Part Four, Chapter 34: The Eve of the Imperial Capital (Part 2)
After Xu Jingming came to the world of blood rain, he naturally had a memory message from the 'smart hang-up' stage in his mind: "The inn was attacked?" At a glance, he could see that rockets were inserted in many places of the inn and it had already begun to burn.
"Protect the master, protect the young lady." Many guards gathered towards the Fei family's father and daughter.
Xu Jingming, carrying two shields on his back and holding a spear, also came to Fei Xinlan's guest room.
Bang.
The door of the guest room opened, and Qiu Tong and other three female guards were protecting Fei Xinlan. Fei Xinlan looked at the flames burning everywhere in the inn. Instead of panicking, she felt strange: "The bandits are attacking again? Are they all starting a fire attack?"
Along the way, Fei Xinlan experienced too many bandits and was used to them.
"This time is different." Mr. Fei came over with his guards, his face serious, "This is already around the imperial capital, how can any bandit dare to be so arrogant?"
Most of the surrounding guards are Blood Rain Guards. The leader, the silver-haired old man, solemnly ordered: "Qu Cheng, please immediately take someone to explore outside the inn to see the enemy's background."
"Yes." Guard Qu Cheng responded to the order and jumped down the corridor on the second floor with his five guards. They spread out and moved like ghosts, quietly arriving at different parts of the inn. They cautiously stuck their heads out to observe the darkness.
in all directions.
The burning flames of the inn illuminated the scene outside, and you could see at a glance that the disciples of the Black Lotus Sect were surrounding the inn.
Puff puff!!!
When these guards stuck their heads out and looked carefully, they were immediately shot by arrows. The six guards returned holding shields, some of which had arrows stuck on them.
"Master Qianhu." Qu Cheng respectfully reported to the silver-haired old man, "It's the Black Lotus Sect! I can recognize them at a glance by the clothes they wear. They are all disciples of the Black Lotus Sect."
"At least two hundred people."
"Look, they also brought some fishing nets and wooden barrels."
Several guards said.
When the silver-haired old man heard this, his expression changed slightly: "It's actually those lunatics from the Black Lotus Sect!"
"Sir." The silver-haired old man bowed slightly and reported, "Since the Black Lotus Sect is coming to attack, they must be well prepared. Based on my experience in fighting with the Black Lotus Sect, the Black Lotus Sect must be prepared with things like "fire oil" and "poisonous water".
When the inn starts to collapse, kerosene will be thrown in! Before the actual fight, we may suffer heavy casualties. We must break out immediately!"
"Guard Lu, you are in charge of everything." Master Fei said.
"good."
The silver-haired old man nodded and immediately ordered, "Everyone go to the stables! With the horses as the vanguard, rush out of the inn and choose a direction to charge. Anyone who blocks will be killed without mercy!"
Immediately, everyone protected Mr. Fei and his daughter, and they jumped downstairs and rushed towards the stables.
…
Bang bang bang!!!
Fireworks and rockets soared into the sky, extremely conspicuous in the night sky.
"The Cloud-Breaking Arrows of the Blood Rain Guards. There are no big cities for hundreds of miles around here. Who will save them?" The Dharma King of the Black Lotus Sect looked at the Fei family's team asking for help. They had expected it and didn't care at all.
Even if someone comes to the rescue after seeing the Cloud-breaking Arrow, by the time they arrive, our side will have already succeeded.
"Spare your life, spare your life." Suddenly someone walked out cautiously from the burning inn, holding his hands high.
"I have money, you heroes, please spare your lives."
These people walked out of the inn with luck, but what greeted them were arrows! The arrows were extremely fast, tearing the sky and piercing each flesh and blood body. In the blink of an eye, several people who walked out of the inn were shot.
kill.
The disciples of the Black Lotus Sect watched this scene indifferently. For them who have been rebelling for many years, killing ordinary people is too easy.
But other people in the inn were a little desperate, they were completely implicated.
"You will be burned to death in the inn, and you will be killed if you go out. What should I do? What should I do?" These guests, as well as the innkeepers, waiters and cooks, were all in panic and despair.
"rush!"
"The fire is getting bigger and bigger. If you stay in the inn, you will definitely die. If you rush out, there is still a chance of survival."
These people were no longer lucky, they all tried their best to escape in all directions, thinking of escaping one by one.
However, it was the troops of the Black Lotus Sect who besieged the inn this time. It was destined that none of these people could escape. Soon, they all fell down and died under the arrows. Not even a second-rate master rushed to the Black Lotus Sect.
He was killed with a hidden weapon.
"These are not worth mentioning. The Fei family's team and guards are all Blood Rain Guard elites, and they are much stronger." The Dharma King of the Black Lotus Sect said softly.
The words just fell
"Lululu~"
With the sound of horses neighing, many horses rushed out of the inn and rushed outside like crazy!
The rest of the Fei family's team were all running, protecting the carriage in the center. The carriage was not pulled by horses, but by a guard covered in armor. These top-notch experts could explode tens of thousands of kilograms in a short period of time.
With the strength, pulling the carriage is naturally easy, but this explosive state cannot last for long.
"Bang bang bang" dozens of horses galloped, and the charging momentum was quite terrifying, and the disciples of the Black Lotus Sect had to give way.
Among the Fei family's team, Xu Jingming is rushing ahead.
As one of the seven first-rate masters in the team and the one who uses the spear, he is naturally responsible for breaking the formation! The three first-rate masters headed by him, together with the ten shield masters, rushed to the front bravely.
"Hua Hua Hua"
Xu Jingming glanced at it and saw huge fishing nets thrown in the night sky from a distance, trying to cover the Fei family's team.
A group of guards immediately appeared in the Fei family's team, and one by one they threw out thick wooden stakes. These were wooden stakes found next to the stable, and they were probably used as firewood. The Blood Rain guards were very familiar with the common methods of the Black Lotus Sect.
, naturally I brought some wooden stakes with me.
Sections of wooden stakes, each weighing nearly a hundred kilograms, were thrown out and hit the fishing net, carrying the fishing net and falling towards the Black Lotus Sect disciple camp. The Black Lotus Sect disciples quickly dodged and sprayed poisonous water.
"Chi chi chi." Beside Xu Jingming, a guard immediately raised his shield to block the poisonous water sprayed nearby. The poisonous water corroded the shield and made a sound.
Xu Jingming was also secretly speechless.
"This Black Lotus Sect is not an ordinary gang force, and its style is more inclined to the elite army." Xu Jingming secretly sighed, "Fortunately, the Blood Rain Guards have fought against the Black Lotus Sect for a long time and have rich experience."
The Black Lotus Sect surrounded this place for a while, but they had already laid out a simple trap. Although the Fei family's team was elite, their numbers were reduced after all, and they began to suffer losses.
"Come on." The silver-haired old man beside Mr. Fei shouted.
Although the disciples of the Black Lotus Sect are also trying to keep a distance, it is obvious that they are still not as elite as the sparse Fei family team.
The Fei family team finally reached the Black Lotus Sect crowd.
"Master Fei, in order to protect his only two relatives, he must have arranged many masters." The Dharma King of the Black Lotus Sect observed silently and allowed his disciples to fight with the Fei family team.
"Let the disciples get to know the details of the Fei family's team first."
The Dharmaraja was very cautious.
His life is much more valuable than the lives of his disciples. Without knowing the details of the Fei family's team, if you rush in blindly, you will easily be attacked by unknown masters! Therefore, the Dharma King patiently observed and collected the information he wanted.
"kill."
Xu Jingming held a big gun and charged forward, but he also felt tremendous pressure! The two first-rate masters who were cooperating with him, one holding a shield and a knife, the other holding an eight-foot long knife, shared the pressure on both sides, and there were a group of
The guards used shields to help defend.
"Puff puff."
The big gun in Xu Jingming's hand was as fast as lightning, leaving bloody gun flowers on the tip of the gun. The body of a Black Lotus Sect disciple was pierced and fell. But these disciples also launched an attack, and weapons came one after another.
There are also sneak attacks with hidden weapons.
In this kind of large-scale fighting, a big gun is very advantageous.
But in the bloody world, there are only a few masters who use spears, and swords are the mainstream! It is more convenient to carry swords with you every day. Like Xu Jingming, he usually puts two spears in his gun bag. When he wants to fight, he must first
It is really inconvenient to take out the combination and fight normally.
In addition, when it comes to saving lives, a spear is not as good as a shield.
Therefore, whether it is Blood Rain Guards or gangsters, shield swords and shield swords are more common. Only a few masters insist on practicing marksmanship! It is really a large-scale killing, and long guns have their advantages.
"Throw."
The rotating sharp knife wheel cuts through the sky.
Xu Jingming shook his spear, and the six sharp blade wheels nearby were hit and sent flying backwards.
"Kill him." A master from the Black Lotus Sect wanted to stop Xu Jingming's team, the "Sharp Knife".
But Xu Jingming has long understood the "image of all living things". Among the five volumes of marksmanship, "Time and Space Scroll" is an introduction, and there is also "Flowing Water Scroll" that changes with the trend. Xu Jingming is very good at grasping the situation on the field, and changes according to the enemy's situation.
, make corresponding changes.
He always looks for the weak points of the enemy's formation, just like the knife in the hand of Pao Ding, he naturally cuts open the weak points of the enemy's formation!
Attack the weak with strength!
Two other top-notch experts followed Xu Jingming. Their strength was similar to that of Xu Jingming, but they were good at different directions. One was good at close protection, and the other was good at killing! The two cooperated with Xu Jingming, causing extremely strong damage to the Black Lotus Sect disciple camp.
"Wei Jing is a natural military wizard." The silver-haired old man saw this from afar and praised, "His sense of smell is very keen and he can find the weaknesses of the enemy's military formation in the melee, seize the fleeting opportunity, and quickly break through it.
enemy."
The man in gray clothes on the side also nodded: "He is only a first-rate fighter in one-on-one combat, but his pistol skills and ability to lead a team are indeed suitable for the military."
The two of them were around the carriage, handling it carefully.
The Dharma King watched this scene from a distance.
"The Fei family's team, the three forwards are all top-notch! There should be several first-class experts around the Fei family's father and daughter. That Master Fei really cares about his family, arranging so many experts." His Holiness found out about the Fei family's team.
It may be true or false, "The possibility of having a super-class player in this team is very low!"
The idea is certain.
The Dharma King moved.
"Whoosh."
The Dharma King rushed into the crowd of Black Lotus Sect disciples in an instant and went straight towards Xu Jingming and the three of them. The Black Lotus Sect disciples naturally moved out of their way.
"Huh?" Xu Jingming was always in control of the battle situation. He felt that a large number of Black Lotus Sect disciples were avoiding him like water, causing a black-haired man to rush at him at extremely fast speeds.
"Be careful." Xu Jingming immediately changed the direction of his advance, and with a spear like a snake, bang bang bang, he shot away three Black Lotus Sect disciples who were holding shields to resist. Those Black Lotus Sect disciples all hit the black-haired man.
The figure of the black-haired man changed into something ghostly, and he was already approaching.
The two companions beside Xu Jingming also noticed it, and they were extremely wary.
"boom"
The terrifying spiritual consciousness erupted, impacting in all directions.
Xu Jingming felt his head was blurred, and he only felt the spiritual wave impacting his consciousness. His whole body felt shaky, and his brain also felt severe pain. The expressions of the two companions on the side also changed drastically. One of them was holding a shield knife.
I couldn't help but cover my head in pain.
"Chi chi chi."
Accompanied by the terrifying psychological impact, there were streaks of black light! The light was eerie and unpredictable.
Although Xu Jingming had a headache, the threat of death at this moment made him excited, and he started to dance with a spear in his hand! Use the "Dingshan Scroll" to defend inside, and the "Flowing Water Scroll" to respond to the changes in the enemy's sword light, and at the same time sense the living creatures at all times.
The changes in the qi of all things.
Because the enemy's moves are too fast and cannot be seen clearly, you must rely on changes in Qi to determine the enemy's moves.
"Dang-dang-dang."
Weird black light flashes!
On the left side of Xu Jingming, the first-class master of shield and sword was covering his head. When the light of the sword struck, he was a step too slow to block it with his shield. As soon as the light of the sword flashed, he stood there motionless, leaving blood marks on his waist.
.
The first-class master holding a long sword tried his best to block the enemy with an eight-foot-long sword, but he still couldn't stop the terrifying and strange "black light". The black light passed by, leaving blood marks on his neck.
Xu Jingming resisted with his spear one after another and retreated violently.
In the blink of an eye!
Three first-class masters, two died and one retreated.
"Too fast." Xu Jingming glanced at his waist. There was a piece of cloth missing from his waist, revealing the protective armor worn inside. This was given to Xu Jingming by Miss Fei Xinlan, and now there are traces on the protective armor.
There was a knife mark.
"If it weren't for this protective armor, I would have been seriously injured even if I didn't die." Xu Jingming secretly exclaimed, "A super first-class master must be a super first-class master."
To give yourself such terrifying oppression, there is no doubt that you are a top-notch master!
This was the first super-class master that Xu Jingming encountered when he came to the Blood Rain World.
"King of the Night." The silver-haired old man, the man in gray, who was beside the carriage, only confirmed the identity of the person after seeing the Dharma King taking action.
"Hold on!" the silver-haired old man shouted.
"Hold on!"
"Hold on!"
The guards roared in unison, and the assault formation immediately changed to a defensive formation. Circles like blooming lotus flowers immediately surrounded the carriage, forming a protective formation. Their backs were left to their companions, and they only needed to deal with the front.
But, start preparing to defend.
Whizzing!
The silver-haired old man and the man in gray rushed out at the same time and rushed towards the Night Dharma King of the Black Lotus Sect.
"How dare you rush in?" King Ye sneered. Two of the three Xu Jingming died, and the remaining Xu Jingming also fled violently. However, the silver-haired old man and the man in gray joined forces to fight close by.
Puff puff!!!
The Night King and the two men fought instantly. The silver-haired old man was holding the most common shield sword. The man in gray was using a shield sword. His sword was a soft sword, fast and strange. The two cooperated, one was upright, and the other was feminine and strange.
, both of them had shields, and they actually completely blocked the terrifying attack of King Ye.
Even though the Night King was extremely oppressive and clearly had the upper hand, he couldn't break through the shields of these two men. The knives and swords of these two men also posed some threats to the Night King.
"Attack and destroy them completely." King Ye gave the order while fighting.
"Even if I die, I have to protect my lady." The silver-haired old man shouted angrily. He and the man in gray could only go all out to entangle the Night King.
"kill!"
"attack!"
The Black Lotus Sect disciples went crazy.
Before, they had some reservations and consumed the Fei family's team in an orderly manner. But after King Ye launched the attack and issued the order, all the Black Lotus Sect disciples became crazy! Attacking at all costs.
"Hold them off!"
All the guards went all out to resist. Xu Jingming, as a first-class expert, put out fires according to the situation on the field.
When we checked into the inn, there were seven first-rate masters in the Fei family team! There were twenty-seven second-rate masters, and a few third-rate masters. Most of them were elite masters of the Blood Rain Guard. Now in the siege of the Black Lotus Sect, even if everyone is back to back,
Even though most of them had inner armor, they still fell down one by one!
After all, two fists are no match for four hands, and the number of masters from the Black Lotus Sect is even greater than that of the Fei family.
"Pfft!" A knife pierced Luo Baichuan's chest. When the knife was pulled out, blood spattered.
"withdraw."
The other guards very skillfully pulled Luo Baichuan away and dragged him to the inner layer of the team. The entire team formation shrank slightly again.
"Brother Luo." In the carriage, Fei Xinlan was looking at the outside world through the gap in the window. When she saw that Luo Baichuan had a bloody hole stabbed in his chest and was dragged down to the innermost layer of the team and fell beside the carriage, Fei Xinlan
My heart trembled.
"I, I thought... I thought I was helping you by letting you go to the Imperial Capital together. But, but..." Fei Xinlan was very sad when she saw the other guards dying. After all, they were all to protect her and her father.
She has special feelings for the three guards she personally selected.
But now?
At first I thought it was to help them and give them opportunities. But now it seems that it also brought terrible dangers.
"puff."
One of the guards vomited out blood, and there were fragments of internal organs in the blood. A disciple of the Black Lotus Sect also fell.
The battle enters the most brutal stage!
The disciples of the Black Lotus Sect were acting like crazy and wanted to crush this Fei family team. And all the guards of the Fei family were risking their lives to hold on to the carriage.
Xu Jingming's emotions were also raging at this moment. In two months, his friends who had been together day and night died one by one! Xu Jingming could only work hard to kill the enemy with a spear, try to help his companions, and strive to the end.
At this moment, he felt powerless.
Manpower is sometimes limited! His power is limited after all! He cannot make a comeback or defeat the Black Lotus Sect by himself. After all, he is still far from the realm of a 'super first-class master'.
"Dingshan Scroll! The mind is calm! Unmoving...like a mountain!" Under Xu Jingming's emotions at this moment, he understood the essence of "Dingshan Scroll" more clearly.
The five volumes of marksmanship were created by ‘Xuan’, a legendary being in the universe, and ‘Xuan’ had different achievements in these five volumes.
The two volumes he accumulated the most were "Liu Shui Scroll" and "Ding Shan Scroll". These two volumes contained the most records. Before reaching the ninth level... Xuan, his achievements in these two directions were extremely high.
"Only when the mind is determined can the marksmanship be determined."
"Only by staying still can we not give the enemy any opportunity to take advantage of it." Xu Jingming's heart was full of emotions, but his brain was very calm. He sensed the signs of living things, found the enemy's weaknesses, killed them, and helped his companions.
Do what you can to the limit!
Sometimes it's a life-and-death battle to see who makes fewer mistakes and who can seize opportunities better.
One chance can determine life or death.
Xu Jingming was immersed in the mental state of "fixed mind, motionless as a mountain", perfecting his marksmanship and constantly killing enemies on the battlefield. Even two top masters from the Black Lotus Sect came to kill Xu Jingming, trying to pull out Xu Jingming's nail.
Perhaps Jingming is too stable, not blind, not greedy for merit, and does not give the Black Lotus Sect a chance. He is cooperating with the formation of the entire Fei family to maintain the operation of the formation.
"In three minutes, the number of dead guards will reach a critical point, and the entire guard team will collapse completely." Xu Jingming clearly understood this, but he still influenced the team with his marksmanship and worked hard to persevere.
"It hasn't been broken yet?"
King Ye was also held back by the two masters of the Blood Rain Guard. These two masters were both top-notch among the first-class masters. Together they were even comparable to the "super first-class masters". They were also the confidants of the eldest son of the Fei family. This time in order to protect his father.
My sister has also been sent.
"Rumble~" Suddenly there was a dense sound of horse hooves in the distance, because they were running too fast and too densely, making the earth tremble.
"Um?"
Both the remaining Fei family team and the Black Lotus Sect disciples who suffered heavy casualties all noticed.
The team was coming at full speed, with many horses but not many people.
Three horses for each person! Come with all your strength and light equipment.
"Black Lotus Sect?" followed by a loud shout, "Kill me, kill all these Black Lotus Sect thieves!"
One after another, figures jumped off their horses and turned into afterimages to kill them.
In terms of long-distance running, the masters are naturally not as good as these fine horses! But in a short period of time, the top masters were so fast that their figures were blurred. These dozens of top masters went straight to the Black Lotus Sect and where the Fei family team was fighting.
"Wang Jiuyan?" King Yefa saw the figure rushing at the front from a distance.
It was a burly man, holding an iron gun, and his figure was like thunder. Before the man arrived, the terrifying psychological impact had already spread to the entire battlefield, mainly to the Black Lotus Sect.
"Blood Demon Spear, Wang Jiuyan?" King Ye Fa's expression changed, and he immediately ordered loudly, "Retreat!"
Give an order.
King Ye immediately retreated into the darkness, and the other disciples of the Black Lotus Sect immediately dispersed and fled. They had been rebelling for many years and were very experienced in retreating and escaping.
The Black Lotus Sect disciples quickly disappeared into the night, and the battle was over!
…
As soon as the Black Lotus Sect disciples retreated, the remaining Fei family team immediately relaxed, and many of the guards collapsed to the ground.
Xu Jingming has lost some weight. Obviously, high-intensity fighting also consumes energy.
"I've met Mr. Wang."
The silver-haired old man and the man in gray stepped forward to salute.
"Brother Fei's father and sister, are they okay?" the burly man walked up to the team and asked.
"We resisted desperately and delayed until now, and finally saved the master and the miss. If Mr. Wang hadn't arrived in time, not many of them would have escaped today," the silver-haired old man said.
At this time, the burly man also saw Mr. Fei and Fei Xinlan stepping out of the carriage.
"My wife, Wang Jiuyan, is a good friend of Brother Fei Qing. I have met my uncle and sister Xinlan." The burly man said with a smile, "I was asked by Brother Fei Qing, so I led the people to come at full speed. I finally arrived at the critical moment. If I were a step slower,
, I don’t even know how to explain it to Brother Fei Qing.”
"Thank you, Lord Wang, for saving your life." Mr. Fei was also very grateful. He could tell that Wang Jiuyan should have a very high status, and he was only called "Brother Fei Qing" when he was called the Commander-in-Chief of the Blood Rain Guards in the Eastern Region of the Empire.
"Treat all the guards quickly." The burly man ordered. The many experts he brought were fresh troops and immediately helped treat the wounded. Only one-third of the many guards are still standing, and the rest are either dead or dead.
hurt.
"Brother Luo."
With tears in her eyes, Fei Xinlan had already reached Luo Baichuan. She was even more worried when she saw Luo Baichuan, who had become a bloody man.
At this moment, Luo Baichuan's face was pale and his lips had no color at all. When he saw Fei Xinlan coming over, he moved his lips and wanted to say something, but he didn't say anything.
Yawen Library
"If he's not dead now, he won't be." The expert next to him helped treat the wound and said casually, "If you can survive such an injury, it's a good fortune teller."
Masters of the flow can control every cell in the body, and their vitality is very tenacious. They can control the 'bleeding' in the body, control wound healing, and control the blood flow rate in the body, so as long as they can survive until now, they can generally survive.
"Good luck." Xu Jingming and Qiu Tong, who came over, were also happy for Luo Baichuan. It was good luck to be alive.
Qiu Tong was Fei Xinlan's senior sister and had a broken arm, so she survived because she was in the innermost part of the formation and received less pressure.
Xu Jingming has been shopping hard.
The two of them stepped aside so as not to interfere with others' treatment of Luo Baichuan.
"You are even more powerful." Qiu Tong said, "You have become a blood person, and the blood belongs to others."
Xu Jingming sat down and looked around. Many guards were dead.
"Life is impermanent." Xu Jingming shook his head.
"Drink some wine." Qiu Tong threw a wine bottle and sat next to him, casually saying, "There is no place in this world where people will die. Human life outside the city is as cheap as grass, and there are often gangs fighting in the city. Being able to join the Blood Rain Guards has already
He is considered a master. But as the Blood Rain Guard, you have to fight hard at critical moments and cannot take a step back."
"No profession is easy, each has its own difficulties." Xu Jingming nodded slightly.
They were both drinking wine.
Food was quickly distributed, and the survivors were eating, drinking, and chatting. As they escorted the Fei family and his daughter to the imperial capital, everyone was prepared to fight to the death. Now that a companion has died, everyone is calm.
This was already expected.
After more than an hour, a large number of people arrived.
"What a huge formation." Xu Jingming, Qiu Tong and the others looked up and saw a huge group of people arriving. Many people were surrounding a leader, who was a young man in black robes.
The young man in black robe jumped off his horse and came to the front of the team.
"Sir." The silver-haired old man, the man in gray and other Blood Rain Guard masters immediately stepped forward to greet him respectfully.
"Dad, little sister."
When the young man in black robe saw his father and sister, his eyes turned red and he was very excited.
"Brother." Fei Xinlan rushed over excitedly and threw herself into her brother's arms.
The young man in black robe hugged his sister and smiled happily.
"Brother Jiuyan, thank you." The young man in black robe let go of his sister and thanked Wang Jiuyan who was standing beside him.
"It's a small matter." Wang Jiuyan said with a smile, "And it's mainly due to the guards. They persisted for a long time under the siege of the Black Lotus Sect, and suffered heavy casualties. When I arrived, I just shouted, and the Black Lotus Sect retreated.
But he didn’t accomplish anything.”
"How could they retreat without you?" The young man in black robes immediately looked at the exhausted guards after the battle. Many of the guards were seriously injured and stood up to greet Commander-in-Chief Fei.
"My father and sister are alive, and each of you has a contribution."
The young man in black robe looked at everyone and said, "I, Fei Qing, will never forget everyone's contribution."
"Thank you, Sir." All the guards were a little excited. Xu Jingming, Qiu Tong and several other non-'Blood Rain Guards' also thanked Sir Fei.
This journey is difficult.
But as long as you successfully send people to the imperial capital, it is a great achievement! Each of them can become prosperous.
Now that they heard Fei Qing's promise again, they were convinced.