Chapter 031: Swine and Dogs, the Traitor, [Blood Refinement: Blood Fiend Technique]

In the dense forest, the sky seemed to have been torn asunder, with torrential rain pouring down. According to the original plan, the sound of a whistle-arrow anywhere would signal that the barbarians had been tracked, and the soldiers lurking in the vicinity would swarm like starving wolves, surrounding and annihilating these savage intruders.

However, to everyone’s surprise, the whistle-arrows sounded in rapid succession, firing five or six times within just a few breaths. The men were struck with alarm—could there be such a vast number of barbarians? For a moment, they were at a loss, unsure in which direction to give chase.

"Do not panic!" Old Zhou, though aged, was a man of vast experience. He made an immediate decision and shouted to Xia He beside him, "Xiao He, quick! Go down the mountain to the garrison at once. Summon all the soldiers currently resting and report the emergency here to the Thousand-Household Commander without fail!"

Without hesitation, he pressed his longbow and the remaining whistle-arrows into Xia He’s hands, adding sternly, "If you encounter any trouble on the way, remember to fire a whistle-arrow to signal for help immediately!"

Recognizing the gravity of the situation and the need for haste, Xia He nodded firmly. Without another word, he and Wang Erpang turned and sprinted down the mountain at top speed, splashing through the mud and rain.

"Brother He, the barbarian army isn't going to storm us, are they?" Wang Erpang stammered, shivering as the rain pelted him.

"No," Xia He replied. "The barbarians are warlike; if they had a full army, why would they leave only those few corpses for us to find? Wait, someone is ahead!"

Mid-sprint, they heard a faint sound nearby. The two exchanged a look, slowed their pace in silent understanding, and crept cautiously toward the noise. Beneath a massive tree in the distance, a heavily wounded barbarian, covered in blood, sat slumped against the trunk, clutching his chest. His face was twisted in a ferocious, menacing scowl, and despite his severe injuries, his eyes remained vicious.

Standing opposite him was a figure wrapped in a straw raincoat against the rain. Pointing at him, the figure whispered a rebuke: "You have already found what you were looking for—why must you go and massacre the village and invite more trouble?!"

The barbarian snarled, "Are you teaching me how to do my job? Those pigs and dogs... killing them was nothing!"

"You!" The slight figure seemed to tremble with rage. The barbarian was bloodthirsty, but she had not expected him to be so reckless regarding the bigger picture. "Give the item to me; you cannot hide it on your person!"

"Give it to you? Who do you think you are?"

The figure could no longer contain her fury and leaned forward.

"It’s her!" Through the raindrops trailing down his brow, Xia He saw clearly. The face beneath the straw raincoat belonged to a woman—the very same courtesan recently taken in by Old Zhou’s son! Was she a spy for the Southern Barbarians?

"If you ruin the Great Khan’s plans, neither of us can bear the consequences. Do you want to be wiped out?!"

At these words, a moment of hesitation flickered across the barbarian’s face. A moment later, he shifted his weight, revealing a patch of earth beneath him that was clearly darker than the surrounding soil. "Come and take it yourself!"

Just as the woman stepped forward, a sharp blast cut through the rain. A javelin tore through the downpour.

"Who’s there!" The barbarian, sensitive to danger, sensed it first and swung his blade in a panic!

But Xia He had thrown that javelin with every ounce of his strength and fury. The barbarian, already severely wounded, took the blow blindly; with a metallic clash, his web of skin between thumb and forefinger tore open, and his hand bones shattered with a sickening crunch!

"What! Skin-Refining stage?" The barbarian’s eyes widened in shock. He realized a javelin had been thrown—someone was ambushing them! Yet, judging by the force of the strike, the attacker had not yet reached the Blood-Refining stage. Having traveled deep into Qin territory and having just killed two Blood-Refining warriors, he had never expected to be humbled by a mere youth who hadn't even mastered his own blood and energy. Even in his wounded state, he was consumed by rage.

*Whiz!* A whistle-arrow suddenly pierced the sky, emitting a shrill, explosive sound. At the same time, without a second thought, Xia He leaped into the air, using his momentum to hurl another javelin!

"You court death!" The barbarian, face flushed crimson with rage, stood up and forced his body to the side. The javelin tore a massive chunk of flesh from his shoulder, but he lunged forward, hugging the ground! In the blink of an eye, Xia He felt a rush of wind—the barbarian was already upon him!

"Such speed!" *He must be a Blood-Refining warrior!*

"You damn Great Qin swine!" the barbarian roared. "You enjoy ambushing me, don't you?! Come on!"

Xia He caught the scent of blood and let out a roar of his own. The barbarian’s arm bones were cracked and his chest had a gaping hole, yet he lunged like a starving wolf. His bizarre curved blade, held in his hand, flashed with vicious intent: "Come on, strike here!"

Xia He was stunned. This was the first time he had seen a living barbarian. He had heard rumors of their ferocity and brutality, but he had never imagined that someone so grievously wounded could still be this savage. The sheer, overwhelming aura of blood and violence was enough to make any normal person instinctively recoil.

"Brother He, run!" At the critical moment, Wang Erpang charged from the side, slamming into the barbarian and pinning him down before throwing him aside.

The barbarian rolled to the ground, his face twisted in madness. His blade fell away, but he delivered a vicious headbutt that knocked Wang Erpang unconscious. Wang Erpang had not yet reached the Skin-Refining stage; that single blow was likely enough to cause a concussion!

Xia He’s eyes turned bloodshot. That momentary hesitation had nearly cost them everything! He shifted from retreat to offense, lunging forward as his fist rose high.

*Smash him!*

"Bull-Strength Strike!"

His fist, imbued with the strength of two bulls, rained down upon the barbarian’s skull like a downpour. Brain matter seemed to splatter, but he did not stop for a single second. Two, three, four strikes... he hammered the barbarian’s twisted, disbelieving face and skull deep into the mud.

Drenched in sweat, Xia He saw the barbarian’s corpse finally loosen its grip on Wang Erpang, and he rushed to check on his friend. "Erpang, hold on!"

A piece of sheepskin parchment slid from the barbarian’s chest. Xia He picked it up and saw the title: *[Blood-Refining: Blood-Fiend Technique]*.

"A barbarian martial art?" He had no time to examine it further and tucked it into his tunic.

The woman in the straw raincoat had vanished from the spot where the barbarian had been standing. Xia He hurried over, used his long knife to dig up the soil, and found what had been buried in the pit.

It was a piece of blood-salt wrapped in cloth, the size of a fist, glowing with a deep, blood-red hue streaked with golden threads!

"So much!" Xia He was stunned. A single grain of blood-salt was worth twenty taels of silver. This fist-sized piece contained hundreds, perhaps thousands of grains! And the color, as deep as blood, was far beyond the ordinary—not to mention those golden threads!