Chapter 234 The Choice: With the sword in hand, whom should I kill?

"No!" Lou Cangyu and Mu Lexiu shouted.

Guan Ye reached out to snatch the blade, but before she could touch the Meteor Sword, Cui Jin drew his curved saber and flicked it against the hilt, causing the Meteor Sword to slip from her hand and fall to the ground with a clatter.

“The young lady has already lost one daughter, she cannot lose another.” Cui Jin sighed. “You owe her nothing, what you owe is me.” Cui Jin knelt down, picked up the Meteor Sword and carefully wiped it clean. “It is love, it is hatred, it is unrequited love, it is something I cannot let go of. A-Jing has been obsessed for half her life, unable to save the young lady, unable to help the young master, and instead caused a terrible mistake because of her own selfish desires… The Meteor Stone, it was I who sent it to Canglang Island, it was me… who killed the young lady’s daughter.”

Noticing that Cui Jin seemed to be contemplating suicide, Ajiu said loudly, "Grand Preceptor Cui, the deceased is gone, but the living must find a way to live on and protect the last of the young lady's bloodline. The young lady's spirit in heaven will surely be pleased."

Cui Jin suddenly understood, glanced at Ajiu with his single eye, and slowly loosened his grip on the Meteor Sword.

"You all!" Mu You roared, arms outstretched in fury. "Do you all dare to defy me?" Mu You pointed at Cui Jin, "Grand Preceptor Cui, or A Jing? Fugitive from Tianhu Fang, you concealed your identity, disfigured yourself, and gouged out one eye to infiltrate my side. You plotted for years to bring A Jiu to my side. Your intentions are despicable and unforgivable. You deserve to die!"

Mu You then pointed at Guan Ye, "Guan Ye, Guan Xiaotian's daughter. Guan Xiaotian was not wronged in the blood crossbow case. You should have died at the execution ground long ago. How could you have survived until now?"

As Mu You spoke, he pointed at Mu Chenbi, the prince, and suddenly felt a little dazed as he looked at him. “Ajiu…Chenbi…Ajiu is still Chenbi? Ajiu of unknown origin, you impersonated someone else and came to Rongdu. Do you know what you are doing? You are in cahoots with Cui Jin, committing the serious crime of deceiving the emperor. Cui Jin deserves to die, and you deserve to die too.”

Mu You propped himself up on his chair, shook his sleeves, and pointed at Lu Xiaojun, "Lu Xiaojun...you can actually be him? The Tianhufang was wiped out, yet so many people escaped? If I had known this would happen, I should have laid a net to capture you all and bring you to justice, to appease the three thousand archers of Eagle Ridge."

"Hahahaha." Lu Xiaojun threw her head back and laughed loudly, "Are you out of your mind? You were the one who started the Blood Crossbow incident. So, should we kill you and use your blood to appease the three thousand heroic spirits?"

Mu You laughed and spread his hands, saying, "Me? Of the three thousand crossbows, which one wasn't made by the craftsmen of Tianhu Workshop? Did they pass through my hands? My hands are clean and innocent; it is your Lu family that is stained with blood."

Lu Xiaojun pointed to the sky, "Heaven above, Heaven has eyes, allowing me, Lu Xiaojun, to know the whole truth. Mu You, A Jing said, no matter how powerful my sword is, can it still cut through thousands of troops and kill you? Today you are so close, you almost died by my hand."

Mu You laughed, "It's still a little short. You can't kill me, none of you can kill me, so what if you know the truth? Today, who among you can leave the Zetian Palace and who will remain in the palace is all under my control. All the stories end today, and finally... they end."

With a slight twist of his wrist, Cui Jin held the curved blade in front of him, and with a flash of his black robe, he shielded Wushuang behind him. "Your Majesty, she is your daughter. Even though we haven't seen each other for twenty years, the bond of blood cannot be severed. Let her go."

"Ah Jing," Lu Xiaojun rebuked angrily, "Why are you begging him? Things have come to this point, who do you think he will let go? Wushuang? Let alone his dispensable daughter, I'm afraid even his own son might not be able to leave here alive today."

Upon hearing this, both Mu Chenbi and Mu Lexiu felt a tightness in their hearts. Mu Lexiu said in a trembling voice, "Father... Your subject... Your subject knows nothing. Your subject... May I take my leave?" As Mu Lexiu spoke, he quietly moved his feet backward.

"Can I trust you, my son?" Mu You's words were chilling.

Mu Lexiu's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground. "Father, I know nothing. I am your own flesh and blood, and we are of one mind. I will not reveal anything. I will go and summon the Eagle Guards to wipe out these traitors. I will go now..."

"Did I say I was going to kill you?" Mu You said quietly. "You are my son, just like Shen Bi. Your brother was able to remain calm and stand up until now. Why can't you do the same? If you stay in the palace, it means that father and son are of one mind. Just watch how I do it."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Mu You raised his arm and swung it down, and dozens of black-clad assassins leaped down from the roof of the hall. The assassins, their faces covered with black cloths and wielding various weapons, surrounded the crowd in an instant, waiting only for Mu You's command.

Mu Lexiu was terrified and turned to run towards the palace gate, but the gate was locked and no matter how much he pounded on it, no one could open it. "Someone, someone!" Mu Lexiu mumbled, "Let me out."

"Useless thing." Mu You's eyes showed disgust. "You always try to compete with your brother for precedence, but you're far inferior to him. Don't waste your energy. Without my order, no one can leave the Zetian Palace, including my son."

Mu Chenbi turned to look at the palace gate. There were many figures outside the palace, clearly guarded by many Eagle Guards. These Eagle Guards must have been instructed by Mu You to surround the palace like an iron barrel, making it impossible for the people inside to escape. Their chances of survival were slim.

Cui Jin suddenly pushed Wushuang away with a palm strike, lightly touched the ground with his toes to pick up the Meteor Sword, Lu Xiaoyun lifted Wushuang with one hand and caught the Meteor Sword with the other, nodded slightly to Cui Jin, and then put the sword into Wushuang's hands, "Charge out."

Cui Jin flicked his wrist and swung the knife in his hand. The knife spun like a crescent moon and slashed at Mu You. Mu You pulled the Eagle Guard leader who was protecting him to the side. Before the man could whimper, the blade had already cut through his throat and returned to Cui Jin's hand.

"Kill him!" Lu Xiaojun roared, drawing his sword. He hadn't bled all his blood yet. As long as he had a breath left, he was still the young master of Tianhu Fang, burdened with a blood feud. He would fight desperately to kill his enemy. "Wushuang, kill him with your uncle. Avenge your mother and Tianhu Fang."

Mu You's expression was cold. He turned to look at A Jiu, his pale eyes flickering as if trying to see him more clearly. After a moment, his thin lips parted slightly, uttering a soft yet terrifying voice, "Who exactly are you?" Then he glanced at the prince's identical face, "And who are you?"

Mu You shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice, "I can't tell them apart anymore. If they have the same face, they are the same people. Rather than kill the wrong person, I must let the wrong person go. So..."

"Father!" Mu Lexiu's head was buzzing, and he felt like he had been struck by lightning. "Your son has never been involved in anything. Your son is your own flesh and blood. If you kill your son, you...you will lose your son. You will lose your son. Please, Father, spare your son's life. Today's events never happened. Your son knows nothing about them."

"Leave no one alive." Mu You dusted his hands and turned his back.

"Go to hell!" Feng Shisan couldn't hold back any longer. With a Dragon Claw Hand, he crushed the throat of the assassin beside him and swiftly snatched the weapon from his hand. His imposing figure stood like a wall in front of Mei Shiyu. "Young Master Mei, be careful."

The group was locked in a fierce battle with the Eagle Guards, when they saw someone stabbing at Guan Ye. Ajiu leaped towards Guan Ye, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her behind him. He reached for his waist, and the sound of a sword rang out. Shuang Ye was already unsheathed, and the sword flashed as it pierced the Eagle Guard's chest with precision and ruthlessness.

Your Highness, Mu Chenbi stood motionless with his arms hanging down. Feng Shisan, who had killed several people for him, glared angrily and said, "He said he wouldn't leave a single one alive. Are you dreaming that he would spare you? Swords have no eyes. I can barely protect you myself for long. Are you waiting to die if you don't make a move?"

Mu Chenbi sighed deeply, slowly raising his head to look at his father's back in the hall. If he shouted "Father!" and knelt down to apologize like his brother, would his father forgive him? As Mu Chenbi pondered this, a dark figure suddenly swung a blade at him. Just as blood was about to be drawn, a sharp sound rang out, and a hard weapon knocked the knife from the assassin's hand. Feng Shisan seized the opportunity to stab the man to death, then growled at Mu Chenbi, "Aren't you going to do it? Do you really want to die like Jiang Muyun?"

“He didn’t even spare Wushuang, do you think he’ll let you off the hook?” Feng Shisan wanted to punch Mu Chenbi. “Wake up, you idiot.”

Mu Chenbi looked down at the weapon that had saved him—it was the short sword that Guan Ye had hidden, the short sword that he had sharpened himself.

"Mu Chenbi!" Guan Ye shouted at him, "Pick it up!"

Mu Chenbi picked up the short sword as if possessed. Guan Ye called out his name. Mu Chenbi thought his father would turn around and look at him, but his back was as resolute as his words. He was willing to give up anything for her.

"Mu Chenbi, you can't die!" Guan Ye cried out again. "None of us will die."

“Mu Chenbi.” Ajiu raised an eyebrow at him. “We have the same face. Even if we can’t be brothers, we can still be friends. We haven’t even been friends for a day, and you want to die like this? Let’s fight our way out and talk for three days and three nights. Guan Ye will pour us some wine.”

Mu Chenbi's veins bulged on the back of his hand as he fiercely thrust his sword at the assassins attacking from behind. With no other way out, he had no choice but to fight his way out.

As weapons clashed and blood splattered, Zetian Palace instantly transformed into a battlefield. Mu Lexiu, who knew no martial arts, could not care about himself as everyone fought. Only the swordsman named Lou Cangyu stood still, as if deep in thought. Mu Lexiu dodged the swords and flashed to Lou Cangyu's side, grabbing his sleeve and pleading, "Your name is Lou Cangyu? If you can protect me today, I will grant you everything you desire in the future. Quickly, protect me and get me out of here."

Lou Cangyu remained unmoved despite Mu Lexiu's attempts to pull him away. As Cui Jin's swordsman, he had entered the palace, and his weapon hadn't been removed by the Eagle Guards. He had promised Wushuang he wouldn't draw his sword lightly. Who could have imagined that a meeting with the Emperor would turn into a bloodbath? Lou Cangyu closed his eyes in deep thought. He had betrayed Xingguo Fang for his service, joining Cui Jin's ranks, only to discover that Cui Jin was also a traitor to Tianhu Fang. And Wushuang… she was actually Mu You's daughter… Given her noble birth, why was she so easily misled by treacherous people, refusing to kneel and acknowledge her father? She actually dared to draw her sword against her father!

Lou Cangyu, oh Lou Cangyu, it's your own fault for being blinded. You escaped one danger only to fall into another. It's not hard to pull back from the brink, but it's hard to know... what will the Emperor think when he sees you defecting one after another? Lou Cangyu glanced at the crowd, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Lou Cangyu." Wushuang slashed at several people, wiping the blood splattered on his face with his palm. "Draw your sword."

Lou Cangyu drew his sword… His eyes flickered slightly.

"Draw your sword!" Wushuang shouted again. "What are you waiting for? You made the wrong choice once, do you want to make the same mistake again?"

Lou Cangyu lowered his eyes to look at the sword, as if he had made the greatest decision. He exerted force in his wrist to shake the scabbard off, and the sharp sword was drawn. Lou Cangyu let out a low roar. With the sword in his hand, who should he kill?