Chapter 80: Lü Bu Incarnate
Jiang Ruoxue’s words left Old Lü and Zhang Chenze both somewhat bewildered.
But the situation was urgent now, there was no time for overthinking.
Zhang Chenze took three deep breaths, then grabbed a piece of glass shard and rushed out.
Qi Xia was just taking off his coat and tying it around his arm, trying to stall the two men.
“Qi Xia! I’m here to help you!” Zhang Chenze raised the glass shard and stood beside him.
“Help me?! Are you crazy?” Qi Xia said through gritted teeth. “Get out of here!”
“It’s okay…” Zhang Chenze seemed to be reassuring herself. “We’ll be fine…”
The blond thug saw Qi Xia distracted and immediately charged forward. If he could just drive the knife into the other’s chest in this critical moment, everything would be over.
“Qi Xia, watch out!” Zhang Chenze stepped forward too, tightly shut her eyes, and blindly thrust the glass shard ahead.
Seeing this, the blond couldn’t help but find it ridiculous—did this woman really think she could kill someone with a piece of glass?
He sidestepped to dodge the woman in front of him, but unexpectedly stepped on a metal box on the ground.
“Huh?!”
His body tilted, and he lost his balance completely. Then he stumbled forward, his throat slamming straight into the glass shard.
“Cough… cough…” Blood gushed from the blond’s mouth. “You…”
Qi Xia was startled, quickly shoving the blond away.
Once the glass shard was pulled out, his throat poured blood like an open tap.
“Ali!!” The bald man roared, rushing over to support his companion.
He frantically tried to plug the wound on the blond’s throat with his hand, panicking.
Qi Xia, still shaken, stared at the scene before him.
That metal box had fallen when he attacked the green-haired thug earlier. He never expected it would come in handy at this moment…
What an incredibly lucky coincidence?
Only now did Zhang Chenze finally open her eyes. She suddenly realized her hands were covered in blood.
“Ah!!” She screamed in fright and dropped the glass shard.
She had been so adamant about killing someone moments ago, but now that it had actually happened, the former lawyer Zhang Chenze looked utterly horrified.
Qi Xia didn’t hesitate. The moment Zhang Chenze dropped the glass, he immediately picked up the dagger the blond had dropped.
The fight wasn’t over. They couldn’t afford to let their guard down.
“You bastards are asking for it!!” The bald man roared like a madman, then raised his dagger and slashed wildly.
Qi Xia quickly pushed Zhang Chenze into the room and backed away several big steps.
These unorthodox attacks were the hardest to dodge because he had no idea where the next strike would land. All Qi Xia could do was create as much distance as possible from the bald man.
But Qi Xia was at the end of the corridor, and in just a few steps, he was backed into a dead end.
Both of them held daggers, but Qi Xia’s only thought was survival, while the other fought like a rabid dog.
“I’ll take you down with me!” The bald man swung his dagger with all his might. Qi Xia sidestepped to avoid it.
Taking advantage of the miss, Qi Xia acted decisively, slashing the man’s arm. He knew the cut was deep—it seemed to have hit bone.
“Come on if you want to die!” Qi Xia threatened.
The bald man didn’t even flinch from the pain. He spun around and thrust the knife straight at Qi Xia’s heart.
Knowing he couldn’t dodge in time, Qi Xia quickly lowered his stance. The knife, meant for his heart, instead pierced his shoulder.
He let out a pained grunt and immediately stabbed his own dagger toward the man’s abdomen.
But the next second, the bald man reached out his left hand, firmly blocking Qi Xia’s blade. The dagger pierced straight through his palm without mercy.
“And you think you can kill me…?” The bald man glared viciously. “Have you ever killed anyone before?!”
Before Qi Xia could answer, the bald man twisted the dagger in Qi Xia’s shoulder violently, gouging out a chunk of flesh.
“Argh!!!”
Qi Xia screamed in agony, the pain nearly knocking him unconscious.
Just then, a stout figure suddenly charged over and wrapped his arms tightly around the bald man from behind.
The bald man froze, and the dagger in his right hand slipped.
“Damn it…” He realized it was the “traitor” Old Lü holding him, and his anger flared even more. “You’re the one who ruined our key, aren’t you?”
Though terrified, Old Lü held on desperately. He knew that once he let go, Qi Xia would be dead for sure.
The bald man twisted his left hand, pulled the dagger out of his own bloody palm, and stabbed it backward into Old Lü’s ribs.
“Huh?” Old Lü blinked, feeling something cold enter his flesh—a sensation he had never experienced before.
Gritting his teeth, the bald man pulled the dagger out and stabbed several more times.
Only then did Old Lü finally feel the bone-deep pain.
His whole body trembling, but he still didn’t let go. He opened his mouth, bit down on the bald man’s shoulder, and jerked his head hard, tearing off a chunk of skin and flesh.
The bald man howled in pain. He raised the dagger to finish Old Lü off, but Lin Qin appeared out of nowhere and stabbed his arm with a piece of glass.
“Qi Xia!! If you don’t move, Old Lü is going to die!!” She shouted urgently, panic on her face.
The yell jolted Qi Xia back from the brink of unconsciousness. His entire left side had gone numb, but this was no time to collapse.
Once he assessed the situation, his face turned pale. Without hesitation, he yanked the dagger out of his own shoulder, roared, and plunged it into the bald man’s neck.
The bald man instantly went limp, and everyone collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.
“Old Lü…” Qi Xia shoved the bald man aside and hurriedly checked on him. But just one look made Qi Xia’s voice tremble. “Old Lü… how are you?”
Old Lü lay on the ground, convulsing. His left ribs were a bloody mess.
“Qi kid… you’re not too smart in critical moments…” Old Lü gave a bitter smile, his face already deathly pale.
“Yeah… I’m not as smart as you…” Qi Xia reached out with trembling hands and pressed hard on Old Lü’s wound, but blood still seeped through his fingers. “Old Lü, don’t die… I still haven’t paid you back for this ticket…”
“How the hell could I die…” Old Lü sighed and said, “Qi kid, if you knew my real name, you wouldn’t be so worried about me…”
“What is it…?”
“Don’t laugh when I tell you…” Old Lü chuckled dryly. “Every time I told people my real name before, they’d laugh…”
“I won’t laugh… I promise I won’t.” Qi Xia was trying to stop the bleeding, but the bald man had been too ruthless—the blood wouldn’t stop.
“It’s Lü Fengxian…” Old Liu chuckled weakly. “The name my parents gave me… Doesn’t it sound like I can’t die?”
“You son of a bitch… you’re Lü Bu incarnate, of course you can’t die…”
Qi Xia knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Until his head throbbed with pain, until Old Lü went still.
…
Qi Xia pulled Old Lü in front of him and said in a low voice, “There are a few things I need to tell you.”
“Tell me?” Old Lü was puzzled. “Qi kid, do you have some plan? The game’s about to start. Spit it out.”
Qi Xia thought for a moment, then said, “It’s not really a ‘plan.’ Old Lü, if they invite you to join, you can accept.”
“Huh?” Old Lü was stunned for a second, then caught on. “A ‘double bluff’? I agree first, then take them down from the inside…”
“No.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Old Lü, let’s part ways here.”
“Huh?”
“I thought it over carefully. We’ve only known each other for a very short time. If I risk my life for you, the whole team won’t feel at ease.” Qi Xia explained seriously. “So the best way is for you to leave the team early. If we end up in a fight, none of us will be burdened.”
“You…” Old Lü looked dejected. For a middle-aged fat man, he looked as wronged as a child.
“I’m sorry, Old Lü. I’m just making the most correct choice.”
“Qi kid.” Old Lü interrupted him. “You said you can’t risk your lives for me. But I can risk mine for you.”
“What?”
“No matter what plan you have, don’t act yet. I’ll show you my ‘sincerity’ first. You can decide after you see it.” Old Lü said.
“But if we don’t accept you at the last moment, you’ll die.” Qi Xia said.
“You’re not that kind of person.” Old Lü said with a simple smile. “I’ve sold socks my whole life, but I’m a good judge of character in critical moments. Just wait!”
“Sigh…” Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. “Even so, I still won’t fully trust you. I’ll have to see what you do first.”