Mythical Three Kingdoms

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An hour later, Zhang Fei, having eaten his fill, sat on the edge of the meteorite crater with his Serpent Spear, waiting for Xuu Chu to come out.

”Hey warrior, dare you fight on foot? Blades and spears have no eyes; let’s see who has the better fist and foot skills,” said Xuu Chu as he came out without a horse. His tone was no longer as aggressive as before, yet he clearly did not want to lower his head. As for weapons, after searching for a long time at the Xuu Family Village, he hadn’t found a suitable one, so he devised a trick when he ran out.

”Bring it on, old Zhang never takes advantage of others!” Zhang Fei thrust his Serpent Spear into the ground, stood up, and shook his arms. Then his arms, legs, and waist all swelled up.

”Although I don’t know who you are, my dad said if I win, you have to take me with you, and not treat me poorly in the future because of this,” Xuu Chu said loudly as he patted his chest.

”Then let’s do it! Win or lose, I won’t trouble you,” Zhang Fei roared after finishing his words and, with a fierce stomp, charged towards Xuu Chu.

”Thud!” A nearly equal black light burst from Xuu Chu’s body. He did not try to dodge Zhang Fei’s punches; instead, he clenched his fists and swung at Zhang Fei, believing that close-quarters striking was most effective.

”Thud!” Two successive drum-like dull impacts were heard as Zhang Fei and Xuu Chu each took a half step back. Then they stepped forward aggressively, fists and feet greeting each other before a series of continuous thuds followed.

Xuu Chu’s large foot struck Zhang Fei’s chest. Zhang Fei grabbed it fiercely, ready to throw Xuu Chu away, but Xuu Chu jumped up and kicked Zhang Fei’s chest fiercely again, leaving Zhang Fei thoroughly winded.

”Black Barbarian, I’ll let you see what I’m capable of.” Seeing Zhang Fei being hit solidly twice, Xuu Chu was confident that those two kicks would have cost even a ferocious tiger most of its life. Even if the opponent fortified himself with Inner Qi, withstanding most of the attack, the rest was still enough to handle.

Xuu Chu pounced like a tiger, pressing his hands on Zhang Fei’s shoulders and pushing him to the ground, ready to subdue him. He might not be a match on horseback, but on foot, Xuu Chu believed his brute strength was enough to handle any living being on land.

Zhang Fei was directly pinned into the dirt by Xuu Chu’s pounce. The ground that had been compacted by their previous scuffle caved into a human-shaped pit. Zhang Fei felt dizzy and disoriented, and by the time he regained his senses, he was pressed down into the earth.

Seeing Xuu Chu mounting on him, ready to punch his black face, Zhang Fei became furious. He blocked Xuu Chu’s punches with both hands, took a deep breath, and let out a thunderous roar at Xuu Chu, who was preparing to headbutt him.

Chen Xi covered his ears; even at a distance, the roar quickened his heartbeat—clearly, it was like a sonic weapon. Xuu Chu, hit directly, probably felt sick.

Chen Xi was right. Faced with the almost point-blank roar, Xuu Chu had no way to avoid it. He bravely endured Zhang Fei’s blow, instantly feeling dizzy and nauseous. But as a Tiger Fool, he stubbornly bore the discomfort, retching and with a black light enveloping his head, he slammed hard into Zhang Fei’s head, driving it deep into the earth.

After that, Xuu Chu struggled to stand up, but dizzy and blurry-eyed, he was hit in the face by a desperate punch from Zhang Fei, who had tumbled and lay on the ground alongside him. The good part was that most of Zhang Fei’s body, including his head, was embedded in the earth, while Xuu Chu simply lay flat on the ground.

Both men were now dizzy and their ears were ringing, but they kept taunting each other non-stop. As they did, they both started laughing.

”Xuu Chu, you’re not bad. Yan People Zhang Yide invites you to our Mount Tai. My elder brother intends to restore the Han Dynasty, and we need brave warriors like you. There you’ll find endless Yellow Turbans to fight and non-stop battles,” said Zhang Fei, lying on the ground, struggling to extend an inviting hand gesture.

”Alright!” Xuu Chu slapped Zhang Fei’s hand and laughed heartily. ”I trust that you, this barbarian, won’t misjudge people.”

After staying at the Xuu Family Village for the night, Liu Bei left with Xuu Chu and his brother Xuu Ding, along with a dozen brawny men, all as imposing as Zhang Fei. It was unclear what the Xuu Family Village had fed them, but by their build, they were no less than tigers and bears. The chief of the Xuu Family Village also agreed with Liu Bei that once Mount Tai was secure, he would relocate the clan there, seemingly attaching themselves completely to Liu Bei.

Afterwards, there were no more significant events, and Liu Bei led a few people back to Mount Tai with haste, where he was stationed. Although the world was in chaos and no one would pursue him for being overdue, Liu Bei, who still harbored a sense of reverence for the scant remnants of the Han Dynasty, did not want to be responsible for further breaking those few remaining rules over such a trivial matter. If even he, a member of the Imperial Clan, did not adhere to the laws of the Han Dynasty, who else would?

Even to preserve the Han Dynasty’s last shred of dignity, Liu Bei would not allow himself to touch what seemed like thoroughly broken rules. The Imperial Clan itself existed to protect the Han Dynasty, and even if they fought amongst themselves, they would not permit outside interference. This was much like Liu Biao, who despite internal instability, for the sake of the banner of the Han Dynasty, led a great army to annihilate the fierce tiger of Eastern Wu in one strike.

”Is Lord Sunx Gongtai dead?” Liu Bei looked at the intelligence in his hand. Without a professional intelligence transmission system, he had only just received the news even though Dong Zhuo in Chang’an had been aware of it.

”Isn’t it the same as what we speculated earlier? Was he turned into a sieve by a volley of arrows?” Chen Xi said with a light chuckle, ”Whichever oath is sworn, there will be someone to enforce it. The Han Dynasty hasn’t fallen yet, Sunx Jian was too presumptuous.”

”It’s just as Zichuan predicted. But do you know who has taken in Sunx Jian’s family and soldiers?” Liu Bei put away the intelligence and asked pointedly.

”Yuan Shu, of course. Only he would help Sunx Jian’s family collect his body. Even though this guy has a bad reputation, he certainly has the air of a chivalrous hero, and he absolutely will not go back on his word once he has given it solemnly. Sunx Jian has left a sanctuary for his family.” Chen Xi spoke with interest, ”If Sunx Jian had not died, Yuan Shu might have forcefully seized the Jade Seal, but with Sunx Jian dead, Yuan Shu sees the Sunx family, left with only widows and orphans, as having no rivals left to challenge him. Even with his longing for the Jade Seal, he wouldn’t seize it, for that man values his own reputation highly.”

Liu Bei gave a bitter smile; Chen Xi’s words were even more accurate and detailed than the intelligence he had received. ”Zichuan truly has an attention to detail, deducing so much from Yuan Shu’s temperament.”

”...” Chen Xi did not reply immediately, and after a long while, he finally spoke, ”Li Ru’s strategy has been foiled. Although Yuan Shu is reluctant to snatch the Jade Seal, he also won’t let anyone else reach for it. For the time being, the issue of the Jade Seal is settled. What happens next will depend on the choices of Sunx Jian’s sons. If they truly are heroes of the world, the Jade Seal will ultimately end up in Yuan Shu’s hands.”

When Chen Xi mentioned Li Ru, Li Ru was drinking wine with Jia Xu, venting the rage in his heart. Dong Zhuo had disappointed him profoundly; all talk of grand ambitions and commanding presence was nothing but his own wishful thinking. In reality, Dong Zhuo only wanted to return home to live out his days, unconcerned with anything else.

And then there was Lyu Bu, that scoundrel, who had lost more than ten thousand of the Elite Cavalry. Now that others were spreading warnings about him, he was even more vigilant. Li Ru wished he could just find an opportunity to kill Lyu Bu, considering that scoundrel was never truly with them. If not for Lyu Bu’s formidable strength and the protection of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, without any mistakes made, he feared failing in such an attempt could lead to endless unease within Dong Zhuo’s Army.

Killing Lyu Bu was not difficult; the challenge was how to silence the masses. Ever since Lyu Bu joined Dong Zhuo’s Army, his astounding martial force had turned him into a banner for the army. Without any real justification, to simply execute him on the basis of suspicion would be utterly ridiculous! Li Ru anticipated that not only would Dong Zhuo’s Army become unstable, but the Guandong Lords would likely applaud such an act. A sage like Li Ru would naturally not commit such an act that would cause delight to his enemies and pain to his friends.

”Come, Wen He, drink.” Li Ru, with a bitter expression, handed the cup of wine to Jia Xu, who never had to pretend in front of him, always speaking frankly.

Jia Xu remained silent, simply drinking with Li Ru. He listened carefully to everything the other said, keeping it in mind. Because of his close relationship with Li Ru, he was fully aware of the current situation in Chang’an. Without Li Ru’s restraint, the entire Chang’an City would likely have descended into utter chaos. The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and the Xiliang Wolf Riders couldn’t stand each other, Lyu Bu and the Xiliang generals were at odds, and Dong Zhuo spent every day in Meiwu, accumulating wealth incessantly, causing complete disorder within Chang’an.

Every time Li Ru recalled his initial ideals and then saw the chaos under the walls of Chang’an City and heard the cries of broken families, he felt unbearable pain in his heart. His disappointment in Dong Zhuo gradually turned into hatred. Coming from a Humble Family, he wanted to change an era dominated by the great clans that cornered all wealth and wisdom, and he had prepared for sacrifices—sacrifices not only of others but also of himself.

But now, witnessing the tragedies amongst commoners at the foot of Chang’an City, Li Ru asked himself, has the life of commoners changed? Yes, unfortunately not for the better as he had always fantasized, but rather for the worse.

The exploitation of the great clans could lead to families torn apart and people struggling to have a full meal all year round, but those were ultimately the minority.

Consider before Dong Zhuo’s arrival; at least under the rule of the great clans, Chang’an had the capacity to gloss over these tragedies and knew to release grain and provide porridge during the Year of Disaster, maintaining a semblance of peace.

Now, Dong Zhuo had torn down all pretenses, allowing tragedies to unfold massively. The entire Yongzhou was caught up in them: families were torn apart, and the practice of infanticide arose. Chang’an had become hell on earth, and Li Ru was its creator.

He once aspired to end the monopoly of the great clans over wealth and intelligence and was prepared to make sacrifices. But now, witnessing these tragedies, Li Ru no longer dared to imagine what lay ahead on his path.

Although the path to reform is strewn with corpses, and the ones to fall just before the dawn are often the reformers themselves, at least they die feeling the warmth of the light. But now, looking forward on his path, Li Ru saw no hint of light, only endless human tragedies. Was this truly the path he had sought? No! Definitely not!