Chapter Nineteen: Better to Die Than Be Humiliated, Lin Zhong Remains Unharmed

Lu Wu shifted his long halberd, allowing the bodyguard Liu De to stand up.

Looking up at Lu Wu, who sat atop his horse, Liu De slowly backed away, drawing his long sword as he spoke: "I have often heard the ancients say that 'a gentleman may be killed, but not humiliated.' I have studied the sword for thirty years; failing to serve those I pledged to and unable to protect my master, I was already living in disgrace. Now, subjected to such indignity, would you be so kind as to grant me my final release?"

"Are you certain?" Lu Wu asked.

"Liu De, a man of stature knows when to bend and when to stand tall. Preserve your life—the Prince’s bloodline still requires our protection," someone nearby urged desperately.

This was a death sentence.

Liu De ignored them. He flicked his sleeves, raised his sword with both hands to eye level, and then leveled the blade toward Lu Wu. Suddenly, his robes billowed outward with a strange, whistling sound, and the gravel and dust on the ground were blasted outward in all directions. A low hum emanated from the sword in his hand, and a sharp, piercing light flickered at the tip.

"This is the first killing move of the Li Shui Sword Style—The Hundred-Pace Radiant Rainbow. Grant me this honor!" Liu De’s voice was devoid of emotion.

He was the commander of the sword-bodyguards for Prince Yuan, who had shown him great favor. Being absent when the Prince was assassinated and failing to save him had been the greatest regret of his life. Now, having been forced to his knees before a crowd by a single strike of a halberd, he felt he had lost all dignity and had nothing left to live for.

Since ancient times, the saying "a gentleman may be killed, but not humiliated" was more than just a slogan. More than once, the rage of a single man had turned the world to mourning. Having suffered such a humiliation, Liu De intended to wash it away in blood—whether it was his opponent’s or his own.

The next moment, man and sword became one, transforming into a streak of light that shot straight toward the center of Lu Wu’s brow.

The Shooting Sun Sword Style—The Hundred-Pace Radiant Rainbow!

While this move could not truly allow one to ride a sword for a hundred paces, within ten paces, man and blade merged into a single entity, concentrating all his spirit and energy into the tip of the sword. It was truly capable of piercing anything and overcoming all obstacles.

"Show mercy!" General Luo Gan shouted urgently.

He knew well that a fourth-rank swordsman was already among the strongest in the world, and Liu De was a renowned master even among them. This "Hundred-Pace Radiant Rainbow" was a fusion of body and blade, possessing the aura of a true sword-master. Why would such a formidable man, who should be sacrificing his life for Prince Yuan’s heirs, throw it away in a duel against this young knight who had fought his way through the ranks? It was nothing but internal strife.

Lu Wu remained expressionless. He simply lifted his long halberd and brought it down to meet the incoming light.

The Eighteenth Strike of the Overlapping Mountains—Severing the Heavenly Gate!

Among the eighteen strikes, this was the most fierce and rigid. If Lei Shan had unleashed it with his giant axe in the past, it would have possessed the power to cleave mountains and split seas; in Lu Wu’s hands, the halberd lacked some of that raw weight. However, Lu Wu’s "Golden Beam Bridging the Sea" technique had been refined from methods of cultivating magical artifacts and had absorbed many superior qualities. It was a hundred times more profound than Lei Shan’s old body-tempering techniques, and Lu Wu’s own physique was far more formidable than Lei Shan’s had ever been. The two factors balanced out, making Lu Wu’s strike even more domineering than when Lei Shan had performed it himself.

"Boom!"

The air was torn asunder, and shockwaves erupted to either side. General Luo Gan, standing beside Lu Wu, was unaffected, not even a hair on his head stirred, but his four personal guards were caught off guard, stumbled sideways with their horses. The twenty armored soldiers and six crossbowmen standing opposite were sent flying in a heap.

On the road paved with bluestone, a deep trench extended from the front of the golden-crowned knight’s horse to three zhang away.

Liu De, the master of the Li Shui sword who had unleashed that earth-shattering strike, was gone, leaving nothing behind. Even the Li Shui sword in his hand had been shattered into iron dust, vanishing without a trace. Only the radial bloodstains at the bottom of the trench remained, a testament to the fact that a swordsman had once launched a life-or-death strike against the golden-crowned knight.

***

Lin Zhong was soon brought out.

Seeing his brother-in-law from afar through the mansion gate, Lu Wu quickly dismounted and strode forward to meet him—a move that caused General Luo to eye him with sudden interest.

"Brother-in-law, are you alright? I’ve come to fetch you."

Lu Wu was quite pleased, especially after looking him up and down to find that his brother-in-law was neither missing an arm nor a leg; he appeared entirely intact.

Upon seeing Lu Wu, however, Lin Zhong was both anxious and angry. Because of his love for Lu Jin, Lin Zhong had always regarded Lu Wu as an unpromising younger brother. The boy had always been lazy and disliked learning; as a child, he had driven away three tutors and baffled every martial arts master hired for him. In his daily life, Lu Wu preferred to lie down rather than sit, and while he claimed to practice martial arts, he would sleep until the sun was high. Even when he did get up, he would practice for an hour at most before collapsing again, needing to be fed. His only hobby, surprisingly, was fishing—and in this era, that was an old man’s pastime!

Such a sluggard was now standing here in heavy armor, holding a halberd, and posing as a hero among men. It was one thing for Lu Wu to visit him in ordinary times, but this place was now the eye of the storm between two major factions; it was incredibly dangerous.

"Xiao Wu, why are you here? And dressed like this? It’s dangerous here, go back at once! Tell me, how is home? Is your sister alright?"

Ignoring the people around them, Lin Zhong grabbed Lu Wu’s arm and pulled him aside, asking a barrage of questions.

"Everything is fine at home. Third Sister and Sister Linyin are at my Wutong Manor. You must come back with me—Uncle Lin is also very worried about you," Lu Wu said.

Hearing that his family was safe, Lin Zhong let out a sigh of relief. But when Lu Wu asked him to leave, Lin Zhong replied despondently: "Leave? My master has been assassinated; I cannot escape the blame. You must go quickly. Return and tell my father and your father to move the family and avoid this catastrophe. Once Prince Jiu ascends the throne and settles his affairs, neither the Lin nor the Lu families will have a good end."

The struggle for the throne was treacherous. If one backed the wrong side, it meant total annihilation. Since the Lin family had sided with Prince Yuan, Prince Jiu would never allow them to retain military power—and merely stripping them of it would be a mercy; extinction was far more likely. As for the Lu family, although they were mere merchants, they had facilitated much for Prince Yuan over the years, from smuggling weapons into Songjing to trafficking salt and iron under military protection. If Prince Yuan had succeeded, the Lu family would have been honored heroes. But with Prince Jiu, they would be lucky if they weren't wiped out entirely.

Lin Zhong was crestfallen and weighed down by worry, but Lu Wu laughed and said: "Heh, brother-in-law, just come with me. As for the future, we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Whoever wants to move against the Lin and Lu families will have to answer to me first."

"You...?"

Lu Wu’s tone was far too bold. Lin Zhong couldn't help but look him up and down, wondering what gave him such confidence.

"Ahem, young man of the Lin family, time is short. Would you mind if I had a word with this young man first?"

Lin Zhong looked up and saw an elderly general in golden armor smiling at him.

"You... the General?!" Lin Zhong gasped in shock, his knees buckling as he prepared to kneel.