Chapter 243: Either Way

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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.