mc-med Chapter 171 The Death of Wang Bodang
Chapter 171 The Death of Wang Bodang
Qin Qiong slowly raised his sword, which felt as heavy as if he were carrying a mountain.
He looked down at Wang Bodang, his expression a mixture of reluctance and helplessness.
A flash of light appeared.
"puff!"
Blood mist splattered, blooming into a scarlet flower in the morning light.
Wang Bodang's head rolled a long way, his eyes wide open, staring at the sky.
He did not close his eyes until his death.
Qin Qiong gripped the knife, remaining motionless.
The blade was still dripping blood, one drop, two drops, falling onto the yellow earth and spreading into small black spots.
"Next."
At Yuwen Chenglong's shout, several more people were pushed forward.
The remaining generals of Wagang were led to the execution ground one by one and forced to kneel on the land that was already soaked in blood.
"Uncle Bao!"
"Second Brother Qin!"
"We're sworn brothers! Have you forgotten the blood-soaked wine of Jiajialou?"
"You treacherous scoundrel, you heartless scoundrel!"
The sounds of pleas for mercy, cries, and curses filled the air.
Qin Qiong seemed not to hear, and continued with his sword strike after strike.
He killed swiftly and decisively, each strike precisely hitting the gap in the neck bone, killing instantly without any hesitation.
Jin Cheng's head rolled off, his face still frozen in terror.
Niu Gai's body fell to the ground, blood gushing from the severed neck.
Huang Tianhu kept calling out "Brother Qin" until his death.
In a short while, the training ground was filled with headless corpses lying haphazardly.
Qin Qiong stood in the middle of the pile of corpses, covered in blood.
His face, his armor, his hands—not a single part of him was clean.
"Clap clap clap!"
A round of applause rang out.
Lu Xiao clapped his hands, a genuine smile on his face.
He looked down at the corpses scattered on the ground, then at Qin Qiong, who was covered in blood, and his smile deepened.
absolutely.
That's absolutely amazing.
He truly lives up to his name, Qin Shubao.
If Qin Qiong were to plead for them, even just by saying "give these people another chance," he would be more respected.
But Qin Qiong did not.
He killed each one more ruthlessly than the last, each strike more swift and decisive than the last.
What a righteous and chivalrous young man!
What a ruthless and cruel General Qin!
"Your Highness, is there anything else you require of me?"
Qin Qiong threw down the knife in his hand, and it made a dull thud when it hit the ground.
Lu Xiao looked at him and slowly put away his smile: "General Qin, you've worked hard. Go and rest."
"This humble general... obeys."
The main tent of the Yanshan Army.
Qin Qiong barged in, startling the guards on duty inside the tent.
He was covered in blood, his face contorted in a grotesque grimace, like a demon crawling out of hell.
"Get out, everyone!"
He let out a low growl, and his personal guards scrambled out of the tent.
Qin Qiong staggered to the table, grabbed a jar of wine, and gulped it down.
The wine dripped down his chin, mixing with the undried blood on his face, forming a pale red liquid that dripped onto his clothes.
He drank it too fast, choking and coughing violently, but he refused to stop and gulped down the whole jar of wine in one go.
Wine enters the sorrowful heart, turning into scalding tears.
He finally put down the wine jar, covered his face with his hands, and his shoulders trembled violently.
"what!"
He drew his sword from the weapon rack, reversed the blade, and aimed it at his own throat.
"Cousin!"
Luo Cheng lifted the tent flap and entered. He was shocked by what he saw, so he leaped forward and grabbed Qin Qiong's wrist, which was holding his sword.
"You're insane!"
Luo Cheng snatched the sword and threw it far away.
"Cousin," Qin Qiong looked up, his face streaked with tears, "Am I... a heartless and ungrateful person?"
He grabbed the bronze mirror from the table and, with trembling hands, held it up to his face.
The person in the mirror had a blood-stained face and empty eyes. His features vaguely resembled Qin Qiong's, yet they seemed completely different.
Where did Qin Shubao, the generous and chivalrous man who made many friends, go?
Where did Qin Erge, the man who kept his word and would go to great lengths for his friends, go?
In the mirror, there was only an executioner with his hands stained with his brothers' blood.
"Killing wasn't your intention," Luo Cheng said, pressing down on his shoulders and squeezing them tightly. "Why degrade yourself like this?"
"They're our sworn brothers..."
Qin Qiong murmured, as if he could see that day at Jiajialou.
Forty-six people, forty-six bowls of wine, vows echoing in our ears, each word piercing our hearts.
The scene shifts to Wang Bodang's head rolling off the ground, with pairs of unseeing eyes staring at him.
"We're just sworn brothers," Luo Cheng said coldly. "We're not blood brothers, so what's there to care about?"
Let alone sworn brothers, even one's own father.
If someone blocks his path, he might not be so lenient.
In this world, only yourself is the most important person.
"If I could be like you..." Qin Qiong looked at himself in the mirror. He couldn't do it. He could never be as cold-blooded as Luo Cheng.
"Cousin," Luo Cheng stared at him, enunciating each word clearly, "your enemy isn't yourself. It's Lü Xiao."
"I know I'll never get my revenge in this lifetime!"
Lü Xiao was a prince of a different surname in the imperial court. He was highly skilled in martial arts and had many fierce generals under his command.
How can he be considered his opponent?
"Not entirely." Luo Cheng shook his head. "Lu Xiao is not invincible."
He had never fought against Lü Xiao, but had only heard of his formidable reputation.
Everyone says Lü Xiao is very strong, but there are many strong people in the world.
Luo Shixin had met him before; although the boy was simple-minded, he possessed considerable strength.
Even if he were to fight him, he would be no match for him.
Furthermore, Li Yuanba, the son of Li Yuan, was said to have been able to outmuscle Yuwen Chengdu in the army, and Yuwen Chengdu was no match for him.
If Li Yuanba and Luo Shixin joined forces, how could they not defeat Lü Xiao?
The entire Sui Dynasty was held up by Lü Xiao alone.
Which of those powerful families wouldn't want Lü Xiao dead?
"Thank you, cousin."
"I'm having hysteria."
Half an hour later, Qin Qiong changed into clean armor and returned to Wagang Village.
He stood outside the council chamber for a moment, straightened his clothes, and stepped inside.
Lu Xiao was discussing military affairs with Li Jing when he saw Qin Qiong enter and raised an eyebrow.
"This humble general is Qin Qiong," Qin Qiong walked to the center of the hall, knelt on both knees, and kowtowed, "I have come to apologize to Your Highness for what happened in the past."
This kneel was a solid and firm one.
He was wearing armor, and could have used that as an excuse not to perform the full ceremony, just as he had done last time. But he didn't.
He knelt down.
It wasn't surrender, it was forbearance.
Lu Xiao looked down at him, not immediately telling him to get up.
The hall was silent, with only the crackling of the burning candles being heard.
After a long silence, Lü Xiao said calmly, "General Qin, there's no need for such formalities. What brings you here?"
"Your Highness," Qin Qiong knelt on the ground, bowing his head, and said, "Now that this matter is settled, this humble general humbly requests to return to Yanshan."
He paused, then added, "I've been away for a long time, and I'm afraid my uncle will worry about me. Besides, military affairs in Beiping are very busy, so it's not advisable for me to be away for too long."
"So that's what it is." Lü Xiao nodded, his tone casual. "General Qin, please make yourself at home."
Lu Xiao roughly guessed Qin Qiong's intention; this guy wasn't giving in to him, but rather had figured things out.
They're just waiting for an opportunity to come and take revenge on me later.
Lu Xiao dismissed this with disdain.
He had too many enemies, whether they were powerful families or foreign states.
Which of these people doesn't wish for his death every single day?