Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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The others dragged the scholar’s body deeper into the woods, where they set it ablaze, ensuring that all traces of the man and his information were erased. The leader of the Oriole agents watched the flames for a moment before turning to his second-in-command. ”We need to report this to Lord Lie Fan immediately. If Liu Bei is looking for Zhuge Liang, we need to ensure that he never finds him.”

Back in Xiapi, Lie Fan was reviewing a map of the region when an Oriole agent interrupted him with a letter filled with the report of the Oriole agents in Jing Province. The agent stepped forward, kneeling before Lie Fan.

”My lord,” he said, ”we have revived a letter from Jing Province, where the Oriole agents there have dealt with a scholar who was providing information to Liu Bei. He will no longer be a problem.”

Lie Fan’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at the agent and took the letter from the agent’s hand. ”And what of Zhuge Liang? Has Liu Bei discovered his location?”

The agent shook his head. ”No, my lord. The scholar had only rumors to go on. He had no solid information about Zhuge Liang’s exact whereabouts. We made sure to eliminate him before he could learn more.”

Lie Fan’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. ”Good. Zhuge Liang is too valuable a prize to fall into Liu Bei’s hands. We cannot allow him to gain such a future brilliant strategist.”

The Oriole agent handed Lie Fan the parchment with the details the scholar had provided. ”These are the locations where the scholar heard the rumors, but they are vague at best.”

Lie Fan scanned the parchment, his eyes flicking over the names and places. ”Even vague rumors can lead to something concrete if pursued. Send a team to investigate this further. But for now, Liu Bei is chasing shadows. He’ll waste his time searching for a man who may as well be a ghost.”

The Oriole agents bowed and took their leave, confident that their mission had been a success.

Lie Fan stood by the map, deep in thought. He held Zhuge Liang to the importance of his mind. His reputation from his past life as one of the brightest minds of this time was known across the land.

If Liu Bei managed to persuade or influence Zhuge Liang and recruit such a figure, it could shift the tide of power. But with the scholar eliminated and Liu Bei’s information disrupted, Lie Fan felt secure, at least for the moment.

Several days later, Liu Bei grew anxious. Despite the resources he had provided to the scholar, there had been no further word. Chen Hong’s men had scoured the area where they had last met the scholar but found no trace of him. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

Liu Bei could not shake the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.

The unease that gnawed at Liu Bei’s heart was growing unbearable. He had always prided himself on his instincts, and right now, those instincts were screaming that something had gone terribly wrong with the scholar.

Despite his outward composure, Liu Bei was increasingly troubled by the lack of contact. A man driven by his ambition to restore the Han dynasty could not afford to lose such a promising lead on someone as valuable as Zhuge Liang.

One evening, after yet another day of waiting for news, Liu Bei could no longer suppress his anxiety. He summoned Kuai Liang, one of his trusted advisers, to discuss the matter. Kuai Liang had been with him through many trials and was known for his keen intellect and even-handedness in situations that often tested the patience of lesser men. Yet, even Kuai Liang, for all his wisdom, could not see past Liu Bei’s carefully constructed facade of virtue and kindness.

When Kuai Liang arrived, Liu Bei greeted him with his usual serene and benevolent expression, masking the storm of emotions that roiled beneath. He gestured for Kuai Liang to sit, and once the adviser was settled, Liu Bei began.

”Master Kuai Liang, I have summoned you today because a matter weighs heavily on my heart. You may recall the scholar who visited us recently, bringing word of the reclusive strategists in Jing Province, most notably this ’Sleeping Dragon,’ Zhuge Liang.”

Kuai Liang nodded. ”Yes, my lord, I remember. His information was intriguing, and if even half of it proves true, such a strategist could be invaluable to your cause.”

Liu Bei sighed deeply, placing his hands on his knees as if burdened by the weight of responsibility. ”I fear that something may have befallen the scholar. It has been days, and we have received no word from him or the men I sent to assist him. I wonder... could there be forces at work trying to thwart us? Could someone be preventing us from finding Zhuge Liang?”

Kuai Liang studied Liu Bei’s face, unaware of the true calculation behind his master’s seemingly virtuous concern. He was, after all, used to seeing Liu Bei as a paragon of righteousness, a leader driven by duty and compassion. With that perception in mind, Kuai Liang began to weigh the possibilities.

”My lord,” Kuai Liang began carefully, ”there are two likely scenarios that come to mind, and I offer them to you as objectively as I can. The first is that your instincts are correct—that something unfortunate has indeed befallen the scholar. It is possible that a rival warlord or some other party with vested interests may be working against us. Such men would have much to gain by keeping someone like Zhuge Liang from joining your cause. If this is the case, we must act swiftly and decisively to investigate further, for it may be that we are being watched or hindered without our knowledge.”

Liu Bei’s face remained calm, though inwardly, he considered the possibility. There were certainly many who would have cause to disrupt his plans—Cao Cao, Sun Ce, and now Lie Fan, all of whom had ambitions as grand as his own. But as Kuai Liang continued, Liu Bei felt a different, more personal doubt creeping into his mind.

”The second possibility,” Kuai Liang said, after a brief pause, ”is that the scholar may not have been entirely trustworthy. It is not uncommon for men to exploit the hopes and ambitions of others for personal gain. He could have been a trickster, feeding us rumors he had overheard with the sole intention of enriching himself by way of the resources you provided him. Having received what he sought, he may now have fled, never intending to fulfill his promises.”

The words hit Liu Bei like a bolt of lightning. His serene expression wavered, and for a brief moment, a flicker of anger and frustration crossed his face. The idea that the scholar had played him for a fool was infuriating. His mind raced through the possibilities. What if this man had been nothing more than a charlatan, taking advantage of his generosity? It wasn’t the loss of resources that stung—it was the humiliation. How could a mere opportunist have tricked him so easily?

For a moment, Liu Bei’s mask nearly slipped. His fingers tightened on his knees, and his jaw clenched as the anger rose within him. Yet, just as quickly as the fury had surged, he forced it down. He had spent years mastering the art of control, and now was not the time to reveal his true emotions. Instead, he did what he did best: he turned his anger into something more palatable—righteous indignation.

”No,” Liu Bei said, his voice calm but tinged with conviction. ”I do not believe the scholar was a trickster. I believe there are darker forces at play here. Someone does not want us to find Zhuge Liang. Someone who fears the potential of such a brilliant mind aligning with us. We must remain positive, Master Kuai, and trust that the scholar’s intentions were good. There are sinister forces working against us, and I will not allow them to succeed.”

Kuai Liang, convinced by Liu Bei’s unwavering faith in the scholar’s integrity, nodded solemnly. ”If that is your belief, my lord, then I will do all that I can to assist in uncovering the truth. It is possible that agents of a rival warlord are involved. I will begin by investigating any suspicious movements in Jing Province and see if I can uncover any signs of foul play.”

”Thank you, Master Kuai,” Liu Bei said, a small, humble smile gracing his lips. ”Your wisdom is invaluable, as always. Let us proceed with caution, but with hope that the truth will soon be revealed.”

Kuai Liang bowed his head and left, unaware of the turmoil his words had caused within his lord’s heart. Liu Bei sat in silence for a long time after Kuai Liang’s departure, the smile on his face slowly fading. The idea that the scholar might have been a mere opportunist gnawed at him, and the anger he had suppressed began to simmer beneath the surface once more.

If Kuai Liang’s second theory was true, then Liu Bei had been deceived. Worse, he had been made a fool in front of his sworn brothers and advisers, all of whom had trusted his judgment. He could not allow such a slight to go unanswered. But, if Kuai Liang’s first theory was correct, and a rival was actively working against him, then the threat was even greater than he had initially thought.

As Liu Bei pondered the situation, a new idea began to form in his mind. If someone truly was trying to prevent him from finding Zhuge Liang, it would make sense to double his efforts. But this time, he would proceed with more caution.

No longer would he trust a single scholar or rumor to lead him to the brilliant strategist. He would send out multiple agents, including some of his most trusted men, to scour Jing Province for any trace of the Sleeping Dragon. He would also dispatch spies to monitor the movements of his rivals, particularly Lie Fan and Cao Cao.

If they were the ones responsible for the scholar’s disappearance, Liu Bei would find out soon enough.

Over the following days, Liu Bei began to implement his new plan. He sent trusted envoys to Jing Province, instructing them to search discreetly for any leads on Zhuge Liang or the hermits rumored to be his teachers. At the same time, he ordered his spies to begin observing the movements of his rivals. If there were forces actively working against him, they would reveal themselves soon enough.

As the days turned into weeks, Liu Bei’s anxiety did not abate. He received reports from his envoys, but none bore any substantial news. The trail seemed to have gone cold, and the scholar’s disappearance remained a mystery.

However, Liu Bei’s spies brought back some interesting information—there had been unusual movements from an unknown group inside Jing Province around the time of the scholar’s disappearance. While the reports were vague, they hinted at the possibility that there was a warlord who was involved in this matter.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Overlord Of The Central Plains

Age: 32 (199 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 1325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 951 (+20)

VIT: 613 (+20)

AGI: 598 (+10)

INT: 617

CHR: 96

WIS: 519

WILL: 407

ATR Points: 0