Chapter 16: The Battle
This translation is hosted on BCatranslation.
Qin Ming’s spear cleaved the Snow Ape in two with a single, deadly swing. Shao Cheng Feng and Feng Yi An stumbled backward, their eyes wide. They could hardly believe that anyone—even their fearsome leader—might stand a chance against such a fighter.
Fu En Tao’s face tightened, but he did not hesitate. As the halves of the Snow Ape tumbled to the ground, he seized his opening. With a fierce cry, he brought his long blade down in a bright, savage arc, the metal flashing as it caught the Fire Spring’s glow. The force behind his strike was like a rushing storm.
Yet Qin Ming seemed to sense it even before it happened. He spun in a quick, fluid motion, switching his spear to his left hand and holding it behind his back as a kind of makeshift shield. Without looking at Fu En Tao, he let the blade’s impact slam into the spear shaft. Then he sprang forward, using the very force of Fu En Tao’s blow to launch himself ahead.
This kind of maneuver would have left most fighters gasping for air or coughing up blood. But Qin Ming landed easily on his feet, right at his next target’s doorstep.
A broad-shouldered patrolman—one of Fu En Tao’s men—felt dread coil in his stomach. Before he could even raise his weapon, Qin Ming was upon him, as swift and merciless as a hunting predator. The man lifted his weapon, desperately trying to block. But Qin Ming’s strikes were like hammer blows. In just two hits, the patrolman’s hand was ripped open and bloody, his weapon slipping free and clattering on the frosty earth.
A solid thud followed. Under the Fire Spring’s flickering light, Qin Ming’s blade flashed once more. The patrolman’s head flew from his shoulders, and his body crumpled lifelessly onto the snowy ground.
Qin Ming whirled around again, his spear meeting Fu En Tao’s desperate attack. Then, with a quiet intensity in his eyes, he turned his gaze onto Shao Cheng Feng and Feng Yi An. That single look was as sharp as a drawn knife.
Both men felt a chill slide down their spines. They considered themselves cunning and cruel, as vicious as wolves picking at carrion. But this young man… he killed without a hint of hesitation, and that silence before violence unnerved them.
Even Fu En Tao, who prided himself on his hardened heart, felt a creeping fear. How could someone so newly Awakened put this kind of pressure on him? Each strike from Qin Ming’s spear shook Fu En Tao’s arms, making them ache terribly, almost numb.
A wild thought crossed Fu En Tao’s mind—just running, disappearing into the dark forest. But some voice inside warned that turning his back on Qin Ming would be signing his own death warrant.
Suddenly, Qin Ming spoke, his tone calm and strangely casual, like a teen commenting on a schoolyard scuffle: “Yo, I came here for seven heads, and I’ve already got four. That leaves just you three, right?” His words were quiet, but they hit like a punch in the gut.
Fu En Tao’s face went stiff. Qin Ming was placing them all on the same level as animals for slaughter. Shao Cheng Feng and Feng Yi An gripped their weapons tightly. Normally, anyone who dared say such things would be cut down on the spot. But with Qin Ming, they weren’t so sure.
Qin Ming knew what he was doing—needling them, provoking them. He sensed their uncertainty, their flickers of fear. He wanted Fu En Tao to stay put. If the patrol leader fled now, it would be much harder to chase him down.
Fu En Tao straightened. He refused to be humiliated by a brat. He’d worked too hard, climbed too high. He wouldn’t let some newcomer ruin his plans.
He tried to confirm his foe’s identity: “Is he that Qin Ming from Twin Tree Village?” His eyes never left Qin Ming.
Feng Yi An nodded grimly. “That’s him. The one with the so-called Golden Foundation.”
Fu En Tao’s lips curled into a cruel smirk. “Fine. After this, we’ll wipe out Twin Tree Village. Not one soul left—not the men, the women, or even the kids. We’ll say a wild beast broke loose.” His blade rose slowly, its edge promising dreadful vengeance.
Qin Ming didn’t flinch, though his eyes narrowed. He needed Fu En Tao’s rage to keep him here. He shrugged, like a boy talking back to a neighborhood bully: “What’s so wrong about what I said? Red Glow City pays you guys to keep order. The villagers respect you, give you their food, look up to you. And how do you repay them? By draining them dry, leaving them hungry, killing without mercy. You treat their lives like they’re worth less than a pet deer or one of those Golden Mastiffs. At least the old patrol leader cared about his duty. Compared to him, you’re nothing.”
Qin Ming’s voice wasn’t loud or fiery. Instead, it cut deeper than any blade ever could.
Fu En Tao’s grip on his weapon tightened, veins popping on his arm. Without speaking, he stepped forward.
Shao Cheng Feng and Feng Yi An, who were already rattled, felt their fury boil over. They hated how Qin Ming talked like he could see right through them. Without waiting any longer, they lunged.
Qin Ming moved first. He swung his heavy spear as if it weighed nothing, sending a shock of snow flying through the air. Fu En Tao dodged back to avoid getting skewered, but Qin Ming just kept going. His spear punched through a pine tree as though it were straw, snapping it in half.
Then Qin Ming swung his blade wide, forcing Fu En Tao to come in close and defend himself. Their battle was quick and fierce, the power behind their blows enough to tear up the forest floor and send splinters flying. By the time they neared the Fire Spring, a small wooden cabin had been reduced to a mess of shattered wood.
Fu En Tao, normally so imposing, was left panting. Steam rose from his curly hair as he struggled to keep up. But Qin Ming was tireless, a predator who had just caught the scent of weakness.
Seeing an opening, Feng Yi An and Shao Cheng Feng rushed in from both sides, hoping to trap Qin Ming.
“Clang!” Metal rang out in the wintry air. Qin Ming parried Shao Cheng Feng’s spear with his own blade, while the back of that same weapon knocked away Feng Yi An’s sword. He handled both attacks smoothly, like a well-practiced duelist.
Fu En Tao spotted his chance and attacked with reckless force, hair flailing as he slashed with everything he had. Slowly, Qin Ming’s left arm, the one holding the spear, began to waver. Finally, he seemed to struggle, stepping back as if pushed to his limit.
“Keep going! Surround him!” Fu En Tao roared, his voice shaking the trees.
Qin Ming fought back hard, but they were pressing in, leaving no easy way out. He knew if even one of them escaped, his mission would fail. He had to be careful.
But Fu En Tao wasn’t going to give him any breathing room. The patrol leader leapt forward, aiming to slice Qin Ming in half. Feng Yi An and Shao Cheng Feng smirked, thinking the young fighter was done for.
Instead of backing off, Qin Ming darted forward, driving his spear into Fu En Tao’s thigh.
Fu En Tao cried out, his face twisting in pain. But he refused to slow down—if it meant trading a leg wound for a killing blow, he’d do it.
Just then, Qin Ming raised his left arm to meet Fu En Tao’s blade. Metal struck metal with a sharp clang. Beneath Qin Ming’s torn sleeve lay not one, but three layers of crude armor. It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough to stop the killing strike.
Fu En Tao landed clumsily, blood pouring from his thigh, the spear still stuck there. He could barely stay on his feet.
Feng Yi An did not hesitate. He turned tail and sprinted into the dark forest. Shao Cheng Feng followed close behind, desperate to escape this nightmare.
Qin Ming scooped up a spare spear, then leapt forward and hurled it with all his strength. The spear shot through the air like a hungry hawk and struck Feng Yi An square in the back, pinning him to the ground.
“Aaaagh!” Feng Yi An screamed, thrashing helplessly.
Qin Ming spun around and chased after Shao Cheng Feng. Without Fu En Tao’s might to shield him, Shao Cheng Feng was easy prey. He swung wildly, but Qin Ming brushed aside the blow and sliced cleanly through Shao Cheng Feng’s arm. The man collapsed, and Qin Ming drove a spear into him, leaving him stuck like a broken doll in the snow.
Breathing steadily, Qin Ming studied the three wounded men. “If none of you had tried to run, I’d have ended this quicker. Instead, I had to hold back, to make sure you didn’t slip away.”
Fu En Tao leaned heavily on his blade, fury and disbelief twisting his features. “You… you monster…”
Qin Ming just gave a shrug, like a teenager explaining a school project: “Fighting all three of you was tough, yeah, but I only Awakened recently. Guess it’s not too bad, all things considered.”
“What?!” Fu En Tao’s eyes went huge, shock robbing him of speech. He could hardly believe that Qin Ming, this unstoppable force, had only just Awakened.
Feng Yi An choked, blood dribbling from his mouth. He managed a bitter laugh. “We’re done for… How do we stand against something like that?”
As the forest’s darkness pressed in, Qin Ming stood quietly among the broken trees and fallen bodies. Snow drifted down, catching the light from the Fire Spring. His face was calm and unreadable, a young warrior who had chosen his path and refused to turn back.