After the chaos at sea, the government soldiers who’d charged onto the island of the Twelve Linked Rings were left utterly dumbfounded. With their retreat now cut off and the general’s fate unknown, what should they do—fight or surrender?

Du Xiaoqing had long since sent the Iron Whistle to recall the brothers who had already begun retreating.

Now, with Qin Yuesheng holding the fort, there was no need to flee in disarray anymore. On the contrary, they needed as many hands as possible to launch a counterattack and clean up the aftermath.

"Kill! Slaughter these damn government dogs!" A number of water bandits burst out from all corners within the Twelve Linked Rings, wielding all sorts of odd weapons, charging in with a ferocity like wolves.

Though their clothing was nothing like the neatly uniformed government troops, and their weapons were nowhere near as shiny and fine,

at this moment, faced with these water bandits, rabid as tigers and wolves, it was the government soldiers who hesitated, caught in a dilemma between advancing or fleeing.

So, as they tried to withdraw, they also did their best to fend off the rampaging water bandits, the main forces slowly retreating towards the shore.

"Stop! All of you, stop now!"

Suddenly, a thunderous roar sounded from the sky. Both water bandits and government soldiers jolted as if shocked, reflexively looking up—only to see Qin Yuesheng approaching, carrying Liu Ming and Zeng Jinchao each like chicks in his hands.

Seeing their own commander hauled around by Qin Yuesheng as if he weighed nothing, whatever was left of the government troops’ fighting spirit vanished entirely. Shock painted every face; no one knew what to do now.

"You know what’s next. Do what you should." Qin Yuesheng looked down at Liu Ming and spoke.

"All hands cease! Drop your weapons on the ground and surrender, now! Those are your orders!" Even though Liu Ming was still weak from almost drowning, under Qin Yuesheng’s commanding gaze, he summoned the last of his strength and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Military orders were strict as the mountains; the troops, now driven to the seaside, had no choice but to throw down their weapons and surrender.

"Enough from you lot as well. Find some ropes or iron chains and lock these government troops away." Qin Yuesheng landed and gave the order.

The water bandits all recognized his rank—a figure treated with reverence by even the four Ring Leaders. They didn’t dare disobey his slightest word.

So, some of the water bandits immediately fetched ropes and bound the surrendered soldiers hand and foot, one after the other.

At this point, Liu Xian’s assault on the Twelve Linked Rings had ended up a total wash-out. By the time he heard the news, he’d likely be so furious steam would pour from his orifices, his anger visible for miles.

Though Liu Xian now controlled all of Yangzhou Prefecture, the attack on the Twelve Linked Rings was supposed to be the first step in expanding his Jiangnan territory, as well as his first large-scale military sortie.

His campaign failed before it even began; there was no triumphant opening victory. That alone would send the army’s morale plummeting.

Of course, none of that was anything Qin Yuesheng needed to worry about at the moment.

"Old Jin, you holding up?" Du Xiaoqing asked, watching as Sanhuang was bandaging Jin Haishi’s wound.

This man, mid-battle with a horde of Yellow Turban experts, had his arm lopped off at the root by a sword. If not for Qin Yuesheng’s timely intervention, he’d probably be lying dead like Liao Ironleg, all breath gone for good.

Jin Haishi managed a wry smile. "I’m not dying, at least."

When Qin Yuesheng arrived, he’d slaughtered the Yellow Turban experts with ruthless violence, then immediately used acupoint techniques to staunch Jin Haishi’s bleeding. Though Jin still looked deathly pale, his life hung on by a fortunate thread.

"Uncle Jin, your arm..." Sanhuang handed the severed limb back to him. The child, no doubt unused to such scenes, couldn’t stop the panic from flashing across his face as he held the still-warm flesh.

During Sanhuang’s time at the Twelve Linked Rings, everyone looked after him—he was Qin Yuesheng’s disciple, after all, and treated with utmost care by everyone here.

Spurned by his own mother since childhood, then snatched up to be a water bandit’s slave, Sanhuang had never known such kindness. He soon came to regard Du Xiaoqing, Jin Haishi, Iron Whistle, and Liao Ironleg all as uncles.

"Don’t be afraid. It’s just a piece of meat, a bone from a man’s body," Jin Haishi laughed boisterously.

In their line of work as water bandits, who hadn’t been hurt before? Being up against so many Inner Strength experts—losing nothing but an arm and keeping your life was already a fortune within misfortune.

"Du Xiaoqing!" Qin Yuesheng called from atop the city wall.

Soon enough, Du Xiaoqing, who could still walk properly, and Iron Whistle sprinted down from the wall and half-knelt before Qin Yuesheng. "Young Master."

"All those government soldiers still adrift at sea—send men to fish them out and detain them here. As for the ships making a run for it, you take people and seize them, and don’t let a single one return to Jiangnan," Qin Yuesheng ordered, pointing at the distant sea.

His earlier strike had shattered many vessels, but a few intact ships remained, now trying desperately to turn around and flee these waters.

Qin Yuesheng intended to conscript all these soldiers into the Twelve Linked Rings, swelling his own ranks. Letting them go wasn’t an option.

"Yes, sir." Du Xiaoqing and Iron Whistle immediately summoned their men, boarded skiffs, and shot out in pursuit of the escaping ships.

Large ships were clumsy on the water, and no match for the skiffs the water bandits used for boarding and plunder.

On top of that, these skiffs had been specially modified by some carpenter-bandits and, matched with the wind and waves, their speed was truly something else, slicing through the surf like arrows loosed from a bow.

Before long, the bandits brought the official ships back, all the government soldiers aboard bound up as tight as rice dumplings.

Thus, Liu Xian’s naval assault on the Twelve Linked Rings was a complete failure. His dream of dominating Jiangnan’s sea domain shattered to foam and drifted away.

The next day.

Dawn’s radiance slanted in through the cell’s iron bars, clustering light and shadow on the floor.

Zeng Jinchao, his limbs heavy with iron chains, sat on the straw mound, silently cultivating his energy.

After the fighting subsided at the Twelve Linked Rings yesterday, he’d been thrown in here by Qin Yuesheng. Yet beyond the shackles, only two guards—neither with strengthened bodies—stood watch.

That Qin Yuesheng neither tried to persuade his surrender nor seemed intent on killing him left Zeng Jinchao perplexed.

In fact, his Inner Strength had pretty much recovered by now. If not for his fear of Qin Yuesheng, he’d have broken his chains, killed the two guards, and escaped long ago.

"What is that bastard plotting?" Zeng Jinchao opened his eyes, suspicion furrowing his brow.

"Time to eat! Come and eat!" A water bandit guard ambled over, holding a blue-white porcelain bowl with only two large plain buns inside.

Zeng Jinchao, ever since entering the martial world, had never scrimped on his meals—roast chicken, fresh fish, beef, raw or cooked, you name it. When had he ever touched such coarse fare as plain buns?

"I want to see that young hero," he said flatly, ignoring the way the attendant stared at him expectantly.

The water bandit yawned and, picking his nose with his other hand, replied, "Young Master Qin said you’re to wait in here a few days. He’ll see you when the time comes. Eat first."

He set the bowl on the floor and sauntered out.

Zeng Jinchao pricked up his ears at once.

"Looks like Young Master Qin already made for the road last night. If this guy found out he wasn’t in the Ring, he’d bolt for sure," came a whisper.

"Heh, you think we’d let him know that? Just act cool, toss out a few lines and fool him for now. When Young Master Qin gets back from outside, this guy’ll still be none the wiser."

Their voices drifted off and vanished in the distance.

Zeng Jinchao was instantly elated. Ordinary people had no idea just how different martial artists of the Inner Power Realm truly were—when you reached that level, your body and senses, including vision and hearing, advanced to terrifying extremes.

Learning Qin Yuesheng was gone from the Twelve Linked Rings, Zeng Jinchao at once resolved to escape. With Qin gone, who else here could lay a hand on him?

Crack!

In a flash, Zeng Jinchao tensed his arms and legs, snapping the chains that bound him. Facing the sunlight outside, he broke into a wild laugh, slammed his palms into the wall, and instantly blew a hole large enough for anyone to pass.

Without hesitation he strode out, basking in dawn’s glow. His figure, silhouetted against the cell’s threshold, appeared resolute and imposing.

"Yo, finally thought to break out, did you?"

Suddenly, a mocking voice rang out.

Zeng Jinchao froze, his body stiffening mid-step.

He turned ever so slowly, barely believing it, only to see Qin Yuesheng sitting cross-legged atop the prison roof, his eyes boring into him with a deep, inscrutable gaze.

"You—you’re not..."

"Yesterday I said I’d spare your life. But today, you break out and make your intentions clear. You’ve wasted my good will, so I won’t hold back anymore." Qin Yuesheng picked up the Celestial Demon Blade by his side, grinning as he raised it toward Zeng Jinchao.

"No, no, wait—you misunderstood, I wasn’t going to run, I just—"

A red flash streaked past. In an instant, Qin Yuesheng appeared behind Zeng Jinchao, the Celestial Demon Blade sliding unimpeded across Zeng’s neck—his head flew skyward, blood spurting across the ground.

Planting the Celestial Demon Blade in the earth, Qin Yuesheng took Zeng’s head and body in both hands and activated the decomposition ability on the spot.

[Decomposition successful! Obtained ’Inner Strength Pills x3’, ’Cyan Lotus Sword Song x1’, ’Blood Escape Skill x1’.]

Tossing all three Inner Strength Pills into his mouth, a surge of heat instantly flooded from above into his Dantian—Qin Yuesheng felt his Dantian swelling to the very brink.

Not daring to force it further, he promptly sat cross-legged and began circulating the Profound Celestial Scripture, directing his inner power to charge into the sixth Qi-gathering acupoint on his back.

Boom!

Qin Yuesheng’s body quaked, a trail of blood leaking from the corner of his lips. At the sixth level of the Inner Power Realm, the energy required was enormous; fail to break through in one go, and you’d suffer massive backlash, inner injuries hitting your body hard.

If you succeeded, all was well. But repeated failure meant at best a crash in cultivation—at worst, a shattered set of meridians and complete deviation into madness. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Plenty of Inner Strength martial artists had ended up with their meridians broken or their minds lost, victims of failed breakthroughs.