Chapter 22: Actually, I’m Quite Good at Fortune-Telling...

"Well, it seems we had better return and reorganize our military affairs immediately." Seeing that the future hegemon of Hebei was ignoring him, Chen Xi could only spread his hands and call out helplessly to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun.

"By the way, let me introduce you. This is Zhao Zilong from Changshan, our army's Cavalry Commandant. You two should get to know him better." As Chen Xi sauntered out, he introduced Zhao Yun to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

"Greetings to Generals Guan and Zhang." Zhao Yun cupped his hands in a salute.

Guan Yu narrowed his eyes and returned the gesture, while Zhang Fei chuckled and greeted Zhao Yun with his booming voice.

*It seems Zhao Yun is significantly stronger than Guan Yu and Zhang Fei; neither of those two realized that Zhao Yun is also a master,* Chen Xi thought to himself, tilting his head. However, he had no intention of telling them just yet.

"Uh..." Chen Xi scratched his head as he looked at Hua Xiong. He hadn't expected Hua Xiong to be in charge of the White Horse Followers after he and the others had left. Good grief.

"Why didn't you run? Such a perfect opportunity. If it were me, I definitely would have left," Chen Xi said with curiosity. According to the soldiers of the White Horse Followers, Hua Xiong had even managed to repel the Dong Zhuo forces that had come to raid the camp. It made no sense. "So, you're joining us then?"

"No. I just can't stand the sight of Zhang Liao," Hua Xiong said, glancing at Chen Xi.

"Oh, I see. I must say, your standards have dropped. You used to target Lu Bu, but now that he's here, you're busy being annoyed by his subordinate. That's a bit beneath you, old friend." Chen Xi’s words nearly choked Hua Xiong. "But tell me, didn't I arrange for patrols before I left? And our troops weren't in any disarray, so how could they have been breached?"

"Because the enemy general, Zhang Liao, discovered that Lord Xuande was constantly rallying troops and stabilizing morale, so he personally led a raid on the camp," a company commander explained, seeing Hua Xiong’s unwillingness to speak.

"Oh, so that's how it is. But to think he could recognize Lord Xuande and even know where our camp was located... I truly don't know what to say." Chen Xi sighed helplessly. The coalition’s operational security must have been non-existent.

"Forget it, forget it. Let's put that aside. Hua Xiong, come with us and let's study Lu Bu. Since you're an outsider anyway, as long as you don't cause trouble, you can do as you please." Chen Xi sighed again, looking at the still-chaotic coalition camp and estimating that it would take quite a while for Liu Bei to return.

***

Sitting in the main tent, even Zhao Yun wore a grave expression after hearing Guan Yu's vivid description.

"Ha! Bearded one, you believe me now, don't you?" Hua Xiong laughed upon hearing that Guan Yu’s opening strike had been countered.

Guan Yu, his eyes half-closed, directed a killing intent toward Hua Xiong. Usually, if Hua Xiong kept running his mouth at this point, the two would engage in a brutal, bare-knuckle brawl until Hua Xiong was brought to the ground.

"Heh heh heh, I’ll be quiet." Hua Xiong wisely shut his mouth; he didn't want to provoke Guan Yu when the latter was in such a foul mood.

"Hey, Zijian, based on your understanding of Lu Bu, is there any way to deal with him?" Seeing the others fall silent after Guan Yu’s account, Chen Xi had no choice but to call on Hua Xiong.

"If there were a way, would I still be annoyed by that Zhang Liao?" Hua Xiong said with a helpless shrug. "You all felt Lu Bu’s terror from that one move today, but you have no idea—a moving Lu Bu is even more terrifying. I’ve always suspected that Red Hare can fight better than I can!"

"..." "..." "..." Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun all stared at Hua Xiong. A horse fiercer than Hua Xiong, who was an expert at the level of internal energy detachment? Was that even a horse?

"I'm not joking," Hua Xiong said, enduring the pressure from the four gazes. "The Prime Minister saved Red Hare, so the horse allowed him to ride it. When he gifted the horse to Lu Bu, the Prime Minister never imagined that Lu Bu would actually be able to conquer it."

"Are you saying that the horse might have reached the level of internal energy detachment?" Zhao Yun felt his face twitch. Is this still a horse? He remembered how overjoyed he was when his master, Tong Yuan, gave him the Night-Shining Jade Lion, which could condense energy into steel.

The Night-Shining Jade Lion had taken his master a full year to capture on the great plains, and even Zhao Yun, having just broken through to the internal energy detachment level, had spent a considerable amount of time taming it. If the horse were actually at the internal energy detachment level, Zhao Yun estimated that even with his current strength, it would take him over half a month.

Just imagine, the Night-Shining Jade Lion, at the level of condensing energy into steel, was already no weaker than a newly ascended internal energy detachment expert. How monstrous must Red Hare be?

"Probably. Anyway, back when the Prime Minister wasn't around, I tried to sneak it out for a ride, and I ended up being played for a fool by that horse," Hua Xiong recalled his humiliating past.

"Alright, let's calculate Lu Bu's strength based on that level. Well, better to overstate than understate. Tell me, can we handle him?" Chen Xi poured a cup of wine for everyone. As for Liu Bei, Chen Xi figured he was probably still enjoying himself in the camps of the warlords he had saved.

***

"A hundred bouts, I reckon..." Zhang Fei said, his face darkening.

"About the same for me," Guan Yu sighed.

"What about you, Zilong?" Chen Xi glanced at Zhao Yun, who had opened his mouth but hadn't spoken yet. "Can you take him?"

A wry smile appeared on Zhao Yun's face as he shook his head. "If his horse were weaker, there might be a slim hope. But as it stands, if Red Hare truly has that level of ability, there’s no point in fighting. Even the King of Chu, if he were alive today and riding Wuzhui, would only be at that level."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei frowned at the pretty-faced youth before them. He had a big mouth—weren't they afraid of pulling a muscle? If not for Chen Xi’s presence, the two would have certainly drawn lines in the dirt and challenged him to a spar.

"Zilong, show them a trick," Chen Xi said. He had seen the resentment in Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, but he also knew that if he hadn't known of this handsome man’s ferocity, he wouldn't have asked the question either.

Zhao Yun scratched his head. "Zichuan, why are you so certain of my strength? I don't recall ever demonstrating it." Despite his words, Zhao Yun pantomimed pulling a bow, and a silver-blue arrow of energy appeared in his hand.

At that, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were instantly convinced. Wasn't this the exact same move Lu Bu had used earlier? They had both tried it themselves; the difficulty was sky-high. They could only manage a misshapen lump of energy, nothing like a proper form.

"Haha, well, I used to be bored and used divination to calculate the notable figures of the world. Even though I couldn't name some of them, I could match them when they appeared before me. The four of you are on the list." Chen Xi casually fabricated a pretext. Whether they believed it or not didn't matter; he believed it himself.

"Oh?" The four of them stared at Chen Xi with great interest. Since the matter of Lu Bu couldn't be resolved, they decided to let it rest.