Lu Xiangsheng threw out punch after punch, fast and heavy, the kind of blows that could break bones on a battlefield. Sun Chuanting met them head-on, blocking each strike with equal force. Fists collided, sleeves snapped in the air, boots scraped across the floor.
Two Ministers of War, fighting like street brawlers.
And somehow, still debating.
Every exchange of fists came with words. Every block came with an argument. Their bodies fought while their minds clashed even harder, a rare sight where true civil and military mastery fused into something almost absurd.
The two attendants who had followed Lu Xiangsheng inside could not hold back any longer. Seeing their master locked in combat, they leapt forward at the same time, rushing into the fray.
They did not get far.
A fist cut across their path like a horizontal iron bar.
They both froze.
In front of them stood Chen Qianhu, grinning widely, his expression somewhere between friendly and terrifying.
"Brothers, don't rush it," he said, voice relaxed, almost cheerful. "Let the learned gentlemen argue things out properly. We rough types shouldn't meddle in matters of the brain."
The two attendants recognized him instantly.
This was the monster who had personally cut down Zu Dashou at Jinzhou.
Rumors said he ate ten men a day and three thousand a year.
Their legs trembled, but loyalty pushed them forward anyway. With a shout, they charged.
Chen Qianhu did not even shift his stance.
Left fist.
One man dropped.
Right fist.
The other followed.
In the next moment, he planted one foot on each of them, pinning them to the ground like they were nothing more than sacks of grain.
"Lie still," he said with a grin. "Watch the show."
Meanwhile, the fight between Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng began to slow.
Their fists lost speed, their movements grew measured.
But their voices grew faster.
Lu Xiangsheng unleashed a torrent of arguments about loyalty, righteousness, and duty to the throne, words flowing like a flood.
Sun Chuanting answered with problem after problem, dragging out every rotten issue buried within the imperial system and throwing them directly in Lu Xiangsheng's face.
"Then solve this."
"And what about this?"
"And this?"
One by one, the questions piled up.
Lu Xiangsheng began to falter.
Because every problem Sun Chuanting raised had the same root.
Absolute imperial power.
And under that system, there were no real solutions.
"What if the emperor takes a minister's wife?" Sun Chuanting pressed.
It had happened before. Not once. Not twice. And every time, it ended the same way. Silence. No justice. No consequence.
"What if the emperor plays games with beacon fires just to amuse himself? How do you stop that?"
You could not.
The emperor was supreme. If he wanted to burn signal fires for entertainment, the entire court could only watch as authority eroded into farce.
"And what if the emperor favors traitors and scoundrels?"
Lu Xiangsheng had no answer.
Under a system where the emperor stood above all, any absurdity he committed became law, and any protest from ministers was meaningless unless the emperor himself chose to listen.
If the emperor had a conscience, perhaps he would restrain himself.
If he did not, then nothing could stop him.
The arguments crushed down on Lu Xiangsheng like a mountain.
His words ran dry.
His fists slowed.
And then, in a single opening, Sun Chuanting's punch landed.
Thud.
Lu Xiangsheng fell flat onto his back.
He did not get up.
Sprawled on the ground, arms spread wide, he stared at the ceiling and let out a long breath.
"Kill me."
Sun Chuanting blinked. "Why would I kill you?"
"I already know what you are doing," Lu Xiangsheng said hoarsely. "If you don't kill me, then as Minister of War, I become your greatest enemy."
Sun Chuanting laughed.
"Three thousand Tianxiong troops," he said lightly. "Do you really think that qualifies you to be our greatest enemy?"
If Lu Xiangsheng had not seen Jinzhou with his own eyes, he might have argued back with pride.
But he had seen it.
He had seen what these people could do.
Destroying his Tianxiong Army would be no harder than crushing Zu Dashou.
It would take nothing more than a casual turn of the hand.
Like the Buddha pressing down on Sun Wukong.
Lu Xiangsheng closed his eyes briefly and sighed.
"I am a loyal minister."
"So am I," Sun Chuanting replied calmly. "But my loyalty is to the Ming, not to an incompetent emperor."
"The moment you think like that," Lu Xiangsheng shot back, "you are already a rebel."
Sun Chuanting smiled. "You are thinking the same thing. You just refuse to admit it."
Silence.
Then Sun Chuanting waved a hand.
"Get up. We won't do anything to you. Walk out openly. If you want to call the Jinyiwei to arrest us, go ahead."
Lu Xiangsheng sat up abruptly, stunned.
"You're letting me go?"
"We are not villains," Sun Chuanting said. "We are searching for a way to save the country. I believe you are doing the same. So why wouldn't I let you go?"
"And if I really bring the Jinyiwei?"
Sun Chuanting shrugged.
"Then we'll kill them all."
Lu Xiangsheng fell silent.
The answer was simple.
Brutal.
Terrifying.
It meant they already held complete confidence. No fear. No hesitation.
He said nothing more.
Climbing to his feet, he grabbed the books on the table. On Collective Governance, Naval Knowledge, Modern Weapons. Then he went to the shelf and pulled out another one, Armored Vehicle Appreciation, stuffing them all into his robes like a man afraid they might vanish if he hesitated.
Chen Qianhu lifted his feet, releasing the two attendants. They scrambled up and followed their master without a word.
The three of them walked out of Sun's residence.
No one stopped them.
Not a single guard.
They walked all the way out to the street, just like that.
Only then did Lu Xiangsheng begin to feel it.
Everything that had just happened felt unreal, like a dream.
He looked down at the books in his arms.
They were real.
Which meant everything else was real too.
He walked aimlessly through the capital streets, thoughts churning.
Should he report this to the court?
Should he not?
As he struggled, laughter suddenly drifted from the side.
He turned.
A few Jinyiwei officers in flying-fish uniforms were strolling along casually, chatting like ordinary men on a day off.
One of them grinned. "Mi Qianhu, you're finally back. You were sent to Xi'an to find Tang Prince Zhu Yujian, and you disappeared for so long without a word. We thought something happened to you."
Mi Qianhu chuckled. "What could happen? The prince was hard to find. We searched all over Shaanxi and found nothing, so we came back. I just don't know how I'll face the emperor now."
"Finding one fugitive in a world this big is no easy task," the other said. "The emperor won't punish you for that, will he?"
"Hopefully not."
As he spoke, Mi Qianhu suddenly paused.
He felt it.
A gaze.
That instinct, sharpened by years as a spy, let him sense eyes even in a crowd.
He turned.
And met Lu Xiangsheng's stare.
They stood a few steps apart, looking at each other.
Seconds passed.
Then Mi Qianhu smiled.
"This lord," he said politely, "do you have some instruction? You've been watching me for quite a while."
Lu Xiangsheng hesitated.
For a moment, he almost spoke.
Then he sighed.
"Nothing. Just looking."
Mi Qianhu's smile widened slightly.
"Oh. You've figured it out, then. Good. Good. Faster than I did. It took me a very long time."
He turned and walked away.
That one sentence hit Lu Xiangsheng like thunder.
His entire body stiffened.
Understanding crashed down on him in an instant.
"The Jinyiwei… are also theirs…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"How many people do they actually have?"