Trouble at the Martial Arts Arena, the Divine Guard Army Enters the City (3.5k-Word Chapter)

"Qin Mansion..."

"Hah, looks like he lucked out."

"At this point, what more is there to say? Jingming, don't let anything show on your face. If this causes further trouble, all our descendants will be trapped in this county town for the rest of their lives. The Demon Suppression Bureau is still keeping an eye on us."

The oldest man in the group

quietly said a few words.

Then he led two somewhat younger figures through the gates of Qin Mansion, letting out a barely audible sigh.

After he entered,

the other two also led their companions inside.

When the servants within the gates saw them enter, they instinctively bowed respectfully. But they quickly caught themselves, lowered their heads, and said, "Guests, apart from the Martial Arts Arena, please do not wander into any other part of the estate. Otherwise, the Qin Family will have you escorted out."

"You..."

A boy of about fourteen

was furious at those words.

He was just about to snap at the servant

when someone held him back.

"Jingchuan, don't say anything. Remember what Grandpa told you on the way here. Besides, he isn't making things difficult for us. I expect everyone who enters Qin Mansion has been given the same warning."

Qin Jingming quietly reprimanded him.

Then he looked at the servant, who remained respectfully deferential,

his thoughts in turmoil.

At the Martial Arts Arena,

three long lines had formed. At their head stood Zheng Dahai, Xu Jinghua, and Qi Yuan. The three moved swiftly as they examined and measured the bones of the candidates. Young men and women of various ages grimaced as their bones were measured; it clearly wasn't pleasant.

Gasps occasionally rippled through the crowd,

but silence was far more common.

The sun gradually sank in the west.

By the time it was Qin Jingming and the others' turn, dusk was near.

"Hmm, fourteen years old. Your bones have just finished setting. Too bad your natural aptitude is mediocre; you're unlikely to amount to much. Next."

Qi Yuan looked tired.

He casually squeezed the boy's waist and hips,

then shook his head slightly.

Qin Jingming and the other two stood behind the young faces, tense. At those words, their expressions changed at once.

"Sir,"

"these children have been strengthening their bodies with precious medicines since they were young."

"How could their aptitude be mediocre?"

Qin Jingming stepped forward with a smile, saying, "Could you be too tired? Perhaps you could take another look..."

"Take another look?"

Qi Yuan glanced at him in displeasure.

"From your clothes, you're not ordinary townsfolk. You should know that bone quality has little to do with how you strengthen your body. Besides, ordinary people strengthen their children's bodies so they can begin martial arts sooner. Look at him: he's sturdy, but after all these years, he's only knocked on the Blood Pass once."

"He's nowhere near meeting my sect's entry standards."

"Look at the boys and girls who passed. Even those with lower-grade bones have knocked on the Blood Pass twice or three times by now. Some have even formed a circulation of qi and blood and can attempt Bone Forging. He may have trained his body from a young age, but in my view, even if he keeps the resources he has now, reaching Three Refinements by the time he's thirty would be his limit."

As Qi Yuan spoke, he shook his head and turned to the next person.

Qin Jingming was about to say more,

but the other two stopped him.

"Third Brother, don't rush. They haven't finished measuring everyone yet."

"..."

Two quarters of an hour later,

Qi Yuan said with a furrowed brow, "Your bones barely qualify as average. You can enter the outer sect of the Mystic Firmament Sect. What's your name?"

"This junior is Qin Jingchuan."

"Good. Take this token for now. You can register once you return to the sect. Also, those entering the outer sect of the Mystic Firmament Sect may bring four family members. On the day we depart, bring your token to sign up."

Qi Yuan held two bamboo plaques and wrote down the name.

He handed one to Qin Jingchuan

and the other to a Qin Mansion servant behind him.

The three Qin Jingming brothers had all been delighted to hear they could enter the sect, but at the second half of Qi Yuan's words, their faces fell.

"Only four? This..."

They looked at one another.

These weren't merely passes to leave Songshan County.

They were passes to cross the frontier with the sect.

By now, everyone in the county town knew that chaos reigned beyond the frontier. Aside from the Demons wreaking havoc, armies were also capturing cities and strongholds, advancing step by step. Even if they went to Ning'an Prefecture at once, it would only offer temporary peace. As long as the Wei Army kept marching, its fall was only a matter of time.

In such circumstances,

the value of those places was clear.

"Sir, my name is Qin Jingzheng. I'm a collateral relative of the Qin Family. May I ask if anyone from the Qin Family has joined your sect?"

Qi Yuan was taken aback.

Only then did he take a careful look at them.

"You do bear a slight resemblance between the brows to my fellow disciple Qin..."

"Fellow disciple?!"

All three exclaimed in astonishment.

Qi Yuan's expression softened, and he nodded. "That's right. Wait here a moment. I'll have someone call my fellow disciple Qin out to confirm. If you really are his clan uncles, I don't mind doing you this favor."

With that,

he gave an instruction to a servant beside him.

As for Qin Jingzheng and the other two,

they stood with their mouths slightly agape, at a loss for words.

They were all at Three Refinements. How could they fail to sense that the young man before them was an Internal Strengthening expert? And with that warm smile on his face, his so-called fellow disciple had to be more than an ordinary outer sect disciple.

After all, plenty of people had met the bone-measurement standard earlier,

and Qi Yuan's expression had remained as still as an ancient well.

It was nothing like the brilliant smile he wore now.

"Who is it?"

The three exchanged glances,

the same question rising in each of their hearts.

Qin Jingming was about to ask,

but Qi Yuan suddenly looked toward the arena gates. Two figures were approaching, one after the other. The one in front was Qin Jiu, and behind him was Qin Xuanzhou.

"Could it be Xuanzhou?"

Qin Jingming looked to the other two for confirmation.

Before they could answer,

Qin Jiu had already reached Qi Yuan. The latter promptly stood and smiled as he cupped his hands. "I thought my fellow disciple Qin wouldn't be coming to the arena today."

"Forgive me, Senior Brother Qi."

Qin Jiu returned the salute. "I was so focused on practicing that I lost track of time. In the blink of an eye, the sun is nearly down."

"Then you'll have to punish yourself with a couple of drinks later."

"Certainly, certainly."

As the two exchanged pleasantries,

Qin Jingming and the others stared in disbelief.

"How... could it be him?"

"Fellow disciple Qin, you've come at just the right time. These three claim to be collateral relatives of the Qin Family. I don't know if it's true."

After a brief exchange,

Qi Yuan asked him.

Qin Jiu already knew the three had come. His expression didn't change, and he didn't even spare them a glance. He merely shook his head. "That was once the case. The Qin Family has long since severed ties with them. Our families have no dealings with each other."

"I see."

Qi Yuan nodded, then turned to the three with an impassive expression.

"Your children have all been examined."

"If you have nothing else, you may leave."

"This..."

Qin Jingming hadn't even had time to think it through.

At those words,

he immediately dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground. "I beg the family head to forgive us for our past insolence. From now on, Jingming is willing to devote himself heart and soul to the Qin Family. For the sake of our shared blood, please let Jingming return to the Qin Family."

The moment he knelt,

the packed Martial Arts Arena fell silent. Then one gaze after another swept toward him.

Everyone here was a local. Who didn't know the identity of the man kneeling, or the trouble he had once caused the Qin Family? Whispers soon spread through the crowd.

Qin Jiu's expression remained calm.

He acted as though he hadn't seen

or heard anything.

Still, he turned to Qi Yuan and said, "I've come to ask a favor of you, Senior Brother. This is the Qin Family's commander, Qin Xuanzhou. He's only thirty-two, yet he's already at the peak of Three Refinements. Give him another two or three years, and he's certain to break through to Internal Strengthening. Could he join the Mystic Firmament Sect?"

"Oh?"

Qi Yuan looked at Qin Xuanzhou behind him.

He was slightly taken aback.

Just then,

Zheng Dahai glanced over in surprise. It seemed he had heard Qin Jiu's words. He spoke up at once: "If he wants to join the sect, just bring his token and speak to the sect master when the time comes. The Divine Guard Army is short on men. He might even get a commander's post."

As soon as he said this,

the silent crowd erupted into a clamor.

Qin Jingzheng was quick to react. He hurried over to Zheng Dahai, bent his knees slightly, and said, "Elder, could the three of us join your sect's Divine Guard Army as well? We're also at Three Refinements and currently serve in the Demon Suppression Bureau here in town. We're no weaklings."

"You're too old."

Zheng Dahai replied flatly.

By then, other Three Refinements experts had also stepped forward to ask to join the Divine Guard Army.

But every one of them was turned away.

"Aristocratic clans and powerful houses stand high above us, treating common folk as straw dogs and human lives as blades of grass. Is this how things are meant to be? Must the lowly rot in the mire and bow as slaves for all eternity?"

"That's how the world has always been..."

"But just because it's always been this way, does that make it right?!"

A gaunt, middle-aged man spoke through clenched teeth, his voice low and bitter.

His face was twisted, his fists clenched.

He looked utterly unwilling to accept it.

At those words, Qin Jiu glanced at him, his expression turning cold at once.

"So that's who it is."

"A hanger-on guest elder of my Qin Mansion, as it turns out."

He strode toward the man, his voice turning icy. "You ran from the battlefield back then, and now you still dare enter my Qin Mansion. You have no right to speak for the common folk, and you're not fit to talk about what's right or wrong. Today, I'm going to settle accounts with you!"

"Qin brat!"

The man's expression grew even more sinister.

"I, Yang Huai, crawled out of a muddy alley and climbed step by step. I struggled to reach Three Refinements, then took a post with your Qin Family. But I never imagined the Qin Family could be so ruthless as to send us guest elders and attendants into the Demon Suppression Bureau. Do you know? Even your father wasn't so heartless back then."

"And now you're joining the Mystic Firmament Sect on the strength of your father's legacy."

"I, Yang Huai, refuse to accept this!"

He let out a low growl and threw a punch at Qin Jiu.

The sight

shocked everyone present.

They thought him utterly mad. A grand sect's experts were stationed here, yet he dared to act so recklessly.

But contrary to everyone's expectations,

Zheng Dahai and the others did nothing. They merely watched coldly, with no intention of intervening.

As the crowd wondered what was happening,

a muffled groan rang out.

Yang Huai was suddenly coughing up blood. Like a ragged sack, he tumbled through the air and crashed to the ground.

"You—you actually crippled my meridians."

"How vicious..."

Yang Huai slumped to the ground, his face deathly pale. His trembling hand pointed at Qin Jiu.

Qin Jiu's expression was cold as he said, "Xuanzhou, take him away and punish him according to the Qin Family's rules."

"Yes."

At Qin Xuanzhou's words, several servants immediately came over.

They carried the man out of the Martial Arts Arena.

"What impressive skills."

Just then,

Zheng Dahai stroked his beard with a satisfied smile and nodded. "Not bad. One clean, decisive palm strike. You crippled his cultivation without taking his life. Among those of your generation, you can be called the strongest. I was right about you."

"With strength like yours,"

"you may yet contend for a place among the inner sect's true disciples one day."

As he spoke,

Qin Jingzheng, Qin Jingming, and the other man were already staring in stunned disbelief.

"He... he..."

"How could he be so powerful?"

The shock they felt far surpassed that of everyone else present, because they had once been high-ranking members of the Qin Family and knew Qin Jiu's past all too well.

Before Qin Guihong's troubles,

he had been nothing more than a spoiled young master.

Yet the strength he had just revealed was nearly on par with someone at the Internal Strengthening level.

"You three,"

"it's time for you to leave as well."

Just then,

Qin Xuanzhou walked over and addressed the three of them expressionlessly.

Back when the Qin Family was buffeted by storm after storm,

these three had decisively cut ties with it. They had been utterly heartless.

He felt little sympathy for them now.

At his words,

the men came to their senses and said nothing more.

Qin Jingzheng gave a faint sigh, then led his people out of the Martial Arts Arena.

Qin Jingming was unwilling to accept it. He hurried after him and said, "Big brother, are we really just leaving like this?"

"What else do you expect us to do?" Qin Jingzheng said, his face full of despondency. "Qin Jiu didn't kick us while we were down today. That alone shows he still remembers our past ties. Otherwise, with just one word from him, I'm afraid even Jingchuan wouldn't be able to join the Mystic Firmament Sect."

Night fell.

Qin Jiu was hosting Zheng Dahai and the other two.

A figure entered the hall to report.

"Reporting to the family head."

"The Divine Guard Army has entered the city."