Commanding Wind and Cloud

"Your...your warrior power..."

"You mean why your low-temperature warrior power has no effects on me?" Qian Jin looked at his rival while smiling. "It might work for me should its temperature cool down one hundred times."

Cold type warrior power? Qian Jin felt like burst out in laughter. How could this temperature be compared with that in Four Season Valley? Let alone to rival the Ice-fire Potion made by Mrs. Eulalia.

"General Qiling, he is the very murderer of Captain John..."

"Yes, he is! General Qiling, please get revenge for Captain John..."

"Young man, tell me your name. Do you know what crime you have committed assaulting the city guarding soldiers?" Qiling stood straight, looking just as tall, strong and heartless as the Yeti monster residing in the snowy mountain.

"Qian Jin, a warrior from the Torrent Battle Fort, is now studying in Punitive Expedition Academy." Qian Jin pierced the spear into the ground and said silently. "I didn’t aim to kill anybody and he wasn’t murdered by me. Just now Captain John wanted to inspect me. Not knowing what had happened, I obeyed the law to have him check on me. When my partner told him about her identity and showed her identification card, this Captain started molesting my partner, so I tried to stop him. He took out his spear to chop my arms. When I was about to let him go, he ordered two crossbowmen to shoot me, thus I had to cast him off for self-defense."

"Who? Where are the demons?" Marc Gavin’s roar rang not far from on the street. "Get out of my way! I will chop down those demon scouts!"

Hearing the growl of Marc Gavin, Qiling changed his face. What a quick rain this president of the Torrent Battle Front was. Well, things had become troublesome now. If this barbarian knew that this bloke was called Qian Jin...wait. Qian Jin?

Suddenly Qiling shrunk his muscles and tapped hard on his head. "Is he the so-called Qian Jin as referred by the mayor? Last night the mayor made a special conversation with me, telling me that as long as this boy didn’t take any intentions of treason, I should turn a blind eye to everything he might do." Qiling thought to himself.

I got it. It was said that Qian Jin punched the Concubine’s henchman regardless of their backgrounds and it seemed that this retinue of the Concubine was trying to threaten Qian Jin with his backing.

"Dumbass." Qiling spit on John’s face. Why must you irritate Qian Jin? He was the one dauntless enough to counterattack the Concubine with justified reasons. How could you rival him when you were don’t even have justice on your side?

"I am the Number Three General of the City Guard, Qiling. I don’t think you’ve told any lies regarding the situation." Qiling looked around at the surrounding common folks. "I don’t think you would do such a stupid thing as to lie in the face of so many. So in this way, John’s death shall have nothing to do with you."

The one dozen soldiers standing around looked at Qiling blankly, wondering whether there was something wrong with their ears. This Bloodline Warrior General used to have a cranky temper. Why did he treat Qian Jin so nice today?

Looking at the soldiers standing by him, Qiling couldn’t help cursing them as dumbasses. The stupid John did that to please the Concubine, and you?

"However, you have after all killed the captain of the city guarding soldiers on the street." Qiling took a deep breath. "When available, please drop in at our city guard camp for a detailed record so that we could submit our report to the superior. The death of a military officer is by no means a trivial thing. So I hope you can show some considerations for us."

Qian Jin looked at Qiling in astonishment. Why did this ferocious-looking general who intended to kill him change his attitude to become so amiable? Well, it all happened after hearing that he was Qian Jin.

"Sure. Please rest reassured General Qiling. I’ll go to your camp to make everything straight after school today." Qian Jin nodded his head softly.

"That will be good." Qiling pondered a while and said, "I hope the death of the Captain won’t bother you too much. The soldiers of the City Guard don’t stand on the opposite side of the common people, instead, it is our responsibility to safeguard the Yulee City. Last night, a heavy number of casualties befell the Ray Family, upon which we believed it to be done by the scouts of the Demon Empire. That’s why we are conducting this close inspection right now."

The Ray Family? A lot of people were killed? Qian Jin raised his chin slightly and nodded slowly with a little surprise. Uncle Marc Gavin was really a man of efficiency to have procured some assassins to attack the Ray Family overnight.

While to Qiling, Qian Jin’s surprised look given rise by Marc Gavin’s high efficiency constituted another interpretation. He used to think that Qian Jin came back to Yulee to attack the Ray Family for revenge. But now it seemed that he was wrong since the news of the Ray Family’s injuries was shocking to him.

"Where are the demons? Where?"

Marc Gavin pushed aside the people standing in his way, strode into the circle and looked at Qian Jin. "Aha? Why are you here boy? What? Was a warrior killed? Is this done by the demons?"

"It’s a mistake. A mistake." Seeing the two axes held in Marc Gavin’s palms, Qiling put on a worried face and then explained in a docile way, "President Gavin, it’s just a mistake."

Marc Gavin glanced around with his wide opened eyes, just to find that Qian Jin was targeted by millions of sabers and crossbows. Immediately he understood everything and conjectured that the death was nine out of ten times one of Qian Jin’s "masterpieces".

"A mistake? What jokes are you telling?" Marc Gavin changed his face sharply, looking simmered with anger. Then he growled in a much more ferocious way than just now when hearing the coming of the demons. "WTF! I was at the crucial point of ascending to the saint level. But on hearing that the demons had intervened, I was shocked into failure in reaching the saint level. I should have succeeded!"

All soldiers looked at Marc Gavin blankly, including Qiling, who was making an apology on the surface but cursing secretly. Reach the saint level? WTF are you talking about? Who do you think you are? Are you Fabreidis? Do you think of it as an easy task for ordinary warriors to reach the saint level? How could you brag like that, despite the fact you are a master of warrior soul?

"Why? You look doubtful about what I have said." Marc Gavin patted Qiling on the shoulder. "Go. Let’s go to see the mayor York for justice."

Qiling kept stepping back. What a joke it would be to see the mayor face to face. Last night he just warned us not to get on the wrong side of Qian Jin and you. Visit him now? Wouldn’t the mayor be partial to you, by which time I would be "rewarded" with a heavy punch? Am I insane?

"You won’t go with me? Then you have admitted that I failed to reach the saint level all because of you. How will you compensate for my loss?" Marc Gavin walked toward Qian Jin poignantly. "Boy, I feel very low today. Go for a walk with me on the outskirts of the city."

Marc Gavin jumped onto Qian Jin’s carriage, triggering a heavy groan on the axle. Under the bemused gaze of the crowd, the two slowly rode toward the outskirt of the city.

"You people. Remember." Marc Gavin turned back, and growled at the blank-looking city guarding soldiers, "See me at the Torrent Battle Fort once you decide on the compensation method."

"Uncle...my blade...my blade..." Qian Jin pointed to the wasted chimney behind their back, "my blade..."

"Blade?" Marc Gavin seized the whistle hanged around his chest and blew on it to have Qian Jin settle down reassured. The language of whistle constituted a comprehensive set of code words, and the performance of Marc Gavin just now was enough to have the warriors of the Torrent Battle Fort fetch back Qian Jin’s blade.

For the moment being, no one in the Yulee City would join in a confrontation Marc Gavin for the sake of a sword. Well, if they knew the value of that Zhanmadao... things would turn totally different.

"Boy, how was my performance just now?" Seeing the puzzled look of Qian Jin, Marc Gavin chuckled. "Didn’t you see through my drama of having a cow just now? Weren’t you the one who killed the captain of the City Guard? I knew it immediately as I saw the corpse on the ground. In fact, the treatment of his death could either be grave or light. Luckily, I feigned rage and borrowed the excuse of practicing reaching the saint level to hold them back. In this way, the mayor won’t have any ground to punish you even if he knows that you were the one that killed the captain."

"To reach the saint level..." A proud smile blazed on Marc Gavin’s ugly face. "By that time, should anyone complain about you to the mayor, he could quash the claim in saying that Marc Gavin’s attempt of reaching the saint level was hampered and that if I punished Qian Jin, I would be wronging Marc Gavin. By that time, could anybody suffer the grave aftermath of impeding me reaching the saint level? In the eye of the warriors, the lives of one hundred ordinary warriors aren’t as valuable as that of a saint-leveled one."

By having the cow, Marc Gavin made the guarding warriors gutless and unable to saying anything in their defense, thus completely quenching their imperious manner. Then he left away riding the carriage, leaving all responsibilities on the soldiers’ side.

Looking into this uncultivated and crude looking president, Qian Jin felt a deep sense of admiration, as he was capable of coming up with such an artful scheme within such a short time. He did live up to his status of being the president of the Torrent Battle Fort.

"What an insightful lesson I have been given." Qian Jin nodded his head lightly, yet the confusion was written in his eyes didn’t disappear. The change of General Qiling’s attitude toward him still filled him with doubt.

"Boy, you’d better take the carriage with the symbol of Torrent Battle Fort from now on." Marc Gavin jumped off the carriage as they arrived at the Punitive Expedition Academy, patted Qian Jin on the shoulder, and said in a contemplative way, "You didn’t behave wrongly today in Yulee. Remember that you have to wear a formidable manner. If you show timidity, the other people will just get further intensified in bullying you. Each and every leader of Yulee City got their status by having their hands filled with blood."

"Remember that if you cannot conquer humans, how could you be able to threaten and smash the despicable demons?" Marc Gavin punched lightly at Qian Jin’s chest. "Boy, you must stay unyielding. Should the stars fall down, I can hold up the sky for you with my aging body on a temporary basis. But if you yourself are not formidable enough, how could I have you take over the Torrent Battle Fort?"

Qian Jin lifted his hand and kneaded his chest where Marc Gavin’s punch hit upon, amid the surprised look and the curious chatting of the crowd.

"Look there! It’s Marc Gavin!"

"Yeah, the president of the Torrent Battle Fort!"

"He is seeing off someone in person. So enviable!"

Hearing the gossip of the crowd, Marc Gavin put on a lightly proud smile and grimaced at Qian Jin. "Boy, won’t it be a good choice to assume the president’s post of our Torrent Battle Fort?"

"Sure it is." Qian Jin nodded his head. Then he heard someone saying from afar, "Is it Marc Gavin over there? Wow, he is so ugly."

"Yeah, he is more than ugly. Was it not for his identity of being the leader of the Torrent Battle Fort, I would say that he is a demon."

"I have the same feeling as you. Hush, control your voice as he seems to have heard us talking. See? He is looking into our direction. Lower your head to stop being noticed by him..."

Noticing the flushed face of Marc Gavin, Qian Jin couldn’t help shaking his head and sighing. Well, this uncle...

"Alright, I have to leave now." Marc Gavin released another punch on Qian Jin’s chest and pointed to the gate of the Punitive Expedition Academy behind them. "Now, walk into it. Conquer all those bloodline and non-bloodline warriors and tell them a man needs to be staunch. Keeping a low profile isn’t the warriors’ way"

The apprentices walking to and fro started looking Qian Jin up and down and wondered where he came from. Why did the president of the Torrent Battle Fort place so much confidence in him? How could he be sure that Qian Jin could quench all those bloodline warriors?

Qian Jin nodded lightly and turned back to observe the academy which had cultivated a large number of meritorious warriors on the battlefield. Then he took a deep breath, wielded his fist in the air and made a blow.

"I want to try my luck on the Hundred Battle Ranking List." Qian Jin strode toward the gate of the academy while recalling Marc Gavin’s words that a man was meant to be formidable and the low profile wasn’t the style of warriors.

Previously in the Oakland Mage and Warrior Academy, no major differences lied between the top ten winners in the academy’s list, thus there was no need to struggle too hard. But now in Punitive, the differences in resources among different ranking holders in Hundred Battle Ranking List were way too sharp. To acquire the first place of the Hundred Battle Ranking List was conducive not only to expanding popularity but also recruiting retinue.

"In this way, I have to..." Qian Jin shrugged his shoulder, trying to feel the murderous intent permeated in the air, "take the heat."

"Heat?"

Tence Matten emerged from the trees along the path, waving a folding fan of which one side was total blank leisurely and elegantly. The two strands of hair his on ear sides were fluttering to the melodic rhythm of his fan, showing a heavy touch of easiness.

"Classmate Jin, I’m afraid you have to take the heat today." Tence Matten looked at Qian Jin smilingly. "What you did last night has been made public to all holders of the Hundred Battle Ranking List."

The apprentices walking on the road stopped and began looking Qian Jin up and down in a strange way.

"Is he Qian Jin?"

"I heard that he defeated Wei Buhuan, the bearer of the 40th place of Hundred Battle Ranking List at last night’s ball."

"I have also heard of that. So that is to say, he now ranks 40th in the Hundred Battle Ranking List?"

Translator’s Thoughts

Udong Udong

10/10