Jiang Zhiwu!

To kill? Or not to kill?

Lu Bu was drinking alone in his mansion, and the way Xiu'er looked at Jiang Zhe still made his heart ache.

If she kills Jiang Zhe, Xiu'er will hate her for life; if she doesn't kill him... will all her efforts have been in vain?

With his halberd raised, Lü Bu tested his skills in the courtyard. The cold wind howled, and the flowers and plants in the courtyard were all damaged by Lü Bu's energy.

"Tear!" Lu Bu roared, splitting a rockery in two. He stared coldly into the void, letting out a long sigh after a long while.

The next morning, Lü Bu went to Wang Yun's residence alone. Wang Yun watched Lü Bu walk towards the backyard with suspicion, seemingly lost in thought.

"Jiang Shouyi! Come out with me!" Lu Bu shouted from the backyard.

"Who's yelling like that!" Jiang Zhe opened the door with annoyance, but was genuinely surprised when he saw it was Lü Bu. "You...it's you?"

Lu Bu frowned, his heart bleeding, and said fiercely, "I'll be waiting for you in the courtyard! Come quickly!" Then he strode away.

Jiang Zhe tilted his head.

"Husband..." Xiu'er huddled under the covers, peeking out her eyes, too ashamed to face Jiang Zhe about what happened last night.

Jiang Zhe closed the door, walked to the bedside, and said curiously, "Is Lu Bu really going to teach me martial arts?"

Xiuer bit her lip and said, "I don't know either, but my husband should still be careful..."

"Hmm!" Jiang Zhe nodded, then, seeing Xiu'er's reaction, chuckled and slipped into the covers, saying, "Xiu'er, still shy?"

"Husband!" Xiu'er said, both embarrassed and angry, her voice trembling with coquettishness.

Unexpectedly, Lu Bu shouted loudly from outside again, and Jiang Zhe immediately lost interest, looking outside angrily.

"Husband..." Xiu'er blushed as Jiang Zhe comforted her, and said softly, "Lu Fengxian's martial arts are still superior to mine. If he teaches me diligently, it will greatly benefit you."

"Do you think he's likely to teach me?"

Xiuer's expression froze, and she lowered her head without speaking, seemingly showing signs of impending intimacy.

"No, no!" Jiang Zhe quickly tried to appease her. "Xiuer, didn't you tell me everything that happened yesterday? How could I misunderstand? I was just saying..."

"Is your husband angry?" Xiu'er cautiously raised her head to look at Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Zhe chuckled and whispered in Xiu'er's ear, "Xiu'er, weren't you yesterday...?"

"My husband!"

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore!" Jiang Zhe knew Xiu'er was shy, so he smiled and stood up. "Then I'll go out and see. If Lu Bu really teaches me martial arts, that would be a good thing!"

"...My husband, please be careful!"

Jiang Zhe went out the door and walked to Lü Bu's place. He saw Lü Bu still standing there, resting with his eyes closed.

"Lu Bu, let me make this clear beforehand: even if you teach me martial arts, I don't want you to call me master!"

"Hmph!" Lu Bu opened his eyes and sneered, "You think I want to? I'll only teach you a few moves for Ah Xiu's sake! But if you don't study hard enough and accidentally die at my hands! Hmph! Don't blame me!"

Seeing the murderous intent in Lü Bu's eyes, Jiang Zhe's heart skipped a beat. It seemed Xiu'er was right; he needed to be careful. However…

Jiang Zhe asked with some curiosity, "So what are you going to teach me?"

Martial arts, in Jiang Zhe's eyes, was truly a very mysterious word...

Half an hour later!

Jiang Zhe, his face contorted in pain, squatted in a horse stance in the courtyard, feeling sore all over. He exclaimed, "Is this what you call learning martial arts?"

Lu Bu swung a short stick at Jiang Zhe's back, yelling, "Chest out! Stomach in!"

Jiang Zhe grimaced, feeling a burning sensation on his back, and cursed inwardly.

Seeing Jiang Zhe struggling to hold on, Lü Bu felt a slight sense of satisfaction, but then he suddenly recalled his childhood and became somewhat lost in thought.

"Fengxian, my husband is frail; this will suffice!"

Lu Bu was taken aback, then immediately came to his senses. He glanced blankly at Xiu'er beside Jiang Zhe and sneered, "When we were young and learning martial arts, we went through the same thing. Xiu'er, please don't misunderstand that I'm making things difficult for him!"

Xiuer frowned and glanced at Lü Bu, then said to Jiang Zhe, "Husband, I've made some soup. You must drink it all when you rest later to nourish your body..."

"Soup?" Jiang Zhe said with a pained expression. "I'm exhausted, I don't have the appetite for soup. I'll just go back to sleep!"

Xiuer glanced at Lü Bu.

"Hmph! Utterly useless!" Lu Bu sneered, his heart filled with resentment at the sight of the two so affectionately. He immediately said, "I'll come again tomorrow! Jiang Shouyi! Let me be frank with you, if you want to protect Ah Xiu, you must be even more diligent. If you still can't withstand a certain move in the future... even if Ah Xiu hates me for the rest of her life, I will still kill you!"

Having said that, he didn't look back for two more days, and left on his own, leaving behind only a cold remark, "Ah Xiu, if you don't want your husband... your husband to die at my hands, then urge him to do his best! That's all I have to say!"

"..." Xiu'er looked at Jiang Zhe hesitantly.

"Xiuer, is this what learning martial arts is like?" Jiang Zhe straightened up, feeling sore all over, and looked at Xiuer with a pained expression.

Xiuer gently wiped the sweat from Jiang Zhe's face with a touch of heartache. "The most important thing in learning martial arts is a solid foundation. If the foundation is not stable, everything else will be in vain..."

"So he wasn't lying to me after all?" Jiang Zhe asked doubtfully. "By the way, Xiu'er, your martial arts skills are so good, why have I never seen you practice?"

"Before I met you, my husband, I practiced martial arts, but you were always so sleepy..." Xiu'er giggled, covering her mouth as she said, "Of course I couldn't bear to see that. After that, you always held me as I fell asleep, so how could I have time to practice in the morning? I only managed to find some time to practice my martial arts when I went to Mr. Chen's residence in Xuzhou... Speaking of martial arts, I'm afraid I've regressed quite a bit..."

"Ha...haha! So that's how it is..." Jiang Zhe scratched his head awkwardly.

"My lord, please have some of the soup I made and then rest for a while..."

Jiang Zhe pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I think what Lu Bu said is right. As a man, how can I always rely on you, Xiu'er, to protect me? Now that I have the opportunity to learn martial arts, I will certainly work hard. Xiu'er, after I learn martial arts, I will protect you, okay?"

"Yes!" Xiu'er smiled sweetly, "I believe in my husband..." But inwardly she sighed. Her husband was long past the age of learning martial arts; even with diligent practice, he would never reach the middle level. Alas! It's best not to say anything, lest she spoil her husband's feelings...

Seeing Jiang Zhe drink the soup she had made and then continue squatting in a horse stance with a bitter face, Xiu'er smiled faintly. She was deeply moved by her husband's thoughtfulness. How could she not know how lazy her husband usually was?

"Very well..." Xiu'er murmured, "If I learn some martial arts, I won't have to worry about this rascal all the time!"

For several days in a row, Lü Bu went to Wang Yun's residence every day, partly to urge Jiang Zhe on, and partly to see Xiu'er and relieve his worries.

However, Lu Bu was also slightly surprised by Jiang Zhe's tenacity. He did not expect that this frail scholar would have such resilience. He tested Jiang Zhe's foundation and was secretly amazed.

"Hmph! I spent a full six months in prison back then! What's so great about your little achievements?!" Lu Bu's words extinguished Jiang Zhe's secret joy.

After much hesitation about whether to kill or not, Lü Bu looked coldly at Jiang Zhe and asked, "From today onwards, I will teach you weapons. I ask you, what weapon do you wish to learn? If you wish to learn my halberd technique, I can teach you that too..."

Jiang Zhe thought for a moment and said, "I'll learn the simplest one. Anyway, I don't need to lead troops into battle; I just need to defend myself and protect others! I heard swordsmanship is easy to learn, so let's learn swordsmanship!"

"You!" Lü Bu exclaimed angrily, "You just wait!" He then stepped out of Wang Yun's residence and rode away.

Jiang Zhe was completely baffled.

Not long after, Lü Bu returned, tossed a book to Jiang Zhe, and said, "This is the sword technique of our ancestors; you shall learn it!"

Jiang Zhe glanced at the book and, seeing that it didn't even have a cover, looked at Lü Bu suspiciously and said, "You're not just going to give me some random thing to fool me? If it doesn't have a lot of words, how am I supposed to withstand one of your attacks?"

"Hmph! Don't harbor such petty thoughts! I've taught you with all my heart, and I would never deceive you!" Lü Bu sneered. "I've had this book for several years, and the sword techniques within are indeed exquisite, though useless to me. I'm giving it to you though! Study it diligently! Remember! If you think you can withstand a single move, challenge me to a duel; if your skills are lacking and you die at my hands… don't blame me!"

Watching Lü Bu walk out the door, Jiang Zhe curled his lip. "Gives me a lousy book without even a name, and it's called 'Don't Deceive Me'? Huh?"

Jiang Zhe casually flipped through the book, and when he came across a page, he paused, startled. The page read:

"...This is a sword technique I created myself. This sword technique originates from the *Taigong Bingfa* (The Art of War of Taigong) passed down by Huang Shigong. After years of diligent study, I have achieved great mastery... I pondered for a long time, fearing that this extraordinary book would be lost, so I recorded the essence of the *Taigong Bingfa* here. The first part is my sword technique, and the second part is the essence of the *Taigong Bingfa*... If future generations obtain it, they should study it carefully, and when they have mastered it, they should protect our great Han Dynasty... Huang Shigong, who gave me this book, once said that those who read this book can become teachers of kings. Remember to use it for the right purpose! I now record this sentence as well! I hope that future generations will prioritize the well-being of the people and remember this well!"

"Liang? The Art of War by Taigong? Huang Shigong?" Jiang Zhe tilted his head, thinking, "Why does that sound so familiar?"

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