Chapter 39

Lu Yao sighed and said, "General Liu, this matter did not arise solely because of him, nor is it his fault alone. If you wish to punish this squad leader, my subordinate, Shen Jin, is also to blame. Since that's the case, why don't you speak your mind directly? As long as I can do it, I will certainly give you a satisfactory response. There's no need to exert your authority on a mere squad leader."

"Heh heh... General Lu, it's rare to hear you speak so straightforwardly." Liu Yan gestured to the armored soldiers around him and said sternly, "Didn't your subordinate just claim that the soldiers of Bingzhou are all brave warriors who have fought through mountains of corpses, while the troops under Lord Yuanshi are merely suppressing a few rebels in Central China, fighting like children playing? I have brought sixty soldiers here, who are precisely the 'children playing' as Shen Jin described. Shen Jin, do you dare to challenge them?"

"Shen Jin, what are you saying? Are you looking for trouble?" Lu Yao glared at Shen Jin fiercely and muttered a complaint. He bowed deeply to Liu Yan and said, "General Liu, Shen Jin is just a rough warrior. It's common for him to speak rudely..."

Before he could finish, a loud shout, like a thunderclap, interrupted him: "Enough!"

Lu Yao turned back in surprise. Shen Jin, with his hair standing on end, strode forward and said proudly, "Daoming, a true man fears not death, so why should he endure such humiliation? Why do you have to be so submissive before this petty person?"

He glared at Liu Yan and sneered, "Liu Yan, the soldiers of Bingzhou have fought the Xiongnu for years, each battle a life-and-death struggle. To me, you are indeed like children playing! Do you want to challenge us? I, Old Shen, accept!"

Shen Jin spread his fists and took a fighting stance, shouting loudly, "Come on!"

Lu Yao was not a coward. In his youth in Luoyang, he had even emulated the behavior of roving knights who would draw their swords at the slightest provocation. However, after his near-death experience a few months ago, he seemed to have become more detached from trivial matters, and his temper had become unusually mild. Thus, no matter how aggressively Liu Yan pressed him, he could not feel angry.

He humbled himself before Liu Yan, not wanting to offend this close confidant of Lord Yuanshi. Was it because he was afraid of Liu Yan? No, it was to avoid causing a rift between the remaining Bingzhou troops and the generals under Lord Yuanshi, which would undermine the hard-won favorable situation.

The problem was that while Lu Yao could endure, Shen Jin was a man of fierce spirit who preferred to die with honor rather than live in disgrace. Although Shen Jin was an officer under Lu Yao, he had only been under his command for about ten days. Before that, they were both military leaders in Bingzhou, with no hierarchical difference, so Shen Jin had no sense of being a subordinate.

In Shen Jin's view, Lu Yao was overly humble and submissive. Even though Liu Yan's soldiers were being excessively aggressive, Lu Yao dared not say a harsh word, which he found unbearable. After enduring it for so long, he finally reached his limit. He immediately stopped Lu Yao and boldly issued a challenge!

Before he could persuade Liu Yan, trouble arose from behind. At this moment, Lu Yao could only cry out in frustration, with no time to think of a strategy. Just as he was in a hurry, a man in black robes and black armor shouted, "I will take the challenge!"

Before the words were out of his mouth, the soldier had already leaped forward, heading straight for Shen Jin.

The distance between them was only about two zhang (about 6.6 meters). At such a short distance, there was no room for leaping or jumping. However, his feet exerted such force that he accelerated from a standstill to an incredible speed in an instant, like a massive stone hurled by a catapult!

The sixty soldiers Liu Yan brought were not ordinary troops but a part of Lord Yuanshi's personal guard. This unit, numbering only five hundred, was the most elite and fierce, the core military force that allowed Lord Yuanshi to dominate Central China. Even the lowest-ranking soldiers were selected from among the bravest, those who had served as commanders of at least a hundred men.

Their leader was one of the "Sixteen Brave Riders of Zhongshan," sixteen valiant cavalry commanders. When Lu Yao first met Lord Yuanshi at Changping, he had fought with several of them. These sixteen men were from Zhongshan Weichang and had served the Liu family of Zhongshan for generations. Each had unique martial arts skills, and in the wild, they could easily become powerful local warlords.

Liu Yan was Lord Yuanshi's nephew and a core member of the staff who participated in secret matters. He knew well the immense pressure the brilliant and confident Governor of Bingzhou, Liu Kun, was under. Although Liu Kun had won every battle in the series of wars that led to the Donghai King's seizure of power, his success had raised suspicions. When the situation in Central China stabilized, the tens of thousands of troops who had fought under him were divided and taken over by the Sima clan's close relatives. Liu Kun himself could only lead a small force of a thousand cavalry to clean up the mess left by the incompetent Governor of Dongying, Sima Teng.

In such a situation, it was necessary to quickly subdue these rebellious remnants of the Bingzhou army... Liu Yan had thought this countless times. And when an opportunity arose, he would not let it slip. Now, he had invited Lin Jian to assist, not only to teach the mouthy soldier Shen Jin a harsh lesson but also to use Lin Jian's martial prowess to intimidate all kinds of people in Jinyang!

The distance of two zhang was easily covered by a quick step, let alone by a martial arts master like Lin Jian. Despite his heavy armor, his movements were as swift as lightning, and in an instant, he was close to Shen Jin. As he exhaled, his right fist, which had been coiled and ready, struck directly at Shen Jin's right rib.

As the fist swung, a faint sound of wind and thunder could be heard, indicating the immense power behind it. Lin Jian almost heard the sound of Shen Jin's ribs cracking!

In the next moment, the fist and palm met.

The fist was Lin Jian's powerful strike. The palm was Lu Yao's hand, which had suddenly appeared to intercept it.

Lu Yao had somehow positioned himself in front of Shen Jin and raised his palm to block Lin Jian's fierce attack.

Lu Yao's fingers were long, making his hand appear slender and delicate, like that of a scholar holding a brush, not a warrior's hand. However, when Lin Jian's thousand-pound punch struck his palm, it was like a massive stone sinking into an unfathomable deep pool, disappearing without a trace, not even causing a ripple.

As the commander of Lord Yuanshi's personal guard, Lin Jian was a renowned warrior who had fought in countless battles in Central China. His martial arts were highly skilled. When his first move failed, countless follow-up moves immediately followed, and he attacked Lu Yao with a storm of punches and kicks. The sound of their hands and feet colliding was like a rapid drumbeat, and their figures moved so quickly that they blurred the vision of those around them.

The two fought at breakneck speed, and in an instant, Lu Yao suddenly shouted, and Lin Jian's massive body was sent flying.

Under Liu Yan's incredulous gaze, Lin Jian stumbled backward. After retreating four or five steps, he tried to steady himself but stumbled even more. He finally stopped several zhang away, avoiding the humiliation of falling to the ground. His face was ashen, and he said hoarsely, "Lu Daoming, impressive skills."

Lu Yao retracted his palm and said calmly, "Brother Boyue, I believe you did not use your full strength. I yield."

A few months ago, during the breakout, Lu Yao had fainted and then experienced the awakening of his past life's memories. During that period of mental confusion, he endured unimaginable pain, even thinking he was about to die. However, when he woke up, he found no illness, and instead, his entire body seemed to have been reborn. Not only was his spirit extremely vigorous, but his physical strength had also increased significantly, more than doubling.

In the confrontation with Lin Jian, in terms of the sophistication of their techniques, they were evenly matched. However, even with the same moves, one person using five hundred pounds of force and another using a thousand pounds, the outcome was obvious.

Lu Yao turned to Liu Yan. His face still wore a gentle smile, but Liu Yan clearly saw a flash of sharp, blade-like light in his eyes. This gaze made Liu Yan feel a sudden, hair-raising fear, as if he were a defenseless scholar facing a tiger in the mountains. The tiger might seem lazy, but it could pounce and attack at any moment.

Liu Yan had never expected that Lu Yao, who had always been accommodating, would have such a fierce and overwhelming presence once he acted. He felt a sense of panic. Ignoring the sweat on his forehead, he gritted his teeth and said, "Lu Daoming, what do you intend? I, Liu Shiren, am a military advisor in Bingzhou and responsible for the security of Jinyang..."

Lu Yao smiled and interrupted Liu Yan, "General Liu, Brother Boyue, we are all under Lord Yuanshi and should unite against our common enemy. Such a public fist fight is not befitting of comrades. I just thought of a good way to challenge each other that won't harm our friendship. I hope General Liu will agree."

In Liu Yan's eyes, although Lu Yao was smiling, he seemed even more menacing, and he had no idea what trick he had in mind. However, since he had insisted on the challenge, he could not back down now. So he reluctantly said, "What kind of challenge do you propose? Speak up."

******

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