced at it. The red seal stood out clearly.

"Chief Chen, Qin Meng has long since turned over a new leaf. He's now the best hunter in the fort. Just yesterday, he killed a ferocious wolf by himself and came to his fellow villagers' aid—"

"A dog can never stop eating shit!" Chen Chao cut him off at once, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The county's assessment is clear as day: this man refuses discipline and is a blight on the community. Captain Qin, are you planning to defy the county government's decision?"

He stepped closer and lowered his voice, though it remained loud enough for those nearby to hear.

"I've also heard that Qin Meng caused trouble in the fort a few days ago and beat one of his own clansmen. You'd dare put a violent brute like that on the military rolls?"

A cold gleam flashed in Qin Tianbao's eyes. How could he fail to see that someone was pulling strings behind the scenes?

He could guess with his toes that Qin Lai, who had gone to the county seat two days ago, was behind this. He also knew exactly what trap Chief Chen's words concealed.

If he kept arguing, he would be challenging the county government's authority. If he didn't, he would be accepting the county's assessment—and the fabricated charges.

"This matter was decided jointly by the officials at the county government's Military Affairs Office." Chen Chao retreated half a step, his voice returning to normal, though his face still wore undisguised mockery.

"I made the trip in person today to tell you, Captain Qin: the government's Military Affairs Office doesn't interfere with the military affairs of the border forts, but it does have the authority to supervise them.

"Qin Meng has poor character and is not permitted to join. This is for the good of Luming Fort, too. We can't let one rotten mouse ruin the whole pot of porridge."

The training ground fell utterly silent.

Many young militiamen looked indignant, but the veterans beside them held them back.

The veins on the back of Qin Tianbao's hand stood out as he gripped the document. After a moment, his expression settled. He stared at Chen Chao. "Are you finished?"

"Uh..." Chen Chao froze.

"Then get lost." Qin Tianbao tossed the document onto the stone steps. His voice was cold as iron. "Luming Fort is an imperial military settlement. My commission comes from the Border Army Governor's Office, not the Heishui City county government.

"You're nothing but a low-ranking mounted-troop chief from a county seat, and you came galloping in here, disturbing the locals. I haven't even held you accountable, yet you dare come to my garrison and throw your weight around?"

Chen Chao's expression changed abruptly. "You—"

"What?" Qin Tianbao stepped forward, and the aura of a Body Forging Realm peak martial artist erupted like a mountain crashing down. "You want to fight me here?"

The bowstrings on the stockade walls twanged in unison.

The four cavalrymen behind Chen Chao went pale. Their hands rested on their sword hilts, but none dared draw.

Though the border garrisons were nominally subject to local authority, they operated independently in practice. They were reserve forces of the Border Army and had no subordination to the local government.

Qin Tianbao's post as militia captain might be low-ranking, but he had been appointed from the Border Army, and it was a bona fide military office. It carried more weight than a mounted-troop chief from the county seat. If a real conflict broke out, the county government might not dare investigate too closely.

"Fine. Fine..." Chen Chao repeated the word several times, the scarred flesh on his cheek twitching. At last, he gritted his teeth and waved his hand. "The assessment has been delivered. We're leaving!"

The five men mounted their horses. Hooves clattered again, but this time they rode off in disarray.

Qin Tianbao stood motionless on the stone steps, watching the dust drift away. Then he bent down and picked up the document. Its edges had split where he'd crushed them in his grip.

"Captain..." His deputy stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.

"This is going too far." Qin Tianbao turned and walked into the fort tower, his anger barely held in check. "Tell Qin Meng to come see me. Now."

At the same time, in the Qin family's small courtyard—

Practicing a Mystic Grade Martial Skill took a heavy toll on the body.

Qin Meng had just swallowed his third large bowl of rice mixed with Snake Meat Soup. Only after the warm current in his belly had dulled his hunger did he pick up his saber again and resume practicing in the yard.

As the Zhanma Dao moved, his mind sank into the flow of the blade.

Memories of last night's life-or-death fight flashed through his mind: the rank stench of the Demon Salamander as it lunged to kill, the shudder as his blade split its scales, the rage of grappling with a man, and the Killing Intent that had flowed into his killing move in his desperation, sending the blade's glow tearing through the air...

These insights mingled with the vital energy of his recent breakthrough into the Boiling Blood Realm, giving rise to a completely new Blade Intent.

When the blade rose, his moves no longer followed rigid patterns.

He chopped, slashed, swept, and thrust, every move carrying the ruthlessness of a fight for survival. His blade grew faster and faster. A dim black-red light flowed along its edge, gradually forming an impenetrable web of blades that covered a radius of two or three zhang.

Shen Qiuyue was washing clothes by the well. She looked up at the scene in the yard, and the clothes slipped from her hands into the basin.

Qin Meng darted about like a ghost, his blade flashing like a net. Wherever it passed, the dead leaves drifting through the air were shredded before they could touch the ground.

The wind of his blade howled, Killing Intent whirling wildly and rattling the woodpile in the corner of the yard.

The Little Black Dog curled into a ball in its kennel, whimpering softly.

On the windowsill, the Little Fox's pupils narrowed to slits, its fur standing on end.

Then, at a certain moment—

"Vmmm!"

The Zhanma Dao suddenly gave a clear, ringing note, its quiver like a dragon's roar!

Black-red light blazed from the blade. Three inches beyond its edge, it condensed into a hazy blade phantom, flickering between solid and insubstantial, its Killing Intent pressing down on everything nearby.

A sudden inspiration struck Qin Meng. The two streams of pure vital energy within him surged like a river in flood. The blazing vital energy at his heart poured into his arms, while the dense vital energy in his chest surged straight toward his brow.

His vision suddenly changed. The blade's path aligned perfectly with the flow of air; every trace of resistance and every degree of angle became clear to him.

"Slash!"

It was the simplest vertical chop.

The blade fell, and its phantom tore free!

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The pine firewood drying in the yard split apart. Three wooden posts as thick as bowls were cleanly severed, their cut surfaces smooth as mirrors.

The blade phantom flew two zhang before dispersing. The air warped in its wake, as if torn open, and a deep gash was scraped into the courtyard wall.

A blast of wind erupted, scattering the morning mist completely.

Qin Meng lowered his saber and stood still, his chest rising and falling slightly as heat steamed off him like fog.

He could clearly feel the power within him had grown again. His muscles, bones, and even his mind had undergone some kind of tempering during that strike.

A few lines of small text appeared before his eyes:

[Evil-Slaying Blade-Breaking Saber—Minor Mastery (1/1000)]

[Effect: "Physique Enhancement" enhanced: massively enhances physical attributes.]

[Effect: "Sharpness" enhanced: condenses Killing Intent, further increasing sharpness.]

[Special State: Evil-Slaying (Minor Mastery): damage to demons and evil spirits increased by 70%.]

Even better, the Killing Intent in the blade could now circulate in harmony with his own vital energy. With the Zhanma Dao in his hands, he wielded it like an extension of his arm, and it was even sharper.

"Minor mastery really is something else." Qin Meng ran a hand along the blade, his heart surging with excitement.

Just as he was about to examine the changes in his body more closely, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Mengzi, Captain Qin wants to see you. It's urgent!" The voice outside was hurried.

Qin Meng frowned and sheathed his saber. He glanced at Shen Qiuyue's worried face, said, "Don't worry," and pushed open the gate.