Chapter Nineteen: Lü Bu Arrives

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…
Gao Shun sat expressionless behind Lü Bu, staring at Li Ru. “Could it be that even Xu Rong cannot be controlled by the Eastern warlords? If it’s only a matter of troops, why assign Xu Rong to guard the rear? Han Sui will be wiped out regardless. Then why recall Xu Rong?”

Gao Shun’s strategic insight was not exceptional, but his military command was formidable. Naturally, he understood the terror of Xu Rong commanding a force of one hundred thousand. From his perspective, having Xu Rong stationed at Hulao Pass made it impossible for the disorganized fifty-thousand-strong Eastern allied forces to contend with him.

Unable to figure it out, he chose not to dwell on it. Perhaps there were formidable figures among the allied forces—who could say?

Chen Xi scratched his head. Earlier, Chen Lan had poured him a cup of tea. In the brief time it took to drink, a thick fog had suddenly appeared—unnaturally dense, obscuring visibility beyond ten meters. The once pristine moon was completely hidden.

“This fog is excessive. Does it have to be this absurd? Spring isn’t exactly a good season either,” Chen Xi muttered as he scratched his head. “Forget it, let’s just disperse it. Foggy weather is never good.”

While scratching his head, Chen Xi began to take action.

“Eh?” Li Ru, preparing a night raid with Lü Bu some ten miles from Hulao Pass, was slightly surprised. The fog he had summoned was slowly dissipating.

“There are experts on the allied side as well,” a plump man squeezed past Li Ru and remarked casually. “You borrowed the advantage of the weather, but they used the same tactic. This will be interesting.”

“Wenhe, aren’t you going to help? You’re being paid by us, after all.” Li Ru glanced indifferently at the dispersing fog. If it’s gone, then it’s gone. Lü Bu had insisted on a raid before; now that the fog was cleared, so be it.

“I don’t see the need,” Jia Xu glanced toward Hulao Pass. Though he could not see the allied forces, he knew clearly that once Lü Bu, the fierce tiger, was unleashed, whether there was fog or not, the outcome was already decided.

“The only fear is insufficient resolve!” Li Ru stared toward Hulao as if he could see Lü Bu’s vanished figure.

“Even if resolve is lacking, isn’t loss what you desire?” Jia Xu sneered. Li Ru fell silent.

“Eh, the fog has cleared.” Ju Shou frowned as the stars reappeared. “The heavens have changed; a wise ruler will arise in the north.”

“Enemy attack!” Just as Ju Shou pondered the next move, a fierce roar interrupted his thoughts.

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A gigantic golden-red halberd, tens of meters long, hurtled through the air and slammed heavily into the main camp.

“...” Chen Xi watched from afar, seeing the enormous halberd and the ensuing whirlwind of dust and sand from the explosion. It was clear who had arrived.

Another oversized halberd shot out, followed quickly by a dozen more, streaking through the sky like red streaks.

“Quiet!” Chen Xi frowned at the panicked soldiers and whispered sharply.

Even the elite Youzhou troops were thrown into chaos by the night assault. It became clear that Lü Bu’s attack had bombed the camp.

“What a nuisance!” Chen Xi sneered at the still disorderly soldiers. Although the lower and upper-tier officers were trying to maintain control, these foot soldiers who fled the tents without weapons or armor hardly qualified as elite troops.

“Calm down!” Chen Xi focused on calming his own men. When his first attempt failed, he cast a spell once more. Everyone shuddered, their minds clearing as if doused with cold water. Memories of training flashed vividly, and chaos vanished instantly from Liu Bei’s camp.

“Bring the traitorous general’s head!” Yan Liang, seeing his men slaughtered in a single sweep, made no effort to gauge the gap in strength. Furious, he charged forward.

“Clang!” A loud explosion sounded as a red streak moving in a straight line finally halted.

There stood a man wearing a purple-gold crown with three prongs binding his hair, adorned in a red-cotton floral robe from Western Sichuan, clad in beast-faced linked armor, and a tiger-shaped belt at his waist. A bow and arrows hung at his side, and he wielded a halberd, mounted atop the swift Red Hare horse.

Yan Liang was momentarily stunned by such a striking figure. Comparing himself, rage welled within him as he prepared to strike the man down.

“I don’t slay nameless foes! State your name!” Yan Liang shouted fiercely.

“Hmph!” Lü Bu sneered contemptuously. Had he not unleashed a series of deadly moves in quick succession, he would have easily slain Yan Liang earlier. Yet the other dared speak to him so boldly.

“You’re courting death!” Yan Liang exploded in anger. At the peak of his Qi-condensing power, his senses were sharp. Under the moonlight, he saw Lü Bu’s disdain clearly.

Lü Bu casually blocked Yan Liang’s fierce strike with his halberd, then with a swipe of his other hand, cleaved in two a group of soldiers attempting to take advantage.

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“Where are Yuan Shao and Cao Cao? And the warrior who slew Hua Xiong, Guan Yu?” Lü Bu looked at Yan Liang with utter disinterest. He was too weak, far too weak to merit a fight with the proud Lü Bu.

The counterforce nearly caused Yan Liang to lose grip of his blade. Only then did he realize this opponent was an expert at the pinnacle of internal energy mastery.

“I’ve long wanted to feel a stronger power,” Yan Liang licked his lips, eyeing Lü Bu like a predator stalking prey.

Lü Bu did not even glance at Yan Liang. To him, a Qi-condensing fighter was utterly insignificant.

“Look at my blade!” Yan Liang shouted, unleashing a furious torrent of energy toward Lü Bu.

“What a nuisance!” Lü Bu cast a scornful glance at Yan Liang. To conserve energy and maintain the element of surprise in the raid, Lü Bu had restrained his aura and appeared less formidable.

After a moment’s thought, a vast aura radiated from Lü Bu. Since the raid was already exposed, he no longer bothered to conceal himself. His entire being shimmered with golden-red light, and his cloak billowed without wind, resembling a god descending to earth.

“Ding!” Yan Liang’s full-strength strike stopped mere centimeters from Lü Bu’s cheek, leaving him horrified.

“Begone!” Lü Bu shouted thunderously. A concentrated blast of qi slammed into Yan Liang, sending him flying back, blood splattering.

“Yuan Shao, prepare to die!” Sharp-eyed Lü Bu spotted Yuan Shao being protected by many. Yet to Lü Bu, this was of no consequence.

Yan Liang lay on the ground, coughing up blood. Hailed as a famed general of Hebei, he had exchanged only three moves with Lü Bu—moves Lü Bu barely bothered to counter. Despair and exhaustion surged in his heart. “Perhaps to fall here is a fitting end.”

“Yuan Shao, prepare to die!” The voice of the man from before, filled with delight, reached Yan Liang’s ears just as he was about to abandon his path as a warrior.