Chapter 48 My son, this body is quite useful...
Without making a sound, Lu Min shielded her behind him, took a step forward, and asked loudly, "Who goes there?"
His bodyguards, like the outstretched wings of a giant eagle, quickly formed a tight defensive line on both sides of him. A dozen or so blades gleamed forward, flashing a neat, cold light in the darkness. For every step the newcomer took closer, they moved forward as well.
Finally, one of the men in black spoke up, cupping his hands and saying, "My lord cordially invites you, Grand Tutor and young lady, to come with us."
This seemingly random and incomplete statement could not be fulfilled by anyone.
Ali Dao, full of complaints, angrily said, "Does your master think he's some kind of emperor, able to make anyone leave whenever he wants? My master isn't going, so you can all get out of here."
These words immediately drew admiration from Shi Mi, Ran Dian, and Yan Dian. Yan Dian said, "A Li Dao, you've been secretly improving again without letting us know!"
The maids accompanying the Grand Tutor's wife have always been known for their strange behavior. As they whispered among themselves, the secret guards naturally couldn't lag behind the male maids.
The neatly wielded blade took another half step forward, and a resounding "Retreat!" forced the man in black to take two steps back.
Lu Min seemed quite interested and curiously inquired, "Who is your master?"
The leader did not reveal the details, only saying, "Once the Grand Tutor is gone, everything will become clear."
Lu Min smiled and said, "I don't have the habit of taking orders from others. If your master insists on seeing me, please ask him to come here."
In truth, neither side intended to engage in proper negotiations; both were prepared to use force. There were about twenty men in black who, upon seeing this, swiftly drew their swords. Unlike ordinary materials, these swords emitted a dark, ominous light; they were made of meteorite iron.
Just by looking at these weapons, it's clear the enemy came prepared. Shi Mi whispered to the cyborg beside him, "Protect yourself, don't let the meteorite iron pierce your vital points."
Swords clashed, the true nature of their weapons was revealed, and the two sides immediately engaged in fierce combat. To Shi Mi's surprise, these men in black were all exceptionally skilled in martial arts, clearly having received excellent training. Furthermore, she could discern from their tactics and swordsmanship that they were not a ragtag group; they clearly retained military habits, indicating they were all from military backgrounds, or at least had served in the army.
Moreover, this fierce battle was truly a life-or-death struggle. By the time Shimi managed to pull herself out and look around, Lu Min's guards had suffered heavy losses, with more than half of them dead or wounded. Only then did she realize that among those men in black were top-tier experts, each one unstoppable, determined to sever Lu Min's arm.
She and Gu Jingguan successively released wooden puppets, but their meteorite iron swords were precisely used to break the puppet trap. To make matters worse, just as they defeated one group of men in black, another arrived. By the end, only Bai Heliang remained of the Dark Guards, severely wounded and struggling to cope. There was also San Yan; although he had managed to protect his vital points, he was also heavily injured, and despite his mutilated limbs, he continued to fight relentlessly.
In the end, they all fell one by one. Their goal was clear: to capture Yan Shi and Lu Min alive.
With a blade pressed against their necks, the three of them were forced together. The leader of the men in black spoke with a mocking tone: "Grand Tutor Lu, if you had listened to me from the beginning, why would we have gone to such lengths?"
A few strands of Lu Min's hair fell down, and there were wounds on his nose and neck, with blood staining his collar. Although he was in a sorry state, his spirit remained undiminished. He said disdainfully, "Even if you are not as skilled as others, you should still fight with all your might. If you can't win, at most you will die."
The man in black exclaimed in amazement, "The dignified Grand Tutor of the Yan Dynasty is actually not afraid of death! But the Grand Tutor really cannot die; keeping this life still has great uses." With that, he gave the man a hard shove on the back, causing him to stagger two steps. The men laughed boisterously and returned in triumph with their three "spoils of war."
Wandering through the mountains and fields, turning countless corners, they finally arrived at a place resembling a mountain stronghold. Here stood a sacrificial platform, a watchtower built of massive stones, and several caves adorned with porches. The largest and most conspicuous one was undoubtedly where the leader of the men in black issued commands. They were pushed and shoved towards the porch. In the chaos, Shi Mi glanced at Lu Min, seeing no confusion or fear of the unknown; rather, his eyes revealed a burning desire to find the answers.
Perhaps being captured is not the end of the story, but the beginning.
The elusive "lord" finally made his appearance. They were bound hand and foot and led to the center of the cave. A man dressed in a black robe with gold trim sat on the throne at the head of the room, wearing a mask with kui patterns, so his true face could not be seen.
The leader in black reported back, "My lord, the person has been brought."
The person at the head of the table then stood up and slowly walked down step by step.
Behind the Kui-patterned mask, a pair of eyes brazenly surveyed the three, starting with Gu Jingguan. After a long pause as if reuniting with an old friend, the voice was filled with laughter, "Mr. Gu, you are indeed still alive. How have you been?"
Gu Jingguan was taken aback, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
The man then turned to Shimi, seemingly quite satisfied, "This little girl is quite capable."
Next was Lu Min. Strangely, the man's height and posture were exactly the same as his. The two stood face to face, like seeing another version of themselves in a mirror. The man murmured in admiration, "Flawless, the craftsman's skill is truly exquisite."
Shi Mi was startled. She should have been able to switch Lu Min's bodies without anyone noticing. Besides, who was Lu Min? He wouldn't let a third person know such a crucial secret. Yet this person before her seemed to know everything. There was only one possibility: everything was part of his plan, everything was deliberately arranged by him.
"Who exactly are you!" The one who shouted at the top of his lungs was not Lu Min, but Gu Jingguan.
He tried to break free of his restraints and remove the mask. The man's words, tone, and voice reminded him of the person he hated so deeply. But that person was clearly dead long ago, so why did he suddenly reappear? For years, he had been convincing himself that death absolves all debts, but it turned out to be wishful thinking on his part.
The man turned around upon hearing this, without answering. A short, soft laugh came from behind the mask, as if mocking his dullness.
Perhaps he had hidden long enough, he raised his hand and removed his mask, revealing a face that bore an eight or nine-tenths resemblance to Lu Min. However, this face showed signs of aging, with graying temples and deep wrinkles around the eyes, long gone from its former glory.
He walked up to Lu Min, his gaze lingering softly on his face. "Yue Lin, my son, we have been separated for many years. I never expected that we would meet again in this situation."
Lu Min showed no surprise whatsoever. He looked at the person in front of him and said expressionlessly, "I have been thinking of you for many years. Every time I couldn't find your body, my heart ached. I never thought you were still alive. You fooled everyone, including me."
His reaction surprised Lu Xuanzhou somewhat. "It seems you already know that your father is still alive."
Lu Min chuckled. "I caught the Nightmare Master. That old man couldn't take a beating. In no time, he told me everything."
Lu Xuanzhou exclaimed "Ah!" and said with annoyance, "That old bastard is very slippery. Afterwards, I wanted to kill him, but he had already disappeared without a trace. I investigated him for more than ten years, but I could not find out his whereabouts. I never thought he would fall into your hands. It's really a matter of timing and luck."
The person standing nearby clarified that Lu Min had said he had heard many secrets from the Nightmare Master that day, including the truth about his father's faked death.
She couldn't help but ask, "Wasn't it Emperor Shengyuan who issued an edict to announce to the world that you died on the battlefield?"
Lu Xuanzhou's tone carried a hint of smugness as he spoke in a leisurely voice, "So it's good to rule the world by yourself. As long as one person is convinced, the rest of the world will have no choice but to believe. Yue Lin has already interrogated the Nightmare Master about what happened. Didn't he tell you? That old man's single stick of soothing incense was enough to fabricate everything he wanted you to see. I just need to bribe the attendants around the Yan King so that the Nightmare Master has the opportunity to light the incense. Reality and dreams are indistinguishable to the naked eye. Once the news of my death at the border arrives, the King will believe it without a doubt. Once the imperial decree of commendation is issued, the fact that I died for my country will be confirmed. The Lu family has long been feared by the Yan King. Without this trick of escaping unscathed, I would have died at the Yan King's hands sooner or later. It's better to act decisively, preserve the entire Lu clan, and also preserve Yue Lin's position in the court."
"But you poisoned him," Shimi questioned. "Wasn't that note on my bundle also placed there by your men?"
The truth was cruel just to say it. She recalled Lu Min's despair and heartbreak a while ago, which must have been because he had discovered the truth.
Lu Xuanzhou seemed somewhat ashamed, and after a moment of silence, he nodded. "I want to take a gamble." As he spoke, he looked at Lu Min with a maniacal gaze. "I didn't make the wrong bet. My son, a prodigy, entered officialdom at the age of twelve, became one of the Three Dukes at the age of twenty-three, and now he's become even bolder, even usurping the country... You've done everything your father wanted to do. It wasn't for nothing that I spent eight years teaching you."
Lu Min looked at him with a sorrowful expression and asked sadly, "Grandpa, I am your own son. Don't you care about the bond between father and son? Why do you want to kill me?"
Lu Xuanzhou said, "I didn't intend to kill you. I'm just giving you a time limit to find the puppet master."
First, they poisoned him, then they lured the puppeteer to create a physical body for him. Shimi couldn't understand why a father would go to such lengths to scheme against his own son.
Gu Jingguan had already seen through the nature of the matter and sneered, "Isn't it just a matter of time before he's put to death? He's going to show his fangs soon anyway, so why bother pretending to be at peace for now?"
Lu Min finally closed his eyes in disappointment, while Lu Xuanzhou, perhaps feeling exposed, no longer concealed himself and laughed, "Mr. Gu is straightforward and speaks very reasonably. Look, don't Lu Min and I look very alike? When I was attacked, I was saved by his mother, who used witchcraft to conceive him. As for whether there is any blood ties, there are, but not much. When I discovered that this twelve-year-old child looked exactly like me, I knew that this drama was not over yet, and I could use him to openly and legitimately return to the Central Court."
Gu Jingguan scoffed, "It seems that heaven has been kind to you; his achievements far exceed your imagination."
“Indeed, when I retired, the Yan Dynasty was still fighting with the Jing Dynasty for cattle and sheep on the border. I never imagined that more than ten years later I would be able to unify the five kingdoms and rule the world.” As he spoke, he walked up to Lu Min and looked him over greedily. “My son, is this body still working well for you? It’s just a pity that the people under you are so unruly. I told them not to damage you, but they still hurt you.”
His heartache wasn't due to fatherly affection, but entirely because he couldn't bear to part with this physical body. Shimi finally understood his ultimate purpose: the body of the Yanren was merely a vessel; if it could hold Lu Min's heart, it could naturally hold Lu Xuanzhou's as well.
She used to listen to her master tell stories, and when she heard about people and things she couldn't understand, she was filled with righteous indignation. But her master laughed and told her that people's hearts are like deep wells. If the water is clear, you can see your reflection, but if it's dry, it's unfathomable. At the bottom of the well, besides poisonous insects, there is only rotten and smelly silt.
She had always thought her master was exaggerating, but after meeting Lu Xuanzhou today, she finally believed what her master had said was true. There really are such ruthless people in the world, who make their sons do what they themselves cannot, and if they fail, they are left to die. But if they succeed, they come back to reap the benefits. As long as Lu Min's heart is won over, youth and power will be gained; what difference does it make who lives in that body?
Anyway, now that things have come to this, there's no need to pretend anymore.
Lu Xuanzhou tore open Lu Min's clothes, stared at the red line on his chest for a long time, and then turned to ask Shi Mi: "Your limbs and bones have already been thoroughly nourished. If you were to have a heart transplant now, how long would it take for you to be able to move freely again?"
Shimi said, "Don't think about it anymore, I won't commit this sin."
Upon hearing this, Lu Xuanzhou laughed in surprise, "Princess, could it be that you've fallen in love with him? Don't forget, he led the army to defeat the Yu Dynasty, and he ordered the massacre of those 200,000 soldiers. Such an irreconcilable feud, how can you not be able to let him go?"
Shi Mi glanced at Lu Min, who turned his head away, his eyes filled with sorrow, as if he had a thousand words to say but could no longer express them.
Is this guy putting on an act? Shimi stared at him, cursing him a thousand times in his heart. Didn't he say before that the show couldn't start without him? He clearly came prepared. But what kind of time is this? His father is going to dig out his heart, and he still has the mind to pretend? Why isn't he moving?
He must have a backup plan! He must have! So she had to hold on, gritting her teeth and saying, "I never gave Ban Yan a heart transplant. You can have it if you want, but I can't guarantee he'll survive."
Lu Xuanzhou nodded slowly, then suddenly drew his long sword with a "whoosh" and held it to Gu Jingguan's neck. "How about this? You can think of a way, right? I've been lying low in Guanling for many years, and I've finally waited until today to trick you and your fellow disciples into coming to my door. If I don't achieve my goal, wouldn't all this painstaking planning have been in vain?"
Shi Mi was instantly enraged, "Did you write this letter in your master's name?"
Lu Xuanzhou didn't speak, but his smug smile said it all.
At this moment, his trusted subordinates entered, pushed open the back wall of the stone chamber, revealing another inner room, which was fully equipped with a long table, knives, and even needles and thread.
Lu Xuanzhou flicked the tip of his knife. "If the princess's skills are lacking, then please ask Mr. Gu to take the knife himself. If you make any moves, your junior sister's life will be in danger." He then changed his tone again. "Of course, if you want to avenge that Yan Nu, you can disregard your junior sister's life. So I advise the princess to do it herself and not entrust her life to others. After all, no one in this world can be trusted."
Everything seemed to have progressed to this point, and it appeared to be a done deal. Shimi stared expectantly at Lu Min, believing he wouldn't be easily manipulated, but why did he seem to have resigned himself to his fate?
As he was pushed and shoved into the inner room, he kept asking Lu Xuanzhou, "Did you kill my mother?"
Lu Xuanzhou didn't mince words and readily agreed, "I needed her to subdue the Baiyi people, so I tolerated her schemes against me. Later, when the Baiyi submitted, she became worthless. I wanted to personally train you; having her around would only disrupt my plans. It was better to end it all, and you wouldn't have to rely on a woman's hands. Facts have proven me right, and that's why you have achieved what you have today."
Lu Min gave a bitter laugh, tears welling in his eyes, and murmured, "Indeed... in my grandfather's eyes, I was never even considered a person."
In that instant, a short sword suddenly slid out of his sleeve. When it was drawn, it was only a hand's length long, but in the blink of an eye, it folded and opened, suddenly becoming three feet long.
With a swift, lightning-fast sweep, the black-clad man escorting him was decapitated. The remaining two rushed forward, and with swift, equal moves, finished him off as well.
A commotion of running and shouting came from outside. Shimi turned his head and saw a figure flash by wearing velvet dove-head boots. These boots were so soft that they made no sound when stepped on, and they were the attire of the assassins from Jiuzhang Prefecture.
Lu Xuanzhou then realized he had fallen into his trap and gritted his teeth, saying, "You little brat, I underestimated you."
The battle between father and son was evenly matched. The clash of swords was relentless, initially evenly matched, but later, perhaps due to the disparity in physical strength, Lu Xuanzhou gradually fell behind. Adding to his woes, the guard at the cave entrance was kicked into the cave, briefly distracting him. Lu Min's longsword mercilessly severed his right arm, the one holding the sword, and then tossed the weapon to Gu Jingguan, clearly intending for him to avenge his beloved.
A painful scream immediately rang out, and Lu Min grabbed Shi Mi's hand and led her out of the cave.
"Did my senior brother kill him?" Shimi turned around and looked around.
Lu Min smiled and said, "A son cannot kill his father, so please ask Mr. Gu to do it."
At this moment, Bai Heliang came back to report that several wooden kites, each the size of a tabletop, had been found on the stone platform in front of the cliff. The kites seemed to be on springs, constantly stretching their wings and flapping their wings; if they were not restrained, they would soar into the sky.
Startled, Shi Mi cried out in panic, "Don't let go!"
These wooden kites were specifically used by Lingyin Mountain for relaying messages. He hadn't suspected anything because he'd seen them before. However, the relaying devices were cleverly designed; if forcibly suppressed, the springs would lock, and releasing them would trigger self-destruction. This self-destruction wasn't the silent annihilation of the puppet; it was a resolute act of mutual destruction.
Without thinking of anything else, she rushed over to remove it, but her reminder did not have the desired effect.
The wooden kites were incredibly strong, with a wingspan of about ten feet, making them impossible for one or two people to control. Just as she was about to touch the mechanism, one of the wooden kites broke free from the assassins' grasp and exploded with a "bang," the massive impact slamming into Shimi.
She instinctively tried to grab onto something for support, but she missed and was thrown away by the force. She vaguely heard Ran Dian and Yan Dian's exclamations, but before she could respond, she plummeted down the cliff face.
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