Translator: Ink Hub
Editor: Yoog

The atmosphere in the hall became incredibly eerie. Most of the people present were completely bewildered, unable to grasp what was happening.

The ones who should have fallen remained standing, while those who were supposed to stay upright had all collapsed.

Li Chengxiao’s expression shifted from stunned silence to shock, and finally to a burning rage. He glared fixedly at Luo Yu.

“It was you! You did this!”

“I think you are the only one playing tricks here.”

Luo Yu let out a cold laugh and slowly stepped out from the crowd.

“During the previous battle at Black Ditch, I recovered a secret letter of surrender from the body of the Qiang centurion, Walige. The writer of that letter had made a pact with the Qiang to open the gates and surrender on New Year’s Eve, taking the opportunity to eliminate the other military officers in the city. Since returning to Yunyang Pass, I have been searching for this traitor, but for many days, I couldn’t find a single lead. General Li, you certainly hid yourself well.”

“Damn it, you actually found it.”

Li Chengxiao’s face turned ashen with fury. “But why did you suspect me? I didn’t write that letter with my own hand. There are so many generals in Yunyang Pass, you shouldn’t have suspected me.”

He couldn’t understand it. He had masked his tracks so well, so how had Luo Yu seen through him?

“No, no, no. I was never certain who it was. I only had my suspicions about you.”

Luo Yu explained at a leisurely pace, “Back when you tried to recruit me, you unintentionally mentioned Walige’s name during our chat. That was the very beginning of my suspicion, but that one sentence was far from enough. Then I began to think: if a traitor wanted to seize control of the city’s military power before defecting, they would surely find a way to gather all the officers and wipe them out in one fell swoop. To do this, they would need a catalyst, a suitable setting, such as today, where everyone is gathered together. The moment I received the invitation, I actually suspected General Jun.”

To the side, Jun Yi was stunned. So, he had invited everyone to a meal only to be treated as a traitorous rebel by Luo Yu?

Luo Yu continued.

“Today is a banquet, the time when everyone’s guard is at its lowest. If one truly wanted to silence everyone, the best method would be to lace the food and wine with drugs, poisoning everyone directly. Therefore, while you were all drinking just now, I took a trip to the back kitchen to see if there was anything wrong with today’s spread. I looked around and found nothing unusual at first, but as luck would have it, I ran into your vice-commander. The moment I saw him, I knew the traitor was you!

“He had bribed the staff of Zuixian Restaurant, intending to use a sleeping draft to knock us out. As for why your men are the ones who fell, that is quite simple. I held a blade to the waiter’s throat and forced him to pour the sleeping draft into the wine intended for the Li family. You thought we were drinking poisoned wine, but in reality, the drugged wine was in the cups of your own subordinates! To trick you into speaking the truth, I made sure not to poison you.”

The truth was finally out: Li Chengxiao was the traitor! Everyone looked around, searching for the vice-commander. That man was currently lying on the floor, unconscious. He likely never expected that he would be the one to be drugged.

“It was you! It was you who ruined my plans!”

Li Chengxiao’s eyes bulged with fury. “If I had known, I should have killed you back then and never given you a chance to live!”

“Enough, Li Chengxiao. The play we had to act out for you is over.”

Kong Xian sneered.

“Surrender now! Do not make a pointless struggle.”

“Surrender? Bah!”

Li Chengxiao’s gaze was incredibly poisonous.

“Who says I’ve lost? Just in case, I hid fifty elite death soldiers within Zuixian Restaurant. Not a single one of you will escape!”

The crowd panicked once more. They hadn’t expected that besides the drugged wine, Li Chengxiao had actually prepared an ambush of death soldiers. It seemed he had made exhaustive preparations for this day.

Crack!

Li Chengxiao violently smashed his wine cup, the porcelain shattering into pieces. He roared, “Men! Kill them all!

“Brat, I told you, I’ll tear you into eight pieces later!”

Li Chengxiao had already imagined eighteen different ways to kill Luo Yu in his mind. He felt a strange sense of relief. Luckily, he was clever enough to leave himself a backup plan.

The scene became tense again. Some people grabbed stools or table corners, preparing for a desperate fight.

However, the area outside the hall remained deathly silent. Not a single soldier appeared.

Li Chengxiao’s expression went through another transformation: from ferocious to stunned, and then to pure panic.

Creeeak—!

The heavy wooden doors were finally pushed open. Dong Chuan and Pang Fei, the vice centurion under Xiao Shaoyou, walked in. Both held blood-stained scimitars in their hands. They cupped their fists in unison.

“The men the Li family had in ambush have all been dealt with. Please rest easy, everyone!”

Luo Yu’s face carried a mocking sneer, as if he were looking at an idiot.

“I already guessed that something would happen at today’s banquet. How could I not come prepared? General Li, you underestimated me far too much.”

In truth, while Luo Yu and Xiao Shaoyou were attending the banquet, the elites under their command had already moved out in full force to quietly surround Zuixian Restaurant. Today, whether the traitor had been Jun Yi or Li Chengxiao, no one was going to succeed.

Thud.

Li Chengxiao staggered back, his hands gripping the back of a chair so hard his knuckles turned white.

“My plan was flawless! It was you… it was all because of you, you bastard!”

He was filled with hate. He had plotted for so long, only to fall at the hands of a mere recruit.

“Hahaha!”

Unlike Li Chengxiao’s despair, Kong Xian laughed uproariously.

“Li Chengxiao, oh Li Chengxiao! This is what they call bringing ruin upon oneself! You asked for this!”

In his desperation, Li Chengxiao fell into a frenzy. He lunged at Luo Yu without regard for his own safety.

“You ruined my plans! Brat, I’ll kill you!”

He was a general after all, and his skills were decent. He grabbed a scimitar, kicked off a table, and launched himself into the air, slashing directly at Luo Yu. Such a ferocious assault sent the surrounding people scattering in fear.

Luo Yu, who was long prepared, showed no fear. He even met the attack head-on. During his forward charge, the short dagger, Breaking Dawn, already leaped into his palm.

“Hah!”

Li Chengxiao’s eyes were wide with rage as he delivered a final, desperate strike.

“Die for me!”

Puchi!

The two crossed blades. Luo Yu, who had also leaped into the air, twisted his frame mid-flight. The enemy’s blade grazed past his chest, while Breaking Dawn swept upward, burying itself deep into Li Chengxiao’s throat.

The corpse tumbled from the air. Li Chengxiao’s body convulsed uncontrollably, and he soon departed for the Western Heaven. The look in his eyes before death was one of pure, unbridled resentment.

Luo Yu looked coldly at the corpse without the slightest hint of mercy. A traitor like this deserved to die!

The gazes of everyone present shifted as they looked at Luo Yu. Although he held the lowest rank as a mere centurion, that series of calculated deployments followed by that fatal strike was enough to prove his extraordinary foresight and skill.

It could be said that without Luo Yu, everyone present today would have died.

Kong Xian’s majestic voice slowly echoed through the room.

“Li Chengxiao conspired with the Qiang enemies; his crime is unforgivable. He has now been executed according to the law. Hang his corpse outside the city gate to deter any other petty scoundrels. Furthermore, to ensure the safety of Yunyang Pass, the troops formerly under his command will all be reorganized. I will personally appoint new officers to lead them.”

“Understood!”

Amid the chorus of agreement, Jun Yi frowned. Kong Xian was taking this opportunity to swallow up the Li family’s troops. But since Li Chengxiao had sought his own death, Jun Yi couldn’t very well voice an objection.

“I hope everyone can take this as a warning! Do not harbor any treacherous thoughts!”

Kong Xian barked coldly.

“Yunyang Pass is vital to the safety of Que Prefecture. If anyone dares to follow Li Chengxiao’s example and commit treason by colluding with the enemy, I will show no mercy!”

NOTES
Western Heaven (西天): A Buddhist term for the afterlife or the realm of the dead.