Chapter 64: Kidney Destroyer

Swish!

Wang Lu slashed downward, his blade slicing through the opponent's neck until only a thin layer of skin held it together. His face was instantly covered in blood, and his hands were dyed completely crimson, making him look like a living executioner.

Before he could strike a cool pose like in the movies, several subordinate commanders charged at him from behind in a surprise attack.

Wang Lu spun his long saber, blocking the incoming strike. Using the rebound force, the blade traced a semicircle as he sidestepped and thrust forward.

In a flash, he punched a gaping hole through a junior commander.

Whirling around, he delivered another slash that ripped open the stomach of the man who had nearly succeeded in ambushing him.

The unfortunate fellow with the ruptured belly looked down in utter disbelief. He distinctly remembered wearing armor, yet Wang Lu’s blade had managed to weave through the gaps with terrifying dexterity.

Such exceptional swordsmanship left him dying with eternal regret.

"Mighty Thousand-House Commander!" Seeing Wang Lu deeply engrossed in the slaughter, Lin Guoer forcefully pressed his face against the floor tiles to pull the soiled rag out of his mouth, then roared at the top of his lungs to cheer him on.

Encouraged by Lin Guoer’s cry, Wang Lu’s remaining men rallied around him, raising their sabers and shouting in unison, "Mighty Thousand-House Commander! Mighty Thousand-House Commander!"

By single-handedly carving out an advantageous position, Wang Lu had drastically boosted troop morale, especially when compared to Chang Zhi and Du Rong, who had loitered in the rear waiting to reap the rewards without effort.

Intimidated by this overwhelming momentum and the terrifying sight of Wang Lu's razor-sharp technique and ruthless methods, the subordinates of Chang Zhi and Du Rong began to hesitate. Catching the murderous glint in Wang Lu's eyes, they reined in their charge and spontaneously began to reform their ranks.

Fresh blood streamed down the fuller of Wang Lu’s blade—a deliberate modification he had commissioned from the craftsmen.

Having spent countless hours surfing the internet in his past life, how could he be oblivious to the legends of triangular military bayonets and blood grooves?

Since Shen Lian’s blade also featured a fuller, Wang Lu had naturally followed suit.

Though it felt somewhat redundant to him since he usually cleaved his enemies down directly, a blood fuller truly proved its worth during fierce thrusts and stabs.

He glanced at his surviving men. Out of the corner of his eye, he counted only seven left. Six had died—roughly half their number.

Yue Qian, Xue Jing, and the others were still alive, though all bore various wounds.

Even Shen Lian was injured, having taken two deep cuts to his back, likely from the sneak attack.

Only Wang Lu was covered entirely in the blood of others.

When the blood-soaked Wang Lu spoke, his voice was raspy.

Now he finally understood why people always sounded hoarse after a fierce fight; it was because one tended to hold their breath while hacking and slashing, and after shouting at the top of their lungs, how could their voice not become gravelly?

When Bruce Lee made those strange shrieks during a fight, his voice was probably worn out not by any threat from his opponents, but from his own vocal exertion.

"Your superior sent you here to die while he sits back to reap the rewards—is it worth it? If you continue to resist stubbornly, not only will you end up with nothing, but Commander Tian will brand you as rebels or traitors, and your entire families will be reduced to slaves and servants because of you!"

Wang Lu's gaze was cold. "I said this before, and I say it still. I am not begging you to spare me; rather, out of consideration for our shared service in the Northern Guard Bureau, I am giving you a chance to leave yourselves a way out."

With blood splattered across his face, staining his lips and teeth red as he spoke, Wang Lu looked like an evil spirit, chilling the hearts of his enemies.

The bravest and most loyal fighters had already perished beneath Wang Lu's blade, some without even a whole corpse left behind. The remaining twenty-odd men had entirely lost their previous edge.

Anyone could fight a battle when the wind was at their back, but none of them had expected Wang Lu to be ferocious to this degree.

He simply wasn't human!

Seeing his men begin to panic, Chang Zhi let out a loud roar and drew the twin sabers at his waist.

Holding both rare swords aloft, Chang Zhi sneered coldly, "Specious talk and demagoguery! Do you think your swordsmanship is unrivaled across the entire Northern Guard Bureau? That's only because you haven't crossed paths with me yet! To die beneath my twin blades today, you have every right to be proud!"

"Charge with me! Leave none alive!"

The moment Chang Zhi's voice faded, Du Rong also drew his standard Xiuchun saber and shouted, "Eliminate the traitors! Leave none alive!"

"Leave none alive!"

"Leave none alive!"

"Leave none alive!"

Chang Zhi’s words gave his subordinates their backbone back once more!

The purpose of a duel between commanders was to neutralize the enemy’s primary powerhouse and thereby boost morale.

Chang Zhi had evidently been too arrogant earlier, but now he was finally stepping into the fray himself.

Realizing that the enemy's morale had been rekindled, Wang Lu knew he had to take down Chang Zhi to end this; otherwise, no matter what considerations these men held, they would never defect on the spot.

"Kill!" Without wasting another breath, Wang Lu raised his arm and charged at the vanguard.

Shen Lian remained silent, his Yeyun saber spinning up and down. Though it looked flashy, he maintained his previous fighting style, avoiding fatal blows.

Knowing Shen Lian's temperament well, Wang Lu ignored him, knowing this style ultimately worked to his advantage.

Chang Zhi severed the arm of a man rushing toward him, and without even looking, drove his blade straight into the man's belly.

It was an equally fierce style of swordsmanship; the coordination of his twin blades made it look even more sinister and ruthless than Wang Lu's broad, sweeping strikes.

Locking eyes with each other, the two men charged simultaneously.

Yet just as Wang Lu and Chang Zhi clashed, Lu Wenzhao, standing not far away, drew his personal saber, Chaxu.

Du Rong stood just two or three paces in front of Lu Wenzhao, preparing to rush forward and tie down Shen Lian.

Hearing the commotion behind him, Du Rong chuckled coldly, "Commander Lu need not be nervous. Commander Chang's dual-blade technique has never met its match. Commander Lu, if you could just—ugh!"

Before Du Rong could finish, his body shuddered violently. Looking down at his waist, he saw a section of a blade tip protruding from his flesh.

As the muscles on his face spasmed, Du Rong whipped his saber backward.

Lu Wenzhao simply took a casual step back, easily evading the strike.

"You!" Du Rong's mouth twisted in rage. Pressing a hand against his bleeding waist, his face contorted with hatred as he roared and lunged at Lu Wenzhao.

Lu Wenzhao stepped back with his right foot, holding his saber with both hands, his gaze solemn with a slight flicker of his eyelids.

Adrenaline surging, Du Rong poured every ounce of his strength into the killing blow aimed at Lu Wenzhao.

Pinpointing the centerline of Du Rong's blade, Lu Wenzhao executed a sword technique identical to Ding Baiying's. He met Du Rong's weapon head-on and leveraged the contact to push upward.

Du Rong instantly felt his grip on the Xiuchun saber loosen; his previously unstoppable momentum was thwarted. Just as he prepared to exert all his force for a desperate struggle, Lu Wenzhao spun around.

The Chaxu blade in Lu Wenzhao's hands whipped in a violent arc, dancing in perfect synchronization with his body.

Clang!

Du Rong's saber was struck mid-air by Lu Wenzhao and snapped instantly into two pieces!

Before Du Rong, whose pupils had dilated in horror, could retreat, Lu Wenzhao's Chaxu swept past.

Slash—

A thin red line appeared across Du Rong's neck. Lu Wenzhao sheathed his blade and shouted, "Chang Zhi has rebelled! Assist Thousand-House Commander Wang in suppressing the mutiny!"

Chang Zhi and Wang Lu were locked in intense combat. Only Wang Lu, having reached the pinnacle of martial mastery, truly understood how formidable Chang Zhi's foundation was.

Had Chang Zhi accompanied Xu Xianchun back then, Ding Baiying would never have found an opportunity to assassinate him.

Fortunately, Wang Lu had already broken through his previous limits. Despite Chang Zhi's tenacity, Wang Lu knew he could take him down within twenty moves at most. The only real difficulty lay in familiarizing himself with the unpredictable trajectory of the twin blades.

Because Wang Lu rarely encountered dual-wielders and lacked experience against them, he had taken a superficial slash to the arm when he failed to fully anticipate Chang Zhi's initial onslaught.

Fortunately, his leather armor had absorbed most of it, resulting in nothing more than a broken surface wound.

Yet apart from that single scratch, Chang Zhi was already at an absolute disadvantage.

Just as Chang Zhi grew increasingly alarmed by the exchange and began to harbor thoughts of retreat, Lu Wenzhao's voice rang out!