Breaking Limits in Martial Arts: Grinding Your Way to Becoming a Martial Saint in a Chaotic Era

When Xu Qing rushed out of the dense forest, he looked extremely disheveled.

He was covered in blood, his hair was disheveled, his eyes were unfocused, and he staggered as if he might fall at any moment.

He stumbled into the camp, collapsed in front of everyone, then struggled to his feet, his voice hoarse: "Captain Qi is surrounded... in the dense forest to the south... bandits are lying in ambush... quick... quick, go save him—"

The sound was intermittent, as if the last bit of strength had been used up.

After saying this, his body swayed as if he was about to faint, but he managed to stay upright.

He lay on the ground, trembling all over, looking as if he had "desperately escaped to seek help," it couldn't be more real.

Commander Du waved his hand, and soldiers rushed forward to help Xu Qing up, while others came over to hand him water.

Xu Qing took the water bag and drank two mouthfuls, choking and coughing.

Captain Du turned to look at Lin Mu.

Lin Mu stood there, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

He recognized the person rushing towards him.

This person was actually Xu Qing!

Is Xu Qing still alive?

His fingers unconsciously gripped the sword hilt, and countless thoughts surged through his mind.

Where are Lin Cang and the others? Didn't they ambush them at the entrance to the dense forest? Or did they simply not encounter them?

Or perhaps... we encountered them, but failed to kill them?

impossible!

Under the pretext of sending patrols, he arranged for them to intercept Xu Qing in that direction. There was only one road through the dense forest leading back to the main camp, and Xu Qing couldn't possibly bypass them. Lin Cang dared not disobey his orders; his loyalty was as unyielding as iron.

Unless... Lin Cang is dead!

The thought was like a bucket of ice water poured over Lin Mu's head and down to his feet, making him shiver.

But he immediately denied it.

impossible.

Xu Qing was only at the Ming Jin level, while Lin Cang was almost at the threshold of mastering An Jin. He also had five Ming Jin experts with him; killing Xu Qing would be easier than killing a chicken. Xu Qing was no match for Lin Cang and his group.

So what exactly happened?

His mind was a complete mess; he couldn't understand. But Captain Du had already mustered the soldiers and was watching him, waiting for his orders.

Lin Mu gritted his teeth and could only speak, his voice dry and hoarse like sandpaper grinding against stone: "Everyone, head south into the dense forest immediately! Kill the bandits and rescue the people!"

With the officers from the Commandant's Office present, he couldn't possibly stand by and watch someone die in front of them.

Even though this trap was set up by his Lin family, and even though he wished he could chop Officer Qi and Xu Qing into mincemeat with his own hands, he could only pretend to be worried, draw his sword, and lead his men to charge into the dense forest to the south.

As darkness fell, the soldiers lit torches.

The group moved swiftly through the dense forest, the firelight leaping among the trees, casting long and short shadows on each person.

Lin Mu followed in the middle, his mind in turmoil.

The group rushed into the dense forest.

The torchlight shone on the ground, illuminating the corpses lying scattered everywhere.

Lin Cang's body leaned against a tree, his head rolled to one side, the blood drained and congealed into a dark brown lump. His five private soldiers were scattered around, none of them alive.

The third bandit leader lay nearby, eyes wide open, dead with his life hanging in the balance. His men, including the third leader's, were all dead too; not a single one remained.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, mixed with the damp, rotting smell of the dense forest, making one want to vomit.

Captain Du stopped, his gaze sweeping over the corpse on the ground, his brow furrowed. He looked at Xu Qing: "What happened here?"

Xu Qing was being supported by someone; her face was pale and her lips were still trembling.

He shook his head, his voice weak: "I...don't know...Captain Qi told me to run...I only cared about running...There were bandits chasing me...When I got here, I met Lord Lin's personal guards...They told me to hurry to the main camp to report, and they stayed behind to cover our retreat...After that, I don't know anything..."

He spoke haltingly, catching his breath after every few words. His lingering fear and trembling with shock were perfectly convincing.

After listening, Captain Du remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Mu, his tone tinged with regret: "Sir, the men you sent out to patrol... they must have perished along with the river bandits. The terrain in the dense forest is complex; when two sides collide, anything can happen in the chaos of battle."

He paused, then sighed, "What a pity, if only we had arrived sooner."

Lin Mu stood to the side, his lips twitching, almost unable to hold back.

He knew, of course, that was impossible.

Lin Cang was his man, and the third leader of the bandits was also his man. How could his men kill each other? But he couldn't refute it. What Captain Du said made perfect sense.

When the bandits and government troops clashed in the dense forest, anything could happen in the ensuing chaos. He couldn't very well say to Captain Du, "Lin Cang is my man, and the Third Leader is also my man; they won't fight each other."

He's going to suffer this injustice in silence.

Lin Mu took a deep breath, swallowed back the anger that was rising within him, and forced out a sentence: "Keep moving forward, saving lives is the priority."

The team continued to advance deeper into the dense forest.

The shouts of battle grew closer.

The sounds of clashing swords, screams, and angry shouts exploded through the forest like boiling water sizzling in a pot.

Soldiers and yamen runners are no match for river bandits. River bandits rely on their numbers and ferocity, but their individual strength is far inferior to that of well-trained soldiers and yamen runners.

If Lin Cang and the Third Master's gang had returned, Officer Qi and his men might have lost their lives, but they didn't.

When Captain Du led his men into the battlefield, they saw Constable Qi covered in blood, severing Lei Lie's arm with a single stroke.

The spear flew off along with the arm, spun twice in the air, and landed on the ground with a "thud." Lei Lie screamed in agony, clutching his severed arm and staggering backward, blood gushing from the wound and splattering all over Qi the constable's face.

Officer Qi's face was covered in blood, obscuring his expression, but his eyes were as bright as knives. He gave Lei Lie no chance to escape, stabbing him through the chest with a knife, the tip emerging from his back, bringing with it a cloud of blood.

Lei Lie froze, staring wide-eyed at Constable Qi. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a sound before collapsing to the ground.

Constable Qi withdrew his sword and retreated, panting heavily. He had no fewer than ten wounds on his body, the deepest of which was on his left shoulder, where the flesh was torn open and the white bone was faintly visible.

The ground was littered with the corpses of bandits, soldiers, and yamen runners.

More than half of the dozen or so constables and soldiers under Qi's command were killed or wounded, and those who survived were all injured.

Commander Du waved his hand, and the soldiers swarmed forward. The bandits immediately retreated in disarray, the sounds of clashing swords and spears grew sparser, and the screams faded into the distance.

Seeing the situation was dire, the leader of Jiaolong Village kicked aside a soldier in front of him and turned to run. Several trusted bandits followed him, and they plunged into the depths of the dense forest, rushing towards the river.

Captain Du led his men in pursuit for a while, but failed to catch up. After all, this was the bandits' lair, and they knew it much better than the government troops. The bandits moved through the dense forest with ease.

When Captain Du led his men to the riverbank, they could only vaguely see the shadow of a small boat.

"Damn it!" Captain Du cursed, sheathing his sword. "They're lucky to be alive."

"Let's go!" Captain Du waved his hand, and the soldiers turned back into the dense forest.

He didn't intend to send anyone to chase after it, nor could he. The small boat had already disappeared into the night.