An army tavern in Anding City.
The aroma of wine filled the air, and the scent of roasted meat was even more captivating.
Perhaps it was because they had suddenly learned so much, Sima Yi’s eyes widened in the tavern.
“Dezu, how many more people have you contacted?”
At this moment, Sima Yi was shocked.
Just now…
He heard Yang Xiu mention how they had used heavy gold to bribe the disciples around Wang Yue, and how these disciples had swapped Madam Xiahou Juan away right under Wang Yue’s nose…
There was also Yang Xiu’s “Intelligence Department”… which had secretly contacted the Qiang Commandery Administrator Zhao Ang and his wife Wang Yi a year ago…
Zhao Ang and Wang Yi, while outwardly surrendering to Han Sui, had actually become eyes for the Ministry of Personnel, closely monitoring Xiliang.
There was no slightest disturbance, which was precisely… this setup orchestrated by the mentor and Yang Dezu required stillness… and a lure to draw out the snakes.
All of this left Sima Yi incredibly stunned… to the point of being dumbstruck.
But…
It wasn’t enough…
“Zhongda, Master is doing all this for you!” Yang Xiu’s eyes were deep, and he said meticulously, “Being behind enemy lines, how perilous is your situation? Everything Master instructed me and guided me to do is to protect you!”
At these words, Yang Xiu’s tone carried much emotion.
Deeply emotional…
Lu Yu treated Sima Yi this way, and by extension, he would treat Yang Xiu the same.
“But…”
“Actually, everything has always been within Master’s control, including this meeting… However, besides Master, only Guo Fengxiao, Zhuge Jun, and I, Yang Dezu, know about this!” Yang Xiu’s gaze softened a little, and he raised his head, looking west through the window.
He also glanced at the sky.
As if judging the time, Yang Xiu sighed, “It’s about time, everything will end!”
Hearing the word “end,” Sima Yi also became bolder.
He quickly asked, “Wang Yi and Xiahou Mao… are they Wang Yue’s opponents?”
“On the surface, there might still be some gap, but… don’t forget…” Yang Xiu smiled and said, “There are also those Wang Yue disciples to help…”
Speaking of this, Yang Xiu paused and narrowed his eyes.
He murmured eight words: “Open spears are easy to avoid, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against!”
It seemed…
He could already sense Wang Yue’s allegiance.
This…
It was Sima Yi. He hesitated. He knew Wang Yue’s martial arts skills. At his age, such skill was incredible, but he had achieved it. Sima Yi had spent some time with Wang Yue and knew deeply… Xiahou Mao, Wang Yi… even with those disciples, it was likely…
Seeing Sima Yi’s doubt, Yang Xiu patted his shoulder.
“Zhongda, you haven’t been in Xiliang for a while. You might not know that Steward Zhuge in the workshop has developed a brand new weapon…”
Sima Yi looked up.
Yang Xiu was quite excited, “This is a weapon that can instantly kill the enemy, no matter how strong their martial arts are… Master named it—Huo Chong!”
Huo? Chong?
Sima Yi’s eyes also gradually narrowed.
Merely based on Yang Xiu’s tone and imagination… he could already picture the incredible nature of the “Huo Chong”!
He retorted, “Then, compared to Lu Bu, how is this Huo Chong?”
“Haha, even three Lu Bu’s tied together wouldn’t be a match for the Huo Chong,” Yang Xiu laughed. “Zhongda, Master said… times are about to change! In the future… with your and my strength, once equipped with this Huo Chong, we will be the match of ten thousand men on the battlefield! Ah, ha ha ha…”
Saying this, Yang Xiu let out a sighing, hearty laugh.
…
…
Meanwhile.
In a secret chamber in Anding City, the conversation between Guo Jia and the masked man continued.
As the intelligence officers reported, both of them learned that Wang Yue had fallen.
Yinlin Yuan was still heavily blockaded…
Finally, the man slowly removed the mask.
That refined face, who else could it be but Lu Yu?
“You’re already in a secret chamber, and you’re still wearing a mask. Is that for psychological comfort?”
Guo Jia chuckled…
Lu Yu, while removing the mask, gently waved his hand. “If this strategy is discovered, it won’t work, and our entire plan will be in vain! It’s a precaution!”
“Haha…” Guo Jia laughed. “The outer perimeter is being monitored by the Ministry of Personnel, and the Dragon Hawk Battalion is guarding the front. If any news were to leak from here, then this Dragon Hawk Battalion and the Ministry of Personnel are too negligent.”
Speaking of this.
Guo Jia changed the subject, “Now that the bait has been cast, it’s time to let the big fish bite!”
Hearing this, Lu Yu nodded.
“Has Han Sui still not confessed?”
“A stubborn old duck!”
“Then we won’t ask him,” Lu Yu smiled. “Everything proceeds as planned…”
Speaking of this, he suddenly stood up and paced around the secret chamber.
Finally, he stopped in front of a stone wall and sighed.
“It’s time. The hidden dragon of Yinlin Yuan is extinguished, and the peace of Anding City is no more!”
Hiss…
Guo Jia blinked.
The time had come to truly lure the snake out of its hole!
“Fengxiao…”
Before Guo Jia could think further, Lu Yu’s voice echoed again. “Prepare yourself, you and I must set off in secret…”
“Xudu City?”
“Xudu City!” Lu Yu’s tone became much more serious. “If we don’t return soon, I’m afraid the King of Wei will be stifled by watching those clowns!”
…
…
At the peak of the mountains level with Yinlin Yuan.
Whew…
Everyone felt a sense of relief.
Pairs of hands that had put down the “Thousand-Mile View” were still trembling…
They won, they actually won?
Wang Yue, known as the “Number One Sword Under Heaven,” had been defeated by Lu Yu…
And in such a manner.
After all…
The line of sight through the Thousand-Mile View was extremely narrow. Xiahou Dun, Ma Teng, and Ma Chao’s attention was always focused on “Lu Yu.”
To them, it appeared that “Lu Yu” held a branch and, under Wang Yue’s fierce onslaught, found an opening… and struck a fatal blow!
A fatal blow it was…
But… this was too shocking!
This shock, this astonishment, this deafening impact, made it impossible for everyone watching the battle over there to calm down.
“Is Ziyu really that strong?”
Xiahou Dun exclaimed after swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
Just now, he thought Lu Yu could at most fight three of him, but now… he felt… this move of “flying flowers and falling leaves can all wound enemies” could probably fight five Xiahou Duns!
“Then, even the peerless Lu Bu might not be Ziyu’s opponent, right?”
Xiahou Dun was still exclaiming…
He was still deeply shocked. Wang Yue had once defeated Zhang Liao in a single move and was an expert who could ambush and defeat Dian Wei. But… but… the past glory had turned into nothingness with the branch Lu Yu held piercing his body, vanishing like smoke, leaving behind a “Martial Dao Supreme” who was about to rise again…
“Yes…” Ma Teng was also deeply shocked. “Marquis NanShou’s martial arts are so formidable. I was actually worried before that my daughter marrying into the Marquis’s estate would cause chaos. Heh heh… now it seems she doesn’t have that ability, and I can rest a little easier!”
Mentioning his daughter, Ma Teng’s gaze turned towards Ma Yunlu.
Ma Yunlu gritted her teeth, biting her red lips…
At this moment, all her impressions of Lu Yu were overturned…
He… he was so unfathomably profound?
However, Ma Chao frowned…
He was more surprised than anyone. As a master of swordsmanship and spearmanship, he naturally knew that the battle situation had already developed in an unfavorable direction after “Lu Yu” dropped his spear.
But, in the end… “Lu Yu” used a branch as a spear and struck a lightning-fast fatal blow… this was something that, no matter how you looked at it or judged it, was impossible to achieve!
Ma Chao’s mind conjured infinite possibilities.
In such a critical, imminent moment, using a branch as a spear for a fatal blow… what kind of keen judgment, what kind of fierce combat awareness would this require?
Let alone decades of constant practice, he, Ma Chao, felt… even practicing for several more decades might not achieve such a realm.
Just then…
“Report…”
A sudden report broke the eerie, terrifying atmosphere of “shock” in this place.
“General Xiahou, the path down the mountain has been sealed.”
The scout’s voice immediately came out…
“Yinlin Yuan?” Xiahou Dun asked subconsciously.
“No, it’s not Yinlin Yuan, but… but this mountain where General Xiahou is located… our path down the mountain has been… sealed,” the scout’s words surprised Xiahou Dun.
In fact, not only Xiahou Dun, but Ma Teng and Ma Chao also heard the same words.
“Who dared to have the guts of a bear and the heart of a leopard to seal my way down the mountain!”
Xiahou Dun roared… As he spoke, he drew his saber, intending to confront this audacious individual!
“Could it be the remnants of Wang Yue…” Ma Teng suggested. “Seeing their master killed, they decided to go all out for mutual destruction…”
“It’s possible…” Xiahou Dun nodded with interest.
Here… on the mountaintop, the overall intelligence of the generals was not very high. Ma Teng was truly daring to speak, and Xiahou Dun was truly daring to believe.
Conversely, Xun You smacked his lips.
Not right…
He had only heard of scattering after the rabbit dies, but in this situation, why would Wang Yue’s disciples do something so foolish?
Just as everyone was discussing,
The scout, unable to interject, raised his voice and shouted, “Generals… it’s… it’s people from the Dragon Hawk Battalion who have sealed this mountain… they said… they said no one is allowed to go down the mountain!”
“What?”
Xiahou Dun and Ma Teng exclaimed in unison…
Dragon Hawk Battalion…
Dragon… Dragon Hawk Battalion, why would it be the Dragon Hawk Battalion?
A deputy general, seeing Xiahou Dun still holding his saber high, quickly asked, “General… this? Are we still fighting?”
“Fighting what nonsense!”
Xiahou Dun waved his hand. “Lu Ziyu is my brother, how can we fight our own people? Go… go and ask why the Dragon Hawk Battalion has sealed this mountain!”
Here, as Xiahou Dun’s voice had just been uttered.
On the other side…
“Report…” a voice came, “An envoy has been dispatched from the Dragon Hawk Battalion to meet General Xiahou and General Ma Teng.”
This…
Xiahou Dun and Ma Teng looked at each other, both somewhat confused about what was happening.
They had clearly won against Wang Yue, so why weren’t they allowed to go down the mountain?
What was all this?
…
…
Above Yinlin Yuan, after tearing off the human-skin mask, Lu Yu’s previously delicate face instantly changed its appearance.
Xiahou Mao…
That’s right, disguised as Lu Yu through the human-skin mask was Xiahou Mao.
And the one who contended with Wang Yue’s sword was the “Thirty-Six Paths Yang Family Spear” in his hand…
For many years, Xiahou Mao had devoted himself wholeheartedly to refining his spearmanship. With the enhancement of the spearmanship scripture, “If there is no woman in the heart, the spear will naturally be divine,” his martial arts had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Normally…
It was difficult for a person to focus on one thing with undivided attention.
Let alone the tedious practice of spearmanship…
But it just so happened that “Jin Ping Mei” perfectly solved Xiahou Mao’s needs on a spiritual level. He would sometimes imagine himself as… the Great Official Ximen!
Imagining that he also had three confidantes.
Jin was Pan Jinlian;
Ping was Li Ping’er;
Mei was Pang Chunmei…
Even more so, Xiahou Mao would reflect on the life of Great Official Ximen in the book. If… if he had been able to focus his mind on the right path without distractions, how could he have met such a tragic end?
And this also became the motivation for Xiahou Mao’s regular spearmanship practice…
Before going on the expedition to Xiliang, Zhang He competed with him in spearmanship. Although it was a draw, Zhang He was already certain… that this youth’s spearmanship far surpassed his own, and could even be compared to the same Zhao Zilong of Changshan!
He even passed on his own spearmanship to him…
The “Thirty-Six Paths Yang Family Spear” was already a culmination of six schools of spearmanship, integrating them all. Xiahou Mao incorporated Zhang He’s spearmanship into it, and his current spear skills were even more proficient.
Phew…
He let out a long breath.
Looking at Wang Yue who had fallen to the ground, Xiahou Mao shook his head…
This was the first time he had encountered such a strong opponent, and it made him realize even more what it meant to be a mountain beyond a mountain, and a person beyond a person…
His cultivation was still far from enough!
Just then…
Wang Yi, who had completely removed her human-skin mask, slowly walked over.
She was accompanied by a group of Wang Yue’s disciples…
They all cupped their fists in salute to Xiahou Mao.
“Young Master Xiahou!”
Xiahou Mao did not reply… Wang Yi slowly said, “Young Master Xiahou, now is not the time to be in a daze. Marquis NanShou’s plan has just begun, and the Dragon Hawk Battalion is already rushing up!”
These words reminded Xiahou Mao…
He nodded and immediately instructed those disciples, “You all spread the news that the ‘Marquis NanShou’ was defeated and died at Lin Yuan Ge, and the Dragon Hawk Battalion, filled with righteous indignation, stormed Yinlin Yuan and killed the villain Wang Yue to avenge Marquis NanShou!”
“Yes… yes…”
The disciples agreed and hurried to carry out the order.
Wang Yi nodded…
In fact, she and her husband Zhao Ang had joined the Hidden Army Division of the Great Wei’s Ministry of Personnel a long time ago.
Yang Xiu was an official of the Hidden Army Division, hence… they had a lot of interaction.
She had also participated in this plan.
Tramp, tramp, tramp…
As the disciples departed.
Xiahou Mao did not forget to praise, “Miss Wang’s ‘secret technique’ in this desperate situation is admirable.”
Wang Yi replied, “Young Master Xiahou’s spear skills are even more impressive!”
These were sincere praises from both of them… without any hint of politeness.
“Next…” Wang Yi smacked her lips. “Shouldn’t we blow the wind of Xiliang all the way to Xudu City? My husband and I have discovered that Han Sui has an insider in the Great Wei. Who exactly is this insider?”
Phew…
Xiahou Mao let out a soft breath, but remained silent.
His resolute gaze seemed to convey that no matter who it was, anyone who obstructed the Great Wei or harmed Marquis NanShou, Xiahou Mao would not spare them!
…
…
Xudu City, the Palace of the King of Wei.
Soldiers lined up, and ministers gathered…
Just now, news came from the Imperial Medical Office that the King of Wei, Cao Cao, had died from a “cleaver to the skull” and had not survived… Before the officials could even put on mourning clothes, their expressions had become extremely somber.
Everyone knew that the sky of Great Wei was about to collapse!
On the towering city walls of Xudu City, a resounding bell chime was heard. The person striking the bell was wiping away tears with his sleeve as he struck.
Then, the bells on the entire city wall began to ring, and the mighty bell sounds caused all the bells in Xudu City to chime in unison, shaking the heavens.
The soldiers guarding the city wall stood motionless, but tears froze on their faces, forming frost, forming ice!
Snowflakes fell…
From slowly falling, to falling in large patches.
Cao Pi stood frozen, gazing at his father lying in the coffin, and could not stop his tears…
This king who founded Great Wei and ruled Great Wei… had passed away. What would happen to Great Wei in the days to come? Could he, Cao Pi, inherit the throne as he wished?
Clearly, amidst endless tears, Cao Pi was filled with anxiety for the future.
The bells continued to ring, and the snow fell heavily…
Pedestrians on the street also looked up at the King of Wei’s palace in surprise. Some involuntarily knelt down and, led by others, cried out in unison.
— “Long live the Great King!”
…
…