Chapter 101: Chu Bo Escapes the City!

"You have the motions, but lack the form!"

"In your eyes, must a heavy blade be wielded only by those with brute strength?"

"A blade, whether held left or right—the feet, legs, waist, shoulders, and arms all have power to contribute. Each possesses the strength to generate momentum. Small momentum kills enemies and slays horses; great momentum shatters swords and blades alike..."

Inside the residence, in the courtyard, Cui Wenjin and the Lady Di watched the old man with astonishment. Even in the darkness of the night, where they could barely discern Fu Zihou’s movements, this blind old man could perceive every detail—the strengths and the flaws—solely by listening to the sound of his actions.

They had no idea where Fu Zihou had found such an old man, nor where he had unearthed this technique of blade-slashing.

"Go, take a stick and strike him! Remember the points I told you!" the old man commanded Cui Wenjin and Lady Di.

In truth, it was not just Cui Wenjin and Lady Di who were astonished; the old man himself was the most surprised of all. Ever since his grandson had died, he had been utterly disheartened. He could not remember the last time his emotions had stirred—perhaps only when news of Xu Jinpeng had reached him.

But now.

Talent!

In that courtyard, amidst the sound of the blade cutting through the air, the old man heard the raw talent of a man. From the initial clumsy hacking to the subsequent subtle shifts, the sound began to carry the "momentum" of a blade slicing the void. In all his years, the old man had never heard someone progress so rapidly.

He recalled his own youth—how long had it taken him to master the basics? A year? Two? Comparing himself to his father, his son, and his grandson, it had taken them anywhere from three to five years. Yet, he clearly sensed that the young man in the courtyard had crossed the threshold in less than a night—in less than two hours.

"Oh, alright!"

Hearing the old man's words, Cui Wenjin looked at Fu Zihou practicing. She recalled how, just moments ago, Fu Zihou had been alone with Lady Di the moment he returned.

Finding her chance, Cui Wenjin was not as reserved as Lady Di. She picked up a long wooden staff, a mischievous smirk on her face, and walked slowly toward Fu Zihou.

Under the cover of night, Fu Zihou followed the old man’s instructions. He kept his eyes closed, wrapped in a cloth, feeling the blade in his hand and adapting to channeling force from every part of his body into the weapon. At first, because of his unfamiliarity and the exhaustion from fighting rebel soldiers on the city walls earlier that day, he felt breathless and weary.

However, as time passed, recalling the books he had read and absorbing the old man’s teachings, he began to master the movements. A fresh sensation took hold, making him feel as if he were reborn. He realized for the first time that wielding a blade did not require brute force. Once the blade and body became one, the momentum surged instantly. Not only were his slashes faster than before, but the power was on a completely different level. Even more surprising was that as his speed and force increased, he felt less fatigued, as if the blade had no weight at all.

It was in this moment that Fu Zihou finally understood how Xu Jinpeng had so easily wielded that massive blade.

In the future, a master of the "inch punch" could send a grown man stumbling backward several paces with a strike delivered within the distance of a single finger. Fu Zihou felt that this blade technique was several times, even ten times, stronger than those methods of leveraging force. An inch punch concentrated the body's power into a tiny space; this blade technique concentrated the body's power into the weapon, utilizing larger physical movements to create a more devastating, weighty momentum.

Before he could reflect further, he felt a wooden staff strike his head. The force was restrained—clearly, the person feared hurting him—but the wood was hard, and it stung. Before he could process the pain, the staff struck his arm, then his back!

If it had been a real blade, perhaps he could have dodged it, but against a wooden staff wielded with restraint, he was defenseless. Sensing that the old man was no ordinary person, Fu Zihou did not stop, as he had not been told to. He forced himself to stay calm, listening to the whistle of the staff to judge the direction of the strikes. After a few blows, he vaguely grasped the old man’s intent: the strikes were aimed at the most obvious areas, and they were strikes, not stabs. The old man wanted him to adapt to these clear signals, intending to substitute them with something else later.

***

In the courtyard, Cui Wenjin watched Fu Zihou—whom she was "avenging" herself upon—and felt an immense sense of satisfaction. *That’ll teach you to have a fiancée while running around, and to be so mesmerized by Lady Di...*

Cui Wenjin circled him joyfully with the staff. She wanted to vent her frustration but feared hurting him, so after the first secret strike to his head, she aimed every subsequent blow at his body, carefully gauging her strength.

However, just as she thought to strike his arm again, she saw the blindfolded Fu Zihou suddenly raise his blade vertically, blocking the staff perfectly.

Cui Wenjin pursed her lips and quickly withdrew the staff, aiming for his arm instead, but Fu Zihou blocked again. Her pretty face was frozen in astonishment; she assumed it was a coincidence. But to her shock, every time she moved to strike, Fu Zihou blocked her every move.

"Two people would be better!" the old man spoke up. Even without sight, he could tell by the sounds that the girl holding the staff, while constantly striking, lacked the heart to use real force. While this helped Fu Zihou adapt, it was far less effective than having two people.

"Old man, I dare not strike him!" Lady Di said, shaking her head. She looked at Fu Zihou and Cui Wenjin. Ostensibly, she was referring to Fu Zihou being a commander, but the real reason was the glance she cast at Cui Wenjin. In her eyes, some people were meant to be struck by only one person; others dare not touch him! She couldn't risk the girl becoming jealous and glaring at her again if she were to strike him.

***

Deep in the night, inside the East City prison, three inmates suddenly stirred. They exchanged glances across their cells and rose quietly. Soon, the locks were silently undone.

Moving through the prison, the three navigated carefully past other cells until they reached the innermost area where Chu Bo and Xiang Yifeng were held. Seeing the three men, the battered Chu Bo and Xiang Yifeng were stunned. Before they could ponder, the men unlocked the cell.

"Hurry, let's go!"

As they spoke, before Chu Bo and Xiang Yifeng could ask questions, the sound of fighting echoed from outside the prison.

"Go!"

Urged by the commotion, Xiang Yifeng and Chu Bo scrambled out of their cell and ran toward the exit with the three men.

"Hold them! Do not let the rebel generals escape!"

"Kill them!"

The prison, which had been under heavy guard, was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of over twenty masked men. The guards drew their swords and clashed with them.

"Over here!" Lu Tai, the leader, called out upon seeing Xiang Yifeng and Chu Bo. Seeing guards rushing toward them, he ordered his men to intercept. The three prisoners who had rescued them fought with suicidal ferocity, using their own bodies to carve a path for the two generals.

"Quick! Get out of the city!"

Lu Tai led them away. The other masked men, seeing that their objective was achieved and knowing the city garrison would soon be alerted, abandoned the fight and fled into the night behind Lu Tai.

***

Under the night sky, the remaining masked men drew the city guards toward the eastern streets before scattering. Lu Tai led Xiang Yifeng and Chu Bo along a circuitous route to the northern wall, where two guards acting as inside men helped them descend with ropes. Lu Tai’s father, grandfather, wife, children, and concubines were waiting outside.

"Quick! They’re over there! Catch them! Don’t let them escape!"

"Seize them!!!"

Just as Xiang Yifeng and Chu Bo reached the bottom of the wall, firelight flared on the ramparts. Guards had spotted them. Xiang Yifeng’s face darkened; he was consumed by a hatred for Fu Zihou and the East City of Jinyang so deep that he longed to return to his army immediately and lead them to raze the city to the ground.

"General, look out!"

As they fled, Chu Bo looked back to see a soldier on the wall aiming a longbow. He threw himself in front of Xiang Yifeng to shield him, only to feel a searing, tearing pain rip through his shoulder.

"Ah!"

Xiang Yifeng stumbled, steadying himself just in time to see Chu Bo screaming in agony, an arrow embedded in his back.

*Chu Bo!*

Looking at the man he had known for years, now struck by an arrow for his sake, Xiang Yifeng’s eyes turned blood-red. The hatred in his heart for the East City of Jinyang was unprecedented. He looked back at the ramparts, where soldiers were nocking arrows.

He didn't want to die—not before his vengeance was served, not before he had washed away his shame and slaughtered everyone in the East City. He remembered these past days in the cell, how Chu Bo, despite being whipped and tortured, had consoled him, reminding him that a true man must know how to bend and stretch, citing the humiliation endured by King Goujian of Yue and Wu Zixu... He, too, would follow in the footsteps of those legendary figures and exact his revenge.

"You go!"

Xiang Yifeng handed Chu Bo over to Lu Tai’s family and turned back toward the wall without hesitation.

"I am Xiang Yifeng!"

He roared, his eyes filled with hatred for the East City and the Sui soldiers upon the walls. *That Fu Zihou wants to use me to buy people's hearts! As long as I don't run, he won't dare kill me!*

"General!" Chu Bo cried out in panic, but the Lu family, desperate to escape, dragged him away. For them, they needed to defect to the rebel army of Zhen Jie’er, and they needed one of these two to lead them. Xiang Yifeng staying behind was the most pragmatic choice. Chu Bo had to go with them, or they would all surely die.

On the ramparts, Hu Jingyuan watched Xiang Yifeng stay behind while Chu Bo disappeared into the night. He couldn't help but feel a grudging respect. These literati, always playing with ink and paper, were truly adept at manipulating the human heart. The ruses, the shared time in prison—Hu Jingyuan could already imagine how much trust Xiang Yifeng would place in Chu Bo once they were exchanged.

And that man named Qi Lingyang—his archery was truly remarkable. It was no wonder both Chu Bo and the Commander trusted him so much.

*(Note: Chu Bo was familiar with Zhen Jie’er and the rebel army, as well as Xiang Yifeng; thus, while Fu Zihou provided the intelligence, the strategy was masterminded by Chu Bo.)*