Chapter 11: Zhelin's Military Commander

Qin Yuankun suppressed his fury and stared at the servant. “You’re saying Qin Tian made Xie Tianlang kill Xiaosong?”

The man trembled. “Y-yes. I saw it myself. Xie Tianlang even… took the third young master’s body away!”

“Bastard!” Qin Yuankun seized a teacup and smashed it on the floor, scattering hot tea.

Qin Zhengtai clenched his fists, his eyes full of killing intent. “Father, Xiaosong can’t die for nothing. I’ll take men to the old house and kill that little bastard Qin Tian, then demand an explanation from Xie Tianlang!”

“That’s right, Grandpa!” Qin Yang added. “We have to avenge Xiaosong. What will the other families think of us otherwise?”

A low voice came from the doorway. “Father, I think we should consider this carefully.”

They turned to see a middle-aged man who bore some resemblance to Qin Yuankun striding in.

Qin Zhengtai’s face darkened. “What do you mean, Brother? Xiaosong is dead! What is there to consider?”

“That’s right, Uncle,” Qin Yang said. “If your son Qin Feng had died, would you still want to think it over?”

“Shut up, both of you!” Qin Yuankun snapped.

“Father, you…”

“I said shut up and sit down!”

Qin Zhengtai dared not defy him. He dropped heavily into his chair. Qin Yang, though resentful, sat down without another word.

Qin Yuankun looked at the newcomer. “Zhenghao, tell me what you think.”

Qin Zhenghao, of the Qin family’s eldest branch, was its strategist: devious, calculating, and adept at schemes. He narrowed his eyes.

“Father, your seventieth birthday celebration is in a week. Every influential person in Jiangcheng will attend. Nothing can be allowed to go wrong.”

Qin Zhengtai snorted. “You know Father’s celebration is next week? When word gets out that Xiaosong was killed, how will the Qin family save face?”

Qin Zhenghao remained calm, though his eyes sharpened. “I believe Qin Tian is certain to come that day. We can avenge Xiaosong in front of Jiangcheng’s elite and make an example of him.”

Qin Yuankun considered this, then clapped his hands. “Good! A fine way to make an example!”

Qin Zhengtai remained dissatisfied. “What if Qin Tian doesn’t come?”

“He will,” Zhenghao said with certainty.

Zhengtai opened his mouth to ask why, but Qin Yuankun raised a hand. “It’s settled. Zhengyang, find Xie Tianlang and bring Xiaosong’s body back. And make sure he gives me an explanation.”

Qin Zhengyang bowed. “Yes, Father.” He withdrew.

Qin Yuankun waved Zhengtai and Qin Yang away too. “Remember: neither of you acts on your own, or you’ll be punished under the family rules.”

“Fine,” Qin Zhengtai forced out between his teeth and left, Qin Yang following.

Alone in the vast living room, Qin Yuankun looked up at the painting of a hundred tigers, his face dark. “Damn it. How did that little bastard Qin Tian survive?”

…

At the Qin residence, Qin Tian was meditating with his eyes closed when his grandfather called, “Xiaotian, your sister-in-law is on the phone!”

Qin Tian opened his eyes and took it. “Hello? It’s me. What’s wrong? All right, I’ll come now.”

After he hung up, Qin Yuanming asked anxiously, “Is Wanqing in trouble?”

Qin Tian shook his head. “She has a difficult patient and wants me to take a look.”

The old man relaxed. “Go on, then. Don’t worry about me. I’ll make myself something to eat later.”

“All right, Grandpa. I’ll be back soon.” Qin Tian left the residence.

…

At Jiangcheng Central Hospital, armed soldiers stood in two lines along the corridor outside a special-care ward, their expressions stern, eyes fixed ahead. Like a wall of steel, they sealed the corridor off from the outside world. Several sharp-eyed young men in black suits stood among them, red lights occasionally flashing on their earpieces as they watched their surroundings.

Inside the ward, a gray-haired old man lay with his eyes closed, his face ashen, his lips dark purple. His breathing was barely perceptible.

A middle-aged man in a dark green military uniform stood beside the bed, hands behind his back. His temples were gray, and the general’s stars on his shoulders gleamed coldly under the lights. Yet his eyes were red, and his large hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

“Physician Meng,” he asked hoarsely, “how much time does my father have?”

Meng Henian stood nearby, visibly cautious. “General Shen, the old general is advanced in years and suffered a near-fatal injury ten years ago. It’s a miracle he’s lasted this long. His old condition has returned; his qi and blood are depleted, and all his internal organs have suffered damage. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”

Shen Dingshan commanded the military forces of Zhelin Province and wielded great authority. The man on the bed was his father, Shen Tiance, one of the few surviving founding heroes of the Dragon Nation. He had led vast armies and slain countless enemies, earning the title of the Ironblood War God.

Now the decorated veteran lay quietly, like a lamp about to burn out, waiting for death.

Shen Dingshan swayed, his face pale. “Is there really nothing anyone can do?”

He looked toward the doctors by the door, leading experts and professors in their fields from across Zhelin Province. They lowered their heads in silence.

“General Shen, we’ve… done everything we can.” Hospital director Zhou Guoliang stepped forward, his voice trembling.

Shen Dingshan closed his eyes. “My father did so much for this country. In the end… isn’t there a single person who can save him?”

Shen Tiance, the Dragon Nation’s Ironblood War God, had spent his life fighting to defend his country. He had charged into enemy ranks and fought his way out seven times, planting his nation’s flag on ground abandoned by the retreating enemy. Yet even a mighty war god could not defeat the passage of years.

An oppressive silence filled the ward.

Suddenly, Meng Henian raised his head, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. His lips moved, but he hesitated. Shen Dingshan noticed immediately.

“Physician Meng, is there something else?”

Meng took a deep breath and bowed, as if making a difficult decision. “General Shen, if anyone in this world can still save the old general, perhaps… there is one person.”

Everyone was startled.