CHAPTER 141: CHAPTER 141: A FINE CABBAGE (SEEKING FULL SUBSCRIPTION)

Unleash my grievances, defend my glory, slay the enemy within, protect what I cherish.

The first realm of Soul Sunder Strike involves swinging the sword imbued with all the heart’s resentments and injustices. It emphasizes complete detachment and giving one’s utmost effort.

One sword, one intent; all that matters is to fully unleash one’s strongest aspect.

This was also the realm Qi Xinzhu had currently reached. While far inferior to Qiao Xing, her mastery of swordsmanship already overwhelmingly surpassed Lu Luo’s.

Soul Sunder Strike was inherently the most powerful of the Sword Heart’s Four Techniques. Now, amplified by Qi Xinzhu’s Mirror Flower Water Moon, it formed a dual strike.

Faced with the Soul Sunder Strike, radiant as the sun, Lu Luo was also forced to use his full strength.

HA!

Lu Luo exhaled a large cloud of mist, allowing it to envelop his body.

He did this to hide his overly conspicuous Steam Second Tier state from the crowd, and incidentally, to conceal the process of him defending against Qi Xinzhu’s technique.

Hiding his strength was something to be done whenever possible; he clearly hadn’t yet reached a stage where he could disregard all rules.

Facing Soul Sunder Strike, Lu Luo neither dodged nor evaded, instead standing firm to block with a horizontal sword stance.

His intention was clear: he planned to use his physical fortitude to directly withstand Qi Xinzhu’s most powerful technique of the Sword Heart’s Four Techniques—Soul Sunder Strike.

However, such an action was undoubtedly tantamount to suicide in Qi Xinzhu’s eyes.

"Lu Luo, what are you doing?"

Seeing that Lu Luo had no intention of dodging or dispersing the force, Qi Xinzhu immediately became anxious.

Soul Sunder Strike was Qiao Xing’s Secret Technique in swordsmanship, and also her most powerful offensive move.

Although the training sword lacked an edge, and the executed slash possessed no sharp cutting properties, the impact force of the strike was undeniably present.

Taking Soul Sunder Strike head-on with one’s body like that—wasn’t that just courting death?

Amid Qi Xinzhu’s exclamation, Lu Luo remained calm. This was a decision he had prepared for long in advance.

"Let me feel your strength, the strongest attack of the Second Tier!"

[Overclock Mode activated. Recording power data for Qi Xinzhu’s Soul Sunder Strike.]

Steam Second Tier—Defense!

Intense steam pressure swelled within Lu Luo’s body, and his upper body muscles suddenly bulged.

A spiral-shaped Qi He enveloped the body of his sword. With both hands holding it horizontally to block, he braced to meet Soul Sunder head-on.

DING!

The instant Soul Sunder Strike collided with Lu Luo’s Qi He, a powerful shockwave radiated outwards, forcing the surrounding spectators to shut their eyes.

At the center of the Sword Qi, Lu Luo was also struggling immensely. The 1.8-times defense boost from his full-power Steam Second Tier defense was already his strongest defensive state.

However, this level of defense was utterly insufficient against Soul Sunder Strike. His Qi He defense shattered instantly, and two slashes—one weak, one strong—finally struck his sword.

Next, he had to rely on his 30 points of Constitution, 17% damage reduction, and a final damage reduction of 4, all while his engine-like, steam-powered Qi He source continuously supplied power, to withstand Soul Sunder Strike.

The training sword shattered into three pieces, and the Slash Strike finally landed on Lu Luo.

BOOM!

[You were struck by the shockwave from Soul Sunder Strike. Your Constitution and Sequence allowed you to resist some of the damage. You are injured.]

[You were struck by the secondary slash of Soul Sunder Strike. Your Constitution and Sequence were insufficient to resist this attack. You are injured.]

The impact fractured Lu Luo’s collarbone, broke his arm, and cracked his sternum; his injuries were quite severe.

He had long anticipated that Soul Sunder Strike would possess such offensive power.

However, to his pleasant surprise, his own defense had become so formidable that the damage from Soul Sunder Strike was, after all, nothing more than this.

The fierce explosion created a large crater in the center of the training ground, dust filling the air. The scale of this fight left even Qiao Xing, who had been leisurely sipping tea, somewhat speechless.

"I thought they were just flirting, but are these two out of their minds? Do they really need to fight like this?

Now look, the cleaning auntie is definitely going to be furious."

It wasn’t just Qiao Xing—many others who thought Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu had a close relationship and wouldn’t actually fight were also stunned.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Does Qi Xinzhu have a blood feud with him, like avenging a father’s murder?"

"What on earth happened between them? Did he abandon his wife and child?"

"It’s all mist; I can’t see the details clearly."

"Is he still alive?"

As these people were speculating, the figures of the two in the center of the arena became visible.

When Qi Xinzhu realized Lu Luo had no intention of dodging, a sense of foreboding struck her. She immediately dropped her sword and rushed forward to support him.

After the impact, she embraced Lu Luo tightly, her face filled with self-blame.

"Lu Luo, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!"

The spar between them had thus ended, almost imperceptibly.

Lu Luo’s injury left Qi Xinzhu somewhat dazed. Lu Luo had always been so strong in her heart; how could he have been injured this time, and by her own hand at that?

Seeing that Lu Luo was silent, she thought he was angry with her.

"Lu Luo, you’re actually the more formidable one. You’ve improved so much in such a short time. It’s me who has been too comfortable and lax lately.

If you had dodged just now, I probably would have lost. And I feel like you weren’t using your full strength against me."

Qi Xinzhu lowered her head and rambled on, admitting defeat in front of Lu Luo without feeling embarrassed.

But after she finished, Lu Luo still didn’t speak, which left her feeling puzzled.

Qi Xinzhu pushed Lu Luo away slightly and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

When she looked up, she found Lu Luo had already tossed the broken sword aside and was staring at his own hands, muttering something incomprehensible.

"This sensation! So real!"

[This Host! Truly shameless!]

"Lu Luo, what are you doing? What’s wrong with your hands? Were they injured just now?"

"Ah! It’s nothing. I just feel like my hand is missing something, which is a bit regrettable."

"Your hand is missing something? Do you need my help to find it?"

Lu Luo quickly glanced in a certain direction, then averted his gaze.

"That? Uh, let’s forget about it for now. You won. I lost."

Seeing Lu Luo’s face filled with regret and his admission of defeat, Qi Xinzhu felt even more upset, thinking Lu Luo was regretful because he lost the match.

Lu Luo was the most important person to her. She felt she had to make it up to him, to soothe his wounded spirit.

Yes, that’s what she should do.

"Then how about this: I’ll take you out tonight. What do you want to eat? Anything you want."

Lu Luo’s gaze flashed again, his expression somewhat astonished.

"Anything I want to ’eat’? Isn’t that... a bit too much? Things are moving too fast."

"You’re right. Besides, we have to go back for Aunt Li Lan’s cooking. She’ll be upset if we don’t eat it.

But if you want to eat something else, we can still talk to her about it. I’m treating you tonight, just the two of us."

"Just the two of us? Great, great!"

Qi Xinzhu emphasized ’just the two of us’ because she didn’t want that annoying Bai Yuetong to show up.

Lu Luo’s interpretation of ’just the two of us’ was indeed a private world for only them.

Though not quite on the same wavelength, they were both happy with the conversation.

Lu Luo felt no psychological burden for conceding defeat; only he himself knew the true situation.

Plus, losing to his... uh, secretary, wasn’t a problem at all.

After all, it was an in-house matter, nothing serious.

Lu Luo’s concession caused quite a stir. His strength was etched in many minds, so his loss to Qi Xinzhu was unexpected.

Their battle naturally became a hot topic for discussion and critique among the others.

Especially the chiefs of the various Knights Groups—they weren’t just interested in Lu Luo; Qi Xinzhu’s earlier performance had also deeply impressed them.

Lu Shan commented, "Qi Xinzhu is also a formidable opponent, but I still think that if it came down to a fight to the death, Lu Luo would be stronger."

Lu Yang said, "Lu Luo’s girlfriend, erm, female friend, is really impressive. I’m probably not her match."

Meanwhile, within Knight of Justice, Yu Luo looked at Qi Gefei with a hint of smugness.

"It seems your judgment isn’t very reliable after all. The Lu Luo you were optimistic about has ultimately lost to Qi Xinzhu."

Qi Gefei was somewhat surprised by Lu Luo’s loss to Qi Xinzhu, but he remained firm in his conviction.

"Qi Xinzhu is definitely no match for Lu Luo. Lu Luo didn’t exert his full strength, and he even let her win."

Yu Luo, seeing how stubborn Qi Gefei was, was somewhat speechless.

"I think you’ve been brainwashed by Lu Luo. Losing to him twice has made you unable to distinguish reality. Lu Luo is, after all, just someone from the Fourth Ring."

"Believe what you want. I won’t argue."

Qi Gefei couldn’t be bothered to pay any more attention to this woman.

Originally, he had some interest in this woman because a seductive Believer of Light indeed possessed an allure.

Previously, he had been arrogant, thinking that getting involved with such a woman would be quite the story to tell.

But as he got to know her, Qi Gefei found that this woman was nothing but a shallow, jealous vase—and not even a high-quality one at that.

How such a person became a Believer of Light was beyond his understanding.

Moreover, having been defeated by Lu Luo himself, Qi Gefei had completely lost interest in this woman.

...

「Inside the room.」

After the spar concluded, Lu Luo approached Qiao Xing and lowered his head.

"Lord Qiao Xing, I lost."

Qiao Xing was the one who had summoned him. Considering Qi Xinzhu had studied swordsmanship for so many years, and Qiao Xing had even taught her Soul Sunder, one of the Sword Heart’s Four Techniques, losing wouldn’t be shameful, right? So why did this old man want to see him? Could it be for a lecture?

Qiao Xing glanced at Lu Luo, took a sip of tea without speaking. Lu Luo prompted him again.

"Lord Qiao Xing?"

"What? You seem happy you lost? You call that losing? That’s you being a lecher! Why would you take head-on techniques you could have dodged?

And have you forgotten? Women will only slow down your sword-drawing speed. The most important thing about getting stronger is to stay away from women.

I put you and Qi Xinzhu in the same group hoping you’d have an epiphany, overcome such distractions, and achieve a breakthrough for yourself.

Look at your pathetic display! You actually let her win, costing me..."

Costing you what? Don’t tell me you bet on me? Are you even human?

Lu Luo curled his lip and muttered in a voice only Qiao Xing could hear,

"Women might affect the speed of my sword drawing! But a rich woman won’t; she’ll buy me a better sword.

For me, Qi Xinzhu is a future major patron. Compared to money, what’s winning or losing?

And let’s be honest, you’re always so meek and submissive around Li Lan yourself."

"Oh, talking back now? Can our situations even be compared? Who is Li Lan? She’s my wife. And Qi Xinzhu? Is she your wife?"

"There’s a flaw in your logic. Just because she isn’t now doesn’t mean she can’t be in the future. Besides, who can say what the future holds?"

"Unruly disciple! If you lose one more match, you’re dead!"

After Qiao Xing issued his ultimatum, Lu Luo slunk out of the room.

After that, Qiao Xing didn’t arrange any more matches for Lu Luo, nor one with Qi Gefei.

Mainly, it was already very late, far past the normal end of class. It was long past time for everyone to head home to their respective mothers.

After the class was dismissed, Qi Xinzhu actually sought out Qiao Xing and told him not to bother preparing dinner for her and Lu Luo that night.

She said she was going to take Lu Luo out for a meal and have some fun.

Qiao Xing wore a peculiar expression but still nodded, agreeing to Qi Xinzhu’s request.

Watching Qi Xinzhu’s retreating figure, Qiao Xing couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

"Such a fine young lady! Alas!"

With Qiao Xing’s permission, Qi Xinzhu eagerly led Lu Luo away, visibly in an exceptionally good mood.

"Shall we go to that entertainment street again today? I found it quite interesting."

"Huh? We’re... really going?"

Has he led a good girl astray? Lu Luo’s expression became even stranger.

"Of course, it’s my treat today."

Faced with such a request, and especially since Qi Xinzhu had extended the invitation herself, how could Lu Luo possibly refuse?

"Well then, shall we?"

...

Back on Entertainment Street, Qi Xinzhu was certainly not as familiar with the various entertainments as Lu Luo.

She simply followed the previous day’s routine, first treating Lu Luo to dinner, then arranging nearly a full suite of ’services’ for him.

Everything unfolded just as it had the day before, except the group of five was now just the two of them, alone.

For some reason, Qi Xinzhu found her heart racing from the moment they started their meal.

When they went for karaoke, her heart pounded even faster. With no one else present today, there was no one to hog the microphone, and they naturally sat very close.

[Qi Xinzhu’s heart rate has increased from an initial 50 BPM to the current 104 BPM. This woman is incredibly nervous!]

Seriously, how nervous can this woman be! What’s the point!

Lu Luo held his glass of wine, his face not showing much pleasure.

After a few rounds of drinks, Qi Xinzhu sat with her knees pressed together, feeling awkward. She hadn’t noticed when, but Lu Luo had been inching closer and closer to her.

She felt something might happen between them next, and her heart was a mix of anticipation and panic.

Lu Luo selected a hymn from the Church for Qi Xinzhu, then plopped down right beside her, staring at her intently.

Feeling Lu Luo’s intense gaze, her face, already flushed from alcohol, grew even redder and felt hot.

However, in the dim lighting of the KTV room, it wasn’t clearly visible.

Halfway through the song, Qi Xinzhu realized she was constantly off-key and simply stopped singing.

She turned her head to look at Lu Luo, full of expectation, and cautiously asked,

"Lu Luo, why do you keep staring at me? You’re making it so I can’t even sing properly."

Lu Luo suddenly leaned closer, startling Qi Xinzhu. However, Lu Luo had shed his earlier frivolous demeanor.

His expression became very calm, which made Qi Xinzhu feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Qi Xinzhu, have you really thought about what you’re doing? I’ve said before that you should think clearly about what you want before making a decision.

If it’s just because of a prophecy, a faith, a promise, you really don’t have to do this.

I won’t abandon my companions. You just need to do your job as my secretary well and help me make money.

Faith and liking someone are not the same, do you understand? Confused Believer of Light."

Lu Luo’s words struck Qi Xinzhu’s heart like a heavy hammer.

She understood Lu Luo’s meaning, but it left her feeling even more lost and uncertain.

As a Believer of Light, her life was meant to be one of service to Li Ming. This was what everyone had told Qi Xinzhu, and a responsibility she herself had accepted.

In Qi Xinzhu’s heart, Lu Luo was Li Ming. Therefore, as a Believer of Light, serving and obeying him felt like the most natural thing to do.

This was a choice of faith.

However, what happened with Old Wu En had made Lu Luo rather skeptical, even resistant, to this kind of faith.

He felt that individuals should think things through clearly before making decisions, especially life-altering ones.

Faith and liking are not the same; faith is faith, liking is liking.

If Qi Xinzhu genuinely liked him, then there was no issue with them developing their relationship further. But if it was merely out of faith, then he’d rather not.

Lu Luo’s requirements weren’t high: Qi Xinzhu just needed to perform her duties well and help him earn money.

"Still don’t get it? Alright, let me be more explicit. If you see me as your faith and intend to offer yourself to me in that way,

you really don’t have to. I’m not that desperate, and you don’t need to truly ’serve’ me in that manner. Seriously.

Qi Xinzhu, as my companion, you’d better clarify your emotions. Faith is faith, and liking is liking."

Faced with Lu Luo’s direct questions, Qi Xinzhu fell silent. Her feelings for him were not so easily disentangled.

In matters of emotion, she was far less perceptive than Han Shiyu, unable to distinguish between the concepts of faith and affection.

Thus, after Lu Luo’s words, Qi Xinzhu became exceptionally quiet, gloomily downing one drink after another.

The pleasant atmosphere that had existed between them vanished completely.

Qi Xinzhu was drunk again, and this time she was utterly plastered.

Getting drunk wasn’t the issue. The issue was that Qi Xinzhu hadn’t paid the bill yet! What happened to her treating him?