Mythical Three Kingdoms

Some people say that this chapter was swallowed by the web, but I can still see it on my computer. However, since more than one person reported it missing, I’ve posted it again. My apologies to those who have already read it...

Zhao Yun paused in the act of wiping his weapon, and Guan Yu also halted, tugging at his beard and stopping still. Hua Xiong felt like the flying boulder, hurtling at high speed, was about to blind him. Surely this was not the strength of an ordinary man.

From the appearance of that small dot to its impact on the ground, creating a small crater, it was almost instantaneous. If not for enhanced spiritual power and significantly improved dynamic vision, Chen Xi thought he wouldn’t have been able to see it clearly at all.

”This strength is definitely not normal, right? That’s a stone weighing hundreds of pounds, thrown beyond the speed of sound. In the world I came from, knocking a plane out of the sky with a brick wouldn’t be a problem.” Chen Xi felt his worldview had to be reconstructed again. If that hit had been direct, probably only masters of the Inner Qi Manifestation Rank could withstand it.

”Boom!” A loud noise echoed, followed by a tremor of the earth. Xuu Chu scratched his head. Without hearing any further clamor from outside, he assumed that his enemy must be dead, so he picked up his great broadsword and walked back. After all, in his memory, one strike like that had always been enough to chase off those mountain bandits and thieves.

”Xuu Chu, come out and face me!” Zhang Fei, having dodged the boulder, was also stunned. He realized that Chen Xi wasn’t joking; the strength of the opponent was indeed top-notch. A surge of hot blood rushed through him. Clutching his Serpent Spear and licking his lips, only a true master could arouse such fervor within him.

”Not dead?” Xuu Chu’s first reaction was surprise, followed immediately by rage. The guy who ruined his lunch wasn’t yet dead—carrying his great sword, he broke into a jog and charged out of the front gate of Xuu Family Village.

”You there, scoundrel, what’s your name? Elder Xuu does not slay the nameless with his sword,” Xuu Chu bellowed with arrogance. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on. As for Liu Bei and others standing slightly behind Zhang Fei, he didn’t pay them any heed; he was very confident in his own strength.

Before the man arrived, his voice did, and upon seeing the muscle-bound brute riding atop a lean horse heading their way, both Guan and Zhang’s expressions grew solemn—truly, he was a valiant general.

Chen Xi wasn’t focused on Xuu Chu’s appearance; he knew Xuu Chu’s strength better than anyone. His attention was fully on Xuu Chu’s words. Hearing Xuu Chu’s brazen shout, Chen Xi burst into laughter, burying his head into the horse’s mane and convulsing with amusement, imagining Zhang Fei fuming with rage. After all, not even Lyu Bu had been so insolent towards Zhang Fei.

”You’re the scoundrel! Yan People Zhang Yide is here!” Zhang Fei cursed back and thrust his Serpent Spear towards Xuu Chu, seemingly eager to pierce a few holes into him.

”Clang!” Metal clashed against metal, and from their first exchange, Xuu Chu understood that Zhang Fei was the strongest opponent he had ever faced. With a mighty force, he pushed Zhang Fei away, then licked his lips, gripping his great sword tighter. The heat of battle in his heart made him forget his prior anger. He craved a fight, not to waste away at home reading the Book of Han or Zhongyong—what drivel were they filled with, anyway!

Every time the mountain bandits came, it was the happiest time for Xuu Chu. He could take his great sword and ride his lean horse to chase the group away, yet he never went all out to kill them all. Afterwards, he’d return to poring over some heavenly book again, until his father, distressed at his lack of interest in studying, would beat him with a stick. But the stick’s beatings felt no different than mosquito bites to the tough-skinned Xuu Chu. So now his father no longer bothered him about not reading.

Xuu Chu swung his great sword, careless of Zhang Fei’s attacks. Since he couldn’t keep up with Zhang Fei’s speed, he didn’t bother to chase. After all, with the long Serpent Spear, a hit on the shaft would deflect it. Xuu Chu had innate confidence in his own strength; if things got confusing, he’d just smash down hard, and all would become clear.

Zhang Fei was getting frustrated. Although Xuu Chu hadn’t managed to launch an effective attack on him so far, the abnormal brute strength in each blow caused Zhang Fei’s hands to heat up. He remembered that he was supposed to be the Dali King, whose strength had startled even Lyu Bu. Now he was being pressured by a Barbarian.

Xuu Chu, unable to discern Zhang Fei’s attacks once more, let his great sword burst out with intense black light and viciously swung it in the direction where Zhang Fei stood.

”This barbarian!” Zhang Fei roared angrily, taking a deep breath as his muscles swelled up. He whirled the tip of his Serpent Spear fiercely towards the broadsword held by Xuu Chu, realizing clearly that the barbarian understood no technique and was slow, but possessed overwhelming strength. To win, he must suppress the opponent’s strength with one strike, then take advantage of the moment before the opponent could react to strike a decisive blow.

Zhang Fei executed the Heavy Sword Art as explained by Zhao Yun. In the instant of the explosion, the Serpent Spear seemed to become several times heavier, striking Xuu Chu’s sword tip. His goal was to send Xuu Chu’s great sword flying.

Okay, Zhang Fei’s execution of the Heavy Sword Art was half-baked—slow and lacking in power—but Xuu Chu was even slower, and Zhang Fei’s own strength was formidable enough.

Zhang Fei’s hopeful strike finally connected with the tip of Xuu Chu’s sword. Feeling the weight upon impact, Xuu Chu knew something was terribly wrong as he clenched his great sword with enormous strength, fully absorbing the technique of Zhang Fei’s Heavy Sword Art.

As they crossed paths on horseback and turned around, Zhang Fei could clearly see the mist rising from Xuu Chu’s body. Staring with bulging eyes, he focused intently on Xuu Chu. The immense recoil from that split-second earlier had nearly caused Zhang Fei to lose grip of his own Serpent Spear. Such mediocre skills were unacceptable!

”Again!” Xuu Chu called out excitedly, feeling as though he was on fire. For the first time in many years, he experienced this sensation—an inner comfort amidst looming danger that stimulated his brain and body, unleashing the strength hidden within him in a powerful surge!

[”I should be on the battlefield, not cooped up at home reading books. Slaying the enemy’s generals is what I should be doing, not striving at reading, which isn’t something I can do!”] For the first time, Xuu Chu entertained thoughts utterly different from those his father had always instilled in him.

Zhang Fei realized that he absolutely could not continue to match Xuu Chu’s strength. The barbarian’s stature truly matched his power—being one and a half times his own width and, shockingly, bringing one and a half times his own strength. It was fortunate that Xuu Chu wasn’t fast; otherwise, there’d be no need to fight. This kind of power could easily disregard most techniques.

Just as Zhang Fei was ready to shift his style to use speed to suppress Xuu Chu, he saw Xuu Chu’s great sword shatter, leaving only half a handle while the rest turned into fragments that flew off in an instant.

Zhang Fei was stunned, and so was Xuu Chu.

A gust of wind blew, sending dust flying. Xuu Chu snapped back to reality, ”Hey there, wait for me, I’ll grab a new sword and have some lunch, then we can fight again!”

”I’ll wait for you. Fighting you has made me hungry too,” said Zhang Fei, waving his hand to indicate that he wasn’t in the habit of taking advantage of an unarmed opponent.

Xuu Chu rode back into Xuu Family Village while Zhang Fei returned to Liu Bei and the others.

”How do you feel, third brother? Is your hand numb? That bout with him was intense, wasn’t it?” Chen Xi teased with a grin.

”That Black Barbarian is indeed formidable, but your third brother will surely win,” Zhang Fei promised, thumping his chest assuredly.

Chen Xi rolled his eyes and then looked at Liu Bei, who was watching Xuu Family Village with a pleased expression. He had a particular fondness for valiant generals, and someone like Xuu Chu, from all angles, fit his preferences perfectly.