Chapter 2: Metal-Rooster Swordsmanship—Pierce Two at Once, Slash!

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The man on the far left, the one who kept his head raised, was Lu Wenzhao, who would later become a Thousand-Household Commander of the Northern Garrison Command.

The man who created the legendary scene of leaving before his superior.

At this point, however, he was still merely a garrison officer, one rank above Wang Lu.

Although the objective was to rescue the three captive Ming soldiers, the real danger lay with the three Jin soldiers.

Even from that brief glimpse, the oppressive aura radiating from those men had already made Wang Lu’s heart beat traitorously faster.

The fact that they could execute prisoners so casually was proof enough of their strength.

Indeed, how could anyone who had survived the Battle of Sarhu possibly be mediocre?

If Shen Lian were the only one taking action, Wang Lu could have saved himself without much trouble.

But the task required him to participate personally, with rewards determined by the number of people rescued.

Whether out of admiration for Shen Lian’s skill or temptation by the thirty deduction points, Wang Lu decided to join the fight and strike first.

Otherwise, if they waited for Shen Lian to make his preparations, at least one of the prisoners would die.

Once he had settled on his objective, Wang Lu stopped hesitating. He suppressed the excitement and anticipation brought on by his increased strength, though the fingers gripping his saber trembled faintly.

Lu Wenzhao, Guo Zhen, and Shen Lian!

All three were characters with substantial roles.

Lu Wenzhao had ties to Prince Xin, while Shen Lian possessed nearly unrivaled martial prowess.

As for Guo Zhen, he was the crucial pawn capable of prying open the entire network surrounding Prince Xin.

When Guo Zhen appeared later in the story, he died a violent death and seemed like an unremarkable man who kept a low profile.

In reality, however, he was the key figure who enabled Lu Wenzhao to rise to the rank of Thousand-Household Commander and gave him the opportunity to prove his loyalty before Wei Zhongxian.

Otherwise, how could two hundred taels of silver have bought anyone an opportunity to serve beside Wei Zhongxian, who was practically the second-most powerful man of his time?

Yet Shen Lian, the man who had saved both of them, did not use that opportunity to advance himself. Instead, he seemed to forget Guo Zhen entirely.

By any measure, that was extremely foolish.

Wang Lu would never make such a mistake.

Lu Wenzhao, Shen Lian, and Guo Zhen were all connections Wang Lu could make use of.

This place was more than seven hundred kilometers from the capital. With them, Wang Lu would have allies along the way.

Following the course of events, staying with them would at least ensure that he survived the journey back to the capital as it presently stood.

As for the man on the far right, Wang Lu did not know who he was, but anyone bound together with Lu Wenzhao and Guo Zhen could not possibly be ordinary.

Wang Lu had not forgotten that he also had a mission whose reward would be settled through power.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind.

There was no time left for him to wonder about the far-right man’s exact identity or how rescuing him might affect the future.

If the others lost their heads, even the most exalted identity would be useless.

Sss—

There was no time to lose. Wang Lu lightly slid the tip of his foot across the ground, producing an almost imperceptible sound.

Shen Lian was frowning as he considered how to strike.

There were three Jin warriors, and he himself was already at the end of his strength. He had no confidence that he could rescue all three of his countrymen. He might even die here himself.

But faced with comrades and enemies alike, he could never stand by indifferently.

Knowing that something could not be done, yet doing it anyway.

With that resolve, Shen Lian prepared to wait until the enemy was at their most careless before making his move.

At that moment, a faint sound stirred beside his ear. Shen Lian whipped around and instantly assumed a defensive stance.

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He saw a Ming soldier, his face smeared with blood, standing not far behind him.

The man’s clothing made Shen Lian breathe a sigh of relief.

The soldier quickly pointed to the crossbow at his waist, then gestured vaguely to the left and right. Shen Lian understood at once.

After Wang Lu nodded in confirmation, Shen Lian reached out and drew a crossbow bolt.

One of the executioners said to his companion, “Once we kill these three, we can return to camp. Sigh, killing Ming bandits is no fun. It’s far more entertaining to kill their women. Best to sleep with them first, then kill them.”

“Hahaha, I know what Ajige means. Their women are the most amusing. After you sleep with them, you don’t even need to lift a finger—they’ll kill themselves. Hahaha.”

The executioner turned his head and laughed loudly.

“You’ve had your fill of those three women from Ming in your tent, haven’t you? Let me have a turn with them when we get back.”

“Of course.”

The executioner turned back and raised his saber once more, taking aim at the Ming soldier’s neck.

Whoosh—

A crossbow bolt instantly buried itself in his temple, leaving half the wooden shaft protruding and trembling faintly.

The Jin soldier stood frozen in place, his eyes bulging.

Wang Lu had no time to praise Shen Lian’s accuracy.

The two of them burst from behind the boulder simultaneously, darting toward the remaining two Jin soldiers from opposite sides.

As he moved, Shen Lian swiftly drew his saber, the tip grazing the Jin soldier he had just shot.

Wang Lu’s opponent was the man who had only just pulled up his trousers. The instant Wang Lu reached him, his left hand shifted into a concealed-draw position.

Three steps, two—

The moment Wang Lu’s left foot touched the ground, his right hand drew his saber. The blade swept upward in an arc from low to high as his right foot came down.

Clang—

Under the threat of death, the Jin soldier hurriedly fastened his trousers and immediately drew his saber to block across his body.

The two blades collided, and the piercing ring of steel resounded across the corpse-strewn battlefield.

Wang Lu had chosen the man who had been urinating because he feared his own strength might not be enough.

Now that he saw the man barely manage to defend himself, Wang Lu did not pause for even an instant.

Borrowing the force of the rebounding blade, he spun backward in a full turn and brought the saber down in a rising-cut variation.

Caught off guard, the Jin soldier swiftly raised his saber to intercept it.

The blades clashed again, but Wang Lu used the upward rebound to draw his saber back and slash upward once more.

Sss—

For the first time, Wang Lu’s saber wounded an enemy. The blade swept across the man’s chin, leaving a bloody gash beneath his jaw.

The Jin soldier retreated hastily, the fury in his eyes at being ambushed replaced by terror.

The threat of death descended upon him as blood sprayed into the air.

But Wang Lu pursued relentlessly. One advanced while the other retreated, and their speeds were incomparable.

Saber in his right hand, Wang Lu stepped forward with his left foot.

A vicious expression flashed across the Jin soldier’s face. Just as he suddenly lowered his body and struck, Wang Lu sank his blade and used a left-guarding stance to block the opponent’s brutal counterattack.

The instant he completed the block, Wang Lu did not pause. He slashed diagonally upward.

The Jin soldier’s body snapped backward and toppled, another bloody mark appearing across his face.

Slash!

The Jin soldier had just begun to raise his saber and get to his feet when Wang Lu covered the distance in two strides and brought his blade down.

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The blade pierced into the Jin soldier’s chest.

Before Wang Lu could twist it, the Jin soldier drew a breath and swung his saber toward Wang Lu’s waist.

Clang—

His armor narrowly saved Wang Lu, blocking the blow. Wang Lu swiftly pulled out his saber and retreated, glancing down at his waist.

Blood was seeping faintly from the wound, but the pain had not yet arrived.

Wang Lu stared at the Jin soldier struggling up from the ground. With no time to check Shen Lian’s situation, he gathered his breath and took a small step forward in a bow stance.

He did not strike immediately.

When the Jin soldier roared and charged, bringing his saber down, Wang Lu raised his own to block.

Driven to stake everything on one final attack, the Jin soldier erupted with strength even more terrifying than before.

Wang Lu’s body sank under the force, yet a cold, satisfied smile flickered at the corner of his mouth.

Using the momentum of his descent, Wang Lu slashed diagonally upward.

Puff—

Clutching his throat, the Jin soldier collapsed with eyes filled with unwillingness.

Wang Lu’s chest heaved violently. Suppressing the nausea rising within him, he stepped forward again and hacked at the Jin soldier’s throat.

After two blows, the man’s neck was a mangled mass of flesh and blood.

Wang Lu wiped the blood from his face and turned toward Shen Lian’s battlefield.

Shen Lian had already driven his blade into the Jin soldier’s chest.

But the Jin soldier summoned his remaining strength and desperately resisted the blade’s penetration, while his other hand frantically drove the short knife buried in Shen Lian’s shoulder even deeper.

Wang Lu moved his feet and charged forward.

The Jin soldier’s eyes suddenly widened.

“Get away!”

It was still spoken in the Manchu tongue.

His face was drenched in blood and twisted with savagery.

Wang Lu could not understand him, but that did not stop him from recognizing the threat in the soldier’s voice.

Without pausing, Wang Lu closed the distance, twisted the hilt, reversed his grip, and drove the blade downward.

Schk—

The blade sank into the flesh of the Jin soldier’s neck.

The soldier’s eyes bulged.

Slice—

Wang Lu followed through with a pull, cutting through bone and opening the man’s neck to reveal the flesh and blood within.

The remaining air in his windpipe forced bloody foam to spray outward.

The Jin soldier died, his eyes fixed rigidly on Wang Lu.

He seemed unable to believe that he had been killed by the Ming bandit he had always considered weak.

Wang Lu’s scalp tingled. He kicked the Jin soldier’s head aside.

At last, he summoned the courage to curse, “What kind of bird-brained gibberish was that?”

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