Bloodlust

The militia squad's barracks, inside the office.

Qin Tianbao pushed the document across the desk. "Mengzi, take a look at this."

Qin Meng sat down opposite him, took the document, and skimmed it. It listed criticisms such as "drunken gambling," "poor character," and "refusal to follow orders." The official seal of the Heishui County Government blazed scarlet at the bottom.

He wasn't surprised. His expression didn't even change.

As a militiaman, he would be registered and placed under supervision, but the monthly stipend and rations meant little to him now.

Not joining the squad would leave him freer.

Qin Tianbao, however, was another matter. His face was so dark it looked ready to drip. When Qin Meng had bought the velvet antler, he had thumped his chest and promised to take care of this.

Now his cheeks burned. "Qin Lai pulled this stunt. He used Qin Wang's connections at the county government to get the Military Affairs Office to 'evaluate' you. They're afraid that if you join the militia and transfer to military registration, they won't be able to keep you in line later."

Qin Tianbao paused, then lowered his voice. "Mengzi, Qin Lai's a bastard. Be careful lately. When you go hunting in the mountains, don't go alone."

"Uncle Tianbao, I know what I'm doing." Qin Meng set the document back on the desk. "Actually, when I got drunk and fell into the ditch a few days ago, it wasn't an accident."

"What?" Qin Tianbao's pupils contracted.

"I'd had a good haul for three days running. Someone got nervous." Qin Meng looked up, his gaze calm as still water. "Those five men, Song Zhong and the others, weren't hunting in the mountains that day. They were following me..."

He didn't finish, but the room fell abruptly silent.

Qin Tianbao's throat bobbed. How could he not understand what Qin Meng meant? Song Zhong and the other four had gone into the mountains and never returned. Rumors were already spreading around the fort that some demon had gotten them. But now Qin Meng was saying...

"This isn't a grudge that can be settled with a few words." Qin Meng suddenly rose. "Some scum will never change. The only answer is death."

As the words fell, killing intent spread through the room. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was icy to the bone, like a blade hidden in its sheath, showing only the narrowest gleam of its edge.

Qin Tianbao stared at Qin Meng's back.

The boy he'd watched grow up had somehow become a stranger. Beneath that calm face lay something he couldn't see through.

"Mengzi, you—"

"I know what I'm doing." Qin Meng turned around, a faint smile on his face. "I don't like having people keeping tabs on me, and I won't drag Luming Fort into this."

His smile was terrifyingly calm.

Qin Tianbao was silent for a long while, then finally nodded. "All right. You have your own path."

He stopped trying to talk him out of it—

This was the frontier. Some grudges and enmities could only be washed clean with blood.

"One more thing." Qin Tianbao seemed to remember something, and his expression grew solemn. "You can't underestimate Qin Wang. Seven or eight years ago, he was already in the Bone Forging Realm.

"He's spent all these years working at the Heishui City government office. He's got to have reached Organ Refining by now, maybe even higher. I don't know how strong he is, so be very careful."

The Body Forging and Organ Refining stages. They tempered the internal organs until one's blood and qi flowed like mercury. The body became tremendously strong, far beyond the early and middle stages of Body Forging.

"Okay." Qin Meng showed no fear, answering with just one word.

He walked back to the desk, then suddenly said, "Uncle Tianbao, the militia squad has good horses, right? Sell me one. I've made some money lately. I'll pay the market price."

Qin Tianbao was taken aback, then nodded. "Sure. The squad does have horses, all issued by the Border Army Governor's Office. They're much better than ordinary postal horses."

Half an hour later, the purchase was complete.

Qin Meng led a Wuzhui Horse out of the militia barracks. The fine steed had cost him three hundred taels of silver, and came fully equipped with saddle and whip.

He swung into the saddle with practiced ease, gave the reins a flick, and rode into the streets of the fort. The horseshoes rang out crisply against the flagstones.

At first, his movements were a little stiff. His original body had known just enough to ride, but as he felt the horse shift beneath him, memories of the battlefields he'd ridden across in his previous life began to awaken.

Riding hard into the fray, charging through enemy ranks.

Qin Meng clamped his legs against the horse's flanks and gave the reins a light shake. The black horse understood and suddenly surged forward!

The wind howled past his ears, and the houses on either side streaked by. He lowered his body, feeling the rhythm of horse and rider moving as one: how to draw power from the horse's momentum, how to steady himself over rough ground, how to draw a bow at a gallop...

Techniques flooded his mind like a rising tide, rehearsed again and again until they sank in.

A few lines of golden text suddenly appeared before him:

[You have comprehended the ordinary Martial Skill: Iron Cavalry Charge]

[Iron Cavalry Charge—Beginner (1/100)]

[Martial Skill Progress: 1%]

[Special Effect: None]

"Just as I thought!" Qin Meng was no longer surprised when he comprehended a Martial Skill. He reined in the horse before his courtyard gate. The Wuzhui Horse seemed reluctant to stop.

"Ah, Mengzi, you bought a horse?" Shen Qiuyue opened the courtyard gate. When she saw the magnificent Wuzhui Horse behind Qin Meng, she was both surprised and delighted.

She knew her husband had gone to the militia barracks. This must be the horse he'd bought.

"That's right." Qin Meng nodded and patted the horse's neck. The Wuzhui Horse obediently snorted. "I'll teach you to use a blade, and I'll teach you to ride and shoot, too."

Shen Qiuyue's eyes lit up, but then she noticed something unusual in Qin Meng's expression.

Before she could give it more thought, Qin Meng lowered the horse's head and led it through the gate. "Sister Qiuyue, get some food ready early. Cook extra meat. I've got something to take care of."

Afraid she'd worry, he added, "Uncle Tianbao told me to practice riding and get used to the horse."

"Okay." Shen Qiuyue nodded without asking more, then hurried off toward the kitchen.

Qin Meng tied the Wuzhui Horse beneath the hay shed and gave it fodder and fresh water. Back inside, he began preparing methodically:

He checked the bowstring's tension, counted every arrow in his quiver, then drew a steel blade he'd taken as spoils and began sharpening it against a whetstone, the blade rasping with a steady scrape.

Cold light traveled along the steel with each stroke, and the edge grew ever more chilling and menacing.

He couldn't put off getting rid of Qin Lai any longer.

The man was like a maggot in his bones, always tripping him up from behind. This time, he'd even blocked Qin Meng's path into the militia squad.

Qin Meng didn't care about that. But nobody else had the right to stand in his way. He needed to train and grow stronger fast. Who had time to wrestle with petty schemers like this?

Now that he had some strength, had obtained the core cultivation method, and had his talent to help him, he no longer needed to endure and scrape by as he had before. A thousand arguments were no match for the edge of a blade; a million schemes still fell before overwhelming force.

Since they'd become mortal enemies, he'd settle it once and for all. He'd find a chance to kill the bastard!

Before noon, the aroma of meat filled the little courtyard.

Qin Meng ate lunch in silence, then rubbed the head of the Little Fox as it nuzzled up beside him. He gave Shen Qiuyue, who was clearing away the dishes, a simple explanation. "I'm going out to practice with the horse. I might be back late, so don't worry."

"Mm. You... be careful, whatever you do." Shen Qiuyue looked up, her eyes full of concern.

Qin Meng nodded, slung a bundle containing about ten pounds of snake meat over his shoulder, swiftly untied the reins, mounted, and rode away from home.

He first searched the fort for the places Qin Lai frequented, but saw no sign of him. He guessed that Qin Lai hadn't yet returned from Heishui City, so he rode out of Luming Fort and galloped along the road toward the city.

As he rode, Qin Meng practiced controlling the horse and surveyed the terrain with a hunter's eye.

The road wound between stretches of wilderness and low hills, with several sparse woods along the way. He silently assessed the ground, searching for places suited to observation and ambush.

As he rode, his skills grew ever more polished. A few lines of text appeared:

[Iron Cavalry Charge—Dengtang (15/200)]

[Special Effect: Horse Treading on Flying Swallow]

[Horse Treading on Flying Swallow]: Slightly increases the body's lightness and running speed. The effect can be transferred to a mount.

The special effect quietly took hold. Qin Meng felt his body grow lighter and more coordinated, and his speed increased. Beneath him, the Wuzhui Horse was even more spirited, its explosive power when sprinting and its stamina over long distances greatly enhanced.

As the sun dipped westward, Qin Meng found the perfect ambush spot—

A stone arch bridge over the Baihan River, along the only road between Luming Fort and Heishui City. From the pine wood north of the bridge, he could see the whole road below.

He hid the horse among the pines and stood at the edge of the woods, gazing out over the unobstructed landscape. After his transformation, his eyesight was sharp enough to make out movement several miles away.

Qin Meng was certain Qin Lai would take this road back. He wouldn't detour a hundred miles. Seeing that night was approaching, Qin Meng rode back to Luming Fort under the cover of dusk.

Luming Fort was only a few dozen miles from Heishui City. A fast horse could reach it in half a day.

With merchant caravans returning for the winter, Heishui City was bustling, yet a taut tension lurked beneath the surface. The Border Army patrolled frequently, and the atmosphere was strained.

After taking care of business in the county seat, Qin Lai learned that Chen Chao, the cavalry captain, had already returned to Luming Fort. Certain that his scheme had succeeded, he felt pleased with himself.

After buying some odds and ends, he decided to return the next morning.

That evening, Qin Lai's elder brother, Qin Wang, hosted a banquet at Zuixian Pavilion to thank Chen Chao and the others.

Qin Lai knew his brother had arranged the gathering to help him make connections and expand his network. The wine and food flowed freely, and everyone toasted one another, determined not to leave sober. Their conversation inevitably turned to the arrival of winter and the merchant caravans returning from beyond the border...