Swords Drawn, Tongues Like Spears

Qiu Yan was still thinking when a burly man jumped out from beside the long-haired Marshfolk opposite him and roared, "Enough nonsense! Cut off your own arm now, or we'll do it for you!"

One of the soldiers retorted indignantly, "Don't be so arrogant! This is the land of Great Rui, and we are soldiers of Great Rui. This time you barged into the camp without cause, first verbally harassing us, then attacking us with your bare hands. It's clearly..."

The burly man interrupted, "Are you people from the Central Lands only good at sophistry? You say we're arrogant? What a joke! My prince is about to marry Song Household. Then it will be you masters disciplining your servants. Is that what you call arrogance?"

These words spread far and wide, and everyone in the tavern heard them clearly. (For the latest free chapters of this book, please visit [website address]).

Upon hearing this, the two Confucian scholars who had just entered shook their heads and sighed, "A bet is a bet. You should at least cut off your arm before speaking. If you anger the Marshfolk, not only will it damage the reputation of Great Rui, but it could also lead to a mutiny, which would be a real problem."

Another said, "That's right, the long-haired man is the Marshfolk's little prince. He wields considerable power in the Five Creeks. The military governor intends to marry his daughter to him to win him over. This is a matter of the bigger picture and the overall situation. If things change because of a mere soldier, wouldn't we be losing sight of the bigger picture? These soldiers have no sense of the bigger picture at all! What does losing an arm matter for the sake of the bigger picture?"

The two were speaking with an air of authority, when they were suddenly interrupted by a cold shout.

"Joke!"

Qiu Yan stood up, glanced at the two scholars, and said, "How dare you talk about the general trend? Do you know that a battle-hardened army is the true trend of the nation?" With that, he flicked his sleeves and walked straight towards the clinic.

Two bewildered Confucian scholars were left behind.

"Who is he? Why is he being so abrupt?"

"Looks familiar... I remember now! Isn't that Qiu Sheng who fainted from fright?"

"That's right, it's him! He's so easily frightened by a test of knowledge, yet he dares to act so arrogantly in front of us!"

"You say we don't understand the big picture? What a joke! We were just discussing this in front of the military governor!"

"Indeed, we spoke with the military governor and gained a deep understanding of the realities and weaknesses of the frontier. Our perspective differs from those who merely engage in armchair strategizing..."

The two scholars were stopped by a shout. They were furious and, upon recognizing Qiu Yan, they couldn't help but belittle him and elevate themselves, even raising their voices to try and get others to respond. But when they looked around, they realized that everyone's attention was focused on the clinic.

Feeling indignant, the two Confucian scholars also turned their gazes in that direction.

"Let's see how Qiu Sheng gets into trouble; he really doesn't know his own limitations!"

In front of the clinic, the Marshfolk was aggressive. Liu Hong and his soldiers were focused on saving lives, so they were initially at a disadvantage. When the other party brought up Miss Song's name, although they were indignant, they knew it was true. For a moment, their spirits began to falter.

Upon seeing this, the Marshfolk dweller grinned and said, "You know you're in the wrong now? You Central Lands are just so useless!"

But just as he finished speaking, a voice came from behind him—

"If our Central Lands were truly useless, it wouldn't be you coming to Wuxin City to propose marriage, but rather us going to the Marsh Forest to offer ourselves up."

"Who goes there?" The Marshfolk sensed the sarcasm in the voice. He was filled with anger and turned around to glare at the man, only to be met with a scholar dressed in a blue robe, who did not appear to be very tall.

"A scholar? Well, normally when you see Grandpa, you bunch of scholars would avoid him. Today you've got some nerve, daring to speak sarcastically?" The Marshfolk said, raising his fist as if to strike.

In the past, whenever he made this gesture, the scholars being watched would usually bow and flee in haste. But the scholar in front of him just laughed and showed no intention of backing down.

For a moment, the swamp Marshfolk was stunned.

Suddenly, the Marshfolk prince with long hair reaching his feet spoke up, "Song Gaosu, what are you doing arguing with a scholar, you brute? Just take him down." His voice was deep and ethereal, but as soon as he spoke, the Marshfolk felt at ease.

Upon hearing this, the Marshfolk grinned maliciously, raised his hand and grabbed, his bones creaking, clearly indicating that he had achieved success in Life Cultivation and had even refined a part of his soul.

Suddenly, a strong wind enveloped the Confucian scholar.

At this moment, Liu Hong recognized the scholar who had spoken as Qiu Yan, whom he had met before. He was about to speak up to stop him when he saw Qiu Yan neither dodge nor evade. He raised his Qi and Blood and grabbed the big man's wrist with lightning speed. His fingers flicked repeatedly, making a cracking sound, and then with a "crack," he dislocated the man's wrist bone, causing the big man to howl in pain.

Qiu Yan kept swinging his arms without stopping!

Call!

With a loud thud, the Marshfolk man was slammed to the ground, his back straightening abruptly, and he bounced off the ground!

A thin, frail scholar lifted up a burly man who was three heads taller than him and slammed him to the ground!

This scene was witnessed by those around them and in the tavern, who couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. The two scholars, who were especially ready to watch the spectacle, were particularly shocked, their eyes widening in disbelief.

Releasing his fingers, Qiu Yan acted as if he had done something insignificant. He first straightened his clothes, then said to the long-haired man, "This must be the Marshfolk Prince. I heard you once studied at the Imperial Academy, but it seems you didn't learn a thing and went there for nothing."

The Marshfolk prince narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing from them like a viper's hiss, giving off an extremely dangerous aura. "Who are you? How dare you interfere in my affairs? If you anger me, I will kill you, and the court, to appease my tribe, will not pursue the matter!"

His very first words carried the air of life and death, radiating a murderous aura that sent chills down even through soldiers like Liu Hong.

Qiu Yan shook his head and said, "People are grouped by their kind, and things are clustered by their type. When people get along with each other, even beasts will know manners. If people stay among beasts for too long, they will become like beasts, only knowing how to kill."

"You're asking for death!" Upon hearing this, the Marshfolk Man Prince knew that it was a roundabout way of cursing him. He immediately glared angrily, his Qi and Blood surging, and a faint pressure emanating from his body, as if he was about to attack at any moment!

Several Marshfolk men glared angrily, creating a tense atmosphere that could be felt even in the tavern across the street. Aside from the two scholars' apprehension and secret delight, the other people in the tavern, mostly merchants who traveled with the Five Creeks, knew the Marshfolk's habits well and couldn't help but feel a chill for Qiu Yan.

Qiu Yan, as if sensing something, smiled faintly and said, "You want to commit violence in the street? Although I've only met Miss Song Household once, I can tell her preferences from her words and actions. It's fine if you gamble with Wu Xin's Wuxin; it'll be an elegant affair if word gets out. Forcing them to cut off their own arms might even earn you a reputation for decisiveness. But if you lead a group to beat up Xiucai, you'll likely be labeled an arrogant and domineering warrior. Even if the military governor is willing, Song Household will have to give you a wide berth..."

The Marshfolk Prince's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "You think I'd care about these things?"

"If you don't care, why stay in Wuxin City?"

After saying this, Qiu Yan didn't even glance at the Marshfolk Prince, but walked over to Liu Hong, called out to him, and then said, "Get him inside first, don't delay his treatment."

Liu Hong glanced at the Marshfolk Prince, noticing that although the prince's face was gloomy, he was stubbornly holding back. He immediately understood and clasped his hands in thanks to Qiu Yan, saying, "Brother Qiu, thank you very much. I will remember this kindness."

The other soldiers beside Liu Hong also clasped their hands in thanks.

Qiu Yan simply shook his head and said, "Please don't stand on ceremony, everyone. Actually, I have my own motives for stepping forward this time. I've long heard of the reputation of 'Yama's Grudge'. If it's convenient later, I would appreciate it if Brother Liu could put in a good word for me and get a few medicinal herbs."

Liu Hong nodded in agreement, and then together with the others, carried the person into the clinic.

Watching everyone enter, Qiu Yan turned back to the Marshfolk Man Prince: "Aren't you leaving yet? You don't understand reason at all. You say you want to fight, but you don't dare to. Are we, the Central Lands, useless? Or are you all useless?"

He actually used the same words the burly man had spoken to retort, and the Marshfolk prince's face immediately turned extremely ugly. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sentence: "Very well! My scattered Geluolan will remember you!"

After giving Qiu Yan a deep look, the Marshfolk Prince waved his hand, called out "Let's go," and left with several Marshfolk.

The burly man who had been thrown to the ground by Qiu Yan was also helped up and left with him. Before leaving, he gave Qiu Yan a look of some awe.

After the Marshfolk had gone far away, the merchants in the tavern finally came to their senses and some of them cheered. They had been subjected to mistreatment while traveling through the Marshlands, so this cheer was truly heartfelt.

In their eyes, Qiu Yan, a mere scholar, possessed skill and courage, and remained calm and composed. He showed no fear in the face of the ferocious Marshfolk, and with just a few words, he managed to persuade them to leave!

If this gets out, it wouldn't be surprising if it were written into a storybook or storytelling performance.

Qiu Yan bowed slightly towards the tavern, then turned and entered the clinic.

"Who is this scholar? How did he manage to drive away that unreasonable Marshfolk with his words?"

"It wasn't that he drove them away with insults, but rather with reason. However, if he hadn't shown his skills earlier and intimidated the Marshfolk, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

"Indeed, the ministers of the court are focused on appeasement, but little do they know that unless they are beaten into submission, the people simply won't listen to them!"

Merchants engaged in border trade were well aware of the drawbacks of this system and couldn't help but discuss it.

"Ignorant fools!" The previous Confucian scholar couldn't hold back any longer and was about to reveal that Qiu Yan had been frightened unconscious by the Grand Confucian, but was stopped by another Confucian scholar.

He whispered, "Don't be impulsive. Qiu Yan has angered the Marshfolk for a moment of pleasure. The military governor won't let him off the hook. We shouldn't get involved, lest we get burned."

Upon hearing this, the scholar finally came to his senses and nodded in agreement.

The Marshfolk involves both the policy of appeasement and foreign policy, and is far-reaching. Once the two Confucian scholars understood this, they were too busy trying to distance themselves to get involved in such a mess. They understood the principle of self-preservation.

At the same time.

Inside the clinic, Liu Hong looked at Qiu Yan with a guilty expression and said, "Brother Qiu, we've used up all the medicinal herbs you requested. What a mess! It's a pity Mr. Hu isn't here right now..."

Qiu Yan simply said, "It's alright, I'll come back and ask again in a while." But in his heart, he had already made up his mind about something.

Liu Hong was about to speak again when he was interrupted by the sound of horses' hooves outside the clinic.

"They've arrived as expected." Qiu Yan moved his hand slightly, and a ball of light floated down, landing in a corner. Then, a man wearing dark green scale armor walked in.

"Which one is Qiu Yan?" As he spoke, his gaze fell on Qiu Yan. In the entire room, he was the only one dressed as a scholar. "You must be Qiu Yan? Come with me, the General wants to see you." (To be continued... PS: Thanks to "Volcano1889" for the donation!)

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