Chapter 76: Never Imagined It Would Be This Cold

With his opponent disarmed, Shi Manqiang's brute nature took over and he lunged straight at him. He was now strong and sturdy; in a careful brawl, even Chen Sheng might not be his match. The man facing him couldn't resist either — once Shi Manqiang had him in a grapple, he delivered a headbutt that smashed his nose and mouth bloody and blinded him. Ji Xiang rushed in to help, and after a few heavy blows, the man stopped moving.

Liu Yong was the second to charge. The man he faced held an iron ruler, and the two clashed first, least shaken by Zhao Jin's killing. Liu Yong struck fiercely, but his opponent had skill — the iron ruler blocked and slid aside, then slammed heavily onto Liu Yong's arm. Liu Yong cried out in pain as his hatchet was knocked from his grip. The man raised his iron ruler to follow up, but at that moment, Sun Dalei behind Liu Yong snapped to his senses, gripped his axe in both hands, and hacked forward. The man tried the same trick, but when the weapons met, he couldn't match the force — the arm holding the iron ruler was brutally pressed out of position. A sharp "crack" rang out, and the man screamed in agony. The blow had cleanly broken his arm, and he was out of the fight instantly.

They had thought Dong Bingfeng's martial skill was the strongest, so they assigned him to handle one opponent alone. They never expected Dong Bingfeng to be the most flustered — his spear thrust went wide from the start, lacking momentum, and the opponent grabbed hold of it. The two of them ended up in a tug-of-war right there.

When Zhao Jin killed his man, the fellow gripping the spear shaft was so terrified he let go. Before Dong Bingfeng could even pursue, the man turned and fled. He had only taken a few steps when Zhao Jin caught up, thrust his spear in a swift strike, and pierced straight through the man's calf. With a miserable scream, the man crashed to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, three dead, three wounded. In the blink of an eye, the arrogant thugs were utterly routed, and the timid, panicked youths had won a complete victory.

Zhao Jin and the others had all been splattered with blood to varying degrees. The three wounded weren't so bad, but the three dead had gushed blood everywhere.

Hot blood reeking of iron splashed onto their faces, and every one of them felt sick. Before Zhao Jin could even speak, Wang Zhaojing stood where he was and began to retch. Chen Sheng vomited outright. Zhao Jin felt his own chest and stomach churning, the urge to throw up rising.

Zhao Jin drew a deep breath; the stench of blood hung thick in the courtyard. He knew this wasn't over yet. Raising his voice, he said, "Bingfeng, go shut the courtyard gate first!"

Dong Bingfeng, who had been hanging his head in shame over his flustered performance, hurried over and closed the gate at Zhao Jin's words.

"We won!" Zhao Jin raised his voice.

Those words jolted the young men in the courtyard. Their nausea and discomfort vanished like smoke, replaced by surging, hot-blooded excitement. In their first-ever battle against outsiders, in a life-and-death fight like this, they had won completely!

Despite the panic, despite the fear, despite the hesitation that had appeared at the critical moment between life and death — in the end, they had triumphed!

The look in everyone's eyes as they gazed at Zhao Jin was different now. In the heat of the fight, they hadn't had time to think, but now, calming down, they all remembered: when everyone else was paralyzed with fear, it was Zhao Jin who had struck first, killing an enemy in a single blow!

"Brother Zhao, courageous and resourceful — truly remarkable!" Wang Zhaojing spoke first. The always-elegant young man now had enemy blood all over his chest, and quite a bit spattered on his face as well.

Everyone nodded in heartfelt agreement. The courtyard gate was now shut. Zhao Jin waved his hand and said, "This isn't over yet. Liu Yong, you and Bingfeng gather up all their weapons. Dalei, stay and guard the gate. The rest of you, follow me inside!"

On the ground lay three corpses, one unconscious casualty, and two more groaning in pain. As for the four who had opened the door to watch the excitement, they were still in a state of shock, standing there dumbly, utterly stupefied.

Seeing Zhao Jin approach, two people inside the doorway cried out in alarm, let go, and scrambled backward. The person they had been supporting crashed down again, landing heavily on his rear. Someone inside tried to shut the door, but the middle-aged man sitting there blocked it, and for a moment it wouldn't close.

Zhao Jin advanced step by step. He thrust his spear forward, and the person trying to close the door cried out again, so terrified he abandoned the door entirely and fled deeper into the house. Zhao Jin reached the doorway, lifted his leg, and kicked the seated middle-aged man straight inside. Then he strode in after him.

Lamps were lit inside the room. The original statue of the Nine-Tailed Goddess and the offering table were gone, replaced by ordinary household tables and chairs. The three people from before were scurrying around like headless flies, with no idea where to go.

Although Zhao Jin had entered boldly, he kept his wrist turned, gripping his spear so that he could counterattack instantly if anyone ambushed him. The six men outside were likely the only guards here. Still, even just six had caught him greatly off guard — he had not anticipated them at all beforehand.

"All of you, kneel!" Zhao Jin roared. The three men instantly froze. Looking at the young warriors covered in blood, they trembled and dropped to their knees.

"Drag that one at the door over here!" Zhao Jin shouted again. Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang hauled the middle-aged man collapsed on the ground right over.

The man tried to scramble to his feet as he was brought close, but Zhao Jin extended his spear tip until it hovered right before his eyes. The middle-aged man immediately went rigid, not daring to move.

"Where is she?"

Zhao Jin hadn't imagined his own voice could sound so cold. The middle-aged man on the ground hesitated for a split second, and Zhao Jin thrust his spear forward, piercing the man's skin. Blood trickled out.

The middle-aged man's body shuddered violently, and then he held absolutely still. In a trembling voice, he said, "In the room on the left."

"Is there anyone else in that room?"

"Only two old women."

Zhao Jin pulled his spear back and spoke to Chen Sheng behind him: "You watch them. If anything's off, cut him down with one stroke."

Chen Sheng nodded and walked over, long blade in hand. Zhao Jin then said to Wang Zhaojing, "You're with me. I'll lift the curtain; you guard my flank."

Wang Zhaojing flicked his long sword and fell in behind Zhao Jin. The door to the room on the left of the main hall was covered by a thick curtain, and no sound could be heard from within. Zhao Jin walked up and used his spear to lift the curtain.

A lamp was lit inside the room. Two women in their forties stood there holding scissors and a short knife, trembling like chaff in a sieve, too terrified to move.

"Drop your things and crawl out on your own, and I'll spare your lives!" Zhao Jin said coldly.

At the sight of Zhao Jin and the others, armed and drenched in blood, the two women were scared out of their wits. The short knife and scissors they'd been clutching for courage clattered straight to the floor, and they collapsed right along with them, utterly limp and unable to crawl out at all.

"Shitou and Daxiang, follow me in!" Zhao Jin set down his spear but drew the Japanese sword tucked at his waist. He walked in with Wang Zhaojing, and the two he had called quickly followed.

The room was tidied up quite neatly, resembling the home of a modest household. Beside the door stood a bed, and lying on it was someone — Mu Shulan.

Looking closely, one could see that Mu Shulan's hands and feet were bound, her mouth stuffed with a cloth, leaving her completely immobilized.

The girl's face was streaked with tears. Her clothes were intact but heavily creased, a clear sign she had struggled earlier. Mu Shulan had now managed, with great difficulty, to turn her head. Seeing Zhao Jin and the others enter, she knew she was saved, and tears immediately began streaming uncontrollably down her face.

Zhao Jin let out a long breath. He had gambled correctly — the girl was indeed here. She was rescued. If he hadn't found her tonight, by tomorrow he might never have seen her again. He had pulled Xiaolan back from the very edge of the fiery pit.

At this thought, Zhao Jin suddenly felt a little weak. Having achieved his goal, he truly relaxed. The exhilaration from his first kill had also faded completely, and fear, worry, and exhaustion all surged up at once. He could barely hold himself together.

"Brother Zhao, what are you waiting for? Hurry and untie Miss Mu's ropes," Wang Zhaojing reminded him from behind.

Only then did Zhao Jin snap out of his daze. A faint smile appeared on Wang Zhaojing's face as he quietly said to Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang, who were still standing there unsure of what to do, "Let's drag those two old women out. Give Brother Zhao a moment to comfort Mu Shulan."

The two women were dragged out, and the door curtain fell back into place. Zhao Jin glanced back. He marveled at Wang Zhaojing's thoughtfulness — a girl bound so tightly; untying her would inevitably involve touching her skin. The only one with the right to do that was Zhao Jin.

Zhao Jin removed the cloth wad from the girl's mouth. Mu Shulan burst into loud, wailing sobs. He used his knife to cut the ropes binding her. The girl flexed her hands and feet, and her crying grew even louder.

"... Brother Xiaojin, they said they were sending me to a temple, said they'd make me take medicine in the morning, and when I woke up I'd be somewhere far away..."

"... Brother Xiaojin, I was so scared!"

Mu Shulan threw her arms around Zhao Jin and wept loudly, pouring out all the terror and despair she had just endured.