Hearing these words, Murong Ba felt a chill run down the back of his neck. Glancing at the severed heads in the boxes, he felt as if his own head might soon be removed.
Lu Ming, however, smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't behead you."
He poured two cups of wine.
Lu Ming continued, "All this time, I've indulged Murong Shuang at every turn, not out of fear, but out of respect for the past friendship between the Lu and Murong families. I didn't want to push things too far."
"But!"
Lu Ming's expression turned serious. "The more I yielded, the more presumptuous Murong Shuang became. She seemed to think I feared her, as if she could crush me with one hand. Heh, she overestimated herself."
"No one will tolerate endless concessions. She mistook my patience for weakness, my kindness for timidity. From mere humiliation at first, it escalated to repeated, brutal killings, sparing no one close to me!"
Lu Ming thought of Jiang Lan.
If Lu Ming hadn't intervened in time on the previous two occasions, Jiang Lan might have fallen victim to Murong Shuang's deadly schemes.
Lu Ming had not forgotten this debt.
"Therefore..."
In front of Murong Ba, Lu Ming took a small paper packet from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a black powder.
He poured the powder into one of the wine cups, stirred it a few times with chopsticks, and then presented the cup of doctored wine to Murong Ba.
Lu Ming went on, "I intend to use your life to declare war on Murong Shuang. If you die, Murong Shuang will undoubtedly be consumed by grief and retaliate against me even more fiercely. And I, with your life, can show Murong Shuang that I, Lu Ming, am no mere ant for her to crush at will."
It turned out Murong Ba was just a pawn.
Murong Shuang used him to deal with Lu Ming, and Lu Ming was now using his life to declare war on Murong Shuang.
Murong Ba felt a bitter helplessness.
Can't you two settle your feud without dragging others into it? Murong Ba gained nothing and was now about to lose his life. He was truly miserable!
Lu Ming pointed to the wine cup and told Murong Ba, "Drink it."
Murong Ba's face was a picture of dismay. He asked, "What was that black powder you just added?"
"Poison," Lu Ming replied without hesitation. "A poison that will kill you within a minute of drinking it. However, it paralyzes the nerves in your brain, so you won't feel any pain; instead, you'll feel a sense of euphoria. Leaving your body intact and allowing you to die without suffering is my final act of leniency towards the Murong family."
He truly had the audacity to say such things!
Murong Ba gritted his teeth, his jaws clicking audibly. "You won't drink the poisoned wine! I'd rather be beheaded by you than commit suicide by drinking poison!"
He still desperately wanted to live.
But was it possible?
Lu Ming said calmly, "Do you know why I'm saying all this to you today? I could have just killed you with a single stab without uttering a word and still declared war on Murong Shuang. But I chose to reveal my identity and my intentions. I simply want you to die with clarity, to depart with peace."
He paused, then continued, "You've sent people to kill me repeatedly. This time, you even attempted to eliminate all ten of the talents I invited. Yet, I've shown you this last shred of respect out of the past ties between our families. Are you still not satisfied?"
His aura was overwhelming.
Though Lu Ming's words were spoken calmly, they struck Murong Ba like thunderclaps.
It was only now that he truly grasped Lu Ming's terrifying prowess.
This man was far more formidable than Murong Ba had ever imagined! Had he known this would happen, Murong Ba would never have crossed Lu Ming.
Alas, it was too late.
Lu Ming stood up, picked up his own cup of wine, and poured it onto the floor.
He said, "I offer this cup to you. May your journey on the road to the underworld be smooth. I will ensure the safety of your wife and children."
With that said,
Lu Ming turned and walked out of the VIP room without a second glance at Murong Ba.
The soldiers carrying the boxes followed him out.
Murong Ba was left alone in the room.
He looked at the cup of poisoned wine on the table, his heart pounding frantically. He knew escape was impossible, and any attempt to force his way out would only result in a dismembered corpse.
This cup of wine Lu Ming offered was the greatest mercy he could grant.
Tears streamed down his face.
With trembling hands, Murong Ba raised the wine cup and cried out to the heavens, "Sister, we were both blind! We provoked someone we shouldn't have. Your brother is leaving first, Sister, Sister!!!"
The cup of poisoned wine.
He drank it down in one gulp.
Just as Lu Ming had said, the poison quickly took effect. Murong Ba coughed up blood, his consciousness fading.
Yet, he felt no pain.
Instead, he felt a lightness, as if he were floating.
He was enjoying it.
In the final moments of his life, Murong Ba forced his consciousness back to reality and, with his last ounce of strength, dipped his finger into his own blood and wrote five letters on the wall: l, m, s, z, s.
These seemingly disconnected letters would be understood by those who knew, though there were very few such people.
After Murong Ba died,
Dragon King entered the room, took one look, informed Lu Ming about the letters, and asked, "Warlord, I believe these five letters mean 'Lu Ming is the Warlord.' Murong Ba wanted to convey this information to Murong Shuang. Should I handle this?"
Lu Ming replied, "No need. If Murong Shuang can comprehend it herself and rein herself in, that would be best. If she lacks the insight, it only proves she deserves to die!"
Leaving these five letters behind was Lu Ming's final act of 'going easy' on Murong Shuang.
Dragon King nodded and left the VIP room.
Dawn was breaking.
...
The next day.
News of Murong Ba's tragic death in a five-star hotel VIP room spread like wildfire, reaching nearly everyone in the country.
He was a key figure in the Murong family, and he died so mysteriously?
According to the forensic report, Murong Ba had died from drinking poisoned wine.
But who administered the poison?
It couldn't be traced.
Whether it was due to the perpetrator's skill or an unseen hand that concealed the truth, the investigation yielded nothing concrete.
The poisoner remained unknown, and the motive for Murong Ba's murder was even more of a mystery.
Furthermore, Murong Ba's advisor, Qiu Zhen, had also mysteriously disappeared the previous night. Despite extensive searches by the police, his whereabouts remained unknown.
He had vanished as if into thin air.
Murong Ba's death was bizarre and perplexing.
Some even speculated that it was divine retribution for his wrongdoings, a vengeful spirit claiming its due. Such theories, however, were considered absurd and circulated only in common gossip.
News of Murong Ba's demise quickly reached Jinling.
All investigation findings, along with crime scene photos and videos, were transmitted to Murong Shuang, the three-star General.
Murong Shuang saw the five letters: lmszs.