Chapter Fourteen: The Bloodbath at Qingfeng Village

From the very first move, Jiang Qian knew whether she had an advantage or not. The bandits of Qingfeng Stronghold were no match for her; she slaughtered them until they were crying for mercy.

Seeing his senior sister so fierce, Qin Tian, unwilling to disgrace himself as her junior brother, joined the battle. Liao Chen had taught him the Heavenly Dao Sword Technique, a skill perfectly suited to his unparalleled sword constitution.

At first, Qin Tian was somewhat unfamiliar with the Heavenly Dao Sword Technique, but as time passed, he quickly discovered its formidable power.

The Heavenly Dao Sword Technique commands the sword to wield the energy, and with each strike, Qin Tian could channel vast amounts of spiritual force from heaven and earth. Soon, a sword aura formed. The longer the aura, the wider the range of the slash; the greater the aura, the more potent the sword energy.

Before long, Qin Tian mastered the fundamental essence of the Heavenly Dao Sword Technique. As his sword energy multiplied, he realized that a single stroke no longer produced just one sword aura; with increasing speed, he could unleash two or even three sword auras in one strike.

Liao Chen and Qinglong, watching from the sidelines, were astonished at this display and couldn’t help but praise:

“Master, this Qin Tian truly is an unparalleled sword cultivator. Such rapid comprehension of sword techniques is unheard of. Congratulations on having such a prodigious disciple; your name will surely echo throughout the heavens and earth.”

“Hahaha! Little Dragon, you speak rightly. Despite being only nine years old, Qin Tian has already reached the threshold of sword cultivation. Achieving mastery is only a matter of time.”

...

While they conversed, Jiang Qian and Qin Tian switched into competition mode, swiftly wiping out the hundreds of bandits in Qingfeng Stronghold. Naturally, to report back to the Wànxiàng City Lord’s Mansion, Liao Chen ordered the siblings to spare a captive so they could trace the enemy’s network and eradicate them completely.

After the battle, Liao Chen commanded, “Jiang Qian, Qin Tian, although we have our sect and ample cultivation resources, we must cultivate a habit of diligence and frugality. Qingfeng Stronghold has been destroyed, but it holds many treasures. Take everything you can carry; these will be useful when we recruit disciples for the sect.”

“Yes, Master!” The siblings acknowledged and began their task.

Within an hour, they handed their storage pouches to Liao Chen.

Liao Chen looked at them solemnly and asked, “Did you take all the treasures?”

Jiang Qian, a bit proud, replied, “Master, Qin Tian and I have thoroughly searched inside and out of Qingfeng Stronghold. Whether it was spiritual herbs, ores, spirit stones, or jewels, everything has been packed here.”

...

Liao Chen frowned deeply and said displeased, “I see you don’t understand what poverty truly means. Didn’t I just tell you? There are still many things here you could have taken. Every brick and stone has its use. Won’t your junior brothers and sisters need them when they enter the sect?”

Then he turned to Qin Tian and asked, “Qin Tian, you were once a beggar. Do you understand the meaning of poverty? When you and your grandmother lived in that broken temple, you must have known what was truly useful.”

Lowering his head, Qin Tian said, “Master, we were wrong. We will search for more treasures immediately!”

With that, Qin Tian pulled Jiang Qian to continue the search. They dismantled Qingfeng Stronghold thoroughly, taking everything possible—even the bricks from the toilets were not spared.

Seeing her junior brother work so diligently, Jiang Qian finally understood why Master had been so stern. Master’s definition of treasure wasn’t limited to spiritual herbs or stones but included any movable stones, bricks, and even the land used for planting herbs.

“Junior brother, how did you guess Master’s intention?”

“Senior sister, I was once a beggar and know these things are essential to the poor. I wanted to take everything. Master may not be poor, but as sect leader, he thinks far ahead. While he may not need all these things, some disciple in the vast sect surely will.”

“I see! Junior brother, thanks to your reminder this time. Had I acted on my own thoughts, I would have surely been reprimanded by Master again.”

...

Soon the siblings returned to Liao Chen, who nodded in approval. Then the group set off back to Wànxiàng City.

The Su family, renowned herbalists in Wànxiàng City.

When Liao Chen and the others arrived at the Su family gate, the steward came out to inquire about their purpose.

Liao Chen said nothing but gestured for Jiang Qian to avenge the grievances and that he, as Master, would support her.

Jiang Qian nodded and addressed the steward, “Listen carefully, people of the Su family. I am from the Jiang family. Jiang Zhongquan is my father. Previously, your Su family colluded with the Asura Sect to seize our family estate and harmed my entire family. Today, I, Jiang Qian, have come to your Su family to avenge my kin and clear our grievance.”

The steward hadn’t expected the Jiang family to seek revenge so soon and immediately went inside to summon reinforcements.

Before long, the Su family patriarch, Su Wanjun, arrived with his clan. At the same time, he sent a telepathic message ordering his son Su Wudao to return home quickly for backup.

Jiang Qian was not intimidated in the slightest, for her Master was a powerful figure at the Imperial Realm.

“Descendants of the Jiang family, don’t think finding allies means you can take revenge. That’s a fool’s dream! I advise you to leave quickly. When my son Wudao returns, you won’t be able to leave! Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. Persisting in ignorance leads only to death,” Su Wanjun warned, unaware of the strength of Jiang Qian’s reinforcements, so he held back from attacking for the moment.

However, Jiang Qian’s strength was no longer what it once was; having killed before and seen Qingfeng Stronghold fall, she had abandoned her youthful naivety.

Moreover, her Master had long taught her: “If others do not provoke me, I will not provoke them; but if they dare to offend me, I will annihilate them.” With this resolve, she had no thought of retreat.

“Su Wanjun, when you ordered the destruction of my Jiang family, did you foresee this day? Today, I will destroy your Su family!” she declared.

Without giving them time to respond, Jiang Qian drew her treasured sword and began slashing at the Su family.

The Su family cultivators were not highly skilled; except for Su Wanjun, who was at the second level of the Spiritual Realm, the others were mostly at the Yuan Dan or Qi Sea stages.

The battle was about to erupt. Su Wanjun had assumed he could withstand Jiang Qian but soon realized he had underestimated her.

Jiang Qian’s Heavenly Dao Formation was extraordinarily powerful, leaving her opponents defenseless.

Meanwhile, Qin Tian, seeing his senior sister being attacked, shouted, “Senior sister, I’m here to help you!”

“Junior brother, be careful!” Jiang Qian warned anxiously, fearing for his safety.

But she soon realized her worries were unnecessary, as her junior brother was even more valiant than she was. With their Master and elders holding the line, the outcome was already clear.