The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 166, 181: Please call me Lu Yuanba!
Several days later, in the evening.

A carriage stopped in front of the courtyard where Lu Chen and Dugu Feng were temporarily staying. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling jumped off the carriage, carried a sturdy wooden box to the gate, and knocked on the gate forcefully.

"Brother Lu, the sledgehammer is ready!"

Soon, Dugu Feng came over, opened the courtyard gate, and welcomed the two inside.

Kou Xu carried the box into the courtyard and saw Lu Chen slowly practicing his boxing. Not daring to disturb him, they put the box down and waited until Lu Chen finished before bowing to him and saying with a smile:

"Brother Lu, these are two large bronze hammers, one weighing 372 jin and the other 375 jin, with solid bronze heads and fine steel handles. They're quite impressive!"

Lu Chen nodded and walked to the box.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling quickly opened the box. Inside, they found a thick layer of cotton padding, and two large bronze hammers with pear-shaped heads and impressively long handles, each about 1.5 feet long, lying quietly inside.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling each picked up a large hammer and handed it to Lu Chen. With their current skill, each of them could easily lift a hammer weighing over 370 jin (approximately 185 kg), and it would be suitable for actual combat, but they wouldn't be able to maintain it for long.

As for dual-wielding, that's not possible.

Lu Chen, however, held one hammer in each hand by the handle and easily lifted both hammers.

Then he took two large hammers and walked into the courtyard, swinging them around with great force, pounding forward, smashing vertically, sweeping horizontally, flicking backward, and hanging diagonally.

Lu Chen had never practiced hammer techniques.

But with a sledgehammer weighing over 370 pounds, there's no need for fancy techniques; just swing it around and smash it relentlessly.

It's obviously not enough to deal with top-tier experts.

Firstly, this wasn't Lu Chen's specialty weapon. Secondly, due to the hammer's size and shape, even if he could wield it with ease, his attack speed and move variations would be greatly affected, making him less agile. It wouldn't be very effective against highly skilled opponents with keen senses and swift movements.

However, it doesn't matter on the battlefield.

With Lu Chen's strength, once he swung those two giant hammers, no one on the battlefield could stop him.

The wind howled loudly in the courtyard.

Lu Chen swung his hammer wildly, moving with it, and the strong wind he generated blew dust and smoke all over the ground, forcing Dugu Feng, Kou Zhong, and Xu Ziling to retreat one after another.

They had no doubt that with Lu Chen's strength, a single blow from his 370-pound hammer would kill even a grandmaster.

However, given the reaction and movement skills of a master-level expert, they wouldn't be easily hit by such a large hammer.

After practicing for a while, Lu Chen threw the two large hammers to the ground with a thud. Dugu Feng, Kou Zhong, and Xu Ziling all felt the vibrations beneath their feet.

Looking at Lu Chen, he remained completely calm and composed, appearing relaxed and at ease.

"Brother Lu is awesome!"

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling repeatedly expressed their admiration.

Lu Chen nodded with a smile:

"Nice hammer, works well. How's the fighting going?"

"Li Mi is eager to take Luoyang. Otherwise, once the Li Tang dynasty in Guanzhong has pacified Xue Ju and his son and eliminated the threat, they can move east to contend for Luoyang. Li Mi can't afford to delay any longer, so he used a clever plan to burn our army's granaries, forcing our army to come out of the city for a decisive battle."

Kou Zhong said in a deep voice:

"He set up three large camps, with 60,000 new recruits stationed in each camp, in an attempt to lure our army into attacking, use the new recruits to hold our army back, and then use 40,000 main force to launch a surprise attack on our army's rear and annihilate our army in one fell swoop. As long as the Yanshi army is wiped out, Li Mi's road to Luoyang will be a smooth one."

Dugu Feng asked in surprise:
"You've planted high-ranking spies in Li Mi's army? They've even managed to find out Li Mi's military strategies?"

Kou Zhong grinned, somewhat smugly:

“We do have some spies in Li Mi’s army, but not enough to uncover Li Mi’s military strategy. We pieced this together slowly based on intelligence reported by our spies and some clues we found ourselves.”

Lu Chen knew that Kou Zhong was quite talented as a general and had a knack for leading troops in battle. He and Xu Ziling had also studied Li Mi in depth and had a profound understanding of Li Mi's military strategies. Based on intelligence from various sources, it was indeed possible for Lu Chen to deduce Li Mi's military strategy.

He nodded and said:

"Indeed. Now that you know Li Mi's military strategy, you should have a way to defeat him."

Kou Zhongdao:
"Li Mi's 60,000 new recruits can only defend cities, not fight in the field, let alone attack them. Therefore, we can completely ignore Li Mi's three camps that are used as bait. We only need to find out the movements of Li Mi's 40,000 main force, and then use our well-rested 20,000 main force to directly attack his 40,000 old and tired main force."

Lu Chen said, "Twenty thousand against forty thousand... are you confident?"

Kou Zhong told the truth:

"I was initially somewhat apprehensive. After all, although I was certain that Li Mi's main force had reached its limit and was far from its peak, the opponent was still Li Mi, and the disparity in troop strength was truly enormous. But things had come to this, and we had no choice but to fight to the death. Furthermore..."

He glanced at the two large hammers:
"Brother Lu also gave me a lot of confidence."

Lu Chen smiled:
"Keep this confidence in you."

Kou Zhong's eyes lit up, and he shouted:
"Don't worry, Brother Lu, I have absolute confidence now!"

Xu Ziling also said:
"Kou Zhong and I are about to set off to find Li Mi's main force. We guess that his main force is somewhere in the Beiman Mountains. It is impossible for an army of 40,000 men to completely hide their whereabouts. We will definitely be able to find them."

"Then I wish you every success."

After Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling left, Lu Chen recalled the Battle of Beiman between Wang Shichong and Li Mi in his previous life, and thought to himself that the world of Twin Dragons was indeed very different from his previous life.

If it weren't for Kou Zhong, who had a deep understanding of Li Mi and possessed considerable military talent, and who saw through Li Mi's ingenious strategy of burning grain supplies, forcing the enemy into a quick battle, using new recruits as bait, and launching a surprise attack with his main force, Li Mi might have actually won this decisive battle with his exhausted army through this series of strategies.

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard Dugu Feng ask, puzzled:
"Why did Li Mi use so many tricks? If it were me, with an army of 100,000, even if 60,000 of them were new recruits, I would dare to set up a grand formation and fight the enemy's 20,000 troops head-on. I wouldn't need to resort to so many tricks."

Lu Chen laughed:

"These 20,000 Yanshi troops were Wang Shichong's old foundation, and they were all elites. Although Li Mi won a great victory in the battle against Yuwen Huaji's Xiaoguo Army, his core old camp, Pushan Gongying, also lost more than half of its troops."

"That battle must still pain Li Mi to this day, and he may even feel lingering fear. Therefore, he probably doesn't want to clash head-on with elite enemy forces again, lest he lose even more of his resources."

"If his plan succeeds this time, then when the 20,000 Yanshi troops attack the 60,000 new troops and the battle is in full swing, Li Mi's main force will launch a surprise attack from the rear and flanks. There is a high probability that he can defeat Wang Shichong's last 20,000 elite troops in one fell swoop without a bloody battle and at a small cost, and achieve a great victory."

Dugu Feng suddenly realized:
"I see."

She smiled sweetly at Lu Chen again:
"It seems you are not only a master of martial arts, but also quite knowledgeable in military strategy. Have you ever considered becoming a great general?"

Lu Chen knew, of course, that she was joking.

Because she knew all along that he didn't care about worldly power and wealth.

He shook his head and laughed:

"I can speak so eloquently because I have enough intelligence. If you asked me to lead troops alone to fight Li Mi without knowing anything, I'm afraid he would make me run around in circles."

He even felt that he might not be able to lead a thousand soldiers well.

Because he had been reborn twice, and the highest-ranking official he ever held was a class representative in his previous life...

Lacking both knowledge and experience in this area, and lacking the innate, keen battlefield sense of a peerless general, and even having a slight social anxiety and poor interpersonal skills, how could he lead troops into battle?

Dugu Feng smiled mischievously:
"Even if Li Mi can outmaneuver you, when the time comes for them to clash in battle, you will still defeat him and kill his generals."

Lu Chen thought about it and smiled:
"That's true."

He is now stronger than when he killed Zhu Can and defeated Garuda's army.

Not only did his progress in "refining tendons and bones" in his sword body increase significantly, making him stronger and more physically robust, but he also improved his acupoints and meridians, condensed his acupoints, and made great strides in his mental sword cultivation.

He also obtained the Nine Transformations of Condensed Truth, as well as parts of the essence of the Heavenly Demon Great Art and the Compassionate Sword Manual.

With his current strength, he could even face Li Mi's army head-on and break through their lines.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling didn't know when they would be able to find Li Mi's main force, and Lu Chen wasn't in a hurry either, continuing his cultivation step by step.

Two more days passed in the blink of an eye. It was midnight that day.

Lu Chen was tempering his sword body.

Now his arms, shoulders and neck have been tempered, and in recent days he has also tempered his crown and temples, making him feel even more invincible in battle.

As he continued to refine the head, a subtle feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

Opening his eyes, Lu Chen glanced at Dugu Feng, who was meditating and comprehending the sword spirit mark, then got up and went to the courtyard. There, he saw a female knight-errant standing on the courtyard wall, dressed in silver-white tight-fitting clothes, with a black belt around her waist, a long sword on her back, and a bamboo hat on her head.

The female knight stood with her back to him, facing the bright moon in the sky, against the wind, her clothes fluttering, exuding a cold and aloof air.

"Wanwan?"

Lu Chen had already grasped part of the essence of the Heavenly Demon Great Art, and his "Heart Sword" cultivation was extraordinary. Even though Wanwan had completely suppressed the Heavenly Demon's energy using the Yin Gui Sect's secret method, he still felt a subtle sensation and confirmed the identity of that "heroine".

"Huh? How did you recognize me?"

Wanwan turned around in surprise:

"I've already put my shoes on, how come you still recognized me at a glance?"

Lu Chen shook his head with amusement:
"So what are you trying to do by dressing up like this?"

Wanwan gracefully floated down from the courtyard wall, took off her straw hat, and smiled brightly at him:
"Wan'er has come to you to test her swordsmanship."

"Oh?"

Lu Chen raised an eyebrow:
"You've started studying swordsmanship?"

Wanwan tilted her head, a slightly smug smile on her face.

"Of course. I've discovered that I have a really strong talent for swordsmanship. In just a few days, I've created a powerful killing move."

Lu Chen remained noncommittal and asked her:
"how did you find me?"

"I guessed you came to Yanshi with the reinforcements sent by Wang Shichong. With a little more effort, I'll find you."

"It seems that the Yin Gui Sect also has spies in Yanshi City."

"Of course. The influence of the Yin Gui Sect is everywhere in the world."

Lu Chen believed this.

For example, there are "Four Demons" under the Empress Yin, but only one of them, the silver-haired witch Danmei, has her identity exposed.

Where are the other three demons? And what identities are they posing as?
No one knows.

There were also members of the Yin Gui sect in the imperial palace. For example, Wei Lianxiang, the senior brother of Empress Yin, served two emperors, Yang Jian and Yang Guang, and later it seems that he even infiltrated Li Yuan's imperial palace.

If there are people in the imperial palace, then there must be spies of the Yin Gui Sect among the other major powers.

Many spies, like Wei Lianxiang, may lie in wait for decades, or even never reveal their true identities.

Therefore, in the original timeline, after Wanwan's disciple Mingkong became emperor, she did her best to eradicate the Demonic Sect. However, even with the power that Mingkong could mobilize and her understanding of the Demonic Sect, she was unable to completely wipe them out, and the Yin Gui Sect continued to exist.

This clearly demonstrates just how deeply the Yin Gui School's influence is hidden.

"It's too late to practice swordsmanship. If you want to test your swordsmanship with me again in the future, just like when we were at Peach Blossom Manor in Xiangyang, come during the day."

Hearing Lu Chen say that, Wanwan pouted unhappily and said quietly:
"The day you left Luoyang, people came to your house early in the morning looking for you, but all that was left was a sign hanging on the wall of the waterside pavilion..."

As she spoke, she suddenly noticed two large bronze hammers leaning against the wall in the courtyard:

"Hey, what's with these two hammers? Are they hollow copper hammers? Or wooden hammers encased in copper?"

"Solid copper hammer".

"Solid? Look at this size, wouldn't it weigh three or four hundred pounds? Is it for strength training?"

"For use in war."

Wanwan looked shocked:
"You've stopped practicing swordsmanship and started practicing hammers... Does this mean you're not planning to be a swordsman anymore, but a hammer user instead?"

"..."

Lu Chen was speechless.

"It's only for use in wartime..."

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly glanced at the door and saw Dugu Feng walking out in a tight-fitting outfit, carrying a long sword.

Just now, she was immersed in the sword spirit mark, and Wanwan had concealed her demonic energy and had no hostile killing intent, so Dugu Feng was not awakened for the time being.

But the two of them had been talking in the courtyard for quite a while, so it was impossible for Dugu Feng to be completely unaware.

Upon stepping outside, Dugu Feng was astonished to see that the person who had come was none other than Wanwan.

However, seeing that Lu Chen did not clash with Wanwan and the atmosphere did not seem like a confrontation, she did not immediately draw her sword—after all, the Yin Gui Sect had sent Lu Chen a generous gift to apologize.

When Wanwan saw the crimson mark resembling a flame between Dugu Feng's eyebrows, a subtle emotion welled up in her heart.

She clearly knew Lu Chen earlier than Dugu Feng and Shi Feixuan.

"Brother Lu, what's wrong with Wanwan?"

Yes, Dugu Feng is used to calling him Brother Lu and hasn't changed it yet.

"She wanted to study swordsmanship and asked me to test her swordsmanship."

"To verify swordsmanship?"

Dugu Feng raised an eyebrow, looking at Wanwan dressed as a swordswoman, and said with great interest:

"Miss Wanwan also practices swordsmanship?"

Wanwan smiled gently and said modestly:
"I know a little, but not as much as Miss Feng, who comes from a family with a long tradition of swordsmanship and is exceptionally skilled."

She couldn't help but be modest; since Dugu Feng had a mark between his eyebrows, his swordsmanship was clearly far superior to hers.

"Since Miss Wanwan wishes to test her swordsmanship, how about we have a spar?"

The last battle wasn't quite satisfying, since it wasn't a one-on-one fight, but rather a joint effort with Shi Feixuan to deal with Wanwan and three other Yin Gui Sect masters.

Now that the opportunity has presented itself, given Dugu Feng's personality, she naturally can't help but be eager to try it out.

Wanwan was also eager to spar with Dugu Feng, who had a mark between her eyebrows, to see how much worse her swordsmanship was than Dugu Feng's. She nodded happily.
"Okay!"

The two of them then looked at Lu Chen together.

"That's it."

Lu Chen said something indifferently, then stepped back to the edge of the courtyard and watched the battle with his hands behind his back.

"Please, Miss Wanwan!"

"Please, Miss Feng!"

The two bowed to each other, drew their swords simultaneously, and in the blink of an eye, they were locked in combat.

[This chapter has 4K words, please vote with monthly tickets!]

(End of this chapter)