Chapter 80: Lü Bu Reincarnated

Jiang Ruoxue’s words left Old Lü and Zhang Chenze momentarily stunned.

But with the situation so urgent, there was no time for further thought.

Zhang Chenze took three deep breaths, grabbed a shard of glass, and rushed out.

At that moment, Qi Xia was removing his outer shirt to wrap around his arm, trying to fend off the two men.

“Qi Xia! I’m here to help you!” Zhang Chenze raised the glass shard and stood beside him.

“Help?! Are you insane?” Qi Xia gritted his teeth. “Get out of here!”

“It’s fine…” Zhang Chenze seemed to be reassuring herself. “We’ll be fine…”

Seeing Qi Xia distracted, the blond thug immediately lunged forward—if he could just drive the knife into his opponent’s chest in this critical moment, it would all be over.

“Qi Xia, watch out!” Zhang Chenze stepped forward, tightly shut her eyes, and thrust the glass shard blindly.

The blond found the sight almost laughable—was she really planning to kill someone with a piece of glass?

He sidestepped to avoid her, but in doing so, his foot landed on a metal box lying on the ground.

“Wha—?!”

Losing his balance, he stumbled forward—straight onto the glass shard, which pierced his throat.

“Cough… cough…” Blood immediately gushed from his mouth. “You…!”

Qi Xia froze for a second before shoving the blond away.

Freed from the glass, his throat spurted blood like an open faucet.

“Ah Li!!” the bald man roared, rushing forward to support his companion.

Frantically, he tried to stem the bleeding with his hands, his panic evident.

Qi Xia, too, stared in shock at the scene.

The metal box had been dropped earlier when he attacked the green-haired thug—who knew it would end up being such a stroke of luck?

What an absurd coincidence.

Only now did Zhang Chenze open her eyes—and realized her hands were drenched in blood.

“Ahhh!!” Terrified, she dropped the glass shard.

Despite earlier bold talk of killing, the reality of it shattered her composure. As a lawyer, the sight left her pale and shaken.

Seizing the moment, Qi Xia snatched up the knife the blond had dropped.

The fight wasn’t over. They couldn’t afford to let their guard down.

“You’re fucking dead!!” The bald man howled like a madman, slashing wildly with his knife.

Qi Xia shoved Zhang Chenze back into the room and retreated several steps.

Unpredictable attacks like this were the hardest to dodge—there was no telling where the next strike would land. Qi Xia could only try to keep his distance.

But with his back to the corridor’s dead end, he was soon cornered.

Though both held knives, Qi Xia fought only to survive, while his opponent raged like a rabid beast.

“I’ll end you!!” The bald man swung down viciously, forcing Qi Xia to dodge sideways.

Seizing the opening, Qi Xia slashed deep into his arm—so deep he felt the blade scrape bone.

“If you want to die, come at me!” Qi Xia threatened.

Unfazed, the bald man spun and stabbed straight for Qi Xia’s heart.

Realizing he couldn’t dodge in time, Qi Xia dropped low—the blade meant for his heart instead plunged into his shoulder.

Gritting through the pain, he countered with a thrust toward the bald man’s gut.

But in the next instant, the man blocked with his left hand—letting the knife impale his palm without hesitation.

“You think you can kill me…?” The bald man sneered, eyes wild. “Have you ever even killed anyone?!”

Before Qi Xia could respond, the bald man twisted the knife in his shoulder, tearing flesh.

“Gh—!!”

Qi Xia screamed in agony, teetering on the edge of consciousness.

Then, suddenly, a heavyset figure barreled in from behind, locking the bald man in a crushing grip.

Startled, the bald man dropped his knife.

“Damn it…” Recognizing the “traitor” Old Lü, his fury flared. “You’re the one who ruined our key, huh?”

Trembling but resolute, Old Lü held on—knowing that if he let go, Qi Xia was dead.

The bald man wrenched his impaled left hand free, yanked the knife out, and stabbed it into Old Lü’s ribs.

“Huh?” Old Lü blinked, stunned by the unfamiliar sensation of cold steel piercing his flesh.

Gritting his teeth, the bald man stabbed again—and again.

Only then did the pain truly hit.

Shaking violently, Old Lü still refused to let go. Instead, he sank his teeth into the bald man’s shoulder and ripped off a chunk of flesh.

Howling, the bald man raised his knife to finish Old Lü—but Lin Qin appeared out of nowhere, driving a glass shard into his arm.

“Qi Xia!! Move now or Old Lü dies!!” she screamed, frantic.

The shout jolted Qi Xia back from the brink. Though his left side was numb, this wasn’t the time to collapse.

Assessing the situation, he acted without hesitation—yanking the knife from his own shoulder and plunging it into the bald man’s neck.

The bald man went limp, and the three collapsed to the ground.

“Old Lü…” Qi Xia shoved the body aside, checking on the older man—but one glance made his voice tremble. “Old Lü… how bad is it?”

Old Lü convulsed on the floor, his left side a mangled mess.

“Kid… you’re not too bright in a crisis…” Old Lü forced a weak smile, his face deathly pale.

“Yeah… I’m not as sharp as you…” Qi Xia pressed shaking hands to the wounds, but blood still seeped through. “Don’t die, Old Lü… I still owe you for this round’s entry…”

“The hell I’m dying…” Old Lü sighed. “Kid, if you knew my real name, you wouldn’t worry…”

“What… is it?”

“Don’t laugh…” Old Lü coughed weakly. “People always do when I tell them…”

“I won’t… I promise.” Qi Xia desperately tried to stop the bleeding, but the wounds were too severe.

“It’s Lü Fengxian…” Old Lü chuckled weakly. “My parents named me that… sounds like someone who just won’t die, right?”

“You’re damn right… Lü Bu reincarnated wouldn’t die…”

Kneeling, Qi Xia shook uncontrollably.

Until his head throbbed with pain.

Until Old Lü fell still.

……

Qi Xia pulled Old Lü close and whispered, “There are a few things I need to tell you.”

“Tell *me*?” Old Lü looked baffled. “You got a plan, kid? The game’s about to start—spit it out.”

After a pause, Qi Xia replied, “Not exactly a ‘plan.’ Old Lü, if they invite you to join them… you can say yes.”

“Huh?” Old Lü blinked, then grinned. “A double-cross, right? I play along, then stab ’em from the inside—”

“No.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Old Lü, we’re splitting up here.”

“Wait—what?”

“Think about it. We barely know each other. Risking everyone’s lives for you? That’s not fair to the team.” Qi Xia met his eyes. “The smart move is for you to leave now. That way, if we fight, no one hesitates.”

“You…” Old Lü’s face fell. For a middle-aged man, he suddenly looked like a heartbroken child.

“Sorry, Old Lü. It’s just the right call.”

“Kid.” Old Lü cut in, voice firm. “You won’t risk your lives for me? Fine. But I’ll risk mine for you.”

“What?”

“Whatever you’re planning—hold off. I’ll prove myself first. *Then* you decide.”

“If we reject you at the last second, you’ll die.”

“You wouldn’t do that.” Old Lü grinned. “Sold socks my whole life, but I know people. Just wait!”

Qi Xia sighed. “Fine. But I still won’t fully trust you. Show me what you’ve got.”