Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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Sun Shangxiang stood with her back to a moss covered stone, her sword clutched tightly in both hands. Her face was streaked with dirt, her hair tangled, and her once pristine armor torn at the sleeve and shoulder. Yet her eyes blazed with unyielding defiance as she faced three grinning barbarians who surrounded her.

The leering expressions of the three men left no room for misunderstanding. Their guttural chuckles and animalistic movements sent fire into Ma Chao’s blood when he heard and saw them.

Sun Shangxiang spat at them and raised her sword. ”Come on then, you bastards. Try it. I’ll take at least one of you with me.”

They didn’t understand her words, but they laughed anyway, stepping forward toward her.

But they never got the chance to do whatever they wanted.

Ma Chao’s spear flew like a bolt of silver lightning, piercing the throat of the man nearest to her. Before the others could turn, Zhou Tai slammed into the second with a vicious downward slash that opened the man’s face from brow to jaw.

The third barbarian turned too late, as Sun Shangxiang herself stepped forward and drove her sword deep into his heart. Her breathing ragged, she yanked the blade free just as the barbarian collapsed.

Silence fell. The jungle around them seemed to hold its breath.

Sun Shangxiang stood panting, eyes still blazing, her sword trembling slightly in her hand.

Ma Chao stepped toward her, chest heaving from adrenaline. His voice was low and almost hoarse. ”Took me long enough, huh?”

Sun Shangxiang’s bravado faltered, just a bit. ”What took you so long, Ma Mengqi? I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

And before anyone could react, Ma Chao stepped forward, yanked her into a crushing embrace to everyone’s shock, as he growled into her hair, ”You idiot. Don’t you ever do that again.”

Sun Shangxiang froze. Her sword slipped from her hand and clattered softly to the mossy ground. Her arms hung limply for a second... then slowly, hesitantly, they wrapped around his broad back.

”I’m sorry,” she whispered. ”I just... I thought I could help by covering the flank. Then it all happened so fast.”

His voice was still rough, but quieter. ”You scared me more than any blade ever has.”

Ma Xiu and Ma Tie exchanged wide eyed looks, mouths open, but they held their tongues.

Zhou Tai, finally allowing himself a breath of relief, slumped slightly, planting his sword into the ground to rest his weight.

Ma Dai, ever the pragmatist, cleared his throat. ”It’s good that Lady Sun is safe and sound. But we’re still in enemy territory, and I’d rather not have to rescue anyone again today. We should return to the main force.”

Ma Chao blinked as if awakening from a trance and stepped back from Sun Shangxiang, though his hand lingered for a second longer on her shoulder than necessary. Then he nodded.

”You’re right. Let’s move.”

They began the retreat, regrouping as they carved their way back through the dense trees. The fighting had lessened somewhat in this section, but tension still hung over them like a low hanging storm cloud.

As they walked side by side, Sun Shangxiang glanced up at Ma Chao and gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow.

”So... does this mean you care about me, General Ma?”

Ma Chao didn’t reply.

But his hand, firm and steady, reached back to guide her gently by the elbow when a root caught her foot. He didn’t speak.

But his eyes, when they met hers, said more than words ever could.

Back at the Sun Clan’s makeshift camp, chaos erupted the moment Sun Shangxiang was spotted.

Sun Ce nearly crushed her in a hug. ”A-Xiang! If you ever scare me like that again—!”

”I’m fine, I’m fine Big Brother!” She protested, wriggling free.

Sun Quan sighed, rubbing his temples. ”Next time, don’t you ever leave Zhou Tai behind. Or better yet, stay behind the lines and act as a support.”

Sun Shangxiang opened her mouth to argue against her brothers, but then caught Ma Chao’s glare. She snapped her jaw shut with a huff.

Later, as the camp settled into an uneasy rest, Ma Chao found her sitting by a fire, cleaning her sword.

”You fought well,” he said quietly.

She glanced up, surprised. ”You’re not here to scold me more?”

”Would it do any good?”

She grinned. ”Not really.”

A beat of silence. Then—

”Thank you,” she murmured. ”For coming after me.”

Ma Chao exhaled. ”Just... don’t make it a habit. Doing something as dangerous as that.”

Their eyes met. Something unspoken passed between them, something that made the firelight feel suddenly warmer.

Sun Shangxiang could feel her cheeks getting warm as Ma Chao continued to look at her, his gaze unusually intense. She turned her head away, eyes scanning the quiet edges of the campfire, trying to compose herself. Her heart fluttered unsteadily in her chest, and she was sure the heat creeping up her neck and across her ears was painfully obvious.

Ma Chao, though silent, couldn’t take his eyes off her. The smudges of dirt on her face, the tangled locks of hair brushing her cheek, her armor scuffed and torn, she was a mess by the standards of most noble ladies.

But to him, she was radiant. Her white, delicate cheeks, her small but full lips flushed from exertion and embarrassment, the way her lashes fluttered when she shyly broke eye contact, and those bright eyes that still held the fierce glint of a warrior, all of it stirred something deep inside him.

He hadn’t named the feeling before. Interest, maybe, when he first saw her. Curiosity, even admiration. But now... it was something more. Something that felt dangerously close to longing.

A low chuckle escaped him when he noticed the redness creeping down her neck.

Sun Shangxiang, startled by the sound, ducked her head further. ”What are you laughing at?” she mumbled, flustered, as her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her torn sleeve.

”Nothing,” Ma Chao said, the smile still playing on his lips. ”Just... you’re different from what I thought.”

Before she could retort, she felt his fingers under her chin, lifting her face gently. Her eyes widened in surprise, her breath catching. She hadn’t expected this, this shift in the air, the quiet intensity building between them like the moments before a storm. Her heart hammered so loudly she was certain he could hear it.

”Didn’t you ask me before,” Ma Chao murmured, his voice rough yet tender, ”if I cared for you?”

She nodded slowly, unable to look away from him.

”This... is your answer.”

And then, his lips touched hers.

Sun Shangxiang’s eyes flew open in shock. She stiffened for a moment, every part of her trembling. She saw Ma Chao’s eyes closed, his face calm but sincere. Her panic melted. The tension slipped from her shoulders. Then, slowly, she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, allowing the heat that had been simmering beneath the surface to bloom freely.

It was sweet, unhurried, and delicate, the kiss of two of unaccustomed to the softness, finding it unexpectedly in each other.

Unbeknownst to either of them, across the camp, three pairs of eyes had caught sight of the unfolding scene.

Sun Ce’s expression twisted. He clenched his fists and took a half step forward, his face dark with overprotective fury.

”That bastard...”

Sun Quan’s grip on his brother’s arm was the only thing stopping him from storming forward. ”Elder Brother, calm down—”

Zhou Yu stepped in front of both brothers, arms crossed, smirking slightly. ”You stop him now, and I guarantee A-Xiang will make you regret it.”

Sun Ce growled. ”She’s my little sister! That man—”

”That man saved her life,” Zhou Yu interrupted, voice calm. ”And he clearly cares for her. Do you really want to cause a scene now and humiliate her in front of the entire camp?”

Sun Quan grumbled but nodded. ”Brother Zhou Yu’s right, Elder Brother. Besides, Ma Chao isn’t some back alley ruffian. He is a decorated general, commands his own elite cavalry, he’s respected, and His Imperial Majesty personally canonized his title.”

Sun Ce looked conflicted, still glaring toward the fire.

”Let it be,” Zhou Yu said softly. ”And if it turns serious, well, you’ll be there to vet him.”

Sun Ce muttered, ”Father’s going to have to hear about this. If Ma Chao thinks he can just steal her first kiss and not take responsibility—”

”Brother,” Sun Quan interrupted, ”if you interrupt them now, A-Xiang will skin us.”

That gave Sun Ce pause.

Zhou Yu smirked. ”Exactly. Let them have this moment. We’ll deal with the consequences later.”

Grumbling, Sun Ce crossed his arms and glared at the couple, though his expression softened slightly when he saw the way his sister’s fingers curled into Ma Chao’s robes.

Back at the fire, Ma Chao pulled back slightly. The kiss had ended, but the moment lingered, golden and delicate.

Sun Shangxiang opened her eyes slowly, her blush refusing to fade. She glanced away shyly, still unable to fully meet his gaze.

Then Ma Chao took both her hands in his.

His voice was softer than she’d ever heard it, almost reverent. ”After this campaign ends, I’m going to propose to you. I’ll go to His Imperial Majesty myself and ask him to act as our matchmaker, just as he did for Zhao Yun and my sister.”

Her mouth fell slightly open in shock. She hadn’t expected that. Ma Chao, known for his bluntness and combat prowess, was showing a side of himself she never imagined, romantic, tender, and deeply sincere.

”So from now on,” he added, voice firmer now, ”you have to listen to your brothers and stay close to General Zhou Tai. Don’t throw yourself into danger again like you did today. Don’t... don’t scare me like that again.”

She was too overwhelmed to speak at first. Her heart felt light, full, like it might burst from joy. That rough warrior, the famed Ma Chao the Splendid, had just told her that he intended to marry her, with a sweetness and clarity that left no room for misunderstanding.

A gentle, breathy hum was all she could manage. But that was enough.

Their hands remained clasped, and the silence that followed was warm.

As romance blossomed in the humid, volatile south, the political storm in the north began to churn.

In Xiapi, the capital of the Hengyuan Dynasty, Lie Fan sat in quiet thought, reading a letter that had just been relayed to him from the far reaches of his expanding empire.

The messenger, a lean man in black and green courier colors, bowed deeply after presenting it. ”This arrived from Marquis Gongsun Gong, Your Majesty. From the eastern frontier.”

Lie Fan nodded and dismissed him with a flick of the hand, breaking the wax seal and unfolding the parchment.

It was a message in the Silla script, but transcribed and explained by one of Gongsun Gong’s scholars. A letter from a foreign queen, it seemed. The more Lie Fan read, the more his expression shifted.

The Queen of Yamatai.

Her tone was courteous, but the message beneath was unmistakable. If the Hengyuan Dynasty and Goguryeo did not return the lands of Silla, now consolidated under Goguryeo, which was in the process of being absorbed into Hengyuan, then Yamatai would consider it a hostile act. In return for cooperation, Yamatai promised open trade and diplomatic goodwill.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty

Age: 34 (201 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 2325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 966 (+20)

VIT: 623 (+20)

AGI: 623 (+10)

INT: 667

CHR: 98

WIS: 549

WILL: 432

ATR Points: 0