Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

073: The Lianhua Case in Qingzhou

Without any hesitation, Du Yu took off his helmet and threw it aside. Helmets can provide excellent protection on the battlefield, but their drawback is that they restrict vision.

Wearing a helmet on the battlefield is because you don't need to watch out for those behind you, and most of the time there are other soldiers on your left and right sides, so you only need to keep your eyes on the front. But one-on-one combat is different. The narrow field of vision of a helmet can easily lead to misjudgment and inflexibility.

Therefore, Du Yu took off his helmet, took a deep breath, shouted at the top of his lungs, and then charged forward at high speed.

When the Mo Dao charged, it displayed domineering power and was unstoppable. Therefore, Cui Changfeng, holding his spear, retreated repeatedly, trying to avoid its sharp edge.

A few steps later, Du Yu leaped forward and thrust straight at Cui Changfeng's face. This strike was extremely powerful and impossible to block. Cui Changfeng bent slightly and turned his head back to dodge, the cold blade barely grazing his nose.

At that moment, the chill of death and the intense pressure made Su Wen, who was watching from inside the door, break out in a cold sweat.

Du Yu stomped on the handle of his sword and pressed down, knocking Cui Changfeng to the ground. The blade of the Mo Dao was aimed directly at Cui Changfeng's shoulder and neck, and Cui Changfeng tried to block it.

Du Yu kicked and swept his sword, sending Cui Changfeng flying off the ground. Du Yu followed up with long strides, pressing his advantage and swinging his sword again, splitting Mount Hua in two with a single blow!

Cui Changfeng immediately sensed something was wrong. He lightly touched the ground with the tip of his spear, like a dragonfly skimming the water, and dodged the fatal blow.

Du Yu wielded the Mo Dao, which emphasizes wide, sweeping movements; only in this way can one unleash the Mo Dao's ferocity and domineering power!

Cui Changfeng knew it was time to counterattack, so he stepped forward and thrust his spear, followed by a series of thrusts. Du Yu swung his sword and swept it horizontally. Cui Changfeng parried with his spear and pushed him away forcefully. Then, he used his Cloud-Piercing Spear to aim straight for Cui Changfeng's face.

Du Yu crouched down to dodge, then gripped the Mo Dao again, attempting to regain control and launch another attack. Cui Changfeng immediately followed up with a powerful thrust of his spear.

Du Yu took a step back, stomped hard on the ground, leaped into the air, and swung his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) with great force. He used the momentum of the leap to amplify the power of the Mo Dao, and with one slash, Cui Changfeng had no choice but to raise his spear to block.

With a single slash, Du Yu sent Cui Changfeng staggering back several steps, his hand gripping the spear splitting open and blood gushing out, demonstrating the immense power of Du Yu's strike!

Cui Changfeng stomped his foot on the ground, took a sudden step, and lunged forward. Seeing this, Du Yu hesitated for a moment, then also lunged forward.

The silver spear and the long-handled sword clashed wildly in mid-air, slashing and splintering.

Using the weight advantage of his Mo Dao, Du Yu swept back with a horizontal strike. Cui Changfeng dodged by turning his head, but Du Yu immediately unleashed a second heavy blow, which Cui Changfeng blocked with his spear.

With a single, powerful strike, Cui Changfeng was sent flying back several meters. The speed and force of this Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) strike were so fast that Cui Changfeng had no chance to react.

The blow nearly knocked out Cui Changfeng, who was holding his breath. He was forced back several steps before he could stop. Du Yu gave Cui Changfeng no chance.

Then Du Yu leaped into the air again and delivered another powerful blow, splitting Mount Hua in two.

Knowing he couldn't block the attack head-on, Cui Changfeng had no choice but to dodge to the side. Logically, he shouldn't have been able to avoid the blow, but years of grueling training and the constant threat from the knife-wielder had ingrained his muscle memory and instincts, allowing him to dodge. Otherwise, Du Yu would have cleaved him in two with a single strike!

Seeing that Cui Changfeng was struggling, Su Wen became increasingly nervous, constantly muttering, "Cheng Nianci, why aren't you here yet? If you don't come soon, we're really going to be doomed!"

Cui Changfeng was already over forty years old, so his physical strength and power were naturally no match for Du Yu, a robust young man in his prime at thirty.

This fight, which seemed to last less than a minute, had already exhausted most of Cui Changfeng's strength. At this moment, he stood still with his spear, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, trying to recover.

In contrast, Du Yu's aura was very calm at this moment, as if the fight just now was only a warm-up!

Su Wen knew that this was a fierce man who had fought in battles and been on the battlefield. Although Cui Changfeng was very powerful when he was young, he could not withstand the decline brought about by the passage of time and the fact that he had not fought for a long time as a guard.

Du Yu raised his longsword, his eyes filled with disdain, and sneered, "Hmph, see? This so-called General of the Thousand Bull Guard is nothing but a piece of trash who got the position by relying on the wealth of the Cui family of Boling!"

Before he could finish speaking...

Just then, a loud shout came from outside the cave: "Everyone, lay down your weapons and surrender, or you will be killed without mercy!"

Upon hearing the sound, Su Wen looked up and saw a large number of soldiers slowly walking out of the tunnel. The soldiers in front were all holding crossbows. When they saw the dozens of soldiers, they squatted down and set up their crossbows.

Although these soldiers wore full armor, it was not heavy armor. While it could withstand some crossbow bolts, behind the crossbowmen were many soldiers wielding armor-piercing spikes, clubs, hammers, and other shield-bearing weapons.

Xu Ran and Du Yu both looked at the person speaking among the soldiers behind them, and their expressions changed slightly.

The man spoke up: "I'll say it again, lay down your weapons, or you will be killed without mercy!"

Upon seeing Cheng Nianci standing to one side, Su Wen finally relaxed, his heart pounding with tension. He opened the palace door and said softly, "I am Su Wen, the acting governor of Qingzhou and the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice's Criminal Investigation Department. May I ask your honorable name, Commandant?"

The captain, seated on horseback, bowed with both hands and said, "I am Chen Lin, the Left Battalion Commander, greetings to Minister Su!"

Su Wen bowed and said, "These traitors, Du Yu and Xu Ran, are disciples of the Mahayana Lotus Sect. They are plotting a rebellion. Please capture them immediately!"

Chen Lin then looked at Du Yu and said, "Du Yu, put down your Mo Dao and surrender immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Du Yu burst into laughter, saying, "Hahaha... Surrender? At worst, you'll just die. Why surrender?"

After saying that, Du Yu turned to look at Su Wen and said viciously, "Before I die, I'll cut you down first!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Du Yu drew his knife and charged forward, heading straight for Su Wen. Su Wen wanted to curse inwardly, "Is he crazy? Why does he have to cut me?!"

For a moment, Su Wen didn't know where to hide. Just then, Cheng Nianci said, "Captain, may I borrow your Mo Dao?"

Having said that, he suddenly raised his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) and threw it forward. The Mo Dao shot forward like an arrow. Du Yu dodged it by sidestepping, and then saw Cheng Nianci step forward, grab the end of the Mo Dao, and forcefully sweep it horizontally.

Du Yu spun to the side to dodge the attack, raised his longsword, and looked at Cheng Nianci.

At this moment, Cheng Nianci stood a few meters away from Su Wen, holding a Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword).

Seeing this, Chen Lin said, "Fire the arrows!"

"Don't fire!" Cheng Nianci interrupted Chen Lin, then bowed to him and said, "I'll handle this man!"

Su Wen and Chen Lin were both stunned when they heard this. Why not just kill him with arrows instead of having a one-on-one fight?

Cheng Nianci asked, "Did you kill the young master?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yu smiled and said, "Yes, I didn't originally intend to kill him, but he insisted on leaking our information to the government, disregarding the rules of the Ghost Market. The rules of the Ghost Market are not to sell information to the government, but he did. Killing him is perfectly reasonable!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Nianci glared at Du Yu and roared, "Today I will definitely cut off your head to avenge my young master!"

Upon hearing this, Du Yu couldn't help but laugh a few times: "You think you can kill me, and even seek revenge, just because you're a woman?"

Cheng Nianci took a deep breath, roared, and strode forward, dragging her sword as she charged!

"Hmph!" Du Yu said viciously, "Overestimating yourself!"