Her voice was soft and slow, almost devoid of emotion. But Li Jun and Meng Yuan could clearly hear the sobbing in her voice, and hear her crying out "Father".
But her father, who loved her just as deeply, could not hear this voice. For the greater good, he sacrificed himself, sacrificed the normal father-daughter relationship, and ultimately sacrificed his subordinates.
For a moment, the three people in the tent remained silent. Two strings of crystal-clear tears slowly slid down Lu Chang's lotus-like face, falling to the ground with a soft sound. Li Jun and Meng Yuan exchanged an awkward glance, wanting to wipe away her tears, yet afraid to do so.
Lu Shang used a light green handkerchief to wipe away her tears, then smiled sweetly at the two of them. This smile made it seem as if spring had returned to the tent, filling the room with radiance.
"We only met once in five years, and we cried..." She used the word "we" so naturally, as if she wasn't the only one who had just shed tears. "Brothers, I've heard about what happened to you." She turned to Li Jun, "Brother Li Jun, you're amazing."
Li Jun felt embarrassed. He really didn't know what Lu Shang, who had grown from a thirteen-year-old girl to an eighteen or nineteen-year-old young woman in the past five years, was thinking. Her praise left Li Jun speechless. He could still manage to handle Mo Rong and Ji Su, but he felt extremely unfamiliar with the "little sister" in front of him, who was completely different from the image in his mind. She was so unfamiliar that he couldn't compare her to the person he remembered.
“You’ve changed.” Lu Shang said softly, letting out a gentle sigh. When she first met Li Jun, her father seemed to trust this subordinate who had only recently joined the family extremely. He not only brought him home but also made her call him brother. At that time, she was very curious about this aloof and almost silent “brother” and tried her best to tease him. Her father couldn’t do anything about it… Her father actually cared about her a lot. She used to resent him for not spending much time with her, but later she realized that she remembered all the time her father spent at home very clearly.
"How have you been these past five years?" Li Jun finally asked. Over the past five years, he and Meng Yuan had secretly sent people to search for Lu Shang's whereabouts more than once, but the news they received was always the same: shortly after Lu Xiang's death, his former residence caught fire and turned to ashes. They had no choice but to accept the hypothesis that Lu Shang might have perished in the fire.
"Father... after the disaster, I destroyed the house and fled." Lu Shang simply said, lightly glossing over the harrowing events of that year. Like her father, she didn't like to tell others about the risks she had taken. But Li Jun and Meng Yuan could clearly hear from her calm tone that a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, facing the devastating loss of her only relative, her father, was suppressing her inner pain and meticulously planning her escape.
“You’ve suffered… It’s our fault for being incompetent…” Meng Yuan lowered his head, partly for the suffering Lu Shang had endured over the past five years, and partly for his failure to protect Lu Xiang. For him and Li Jun, Lu Xiang was both a teacher and a father. Even though he had been gone for five years, the scenes of being with Lu Xiang still often lingered in their minds.
Lu Shang sighed softly, her expression perfectly conveying her changing emotions. Li Jun also lowered his head. This woman was too beautiful. Her outstanding father had given birth to such a perfect woman. Even someone like Li Jun had to lower his head and feel ashamed in her presence.
"I've come to ask you to temporarily cease hostilities." Lu Chang didn't bring up the events of that day again, but instead stated the purpose of her visit. "The people of Su are not yet prepared for a change of dynasty. I cannot bear to see my father's disciples use my father's methods to cause suffering to the people of the homeland that my father protected with his life."
Li Jun raised his head. Knowing Lu Shang's personality, he didn't believe she had come to surrender. However, he hadn't expected that Lu Shang's purpose in coming was to persuade him to withdraw his troops.
"What my younger sister means is..."
"Please, Brother Li Jun, stop here. Don't go any further." Lu Shang's bright eyes gazed tenderly into Li Jun's eyes. "Brother Li Jun's original intention was not to destroy my Great Su in one fell swoop, but to open up a strategic rear for himself. However, I fear that you will not be able to stop, so I have come to persuade you to cease hostilities."
Li Jun was taken aback. Although Lu Shang's words contained the word "advice," her gentle gaze revealed a familiar kind of determination. He had seen that look in Lu Xiang's eyes before, and seeing it again now, an infinite sense of warmth slowly rose in his heart.
"What if I don't heed my little sister's advice?" Li Jun avoided Lu Shang's gaze, trying to harden his heart. He was no longer the boy who, five years ago, sought guidance from Lu Xiang on how to conduct himself.
“If brother doesn’t heed my advice,” Lu Shang said softly, a hint of helplessness in her voice, “what can I do? But I want brother to know that I will not stand idly by and watch the homeland for which our father sacrificed his life turn to ashes. I have no choice but to do my best to negotiate with you.”
Li Jun suppressed the shock deep within him and remained silent. Lu Shang's words were tactful, yet they possessed an irresistible power and an unwavering resolve that he could not doubt. He now understood why Lu Shang had appeared with the aura of a powerful figure from the very beginning; from the outset, she had placed immense psychological pressure on him, forcing him to take her opinions seriously.
“My little sister has really grown up,” Li Jun finally spoke, forcing a smile. “She still loves to cause me trouble, just like before.”
Lu Shang smiled sweetly, and small wrinkles appeared on the top of her straight nose. Her charm in that instant made Li Jun and Meng Yuan unable to look away again.
"Has Brother Li Jun grown up now? The Brother Li Jun of today is nothing like the Brother Li Jun we first met. Only Brother Meng Yuan is still the same as he was back then."
Meng Yuan laughed heartily, his cheerful laughter easing the slight awkwardness between them. He said, "If you don't trust us, little sister, then stay here for a while, so you can keep an eye on us."
Lu Shang lowered her eyes and said softly, "How could I not trust my two brothers? It's only been a few years, and everyone has changed so much. Although Brother Meng Yuan's personality hasn't changed, I don't know if his heart... or if it hasn't changed at all."
"Within a year, I will not take an inch of Su territory," Li Jun said slowly, his words carrying an air of authority. "My word is as firm as a mountain, but if Su attacks me, I will not be lenient. Little sister, why don't you stay with me, or I can send you to Yuzhou so you can meet some friends? What do you say?"
"Are you Sister Mo Rong and Sister Ji Su?" Lu Shang smiled lightly, a playful glint in her eyes, as if a younger sister were teasing her older brother. "I've heard about your achievements in Yuzhou a long time ago, but I wonder when I'll be able to attend your wedding?"
Li Jun's face showed extreme embarrassment; he hadn't expected his affairs to have reached Lu Shang's ears. Lu Shang seemed determined not to let him off the hook, teasing him a few more times before speaking solemnly, "I would very much like to be with you two brothers, but I'm tied up with some worldly affairs. Please rest assured, I am capable of protecting myself."
Li Jun and Meng Yuan were well aware of her abilities, and judging from her demeanor and shrewdness just now, she was indeed worthy of being Lu Xiang's daughter. Given her personality, if she wouldn't say what she was going to do, then she would never say it.
"Alright, aren't you two brothers going to see me out?" Lu Shang stood up, put her bamboo hat back on, and gave a slight curtsy. "This little sister must take her leave now."
As she walked away outside the main tent, Meng Yuan suddenly asked, "If you insist on breaking your promise, and my little sister really tries to stop you, what will you do?"
Li Jun remained silent; he was unwilling to deceive Meng Yuan.
"No matter what, you should remember that she is Marshal Lu's daughter, our little sister." Meng Yuan stared at his expressionless face and said, word by word, "Some things can be given up, but some things cannot."
With Lu Shang's sudden appearance, Li Jun and Meng Yuan both felt a sense of impending great change. Where Lu Shang's figure disappeared, there was a lingering mist, and the evening glow cast countless rays of light. A pale yellow light enveloped the earth, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere. However, Li Jun and Meng Yuan clearly saw that within this pale yellow light, the setting sun was as red as blood.
That night, Li Jun tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep for a long time. When the crescent moon shone through the small window onto the felt blanket he was sleeping on, he simply got up, drew his chained short sword, and began to practice his swordplay in front of the tent.
Just as he wielded his sword in a dazzling display of light, the moonlight revealing only the gleaming silver blade and obscuring his figure, the rapid sound of galloping hooves echoed outside the camp. The sound of the drums amplified the clatter of the hooves, waking many soldiers of the Peace Army from their slumber.
The sound of horses' hooves stopped outside the camp, followed by the shouts of the sentries. Li Jun remained unmoved, leaped up, and sent a burst of energy toward the moon in the void.
"Commander, Guru Ganping of the Lotus Army has urgent military intelligence and requests an audience." A moment later, he heard the guard's words.
“Gan Ping!” Li Jun searched his memory for the name and seemed to recognize the person. He should be one of Cheng Tian’s subordinates.
"Please ask him to come over."
A moment later, several guards accompanied a Lianfa Army general of similar age to Li Jun as they approached. Li Jun sheathed his sword, glanced at the general indifferently, and asked, "Has Sect Leader Cheng passed away?"
"Ah!" Gan Ping looked at the man in front of him with excitement. Before he could even speak, the man had already deduced that Cheng Tian was dead.
“I only received an urgent report from Yuzhou yesterday, saying that Liu Guang of Chen State was making strange moves. I didn’t expect you to arrive today. It seems this change has happened far too quickly.” Li Jun sheathed his sword, but put his arm around Gan Pingzhi’s shoulder. “Brother Gan, let’s go into the tent and talk. Someone, prepare wine and food for Brother Gan.”
"Commander, you're too kind..." Gan Ping, who had been fighting all the way and had been neglected by Fang Fengyi, felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Li Jun's enthusiasm gave him hope for revenge. Although Cheng Tian only wanted him to join Li Jun and lead these brothers out of the Lotus Dharma Sect and out of the battlefield, in his heart, avenging Cheng Tian was the most important thing.
"But have the other leaders of your sect fallen into Liu Guang's elaborate scheme and started killing each other?" After Gan Ping finished eating and drinking, Li Jun didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point with his first question.
"How did the commander know? Could it be that Yu Prefecture has already sent someone to deliver this letter?"
"To get here from Yuzhou, one must bypass the Qionglu Grassland and then cross the Yunyang Canghai Sea. It will probably take another two days to receive news." Li Jun's expression was solemn, his eyes gleaming. He said, "I suspect Liu Guang will first choose one of the five sect leaders with ambition to become king. As the saying goes, 'Heaven cannot share the same sun.' If two Lianfa Sect leaders become kings, the Lianfa Sect will inevitably split. Although I haven't seen Leader Cheng Tian for two years, I still remember his demeanor. He is probably the only one among the five sect leaders who can see through Liu Guang's plan. So Liu Guang will then have someone persuade the leader who becomes king, and by absorbing Leader Cheng's followers, he can become the sole ruler within the Lianfa Sect. Leader Cheng, unwilling to see the Lianfa Sect split, will definitely raise an army to mediate, but in doing so, he will be handing over his life to Liu Guang. Am I right or wrong?"
Gan Ping stared at Li Jun with disbelief. Although there were slight discrepancies in the specific details, Li Jun's guess was almost identical to what had happened. He took a deep breath: "Did the Commander foresee this?"
Li Jun met his gaze directly and smiled slightly, "If the Lotus Dharma Sect makes things difficult for me, I will use this to defeat them. Liu Guang's wisdom is only superior to mine, not inferior to mine; how could he not know this?"
"Why didn't the commander warn Master Cheng?" Gan Ping slammed his fist on the table, his eyes gleaming.
Li Jun smiled but did not answer. Under Li Jun's gaze, Gan Ping's anger gradually dissipated. He sat down in frustration and muttered, "How could you have warned Sect Leader Cheng? It's already a miracle you didn't use that trick yourself..."