Wan Jian returns to his clan!

Chapter 235 Twin Hammers Shake the Heavens, Slaying Generals and Cutting Through Grass

Ji Wenxiu's body was as light as a cloud and as soft as water.

She threw herself into Lu Wubing's arms, greedily inhaling the scent of grass and sunshine on his body, feeling a sense of peace in her heart.

This feeling of not having to worry about anything, of having someone to shelter her no matter how strong the wind and rain, made her feel as if she had returned to her childhood.

At that time, her mother was still alive, and she wouldn't hear about the intrigues and power struggles outside.

My daily task is to play happily.

The only place where I need to use my wits is when my mother tricks me into eating an extra bowl of rice.

Upon returning to Weijing this time, Ji Wenxiu was not optimistic about the future.

She only wanted to take a few more glances at the place where her mother had lived. Even if she was murdered, she wanted to die in her hometown.

Because she didn't ask for much, she didn't take the barrage of insults to heart.

Every day I just think, I can hold on a little longer, and if I really can't hold on any longer, I'll just ignore all these messy things.

That's what I was thinking, but actually getting away from it was easier said than done.

A thousand thoughts flooded my mind.

Sometimes when I dream at night, I recall that when I was at my wit's end, a young man in blue robes appeared before me as if he had fallen from the sky.

Even if you scold them, you can't get rid of them.

His eyes can see through the fog; nothing can be fooled.

Although he wasn't very skilled, he was fearless.

Because of certain thoughts in my heart.

Ji Wenxiu did try to find out more about the Tianxing Sect, especially paying attention to everything that happened to Lu Wubing.

As a result, the news leaked, and forces such as the Wing Prince's Mansion learned about Lu Wubing's past relationship with her.

As the Tianxing Sect's power grew and its experts became stronger, it became inevitable that the Wing Prince's Mansion and the Gong Prince's Mansion would secretly sabotage Ji Wenxiu and try to eliminate some of his supporters in advance.

Ji Wenxiu felt remorseful for a long time because of this.

Even now, when I think about it, I still feel a bit silly.

"sorry."

She nestled in Lu Wubing's arms and whispered in a muffled voice.

In her heart, she was thinking that she wasn't stupid; it was just that those people went too far. Everyone knew that as a woman with no ambition, her chances of rising to a high position were extremely slim.

There was no need to target them.

But just for this tiny possibility.

Some people would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.

They went too far and disregarded the rules.

"What?" Lu Wubing propped himself up with his hands, feeling the tremor in the little girl's voice in his arms. He roughly figured out what she was thinking, patted Ji Wenxiu's back, and smiled: "Never say sorry. Whatever the enemy wants to do is their fault, and they should admit their mistakes. But you just want to be a little princess who doesn't fight with the world, and you only want to live a peaceful life. What's wrong with that?"

"Brother Wubing, you are so kind."

At that moment, Ji Wenxiu felt like the luckiest person in the world.

With a slight exertion of force, they wished they could meld themselves into the other person's body.

As the setting sun cast its rays and the shadows of the trees swayed gently, the two seemed to be one, embracing quietly in the wind.

Suddenly, Ji Wenxiu reacted as if she had been electrocuted, letting go and stepping back. Her ears turned bright red, and she bit her lip, looking up in surprise: "Brother Wubing, you're so lecherous."

"What color? It's a normal reaction."

Lu Wubing opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but then he was too lazy to explain. You little brat, you wouldn't understand.

"Since it's a normal reaction, why didn't you take action? Is it because your body isn't strong enough, or are you afraid of being discovered by Senior Sister Ouyang?"

Ji Wenxiu leaned closer again with a smile.

The angle of his body, the hesitant, fleeting movements, it's hard to tell if it was intentional or not.

"You and I……"

Lu Wubing finally realized that it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. Ji Wenxiu was never a well-behaved girl, and he had overlooked her sharp tongue.

It seems I have no choice but to teach you a lesson for your troublesome mouth today.

Lu Wubing scooped up the little princess and carried her in his arms.

"Whether it works or not, we'll find out by trying. Just don't cry later."

Ji Wenxiu let out a startled cry, then chuckled lightly, and without showing any weakness, began to have a proper sword practice session with Lu Wubing.

This training lasted until the moon disappeared and the stars sank.

In the back garden, the old Taoist priest Qingyun, with a gentle auntie smile on his face, raised his cup and gazed at the vast night, murmuring to himself: "Xinqiao, the little girl has grown up. You should be at ease now... You girl, instead of enjoying a peaceful life, you insist on learning from worldly people and getting involved in worldly affairs."

"So what if you provoked him? You're unlucky, and your judgment is even worse—you fell for a madman. Sigh... In this respect, you're no match for Xiao Wenxiu. The husband she found was a hundred times, a thousand times better..."

The old Taoist priest was overjoyed and drank a few more cups than usual. Gradually, he became drunk and slumped onto the stone table. He seemed to be having a dream, in which a little girl was nestled around his knees, and he could hear her clear laughter.

……

The thirty-second year of the Wude era.

August thirteen.

Suitable for ancestor worship, weddings, and military campaigns.

At noon, three miles outside Weijing City, in a flat plain.

Lu Wubing, dressed in golden chainmail and wearing a red cloak, rode on Xue Lihong's back.

Its head is adorned with a crystal-clear jade crown, its young feathers fluttering, and it carries two large purple-gold hammers as if it were carrying two goose feathers.

Behind him, the Venerable Master Fayuan of Dayuanguang Temple stood with his hands clasped and his head bowed, murmuring unidentified scriptures.

Chen Tongxi, fully armored and exuding a murderous aura, followed and gazed into the distance.

Behind him stood a thousand Celestial Star disciples as his personal guards, each carrying a long sword on their shoulders and a spear in their hands, eager to fight.

Further back, they spread out to the left and right, with 100,000 troops lined up in square formations, standing solemnly on the spot.

Excitement, longing, and a hint of fear filled their eyes as they all looked up into the distance.

A dark mass of soldiers slowly pressed forward.

Those were the troops of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

From a distance, the people and horses looked like ants, densely packed, and it was impossible to tell exactly how many there were.

All that could be seen was a black dragon flag standing tall amidst the dense, dark formation, surrounded by tens of thousands of cavalrymen, each brandishing their swords and spears and roaring wildly.

The sound came in waves, like ocean waves.

You could sense the murderous intent in his voice.

Clearly, the Northern Zhou army was riding high on its momentum, having broken through passes and attacked cities. Their aggressive advance was clearly aimed at taking Weijing in one battle.

Someone with exceptional eyesight like Lu Wubing could see it. Under the black dragon banner, several people rode on horseback. The one in the lead was dressed in black armor and a sable coat, carrying a crescent-shaped halberd. His physique was as imposing as a mountain, and his aura soared to the heavens.

"That must be Yuwen Chui, the King of Jinyang. It is said that he is extraordinary in both literary and military affairs, and has never been defeated in hundreds of battles in his life."

The chaos and turmoil in the Northern Zhou were quelled by this guy; however, if I'm not mistaken, there seem to be Taoist priests and monks with him as well…”

Lu Wubing tilted his head slightly, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant as he thought of something.

"The General is not mistaken. The Zhenwu Sect is located deep within the territory of Northern Zhou. Although it can seal off mountains and valleys, it is not a true immortal and still needs to eat and drink."

No matter how much they claimed to be hermits practicing asceticism, they couldn't stop the government troops from surrounding the mountain and blocking the supply lines, so they had no choice but to submit.

The Dafan Temple, however, surrendered without losing a single soldier in the face of the barbarian army's southward advance, much to everyone's surprise.

The monk Fakong appeared smiling and amiable, but in reality, he was a businessman.

Therefore, those in the same industry are often rivals.

Even a mild-mannered monk like Master Fayuan couldn't help but speak of the abbot of Dafan Temple with disdain.

They seem to have a very low opinion of the other party's opportunistic and profit-driven behavior.

In fact, his impression of Dafan Temple was even worse than that of the Zhenwu Sect.

"So, those two old monks are from Dafan Temple? The Zhenwu Sword Sect has also sent two old Taoist priests. It's interesting that I've never met these two masters before, especially since they're in the Northern Zhou barbarian army." A cold glint flashed in Lu Wubing's eyes, and he suddenly shouted, "Hold your positions! Watch me slay the enemy chieftain and blunt their edge!"

He had no experience in fighting or training troops.

Not to mention commanding large armies, setting up formations, or carrying out encirclements and attacks—he has no skills in any of these advanced tactics.

But so what?
In his previous life, someone with his skill level would have been sent to their death on the battlefield.

But this world is different.

Here, military might belongs to oneself, and the abilities of skilled generals are far more awe-inspiring than a large army.

It appears to be a battle of military formations and manpower.

In reality, who wins and who loses mostly depends on the abilities of the leader and military commander.

Otherwise, Yuwen Chui, the Prince of Jinyang and a general of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, would not have been leading his troops at the forefront as the vanguard.

It is not unreasonable for a prince to personally brave arrows and stones and stand in the most dangerous place; rather, it is perfectly reasonable.

Just like Lu Wubing rushing to the front, it's the same principle.

"Om..."

A loud whooshing and buzzing sound came from behind.

The first volley of arrows shot into the sky and landed sixty or seventy feet in front of the grass.

Lu Wubing spurred his horse forward, clashing his two hammers together with a thunderous boom. He rode up to the arrows, raised his hammers, and shouted, "King Jinyang, why don't you come and die? Look at this weapon, it is your precious son's Purple Gold Hammers!"

"If you can defeat me, return your son's body; if you can't, feed him to the dogs."

One hundred thousand soldiers, not one hundred thousand pigs.

Even if there are 100,000 pigs, running all over the mountains and fields, it's not so easy to kill them.

If you were to go and kill alone, even if you were given ten days and ten nights and the enemy didn't resist, you still wouldn't be able to kill many heads.

Therefore, the best option is actually to fight each other.

The purpose of fighting is to win hearts and minds; to truly annihilate the enemy, one must rely on the main force behind them.

That's how we can kill them.

Besides, the Northern Zhou army in front of us looks to be far more than 100,000.

There were also some miscellaneous troops, whose skin color was similar to ours, and they were probably Han troops who had defected to the Northern Zhou.

These people were not weak in combat, and their fighting spirit was extremely strong. They were roaring and seemed to have a stronger desire to fight than the barbarian soldiers.

If we were to rely on the Dali army to engage in open field battles with the enemy's army, we probably wouldn't be able to defeat them.

Lu Wubing saw it very clearly.

Therefore, his only chance of victory was not his army, nor the Heavenly Star Sect's personal guards, but himself.

The best course of action is to provoke King Yuwen Chui of Jinyang into coming out.

Slay the enemy by beheading them, capture the thief by capturing his king.

In this way, it would be possible to defeat the enemy in one battle.

King Yuwen Chui of Jinyang was a veteran of the battlefield. Although he didn't look very old, only around forty, he was in the prime of his physical and mental strength. But he wasn't in a hurry at all, and just squinted his eyes to carefully observe Lu Wubing, who was challenging him in front of the battle.

"That's the Southern Sword. Is that the one who killed Ba'er?"

"Indeed, despite his young age, he is cunning, ruthless, and extremely difficult to deal with."

It is worth mentioning that this person's martial arts skills improved extremely quickly, and he broke through several levels in a short period of time.

His current cultivation level should have reached the ultimate realm of the Innate Realm.

A middle-aged scholar standing nearby answered with a smile.

This man, named Qiu Changling, is a renowned scholar of classical studies from the north. He is a rare individual skilled in both literature and martial arts, and even in the mansions of princes and nobles, he would hold a high position. This time, he came south as a military advisor, accompanying the troops to seek their counsel, and also commanding the Black Dragon Cavalry across the four fields.

"In my opinion, this young man's greatest strength lies not in his strategies or military leadership, but in his unparalleled swordsmanship, which is astounding as a god. His combat power grows stronger when facing stronger opponents, and there is no end in sight."

Unless absolutely necessary, never confront this boy directly; avoid him if possible.

The middle-aged scholar hadn't finished speaking.

A general standing nearby, dissatisfied, angrily retorted:

"A mere junior general from Nanli, claiming to be highly skilled in martial arts? It's all just empty flattery. The fact that Prince Yuwen was trapped in an enemy country and died due to a scheme proves nothing. Let me go forward and behead him to enhance Your Highness's prestige."

"Shi Tong, this battle is merely a probe. Do not be greedy for credit. If things go wrong, retreat immediately. Yuwen Shan and Fang Yugui, you two generals will provide support."

Yuwen Chui was a very cautious person. He had long since cultivated his Black Dragon True Qi to the point of returning to simplicity and truth, and also practiced the method of cultivating external martial arts.

As one of the four pillars of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, he was born into the royal family and had even comprehended the Ten Directions Power Seal.

His skills far surpassed those of rising stars like Yuwen Ba.

He didn't take Lu Wubing's provocation to heart at all, nor did he feel threatened in any way; he just smiled.

The reason he did not personally engage in battle was mostly due to his pride in his status, not because he was afraid of fighting.

Of course, this was not unexpected by Lu Wubing.

They didn't even dare to hope that the other party's leader would come out immediately.

A dark-faced barbarian general rode out of the battle, brandishing a three-section broadsword, and slashed down with a loud boom.

His eyes showed no fluctuation; he simply stared quietly at the distant array, his left hammer suddenly moving.

hum...

In the void, the air was blasted open with lightning-like cracks, and a ring of light swept outwards in all directions.

The burly, dark-faced Shi Tong bared his teeth and slashed with his sword, but the sword had already shattered into hundreds of fragments and exploded.

The golden hammer seemed to encounter no resistance; with a loud thud, its heavy, mountain-like force slammed into his neck and chest.

It unleashed a cloud of blood mist.

A round, grotesque head fell to the ground.

The warhorse dragged its lower body, neighed, and turned to run away.

As for the middle half of the body, it had long since disappeared, having been smashed into powder by Lu Wubing's hammer.

“I used less than 30% of my strength with this 180-pound hammer. You’re not very resilient, buddy.”

Lu Wubing looked at the hammer in his hand with surprise and said with some regret.

At this point, he finally understood why Yuwen Ba liked using a hammer so much.

With such immense strength, it just feels like something's missing if you don't smash your opponent to pieces with a hammer.

"not good."

Generals Yuwen Shan and Fang Yugui sensed something was wrong when Shi Dong's broadsword was shattered.

The two men leaped from their warhorses at the same time, like eagles catching rabbits.

One man thrust down with a spear, while another swung a heavy mace horizontally, splitting into left and right, unleashing a barrage of murderous intent as they attacked Lu Wubing from both sides.

But then the young general in golden armor on horseback stretched as if he were yawning, and swung his two large purple-gold hammers diagonally.

clap clap...

Two sounds of swatting flies rang out.

Yuwen Shan and Fang Yugui, suspended in mid-air, were completely unable to move...

Before the hammer even arrived, his body was already locked in mid-air by endless power.

The hammer tip trembled slightly the next moment...

Both men were struck in the chest by the hammer, their bodies breaking in the middle and falling to the ground in four pieces.

The two plumes of blood mist morphed into a fan shape and surged forward.

Under the sunlight, the leaves slowly drifted down to the ground, turning large patches of grass crimson and exuding an ominous aura.

……

(End of this chapter)