Chapter 151: Everyone Betrays Me

Confronted by a thousand blades, Pei Xinyong suddenly found himself in a desperate situation. Lu Yao wanted his life! Pleading for mercy now would be useless; he knew Lu Yao would have to cut him down to deal with the thousand-plus men outside. Wu Shaoyi had sent someone to warn him against Lu Yao's sudden attack. Yet, he had still underestimated him.

Pei Xinyong had no time for regret; another of his guards screamed and fell beside him, stabbed to death by a flurry of spears. The powerful enemy had them completely surrounded and, abandoning all pretense of honorable combat, jabbed and thrust with long weapons, bound to skewer them all eventually.

Pei Xinyong glared at Lu Yao, a flash of rage in his eyes. He pulled a small brass figurine from his pocket, bit his tongue, sprayed blood onto it, then hurled it into the opposing crowd, roaring, "Grow!" The figurine was only as long as his middle finger, resembling a dented brass toy with several patches – the kind of thing no one would bother picking up if discarded by the roadside. Seeing him casually throw something, a bandit instinctively raised his saber to bat it away. Lu Yao, sharp-eyed, urgently shouted, "Stand aside!" It was too late. The object grew rapidly in the wind; less than three inches when it left his hand, it expanded dramatically in mid-air. The bandit felt a large shadow suddenly appear before him. When it landed, there was a thud that shook the ground. The small brass figure had transformed into a four-zhang (thirteen-meter) tall Brass Armored Celestial Soldier, heavily armored. Swords and halberds simply bounced off its solid frame; it was pure, solid metal. Lu Yao's expression changed. "The Sacred Master's Brass Armored Celestial Soldier — he gave it to you!"

The moment the Brass Armored Celestial Soldier appeared, it unleashed a sweeping kick and two heavy punches, scattering the surrounding bandits. Several unlucky ones were directly swept off the mountain path, plummeting ten zhang into the deep ravine, their screams echoing. With it covering them, the pressure on Pei Xinyong and his men was significantly reduced. The Brass Armored Celestial Soldier was slow but immensely powerful, each heavy strike landing with crushing force. Its body was invulnerable to blades and spears, making it incredibly difficult for the bandit soldiers to deal with in the narrow mountain path.

A sudden premonition of danger made Pei Xinyong step back. Right where he had been standing, two or three hard stone stalagmites shot out of the ground, stopping only after reaching four feet, their tips increasingly sharp. Had he retreated half a second later, he would have been impaled. One of his personal guards was struck, screaming and bleeding profusely. Pei Xinyong winced, then pointed across. The Brass Armored Celestial Soldier half-turned, snatched someone from the bandit crowd, and hurled him skyward. The man ultimately screamed as he fell into the deep ravine. He was Lu Yao's sorcerer. Those ground spikes had been his work.

The Brass Armored Celestial Soldier punched a hole in the bandits' encirclement. Pei Xinyong's men bravely charged forward, desperate to save their master.

Seeing this ambush about to fail, Lu Yao gritted his teeth, drew his Ghost-Eyed Bow, and, without needing anyone else to risk their lives, personally nocked an arrow, aimed at Pei Xinyong, and whispered, "Guaranteed hit, two years of life!" The ghost eye on the bow suddenly opened, focusing on Pei Xinyong. Pei Xinyong had just smashed an enemy when he felt a sudden tightness in his brow, as if some great terror had locked onto him. He glanced quickly and saw the ghost eye before Lu Yao wide open, a beam of light shooting out. The Ghost-Eyed Bow! His hair stood on end with fright. Without thinking, he dove to the side. The arrow arrived just as the Brass Armored Celestial Soldier swung its arm. With a muffled "thud," nearly half of the Brass Armored Celestial Soldier's forearm exploded, and the scattering brass shrapnel blinded several people. But the arrow was deflected. No matter; it possessed the ability to track its target. It curved back, re-aimed, and charged towards Pei Xinyong again. A loyal personal guard lunged forward, using his body as a shield. A mist of blood instantly burst from his back. Piercing through the body, the arrow did not stop, continuing its pursuit of the ultimate target. The Ghost-Eyed Bow had once been Hong Xiangqian's treasure, and Pei Xinyong knew its characteristic: the first hit was strongest, the second weaker, and the third weakest. Seeing that it had already struck twice without significant loss of speed, he had no time to find another cover. So, he channeled power into his right arm and swung his hammer. This strike was both perfectly executed and incredibly risky. With a clang, the third arrow of the volley arrived, striking precisely on the hammer's face. A moment later, or a moment earlier, the arrow would have pierced his brow. The hammer was knocked from his hand, striking Pei Xinyong's left shoulder on its way, forcing his master to stagger back three steps. The web of his right hand split open, and blood flowed onto the hammer handle. But the arrow was indeed deflected and did not return. The triple strike concluded. Pei Xinyong's left collarbone was broken, his left arm incapacitated, and he couldn't even grip his weapon.

As soon as the arrow left the string, Lu Yao threw aside his bow, raised his axe, and charged. Pei Xinyong, driven back by the triple arrow strike, narrowly evaded Lu Yao's first flat chop. The two men tangled again, glaring at each other, both breathing heavily. One injured, one exhausted.

"You are the murderer of the Sacred Master!" Pei Xinyong could only fight back with his right hand, enduring the pain and cursing loudly. "Listen up, men of Wu! Your General Wu is still alive!" He had been so distraught earlier that he'd forgotten to shout out the truth to sow discord among the enemy! A commotion immediately arose among Lu Yao's bandits. Lu Yao had incorporated over three hundred men from Wu Shaoyi's forces. This news startled them, making them waver, and their sword swings became less decisive. "He's spouting nonsense! Don't let him sow confusion!" Lu Yao retorted loudly, secretly cursing himself for being so thick-headed earlier. Why hadn't he returned to Desheng Town to gather more men first, instead of directly pursuing the dog official He? Having more loyal direct subordinates was paramount; what good were these turncoats!

At that moment, a sudden premonition of danger struck him, and his back grew cold. Not good! Lu Yao, a veteran of many battles, threw himself forward without hesitation. With a whoosh, something shot past, almost grazing his back. If he hadn't ducked in time, he would likely have been disemboweled. Lu Yao had barely propped himself up when he saw it execute a spectacular U-turn and strike at his face again. This strike was so fast and vicious that before Lu Yao could even blink, he felt a bone-chilling cold invade his brow. Was it a boomerang? Ignoring Pei Xinyong, he used his axe to parry the object. With a sharp "clang," a finger-sized chip broke off his axe blade. Only then did Lu Yao get a clear look. What he had deflected seemed to be a... broken sword? No, a broken saber. Who threw it? But as he dealt with the broken saber, his chest was exposed. Pei Xinyong seized the opportunity and brought his hammer down heavily on Lu Yao's left chest! Within three zhang, everyone heard the dull thud. Lu Yao was struck, spewed blood from his mouth, and tumbled from his horse. Pei Xinyong's furious strike had caved in his left chest, breaking two ribs which then pierced his heart! The heart was the source of qi and blood. Lu Yao struggled to get up, but the area around his heart felt like a bottomless pit, continuously draining his strength. Fortunately, his personal guards arrived and desperately protected him.

If he could just break north back to the main road, Lu Yao could continue west and rendezvous with his men in Desheng Town. Just then, a horn suddenly sounded in the distance. A troop burst out of the thick fog, shouting to everyone they saw, "Lu the Bandit, prepare to die!" The two warring bandit factions froze in surprise. With so much chaos already, was there a third party joining the fray? However, since they were looking for "Lu the Bandit," Pei Xinyong's men instinctively stepped back a few paces, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.

Lian Deng, seeing the opportunity, rushed out from the troop and shouted loudly, "General Wu is still alive! Wu family brothers, follow me!" He was an old retainer of Wu Shaoyi, having served for over six years. The Wu bandits recognized his familiar face. When Pei Xinyong had shouted earlier, they had been skeptical at best, but with Lian Deng's appearance, the matter was almost certainly true. So, a large number of Lu Yao's bandits immediately lost their will to fight, switched sides, and rushed towards him. Lu Yao, on the ground, was so enraged he nearly vomited blood again. But survival was paramount now. He snatched a talisman from his pocket and swallowed it without chewing. Ordinary talismans were yellow paper with vermillion characters, but this one was black paper with red characters.

The sudden change in the field also stunned Pei Xinyong. Fresh troops had indeed arrived, but could these be Wu Shaoyi's army? They were clearly wearing official army uniforms! Yet, Lian Deng was standing with the opposing troop. The situation was so chaotic that even he, a seasoned commander, was somewhat bewildered. But he reacted swiftly, issuing orders: "Hoist the blue flag! Kill Lu the Bandit!" With the blue flag raised, Pei Xinyong's army would naturally gather and join, avoiding friendly fire on the battlefield. This had been standard procedure for Pei's army for years, and everyone had long since formed the habit. Over a dozen blue flags were displayed, and Pei's army immediately consolidated into their respective squads, clearly distinct from Lu Yao's bandits. The newly arrived official soldiers rallied their spirits and specifically targeted Lu Yao's bandits.

Lu Yao was being carried away by his personal guards, but after only two steps, he suddenly coughed up blood again and then his legs gave out, causing him to collapse. This time, the blood was not only black, but it also contained solid pieces—fragments of internal organs. His eyes were filled with disbelief: Why had the talisman he swallowed not worked?!

Just then, a strong wind swept through, and the fog quickly dissipated. The mist's duration had expired. With Lu Yao's collapse and the mist clearing, his subordinates could see everything clearly. Someone kept shouting, "Lu Yao is dead! Lu Yao is dead!" The battle situation was already unfavorable. Many bandits, hearing and seeing this, no longer dared to resist stubbornly. They simply turned and fled, unable to withstand the pincer attack from Pei Xinyong and the official soldiers. Lu Yao still had a few die-hard loyalists who were trying to help him mount a horse to escape. These were walking merits, and the official soldiers would not let them go. They rallied and pursued relentlessly, quickly scattering this last small group.

At this point, Lu Yao was jolted awake. His face was as pale as gold leaf, and his eyelids could barely open. He had fought desperately against Wu Shaoyi and Pei Xinyong, and in between, pursued the reinforcing army. Already injured and exhausted, then receiving Pei Xinyong's fatal blow, old and new wounds flared up together, and he could no longer hold on. Captain Zhao of Hebei Prefecture's Frontier Guard rushed forward and sternly demanded, "Are you Lu Yao, the Cannibal King?" Lu Yao ignored him, staring at Pei Xinyong with a mocking smile. "In the end, it was you who defected to the official army, you who betrayed the Sacred Master!" His mouth was full of blood, while Pei Xinyong's face was ashen. How could this be, how could this happen? Lu Yao tried to say more, but Captain Zhao rushed up, raised his saber, and brought it down without another word. A bowl-sized gash appeared on Lu Yao's neck. Blood spurted furiously, and his eyes were still wide open. He died with his eyes open, unsatisfied.