~~~

Multiple miles separate Liu Jin from Ox Storm Fortress. Daunting as that might sound, Liu Jin could cover that distance in less than three seconds if he were at full strength.

He is not.

Fighting Han has left him weak. Liu Jin dashes without using movement techniques and leaves drops of his blood wherever he passes. He has done his best to heal the injuries he sustained during the fight, but new cuts keep opening on his skin.

Liu Jin will reach Ox Storm Fortress in fifteen seconds. It does not sound like much, but it will be the difference between life and death for many people. The thought tempts him to push himself further, but he resists it. Using more Qi than he is right now would just make things worse. He cannot even run at full speed. Besides, it is only a difference of a few seconds. Nothing more. Nothing less.

It feels like a lifetime.

Liu Jin arrives to find the barrier around Ox Storm Fortress broken and the soldiers locked in battle. Some of the raiders have already broken into the fortress. The scent of smoke and blood is heavy in the air.

Liu Jin takes it all in.

He identifies every single Qi. Those who are alive and those who are not. Those who are in fighting condition and those who have sustained too many injuries. Those who will live without immediate treatment and those who will die within the next ten minutes. Even through the chaos of the battlefield, this doesn’t take him longer than a second.

His Qi rises.

The presence of a cultivator in the higher levels of the True Realm blankets the area. The raiders look back, for a moment thinking their commander has returned victorious. Shock and dismay ripple across them when they realize that is not the case.

Liu Jin does not let the moment go to waste.

[White Venom Fist - Nine Branches]

Giant Qi snakes rise and hiss at the enemy. Even the allied soldiers are taken aback by the display, but the disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan know his power, and it inspires them to fight harder.

Liu Jin’s snakes fall on the enemy.

The fight is over less than a minute later.

~~~

Sixty-seven soldiers are dead.

All things considered, it is a small number. The commander of Ox Storm Fortress even looked happy when he told Liu Jin about it, his earlier enmity towards him forgotten in the face of his contributions during the battle.

Had Liu Jin not acted as he did, Han would have broken the barrier almost immediately. The surprised soldiers would have been easy prey for the raiders, who, on average, were superior to them in cultivation. Everyone in the base (and even those in Black Stone Village) would have died. If not from the raiders, then due to the collateral damage caused by Liu Jin and Han fighting.

However, since Liu Jin quickly removed himself and Han from the battle, it took the raiders longer to break the barrier. This gave the commander time to bring order to his men and launch a counterattack from the safety of the barrier until it collapsed.

The combined forces of the soldiers and the disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan were enough to gain the upper hand over the raiders, and Liu Jin’s return dealt the decisive blow. Now, the raiders are dead, and the men of Ox Storm Fortress live to fight another day. No matter how one looks at it, it is a fantastic success.

Liu Jin does not sleep that night.

He takes charge of Ox Storm Fortress’ poorly-stocked excuse for an infirmary and spends the whole night treating the wounded together with Ni Cai and anyone else who has some modicum of medical knowledge. It is hard work, and regrettably, he cannot save everyone. Some of the soldiers were far too wounded to live through the night. He had known that from the start.

He can only do the best he can.

“Amazing work as always, Brother Qing,” Ni Cai tells him once they’re done. He has collapsed over an old, rickety chair. There is a window beside him. Dawn is only a few minutes away, and its rosy outline can be seen on the distant horizon. “I thought for sure we’d lose at least twenty more before the night was over.”

Should Liu Jin feel glad that he managed to prevent those deaths or guilty that he didn’t save everyone? Common logic dictates it should be the first one. Expecting to go through a battle like this without losing a single life is highly unrealistic. Naive, even. Liu Jin knows he should take his victories where he can find them and resolve to do better next time. It is all he can do.

However, just because the brain knows something doesn’t mean the soul is ready to listen.

“You went through quite an ordeal yourself, or so I hear,” Liu Jin says instead of dwelling further on his thoughts.

“Heh, it’s nothing much.” Ni Cai tries to grin, but it’s obvious he’s in pain. “The raiders were just rabble.”

The many injuries on Ni Cai’s body say otherwise. He will be okay once he rests for a day or two, but right now, it’s a wonder he’s even conscious.

“That old guy, the Old Qing, he’s really something,” Ni Cai says a little begrudgingly. “His cultivation isn’t much, but he knew what to do. I… was a little insulted when I received your orders, but now I can see you were right to tell me to listen to his advice, Brother Qing. When the attack began, I was not at my best. I had no idea what to do, but that weak, old guy did.”

It is unfair of Ni Cai to refer to Old Qing as a weak, old guy when he’s perfectly average by the standards of the normal rank-and-file soldier of General Dan’s army.

It is also unfair of Ni Cai to think so poorly of himself for not knowing what to do. He’s a disciple of the Medical Pavilion, a healer rather than a fighter. This sort of thing should have never been his responsibility.

“I placed a heavy burden on you,” Liu Jin says.

Ni Cai shakes his head.

“There was no other way,” he says. “I understand why Brother Qing put me in charge. There’s no guarantee the others would have listened to someone who wasn’t as close to you as I am. We are an unfortunately proud lot. I just… I wish I was worthy of that pride.”

Liu Jin frowns. He tentatively raises his hand to put it on Ni Cai’s shoulders but thinks better of it.

“It is not your fault we lost someone,” Liu Jin says. He regrets it immediately. Ni Cai flinches as if he had been struck.

One death.

Out of all the people that died, only one of them belonged to the Eternal Flame Clan. A young Inner Disciple who volunteered for this mission after hearing the stories of the brave heroes who returned from the Dead Plains.

Liu Jin cannot recall exchanging a single word with him.

“How is it not?” Ni Cai asks. “He was under my command, was he not? Would you prefer I blame you instead, Brother Qing? No. You did not force me to come here. I volunteered for this mission, and if I had wanted to, I could have begged on my knees to be left in Rumbling Thunder City. You would have surely allowed me to do so.”

Liu Jin doesn’t contradict him. Had Ni Cai talked to him about it, Liu Jin could have easily arranged for him to stay in Rumbling Thunder City. He would have been a little disappointed at losing someone with proven loyalties, but he would have done it.

“Had you not been here, I would have had to leave someone else in charge.” Perhaps, Yi Jiao. Though relatively unknown, she is already in the mid-stages of the Spirit Realm. That alone would ensure the others followed her. “However, there is no guarantee that person would have done a better job than you. For all we know, they would have done a worse job. You not being here would only assuage your guilt but not the underlying cause. Murong Bang’s raiders chose to attack tonight. That is where you should be putting the blame.”

Ni Cai chuckles weakly. “I know the words you speak are true, Brother Qing... So why is my soul not moved even though I know your words are true?”

“The soul is capricious. Easily swayed at times. Unshakable at others,” Liu Jin replies.

“Are you speaking from experience? Is this how you felt after…” Ni Cai trails off awkwardly for a couple of seconds but pushes through. “I hadn’t given it much thought, but many people died when we were in the Dead Plains. Did you… Do you feel guilty?”

“Of course I do.”

People have been talking about the heroes of the Dead Plains ever since they returned from that place. They marvel at those who survived but don’t spare a thought for all the ones who fell. As much as Liu Jin had tried, he hadn’t been able to stop the deaths of the people under his command. Not there and not here.

“If this is not my fault, that means it is not your fault either, Brother Qing,” Ni Cai points out. Liu Jin just smiles sadly. Certainly, Ni Cai is correct as far as the mission to the Dead Plains is concerned.

However, the expedition to the Storm Dragon Empire happened at Liu Jin’s insistence.

If not for him, they would not be here. They would be safe in the Eternal Flame Clan. Well, as safe as one can be there. They would be safe… and the people of the Storm Dragon Empire would keep killing each other at their leisure. Murong Bang would keep rampaging as he pleased.

That is unacceptable.

And yet, knowing that does not make him feel better about his choices.

“Your words make sense,” Liu Jin says. “However, listening to sense can be so very hard.”

Neither says anything for a while.

~~~

There is little time to brood after the attack. It will take at least four days for all of Liu Jin’s men to recover and even more for Ox Storm Fortress to return to working order. Even Black Stone Village got hit by a stray technique during the battle. Though no lives were lost, some villagers were wounded, and a few houses were damaged and are in need of rebuilding.

Liu Jin does his best to help out where he can, delegating the more simple tasks to better focus on the recovery of the soldiers. There is so much to do it seems as if their stay in Ox Storm Fortress will continue for a little longer.

At least, that is what Liu Jin thinks until a messenger arrives from Tiger Storm Fortress, the fortress under Colonel Peng’s command.

“A message from Colonel Peng,” the runner says as he delivers his letter. The man pants so heavily that Liu Jin fears his lungs may fall out. He must have been running at top speed for a full day. Maybe more.

As Liu Jin read Colonel Peng’s letter, a frown forms on his face.

He is being summoned.

The urgent nature of the letter makes it clear there is no time to waste. He cannot wait until everything is fixed, and taking his men with him would leave Ox Storm Fortress unprotected. That being the case, Liu Jin puts Ni Cai and Old Qing in charge of the men and leaves immediately. The only person he takes with him is Yi Jiao, and only because Feng Zhi would be furious if he left her unprotected. He puts her on top of Soaring Feather while he takes off at full speed.

He is sitting in Colonel Peng's office less than half a day later.

"It wasn't just one attack?" Liu Jin asks.

“No,” replies Colonel Peng. “I had already received one other report along with yours. That’s why I summoned you here. More have arrived since then. Over the past few days, Murong Bang has launched several attacks on our fortresses. We didn’t lose any of them, but we did lose quite a few men.”

He looks troubled as he says that, and not because of the loss of able-bodied soldiers.

“Did you summon me because you found the timing of the attacks suspicious?” Liu Jin asks.

Colonel Peng glares at him.

"I would have to be an idiot not to find them suspicious. I receive reinforcements from another country, and barely a week later, this happens. The contributions of the Eternal Flame Clan are undeniable. It is almost like someone is trying to make you look good."

"Or someone is trying to make us look suspicious," Liu Jin offers. One group of people, in particular, would gain a lot by their alliance with General Dan becoming fractured.

Colonel Peng narrows his eyes. "You know something."

"I suspect something that I am not at liberty to share," Liu Jin says. To share his thoughts would be to admit there are factions in the Eternal Flame Clan that are fine with hindering their efforts. He would also be casting doubt on some people in the Storm Dragon Empire. There is no telling how Colonel Peng would react to that. "Regrettably, I don't have any evidence. It could very well be that this was simply a coincidence. Our arrival was not exactly subtle. Murong Bang could have learned of it through various means and simply decided to amuse himself by testing us."

“It is not impossible,” Colonel Peng agrees, crossing his arms and glaring at him. “It would even be preferable. I do not care for these sorts of games. War is already unpleasant enough as it is.”

“I assure you, Colonel Peng, that you and I agree on that matter,” Liu Jin says. “My word might not be enough, but it is all I have to offer. I had nothing to do with the attacks.”

“Are you aware I could have you interrogated?” Colonel Peng asks him. He is sitting, yet the force of his aura is such that he looms over him. “Regardless of your status, you are in my fortress and under my command.”

Liu Jin meets his eyes. “I am aware, and if that is your wish, I will submit myself to interrogation for the sake of gaining your trust.”

Colonel Peng holds his gaze for a full minute.

“No, there will be no need for that,” he says, grunting. “I already have too many problems on my hands without picking a fight with the Eternal Flame Clan. We burned through quite a lot of medical supplies during the attacks. Some we used, and others were damaged during the battles.”

Liu Jin frowns. That is not good.

“Exactly,” the commander says, noticing his expression. “Our ability to fight is limited like this. It will take at least a week for new supplies to arrive.”

That is not too bad, Liu Jin muses. They will just need to hold on for a little over a week. It will be difficult but doable.

However, no supplies would arrive no matter how long they waited.

~~~