The God of War Who Protects the Nation: Starting with Saving a Mother and Daughter in Distress

The training ground was paved with hard bluestone, covered with dents of varying depths, clearly marks left by years of training.

Qin An gripped the spear tightly, feeling the cold touch of the shaft, took a deep breath, and cleared his mind of all distractions.

Yuwen Rong sat upright on his horse opposite him, his imposing aura pressing down like a mountain, calm and dignified, more powerful than any enemy general he had encountered on the battlefield.

The invisible pressure made Qin An's horse paw at the ground with unease.

"Take this!" Yuwen Rong shouted, his voice booming like thunder.

He slapped the horse's back hard, and the steed reared up in pain, then charged forward like an arrow released from a bow.

He raised the gilded halberd high in his hand, its sharp whistling cutting through the air, aimed directly at Qin An's heart. The speed was astonishing, leaving almost only a blur.

Qin An felt a blur before his eyes, and a sharp gust of wind rushed towards him. He dared not be careless in the slightest and quickly raised his spear to block it.

With a deafening clang, it sounded like a thunderclap in the sky.

The instant the spears clashed, Qin An felt a tremendous force surge like a tidal wave, his arm went numb instantly, his hand throbbed with pain, and the spear nearly flew out of his grasp.

He used the horse's momentum to stagger backward several steps before barely managing to regain his balance.

Looking down, I saw that blood was seeping from the base of my thumb, and my arm was so sore and numb that I could barely lift it.

"Not bad, you managed to withstand one of my moves. You're stronger than I expected." Yuwen Rong reined in his horse, looked at Qin An, and said with a hint of surprise, "Again!"

Qin An shook his numb arm, feeling the lingering force. Instead of fear, his eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit.

He knew that sparring with such a master was the best opportunity to improve himself.

He stopped defending and spurred his horse forward. His spear moved with effortless grace, its tip transforming into a silver dragon that swept through the air with a sharp whistling sound, aiming straight for Yuwen Rong's lower body.

This shot embodied all the ruthlessness he had honed on the battlefield—fast, accurate, and deadly, each strike leaving no room for error.

On the battlefield, being merciful to the enemy is being cruel to oneself.

Yuwen Rong merely chuckled, as if he had already seen through his moves.

With a slight twist of his wrist, the gilded halberd in his hand moved as nimbly as a snake, instantly wrapping around Qin An's spear shaft, and then flicking it slightly.

Qin An felt the gun barrel suddenly tremble, and the force he had gathered was instantly dissipated. His spear trajectory was easily neutralized by his opponent, and he lost his balance.

"Second move." Yuwen Rong's voice was tinged with laughter, seemingly relaxed and casual, yet the gilded halberd in his hand remained ever-present.

With a gentle thrust, the halberd tip was firmly pressed against Qin An's chest, the chill almost piercing his skin, yet leaving a sliver of room for penetration.

Qin An reined in his horse, fine beads of cold sweat trickling down his face.

In just two moves, he was already at a disadvantage. His opponent's strength was indeed unfathomable.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and suddenly ducked, narrowly avoiding the halberd's tip. At the same time, he swept his spear out like a silver lightning bolt, aiming straight for Yuwen Rong's waist.

This is his trump card, a risky move he learned from countless life-or-death battles, which often allows him to turn defeat into victory in desperate situations.

A clear look of admiration flashed in Yuwen Rong's eyes. He neither dodged nor avoided, but with a flick of his wrist, he pulled back the gilded halberd and steadily blocked Qin An's spear shaft.

"Crunch—crunch—"

The two men's horses spun in place, their weapons clashing tightly together, producing a harsh scraping sound.

Sparks flew everywhere. Qin An exerted all his strength, the veins on his arms bulging, but he felt that the opponent's strength was like a deep ocean, endless and inexhaustible.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't budge it an inch.

Gradually, his arms began to tremble, and he was almost out of strength.

"Third move!" Yuwen Rong shouted, and suddenly exerted force in his arm.

"Clang!"

Qin An felt an irresistible force coming from him, and he could no longer hold the spear in his hand. It flew out of his hand and landed heavily on the ground with a thud.

The force of the impact sent his horse staggering backward, its front hooves nearly throwing him to the ground.

Yuwen Rong put away his halberd and stood up, looking at Qin An with a hearty smile: "Not bad. To be able to withstand three of my moves, you are already a first-rate master in the entire Daxing. You have improved rapidly."

Qin An dismounted, walked up to Yuwen Rong, and solemnly cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you, General Yuwen, for showing mercy."

He felt no frustration whatsoever, but rather a profound clarity.

This sparring match with Yuwen Rong made him clearly see his shortcomings.

There is a significant difference in strength, skill, and even timing.

These are all areas he will need to work hard to make up for in the future.

"You're so young yet you have such strength; you have great potential." Yuwen Rong patted his shoulder, the force quite strong, but with a hint of approval. "Practice hard and try to withstand more of my moves in the future."

Qin An smiled but did not agree.

He knew that Yuwen Rong was a born warrior, with both talent and strength, and that he was indeed far from being his match.

But he possessed a confidence that others didn't know.

With a system at your disposal, your potential is limitless.

As long as you keep fighting, you can keep getting stronger, and one day you will be able to compete with them, or even surpass them.

"Let's set a small goal first: become a thousand-man slayer," he thought to himself, his eyes gleaming with determination.

……

After the sparring session ended, Yuwen Rong led Qin An toward the banquet hall.

The courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence was even more luxurious than Qin An had imagined.

The path paved with jade is planted with exotic flowers and plants, and the pavilions and towers are decorated with carved beams and painted rafters. The palace lanterns hanging under the corridors are all made of glass.

The sunlight shines through, refracting into a colorful halo.

The banquet hall was already set up with food and drinks, and several people were sitting around a long table made of rosewood.

The leader was a middle-aged man in a purple robe. His face resembled Yuwen Zhi's, but he looked more imposing. He was none other than Yuwen Hua, the current prime minister.

"General Qin has arrived, please have a seat." Yuwen Hua had a warm smile on his face, but his eyes were devoid of warmth.

Qin An bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Prime Minister."

"General Qin, there's no need for such formalities." Yuwen Hua gestured for him to sit down. "My son, Zhi'er, was able to return to the capital safely thanks to your escort, General. This banquet today is a small token of the Yuwen family's appreciation."

The banquet dishes were extremely luxurious, including camel hump, bear paw, bird's nest... all delicacies that Qin An had never heard of before on the front lines.

Yuwen Hua would occasionally ask about the battle at the front, and Qin An would answer each question.

His words deliberately revealed his admiration for the Yuwen family, praising the grandeur of the Prime Minister's residence from time to time, and even saying things like, "It would be my honor to serve the Prime Minister."

The more he acted this way, the stronger the contempt in Yuwen Hua's eyes became.

In his view, Qin An was nothing more than a greedy and treacherous warrior who would be easily swayed by a few kind words and was not worth taking seriously at all.

Halfway through the banquet, Yuwen Hua raised his wine cup: "General Qin is young and promising. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, you are welcome to come to me."

This sounds like an attempt to win someone over, but it's actually a gesture of charity.

Qin An quickly stood up, feigning surprise and gratitude: "Thank you for your guidance, Prime Minister. I will remember it forever!"

After the banquet, Qin An took his leave.

As soon as they stepped out of the Prime Minister's residence, Li Jing couldn't help but say, "Brother-in-law, what you did just now..."

"So obsequious?" Qin An smiled. "To deal with people like that, you have to make them look down on you."

He knew Yuwen Hua's personality all too well: he was arrogant and self-willed, and the more ambitious you appeared, the more he would suppress you.

Conversely, if you act like you're greedy for wealth and status, he will lower his guard.

Inside the Prime Minister's residence, Yuwen Zhi watched Qin An leave and said with a pout, "Father, Qin An seems quite obedient. Why not take him in as a dog? He might be useful in the future."

Yuwen Hua put down his wine cup and snorted coldly: "No need. Rong'er alone is worth a thousand troops. Qin An is not even worth my attention."

In his view, no matter how skilled Qin An was in combat, he was just a martial artist and had no right to be associated with the Yuwen family.

It was already dusk when they returned to the Qin residence.

Li Qingwan and Shan Bing were tending to the flowers and plants in the courtyard when they saw him return and quickly came to greet him.

"Husband, you're back. You must be exhausted." Li Qingwan handed him a towel.

Dan Bing went to the kitchen and brought back hot water: "Quickly wash your face, I asked the kitchen to make some soup."

Qin An took the towel and looked at the two concerned women in front of him, and all his weariness vanished.

"It's nothing, just some polite words." He briefly explained the matter of the Yuwen family.

Li Qingwan and Shan Bing exchanged a glance but didn't ask any further questions. They knew that Qin An had his own plans.

The next morning, Qin An was having breakfast with the two women when the gatekeeper suddenly reported: "General, there is a Miss Li outside the gate who says she has come to express her gratitude."

Qin An was taken aback, then said, "Please invite them to the main hall."

Before long, Li Zhaoning led Li Xuanfu in.

Today she was wearing a lake-blue dress, which made her look even more elegant. Li Xuanfu still kept his head down, his little hands tightly clutching the hem of his sister's dress.

"General Qin," Li Zhaoning bowed gracefully, "I have no way to repay your life-saving grace that day, so I have prepared some small gifts, hoping that you will accept them."

Her attendants carried several gift boxes, which, when opened, revealed valuable calligraphy, paintings, and jade artifacts, worth a fortune.

Qin An waved his hand and said, "Miss Li, you are too kind. I have a long-standing relationship with your brother, so it is only right that I lend a helping hand. You absolutely cannot accept these gifts."

"If the general doesn't accept it, it means he thinks the gift is too insignificant," Li Zhaoning insisted. "We siblings are parting, and this is just a small token of our affection."

Qin An was about to decline again when he saw Li Zhaoning give a wink to his attendant.

The attendant turned and went out, and a short while later, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard outside.

"General, why don't you take a look at this gift first?" Li Zhaoning said with a smile. "Perhaps you will like it."

Qin An followed her to the outside of the courtyard, where he saw a servant leading a horse standing at the gate.

The horse was jet black, glossy and smooth, except for its four white hooves, which looked as if it were walking on snow. Its head was held high and its eyes were sharp, making it clear at a glance that it was a fine and precious steed.

"This is... the Snow-Treading Black Steed?" A hint of amazement flashed in Qin An's eyes.