Chapter 52: To Kill or Not to Kill?

"I advise you not to try any tricks behind my back, Daoist priest here cannot guarantee that my hands won't tremble after a prolonged battle! His life is resting right in your hands!"

Qiu Zhiqing's clear voice echoed throughout the ancestral hall. Two strapping young men who had been quietly creeping toward Hong Qigong froze in their tracks. Unable to contain his curiosity, one of them whispered to his companion, "How did he know we were moving?"

The other replied with a speculative tone, "Perhaps this is what people call having eyes on the back of one's head!"

Hearing his companion's words, the inquisitive man involuntarily cast a glance toward Qiu Zhiqing's lower back...

Paying no mind to these chaotic and stray thoughts, Qiu Zhiqing stepped forward, sealed the vital acupoints across the scholarly middle-aged man's body, hoisted him up, and carried him through the crowd back to Hong Qigong's side.

A group of sturdy men wielding broadswords were forced to clear a path for him. A few looked eager to try their luck, but ultimately restrained themselves—if they accidentally got their leader killed, who could they reason with?

Arriving beside Hong Qigong, Qiu Zhiqing dropped the man and pressed his long sword against the captive's neck. "Esteemed sir, may I ask your name?"

The scholarly middle-aged man glanced at Qiu Zhiqing's sword, indicating that this was hardly the proper etiquette for asking a question and entirely unacceptable to him. Helpless, to demonstrate his sincerity, Qiu Zhiqing had no choice but to press the blade a fraction closer to the man's neck!

My name is Zhang Zhuo. At that moment, the sword was merely a hair's breadth away from my throat. For that instant, I didn't even dare to breathe heavily, terrified that if my pulse beat too rapidly, I would thrust my carotid artery right onto the edge of the blade.

In a fraction of a millisecond, I decided to be honest!

"Such threats have no effect on me whatsoever, but since you ask with such sincere intent, it would be rather impolite not to reply! I am Zhang Zhuo, courtesy name Degang. Might Daoist Priest Chonghe move the sword away just a tiny bit?"

This was suspicious. It was no surprise that this man knew Hong Qigong's identity, but knowing Qiu Zhiqing's identity as well was highly questionable, considering he had never roamed the pugilistic world! This strongly suggested he had connections within the Quanzhen Sect...

"Now that we are acquainted, would you be so kind as to hand over the antidote to this Daoist priest?" Seeing that the man who called himself Zhang Zhuo was still hesitating, the long sword that had just been moved away shifted closer to his neck once more. After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Zhuo decided to concede, indicating that the medicine was in his inner robe!

Fumbling inside his robe, he found only a single porcelain bottle and nothing else. Qiu Zhiqing asked curiously, "How is it used?"

"Pull out the stopper and let him sniff it. Once you're done, you can throw it away anyway; the poison was all squandered by you before..." There was a hint of lingering grievance in that tone.

However, Qiu Zhiqing paid no attention to that. He refused to believe that the poison concocted by these people could be some peerless supreme poison. After letting Hong Qigong take a whiff, Qiu Zhiqing quite naturally pocketed the antidote.

Zhang Zhuo watched all this unfold, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, clearly feeling a pang of heartache, yet he said nothing more! Years of fighting across the country had altered his original mindset to some extent!

That poison was truly gone; the main ingredients were difficult to find, and toxic creatures were nearly extinct. That bottle had been passed down by his ancestors, specifically designed to deal with these martial arts experts—whoever used it knew its worth!

However, so what if the Quanzhen Sect was formidable? Once the Mongols destroyed the Jin Dynasty, and I brought up a regiment of ten thousand men, wouldn't they be at my mercy to shape as I pleased? Of course, the most urgent priority right now was to make a safe escape.

"Qigong, how do you feel?" Qiu Zhiqing asked nervously, following up by taking Hong Qigong's pulse. It felt normal just like before, with no apparent issues!

Before long, Hong Qigong crossed his legs and began to slowly circulate his internal energy. Only then did Qiu Zhiqing dare to switch from internal breathing back to regular breathing, only to be hit instantly by a wave of foul stench that almost made him faint. He hurriedly plugged the porcelain bottle tightly...

"Daoist Priest Chonghe, look, the antidote has worked and the misunderstanding is cleared up. Might you release our acupoints? We've all had no past grudges and no recent enmities, let's talk things out peacefully, shall we?"

Those words sounded terribly familiar. Upon careful thought, weren't those the very words he had spoken earlier?

What absolute nonsense! Earlier, when he thought he had the upper hand, he had strutted around with such an arrogant attitude. Now that he had failed and been captured, he was tossing back my own words and expecting us to spare his life? Not much to look at in the looks department, but he sure had high ambitions!

Qiu Zhiqing smiled faintly, then pulled a stern face. "You people traffic in children, a crime most unforgivable. Presumably, those involved in Lin'an previously were also your people? We might as well wipe you all out at once!"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhuo's expression changed drastically. Matters had ultimately headed toward the very outcome he least wished to see.

"What Lin'an child trafficking? When one wants to condemn someone, pretexts are never lacking! Today you hold the sharp sword, to kill or carve up as you please is entirely up to you. In days to come, my descendants shall also trample Mount Zhongnan beneath their horses' hooves!"

Still daring to threaten him? Looking at Zhang Zhuo, who was putting on a brave front, Qiu Zhiqing chuckled derisively. "Why do criminals always think their methods are flawless? And why on earth would you think I would bother discussing evidence and legal codes with you?"

A fierce wind rose from behind. Without a second thought, Qiu Zhiqing flicked his sleeve backward. The swordsman who attempted a sneak attack failed, only to be sent flying by a single palm strike! He crashed to the ground, groaning as he tried to climb back up.

"All you unrelated bystanders may leave at once. This Daoist priest has no wish to slaughter the innocent!" Hearing these words, those sturdy men holding broadswords looked at each other in dismay, clearly tempted, yet not daring to move.

Qiu Zhiqing vibrated his long sword, clearing away the bloodstains, then tossed it with a flick. Turning to face the group of burly men, he watched the sword slide back into the scabbard on his back. The entire sequence of movements was smooth, flowing, and pleasing to the eye...

"What? Are you all tired of living?"

With that, he pointed his hand toward the dark-faced warrior, Zhang Zhuo, and the two guards, continuing, "Aside from these four, the rest of you may take your leave. My patience is limited, so you'd better not wait for me to change my mind!"

At this, the strong men hesitated no longer, hurriedly hoisting up their injured or acupoint-sealed companions and rushing out the door. Before long, the sound of horse neighing drifted over.

At this moment, Hong Qigong also stood up, cursing with lingering indignation, "Well, aren't you a fine, ungrateful scholar! This old beggar kindly helped you kill Tatars, and you turn around and poison this old beggar. Bah! This old beggar truly must have been blind to save trash like you!"

"Qigong, shall I slaughter the lot of them to vent your anger?" Qiu Zhiqing seized the opportunity to instigate. Unless necessary, he preferred not to kill people! Qiu Chuji had told him that the more people one killed, no matter how firmly one believed in one's own righteousness, complex and tangled thoughts would inevitably creep back at times...

"Two great heroes, the antidote has already been given to you. Can't you lift your hand in mercy and spare our lives?"

It was the sword-wielding guard who spoke. Watching him struggle to crawl up from the ground, Qiu Zhiqing remained unmoved. "Ridiculous! Spare your lives? Then who will give an explanation to those parents torn apart from their flesh and blood?"

"Daoist Priest Chonghe, most of these children were actually selected by us from among refugees. If you don't believe me, ask them yourselves!"

At these words, Qiu Zhiqing raised his head to look at the children huddled in the corner of the great hall. Most of them were boys, with only a rare few girls. Judging by their appearance, they could not have arrived here long ago, and they were all dressed in identical clothes...

Seeing Qiu Zhiqing cast his gaze upon them, a few of the bolder children even nodded earnestly at him, indicating that what Zhang Zhuo said was the truth!

Seeing this, Zhang Zhuo said joyfully, "Daoist Priest Chonghe, look, I wasn't lying. Can this matter be put to rest now? In this day and age, amidst the chaos of war, where are there not bleached bones covering the plains and thousands of miles without a crowing rooster?"

Seeing that Qiu Zhiqing was wavering, Zhang Zhuo pressed his advantage. "When I brought them here, wasn't I saving their lives? Can't this be considered performing a good deed and accumulating virtue? How about it? Let us leave! We hold a certain amount of influence among the Mongols, and I guarantee I will strongly urge the Mongols to commit fewer acts of slaughter. How does that sound?"

This was purely an attempt to bully someone inexperienced in the ways of the world. Not that Qiu Zhiqing looked down on anyone in particular, but Zhang Zhuo simply didn't have that kind of clout!

Yet this matter was indeed difficult for him to judge. In later generations, someone like Zhang Zhuo deserved to die ten or twenty times over, but in this current era... Trapped in inner conflict, Qiu Zhiqing turned his gaze of seeking help toward Hong Qigong.

Hong Qigong had no idea how to handle it either, and could only sigh. "This matter... this old beggar doesn't know what to do either. Handle it however you see fit!" With that, he closed his eyes and resumed regulating his breath...

Qiu Zhiqing also closed his eyes in deep thought. By now, the sky had been entirely swallowed by darkness, with only two brazier fires still burning. No one spoke, and people scarcely dared to breathe too loudly...

Before long, night faded into dawn and morning light broke through the horizon. Qiu Zhiqing opened his eyes, a flash of murderous intent crossing his face. "Even with your silver tongue, it is impossible to wash away the fact that you are a traitor who sells out his country for glory. Rest in peace, and shortly I will send a few of your subordinates down to keep you company!"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhuo immediately retorted, "Wait a minute! Selling out the country for glory—what country did I sell out? The Song Dynasty? Or the Jin Dynasty where I grew up since childhood? Simply absurd!"

Judging by his indignant expression, he genuinely felt that what Qiu Zhiqing said was utterly ridiculous!

He wasn't entirely clear on what Qiu Zhiqing meant by selling out the country. But Qiu Zhiqing knew very well that the betrayal he spoke of and the one Zhang Zhuo had in mind were indeed two different things. However, that did not mean Qiu Zhiqing would let him off the hook—traitors must die!

Seeing the murderous intent growing increasingly intense in Qiu Zhiqing's eyes, Zhang Zhuo simply let go of his struggles and closed his eyes to await death...