Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"What Duke of Zhenguo? Guess what happened when I put a knife to his throat today? He didn't dare utter a single word. He was completely terrified, you know?"

Inside a brothel in Shu County, Luo Wu, the royal guard who had held a knife to Shen Lang's neck yesterday, was now holding a wine cup and boasting to his colleagues and the glamorous women in the brothel about how he had "terrified" Shen Lang.

However, everyone present was deeply skeptical of his explanation.

"Chief Luo, are you bragging? Shen Lang is the Emperor of Great Chu, and the Duke of Zhenguo was personally appointed by the Empress. How dare you?"

"Exactly! He's a nobleman, a dignified Duke. You held a knife to his throat like that and he still managed to walk out alive. Next time, could you at least make your story be more believable?"

"Besides, the Duke is a very famous and renowned figure. He conquered Luchuan, annexed Guanzhong, swallowed Eastern Wu, and destroyed the Qiang and Xia tribes."

Furthermore, they cracked the salt case in Jiangnan and the rebellion case of the sects in the North, and subdued the sects in both the North and South. Each of these achievements alone could have earned them a place in history.

"Such an important figure, you'd let him point a knife at you? Commander Luo, it's not that we don't believe it, it's just too unbelievable. You should probably drink less in the future."

Upon hearing that everyone doubted him, Luo Hu couldn't help but twitch the scar on his forehead, slammed his hand heavily on the table, and shouted.

"Everything I said is true. The brothers who went to Songhelou with me yesterday can testify to me. If you don't believe me, I'll bring them here for you to question."

"Hmph, when have I, Luo Hu, ever boasted? What's true is true, why would I lie to you!"

As he spoke, he stood up, pulled out a handful of gold, and threw it on the table.

"See? These were all given to me by the prince. He praised me for doing a good job!"

"If I hadn't satisfied the prince, would I have received such a large reward?"

Upon seeing the table full of gold, everyone's eyes lit up.

He couldn't help but believe Luo Hu's words to some extent.

After all, Luo Hu only earns twenty taels of silver a month, and he indulges in eating, drinking, gambling, and playing with clams without any restraint, so it's impossible for him to save that much money.

A dancer picked up an ounce of gold, weighed it between her fingers, and exclaimed, "Oh my, it's full weight gold! Commander Luo, is what you said true?"

"Of course it's true!" Luo Hu took a sip of wine and grabbed the dancer's waist. "When have I ever bragged?"

A companion opposite him also picked up a gold bean and licked it with his tongue.

"It's sweet, and it's definitely gold."

Then he looked at Luo Hu.

"Master Luo, how did you subdue that Duke? This doesn't make sense."

"What's unreasonable about it?" Luo Hu immediately released his grip on the woman, flicking his sleeves as he said, "That Shen Lang is just a spineless coward with empty promises."

Ruthless and cruel, destined for historical fame—bah! That's all just court propaganda. Yesterday, I merely held a knife to his hand, and he immediately cowered and almost cried.

"If the prince hadn't stopped me, I would have made him kneel on the ground and call me 'Master'."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Although it's still hard to believe the incredible rumor that Luo Hu forced Shen Lang to submit, given the amount of gold involved, one has to be skeptical.

"Come on, it's all on me today. Let all the girls in the building come and drink with me, hahaha."

To demonstrate his generosity, Luo Hu spent lavishly, displaying an air of dominance that immediately drew cheers from the crowd.

After a few rounds of drinks, the singing and dancing began.

With blurry, drunken eyes, Luo Hu watched the dancers in thin veils gracefully dancing before him. His mind wandered, and he mustered his courage to take care of things on the spot.

Just then, a familiar figure, followed by two women dressed in black brocade robes, wearing headscarves, and carrying swords, came to Luo Hu's table.

Without saying a word, Ma Guocheng, who was in charge, asked directly, "Which of you is Luo Hu?"

Instantly, the singing and dancing stopped, and all the women at the table looked at the three of them with surprise.

"I'm asking you a question! Who is Luo Hu? You sons of bitches, spit it out!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Hu slammed his hand on the table, pointed at the group, and shouted, "I'm right here! Who are you? What business do you have with me?!"

"Rough~~"

Ma Guocheng glanced at Luo Hu, then revealed a look of disgust, yet also a slightly ferocious and ruthless one, before launching into a verse about the national essence.

"I thought you, surnamed Luo, had three heads and six arms, but it turns out you just have a human face. Where did you get the guts to offend the Duke?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Hu immediately realized: "Who do we have here? It's that coward Shen Lang's men. What, you weren't scared out of your wits yesterday, and now you're here to cause trouble again?"

"Rough and greasy code!"

Ma Guocheng started cursing directly.

"You dare to address the Duke by his name? You must be tired of living."

Luo Hu was furious: "How dare you cause trouble in front of Master Luo? Do you know who I am? I am a retainer of the King of Shu and a bodyguard under his command!"

"Who the hell was he to act so arrogantly? Turns out he's just a dog of the King of Shu!"

Where did you get the nerve to shout that? Alright, enough with the nonsense, just come with me right now!

"Where?"

"You've offended the Duke, and you think you can just run away? Do you think this matter is over?"

"I'll say it again, I'm a member of the Prince's mansion."

"Go to hell, I'm going to take you down."

Ma Guocheng rolled up his sleeves, seemingly ready to get down to business.

Luo Hu immediately unleashed the aura of a fully-fledged Acquired Realm cultivator: "I'd like to see what you can do to me!"

But the next moment, Ma Guocheng took two steps back and said directly to the two women behind him, "Make your move, take him down!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman on the left lunged at Luo Hu with a sidestep.

"You bitch, you dare to lay a hand on me? I'll teach you a lesson tonight."

Luo Hu paid no attention and drew his sword to slash at the person who came at him.

However, the opponent was too fast. In the blink of an eye, he struck Luo Hu on the back of the neck with a palm strike.

Luo Hu's vision went black for a moment, and he immediately collapsed in front of the table.

"Commander Luo."

Seeing that Luo Hu was subdued, the other colleagues became anxious and grabbed their knives to attack.

Zheng~

The next moment, a long sword cry rang out, shaking everyone present and rendering them unable to move.

Another woman made the move, and the roar of her sword energy immediately stunned the group.

"When the Duke investigates a case, those who do not wish to die should step back, or do not blame him for being merciless with his sword."

After the woman finished speaking, Luo Hu had already been carried out of the brothel by Ma Guocheng.

The others knew they were no match for the two women, and could only watch helplessly as Luo Hu disappeared from the brothel.

……

In a secluded room of a gambling den in Shu County, Luo Hu slowly woke up.

Just as he was about to move, he realized that his hands and feet were tightly bound by ropes, and his inner energy was also locked.

"Where am I? Let me go!"

He roared loudly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Lang suddenly rushed out from the dark corner and kicked him directly in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Cough cough cough..."

Luo Hu coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. Just as he was about to look up, he felt his hair being pulled tightly.

Looking up, he was met with Shen Lang's nonchalant and carefree face.

"It's you, Shen Lang!"

boom--

He had barely opened his mouth when a heavy punch slammed into his face, breaking his front teeth.

Then, Luo Hu felt a sharp pain on his scalp, and his body went out of control, causing him to fall backward rapidly.

boom--

With a loud crash, Luo Hu's body slammed into a stone wall, instantly creating a spiderweb-like crack in the wall.

"Weren't you quite arrogant yesterday? Come on, let's see if you can be arrogant like this again."

In my early twenties, this is the first time someone has held a knife to my throat. You're incredibly brave; I'm truly impressed.

"I need to stretch my muscles. Lie still and don't move, I'm about to begin."

After Shen Lang finished speaking, he slapped him across the face and then started punching and kicking him.

Before long, Luo Hu's pitiful cries and pleas for mercy came from the secret room of the gambling den.