Chapter 25: The Turning Point Finally Arrives

“Do you truly intend to search me?” Wei Wuji asked Wang Xian once more.

Wang Xian’s expression remained unchanged as he replied earnestly, “I act on the orders of my lord. Even if you were the young master himself, the rules must be followed!”

It seemed there was truly no escape this time, Wei Wuji thought bitterly to himself. Why was his fate always so harsh? To be caught simply for relieving himself—he really was the young master, after all!

But was he so easily bullied? If they wanted to search him, so be it—they would regret it for the rest of their lives. In his heart, Wei Wuji quietly consigned Wang Xian to his blacklist.

In truth, this predicament was partly his own doing—had he not kept such a low profile until now?

Just as the soldiers were about to search him, Zheng Dali, who had been watching anxiously, suddenly rushed forward and shielded Wei Wuji with his own body.

“My lord, you must not suffer such humiliation!” Zheng Dali turned, addressing Wei Wuji with fervent concern.

Dan Ji had entrusted him to take good care of Wei Wuji, and whether out of gratitude or a sense of duty as a protector, Zheng Dali could not allow the slightest harm to befall him.

Wei Wuji, however, replied indifferently, “What else can we do? If we refuse their search, they will never let us go.”

You want to search me? Very well, just wait and see who ends up weeping, Wei Wuji thought to himself.

As the Wei soldiers advanced again, Zheng Dali’s anger flared. He shouted, “How dare you!” and with a few swift blows, sent the two approaching soldiers sprawling.

“Useless fools!” Wang Xian cursed at the fallen soldiers, then waved his hand, summoning seven or eight more to surround them.

Gritting his teeth, Wang Xian barked, “Search them! If anyone resists, strike them down—life and death are no concern.” He would show no more mercy to those who dared defy him.

“Protect the young master!” Zheng Dali bellowed.

At his cry, more than a dozen guards nearby broke free from their captors and rushed to encircle Wei Wuji, squaring off against the advancing soldiers once more.

Now Wang Xian’s forces seemed insufficient again, and rage overtook him.

He had lost face yet again, and shouted in fury, “Mutiny! This is mutiny!”

Drawing his sword, he pointed it at Wei Wuji and his companions. “All troops, seize these traitors at once!”

At his command, the mounted soldiers drew their sabers and pressed forward, closing in on Wei Wuji’s group.

In an instant, the balance of power shifted once more. Surrounded by hundreds of mounted troops, Wei Wuji and his companions found themselves in dire peril.

“Protect the young master!” From outside the protective ring, Liu Xuanba cried out, felling a mounted soldier and fighting his way toward Wei Wuji.

His shout awakened the pent-up fury of the Wei infantry. Though they had been disarmed, now they clenched their fists, ready to fight.

The mounted soldiers, seeing this, looked to Wang Xian for instructions. The next move was his to make.

But Wang Xian hesitated, allowing the foot soldiers to press closer to Wei Wuji.

The situation grew ever more precarious, the standoff between both sides barely maintaining the fragile peace.

Gradually, more and more infantry gathered around Wei Wuji, encircling him in ring after ring.

In this era, the bond between lord and vassal was sacred—when the master suffered, so did his followers; if disgraced, they would die for him. Wei Wuji was their lord, and he had shared their hardships and dangers.

Such a leader was a rare treasure; how could they watch him be humiliated?

“Form ranks! Protect the young master!” Liu Xuanba shouted to the soldiers around him.

At this command, the Wei soldiers found new purpose, abandoning their earlier disarray. In a flash, they tightened their defensive circle, and though they had no weapons, they kept Wei Wuji securely at the center.

“Are you truly intent on rebellion?” Wang Xian raged, hating Wei Wuji all the more. Who was this fellow? The moment he appeared, even Liu Xuanba and the others, previously so docile, seemed transformed.

Now regret gnawed at Wang Xian. To use force or not—either choice could ruin him. Could this young man truly be someone important? Wang Xian looked uncertainly at Wei Wuji, but still could not believe he was the young master.

With doubt in his heart, Wang Xian’s tone softened slightly. “Lay down your arms, and I will not pursue your offense further!”

He could only retreat to this compromise. If blood were shed between the two factions, he would be held responsible for inciting conflict—an offense punishable by the extermination of his family.

“To lay down our arms is to become sheep to the slaughter, is it not?” Liu Xuanba snarled, sword across his chest.

“You—” Wang Xian’s anger flared again. He had already offered a way out; why would Liu Xuanba not accept it? Did he want to force a fight to the bitter end?

Wang Xian could not simply let Wei Wuji’s group go; if he showed such weakness, his own position would be untenable.

“Liu Xuanba, another insolent word and I may just spill your blood!” Wang Xian snapped. He was finished with words—today, he would see Liu Xuanba and his followers searched, no matter the cost to his pride or in obedience to the Marquis’s orders.

He had forced himself into this situation, and now he had to see it through.

“Come if you dare!” Liu Xuanba goaded him further. He was sure now that Wang Xian had lost his nerve; otherwise, he’d have acted already.

But Wei Wuji and Wang Xiu signaled frantically to Liu Xuanba, urging him to hold his tongue and seek a peaceful resolution.

Wang Xian, however, was past the point of negotiation. Provoked by Liu Xuanba, his temper flared—so long as no one died, anything was permissible.

Mounted on his steed, Wang Xian spoke in a low voice to his adjutant, “Carry my orders—sheath your swords, disperse them all!”

“And make sure not to draw blood. Seize Liu Xuanba, the most unruly of them, and I will see him well flogged.” At the mention of Liu Xuanba, Wang Xian ground his teeth with rage.

As the orders were passed down, the Wei cavalry began to shift their formation.

Though they were reluctant to act against Wei Wuji’s party, the laws of Great Wei weighed heavily on them—they had no choice but to comply. They could only hope no blood would be shed.

“My lord, this is bad! They truly mean to attack!” Seeing the enemy’s movement, Liu Xuanba’s bravado faded—he had never imagined Wang Xian would dare go so far.

“How could they!” Wang Xiu’s face was drawn and pale, almost on the verge of tears. They had survived so many assaults from the Chen, only to face ruin at the hands of their own people?

Wei Wuji’s heart was heavy with despair. His fate truly was bitter—more unjust than any suffering in a tragedy.

Why was it so hard just to return home? Watching the cavalry arrayed in the distance, Wei Wuji felt his frustration swell within him.

“Tell everyone to disperse! If he wants to search, let him search—it’s only a question of pride.” At this point, Wei Wuji could not allow things to spiral further out of control.

Yet the cavalry was already in motion, and amid the chaos, it was nearly impossible to relay his order effectively.

Besides, the anger among the infantry had simmered long enough. After such unjust treatment, how could they surrender now?

The cavalry picked up speed. Though regret flickered in their eyes, as the charge began their gazes grew resolute.

“Do not blame us!” the mounted soldiers prayed silently.

Their charge quickened, hooves pounding thunderously, making the earth tremble.

It would not be long before the unarmed infantry before them broke and scattered under the assault.

Wang Xian’s expression grew colder still. After the clash, he too would be held accountable—punished by military law, if not killed then disgraced.

He felt a pang of regret. “If it comes to this, I’ll have to beg Old General Wu for help, but that will exhaust all the goodwill between our families.”

The cavalry pressed ever closer, the distance shrinking. Were this a true charge, the two sides would have already collided.

At this moment of crisis, as the two forces were about to clash, another voice rang out from beyond the imminent battle—a voice filled with urgency and wrath, thundering across the field.

“Scoundrels! What are you doing?!”