Chapter 75: Drawing Blood

From the moment they entered the courtyard, Zhao Jin and the others hadn't advanced a single step. Listening to the ragged breathing around him and glimpsing the trembling weapons from the corner of his eye, Zhao Jin suddenly felt a twinge of regret. If he'd known it would be like this, he would have asked the elders to step in. If the elders of each family had come forward, they themselves wouldn't have had to take the lead and could have simply directed the various lowlifes and hustlers in the city.

Not to mention anyone else, even Zhao Jin's own throat was dry and his palms were slick with sweat. All those past experiences of brawling and fighting were practically useless right now. Zhao Jin suddenly realized that what he held was a naked blade; they were about to draw blood and take lives with real swords and spears.

Inside the Nine-Tailed Lady Temple was a modest main hall with side rooms on either flank. There was no sign of incense offerings; it had already been converted into a living quarters.

Just as Zhao Jin and the others were still trying to steady themselves, the doors of the main hall directly opposite burst open and six large men charged out, with three or four more peering from the doorway behind them.

As these men rushed out, Zhao Jin had just taken a deep breath when his heart seized in shock. Weren't there supposed to be only one or two guards? How had six suddenly appeared? The moment this registered, he heard a chaotic shuffling of footsteps behind him. Unable to stop himself, he glanced back and saw that several of his companions had involuntarily retreated a step; even Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing at his side had swayed on their feet.

Two of the six large men were not tall, dressed in short brown tunics and wielding iron rulers. The other four were tall and brawny, wearing black padded cotton robes with black cloth wrapped around their heads, and holding short sabers and hatchets.

The moment these men charged out, they were also startled. They saw eight fully armed figures in the courtyard, four of them carrying long weapons and some even wearing armor. Just as they were about to recoil, they noticed that these eight intruders seemed panicked and lacked momentum. Looking more closely, they saw that all eight were not very old—half-grown kids of fourteen or fifteen. Though tall and sturdy, their faces were filled with terror.

As one side's momentum ebbed and the other's flowed, these six men immediately turned arrogant. The most muscular one let out two loud laughs and said, "Where did these little brats come from? Did you wander into the wrong place? There's no one here to give you suck."

At these words, the other five burst into raucous laughter, and even two people inside the main hall grew bold enough to walk out.

"Tsk, tsk, that boy with the sword isn't bad—rosy lips, white teeth, tender skin. Mas... hey, you lot capture him for me, and I'll give you ten taels of silver," a middle-aged man behind them who looked like a scholar chuckled lewdly.

The big man who had spoken first let out an "Oh," and said gruffly, "Keep your silver. Fine goods like that, our people over there like them too."

"Right, right, no worse than that little girl—maybe they'll like him even more!" someone chimed in with a disgusting tone, and another wave of jeering laughter followed.

Wang Zhaojing naturally knew exactly who they were talking about. His face flushed crimson with rage, and his previously steady stance began to tremble violently, the sword in his hand shaking as well.

"Steady! Steady!" Zhao Jin's voice grew louder and louder. The enemy was speaking so foully, first to belittle them and flaunt their strength, and second to make their own side agitated and reckless. Though Zhao Jin himself was tense, he had to suppress his companions' emotions.

"Every damn one of you listen up! I'll take the biggest one. Chen Sheng, you take the first one on his right. Wang Zhaojing, the first on the left. Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang, the second on the right. Liu Yong and Sun Dalei, the third on the right. Dong Bingfeng, the second on the left." Zhao Jin practically roared these words.

The moment these orders were shouted, the courtyard fell abruptly silent. Zhao Jin could clearly feel his friends steadying themselves.

Over five years at the goods yard, everyone had grown accustomed to being directed by Zhao Jin. In moments of panic and confusion like this, they would instinctively obey. With Zhao Jin's shout, everyone felt they had a pillar of support.

"Alright!" Wang Zhaojing answered.

"Be careful!" Chen Sheng answered.

"Rest assured, Big Brother!" the others answered in uneven chorus, only Sun Dalei's voice trembling slightly.

Zhao Jin took a step forward, and the others followed suit. As they advanced, the six large men opposite them couldn't help but retreat.

They caught themselves after retreating half a step, but the middle-aged man who had come out of the house stumbled back several paces, tripped over the threshold behind him, and fell straight back inside, where the people behind him hurriedly caught him.

"I know Mu Shulan is with you people. Release her, and I can pretend I was never here!" Zhao Jin pointed his spear forward and said through gritted teeth.

The moment the name Mu Shulan was mentioned, the faces of everyone in the courtyard changed. The six large men exchanged glances, and the one who had fallen behind them cried out in shock, "How do you know? How did you find this place?"

The lead big man made several hand signals, the smile vanishing from his face. He said coldly, "Drop your weapons, leave behind your money and valuables, and I'll let you leave alive. If you don't want to die, then you—"

Before his words even finished, the big man had already stepped forward and charged, swinging his saber down to strike. The others launched their attack almost simultaneously, rushing in to kill!

Zhao Jin had been about to retort in kind, but he never imagined the other side had no intention of negotiating and was merely using the talk as cover to charge and kill. Their reaction was already too slow!

Though the sky was dark, the courtyard was brightly lit by the lamps inside the house. Zhao Jin could clearly see the big man's ferocious expression, and the cold gleam of the saber's edge in his opponent's hand was even more blinding.

This was about killing. This was not a sparring match, nor a brawl. In that instant, Zhao Jin felt all his past love of violence and fighting was utterly useless. He felt his legs go weak, his entire body freezing rigid.

A feeling of despair and terror spread through him, but feeling was one thing and reaction was another. Five years of bitter training, repeating nearly identical movements day after day, had given Zhao Jin a reaction that was almost instinct.

The enemy attacks—then thrust out the long spear in your hands!

A movement forged through a thousand hammers and a hundred smeltings. Though slightly distorted by fear and panic, it was still fast enough, still accurate enough!

Everything happened in a flash of lightning. To an outsider's eyes, Zhao Jin's body leaned back slightly, and then the long spear shot out in a fierce thrust!

Zhao Jin practiced thrusting his spear against walls and wooden posts thousands of times every day; he was proficient to the extreme. His first chosen target for attack was the throat!

The big man's saber had just swung down, the motion not yet complete, when Zhao Jin's spear, like a venomous snake darting out its tongue, stabbed fiercely into his throat and then withdrew with lightning speed!

With a "Spurt," a line of blood shot out. The saber-wielding big man's expression shifted from viciousness to utter disbelief. His mouth gaped wide as if to scream, but only a "gurgle, gurgle" sound came out. The saber fell from his hand, both hands clutched at his throat, and his entire body collapsed limply beyond his control.

Hot blood sprayed out, splashing right onto Zhao Jin's face. The blood was scalding, carrying a rank, metallic stench. Zhao Jin's body shuddered violently, his whole being somewhat dazed. He was stunned by the act of killing—even though he had done the killing with his own hands.

When the enemy charged, it wasn't only Zhao Jin who was scared senseless. The companions at his side all lost their composure. Even Wang Zhaojing and Chen Sheng couldn't help but retreat a step. Sun Dalei, who was at the rear, even instinctively turned to flee. The only one with the courage to rush forward was Liu Yong, who brandished his axe and gritted his teeth as he met the charge.

The instant the lead big man was stabbed to death, the five men charging alongside him all paused in their tracks. Every one of them turned their heads involuntarily, their faces filled with shock and terror. How could their leader be killed the very moment they clashed?

It was at this exact moment that Chen Sheng was the first to react. He had already readied his opening stance to chop down head-on. Seeing Zhao Jin at his side strike and kill the enemy, Chen Sheng's fear and panic suddenly dissipated. With an explosive roar, he had already adjusted his posture and brought his long saber cleaving down.

A flash of cold light, and the arm of the man facing Chen Sheng, raised to block, was severed. The long saber's momentum undiminished, it cut directly into the man's neck, cleaving through half his torso. Blood gushed out wildly.

Almost at the same moment Chen Sheng struck, Wang Zhaojing took two strides forward, his long sword parrying and then thrusting in one fluid motion. He deflected his opponent's short saber, and the narrow blade of his long sword sliced open the blood vessels in the man's neck.

Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang both held wooden staves. The moment they snapped to their senses, they both struck out. There was no talk of coordination between the two of them; they simply rained blows down on the man's head and face. The opponent dodged frantically, evading Shi Manqiang's strike but failing to avoid Ji Xiang's attack. A heavy blow smashed into his shoulder, rendering that arm instantly useless, and his saber clattered to the ground.