Chapter 19
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Chapter 19: The Second Qiao Mu
“Kill!”
“Charge!”
After Qiao Mu fell in battle, Military Officer Chu no longer hesitated and commanded the nine hundred soldiers in reserve to join the fray.
These nine hundred soldiers were unaware of the animosity between Military Officer Chu and Qiao Mu. They simply followed their commander’s orders.
What they witnessed with their own eyes matched exactly what Qiao Mu’s men, including Old Huang, had seen.
A young soldier had stood his ground valiantly, charging alone against thousands of bandits, unleashing his internal strength in the fury of battle, fighting until his strength was spent and he succumbed.
Such acts of desperate courage were rarely witnessed by many of the soldiers in their lifetime.
The silhouette of that young soldier standing atop a mountain of corpses would forever remain etched in their hearts.
Such a scene, with such a fearless comrade, stirred their spirits to action.
“Was that fierce warrior who fought to the death the newly promoted centurion Qiao Mu?”
“Is he the one who dared challenge the lord openly in the street?”
“Could it be him? I once watched him practice martial arts when he first joined the military camp. I thought him ordinary, but it seems I misjudged him.”
“This young man showed true valor. We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain!”
When Military Officer Chu gave the order to attack, the soldiers’ fighting spirit ignited instantly.
The official forces already held the advantage in strength, and now, with their heightened morale, they swiftly routed the bandits, sending them fleeing in disarray.
The battle was decided.
Military Officer Chu surveyed the hundreds of bodies strewn across the valley, his gaze briefly passing over Qiao Mu’s corpse.
“This man was a bold troublemaker in life, daring even to challenge the city lord. Yet in death, he awakened the fighting spirit of our forces and died gloriously.”
Military Officer Chu felt satisfied.
“Let us return to Yan City,” he commanded.
“Return to Yan City? These bandits have merely scattered, not been eliminated. We haven’t even located their hideout,” a centurion questioned doubtfully.
“Who is the military officer here—you or I?” Military Officer Chu responded irritably.
He despised when subordinates questioned his orders.
The mountain bandits at Mount Dong had proved far stronger than Military Officer Chu had anticipated.
Initially, he had estimated only two or three hundred bandits, hence bringing a thousand men from the city to eliminate them.
Who could have known there were nearly a thousand bandits, far exceeding their intelligence reports?
In such an even match of forces, even with superior training, casualties were inevitable.
Moreover, one thing particularly troubled Military Officer Chu: they had yet to discover the bandits’ hideout or encounter the so-called Bandit King Wang Songhe!
Besides, he had accomplished his primary objective.
The true purpose of this operation had been to eliminate Qiao Mu as per the lord’s instructions; dealing with the bandits was secondary.
“The bandits are numerous, and we cannot risk advancing further. What if an ambush awaits?” Military Officer Chu said quietly.
“We shall return to Yan City for now and dispatch more troops later. Capturing this bandit Wang Songhe will be straightforward enough—there’s no need to rush,” he added.
His words cast the centurions into silence.
The military officer’s reasoning seemed sound… but why hadn’t they acted more decisively earlier?
Now that they finally understood the risk of bandit ambushes, they shouldn’t take unnecessary risks?
It seemed a waste of young centurion Qiao Mu’s sacrifice, fighting until he was the last one standing…
As Military Officer Chu prepared to lead the troops back to the city, Old Huang and the other soldiers, including the monk warriors, slowly approached Qiao Mu’s body, standing silent for a long moment.
They spontaneously wrapped his body in banners and together lifted the mangled corpse to carry it back.
They couldn’t charge to their deaths alongside Qiao Mu earlier…
Now, they could at least recover his body and return it to Yan City.
This was the final service they could render…
……
Atop the mountain ridge flanking the valley’s left side.
Qiao Mu, who had resurrected once again, emerged from the shadows.
He rolled his neck from side to side, adjusting to this new body.
He appeared even more powerful than before, having grown several centimeters taller. His features looked more mature, with a light stubble covering his chin.
“What age am I now?”
As Qiao Mu’s thoughts stirred, the image of the Ouroboros Long Life Lock materialized in his mind once more.
After experiencing death, the Lock’s radiance had dimmed, returning to its usual subdued state.
Death Assessment for this instance: B (a young hero with noble character, valuing honor above life and death).
Lifespan consumed by death: 8 years.
Remaining resurrection chances this week: 4/5.
Current age: 28 years old.
Skills: Long Life Fist (proficient), Military Spear Skill (mastered), Iron Crotch Skill (proficient)
Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method (proficient)
In his mind, memories of the past began to surface, and Qiao Mu finally recalled the events of the previous eight years.
Eight years!
For eight full years, Qiao Mu had devoted himself wholly to martial arts practice each day.
Eight years of ceaseless dedication, without rest or respite!
During these eight years, the thread of internal strength Qiao Mu had just developed grew steadily more powerful with the passage of time.
Step by step, becoming stronger gradually.
Not only had Qiao Mu enhanced his internal strength, but throughout these eight years, he had also continuously refined his martial arts mastery.
As eight years passed, drops of water accumulated to form rivers.
The Military Spear Skill, which he had only begun learning eight years ago, had now reached mastery.
The Iron Crotch Skill, which Qiao Mu hadn’t formally studied before, became proficient through his relentless effort.
Remarkably, Qiao Mu had become quite adept at the self-destructive Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method.
Now, Qiao Mu sensed that the internal strength in his dantian had grown several times more powerful compared to when he first awakened it eight years prior.
“Such diligence!” Qiao Mu exclaimed.
“For eight years, I have practiced the Long Life Fist, spear techniques, the Iron Crotch Skill, and even the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method without cease. I have truly mastered the art of time management! This surpasses mere eight-year progress in skills!”
Qiao Mu noticed something peculiar.
When he had died at Butcher Zheng’s hands, it was rated a Class C Death Assessment, which had accelerated Qiao Mu’s martial arts progress by three years.
This time, the death warranted a B-level Assessment, but it brought more than simple skill advancement over eight years.
“Is this the additional reward that higher-quality death brings?”
“Though it was also eight years, my time efficiency was far greater during this period. Not only did my internal strength increase as if I had trained diligently for eight years, but I also mastered multiple martial arts.”
If a C-level death represents 100% time efficiency—meaning sacrificing sleep and rest, practicing tirelessly day and night, achieving a level of dedication possible only in dreams.
Then Qiao Mu’s B-level death this time must have reached roughly 150% time management efficiency, surpassing even what one could achieve in dreams.
“If I can learn a few more advanced skills and body techniques, I can rapidly master various martial arts using the efficient time management granted by high-quality death,” Qiao Mu contemplated.
