Chapter 68

Chapter 68

The agonizing howls reverberated across the entire grassland, startling distant eagles into screeching and flapping their wings in panicked flight. The sudden commotion left all the civil and military officials, as well as the women in the audience, utterly bewildered.

When the crowd finally regained their senses and turned towards the source of the cries, they saw the giant, who moments ago had exuded a commanding aura on the arena, now convulsing violently and collapsed below the stage. His beast-like eyes were wide, his face contorted, his jowls flapping wildly. Amidst his painful, twitching convulsions, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold on the spot.

The fall of the mighty beast stunned everyone.

Further observation revealed that beneath the black cloth covering his groin, rivulets of blood were flowing out. A closer look showed that the area between his legs was slack and soiled with blood and mud, clear evidence of a merciless blow.

The crowd was left dumbfounded and speechless by the scene before them.

When they looked up again, they saw an elegant yet fierce figure standing proudly beside the massive body. She held her chin slightly raised, her expression firm and decisive, and in her hand, she tightly gripped a dagger, its blade still dripping with fresh blood, clearly just withdrawn from flesh and bone.

Was that woman Shen Anning, the wife of Lord Lu on the stage?

So, the pitiable condition of the mighty Suo Da was… inflicted by this Lady Lu?

In an instant, the entire arena erupted.

Some were shocked, some stunned, some thrilled, and others were terrified, their faces pale with fear.

Everyone stood frozen, completely forgetting how to react.

It was said that Shen Anning had avenged herself with her own hands, erasing the humiliation others had inflicted upon her.

At that moment, she and Lu Suian stood as a united pair—one with hands behind his back, towering high on the stage, the other standing proudly below. Even though Lord Lu had seized the limelight and amazed the world with his performance that day, she was not overshadowed by him, nor did she pale in comparison to his brilliance.

Together, they stood like twin swords united, a matched pair, their radiance almost blinding to behold.

It was only then that the Turk envoys across the field finally came to their senses. The leading envoy’s face changed color, and he clambered clumsily onto the stage, leaning over the railing to look down. When he saw the apparently lifeless, wretched state of their esteemed warrior Suo Da below, blood rushed to his head. Fuming with rage, he trembled uncontrollably and pointed a shaking finger at Shen Anning, his expression fierce and furious. “You… what have you done to our warrior Suo Da?” he demanded, his voice trembling with anger.

His finger quivered as he pointed at Shen Anning, revealing the extent of his humiliation and rage.

No sooner had he spoken than Shen Anning calmly sheathed her dagger. Unfazed, she bowed gracefully toward the Emperor and Empress and said, “Your Majesty, this subject’s wife… accidentally stumbled in a moment of panic, and my dagger inadvertently scratched Warrior Suo Da. I beg Your Majesty for forgiveness.”

Though she pleaded for mercy, her posture remained upright and composed.

Her excuse for the “accident” was both absurd and amusing.

An accidental stumble?

A scratch?

Her bald-faced lie instantly amused those who had caught on, drawing laughter from the crowd.

It was indeed quite an “accident.”

But then, hadn’t Warrior Suo Da carelessly humiliated others first?

The audience burst into laughter.

Who would have thought that Lady Lu’s humor matched her courage?

Just as everyone marveled at her fearless spirit, the Turk envoy, driven mad with rage, turned toward the Emperor of Wei and snarled, “Your Majesty of the Great Yu, this woman has brutalized our Turk warrior to such an extent. What punishment does she deserve?”

Trembling with fury, he added, “Our Turk nation came to Great Yu today with great goodwill and sincerity to restore friendly relations. Is this how Great Yu treats its envoys? If anything happens to our warrior Suo Da, this grievance will be unforgivable. I demand that this ruthless woman be executed to justice for our Turk warrior!”

The envoy, his face twisted with madness, gritted his teeth and pointed at Lu Suian on the stage, declaring, “Today’s match was merely a friendly spar, yet Lord Lu employed such underhanded tactics, each move filled with malice. His intentions are condemnable! Warrior Suo Da is the top champion of our Turk nation. In the past decade, he has never been defeated in battle. His humiliating defeat today is highly suspicious. I demand that Your Majesty investigate thoroughly and justice for Warrior Suo Da—”

The Turk envoy simply could not accept the disgraceful defeat and humiliation of their finest warrior. In retaliation, he deflected all blame onto Lu Suian and his wife.

Empress Zhang, however, responded with a faint smile. “Envoy Luo Fu, as Lady Lu has explained, she merely accidentally injured Warrior Suo Da in a moment of panic. Why must you blow it out of proportion?”

Her smile then faded, replaced by a cold glare as she retorted, “Or are you suggesting that your Turk warriors are allowed to wantonly humiliate the women of Great Yu, while our women are not permitted to fight back? Envoy Luo Fu, do not forget whose land you stand on today, or why you are here—”

Her sharp words left Envoy Luo Fu speechless.

The warning in her final statement was unmistakable.

Luo Fu’s eyes narrowed, his chest heaving with rage. He wanted to refute her, but no words came out.

After all, they were there as a defeated nation seeking peace, and Suo Da’s earlier actions had already violated propriety and public sentiment.

As the two sides stood at an impasse, the Emperor of Wei spoke calmly, “Send the imperial physician to examine Warrior Suo Da and determine if his life is in danger.”

At once, a physician stepped forward to check for breath and pulse. After a moment, he reported, “Your Majesty, he has only fainted. There is no immediate danger to his life, but he has lost a significant amount of blood and requires urgent treatment.”

The Emperor of Wei immediately ordered Suo Da to be carried away. Then, addressing Envoy Luo Fu, he said, “If you have evidence to dispute the outcome of the duel, you may present it at any time.”

Seeing the Emperor’s clear bias, Luo Fu prepared to argue further. But at that moment, Lu Suian, who had remained silent on stage, spoke up calmly, “Would Envoy Luo Fu care to spar with me? I am ready at any time.”

He clasped his hands behind his back and added lightly, “I will even grant you fifty moves first.”

As Luo Fu’s face stiffened, Lu Suian narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on the envoy. “Sparing Suo Da’s life was already the greatest mercy I could offer,” he said softly. “Envoy Luo Fu, you seem to have forgotten that Suo Da has a habit of taking what belongs to others. I may not be without such tendencies myself.”

Lu Suian’s quiet words extinguished all of Luo Fu’s hopes.

Luo Fu froze, suddenly realizing the truth: Lu Suian had won. Before the match, Suo Da had named his prize for victory. Yet the victorious Lu Suian had not even mentioned it. Had he chosen to, he could have rightfully taken Suo Da’s life.

Luo Fu closed his eyes, overwhelmed by despair and helplessness.

That was, after all, the finest warrior of the Turks, the fiercest eagle of their grasslands, their greatest pride.

Now, not only had they lost the war, but they had also lost such a formidable warrior. The pain was unbearable.

Yet, at this moment, he lacked even the ability to demand justice for him.

…

Having won two consecutive matches, Lu Suian’s stature in the eyes of the crowd was no longer limited to his eight-foot-tall frame. In their minds, he now seemed to tower at eighteen feet.

Cheers and applause erupted from the audience below.

As Lu Suian prepared to descend from the stage once more, he was stopped again—this time by the Second Prince of the Turks, who had been hiding among the envoy’s retinue.

“Lord Lu, how about another match with me?”

His shocking challenge nearly shook the entire stage. Soon after, Crown Prince Lian stood up and remarked, “If the Second Prince wishes to fleece, there’s no reason to keep targeting the same sheep!”

Just as Crown Prince Lian tried to dissuade him, Lu Suian slowly approached the Second Prince and whispered words meant for his ears alone: “If I win, I want Suo Da—”

As the final word "die" settled, a ruthless determination welled up in Lu Suian's faintly smiling eyes.

The second prince abruptly looked up, his eyes seemingly filled with disbelief, but soon he too narrowed his eyes, his expression turning equally fierce as he said, "Fine."

Thus, Lu Suian proceeded to engage in a third round of contest with the second prince of the Turks. This final match was a test of horsemanship.

On the grassy field below the arena, dust swirled as the two figures galloped into the distance, stirring up clouds of dust in their wake. In no time, they had vanished into the distance.

About a quarter of an hour later, a figure emerged from the distance, galloping back on horseback—and once again, it was Lu Suian who returned first.

Lu Suian had won three consecutive matches.

In today's contest between Great Yu and the Turks, Lu Suian faced three opponents, one after the other, and returned triumphant. His performance today even overshadowed the recently celebrated Crown Prince Lian. Not only did he secure victory, but he also severely dampened the Turks' morale and exalted the prestige of Great Yu.

The moment his agile figure returned in triumph, Princess Fuyang was seen waving her horsewhip wildly in celebration.

On the men's seating platform, Prince Ning narrowed his eyes as he gazed into the distance, a dark turbulence stirring in his gaze.

Over in the Lu family seats, Fang Shi joined in the cheers, exclaiming repeatedly, "How mighty is my son! That's my boy!"

On the high platform, Emperor of Wei's gaze inadvertently swept toward the Lu family's seats. Just as he was about to look away, he noticed something and turned back, staring for a moment at the beautiful woman seated there.

At that very moment, Fang Shi turned her head and looked toward the majestic figure on the high platform.

Their eyes met across the distance. In the next instant, Fang Shi's face flushed crimson, and she shyly looked away, only to steal another bashful glance toward the elevated throne moments later.

Emperor of Wei frowned and murmured to the chief steward beside him, "Is that Minister Lu's wife? She seems somewhat familiar to me…"

As he withdrew his gaze, he suddenly noticed the empress beside him had a distant, lost look in her eyes. Emperor of Wei followed her line of sight—