Chapter 8: The Duel

 

By all rights, the position of Taibai Army General should have belonged to Lieutenant General Wu Sheng Liu.

Born to poverty as the sixth child, he joined the army when his family could no longer feed him. Through years of service, he earned a reputation for unwavering courage. Never defeated in training ground duels, fighting battles with reckless abandon, he had risen to Lieutenant General before thirty. Command of an entire army—his long-cherished dream—had seemed within reach.

Then a young nobleman from the Southern Capital descended from the sky, achieving the equal rank of Lieutenant General before his twentieth birthday. When Taibai Army's General Xu died in battle, he had entrusted the entire army to this youth before tens of thousands of soldiers. Wu Sheng Liu suspected pressure from Duan Xu's illustrious family had forced General Xu into this decision against his better judgment.

He had tolerated it while facing a powerful enemy, but now that Liangzhou was recaptured, he showed Duan Xu no courtesy, hoping only for his swift return to the Southern Capital. The frontier, with its flying swords and deadly blades, was no place for a delicate young nobleman.

Wu Sheng Liu now stood in the main courtyard of the Governor's mansion. When Meng Wan invited him to sit, he refused, crossing his arms with a stern expression. "I still need to return and train my troops. If you have something to say, say it quickly."

Duan Xu entered the courtyard with a warm smile, amiable and pleasant. Behind him followed the city wall commander, Han Ling Qiu.

"Lieutenant General Wu has been diligently training soldiers these days—such dedication." Duan Xu acted as though he hadn't noticed Wu Sheng Liu's sour expression and patted his shoulder. Standing half a head taller than Wu Sheng Liu gave him a natural advantage in presence.

This only deepened Wu Sheng Liu's frustration.

Ignoring Wu Sheng Liu's rigid posture, Duan Xu sat down directly. He lifted a teacup from the table and smiled. "Now Commander Meng, Commander Xia, Commander Han, and Lieutenant General Wu are all present. Simply put, both my people and Lieutenant General Wu's people are here. With the army somewhat settled, I wish to promote a commander to lieutenant general."

Wu Sheng Liu lowered his arms, glanced at Meng Wan and Xia Qing Sheng, and said with displeasure, "Who does the General wish to promote? Xia Qing Sheng?"

"Yes. What does the Lieutenant General think?"

Wu Sheng Liu's anger flared. Did this Duan Xu think Taibai was his personal army? Liangzhou had barely been recaptured, and already he rushed to install his people in positions of power.

He slammed the table, making the teacups jump. "How many battles has this Xia Qing Sheng fought with Taibai?"

"Four battles, killing over ten thousand enemies with three thousand cavalry. Though soldiers died, none retreated," Duan Xu answered calmly.

The Great Liang armies had not fought major battles for years, military discipline had grown lax, and they often fled when facing the Danzhi forces. The early Taibai Army was no exception. After Duan Xu assumed command, he enforced ruthlessly strict military law. Anyone who avoided battle or retreated faced execution without mercy. Thousands of soldiers had died under military justice. Recently, soldiers who accepted bribes for managing grave allocations received forty staff beatings.

This statement struck a nerve with Wu Sheng Liu. He shouted, "That's because you gave him the most elite troops, and besides, all those battles he fought were following you..."

Realizing that continuing would mean praising Duan Xu—since Taibai's recapture of Liangzhou was indeed primarily his achievement—Wu Sheng Liu stopped and lifted his chin defiantly. "I don't accept this. My brother Han has served in the army for three years with outstanding military achievements. Honestly, General Duan, your previous lieutenant general position should have gone to Brother Han. Now that you've been promoted to general, yet want to promote someone else to lieutenant general, I refuse to accept it."

Duan Xu turned toward Commander Han—a tall man of few words with a scarred face who stood steady in the wind. Though only in his early twenties, he possessed the stability of weathered stone. Duan Xu smiled. "Han Ling Qiu, do you accept this?"

Commander Han seemed unprepared to be addressed and saluted with cupped hands. Uncertain whether to say he accepted or not, he could only lower his gaze. "Ling Qiu will follow the decision of both superiors."

Duan Xu studied him for a moment, then surveyed the spacious courtyard. In the depths of winter, sparse trees at the edges made the grand courtyard appear even larger. Blue bricks paved the ground, with weapon racks positioned on both sides. The late Governor of Liangzhou had also been fond of martial arts.

"I hear Lieutenant General Wu is passionate about dueling and has never known defeat. Would you care to have a match with me?" Duan Xu stood, stretching his arms to loosen his muscles, and smiled at Wu Sheng Liu. "If I win, I'll promote my recommended candidate. If you win, I'll promote yours. How does that sound?"

Wu Sheng Liu felt the wager played perfectly into his hands. He laughed heartily. "A gentleman's word, once given, cannot be retrieved even by four horses. General, don't renege on your promise."

His immense strength and martial skill were renowned throughout the Taibai Army. From recent battles, it seemed Duan Xu possessed some martial knowledge, but a nobleman's son would know only flowery moves without substance.

Wu Sheng Liu took his weapon—a long saber—and strode proudly to the courtyard's center.

Chen Ying, perched on the Governor's mansion roof, watched this scene with growing concern.

"Why is Brother General going to fight that uncle? That uncle is much stronger than Brother General and looks fierce too. He seems like a skilled fighter. Won't Brother lose?"

He wore the veiled hat Duan Xu had given them, the black gauze covering most of his form. He Simu sat beside him, a plate of melon seeds between them on the roof ridge. The pair leaned casually against the Governor's mansion roof, cracking melon seeds while observing the spectacle.

He Simu had placed a concealment spell on the veiled hat, rendering its wearer invisible to mortal eyes. She possessed countless methods of invisibility. Though they sat openly on the roof, none of the people in the courtyard could perceive them.

She had told Chen Ying this was also magic, and the trusting child believed her completely.

"Lieutenant General Wu will lose," He Simu said leisurely, cracking another melon seed.

Chen Ying turned his head in confusion. "Why? Lieutenant General Wu appears stronger."

"His bone structure isn't favorable."

"Bone structure?"

"Yes, Chen Ying, let me tell you—when assessing people, you must examine their bone structure first. Look at this man's flat skull back, flat forehead, and low crown, far inferior to Duan Xu's structure."

"What does good bone structure have to do with martial prowess?" Chen Ying looked bewildered.

He Simu smiled and beckoned. Chen Ying obediently moved closer, and she whispered mysteriously in his ear, fabricating, "People with superior bone structure possess stronger destinies."

Chen Ying nodded in confusion. "I see."

"Lieutenant General Wu, please guide me," Duan Xu said from the courtyard, casually saluting with cupped hands.

Wu Sheng Liu returned the greeting perfunctorily, then raised his long saber and assumed his stance, eyes blazing with fury like a fierce tiger preparing to hunt.

Duan Xu stood straight, gripping the Breaking Illusion Sword but keeping it sheathed.

"Draw your sword!" Wu Sheng Liu shouted.

"When the time comes to draw the sword, I naturally will," Duan Xu replied calmly.

"Then I won't hold back!" Before finishing his words, Wu Sheng Liu raised his saber and charged at Duan Xu with thunderous momentum, bellowing, "Watch my blade!"

Duan Xu remained motionless until Wu Sheng Liu was merely a step away. Then he retreated half a step with his right foot.

He Simu's eyes narrowed.

The wind around Duan Xu underwent a subtle transformation. The sparse, silk-like currents that enveloped him showed momentary distortion—just an instant. Using that half-step retreat, Duan Xu moved with incredible speed, evading Wu Sheng Liu's blade with incomprehensible swiftness. In one fluid turn, his robes billowing, he appeared behind Wu Sheng Liu.

He drove his knee forcefully into his opponent's lower back. As Wu Sheng Liu instinctively arched backward, Duan Xu raised his sheathed sword across the other's throat, his free hand grasping the sword's end and pulling back with decisive force.

A clean, efficient stranglehold. The movement exploded and ceased in an instant, swift as a rabbit caught by a diving falcon—like a fleeting afterimage.

Wu Sheng Liu's long saber clattered to the ground.

Had the Breaking Illusion Sword been drawn, it wouldn't have been the saber hitting the ground, but Wu Sheng Liu's severed head.

After a moment of silence, Duan Xu released Wu Sheng Liu, who clutched his throat and coughed violently.

"Thank you for allowing me the victory," Duan Xu said with cupped hands and a smile. His breathing remained steady; that lethal maneuver had cost him minimal effort.

He Simu held a melon seed in her mouth, only just remembering to bite down on it.

Chen Ying shot upright in shock, nearly losing his balance and tumbling off the roof. He Simu extended her hand to steady him, her gaze fixed on Duan Xu in the courtyard below.

Chen Ying stood unsteadily, rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again, saying in disbelief, "What just happened? I... I couldn't see clearly, but Brother General has already won?"

Indeed, mortal eyes would struggle to perceive such speed clearly.

He Simu smiled casually. "What happened? It was like a six-year-old child charging forward with bared fangs and claws, only to be flipped to the ground with one slap from a grown man."

The gap between Wu Sheng Liu and Duan Xu was vast. The difference wasn't in the brute strength Wu Sheng Liu prided himself on, but in reflexes, speed, and tactical thinking.

And experience.

This young general had taken many lives.

Far more than Wu Sheng Liu had ever claimed.

Wu Sheng Liu found it nearly impossible to believe. He sat on the ground clutching his throat, breathing heavily and seeing stars as he slowly looked up at Duan Xu—the man who should have possessed only delicate, showy but useless martial arts. He managed with difficulty, "How... is this possible..."

"Lieutenant General Wu believes that all noblemen's sons from the Southern Capital idle away their time. Your assessment is largely correct—there are many idle ones where I come from, but..." Duan Xu bent down, helped Wu Sheng Liu to his feet, and smiled. "I am not among them."

When Wu Sheng Liu stood steady again, his gaze toward Duan Xu had transformed. Though still maintaining a hint of defiance, curiosity now flickered in his eyes.

Duan Xu returned the Breaking Illusion Sword to his waist. "I know the Lieutenant General has never accepted me, yet on the battlefield, you never undermined me because, with a powerful enemy at our gates, you understood the stakes and demonstrated great righteousness. You opposed my strict military discipline because you cared for the soldiers and thought me too harsh. But Lieutenant General Wu, you also understand how vast the gap is between us and the Danzhi elite. Without strict military discipline, we would only perish faster."

Wu Sheng Liu's face alternated between red and white. After a moment of silence, he gritted his teeth. "You won, so you won. Why all these words? I lost. From now on, I look forward to Lieutenant General Xia's guidance."

He offered a cursory salute toward Xia Qing Sheng, rubbing his neck as he continued, "General, whenever you announce this appointment, I will raise no objections and will support Lieutenant General Xia. If there's nothing else, this subordinate takes his leave."

This was the most respectful statement he had made since Duan Xu's arrival—he had even referred to himself as "this subordinate."

Han Ling Qiu glanced at Duan Xu several times before following Wu Sheng Liu in taking his leave.

Duan Xu watched their retreating figures with folded arms. "Lieutenant General Wu possesses genuine character, but with his personality and approach, if he went to the Southern Capital, I fear he'd be devoured without even bones remaining."

The sunlight was brilliant, the afternoon sun bright yet gentle. Chen Ying observed Duan Xu's radiant smile in the sunlight and whispered, "Brother General is incredible."

He Simu, resting her chin on her hand, smiled. "Not just superior bone structure, but excellent physical conditioning as well. Remarkable."

Chen Ying touched his own head and asked eagerly, "Sister Xiaoxiao, what about my bone structure? Is mine good?"

He Simu laughed. She tapped Chen Ying's forehead gently. "A full, rounded forehead—you're a child with promising prospects."

Suddenly, Meng Wan exclaimed from beneath the eaves, "Are melon seed shells falling from the sky?"

He Simu smiled, grabbed Chen Ying, and they silently disappeared from sight.

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