Chapter Six: The Great Fright

  "Mr. Xia, this is what that young man ordered. You'd better wait for the next bowl," said Xiao Er hastily. Lu Bing couldn't help but slightly relax his eyebrows as he looked at the burly man's fierce appearance and rough demeanor. But since Xiao Er dared to speak like this, it meant that Mr. Xia was still a reasonable person, and earlier might have just been an unintentional move.

  The man glanced at Lu Bing with a slanted gaze, his eyes seeming to hold a hint of provocation, causing Lu Bing to clench his fists in anticipation of the man's next move. However, the man burst into loud laughter and patted his fist, saying: "Sorry about that, little brother! I'm just a rough guy, didn't see you earlier. Waiter, bring a bowl over for this young fellow."

  The little waiter picked up the bowl and said with a smile: "Sir, it's usually Mr. Xia who drinks the first bowl, I didn't expect you to arrive earlier than him today. Since Mr. Xia is not here, I'll apologize on his behalf."

  Lu Bing responded, "The big fellow earlier seemed to have slurped from the bowl and his dirty mustache fell in. I'm feeling a bit nauseous. Let's just say this bowl is for Xia Dage instead. Waiter, please bring me another bowl. If you want to eat, I'll treat you to one."

  The little second's eyes sparkled with delight, and he repeatedly expressed his gratitude. The man surnamed Xia also cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said: "Then thank you very much, I, Xia, have a special fondness for this dish, it's really hard to part with it, haha!"

  Lu Bing didn't say another word, just smiled slightly. Xiao Er Ge also didn't hesitate, brought over two bowls of noodles and gave one to Lu Bing, then squatted in the corner with his own bowl, wolfing it down. Lu Bing savored each bite slowly, this mutton noodle dish wasn't the first serving anymore, but it was still very delicious. Lu Bing was truly hungry, so he even drank the soup.

  After eating, Lu Bing let out a satisfied belch and stretched his waist, feeling tired all over his body. He had often seen on TV how people would rush through the night, but he hadn't felt anything until now, after driving for an entire night, and suddenly he felt so exhausted. At this moment, Lu Bing couldn't help but feel a deep appreciation for the hardships of post stations and soldiers.

  People who travel through time usually change history, turning ancient cities into modern metropolises. Hehe, if I were to build a railway, those ancient people would be shocked, and with the sound of the train whistle, I could earn tens of thousands of taels of gold and become a rich tycoon.

  Lu Bingzheng was dreaming of recruiting talents from all over the world and becoming a modern-day "Sai Mengzhang" when he suddenly heard a man with the surname Xia say, "Young man, may I ask your name?"

  Lu Bing hastily cupped his hands and said: "My younger brother's surname is Lu, single name Chong, how should this older brother be addressed?" Lu Bing was not foolish, and he was not familiar with this big Han, so if the official document of the Hai Capture Bureau were to come out, he would have reported his true name, wouldn't that be equivalent to revealing his own whereabouts? So he changed his mind and casually took a pseudonym.

  "My name is Xia Dade, looking at your appearance, you should be a few years younger than me, so just call me Big Brother Xia. I'm the butcher from Dongqiao Town, haha, didn't expect that, even a pig killer can look as handsome as Pan An." The butcher said.

  When these words came out, Lu Bing almost spat out the noodles he had just eaten. Without being so narcissistic, with this face and not needing a self-introduction, it's known that he's a pig butcher, yet he dares to say he's more handsome than Pan An. Then wouldn't he become a godly handsome jade-faced official? And this name, Xia Dade, is too auspicious. This guy's guts are really not small, having been spoiled since childhood, no wonder he can shamelessly boast about himself, with such a thick skin and fat face.

  Although he thought so, Lu Bing didn't know what to say and could only smile awkwardly, cupping his fists in a salute: "Nice meeting you, Big Brother Xia. I'm feeling a bit tired now, so I'll go find somewhere to rest. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

  Xiao Er Ge heard Xia Da De boasting about his appearance again and almost burst out laughing, then teased: "Xia Da Ye, I'm eating now, someone has invited me to eat a bowl of mutton noodles, don't let me waste this good thing."

  Xia Dade didn't understand what it meant, and with a fierce glare, he said: "You eat yours, who's stopping you?"

  Lu Biao hugged his fist and turned to leave, but Xia Dade suddenly grabbed the waist knife of Lu Biao and said: "What a beautiful treasure knife, let me take a look."

  Lu Bing was somewhat annoyed, thinking that he and the other person were not familiar with each other. Even if they wanted to borrow a knife to test their luck, they should have asked for his consent first. How could they just ask and then take action to snatch the knife? After feeling displeased, Lu Bing used force in his hand.

  Xia Dade suddenly exerted himself, also being straightforward and using more force. Lu Bing was shocked in his heart, thinking that Xia Dade had a lot of strength. He then took a deep breath and added more force to his hand as well. The two people thus began to compete with each other's strength. Although Xia Dade was rough and direct, he wasn't stupid, naturally knowing that Lu Bing was competing with him in terms of strength, and forgetting that he had been impolite first. He just shouted: "Brother Lu has such great strength! I'm just borrowing your knife to take a look, how can you be so stingy? I'll ask you again, will you lend it or not?"

  Lu Bing let out a cold hum and replied, "I won't lend it." The waiter was stunned, he knew Xia Dade's abilities, this man although reasonable but had a rough temperament, often took justice into his own hands but also loved to provoke conflicts, the powerful Xia Dade had few opponents in the town. Who would have thought that this newly arrived pale-faced young official actually had such skills, and could rival Xia Dade.

  Xia Dade's face turned red with rage, his veins bulging as he gritted his teeth and said, "You really won't lend it!" Lu Bing's face was also red, and he had used a lot of force, but fortunately, his foundation was good, and the modern training he had received over the past few months had paid off. Otherwise, he would have been no match for Xia Dade's brute strength. Even so, he found it hard to speak again, which showed that Xia Dade had the upper hand.

  Although it was hard to speak out, Lu Bing still responded with a cold hum, which clearly meant no loan!

  Xia Dade suddenly let go and said, "You're so petty, if you don't want to lend it, just say so. It's just a broken knife, what's the big deal?" Xia Dade's sudden release of his grip caught Lu Bing off guard, and he almost fell over himself, stumbling backward and knocking over several tables and chairs, causing chopstick holders to tip over and chopsticks to roll all over the place.

  Lu Biao took a deep breath, his face slightly red, and his movements somewhat awkward. He glanced at Xia Dade, wanting to take action but thought better of it. He decided that sometimes less is more, and retreated a step to gain a broader perspective. He endured the provocation and walked towards the door. Just as he was about to exit, he heard a loud whooshing sound behind him. Suddenly, he drew his sword and with just one move, cut the long bench flying towards him into three segments.

  The action is completed in one breath, with three knives coming out instantly. It seems simple but is actually extremely difficult to practice. Normally, people can only chop down with one knife or change the direction of the blade from vertical to horizontal. This is similar to chopping meat, where even a skilled chef can only quickly chop the knife onto the cutting board and then proceed to the next step, rather than chopping in mid-air.

  If it were a feint, it would also be possible, but Lu Bing's move was clearly not a feint. The three knives did not fall from above, but stopped abruptly in mid-air. Each move was a real killing move, with a strong force behind it, which is why he could chop the long bench into three pieces in an instant. Where the knife passed, the wind and air were fierce, and Xiao Er's face stung, shouting loudly as he threw down his bowl and hid in the inner hall. This was the rhythm of starting to fight!

  This move is actually the first move of the Lu family's ancestral thirteen killing knives, San Sheng Wan Wu.

  Lu Bing chopped the flying bench and sheathed his sword, only to hear Xia Dade burst out laughing: "Good sword! Good swordsmanship!"

  "Why hit me and ambush me from behind?" Lu Bing asked, he knew that good people are often bullied and good horses are often ridden, if he didn't make a big deal out of it today, he would inevitably be entangled by this evil man.

  Xia Dade, however, said with a face of indifference: "Who made you not let me see the knife earlier? I just wanted to try out how fast this knife is, and it's absolutely not a sneak attack from behind. If I really wanted to launch a sneak attack on you, I'm afraid you wouldn't be standing here right now."

  "Oh? Is that so? You still have a reason, that's a good gesture." Lu Bing said, Xia Dade seemed to have been expecting for a long time, nodded and said: "Just what I wanted." As he spoke, he drew out the giant cleaver from his waist, then took out an iron rod from behind his back, which was a whetstone, it seemed that this was his weapon. Lu Bing was slightly stunned, didn't expect Xia Dade to be a dual-wielding person.

  Lu Bing swung his sword, but he felt that Xia Dade was not inherently bad, despite being reckless. Earlier, if he really wanted to ambush himself, he could have used the scalding hot soup to splash himself, why use a board? Moreover, earlier they were still talking reasonably, so Lu Bing did not want to take Xia Dade's life for this small matter. Therefore, he did not use his ancestral, deadly thirteen knives that would see blood as soon as it was drawn.

  Moreover, Lu Bing was a good boy born in a society ruled by law, and from an early age he studied political ideology and legal concepts deeply ingrained in his mind. Subconsciously, he always thought about "an eye for an eye" and Article so-and-so of the Criminal Code. This is also why when Zhu Houzhen cut off Jiang's young master's Achilles tendon at the time, Lu Bing was shocked and lost color. If this were to happen today, it would be considered a crime causing disability, and the perpetrator would have to face trial. The judicial department's ability to apprehend fugitives is beyond doubt; even if you fled to the moon, you'd still be caught and put in prison.

  The two men exchanged blows, and the fight was intense. Although Xia Dade had weapons in both hands, and was taller and stronger than Lu Bing, who was over 1.8 meters tall, his speed was much slower than Lu's. It was only because of his size and strength that he was able to hold his own against Lu, who was not fighting with deadly intent, that the two men were able to grapple for a full quarter of an hour.

  Lu Bing felt a numbness in his arm every time he clashed with Xia Dade's weapon, knowing that if this continued, it wouldn't end well. He thought of a move to take down Xia Dade. Lu Bing suddenly rushed to the side, and Xia Dade thought Lu Bing was going to run away, shouting: "Don't go!"

  Lu Bing stepped on the wall beside him, his body soared upwards, turned around and chopped down with a mountain-opening force in both hands, bringing a scorching gust of wind that hacked towards Xia Dade's head. Xia Dade let out an "ah" and knew this was a powerful move, not daring to underestimate it, he could only hold up his weapon with both hands to meet Lu Bing's attack, trying to withstand the force of his strike.

  Lu Bing's mouth curled up in a smile, his eyes fixed on the clashing weapons. Suddenly, he jerked his wrist, and the tiger-headed sword flashed back like lightning, then thrust out with great force, piercing right between Xia Dade's shoulder and neck. Lu Bing held his knife horizontally across Xia Dade's neck and asked, "Do you yield?"