Proving His Resolve with Blood

"The bandits claimed to have an army of fifty thousand. How many died?"

"I'm not sure. They say three thousand were beheaded, but I don't know the actual number." The information Thousand-Household Commander Su had received was too vague to give a precise figure.

"Where did they fight their decisive battle?"

"Tianzhong Province," Thousand-Household Commander Su replied.

"How far is that from here? I want to go take a look."

Thousand-Household Commander Su's tone suddenly turned stern. "What do you want to look at? The area's under lockdown. Movement of people is strictly restricted. Without military orders or official papers, you can't get in."

"Why is it under lockdown?" Lin Xuan asked, puzzled.

Thousand-Household Commander Su explained, "The imperial court plans to clear out the area and uproot the forces the Roaming Bandits established there.

"Of course they have to seal it off, so the Roaming Bandits can't take the opportunity to leave, and no one from outside can get in to pass them information."

Lin Xuan couldn't help feeling disappointed. There had to be dead people on that battlefield, and plenty of talents he could seize, but he had no way to go...

It was like watching a piece of fresh meat slowly rot away right before his eyes, with nothing he could do about it.

If he could go there, the rewards would be greater than anything he'd gained since obtaining the Book of Fate. Why go to Wuqu Province at all?

For now, he could only go to Wuqu Province first, then see if the lockdown could be lifted when he returned.

Lin Xuan said, "This subordinate will take his leave."

"Go on, go on. Don't let it interfere with your cultivation." Thousand-Household Commander Su waved him away, stroking his beard with his left hand and smiling meaningfully.

"Young heroes are bound to have their romantic entanglements. You don't look like the sort to neglect the martial path for love, so I won't pry.

"Make sure you get your hands on the technique and start a family soon."

Lin Xuan bowed to Thousand-Household Commander Su, preparing to leave.

Thousand-Household Commander Su called after him again. "I'll have one of my men escort you. Wuqu Province is a full hundred and forty li from Liang City."

"All right."

When Lin Xuan returned home, he found Qin Ying instructing Lin An in martial arts.

Hearing Lin Xuan's footsteps, the two women stopped their practice.

Lin Xuan bowed to Qin Ying. "Miss Qin, thank you for taking the trouble to guide my wife. It's truly fortunate for us."

Qin Ying waved it off, her nature frank and easygoing. "It was no trouble. Lin An has decent comprehension.

"But her foundation is shallow, and she lacks resources. Give her some time to hone herself, and reaching the Breath-Connecting Realm shouldn't be a problem.

"As for you, reaching Breath-Connecting in three months—you're surpassed only by Commander-in-Chief Li in his day."

"You flatter me. My breakthrough to Breath-Connecting was pure luck. There must be plenty of other young heroes in this world."

"Flatter you? Not at all." Qin Ying's eyes brimmed with envy. She envied Lin Xuan's talent, and she envied Lin An's good fortune in meeting such a martial prodigy.

"At this rate, it'll take me at least three or four years, won't it?" Lin An sighed.

"Three or four years is already fast. You can't compare yourself to Lin Xuan. Most people your age would pale beside him."

Lin Xuan gently patted Lin An's shoulder and said softly, "Don't rush. I already have a way to help you advance quickly. It won't be long before you reach the middle stage of Bone Binding."

Qin Ying asked curiously, "What way? Her talent isn't bad. Don't take the wrong path. If you end up going down some crooked path, you'll ruin her future."

Lin Xuan replied, "Dual cultivation. I'm not sure whether it counts as a proper path."

"D-Dual cultivation?" Qin Ying's pretty face flushed at once. She remembered the popular romance novels she'd read, which featured scenes of dual cultivation.

Lin An seemed to understand what dual cultivation meant. The corners of her mouth lifted by an almost imperceptible amount, and she seized the chance to tease Qin Ying. "What's wrong, Sister Qin Ying? What does dual cultivation mean? Why are you blushing?"

"N-Nothing. I'll leave you two alone. I'm going now." Qin Ying stumbled over her words.

Watching her retreating back, Lin An couldn't help bursting into laughter, her shoulders trembling lightly.

"Sister Qin Ying is usually so bold and spirited, but the moment you mention dual cultivation, she panics like that... Looks like this dual-cultivation method isn't anything respectable, huh?"

"Dual cultivation is perfectly respectable. She must have misunderstood, misled by those novels."

He didn't mention the heaven-defying method of temporarily granting someone a Martial Dao Holy Fetus and then taking it back. He only mused to himself:

"Once I return from Wuqu Province with a dual-cultivation technique, I'll let you see with your own eyes what it means to advance a thousand li in a single day."

A Garrison soldier called from outside the courtyard gate. "Flag Commander Lin, the carriage is ready. We can set off for Wuqu Province at any time."

Lin Xuan reminded Lin An, "Don't neglect your martial training these next few days. Remember to use the medicinal herbs on time, just as I did when I took them."

"I'll remember. Go without worry."

The mountains rose steeply, and the trees grew thick and lush. Zhao Chengde stood in a dark forest, not daring to breathe heavily or move. The moonlight couldn't penetrate the canopy above him.

Although he had reached the Half-Step Martial Saint level, he was still being hunted like a stray dog. There was nothing he could do about it—the enemy was an elite force of the imperial court.

Not far away, a white-haired old man stood with a sword in hand, his true qi as tangible as solid matter. His icy voice pierced through layer upon layer of leaves.

"Zhao Chengde, you can't escape! The imperial court never fails to hunt down its targets!

"You're nothing but a bandit. You survived by skulking about, burning, killing, and plundering, and only stumbled into the threshold of the Mountain-Suppressing Realm by luck. And yet you dare oppose a dynasty a thousand years old?

"Surrender quietly, and you may still keep your corpse intact!"

Noticing the silence in the forest, the white-haired old man ordered his trusted men, "Keep searching! Even if we have to turn Phoenix-Perch Ridge upside down, we're going to find him!"

Zhao Chengde seethed with grief and indignation. "They've chased me for three days and three nights. I've ambushed and killed plenty of Blade-Condensing Realm martial artists, and they still won't stop.

"Looks like the imperial court has put a hefty price on my head!"

He had exhausted all the fortune and resources among the common people just to reach the Half-Step Martial Saint level. But against the imperial court's endless soldiers, experts, and enforcers, he was ultimately like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

He had known how it would end from the day he joined the Righteous Army. But he had rebelled anyway.

The land was stricken by famine, cruel policies were as ferocious as tigers, and the common people couldn't even get a mouthful of coarse grain. Military households were enslaved generation after generation, while the imperial court had sealed off every path forward for martial artists. Great Jin had rotted to its very roots.

A dog barked in the forest. The imperial court's men recognized the sound at once: a Wind-Summoning Spirit Hound had found its target. These spirit hounds had a sense of smell several times sharper than ordinary hunting dogs.

Yet Zhao Chengde had already killed several of these precious Wind-Summoning Spirit Hounds.

The white-haired old man's face lit up, and he pointed toward the barking. "Over there!"

"Damn it. This time, there's no escaping."

Dozens of streams of true qi erupted at once. Blades flashed and swords swept through the forest's shadows, splintering wood and scattering chips. Ancient trees hundreds of years old snapped at the waist within dozens of zhang.

Zhao Chengde slowly straightened. His shabby cloth clothes were soaked in blood, and the moonlight fell across his handsome, refined face.

The King Cui Zhao Chengde, called Yama Zhao and Head-Shaving Zhao by the government troops, finally unleashed the full force of his Half-Step Martial Saint aura. The ancient trees around him exploded with a thunderous crash.

"A king has a king's way of dying."

"Great Jin is tyrannical and unjust, oppressing all the people. Today, I, Zhao Chengde, will prove my resolve with blood."

"Even if I'm hacked to pieces, I'll drag you lackeys down to the grave with me!"

His roar shook the mountains and forests. It mingled with the clash of blades and swords, then gradually faded into the depths of the woods.