novelraw Chapter 865: Would You Kill Lu Ding to Stay Alive?
Chapter 865: Would You Kill Lu Ding to Stay Alive?
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The Eleventh Prince An Kang sneered, "Would you kill Lu Ding just to save your own life?"
An Wuyang paused, and An Kang continued, "Since you wouldn't kill Lu Ding to save your own life, what right do you have to think I would kill Eunuch Wu for the sake of living!!"
"You, An Wuyang, are loyal and righteous, filial to your parents, ready to die for your friends. How could I, An Kang, possibly be inferior to you!!!?"
Eunuch Wu, who had been keeping his head down and dared not look at anyone, suddenly lifted his head at those words, staring at the Eleventh Prince in disbelief.
The royal family is naturally heartless.
That is an eternal truth.
People like Prince Zhao are, after all, exceptions.
Eunuch Wu had originally expected the Eleventh Prince to act like the Sixteenth Imperial Princess — to eliminate a subordinate who made a mistake to gain bargaining chips.
After all, the Sixteenth Imperial Princess had no chance like this, while the Eleventh Prince did.But now, compared to the Sixteenth Princess, Eunuch Wu's behavior looked as if he was judging a gentleman by a petty person's standards.
In an instant, tears streamed down Eunuch Wu's face.
For those of them who serve as retainers, from the very day they enter the palace, their mission is simple: to relieve their lord's troubles.
And now he had not only failed to help his lord, he had instead put his lord into a dilemma because of himself. Who wouldn't want to live?
Eunuch Wu couldn't understand what merit he possessed to deserve the Eleventh Prince doing this much for him.
But there was no time to figure it out anymore, and he no longer cared to.
There was only one thought in his heart: a soldier dies for one who recognizes him!
While gathering his qi, Eunuch Wu raised his hand and said, "Your Highness the Filial Prince, this old servant has offended in the past. Please do not hold the Eleventh Prince responsible. I, this old servant, will atone with my life!!!"
With that he struck a palm suddenly, hitting the crown of his skull.
Bang!!!!
In a single blow, Eunuch Wu smashed his own skull, shattering his soul, his body collapsing.
There was no melodramatic dying scene.
Only a ruthless, decisive palm to kill.
And it was precisely this abrupt silence that felt especially precious.
"Eunuch Wu!!!!"
Bang!!!
As the Eleventh Prince cried out in grief, An Wuyang swung the familiar bronze cudgel and knocked him out with a single strike.
Seeing this, Lu Ding felt a mix of admiration and difference between himself and An Wuyang.
If he had been the one handling An Kang's matter today, Lu Ding might have acted like An Wuyang at first and let An Kang kill Eunuch Wu, but once An Kang refused, he would have killed An Kang and then dealt with Eunuch Wu.
After all, wrong is wrong; right is right. If you don't cherish the chance you were given, then you deserve to die.
But An Wuyang's choice couldn't be said to be incorrect either.
Lu Ding still asked curiously, "You didn't kill him?"
An Wuyang smiled slowly, "He is very much like me. His question left me puzzled; I didn't know how to answer. So I decided to keep him for now. Once I find my answer, I'll deal with him."
Perhaps because he saw in An Kang a version of his own powerless, weak self, An Wuyang couldn't help but imagine how he would react when faced with failure, and whether he would refuse the choice given to him.
Not to mention killing Lu Ding.
Even killing Eunuch Liu, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Call it feminine compassion, or insufficient ruthlessness—whatever it is, An Wuyang harbored a thought he himself was reluctant to admit: if one day he ever faced such a situation, he hoped his opponent would spare his life.
Of course, when that time came, he certainly wouldn't face it together with Lu Ding.
At most he would face it with those around him.
Only by staying alive could he wait for Lu Ding.
Life keeps hope alive.
As for An Kang,
An Wuyang had time and patience to talk things through with him slowly.
Lu Ding fell silent.
Everyone has a different temperament.
This version of An Wuyang had his own unique charm.
An Wuyang's vengeance, tit for tat, continued into the dimming night until dawn.
Most of those who had been made to kneel in the field were already killed; only a small number remained—either their offenses were minor, or they showed contrition and knew how to behave.
Until the first light of morning.
An Wuyang stopped and came to Lu Ding's side. "Got a cigarette?"
Well, aren't you impolite.
Fu Xinghe handed over the cigarette case. Lu Ding took one and passed it to An Wuyang, asking, "When did you learn?"
An Wuyang took it, put it to his lips.
Lu Ding raised a hand and lit it for him with Purple Tenuity Heavenly Fire.
An Wuyang inhaled sharply, frowned slightly, glanced at the burning cigarette in his hand. "Still learning."
Lu Ding smiled, lit one for himself, drew a graceful first puff, then took a deep second inhale and exhaled a faint plume.
"This stuff does no good. Better not to learn it."
An Wuyang, meanwhile, moved on to another topic. "I'm about done here. You should go on ahead, the main matters are urgent."
"Aren't you going to the morning court?"
An Wuyang shook his head. "Can't leave everything to you. But Xinghe, you must stay with me."
"All right."
Lu Ding turned to Xinghe. "You and our prince will attend court together later. I'm going to take care of something."
Fu Xinghe actually wanted to say, Brother Lu, investigators usually need at least two people to operate; now that we're envoys, we should follow procedure.
But the words died at his throat and instead he said, "Understood, Brother Lu."
At some point, Fu Xinghe had become used to standing firmly by Lu Ding in action, even when his mind had reservations about rules and procedure. Whether right or wrong, he would side with Lu Ding.
Maybe he wasn't a strictly model investigator, but his original intention was to be the best secretary for a top figure.
Lu Ding flicked away the finished butt.
The Slash Attack of the Way of the Jinche sliced the cigarette butt in midair into particles too small for the eye to see, scattering them to the wind.
Lu Ding took a step. "You all get busy. I'll be right back."
He said it lightly, but only Lu Ding knew that if those two old men really were the escaped Great Han elders Dong and Su, this fight would be brutal.
Only by breaking through to God Ascension in combat could he hope to survive and beat the two old masters.
If he couldn't break through before the fight, then he needed to break through in the heat of battle, his combat power spiking so wildly that those two would be caught off guard and their ingrained combat patterns against Lu Ding shattered.
After all, they were veteran Spirit Refinement masters of Great Han, with real weight behind their names.
An Wuyang watched Lu Ding's figure disappear, thinking to himself: be careful.
Once Lu Ding was out of sight, An Wuyang respectfully turned to Fu Xinghe. "Xinghe, you'll have a hard time from here on."
"Your Highness needn't be polite. We're all family. Whatever comes, entrust it to me and I'll act accordingly."
An Wuyang gathered himself. "Carry these corpses to court!!!!"
Figures moved in unison. An Wuyang strode ahead alone, toward the light, and marched out through the Mysterious Gate.
Today, he would be the sole victor!!!