Chapter 64 – Teach Me Martial Arts
Translated by Bloodfalcon
Current translation is MTL, it is not translation checked, proofread or heavily edited yet.
Liu Mang has been kneeling by that pile of corpses for two hours, four hours, half a day! He never said a word even a bit, in his hand there is a decapitated head. His face is showing with big disbelieve and painful expression before he died, that head belong to Chen Lan.
Beside Liu Mang, Cheng Yu also kneeling.
“General, let's go back” Liu Mang has been wounded and exhausted but he is still kneeling. Cheng Yu is trying to persuade Liu Mang to go back because night will come soon and it will be very cold/
Liu Mang did not paid any attention to Cheng Yu, he just continued to kneel there and silent.
And thus, in two hours, night had come.
“Clip Clop Clip Clop!” Behind Liu Mang there are footsteps sound approaching.
The one who is approaching them is no other than golden-armored Lu Bu.
“Milord!” Cheng Yu want to stand up to salute Lu Bu, but because kneeling all the time, his body become real stiff. Therefore he can only move with much difficulty.
“Hum!” Lu Bu nodded at Cheng Yu's gesture and that nod also meant that he accepted Cheng Yu's incomplete salute.
Liu Mang also knows that Lu Bu came, but he still staying there, not moving, not even turning around.
“How long have you been kneeling?!” Lu Bu asked lightly.
“About, about half a day already!” From battle end until now, Liu Mang just knelt there.
“Half a day?!” Lu Bu looks at the corpse of a soldier there, it was the Urban Army soldiers who did not survive their first battle, then looking at Liu Mang again without any expression “So, Urban Army's casualties is more than 400 people?!”
“It is 432 people!” Liu Mang opened his mouth to edit Lu Bu's count. That is the exact digit of this war casualties. That number is burned into Liu Mang's mind.
“Yes, yes, it is 432 people!” Lu Bu never likes people interrupting his speech, but Liu Mang is an exception.
“Those 432 lives exchanged with your life, is it worth it?!” Lu Bu approaches Liu Mang, before Liu Mang give answer, Lu Bu self-answered his question “It is not worth, really not worthy you know! I thought, what manners of hero, those 400 more people sacrifice their life for?! Is it just a small man or a big hero?!”
“432 people!” Exclaimed Liu Mang with hoarse voice.
“I am asking what kind of person who deserved sacrifice of those 432 people? Is that to save one wasted person?!” Lu Bu's voice also getting big.
“If you think about it, these 432 people are 432 idiots, 432 fools, died saving a garbage!” Said Lu Bu while pointing at these corpses.
“Milord!” Cheng Yu really surprised, what is Lu Bu trying to do! Saying these 432 dead soldiers who died in battle are idiots? Is not this the time where he should comfort Liu Mang? This kind of saying will certainly spark a conflict between those Urban Army survivor, plus Cheng Yu is also one of the survivor of Urban Army. If not for these 432 heroes, I am afraid Cheng Yu will be the one lying among them.
Sure enough after Lu Bu said that, Liu Mang's really grim and glaring fiercely at Lu Bu saying “DO..NOT...INSULT...THEM!”
“Am I wrong saying that?! Those 432 people are idiots for saving a garbage like you!” Said Lu Bu continuing his insult.
“Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian, you dare say that?!” Said Liu Mang. Liu Mang staggered while trying to stand, his gesture now is one wounded and furious man, he is biting his teeth and his fist already grasping and shaking nonstop.
“How, huh?! You want to hit me?! Come and hit me!!!” Lu Bu also shouted.
Liu Mang angrily glare at Lu Bu but he do not make any movement, right now he is not Lu Bu's match, and hitting Lu Bu will only bring disaster to himself, plus plus plus Lu Bu is his honorable father-in-law.
“How, huh? Afraid to hit me? Let me say you once more, THOSE 432 PEOPLE ARE BIG IDIOTS, SAVING A GARBAGE LIKE YOU!!! Even you do not dare to fight me! Come!!! Punch me, point that hammer toward me!!!” Exclaimed Lu Bu while pointing at his face.
“AAAAHHHHHHHHH!” Liu Mang is truly insane now, and he has done the most reckless thing with his fist.
“General, please stop!” Cheng Yu wanted to prevent Liu Mang but it is already too late.
“Piak!” His face landed solidly on Lu Bu's face. From Lu Bu's mouth corner there are blood immediately.
“General, Milord!” Cheng Yu swallow his saliva, he just see a very disturbing vision now. His general hits his lord?
Although Liu Mang has the title Prince of Shu also he have title “General of Southern Expedition” and cannot be compared with Lu Bu title, but the fact cannot changed that Liu Mang is still under Lu Bu Army and Lu Bu is currently the highest authority here, also Lu Bu is Liu Mang's honorable father-in-law. So in Lu Bu army, Lu Bu is the lord and Liu Mang is little lord, but Liu Mang now has hit Lu Bu. This can be considered a severe offense in military, a subordinate did not follow his superiors orders and even question him and now subordinate even punch his superiors, if this is not a rebellion then what is???
Cheng Yu looked at Lu Bu cautiously. Lu Bu is the god-of-war, if he want to kill Liu Mang right now, Cheng Yu would not be able to block him.
Liu Mang calmed himself down. He hit Lu Bu! He hit the first god-of-war in Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu! He pinch his finger to make himself awake from sudden insanity earlier, that make him hit Lu Bu.
But Lu Bu is a valiant general, moody, and if suddenly he makes movement to kill Liu Mang, no one able to resist him. So Liu Mang right now is bursting with fear, but then he become insane again “Fuck, I am a dead man. I really become a death seeker. But killed by Lu Bu is much better than living dishonorably like this!”
So Liu Mang brave himself again, pointing at Lu Bu saying “Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian, even you killed me now! I will make you realized that if you insult my brother again, I will rip your flesh, even if I must die to do it!”
Does he think that hitting Lu Bu can still survive? Lu Bu's gaze is flickering toward Liu Mang, that pair of tiger's eyes is sending off killing intent. Lu Bu really moving in to kill, and at this state, nobody dare to hit Lu Bu.
Lu Bu licked the blood at his mouth corner, the taste is salty.
“Milord, please appease your anger, please appease your anger!” Shouted Cheng Yu who immediately knelt and hold Lu Bu's thigh. He really afraid that Lu Bu may kill Liu Mang. Right now, he is Lu Bu's subordinate but also Liu Mang's subordinate. If Lu Bu killed Liu Mang, he will unable to exact his revenge at Cao Cao.
“General, please, admit to Milord that you made mistakes! I beg of you!”
“Cheng Yu, do not block his way! If he want to kill me, then kill me! I am fed-up with living already!” Liu Mang also do not back down even an inch, but instead he become crazier.
“Cheng Yu, do you not understand what he just said?! Your general order you to give way, you must give way!” Lu Bu's tone become more plain. On one glance, it is hinting any indication, but Cheng Yu knows that this is when Lu Bu's anger is already max, when Lu Bu want to kill people.
“Milord, the general was ignorant for a while, he did not want to offense Milord. Please, Milord. Forgive the general!” Cheng Yu asked for Lu Bu's mercy.
“Stay here and do not move!” Lu Bu said it lightly, when Cheng Yu want to prevent Lu Bu again, Lu Bu said “Do you want to disobey my orders?!”
In army, one must obey an order from his superiors. If one question or even disobey order, then the punishment is death.
Cheng Yu bite his teeth. If Milord want to kill general, then I, Cheng Yu, will disobey order to prevent Milord.
Lu Bu approached Liu Mang and then he lift both his hands toward Liu Mang
“You want to directly choke me?!” Said Liu Mang sneering.
“Milord.....!” Cheng Yu want to disobey orders to prevent Lu Bu, but he could not voice those words. Because Lu Bu did not choke or harm Liu Mang, but he patted Liu Mang's shoulder and smiling “Good, very good! These 432 soldiers, no, these 432 heroes were not a fool and did not sacrifice themselves for protecting a garbage, a coward. Their sacrifice have values!”
“Eh?!” Liu Mang really shocked. He himself have hit Lu Bu, everyone here can clearly saw that. At the Lu Bu's mouth corner there is red. If compared with Cao Mengde in terms of anger, Lu Bu is really incomparable, because this man is a fierce tiger. Seeing Liu Mang doubts, Lu Bu smiled “Are you thinking why this fierce tiger have not shred you apart right?”
Subconsciously Liu Mang nodded at his question.
“Ha-ha-ha, Oh Liu Hanyang, Liu Hanyang. Sometimes you are really smart like a god, sometimes you are stupid like a dog. Yes, this fierce tiger eat people, but have you ever seen a tiger eat his child?!”
“Child?!” Liu Mang chewing these words slowly.
“Hanyang I tell you this! These 432 lives have engraved their surnames, hopes and dreams in your body!” Lu Bu complexion become more cold. “In battle, one needs to lead his soldiers, one need to breakthrough enemy lines. Those above need formidable strength. Which vanguard unit who do not have big strength? Even this bandit Chen Lan and Lei Bo. Lei Bo himself, although weak, but can withstood my attack 5 bouts!” Lei Bo who almost kill Liu Mang, can actually go 5 bouts alone with Lu Bu.
“You are too weak, at that time if you make Cheng Yu as your personal bodyguards leader, they may lose badly but impossible to have the whole army annihilated, most of these soldiers died solely for protecting you!”
“Why they protect you, because you yourself do not have the ability to protect yourself, staying at this state will make you suffer more defeat like this!” Liu Mang expression is very bleak.
Because what Lu Bu said, each word of them pierce Liu Mang's heart painfully. And in his vision, Xu Cheng appeared again, if he have Lu Bu's strength then he probably do not need these many soldiers to protect him right? And Cheng Yu himself can assume a bigger responsibility, can carry out important tasks. Now he himself, are depending on his armor, which those good soldiers do not have! With only this strength, he did not die many times is probably because of God's grace.
“Is powerless can be an excuse?!” Lu Bu approaching Liu Mang again “Can be an excuse! That is because the one who lose is not only yourself. You cannot bear to see your companion's death! But, do not they also do not want to see you die?! Right now, you don't have teeth and claws to protect them. This time, there are 432 people dying to save you, then next time, then next time! If you do not improve yourself, then who will able to save you? Are you still want to be bound by guilt with the death of these 432 people? Do you want to make their sacrifice worth nothing?” Lu Bu shouted really hard.
“No, I want to improve myself, I will make their sacrifice worthed! It just the present me is very very weak. If I do not improve myself, then who will be able to save me?!” 432 brothers, I,Liu Mang, am very sorry to all of you!” Liu Mang kowtowed many many times toward those corpses. Liu Mang do not know what is right and what is wrong, right now! But in this chaos times, being weak is wrong.
"Father-in-law, teach me martial arts!" Said Liu Mang, Liu Mang has never been more decisive than today!