Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

While Chen Xi and the others were busy strategizing on how to deal with the upcoming challenges, outside Fenggao City, the brawl between Xu Chu and Dian Wei had reached a fever pitch.

Xu Chu’s entire body was enveloped in a dark, black aura of inner energy. Every muscle was taut as he exchanged blows with Dian Wei. When Dian Wei punched him, Xu Chu would retaliate with a kick. If Dian Wei kicked him, Xu Chu would respond with a headbutt.

Similarly, Dian Wei wasn’t having an easy time either. Xu Chu’s immense strength landed heavy blows on Dian Wei’s body, causing dull thuds with each hit. In this close-range, no-holds-barred, fist-to-fist combat, Dian Wei was also feeling the strain.

Neither of them dodged, and they didn’t use their weapons—this was pure, unadulterated hand-to-hand combat. The damage they caused wasn’t extensive, but they did manage to flatten an area over a hundred meters wide, lowering the ground level by a couple of meters.

By now, Dian Wei’s physical advantage was starting to show, but Xu Chu’s determination was unmatched. He gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound as he continued to clash with Dian Wei. The two human-shaped beasts fought on without pause, delivering punches strong enough to pulverize an ordinary man.

“Thud!” Dian Wei’s fist landed squarely on Xu Chu’s face, and as Xu Chu’s head snapped back, he retaliated with a punch to Dian Wei’s head. Both staggered but didn’t make a sound. They immediately leaped back at each other to continue the battle.

“Gurgle…” Xu Chu’s stomach let out a loud rumble. Embarrassed, he said, “Dian, if you have the guts, wait for me to eat lunch, and we’ll continue in the afternoon. I’m going to beat you down today.”

The moment Xu Chu spoke and his energy leaked, he felt the full force of his body’s soreness. It was the first time he’d fought someone to this extent. Even Zhang Fei hadn’t pushed him this hard. In a purely physical brawl, Xu Chu knew he could outlast Zhang Fei, but Dian Wei was a different beast. After a morning of fighting, Xu Chu realized his muscles were definitely damaged, and if they continued, he would lose. Dian Wei’s muscles felt like steel plates—despite the prolonged fight, his power and speed hadn’t diminished at all. The most shocking part was that Dian Wei hadn’t even used his inner energy.

“Hmph, I’m hungry too. Let’s eat, and then we’ll continue in the afternoon. If I don’t beat you down, I won’t be called Dian Wei!” Dian Wei responded with a menacing grin.

Dian Wei had never met someone who could take as much punishment as Xu Chu. They had exchanged hundreds of blows that morning, and although they hadn’t used weapons, this kind of relentless hand-to-hand combat was rare. Seeing Xu Chu invite him for a meal, Dian Wei, being straightforward, didn’t hesitate to accept. He appreciated Xu Chu’s rough yet genuine personality.“Let’s see who beats who!” Xu Chu grumbled, unwilling to concede. Although he knew he might not win, he figured eating and taking a break might give him an edge in the afternoon. Plus, the short daylight hours in November meant they wouldn’t have much time to fight after lunch.

After walking a few steps, Xu Chu turned back and said, “Dian, I’ll be fair. To avoid you saying I didn’t eat enough if you lose in the afternoon, come with me to drink the medicinal soup we warriors use.”

Dian Wei scratched his head, realizing that Xu Chu wasn’t a bad guy after all. After a morning of fighting, Dian Wei was also starving, and he appreciated Xu Chu’s gesture. With his straightforward nature, Dian Wei agreed without hesitation. He liked men who were straightforward and bold like Xu Chu.

“Is there wine?” Dian Wei asked.

“There is, and it’s the best wine! We’ll eat, and then we’ll fight again!” Xu Chu grumbled, still dissatisfied with how things had turned out.

Xu Chu took Dian Wei to a restaurant reserved for warriors with large appetites. They found an extended table and sat down. Xu Chu shouted, “Waiter, bring twenty roasted chickens, two baskets of steamed buns, two whole lambs, and a vat of wine!”

“Right away!” The restaurant, designed for warriors who could eat a lot, always kept a large stock of food. Warriors like Zhang Fei could easily consume a bucket of rice without any issue.

The food was quickly brought out, and Xu Chu and Dian Wei devoured everything like a whirlwind.

“More! Bring me another round!” Dian Wei roared after downing several bowls of the strong liquor distilled by Chen Xi. He suddenly found Xu Chu much more agreeable—perhaps the earlier animosity was just a misconception.

“Waiter, another vat! I’m off duty today, so there’s no risk of interfering with my duties,” Xu Chu shouted as he picked his teeth with a chicken bone.

“This food and drink are great, but they’re a bit slow. They took so long just to bring the wine,” Dian Wei grumbled as he picked his teeth.

“You can’t blame them for that. We’re both personal guards for our lords. How can we afford to get drunk while on duty? Even though I can use inner energy to evaporate the alcohol and sober up, my combat strength would still drop,” Xu Chu offered a different perspective.

“…” Dian Wei was silent for a while before agreeing, “You’re right. We can’t get drunk while protecting our lord. We’re their personal guards.”

“By the way, why didn’t you use your inner energy this morning?” Xu Chu asked. After the morning’s fight, the two had grown closer.

“I’ve trained my inner energy into my muscles,” Dian Wei said, flexing his muscles proudly. “I don’t need to worry about inner energy recovery anymore. Punching with raw strength feels so much better.”

“You can do that?” Xu Chu was shocked. Muscle recovery was much faster than inner energy recovery, which explained why Dian Wei’s punches hadn’t weakened at all despite the long fight.

“I wasn’t always this strong. I had to flee after killing someone once. While being chased, I broke through to the level of refining qi into steel, and that’s how I survived. But later, I encountered a flying tiger in the mountains, and it almost killed me,” Dian Wei recalled, a hint of fear in his voice.

“And then?” Xu Chu asked curiously.

“I killed that tiger,” Dian Wei boasted proudly.

“…” Xu Chu’s mind couldn’t keep up with Dian Wei’s sudden leaps in conversation, and he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Seeing Xu Chu’s expression, Dian Wei laughed heartily. “That tiger wasn’t that tough. When my inner energy was full, I could beat it. But that tiger had a lot of inner energy—it took me a while to wear it down. In the end, I chased it for three days and nights before finally killing it by the river. Then I made tiger soup and ate it. Thinking about that meat…” Dian Wei began to salivate, and Xu Chu, seemingly lost in Dian Wei’s story, also imagined the taste of the meat.