Chapter 341: Promotion

With no other choice, Wu Sangui could only twist his body to the side, trying to keep the blade from striking a vital spot. The moment he shifted, the short blade stabbed into his left shoulder, sinking nearly halfway into the flesh. The searing pain made him cry out involuntarily.

Before Zu Kefa could pull the short blade out, Wu Sangui, in desperation, chopped his right palm like a blade into the bend of Zu Kefa's arm. Zu Kefa's right arm went limp as noodles, but the short blade remained stuck in Wu Sangui's body.

Zu Zeyuan, who had been clinging to his legs, suddenly opened his mouth and bit down on Wu Sangui's calf. Wu Sangui, struck by pain again and burning with fury, seized the moment while Zu Kefa was temporarily incapacitated. Enduring the agony, he yanked the short blade from his left shoulder. A gush of blood burst from the wound, quickly staining half his robe crimson.

Even now, he had not completely lost his reason. Blade in hand, he stabbed downward. Zu Zeyuan, half-sprawled on him, took a wound to the shoulder as well and, with a cry of pain, released his arms. Wu Sangui finally broke free of his restraints.

He glared at Zu Kefa, who stood before him panting heavily, eyes bloodshot, blood still flowing from his wounds, and spoke in a cold, slow voice: "Zu Laowu, the grievances between you and me are settled from this day forth. The next time we meet, we are enemies! If anyone dares to block me today, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Having said this, Wu Sangui tossed the short blade aside. With a soft thud, it embedded itself in the carved window frame, the blade still quivering slightly.

Though Zu Kefa hated Wu Sangui to the core, he knew he had no strength left to fight. Wu Sangui's martial prowess was truly unmatched—the three of them had all risked their lives on the battlefield, yet even together they were no match for him.

Wu Sangui tore off his left sleeve with a rip, exposing the bleeding wound. He wrapped the torn sleeve tightly around it to stem the flow of blood, then, without so much as a glance at Zu Kefa or Zu Zeyuan on the ground, he strode out of the banquet hall with his hand pressed to his left shoulder.

Zu Zehong, who had slipped out of the banquet hall amid the chaos, ran through the courtyard and dashed toward the front yard. His swollen mouth was a mess of blood and flesh, his hair hung loose and disheveled, and his robes were torn in several places. His bizarre appearance stood out sharply against the festive atmosphere of the residence, and the servants and maids he passed along the way all fled to the sides in fright.

Some of the personal retainers and guards of the Zu and Wu families were lounging in the second courtyard, chatting and laughing, while the rest waited in the first courtyard or outside the main gate for their masters to finish the banquet and return home. The broad street was filled with war horses and armored warriors roaming about.

Since they saw one another often, they found plenty to talk about and chatted with great enthusiasm, bursts of laughter constantly rising from the crowd.

Just then, Zu Zehong came panting through the main hall and burst into the second courtyard. Seeing his utterly disheveled state, everyone in the yard was greatly startled.

"Liuzi! Call the men and tie up all the Wu family people! Kill anyone who dares to resist! A few of you, follow me—we're going to the back courtyard to chop that Wu brat to pieces!"

Zu Zehong's hoarse shout stunned everyone in the yard. They all stared in disbelief at Zu Zehong, who looked half-mad.

One of Wu Sangui's guards saw the situation turning bad. While everyone in the yard was still frozen in shock, he quietly edged along the wall toward the courtyard gate. Reaching the entrance, he turned swiftly and slipped out, then hurried with his head down toward the main gate.

"Third Young Master! What has happened? Please, sit and rest a while to calm your anger! We are all brothers here—how can we turn on each other so suddenly! Someone, go fetch a physician!"

Zu Dashou's household commander Zu Yong, seeing this, shot a meaningful glance at a household retainer, then hurried forward to support Zu Zehong. The retainer slipped silently through the hall and ran toward the rear residence.

Zu Zehong flung his arm, knocking Zu Yong's hand away, then reached out and snatched the long saber hanging at the side of Zu Liuzi, the guard squad leader who had rushed over at the commotion. He turned and strode back the way he came. Zu Liuzi hesitated for a moment, then called out, and several guards stepped forward to follow their master.

Startled, Zu Yong dashed a few steps forward to block Zu Zehong's path. Before he could speak a word of counsel, Zu Zehong glared with bloodshot eyes and roared: "Get the hell out of my way! Or I'll split you in two with one swing!"

Wu Kui, the squad leader of Wu Sangui's guards, was greatly alarmed. Though he had no idea what had happened in the rear, the situation before him made it plain that his young master was about to suffer a serious loss. This was the Zu family's residence—no matter what had occurred, they would surely side with their own people.

Just as Wu Kui was about to step forward, Wu Sangui appeared at the entrance of the main hall, half his body stained with blood.

Zu Zehong saw Wu Sangui covered in blood and noticed that Zu Zeyuan and Zu Kefa were nowhere behind him. He immediately assumed the two had been killed by Wu Sangui's hand. With a furious roar, he lunged at Wu Sangui, brandishing his gleaming long saber.

Zu Yong was horrified at the sight, but not knowing the truth of the matter, he dared not intervene. After all, these were young masters of both families. Even if Zu Dashou treated him with warmth on ordinary days, he was ultimately just a servant. Helpless, he could only dodge aside. He knew full well that if he tried to forcibly stop him, a hothead like Zu Zehong was capable of anything.

Now all he could do was pray that the commanders in the rear residence would come out quickly. Otherwise, at the rate things were developing, some unforeseeable tragedy was bound to occur.

Wu Kui saw his young master standing there covered in blood, bare-handed and no match for a blade. In his desperation, he had no time to think about what had happened. He drew his long saber, stepped forward, and with a loud shout, charged straight at Zu Zehong's back a few paces away.

Wu Sangui, having already expended great strength in the earlier hand-to-hand struggle and injury, barely managed to sidestep as Zu Zehong's saber came down. But after Zu Zehong's swing missed, he immediately withdrew the blade and prepared to thrust it straight at Wu Sangui.

At that moment, Wu Kui, the closest to him, had already been intercepted by two of Zu Zehong's guards, and the two sides were locked in combat. It looked as though Wu Sangui was about to be gravely wounded beneath the blade, and Zu Yong and the others nearby were too far to rescue him in time. Suddenly, a faint twang of a bowstring sounded, and a three-edged arrow flashed through the air with a whistle, striking Zu Zehong square in the right thigh. The tremendous impact knocked his body off balance. With a scream of agony, Zu Zehong dropped his saber and collapsed to the ground.

"Young Master, over here!"

Wu Chuang, the guard who had loosed the arrow, swiftly nocked another arrow to his bow and shouted to Wu Sangui, who was some twenty-odd paces away.

The two of Zu Zehong's guards who were locked in combat with Wu Kui heard their master's scream. Furious and alarmed, they no longer held back. One raised his saber for a straight downward chop, while the other crouched low and swung his blade upward in a slanting arc. Wu Kui could not dodge in time. He raised his saber to block the blow aimed at his head while sidestepping half a pace. With a sharp clang, the two blades collided, but the other long saber sliced through the cotton armor on his body, carving a long gash across his ribs. A torrent of blood burst forth.

Wu Kui let out a roar of pain and swung his saber down in a diagonal chop as fast as lightning. The guard who had wounded him could not dodge in time—his sword arm was severed cleanly at the elbow. The excruciating pain sent him to the ground, clutching the stump of his arm and howling as he rolled about.

In that instant, Wu Sangui had already charged to close range. He raised his foot and kicked out sideways, sending the other guard, who was about to raise his saber for another chop, stumbling backward.

Wu Sangui shouted: "Go!" and sprinted toward the courtyard gate.

Wu Kui gritted his teeth against the pain and followed close behind, saber in hand, bright red blood from his wound spattering the ground along his path.

Zu Liuzi had no time to pursue Wu Sangui. He dashed to Zu Zehong's side, hurriedly helped his young master up, and examined his wound. Zu Yong also ran over and asked urgently: "How is the Third Young Master? What in the world happened!?"

As Wu Sangui and his few guards were about to charge out of the courtyard, the guards brought by the others in the yard stood helpless and dared not block their way. Zu Zehong roared through the pain: "That Wu bastard killed Old Five and Old Eight! Don't let him get away!"