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

That afternoon, Qin An was tidying up his things in his dormitory when Han Quan walked in.

His left arm no longer needs to be in a sling, but he still can't exert too much force.

"Brother, are you settling in well with your job as a constable?" Han Quan asked as he sat down.

"With Brother Han's help, there's naturally no problem," Qin An said sincerely.

As instructed by Han Quan, Cheng Du did indeed take good care of him. In addition, Qin An was willing to go along with the schemes, so he was quickly accepted and treated as one of his own.

Under these circumstances, the work proceeded very smoothly.

"That's good!" Han Quan smiled. "Are you free tonight? Come to my house for dinner, I'll show you something nice."

Qin An was taken aback for a moment: "Brother Han, isn't that unnecessary?"

"Don't be so polite with me." Han Quan patted his shoulder. "Just consider it... thanking you for saving me last time. Wait for me at the yamen gate after get off work tonight."

Seeing that Han Quan spoke sincerely, Qin An could no longer refuse and agreed.

After getting off work, Qin An waited at the entrance of the yamen for a short while before Han Quan came out.

His home was located on the west side of the county town; it was a small courtyard.

Han Quan's wife was a simple and honest woman. When she saw Han Quan bring people back, she greeted them warmly and soon served several small dishes and a pot of wine.

"Your sister-in-law's cooking is really good," Qin An said after tasting the dish.

"Eat more if you like it." Han Quan poured Qin An a drink. "Come on, let's have a drink."

The two men drank and chatted, talking about the police station and the situation on the border.

After a few rounds of drinks, Han Quan got up and went into the inner room. Not long after, he came out carrying a long wooden box.

"Brother, this is for you." Han Quan placed the wooden box on the table.

Qin An opened the wooden box with a puzzled look, and inside was a bow with an iron core!

This bow was much heavier than his horn bow. The bow body was made of fine iron with simple patterns carved on it, and the bowstring was made of high-quality ox sinew. It was clearly not an ordinary bow.

"Brother Han, this is too valuable, I can't accept it." Qin An quickly closed the box.

"Take it." Han Quan pressed his hand down. "I know you're good at archery. This iron-framed bow is a waste in my hands. Last time in the mountains, if it weren't for you, I probably would have lost my life. It's just a bow, what's the big deal?"

Qin An looked at the iron-rimmed bow and felt a pang of envy.

He could sense that this bow was far more powerful than his horn bow.

After hesitating for a moment, he looked up and said, "Then I thank you very much, Brother Han."

"That's right." Han Quan smiled. "Work hard from now on. With me here, you won't suffer any injustice."

After finishing his meal, Qin An carried the iron-framed bow back to his dormitory, liking it more and more as he looked at it.

He tried pulling the bowstring and felt that it was very strong, much more strenuous than a horn bow, but the arrows shot out would certainly be more powerful.

The next day, Qin An had his day off.

Thinking of going home to visit, he took his iron bow with him and bought some candy and snacks to bring to Cai Yan and Cai Zhen.

Before leaving, he had a sudden thought and decided to go to the mountains first.

I've been staying in the county town for the past few days, and my body feels a bit stiff.

It's a good opportunity to test the power of this new bow and also hunt some game to add some meat to the family's diet.

He knew the way well and arrived at the same forest where he had hunted wild boar last time.

Not long after we entered the woods, we heard the grunting of wild boars.

Qin An slowed his pace and crept over quietly.

In the open space not far away, several wild boars were rooting in the soil.

However, compared to the last time, the number of pigs was much smaller, with only three or four remaining.

The largest boar had a wound wrapped around its hind leg. Although it had scabbed over, it looked very new, and it walked with a limp.

Qin An's heart skipped a beat!

The boar's injuries did not look like those from a wild animal bite, but rather like those from a sharp weapon.

"Could it be... a Baekje spy?"

Qin An had previously discovered traces left by Bai Ji spies in this area.

I thought that after the last crackdown, the other party might have become more restrained and had already disappeared.

But now it seems that I was too optimistic.

He carefully observed his surroundings and, sure enough, found several blurry footprints in the grass not far away.

Judging from the size and shape, these don't look like shoes from Daxing.

Moreover, under a large tree, there were still some burnt ashes and a few gnawed bones nearby.

Qin An's face darkened.

It seems that the last search and clearing operation did not completely eliminate these Baiji spies.

They not only lurked in the mountains and forests, but also injured the boar to eat.

These people are like rats in the gutter; they will always be a menace if they are not eliminated.

Qin An gripped the iron-rimmed bow tightly, his eyes sharpening.

In the past, he might have hesitated.

But after personally killing more than ten people, Qin An had completely developed his courage and become accustomed to killing.

"After resting for so long, it's time to give out some red envelopes!" His eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light.

The rewards of killing are far greater than those of hunting wild animals!

With his exceptional skills and daring spirit, Feifan did not back down after making these discoveries; instead, he followed the direction of the footprints.

The footprints meandered through the dense forest, extending all the way to the foot of a steep cliff.

There is a hidden cave on the cliff, the entrance of which is covered by vines and cannot be found unless you look carefully.

Qin An held his breath, quietly parted the vines, and peered inside.

The cave was pitch black, with only a few blurry figures vaguely visible.

They seemed to be talking about something, speaking in Baiji language, which Qin An couldn't understand, but he could clearly feel the ferocity and greed in their tone.

Qin An dared not be careless and slowly retreated, hiding behind a large tree.

"There are at least five people in the cave, and they might even have crossbows. We can't just force our way in. We need to find a way to get rid of them without putting ourselves in danger."

Qin An looked at the iron bow in his hand, then at the surrounding environment, and a plan gradually took shape in his mind.

……

Qin An, having come up with an idea, didn't delay.

He didn't rush to attack the Baiji spies, but instead returned to the wild boar's den first.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the wild boars were still there.

"We're not worried about disturbing them from this distance. It'll also be a good opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the performance of this iron-framed bow, and maybe we can cram a little at the last minute!"

Qin An muttered to himself, then drew an arrow from his quiver, nocked it on the bowstring, and slowly pulled it back.

The draw weight of this iron-rimmed bow was indeed much greater than that of the ox-horn bow; he had to use all his strength to draw it fully.

He took a deep breath, aimed at the injured boar, and loosened his grip.

With a "whoosh," the arrow pierced the air and struck the boar precisely in the neck.

The boar grunted twice and then collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The other wild boars scattered in fright, and Qin An fired two more arrows, killing one of the piglets.

[Congratulations, host, on successfully killing the creature. You have received the following rewards: Strength +1, Stamina +1]

A warm current flashed by, and Qin An glanced at it casually, only to find that his combat power had increased by one point, reaching 14.

This immediately gave him even more confidence.

After dealing with the boar and hiding it, Qin An picked up the piglet and returned to the vicinity of the cave.

He deliberately found some damp branches and leaves, calculated the wind direction, and chose a safe spot outside the range of a crossbow bolt to start a fire.

Soon, thick smoke rose instantly and was blown towards the cave.

Qin An, on the other hand, was like an ordinary hunter, tending to the piglet by the fire.

As the thick smoke rose, the sounds inside the cave instantly ceased.

After a while, a Baiji scout poked his head out, looking around warily, and immediately spotted Qin An in the distance!