Chapter Five: Idol, Oh Idol
The deputy commander of the Divine Strategy Army possessed considerable strength within the ranks, his cultivation equal to Li Fu’s in the Heavenly Origin realm. Yet even so, he was defeated in their initial clash.
The soldiers guarding the Shangguan estate were all elite members of the Divine Strategy Army, most of them imperial guards in the Earth Origin realm. Several squad leaders were also at the Heavenly Origin level.
Since the enthronement of the current Emperor, the Shangguan family had maintained control over the Divine Strategy Bureau. Although this was the capital of the Great Tang, stationing five Heavenly Origin realm soldiers to defend a residence was an extraordinary display of power.
Dozens of massive shields encircled Li Fu, and spears thrust through the gaps flashed with chilling brilliance under the sunlight. Not far away, archers and crossbowmen had their bows drawn, aiming squarely at Li Fu. Should he make a move, it seemed a rain of arrows would instantly cut him down without mercy.
...
Yang Zixu, standing some distance away, heard the commotion behind him and turned to look. He happened to witness the moment when Li Fu broke the spear and kicked the deputy commander. Startled, he was unsure what had just transpired.
When his gaze fell upon the fallen banner before the Shangguan estate, he was utterly stunned, unable to utter a single word. His eyes widened so much that a baby’s fist could fit between his parted lips.
“My goodness! How fierce!”
Yang Zixu could roughly guess what Li Fu had done.
He had actually severed the banner that represented the Divine Bureau in front of the Shangguan estate—and that banner was an imperial gift!
Though there was animosity between the Shangguan and Yang families, and he himself had often clashed with members of the Shangguan clan’s middle generation, he had never dared to even contemplate laying a hand on that banner.
That banner was the face of the Shangguan family—the reward exchanged for their lives from the imperial family, earned by the thirty thousand Divine Strategy soldiers who paid in blood two centuries ago.
It was far more serious than breaking down the family’s gate.
Cutting down that banner was a blatant slap in the face of the Shangguan clan, delivered in the Eastern Capital, in the court of the Great Tang, and before all the noble families.
“A hero! Such a hero!” Yang Zixu muttered, shaking his head.
Li Fu’s actions were ruthless—he was bound to offend the Shangguan family completely.
“We’ve only known each other for a day, and I didn’t expect him to be so formidable... Should I help or not?” Yang Zixu’s mind raced.
He truly admired Li Fu, both for his insight and his mastery of military strategy. But now Li Fu had offended the Shangguan clan, the most powerful family in the imperial court of the Great Tang!
How could he help?
If it were him who had cut that banner, even if the Shangguan family killed him in the street, the Yang family would have no grounds to protest.
“For the sake of doing something I’ve always wanted to do but never dared, today I must wade into this muddy water!” Yang Zixu gritted his teeth, resolving inwardly.
---
But before Yang Zixu could reach them, the soldiers surrounding Li Fu sprang into action.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!” The shield-bearing Divine Strategy soldiers shouted, methodically tightening the shield circle.
Then, spears gleaming with cold light stabbed relentlessly at the space around Li Fu, while three iron chains, as thick as an arm, were tossed from behind the shields in swift arcs, aiming to bind him.
At that moment, Li Fu began to regret the impulsiveness of his actions, suspecting his master’s request might have been rash.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!” Three shouts rang from the soldiers’ throats, and the shield formation closed in faster.
The sword in Li Fu’s hand scraped against a shield, sparks flying as a visible red glow flashed across the front shields, but it failed to break through the tightening formation.
“Don’t strike the shield; it’s forged from refined steel. Ordinary blades won’t cut it. Hit the fourth shield on the right—I’ll help you!” Yang Zixu, having rushed over, suddenly sprang into action. He snatched a spear from a nearby soldier and swept aside two Divine Strategy troops blocking his path, shouting loudly to Li Fu within the shield formation.
“All right!” Following Yang Zixu’s advice, Li Fu turned and attacked the fourth shield on the right.
A pure stream of true energy enveloped Li Fu’s sword, shimmering faintly as he slashed at the shield.
The soldier behind the shield staggered, and a gap appeared in the formation.
Seizing the opportunity, Yang Zixu’s spear whirled wildly, his Heavenly Origin energy surging like Li Fu’s. Together, they forced open a breach in the shield formation.
But before they could catch their breath, the gap was quickly plugged by reinforcements.
Two men against hundreds—it was a daunting fight.
“You troublemaker! You’ve dragged me into this! Just arrived in the Eastern Capital and already caused such a disaster.” Yang Zixu, back to back with Li Fu, gripped his spear tightly, breathing heavily, his face both stern and resolute.
“It shouldn’t be a problem. My master is always prepared for every eventuality. If he told me to cut the banner, he must have arranged everything that follows,” Li Fu replied in a low voice.
“Your teacher? If he was truly infallible, you wouldn’t be surrounded like this!” Yang Zixu shook his head decisively.
Li Fu forced a bitter smile and did not argue. The situation was undoubtedly dire.
Just then, the Divine Strategy soldiers’ assault halted unexpectedly. The deputy commander at their head fixed his gaze on Yang Zixu, his brows tightly knit.
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“Damn it. Now they’ll definitely blame me for all this! You’ve doomed me!” Yang Zixu’s face was anxious, his bright eyes flickering with unease.
“Why did you come to help me?” Li Fu asked quietly, though warmth surged in his heart.
This friend, whom he’d known for less than a day, had seen him trapped and leapt in without hesitation. Though the end result was that both were now surrounded within the shield formation, Li Fu was deeply touched by this loyalty.
“Do you realize what your actions just now mean?” Yang Zixu asked gravely, glancing at the deputy commander and then at the tightly shut gates of the Shangguan estate.
“I don’t know, but it can’t be anything good,” Li Fu replied softly.
“The Shangguan family has utterly lost face in the Eastern Capital, thanks to you,” Yang Zixu said with a mischievous grin, showing no concern for their predicament.
“Aren’t you worried about our situation now?” Li Fu asked, surprised.
“What’s there to fear? You’re the one who cut the banner, not me. The Shangguan clan won’t dare do anything to me. At most, my father will confine me for a few days. But you—you’re in real trouble.”
As Yang Zixu finished speaking, the deputy commander began issuing new orders.
It had already been a third of an incense stick’s time since Li Fu cut the banner. If they delayed any longer and the Shangguan family elders arrived, it would spell disaster for the soldiers guarding the estate.
“Separate the two! Execute the traitor who defiled the banner!” the deputy commander shouted.
The archers had already drawn their heavy crossbows, arrowheads gleaming coldly as they aimed at Li Fu.
The frontline soldiers moved into action.
Amid the ensuing chaos, Yang Zixu was pinned by dozens of spears, unable to move.
Li Fu, meanwhile, remained composed, his expression unchanged as he gripped his sword tightly.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the midst of the crowd with unimaginable speed, streaks of green light flashing.
A series of terrifying cracking sounds followed—the shafts of over a dozen spears splintered, and their wielders crashed heavily to the ground!
No one saw clearly what had happened.
After a single flash of sword-light, more than ten Divine Strategy soldiers fell dead at the front!
“A hero! Such a hero! So brutal!” Yang Zixu, suddenly dragged before the deputy commander by the soldiers, witnessed Li Fu’s counterattack and looked on with awe, his face full of admiration.