"Master, what are you doing?" Lu Xingshi knocked down the two soldiers guarding the door and simply pushed it open, striding in openly.
Murong Xuan looked as though he had seen a ghost. He had never imagined Lu Xingshi would appear here. "How did you get here?"
"I was passing by. Is that not allowed?" Lu Xingshi said righteously.
"You passed by from the Central Plains all the way to Saibei? Why not keep passing by to the Western Regions?" Murong Xuan said, blowing his beard and glaring.
"That works too." Lu Xingshi grinned, then his expression sobered. "Tiange Pass can't hold anymore. I took a look on my way here—the Barbarians were a vast black mass, and they had already climbed the city walls."
"How... how could it be so fast?" Surprise filled Murong Xuan's expression.
"Someone opened the city gates for the Barbarians. Seemed to be a Han man wearing sable fur. He even hacked to death someone in full armor. By now, he has probably entered the city," Lu Xingshi said.
He really had seen that scene before coming here.
"It was Sand Tiger Bi Sheng. Why would he make a move?" Murong Xuan immediately recognized the man's origins.
"Oh, then let's go. If we delay any longer, the Barbarians will be charging in to kill us," Lu Xingshi reminded him.
One against ten thousand—he was not sure whether he was that badass.
He estimated his bottom line at one against a thousand.
He could win by cheating, but there was no need.
His purpose was to find his master, not defend Tiange Pass. Besides, there was still an emperor's son behind them. Even that man did not care about his own realm, so why should Lu Xingshi, an ordinary commoner, care?
"Sigh, Xingshi, you should go. I'm not leaving."
"I have no face to return. From today onward, you are the new master of Langya Pavilion." Shame entered Murong Xuan's expression.
"Huh? Where are you planning to go?" Lu Xingshi had a bad feeling.
"Heavenly Gate Pavilion cannot be lost. Once it falls into the hands of the Barbarians, given the Great Song Dynasty Court's current state, we will surely be unable to take it back."
"Then the gates will stand wide open. With this place as their foothold, the Barbarians can march straight into the Capital!" Murong Xuan said.
"No, what does Great Song have to do with you..." Lu Xingshi complained. Why did people get tougher the older they became? Wasn't it supposed to be that the older one got, the more afraid of death one became? How was there someone like him?
"Stop it, Master. You can't hold back the Barbarian army. As the saying goes, if the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. Let's run first." Lu Xingshi looked Murong Xuan up and down, already calculating how much force he should use.
After knocking him unconscious and feeding him some sleeping medicine, he could guarantee that Murong Xuan would wake up in Langya Pavilion.
"It does have something to do with me. The Late Emperor and I..." Murong Xuan briefly summarized the grace of recognition and the life-saving grace he had received, then added, "Without the Late Emperor's aid, how could there be the me of today, or the inheritance of Langya Pavilion?"
"Tsk, no wonder you've been working for the Imperial Court for free every day, Master," Lu Xingshi said.
"Then if we protect Tiange Pass this time, will that settle the debt of gratitude?"
Lu Xingshi asked.
Murong Xuan nodded. "Whether we can hold it or not, once a man dies, his debts are wiped away."
"Master, you're quite skilled at changing the subject. I'm asking whether, if we hold Tiange Pass, we'll be quits with the Late Emperor and the Imperial Court. Right?"
Thinking it over, Lu Xingshi felt that with cheats enabled, he should be able to handle it.
"Yes." Murong Xuan finally answered.
"Alright, then. Wait here. I'll go make seven charges in and seven charges out." Lu Xingshi thought it was a good chance to complete the achievements for upgrading his remaining three Acquired Traits: Meridian Courage, Bone Courage, and Spirit Courage.
Luckily, he had not modified them yet. Otherwise, he really would have suffered a loss.
"No, what are you going to do?" Murong Xuan grabbed Lu Xingshi at once. He had intended for Lu Xingshi to leave while he repaid his debts of gratitude himself.
"A father's debts are paid by his son. Though we've only been together for about a month, you're still my master. I'll help you out." Lu Xingshi owed his current strength to Murong Xuan. Otherwise, he would still be searching everywhere for martial arts manuals. The Innate Traits had helped, but he still needed a platform on which to put them into practice.
"No. There are ten thousand Barbarians. Going there would be no different from seeking death." Murong Xuan struggled inwardly. He had only this one disciple; he absolutely could not let him die just like that.
Caught in the middle, he felt terrible.
Lu Xingshi glanced at his twenty-thousand-percent Health Points and hundredfold recovery ability. As long as he could keep up with the food, it seemed he really could kill all ten thousand of them?
"You know facing ten thousand men is seeking death, yet you still want to go?" Lu Xingshi rolled his eyes. "You have two choices now: either run away with me, or let me help you repay this debt of gratitude."
For Lu Xingshi, at worst, he could spend Gold Coins to cheat.
"Let's compromise. You go back, and I'll go." Murong Xuan smiled. He felt that accepting Lu Xingshi as his disciple had been the most correct choice of his life.
To have a disciple who valued loyalty and righteousness was the fortune of Langya Pavilion.
"Alright, I understand. Actually, there is another way." The smile vanished from Murong Xuan's face as he said, "We can find Prince of Liao and have him enter the city to battle the Barbarians."
"However, one person must go to Prince of Liao's camp to request reinforcements, while the other opens the city gates to receive the army."
Murong Xuan offered another solution.
"Fine. You go request aid, and I'll open the city gates," Lu Xingshi immediately said.
"No, you go!" Murong Xuan would certainly make Lu Xingshi go, because opening the city gates was dangerous. The Barbarians had already entered the city.
So he would do it, not Lu Xingshi.
"Nonsense. With a little shrimp like me, forget making Prince of Liao believe our plan—I'd be lucky just to get to see him."
"Besides, with your frame, Master, can you even lift the gate bolt and pull open the city gates?" Lu Xingshi mocked.
With his five or six points of Physical Constitution, along with the Longevity Spring Return Art not yet at perfection, even if he managed it, he would lose half his life.
Lu Xingshi had to do it. With a body full of Innate Traits, martial arts and cultivation methods all at perfection, plus the Golden Crow Hand Cannon, as long as he occupied a good position, he truly could hold a pass alone against ten thousand.
At range, he could use the Golden Crow Hand Cannon; up close, he could charge into frenzied battle. With modification extending his life on top of that, he was invincible in this Low Martial world.
"You can use my name. Although I..." Murong Xuan continued.
However, Lu Xingshi directly interrupted him. "Either you go, or we run. Those are our only two choices..."
Murong Xuan fell silent for a moment before finally saying, "Don't force yourself. If things cannot be done, forget the plan and flee immediately."
In the end, he still compromised. Yet at the last moment, he told Lu Xingshi to escape rather than sacrifice himself for Great Song.
"I know. Hurry up and leave. Don't waste time." Lu Xingshi did not care much. He had no intention of following the plan; instead, he intended to begin a great slaughter.
If all the enemies died, then the allies would be safe. That was the ultimate secret of support.
"Oh, right, I need to confirm one more thing. Once we've defended Tiange Pass for the Imperial Court, we'll be even with the Imperial Court, right?" Lu Xingshi asked again as he watched Murong Xuan leave.
"Yes!" Murong Xuan paused in his steps, then spoke that word heavily.