Chapter 74

Chapter 74

"Damn it all! I searched these mountains for two days and found nothing, yet these bastards are right under our noses, looting and pillaging! Do they really think we of the Martial Blades are a joke?!"

Such provocation made Qin Shisong grip the hilt of his saber, fuming with rage.

Ji Pingan frowned deeply, feeling that something was off.

"Let's head down the mountain first to save the villagers of Fan Village."

The Martial Blades, experienced in dealing with bandits, immediately split into three teams.

The fastest and most nimble went first, rushing down to rescue people. The best fighters formed the middle group, ready to provide timely support. The rest took up the rear, maintaining vigilance for any danger from behind while keeping pace.

Inside Fan Village.

Masked bandits, mounted on horses and wielding long sabers, rampaged through the village.

They cut down any fleeing villagers they encountered without mercy. The air was filled with screams and wails of agony.

By the time the Martial Blades arrived, many villagers already lay in their own blood.

Upon spotting the Martial Blades, the bandits immediately turned their horses around, and the two sides were quickly locked in battle.

From the first exchange, the Martial Blades realized the bandits' sabers were, as the villager had reported, brand new.

This meant they were sturdy and razor-sharp.

Since they were on horseback, the Martial Blades, despite their agility, couldn't avoid them entirely.

It was hard enough just to dodge, let alone attempt rescues.

Their only option was to do everything possible to hold off the bandits until the rest of their comrades arrived.

After several exchanges, a sharp *crack* rang out—the sound of a Martial Blade's weapon snapping as he raised it to block a bandit's downward slash.

The broken blade clattered to the ground.

The mounted bandit raised his long saber high and brought it straight down.

When the next wave of Martial Blades arrived, the first group was already badly wounded.

It wasn't that they were slow; the combat was simply too fast-paced.

As the second group joined the fray, they noticed something new: the skill level of these bandits was far, far superior to any they had encountered before.

Such prowess... in bandits?

The Martial Blades continued to fight at a disadvantage.

Qin Shisong had come with the first group, Ji Pingan with the second.

When the two men met, both were already wounded.

"What's the situation on your side?" Ji Pingan asked.

Qin Shisong spat out a mouthful of blood and frowned. "A few brothers are dead, the rest are seriously injured. There's something wrong with their sabers—too sharp. They don't seem like fine-quality blades that would come from our Qingyun County."

Ji Pingan's expression was grave. "The horses are strange too—large and powerfully built. And these men's skills are suspiciously good. Everything about this is strange. Be careful."

"Understood," Qin Shisong replied quickly, and the two immediately separated.

After a brief moment to regroup, the villagers of Fan Village, except for children under ten and the elderly who were immobile, all armed themselves with farm tools and joined the fight against the bandits.

To survive here, one couldn't just wait for the yamen's rescue.

Villagers with some experience repelling bandits used their knowledge of the land to coordinate with the Martial Blades.

Yet, even combined, the villagers and the Martial Blades were no match for this group of bandits.

"Look out!"

Ji Pingan turned and lunged, tackling a ten-year-old boy to the ground. The sickening, terrifying sound of a blade slicing through flesh followed.

Gritting his teeth, the pain now a numb sensation, Ji Pingan pushed himself up by sheer force of will. With one hand on the ground, he swung his saber arm back with all his might, blocking a fatal follow-up strike before rolling to the side, temporarily reaching a safer spot.

The bandit's assault didn't cease. Another bandit attacked Ji Pingan from behind.

The blade tore open the flesh on his back. Blood soaked through his clothes, dripping down. Ji Pingan lacked the strength to move further; the world before his eyes began to swim.

"Get up!"

Qin Shisong roared, his thick, powerful arm yanking Ji Pingan away just as a bandit's saber struck the empty ground where he had lain.

The ground was slick with blood from Ji Pingan's back. He knew he shouldn't move him, but Qin Shisong couldn't worry about that—if he didn't move Ji Pingan, the man would be cleaved in two.

He could only drag Ji Pingan while fending off the bandit.

His own trusty saber finally gave way, shattering into pieces.

Qin Shisong rolled, dodging an attack while simultaneously snatching the saber from Ji Pingan's grasp. As a bandit's blade descended towards Ji Pingan's head, Qin Shisong swung, severing the bandit's hand.

He quickly checked Ji Pingan's head, then let out a sigh of relief. Addressing the unconscious Ji Pingan, he said, "Master Ji, you've got an extra gash on your forehead now, but at least I saved your head. Don't blame me when you wake up."

Some time later, Fan Village fell quiet once more.

For reasons unknown, the bandits had suddenly withdrawn. Countless Martial Blades lay dead or wounded; only a handful remained mobile, powerless to give chase.

Covered in wounds from head to toe, Qin Shisong stood guard over Ji Pingan, saber in hand. The air reeked of his brothers' blood. In his ears echoed the heart-wrenching sobs of the survivors. His pitch-black eyes fixed with deadly intensity on the direction the bandits had taken.

The villagers of Fan Village helped the Martial Blades who could still walk to move the bodies, laying the departed to rest peacefully.

Smoke from cooking fires began to rise from the village.

They had to eat. Eating meant they were still alive.

"Master, please have something to eat." The village chief of Fan Village brought a bowl of wild vegetable gruel to Qin Shisong's side, apologetically adding, "The bandits took almost all our grain. Please don't mind this meager offering."

Qin Shisong took the worn clay bowl and, seemingly impervious to the heat, downed its contents in one gulp.

Setting the bowl down, a metallic taste filled his throat. His gaze swept over the corpses of the brothers he had lived and trained with day in and day out.

"Boss Qin, Physician Fan wishes to see you."

A Martial Blade's voice broke Qin Shisong's train of thought. He nodded. "Your wounds are serious too. Go and rest."

The Martial Blade nodded silently, limping slowly over to where the bodies were laid out before sitting down.

"I'll sit with you all a while longer. After this, we truly won't meet again."

Qin Shisong’s eyes grew red as he fought back his emotions, hanging on Physician Fan’s every word.

"Lord Ji’s injuries are far too grievous. I’ve temporarily treated them with herbs, but he can only last for half an hour at most. He needs to be taken to the county town immediately; perhaps the doctors at the major clinics there have a way."

Physician Fan carefully handed Qin Shisong a small clay bottle. "This pill has a miraculous power to preserve life. I have only this one. If Lord Ji’s condition worsens on the journey, feed it to him. It can extend his life by an hour at most."

Such a potent life-saving pill was likely a treasured family heirloom, something held in the highest regard.

Qin Shisong accepted the small bottle and thanked him gravely. "Thank you, Physician Fan, for your help."

Physician Fan waved his hands repeatedly, his face filled with guilt. "Lord Ji was reduced to this state because he saved my grandson. I’m the one who’s wronged Lord Ji!"

Saving people was Ji Pingan’s own doing. Qin Shisong knew he couldn't speak for him; he could only pat Physician Fan’s shoulder in consolation before moving to carry Ji Pingan on his back.

Fan Village had an ox cart, but the ride was far too bumpy; Ji Pingan’s injuries could not withstand it.

Carrying the man on his back, Qin Shisong, along with the two Martial Blades who seemed the least injured, set off for the county town.

All the way, Qin Shisong ran without daring to stop. Every second he slowed down, Ji Pingan’s chance of survival diminished.

As they neared the city gate, the metallic taste of blood in Qin Shisong’s throat grew stronger. His chest heaved violently, and he was losing feeling in his legs.

Just as he was about to collapse, Ji Pingan suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, all of it landing on Qin Shisong.

His heart sank. Quickly retrieving the small clay bottle, he fed the life-preserving pill to Ji Pingan.

For the remainder of the journey, Qin Shisong dared not delay for a moment, heading straight for the Ji residence. Completely spent, he collapsed at the entrance.

The Ji household, peaceful for so long, was thrown into an uproar again.

The last time it had been this chaotic was when Ji Pingan and Ji Pingdong had been kidnapped.

Zhao Yueyun’s eyes were red from crying. Ji Mingfeng paced back and forth, distraught and overwhelmed.

Inside, basin after basin of bloody water was carried out. Over a dozen physicians compared notes on their prescriptions.

All the reputable physicians in Qingyun County had been summoned by the Ji family, and they all conveyed the same message:

They could only keep the man’s life hanging by a thread. If he doesn't regain consciousness within two days, he never will.

At the county office.

Shen Yuan had been left waiting by Magistrate Pang for quite some time. Fortunately, the man finally arrived. Before Shen Yuan could speak, the Magistrate said, "The blades for the Martial Blades, I will replace them. However, the county’s iron quota indeed needs stricter control. Otherwise, if we exceed it by year’s end, everyone will be facing serious consequences."

"So, Registrar Shen, you go and tell the Civil Blades to let the Martial Blades use their weapons when they go to suppress bandits. After all, county patrols won't encounter major issues in the short term. A few nicks and dents on their blades won't matter."

Before Shen Yuan could respond, the door was violently kicked in from outside.

After having some food and water at the Ji residence to regain some strength, Qin Shisong had come straight to the office.

His face and body were covered in dried blood. He held Ji Pingan’s blade in his hand. The clerk guarding outside rushed in after him, saying, "Magistrate, my apologies! I simply couldn't hold him back..."

Seeing Qin Shisong in this state, Magistrate Pang could guess what had happened.

Shen Yuan’s pupils constricted sharply. He immediately stepped forward, concern etched on his face. "Captain Qin, what happened to you all? Are you alright? Where’s my brother?"

Qin Shisong placed the blood-stained blade directly against Magistrate Pang’s shoulder, glaring at him furiously. "Pang, you gave us faulty blades, getting my brothers killed for nothing. If I don't kill you today, I cannot ease the fury in my heart!"

If they hadn't been armed with only rotten blades, would so many brothers have died in vain in today's battle?

In the end, not a single one of those bandits had perished; they had all escaped.

He seethed with rage!

Qin Shisong’s rage was genuine, and Magistrate Pang, fearing he might act recklessly, didn't dare to antagonize him.

"It wasn't intentional to give you poor blades. The iron allocation is simply insufficient. Captain Qin, please calm down. I promise, from now on, when the Martial Blades go out to suppress bandits, their blades will be as good as the one you're using."

Magistrate Pang tried to appease him before turning to a veiled threat. "The dead cannot be brought back to life; the living must carry on. Captain Qin, if not for your own sake, think of your nephew. A man who's lost his legs, if he also loses his uncle's care, how will he survive?"

Qin Shisong let out a cold laugh. "You don't need to threaten me."

His gaze fell on the blade. "This is Ji Pingan’s blade. He’s dying. Do you really think if something happens to him, the Ji family will let you off?"

Magistrate Pang’s expression shifted; he hadn't expected such a turn of events for Ji Pingan.

After a moment of stunned silence, he regained some composure. "The Ji family is, after all, merely merchants. His death wasn't caused by me, but by the bandits. How could..."

"If the Ji family can't do it, there's still the Xie family. If anything happens to my brother, I will use everything at my disposal..." Shen Yuan felt as if his entire body had turned to ice. His mind was filled with the nightmare image of Ji Pingan lying in a pool of blood. "If others can't kill you, I will!"

"Pang Qiu, you’d better pray my brother is alright."

With that, Shen Yuan ran out. Qin Shisong glanced sideways at Magistrate Pang, who was now sweating profusely from fear, and snorted derisively. "I may not be able to kill you, but there is more than one person who can."

Magistrate Pang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. That Shen Yuan was indeed unpredictable; the Xie family's direct descendant held him in high regard.

If Shen Yuan truly exhausted all means, perhaps Xie Yulin would indeed intervene.

Strictly speaking, while he hadn't wielded the blade himself, it was still connected to the poor quality of the Martial Blades' weapons.

If it were later discovered that he had privately sold the iron allocation approved by the court, wouldn't everything be finished!

No, he couldn't just wait for disaster to strike. This matter had to be resolved.