Chapter 1
Ashes Rise
The wood door frame opened with a screech as the wooden hinges rubbed. Small wisps of light came from torches inside the cabin. This was the current manor within Jiang Hao’s courtyard. Without many materials, the entire structure was made from wood and thatch for now.
Creaks came out from the cut wood flooring with a small squish noise as leather sandals pressed down. A smile hung on his face as he planted his coat on a rack nearby and changed into a clean pair of sandals. Without making too much noise he walked down the right manor corridor and made his way to the master bedroom. Making sure not to disturb the people inside, Jiang Hao slowly opened the door. Like a sneaky thief, he slowly stuck his head threw the small gaps of the door.
*Bang*
Looking down at the pair of leather sandals that nearly hit his head, Jiang Hao laughed lightly before looking up at the panicking woman.
Within the center of the room on a wool coat bed sat a woman with long brown hair. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but her expression with a mixture of fear and surprise seemed especially cute to him.
“Haha,” he opened the door with a quiet laugh, careful to not disturb the baby sleeping in the bosom of the woman.
Seeing Jiang Hao with particularly messy black hair that nearly covered his eyes the woman let out a sigh of relief, before showing a face of panic. Seeing the woman now scared for a different reason Jiang Hao waved his hand quickly to reassure her.
“Do not worry, I hold you at no blame.”
Getting closer to the bed he reached over to wipe the tears from her face; however, she flinched back a bit reflexively. He frowned but quickly stopped himself, but it was obvious that the woman noticed as she looked down.
“I know I may not be a kind man, but as the bearer of my son I promise that I will treasure you.”
With a light nod, the woman whispered “Yes”, obviously not believing his words.
Letting out a sigh Jiang Hao lay on the bed next to her.
“You are awake, Lian. You need sleep; you must be tired.” The woman, Shen Lian, quickly shook her head.
“I need to care for little Shentu.” She said softly, rubbing the boy's tiny head.
Gazing down at the little boy who was barely 3 months old, Jiang Hao couldn’t help but let out a smile. After two hard years, he finally fathered a child, and a son at that! With reluctance, he looked away from his son and closed his eyes. “Tomorrow, I am leaving for the battlefield.”
Nodding her head lightly Shen Lian responded, “Yes, I understand, I will take good care of Shentu, and make sure he grows up to be a strong leader.”
"Mhm, yes" Slightly annoyed at her cold attitude Jiang Hao relaxed and closed his eyes, but couldn't help but smile as he heard the kiss, presumably Lian kissing little Shentu. Letting go of his worries, Jiang Hao sank into the darkness under his eyes. He felt his boiling blood cool and slowly sank into a deep slumber.
...
The sun rose faster than it fell—almost too fast. Getting up in a groggy state, Jiang Hao rubbed his eyes. Looking at Shen Lian and Jiang Shentu sleeping, Jiang Hao smiled.
Last night wasn’t a quiet night, with Shentu waking up multiple times.
Shaking his head with a smile, he bent down and kissed the little boy on his forehead.
However, this was a mistake!
Jiang Hao, who was growing older with age, had long grown a mid-length beard. As he kissed the boy, his beard pricked the baby’s head, waking him. With a worried and rare expression of fear, he motioned a shushing gesture, trying to quiet the baby. Despite his best efforts, nothing worked, and soon, cries echoed through the room. Shen Lian’s eyes slowly opened, and with them came an annoyed side glance at him.
After a night of troubled sleep, Shen Lian was too tired to bother with her previous fear. Despite this, she quickly recovered, looked away, and rocked the baby in her bosom.
“Sh sh, my sweet boy,” Shen Lian whispered as she cradled Jiang Shentu in her arms. Swaying gently, she hummed a tune—a nursery rhyme born from desperate times.
“The sun sets, the cold wind calls,
A child sleeps, through kingdoms fall.
Ashes rise, and rivers turn red,
Yet a mother sings, and hope is fed.”
Her soft voice carried out through the room, carrying with it hidden meaning.
Jiang Hao listened in silence beside the two. He remembered his mother singing the same rhyme when he was just a small boy, and he let out a smile. But beneath the smile, he reflected on the long wars happening, and how many have died. Shen Lian who kept humming and rocking, looked towards Jiang Hao who was lost in thought.
Noticing her staring, he got up and left with a smile and a small head nod of thanks. Stepping out towards his coat rack Jiang Hao regulated the Blood Qi flowing through his Meridians. As a Martial Artist in the Blood Refinement Realm, he had the luxury of using his Blood Qi in such wasteful manners, as his blood would quickly accumulate new Blood Qi. Wrapping himself with his wolf skin coat Jiang Hao made his way outside. The cold wind of the wide morning valley hit him. Luckily, the coat acted like a shield, blocking the wind’s bite. Stepping out, he quickly closed the wooden door to prevent too much cold air from getting in. Looking forward, toward the expanse of his village—a place built from nothing but survival and ambition.
Hundreds of homes and tents stretched toward the river, where three makeshift bridges connected to vast farmland. Beyond that, the landscape faded into the wild forests and open plains. Despite living on the hill for the past three months, Jiang Hao was still not used to the sight.
“From a lowly farmer to this,” he muttered, nodding to himself.
With a content nod to himself, Jiang Hao glanced at his wrist before quickly following the compact dirt path down the hill. Along the way, he saw villagers hauling wood and tools up the hill, presumably gathering supplies for heating fires and torches. Despite the risks of fire, they had no choice. Without a quarry for stone or a proper artisan, they had to make do with wooden homes. The villagers lowered their heads respectfully as Jiang Hao passed.
It didn’t take long for him to reach the village entrance, where a younger man—likely in his mid-20s—stood waiting. Noticing Jiang Hao’s approach, the man immediately knelt and spoke with respect. “Master.” Jiang Hao acknowledged him with a nod.
“Everyone is ready, yes?” Jiang Hao didn’t wait for the young man’s response; he continued walking. The young man quickly followed. “Yes, everyone on the team is ready to set off.”
Glancing at the man; it had been nearly six years since he first arrived, carving his place as leader of the village. Liu Biao, the young man beside him, was once a refugee, like everyone else here. Despite many beatings, Liu Biao had always been the most rebellious of the bunch in Jiang Hao’s militia. But after two years of harsh grooming under Zhao Ren and Wei Qiang, he had become unwaveringly disciplined. He recalled the boy who once spat at his feet, unafraid of death. Now, he lowered his head in obedience. Strength had forged him into something useful.
Letting out a sigh. “I really have no talent in leadership, huh.” He shook his head. Then, he paused and looked down at his right hand. Clenching his fist, Jiang Hao could feel it—the true source of power in this world. Strength. That’s all that matters.
“Master, is there a problem?” Liu Bia who was walking behind him couldn’t help but look curiously at Jiang Hao who was standing there staring at his own fists.
Hearing this Jiang Hao didn’t bother responding, he just continued walking. With this thought, he made his way toward the village’s outskirts. Beyond the farms and past the rice fields, a small military encampment had formed—a cluster of six tents and a wooden command post. Beside the camp, a large open field stretched out, flattened for training purposes. Ahead, two men stood waiting, and behind them, thirty new recruits.
Jiang Hao’s gaze swept over them. “We have this much new blood?”
Liu Biao nodded. “With the expeditions being a success, we’ve recruited many refugees from the battlefield.”
Jiang Hao exhaled, his lips curling into a small smile. “Zhao Ren must be happy, then.”
Part 2 ”Bloodstained March”
The cold breeze blew against Jiang Hao bringing with it a pleasant smell of the river. Unfortunately, Jiang Hao didn’t have time to idly admire the view.
Glancing to his right, towards an older man boasting a powerful beard longer than Jiang Hao’s, “Mr. Zhao, you did well-preparing everything.”
Hearing this the man couldn’t help but smile and give a side glance to his rival Wei Qiang. “Haha, everything is going the way we envisioned Master Jiang. We have taken in many refugees from the Feng Cities battlefront.”
“Mhm, good,” Jiang Hao responded with a nod, before shifting his head towards the man to his left.
“Mr Wei, I hope you don’t mind me taking a riskier approach” Wei Qiang, similar to Zhao Ren was older in age, you could see the wisdom in his eyes from his years of experience, however in stark contrast to Zhao Ren, Wei Qiang was clean-shaven.
Letting out a small sigh Wei Qiang spoke, “I dearly hope everything goes as Master Jiang sees…” Wei Qiang paused in the middle of his talk causing Jiang Hao to stop and look over. The strong man was standing there gripping a doll-like wood carving, the doll was a symbol representing the goddess of well-being.
Placing his hand on Wei Qiang’s shoulders “You need not worry” Jiang Hao consoled.
Shaking his head Wei Qiang squeezed the doll, “This war has taken many lives, this is why we are all here…”
Letting out a sigh Jiang Hao let go of the man and walked away with the no longer smiling Zhao Ren. “Very well but take care of the village while I am gone.”
“Yes, this is my duty.”
Jiang Hao with Zhao Ren and a group of 30 others from the militia left the training grounds heading towards the plains. Passing the forest Jiang Hao couldn’t help but think about the upcoming expedition. The war had escalated further, and the nearby Feng City was going to fall soon. With the enemy’s army encircling the city, the Feng family had no choice but to give up their territory. With the Feng family having fled the city, the people were left to fend for themselves, they obviously stood no chance. Fishing in muddy waters is dangerous but the profits…
That’s right, Jiang Hao and his group planned to use the fall of Feng City to steal wealth and people.
…
With his thoughts, a stir the night star which people called the moon peaked over the edge of the world. Looking at the moon Jiang Hao couldn’t help but wonder if the story of the gods and Immortals was true. “Am I cursed?” Jiang Hao whispered as he looked at a mark on his right arm. The mark was a dark red colored tattoo, shaped like a drop of blood with whisps of red circling it. The droplet started on his wrist, while the red whisps made their way stretching up his forearm but not reaching his upper arm.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Master, the tents are up.”
Disturbed from his internal thoughts, Jiang Hao nodded at the soldier and walked towards the center of the temporary camp where his tent was. The journey from the village would take a few days by foot, so they had to set up camps and rest. With the group of 30 warriors camp 15 ordinary people set up the camps with the warriors’ aid.
…
Standing in front of his tent was the large man, Zhao Ren. While not as powerful as Jiang Hao, Zhao Ren boasted a powerful strength in the 4th stage of the Blood Qi Acceptance Realm. Just a small step from the Blood Refinement Realm. As far as Jiang Hao knew, the Blood Refinement Realm was formidable but not invisible.
From Zhao Ren and Wei Qiang, Jiang Hao learned that on the battlefield the true powerhouses were Blood Forging Realm experts.
Blood Forging was two major realms above Jiang Hao’s.
Luckily though, Blood Forging Realm cultivators were usually generals or leaders of large armies.
Most warriors on the battlefield were in the Blood Qi Acceptance Realm, with a handful reaching Blood Qi Refinement.
Above that sat the Body Strengthening Realm, often commanders in the army and were rarely seen.
However, in the fall of Feng City, there will be strong experts present, and he needs to be careful.
…
After talking with Zhao Ren, and planning their goals for this trip, Jiang Hao went to his tent and slept.
2 days of travel later to Feng City, Jiang Hao’s group was intercepted a few times by escaping refugees.
Each time this happened the group would detain them and speak with them, looking for people that might be of some use. Unfortunately, they found no stone mason or such.
As the group walked the noise of crickets and the wind whistling down the hilly parts of the plains could be heard.
It was rather peaceful.
Jiang Hao looked across the furthest hill and saw the sun starting to set.
He squinted his eyes at the beautiful sight, both a blessing and curse of walking towards the west.
“We should reach the city by the next sunrise,” Jiang Hao thought to himself.
Stopping himself, Jiang Hao frowned as he used his Blood Qi to heighten his senses.
His ears caught the faintest vibrations in the dirt, small but steady vibrations.
*thump thump*
“Master Jiang, is there some issue?” Zhao Ren who was traveling along Jiang Hao in the center of the formation noticed his behavior change.
“Shh” Jiang Hao whispered while holding a finger to his lips.
“Listen”
Zhao Ren whose right eyebrow curved in confusion instantly straightened as he realized what Jiang Hao meant.
With a frown, Zhao Ren became quiet and motioned the warriors to stop.
“Do you hear it?” Jiang Hao questioned Zhao Ren who was also listening intently.
Zhao Ren didn’t answer right away, instead, he kept focusing intensely. Jiang Hao didn’t rush him and let him listen.
It didn’t take long before Zhao Ren’s frown deepened further.
“Yes, horse hooves”
“Do you know how many?” Jiang Hao questioned Zhao Ren. As a military captain in the past, Zhao Ren was rich in battlefield skills.
“At least a dozen… straight towards us.”
The air hung in silence with Zhao Ren’s words. The two men both understand what cavalry entails.
“It’s the enemy armies sentries, who would have thought they would use horses… how extravagant.” Jiang Hao spoke with a sigh,
While the unit coming might just be a team of scouts, a team of scouts riding horses made a big difference.
A Stage 1 Blood Qi Acceptance Realm martial artist could fight a Stage 4 Martial Artist with the aid of a horse. It was a truly powerful unit on the battlefield.
Luckily these were scouts, or else it would have been a death sentence.
Jiang Hao breathed in and out, calming down his nerves.
“The enemy has fewer numbers and we are likely stronger than scouts in terms of martial arts…”
Jiang Hao stopped speaking halfway and just looked at Zhao Ren for advice… frankly Jiang Hao had no idea what to do.
Zhao Ren looked around quickly and spoke quickly.
“Cut some grass and cover yourself with it, lay in the ground, and we will ambush those fuckers.”
….
“What you waiting for, to die?! Hurry up!!” Zhao Ren quickly got his firm stance together and ordered the warriors to hide and wait in ambush.
Jiang Hao was no different. He cut a section of grass with his sword and lay down under it, throwing the grass layer over him like a blanket.
With his sword laid slightly under him, Jiang Hao was ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
Soon enough everyone in the group was hidden, with small bumps and clusters of dirt poking out.
It was the best they could do at such short notice.
Jiang Hao pressed his chest against the cold earth, gripping his sword tightly. He tried his best to control his breathing to shallow breaths. But his heart pounded like a war drum in his ears. He tried to calm his breath as if the cavalry could hear it.
This would be the first time he fought cavalry.
Jiang Hao’s heart kept beating wildly as the sounds of horse hooves hitting the ground grew louder.
The vibrations slithered through the soil beneath him, creeping into his bones. The horses weren’t just running they were charging.
Jiang Hao swallowed hard. A horse in full gallop could crush a man’s ribs like brittle twigs. A rider’s blade swung from above and had twice the momentum of a foot soldier’s strike.
Would they notice the disturbance in the grass? The shallow, uneven mounds where his warriors lay hidden? Would they halt and inspect, or would they trample right over them, crushing bones beneath their cold hooves?
The sounds grew louder. The earth trembled.
It was like a monster howling in the air, its growls swelling, growing louder with its approach.
*THUMP THUMP*
Jiang Hao clenched his jaw as he felt the cold dirt jump on his back with each tremor. Loose grains spilled over his neck, the weightless sensation eerily contrasting the rising tension in his gut.
The ground was shaking now. The air tasted of iron and sweat.
A horse snorted so close, Jiang Hao could smell the damp musk of its hide.
They were right on top of them!
Part 3 “The Monster Awakens”
The thunderous rhythm of hooves began to lessen, the pounding slowing down to just a trot.
Did they see through their disguise? It was likely they did.
Jiang Hao’s heart was caught in his throat at this realization. He could barely make out their noise from the dirt that clogged his ears.
Jiang Hao’s fingers curled around his sword handle, squeezing the grip.
Then—
“DIE”
The sudden scream tore through the atmosphere like a blade through flesh.
Jiang Hao recognized the voice as a soldier in his militia. Which one, it didn’t matter anymore.
Without giving enough time for Jiang Hao to think another scream came out, deeper and rougher.
“Dammit all, fight bastards! FIGHT!!”
Zhao Ren.
Jiang Hao’s heart hitched. His body screamed MOVE, but his mind was stuck in the split second between instinct and hesitation.
A thousand thoughts ran through his mind at this moment, but this was no time to think!
The world erupted as Jiang Hao burst from the ground, dirt spilling off his back like a zombie coming to life. The cold night air hit his face.
His heart was raging, about to burst from his chest. No number of battle experiences could numb the fear Jiang Hao felt in his heart.
Circulating his Blood Qi, his muscles coiling. Time to fight or die!
“ARGH!”
The stomach-churning roar tore through the chaos, but it wasn’t his own.
With barely a moment to react Jiang Hao flung himself to the side.
The air behind him rippled with danger. The air rushed past him as the cavalry scout’s sword cut down.
His feat slid on the dirt as he changed positions. Now in front of him stood the cavalry scout who had just slashed his swords at him, and was rearing his horse to turn. The beast’s nostrils flaring and kicking up dust opened an opportunity.
Taking the opportunity Jiang Hao lunged forward slashing towards the man on top of the horse.
*Clang*
The sound of metal crashing against metal rang through the battlefield. The strikes clashed as the man blocked Jiang Hao’s strike with the back of his sword- but barely.
Jiang Hao narrowed his eyes as he realized the man was only in the 2nd stage of Qi Acceptance and his heart eased slightly.
His messy strike brought forth immense strength with it, able to nearly knock the man off his horse.
A clean follow-up strike would have killed the man instantly, but Jiang Hao didn’t take that opportunity,
Instead, he looked around at the numerous battles taking place around him.
Many of the militia warriors have charged out of their hiding spots, battling the scout cavalry.
Jiang Hao's brows frowned in anger.
A portion of the militia still lay in the dirt, their fear keeping them frozen.
Cowards.
“Bastards!” He screamed as he focused on the opponent in front of himself.
The man had already stabilized his stance and charged at Jiang Hao, but his movements were too slow. The horse didn’t have time to build up momentum.
With a basic side step and duck, Jiang Hao dodged the blade before countering with a stab towards the man’s abdomen.
The stab brought with it a burst of red blood, splattering Jiang Hao’s face red.
“Mhm, yes that’s the feeling,” The mark on Jiang Hao’s right wrist started to light up.
The dark red droplet turned crimson red, a perfect drop of Blood Qi.
As the tattoo turned bright red it heated up, increasing the flow of Blood Qi in Jiang Hao’s body.
“Haha, I feel invincible each time.”
With excitement, Jiang Hao charged toward the cavalryman who screamed “monster” as he saw his own blood seep into Jiang Hao’s skin.
“I am a monster!” Jiang Hao yelled as he dashed forward stabbing the horse before cutting the man's head cleanly off.
“A man? A warrior? A monster? In this world what does it matter if you are a monster, only strength matters!”
This action took place so quickly that the horse didn’t have time to respond to the stab wound.
Only now did the horse fall over, its neighs of pain piercing Jiang Hao’s ears.
Pulling the man from under the struggling horse, Jiang Hao laughed. “Haha good, the body is intact.”
With a smile, Jiang Hao punched through the man’s chest and grabbed his heart.
His action caught the attention of the other cavalry, their face filled with shock at such cruelty.
Why squeeze the heart of a dying man!
However, it didn’t take long for their face of shock to turn into that of horror, as the scout’s body started to shrivel and turn into a bag of skin and bones.
Feeling the heat in his right arm Jiang Hao grew even more excited, his main aim for this expedition was coming within reach. “Yes, a few more and I should reach the 2nd stage.” Jiang Hao muttered under his breath.
Removing his right hand from the body, the tattoo mark was now visible. Wiggling and flashing red, like it was screaming for more blood.
The leader of the scouts who also noticed the scene yelled orders at his men, “Keep fighting and take the advantage!”
Not a motivating speech but it was enough to quell such basic fear. Jiang Hao’s actions maybe viscous didn’t indicate that he was overwhelmingly strong.
“Mhm, another one.”
Looking through the battlefield Jiang Hao once again got a grip of his sword within the grasp of his right hand, looking for easy prey.
It didn’t take long to find a cavalry that was locked in combat with two of his militia warriors.
The man, likely in the 3rd stage and riding cavalry, made him a tough opponent for the duo, however Jiang Hao smiled.
Not sparing any Blood Qi, Jiang Hao quickly circulated his Blood Qi to his legs as he launched forward.
His legs cut through the air, each step breaking the dirt and throwing chunks of earth behind him.
With astonishing power and speed, Jiang Hao arrived at the battle. Learning from the last battle, Jiang Hao slashed his sword at the front left leg of the horse before the cavalryman had time to respond.
The horse screamed in pain as a quick slash cut the beast's leg clean off.
Crashing into the ground, the enemy was flung off the horse's back and face down in the ground.
Unable to respond to the shocking change in state the man didn’t block Jiang Hao’s next strike stabbing through the right of his chest.
“What a waste of blood.”
Bending down Jiang Hao grabbed forth with his left hand and lifted the man’s head off the ground by his neck.
“Mhm, what should we do.”
With a squeeze of his hands, Jiang Hao crushed the man’s throat, his fingers seeping in as if he was going to rip his throat out.
“That’s better, isn’t it?”
With a cold almost deranged stance, Jiang Hao jammed his right hand through this man’s heart, draining him of Blood Qi.
“Good good, it increases my strength and replenishes my Blood Qi.”
Like an excited child, the mark went wild absorbing all the Blood Qi within the man’s body.
Lifting his hand out Jiang Hao said, “You were better than your friend”.
Looking towards his two militia warriors standing there guarding him, Jiang Hao nodded in approval.
It wasn’t the first time he showed his power to them, but the fact that they no longer showed any reaction to this scene made him feel better.
The pleasing sight almost made him lose his thirst for blood… but just almost.
With a laugh, he set his sights on another enemy, without even glancing at the two Jiang Hao spoke “Help others”
*Boom*
With another powerful burst, Jiang Hao leaped in the direction of the other enemy.