~~~

Captain Ko’s raiders react to his untimely demise exactly as Liu Jin imagined they would.

Poorly.

“Do you take us for idiots, boy!” yells a man twice Liu Jin’s size, clad head to toe in armor. He points his spear at Liu Jin. “You dare poison our captain, then tell us to obey?! You? A brat who still reeks of his mother’s milk? Who can’t grow a beard?”

Liu Jin’s eyebrow twitches.

“Well said, brother!” shouts an equally large man beside him. Like his brother, he points his weapon at Liu Jin. Judging by their Qi, they must be the highest-ranking officers after Captain Ko. “The general is not here to protect you! Why should we listen to you?”

“Yeah!”

“Well said!”

“Kill the outsider!”

The cries come not just from the raiders but also from many of Liu Jin’s new soldiers. They hurl insults at him and call for his death.

The people at Fort Blackwind must be really confused right about now.

It pleases Liu Jin that the fifty-nine soldiers who stayed with him throughout the battle against the Lei Clan do not join in. Their Qi is unshaken by the mob around them. The same goes for the disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan, and there is no need to elaborate on Big Sister Bai. To her, Murong Bang’s soldiers are as threatening as kittens.

The same, however, cannot be said of Lei Cheng. Despite his power, his Qi quivers in hesitation. It is only an instant, and he is quick to cover it with an influx of pride, but it speaks volumes of his inexperience. Though his mind knows he is strong, his spirit fails to stand firm when confronted by such large numbers.

They’ll need to work on that.

“I must admit I find this curious,” Liu Jin says.

He raises his Qi a little. That is enough to quiet down most of the soldiers. To their credit, the two commanders show no indication that his Qi bothered them. They remain firm and strong, imperiously glaring at Liu Jin.

“You must be able to sense my Qi,” Liu Jin says. He sounds puzzled as he looks at the two. “You should know I am stronger than you. Are you standing up to me because you think numbers are enough to turn things in your favor? Do you believe that if you kill me, it will be you who will be in command of these men? Is that so enticing? Or are you merely doing this out of suicidal pride?”

Liu Jin’s questions are not meant as mockery, but that does not stop the soldiers from reddening with anger and trembling with rage.

“You brat!” shouts one of the two commanders as he attacks Liu Jin with his spear.

His weapon breaks.

His arm follows.

The ease with which Liu Jin took out the larger, older man should have served as a deterrent for anyone else. Unfortunately, Murong Bang’s raiders are not the sort who scare easily. The man’s brother looks at Liu Jin with frothing rage.

“Attack!” He yells at the top of his lungs, setting off every soldier around them. In the blink of an eye, a massive brawl breaks out as the soldiers throw themselves at Liu Jin. Not just the raiders but several of the new members of Liu Jin’s unit.

It takes Liu Jin exactly three seconds to take out the two commanders.

Many things happen in those three seconds. Liu Jin’s men immediately move to protect their leader, not caring that they are against a numerically superior force. However, long before they start moving, the disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan explode into action. They have spent far too long trapped in Cloudburst City and welcome the opportunity to do violence on Murong Bang’s army.

The steel of Murong Bang’s soldiers is met with blazing fire.

Over fifty of the enemy soldiers die in those few seconds.

“Enough!” Liu Jin shouts. His voice is accompanied by the crack of lightning. His Qi rises and blankets the field, paralyzing everyone in place.

“That is quite enough,” Liu Jin repeats, his voice softer yet his Qi somehow more menacing. “Do you see now that this tantrum is futile? Are you so eager to die?”

The soldiers bristle at his words.

Liu Jin’s Qi spikes.

Their knees buckle.

One by one, the soldiers who tried to rise against Liu Jin are overwhelmed by his presence and fall to their knees. None of those who stood by Liu Jin, whether new or old, are touched by his Qi. The moment the fight broke out, Liu Jin immediately identified the Qi of everyone who was ready and willing to kill him.

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Selectively applying his Qi like this is complicated, but the impact is worth it. The image of every single one of them kneeling before him is far more effective than any argument he could make.

Murong Bang’s men are trained to understand strength and little else.

“I am in charge of this unit. In light of the grief you must have felt upon your commander’s demise, I am willing to overlook that you tried to attack me when the enemy is literally right in front of us,” Liu Jin says. He says it calmly, but his Qi still makes them all flinch. “I am sure that, now that you have had proper time to grieve and reflect, you will never do something this stupid again. Is that understood?”

The men nod shakily.

Liu Jin narrows his eyes.

“I asked you a question.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” The men yell out immediately. Liu Jin nods.

“Good.”

He turns to Fort Blackwind.

“Now, let’s hope the people there are more reasonable than the lot of you.”

~~~

“Men of Fort Blackwind! You are surrounded and outmatched! Within your walls are hundreds of civilians! Behind your fortress is a city with thousands of them! Surrender, and I promise not one of them will be harmed!”

It is the second time Liu Jin repeats those words. Every time he does it, he raises his Qi to be heard, not just by those in the fort but also by the people in the city. Predictably, the people of Blackwind City have already started fleeing, which is what Liu Jin intended.

Most of the soldiers had not been happy when he told them they would not be attacking the city. A precise application of Qi had been required to remind them why he is in charge. Making people submit to him by virtue of being the strongest is not something Liu Jin enjoys, but he sees no alternative under the circumstances.

So far, the soldiers of Fort Blackwind have not sent anyone to speak to him. Liu Jin still senses their Qi, so it is not as if they have mysteriously disappeared. He can feel the emotions swirling inside the fort. Rage, doubt, and fear are aplenty, and that’s just from the soldiers.

Liu Jin can also feel precisely what he did not want to feel, which is why he hopes they choose to surrender, even if he knows how unlikely that is.

“Do you disapprove of my actions?”

Liu Jin asks the question softly, not once looking away from Fort Blackwind. Big Sister Bai, who has silently walked up to stand beside him, takes a moment before answering.

“A little,” she admits. “You were soft, yet you are chastising yourself for being harsh. Most of the people around us are beasts. The world would be better off without them. There is no need to show restraint with them. Even now, you hesitate because of the civilians, but things would be better if you take this fort immediately. It is not beyond your ability to do it. It would even be easy if you were to ask for my help. The sooner General He Bin and his men are dead, the sooner peace can return to this land.”

Liu Jin smiles sadly. Big Sister Bai’s Justice is quite harsh.

And yet…

“I know Big Sister Bai is right.”

There is no reasonable argument Liu Jin can make against her because she speaks with pure and simple reason.

“But what am I if I can only slaughter and intimidate?” Liu Jin asks her. “Am I just a monster who preys on other monsters?”

“A monster who preys on monsters is what is known as a hero,” Big Sister Bai tells him.

“I have no interest in the title.”

“Good,” Big Sister Bai says, making Liu Jin look at her in surprise. “I have been called a hero several times by several people. I did not seek it. I was merely acting in a way that was true to myself, regardless of the consequences. It is all I can do. It is all we can do. You are no different.”

“...I greatly thank Big Sister Bai for her guidance.”

“As always, it is freely given,” she says. “I know why you have yet to attack. It is admirable. However, you should mentally prepare for the worst outcome.”

Liu Jin is not surprised that she knows. If he can sense it, then Big Sister can obviously sense it as well. Before he can reply, a man appears above the walls of the fortress. He looks down at them, his face taut with tension. Even from so far away, Liu Jin can see the sweat shining on his forehead.

“Soldiers of Murong Bang!” the man yells. “You threaten my people and tell me to trust you?! How can I possibly believe a pack of beasts will act against their nature? Even now, I feel the bloodlust coming from your soldiers!”

Unfortunately, it is true. The men behind Liu Jin are eager for blood and violence. Liu Jin can no more hide it than he can hide the blue in the sky.

“If you can feel the bloodlust of my men, you should understand how significant it is that we have yet to attack,” Liu Jin replies. “Look at your soldiers! You’re all holed up inside your fort. Nothing protects Blackwind City, yet we have left it untouched. Should that not be proof of our sincerity?”

“It could also be one of the cruel games your army is so well-known for!” the commander counters. “Regardless, you’re asking me to give my men’s lives to you!”

“Soldiers are meant to offer their lives for the people, are they not?” Liu Jin counters. Some of his men chuckle at that. Their feelings for him aside, it seems they enjoy it when their boss has the upper hand on someone. “Would your men be more satisfied if they’re killed in battle? My men would certainly like to oblige them if so.”

Indeed, Liu Jin can feel the eagerness rise in the men behind him at the prospect.

“However, there is no need for that,” Liu Jin continues. “If you submit to having your dantian destroyed, you can keep your lives.”

The commander is left speechless. Even the soldiers behind Liu Jin are taken aback. Bloodthirsty as they are, the prospect of being left without cultivation is too much even for them. Or rather, it is because of how bloodthirsty they are that being left powerless frightens them so much.

“Is there no end to your mockery?!” The commander shouts at him. “I’ll not have my men humiliated like that!”

“If you don’t surrender, their fate will be far worse.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It is a warning,” Liu Jin says, his patience wearing thin. “You are smart enough to realize something is wrong. It is strange that I haven’t attacked you yet. It is strange that I haven’t attempted to take the fort and that I am trying so hard to reason with you. All those things are true. I am doing things this way to prevent something worse.”

The soldiers inside Fort Blackwind are infected.

Liu Jin realized it as soon as he got close enough to Fort Blackwind. The hundreds of people they moved inside are now potential victims. The moment the flesh buds inside the soldiers go wild, they will kill all the civilians there and add their flesh to their collective.

With any luck, they will be able to stop them before they move to the city.

“Please surrender before it is too late.”

Either way, it will be a massacre.

~~~