He had never lost a battle, nor ever been defeated in a war of words.

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Since realizing that immense danger might be lurking ahead, Su Ming dared not waste a single moment, rushing toward the Han River at the fastest speed possible. At this point, he couldn’t afford to spare his horse’s strength, relentlessly lashing its flanks with the whip. Only once he boarded the boat and returned to Jiangxia would Su Ming truly be safe. Sun Quan, that wretched schemer, was up to no good! He must have made up his mind to keep Su Ming in Jiangdong at all costs.

By the banks of the Han River, Ling Tong and his men hid within the woods. He closed his eyes, listening intently to the sound of the torrential rain. Amidst the noisy rainfall, the pounding of hooves was still discernible. Su Ming was coming! At the thought, Ling Tong trembled with excitement, his eyes snapping open, filled with murderous intent. The hatred for his father’s killer was irreconcilable—a vengeance that must be taken today.

“They’re here!” Pan Zhang peered through the rain at the approaching riders. “Over a hundred cavalry, and the young lady is with them!”

Ling Tong drew his treasured blade from his waist, his voice booming with killing intent: “The lord’s orders are clear: Su Ming must not leave Jiangdong alive. Anyone who stands with Su Ming and resists will be deemed bandits and executed without mercy.” Ling Tong spoke plainly—on the battlefield, there was no Jiangdong’s young lady Sun Shangxiang, only Su Ming’s accomplice Sun Shangxiang.

“Pan Zhang, take three thousand men and block their retreat. Attack from behind!” Ling Tong commanded.

“Understood!” Pan Zhang accepted the order with a salute.

Ling Tong then issued another command: “The rest of the troops, follow me in a frontal assault. The lord has promised a reward of ten thousand taels of gold to whoever kills Su Ming, and the governorship of Lujiang.”

From this alone, it was clear Sun Quan truly wanted Su Ming dead. Ten thousand taels of gold and the governorship of Lujiang! One must know, Jiangdong had only six counties in total. Killing Su Ming would mean Sun Quan entrusted you with a sixth of his realm. With such rich rewards, brave men were sure to answer the call, and the troops’ morale soared.

Arriving at the riverbank, the Thunder Leopard suddenly halted.

It let out a sharp neigh, raising its head toward the woods by the riverbank. Clearly, the Thunder Leopard was warning Su Ming of an ambush in the woods. This horse was one in a million.

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It is often said: Among men, Lü Bu; among horses, Red Hare. Lü Bu was dead, and whether Su Ming was stronger than Lü Bu was unknown. However, after the battle with Guan Yunchang, it was proven that the Thunder Leopard was superior to Red Hare. Sensitive to the slightest scent, the Thunder Leopard detected the presence of companions in the woods as soon as it reached the riverbank. Not even the pounding rain could obscure its keen nose.

“Come out, you ambushers ahead!” Su Ming reined in his horse and shouted toward the woods. “Let me see which general of Jiangdong Sun Quan has sent!”

“They’re exposed!” Pan Zhang exclaimed. “Su Ming truly lives up to his reputation—so sharp and alert!”

Ling Tong had not expected Su Ming to spot their hiding place so swiftly. Yet, in Ling Tong’s eyes, Su Ming was being far too arrogant. Having discovered the ambush, instead of fleeing, he halted and issued a challenge? Did he intend to defeat their ten thousand elite soldiers with his hundred riders? One against ten thousand—if Su Ming could win, he’d be a living deity.

“Take your men and cut off his retreat from behind!” Ling Tong ordered. “I’ll confront him myself!”

Pan Zhang was baffled. Hearing Ling Tong’s command to block Su Ming’s retreat, Pan Zhang thought, There’s no need—he’s not planning to run at all. However, he could only obey. On the battlefield, military orders were absolute. Ling Tong was the commander for this mission, and he the deputy, so he had to carry out the orders.

“Ling Tong of Jiangdong!” Ling Tong charged forth with spear and troops, pointing his weapon at Su Ming and bellowed, “Su Ming, return my father’s life!”

Back then, Ling Cao was Su Ming’s deputy. But he had been bribed by the Jiangdong clans. During Sun Ce’s campaign at Dantu, he drugged Su Ming, leading to Sun Ce’s death. At Sun Ce’s funeral, Ling Cao was slain by Su Ming’s spear. Now, Ling Tong, the son, had come for vengeance—a scene fitting the cycle of revenge.

Su Ming studied Ling Tong. He was just about twenty, bearing some resemblance to Ling Cao. “Sun Quan is truly vicious, to send you!” Su Ming sighed. “That day, I killed your father. Today, if I kill you, your Ling family will be wiped out!”

The old Ling family, wiped out? Hearing this, Ling Tong was furious. “Su Ming, don’t underestimate me!”

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“I used to hear my father mention your name. He always said you weren’t much. Without your ties to the former lord, you’d be nothing but a cook in the camp.” From Ling Tong’s words, one could guess why Ling Cao was bribed by the Jiangdong clans. Ling Cao, at forty, served as deputy to the twenty-something Su Ming. Ling Cao resented Su Ming, believing his connections to Sun Ce were the only reason he outranked him. Years of accumulated resentment led Ling Cao to join the plot against Sun Ce.

Su Ming, a man who never lost a fight nor a war of words. Called nothing but a cook in the camp? “Your father was right!” Su Ming replied. “Without connections, I’d be nothing but a cook. But your father was no better! That day, I toppled him from his horse with a single spear. If I’m a cook in the camp, your father was the worthless wood burning in the stove!”

He first acknowledged Ling Tong’s claim, admitting his own abilities were only fit for the cookhouse. Then, he told Ling Tong: If your father was slain by me, he was even worse. If I’m the cook, your father is the wastewood in the stove.

“My father is worthless? My father is worthless? My father is worthless?” Ling Tong’s mind echoed with the insult. To curse someone’s father in front of their son—this was a blow to the heart.

And Su Ming wasn’t finished. Raising his gold-plated spear, he pointed at Ling Tong: “Little wastewood, show me what you’ve got! Today, I tell you, I’m returning to Jiangxia, and you can’t stop me!”

“Me?” Ling Tong pointed at himself, incredulous. “Little wastewood?”

“Exactly! Your father is wastewood, and you’re little wastewood. I am the cook, burning wastewood. Today I’ll send you to join your father, and the Ling family will end!”

The effect of his verbal assault was obvious. Ling Tong, enraged, roared, “Su Ming, your insults are intolerable!”

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(End of chapter)