Chapter 36: The Aftermath

Xiongba could have ordered the remaining members of the Twelve Devils of Tianchi to intercept Bu Jingyun, Nie Feng, and the others, while he personally dealt with Qin Shuang. However, having missed the prime opportunity, he held back. Even if he could send the Tianchi assassins to stop them now, Qin Shuang’s recent burst of power left Xiongba without any real certainty of victory. Furthermore, with the God of Catch present, how would he perceive or react to Xiongba’s intervention?

Qin Shuang waited for a moment, and seeing that Xiongba did not emerge, he felt a mix of disappointment and relief. After all, Xiongba feared nothing, but Qin Shuang was wary of the whereabouts of Xu Fu. The World Martial Arts Association had no way to track Xu Fu, and while Qin Shuang might be able to defeat Xiongba, he had no chance of surviving another battle with Xu Fu. He closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, while Bu Jingyun and Nie Feng stood guard.

The God of Catch and Duan Lang were separated from them. Fortunately, the God of Catch harbored no ill intentions, and Duan Lang had no designs on Qin Shuang at the moment. Especially after seeing Qin Shuang kill Jue Wushen—a feat he couldn’t even manage against Jue Xin—Duan Lang had no desire to die at the hands of a retaliating Qin Shuang.

Once his internal energy had recovered and Xiongba had still not appeared, Qin Shuang spoke, "Junior Brother Feng, follow the direction in which Po Jun departed. You might see someone who is related to you."

"Hm? Who? Related to me? Who in Dongying could be related to me?" Nie Feng shook his head in confusion, unable to fathom it, but he followed the path Po Jun had taken nonetheless.

"Duan Lang, God of Catch!" Qin Shuang turned to them. "Help Sun Hao and Zhang Xing eliminate all the invaders from Dongying. Leave no survivors!"

The two men cupped their hands and left to join the fray. The elite forces of the World Martial Arts Association led by Sun Hao and Zhang Xing were already locked in a bloodbath with the Black Gold Rakshasa. After the death of Jue Wushen, the morale of the Dongying forces had plummeted; most were fleeing for their lives, while those loyal to Jue Wushen chose to die on the battlefield. It was this group of desperate fighters that made the battle even more gruesome. With the addition of Duan Lang and the God of Catch, these fierce holdouts were quickly suppressed, reducing the casualties of the World Martial Arts Association.

"Junior Brother Yun, walk with me through the palace and take a look around." Qin Shuang began to wander, and Bu Jingyun followed silently. No one mentioned finding the Emperor, and no one mentioned releasing those captured by Jue Wushen. It was as if everyone had tacitly forgotten these matters—or perhaps some, like the God of Catch, intended to bring it up but were still occupied with the fighting.

...

On the periphery, Xiongba gave up the chance to kill Qin Shuang and prepared to leave.

"Master Xiongba, the Dog King and the others have not returned. I wish to take the others to find them before we head back," Wawa said, bowing his head to feign deep fraternal concern. If they weren't heartless assassins, Xiongba might have believed him. There were once 108 Tianchi assassins, but after being hunted by the Sword Saint, only 12 remained, and none of them had ever risked their lives to fight him. Xiongba, of course, kept this to himself and nodded, "Very well! And see what the others have been up to!"

Xiongba assumed the Dog King and the others had met with an accident, but since he didn't need to exert any effort, he let Wawa and the others go as they pleased.

"Many thanks, Master Xiongba!"

Xiongba left alone, while Wawa led the remaining members of the Twelve Devils of Tianchi in the opposite direction without looking back. As for finding the Dog King—that was just talk. Only a fool would believe it.

Elsewhere, Wuming also quietly departed. Exhausted and wounded, he had done all he could. He caught a fleeting glimpse of Xiongba and the assassins leaving.

...

Three days later, all had calmed down. Led by Duan Lang, the God of Catch, Sun Hao, and Zhang Xing, the elite forces had pursued the invaders for hundreds of miles, turning the land into a sea of blood. Qin Shuang did not subscribe to the Confucian ideals of benevolence; he believed in eliminating threats as quickly and thoroughly as possible. As long as they were not from the Central Plains, he had no interest in mercy.

Before his death, Jue Wushen had arranged an escape route for his wife and son, but because Qin Shuang had wiped him out in a single burst of power, those plans were never utilized. Jue Wushen had never imagined he would fall in battle, and his family could not have anticipated that the man they viewed as a god would be defeated so easily. When Po Jun went to find them, they refused to believe it. While they were arguing, they were discovered by Nie Feng.

Nie Feng did not know how to face Yan Ying. Yan Ying clung to him like a lifeline, hoping to use his protection to save Jue Tian. With Yan Ying in the middle, Po Jun and Nie Feng could not come to blows. Moreover, Po Jun was from the Central Plains and was not on Qin Shuang’s list of targets. Eventually, Nie Feng brought Yan Ying, Jue Tian, and Po Jun to see Qin Shuang, who had been delaying the matter until now.

When they arrived, Qin Shuang was examining the "Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin" manual.

"Greetings, Master Qin," Yan Ying offered a bow. Jue Tian stood to the side, motionless, glaring fiercely at the man who had killed his father.

Yan Ying pulled on Jue Tian, but he did not react. Po Jun stood by with his arms crossed, watching coldly.

"Senior Brother," Nie Feng said, sounding troubled, before standing aside in silence.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Qin Shuang looked at Jue Tian. An outsider might have thought Jue Tian was the one who had won. "Madam, you are too polite! Please, sit, make yourself at home." Qin Shuang smiled at Yan Ying, finally realizing the similarity between her and Nie Feng: they were both overly sentimental. He wondered how many people Nie Feng had entangled himself with.

Though Qin Shuang was polite, Yan Ying dared not be careless. Having lived beside a hegemon, she knew which words were courtesies and which were true. "Master Qin is too kind! I must thank you for sparing my son, Jue Tian." She tried to set the tone for Jue Tian's fate, looking nervously at Qin Shuang and then pleadingly at Nie Feng.

Nie Feng stepped forward helplessly, "Senior Brother—"

Qin Shuang waved his hand and looked at Nie Feng, "Do not worry." He turned back to the others, "Sparing Jue Tian is fine, but what is the price?" He swept his gaze over Jue Tian and Po Jun with a meaningful look.

"A leader of the World Martial Arts Association, reduced to bullying orphans and widows? And she is your junior brother's mother, at that!" Po Jun could not stand it anymore; he could not bear to see Yan Ying wronged.

Qin Shuang chuckled as he stared at Po Jun. "Very well, I will make it easy for you. I can let Jue Tian go, but you must bring me the head of Jue Xin. Furthermore, you owe me a favor."

Po Jun understood immediately. Jue Tian meant nothing to Qin Shuang; his true target had been Po Jun all along, and Jue Xin was merely an extra.

"Agreed!" Even though he understood, Po Jun had no choice but to accept. After all, he wanted to be with Yan Ying.