A thirty-meter-long sweep of blood-red saber Qi surged forward, blasting apart every blue stone in its path.
Every hair on Xiong Ba's body stood on end, and his breathing stopped dead.
Veins bulged along his arms as he held his spiked club across his chest, desperately trying to block it.
Crack!
The refined-iron spiked club snapped in two.
The saber Qi did not pause in the slightest, passing straight through Xiong Ba's chest.
Still in his forward-charging posture, Xiong Ba took another three steps under his own momentum.
"How is this possible!"
The scene before his eyes spun wildly.
Thud.
Xiong Ba's upper body tipped sideways and crashed to the ground.
The blood-red saber Qi continued unabated, hurtling toward the bandits and the dozens of private soldiers behind them.
"Mommy!"
"Run!"
The bandits in the front row were scared out of their wits and turned to flee.
Their feet had only just lifted, with no time to come back down.
Blood-red light swept past.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Muffled impacts rang out in a continuous string.
Just two breaths later, not a single bandit remained standing on the mountaintop.
Mountain wind swept over the cliff, carrying fallen leaves from the ground into the distance in swirling spirals.
Deathly silence.
Lin Yuan turned his wrist and sheathed his saber.
Behind him, Shen Qing stood frozen, her small mouth hanging open.
She stared at that tall, slender figure from behind, her mind a tangled mess, unable to find words to describe the scene before her.
Beside her, Uncle Fu swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Where on earth had the young lady found someone this fierce?
Early First Rank, instantly killing someone in the Second Rank Qi Gathering Realm with a single slash!
Granted, Xiong Ba had only just broken through and did not even have a decent high-tier martial art, but he was still a genuine Second Rank martial artist.
Even the geniuses of the great clans and sects in the commandery seat could probably do no better.
Lin Yuan turned around, his gaze sweeping over the lock of silver hair at Shen Qing's forehead.
A thought stirred in his mind, and his legs suddenly weakened, his body swaying.
As he lowered his head, he secretly reversed a sliver of his Qi and blood.
In an instant, his entire face flushed red, and his breathing grew heavy.
That slash had been truly terrifying in its might. If it came at no cost whatsoever, it would draw far too much attention.
"Are you all right?"
Shen Qing hurried forward to support his arm.
Lin Yuan waved weakly and took a couple of ragged breaths.
"It's nothing. I merely lost a few things."
Shen Qing shuddered, a complicated feeling welling up in her heart.
It seemed the more powerful the secret art, the more terrible its backlash and cost.
She had the tact not to ask what exactly Lin Yuan had lost.
She would simply keep this debt of gratitude in her heart.
"Oh, right!"
Shen Qing suddenly remembered the urgent matter, and her expression changed sharply.
"I found the provisions and refined iron Zhao Yan hid in the stronghold."
"The Zhao Clan intends to rebel! We have to get word back immediately!"
Lin Yuan's expression remained unchanged; he was not surprised.
He had already reached a conclusion before coming here. This merely confirmed his suspicions.
Uncle Fu, however, was startled, his face turning pale.
"The Zhao Clan is rebelling?"
His breathing quickened as he hurriedly related what he had learned at the teahouse.
"Young lady, the Zhao Clan's head, Zhao Wuya, is marching toward Ping'an County with thirty thousand troops!"
At this, Shen Qing cried out in horror.
"This is bad! He means to seize Ping'an County under cover of this opportunity!"
There was no time to lose.
Shen Qing hurriedly ordered Uncle Fu to burn the provisions. They could not let them fall into Zhao Wuya's hands, no matter what.
As for the refined iron, they could only bury it on the spot and keep it hidden for as long as possible.
Roaring flames shot into the sky.
"Go!"
Without further delay, the three raced down the mountain path.
Half an hour later.
On a rise not far from the city walls.
The three crouched behind some bushes, peering down through the cover of the branches and leaves.
Ping'an County's gates were tightly shut. A dark mass crowded beneath its walls-at least several thousand roaming bandits.
Dressed in rags and carrying a motley assortment of weapons, the bandits were gathered around the walls, hurling curses and occasionally loosing a few surprise arrows.
Shen Qing's brows knitted tightly as she watched the chaos below the walls.
Uncle Fu patted his chest and let out a long breath.
"Fortunately, Zhao Wuya's army hasn't arrived yet."
"There are plenty of these bandits. Once Zhao Wuya arrives, they should at least cause him some trouble."
Lin Yuan plucked a blade of grass, held it between his lips, and slowly shook his head.
"Not necessarily. Haven't you wondered why these bandits aren't attacking the city?"
His voice was low.
"There's actually an even more crucial question. What gives the Zhao Clan the confidence to rebel?"
Shen Qing and Uncle Fu both turned to look at him.
Lin Yuan pointed north.
"Although the dynasty is in its final years and uprisings are breaking out everywhere, the Wu Dynasty has endured for over three hundred years. Its foundations remain intact, and its reserves run deep."
"Even in the north, where the unrest is worst, haven't hundreds of thousands of roaming bandits fought for years without managing to conquer all of Yun Prefecture?"
"Besides, the Zhao Clan is only a minor county clan, and Zhao Wuya has just thirty thousand troops."
Shen Qing's pupils abruptly contracted.
"You mean..."
Lin Yuan lifted his chin toward the bandits below the walls.
"Is it possible that those people down there were on Zhao Wuya's side all along?"
He thought that without the main bandit force in Yun Prefecture backing them up, where would the Zhao Clan find the nerve to rebel?
Boom!
Those words exploded in Shen Qing's mind, and cold sweat instantly seeped down her back.
In truth, when she discovered the Zhao Clan's intention to rebel, this terrifying thought had already flickered faintly through her mind.
Now Lin Yuan had reached the same conclusion.
Weishui City had fallen, the bandits were heading south, and Zhao Wuya was leading his troops!
This was a scheme planned long ago!
Once the Zhao Clan occupied Ping'an County, the roaming bandits of Yun Prefecture would have a springboard. Then all of Qing Prefecture would be ravaged!
Shen Qing's heart sank to rock bottom.
Uncle Fu's scalp prickled as he listened, and his voice trembled.
"Young lady, this situation is far too dangerous!"
"We only have a few mounted Dragon Guard agents left around here. Why don't we return to the commandery seat first and work out a proper plan?"
Shen Qing gave a bitter smile.
"There's no time."
"Our only way out of this deadlock is to hold Ping'an County and first pull out that nail, County Commandant Zhao Meng!"
With that, Shen Qing seized Uncle Fu's arm.
"Uncle Fu, return to Qingshan Commandery immediately and bring reinforcements. Report everything here to the commandery governor without leaving out a single word!"
Uncle Fu grew anxious and stepped forward.
"But, young lady, you..."
Shen Qing set her small face sternly and cut him off.
"Uncle Fu, this is an order! There's no time to waste. Go!"
Looking at Shen Qing's stubborn expression, Uncle Fu clenched his teeth until they grated.
He nodded firmly, then saluted the two with cupped hands, turned, and plunged into the dense woods.
Only the two of them remained on the hillside.
Shen Qing looked up at the youth, who stood half a head taller than her.
"Young Brother Lin, I'm confident I can handle things at the county office."
"But the city defense troops have surely been infiltrated too. Do you have any ideas?"
She blinked her rounded, almond-shaped eyes and stared straight at Lin Yuan.
The youth before her had given her far too many shocks and pleasant surprises, and she began to feel a little anticipation.
Lin Yuan patted the saber sheath at his waist. His meaning was self-evident.
Kill them?
How?
Shen Qing frowned.
"How do we tell them apart?"
Lin Yuan suddenly flashed two large, white teeth.
"Pay will be distributed at the drill ground tomorrow. No need to wear armor."