Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Hey, Wen Ru, are you sure this thing is your forgery? I’ve already confirmed it’s the real deal. I can feel the nation’s Fate suppressing me, but I can also feel its blessing,” Chen Xi quietly asked Li You.

”It’s absolutely my forgery. I even saw my micro-carving on it,” Li You replied with a dark expression. Back then, out of a sense of mischief, he had carved a small figure of himself among the myriad spirits and lives depicted on the Human Cauldron.

”...” Chen Xi twitched the corner of his mouth. ”But the Fate is genuine. No one would doubt that. Since the cauldron is fake, I won’t feel any pressure about engraving something on it later.”

”You’re really going to engrave on it?!” Li You responded in a hushed tone.

”What I say, I do!” Chen Xi said with a grin. ”You want to handle it, or should I?”

”I’m not doing it,” Li You refused resolutely. This kind of thing wasn’t just about boldness. At the very least, Li You didn’t think he could do it without getting himself killed, so he decided not to court disaster.

As the civil and military officials from Mount Tai proceeded toward the Jingling Palace, Zhao Yun also arrived. His flowing hair moved without wind; his gaze, filled with killing intent, was so intense that no one dared to meet his eyes directly. His cold expression exuded an air of unapproachable distance. Coupled with the occasional bursts of black flames emanating from him, Chen Xi instinctively put some space between himself and Zhao Yun.

”What’s happened to Zilong?” Jia Xu asked slowly, leaning slightly backward. Everyone from Mount Tai had a good relationship with Zhao Yun. After all, Zhao Yun’s abilities and character were top-notch.

”No idea, maybe he had a major battle along the way and hasn’t had time to clean up,” Chen Xi speculated.

”General Guan said Zilong protected him from…” Li You gestured with his hands. ”That alone is already impressive.”

”What they’re after is Immortality, not combat. They’re on a completely different path. The difference in combat power is huge,” Chen Xi rolled his eyes, explaining. It was akin to studying nuclear physics—some focused on building hydrogen bombs while others researched nuclear forces. While both were called nuclear physics, the disparity was immense.

To be honest, Chen Xi was the person in the group with the most confidence in Zhao Yun. A mere ten nameless cultivators? They were nothing!

The goals of cultivation differed: cultivators sought Immortality, setting aside emotions and human ethics to achieve it. By contrast, military generals trained in the art of killing, their role defined by combat. The two were fundamentally incomparable. If Zhao Yun lost in battle, that would truly be surprising!

”Zilong, your hair is messy,” General Guan, rare for him, commented on such a trivial matter.

”...” Zhao Yun was at a bit of a loss for how to respond. Did his appearance not exude a sense of oppression?

”He suddenly looks like he’s been dealt a heavy blow,” Mi Zhu tilted his head, remarking. ”Zilong, are you feeling down because no one’s been taking care of you? How about I propose a match for you?”

”Zizhong, are you planning to marry off your sister?” Liu Bei turned around, asking. For his subordinates, Liu Bei truly cared. For instance, both Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun were getting up there in age but were still unmarried. This worried him.

Mi Zhu sized up Zhao Yun, then thought about his sister, sighed, and waved his hand to indicate he didn’t want to discuss it further.

The Lul Family’s Lul Jun had once visited; during Lul Xun’s time in Mount Tai, Mi Zhu had also met him. He truly was a genius youth. In terms of age, they were about the same, and in family standing, while it wasn’t necessarily Mi Family aiming high, the match was indeed considered quite suitable.

Unfortunately, Mi Zhu had doted on Mi Zhen like the apple of his eye. She had even met Lul Xun before and taken advantage of him in terms of seniority. Naturally, that possibility was dismissed.

”Seems like Zizhong is quite worried about his sister’s situation. If I’m not mistaken, in a little while, Zizhong will have to start paying double the taxes,” Jia Xu said with a smile. If Mi Zhu didn’t quickly find someone to settle on as a fiancé for Mi Zhen, it would become embarrassing. Of course, this would only be an engagement. As for marriage, that would generally take a little longer—anywhere from six months to a few years.

”Don’t bring it up,” Mi Zhu waved his hand weakly, unwilling to continue the conversation.

Mi Zhen had already been entrusted to Cai Yan by Mi Zhu, hoping she could be properly educated. If it failed, Mi Zhu was prepared to endure his pain and marry her off to a friend as a concubine. If it succeeded, he’d choose someone both he and his sister approved of for her as a Legal Wife. It would be better for everyone that way.

Clearly, Mi Zhu was a responsible elder brother and a gentleman. He understood that if his sister wasn’t properly raised before being married off as a Legal Wife, she might inadvertently bring disaster to her new family.

The distance from Central Avenue to the Jingling Palace wasn’t short. The group walked ahead at a slow pace, while the city’s management units gradually spread their formation to protect Liu Bei and his companions from behind. A torrent of people followed General Guan, heading toward the Jingling Palace.

”Place it in front of the stele,” Liu Bei said, gazing at the enormous stone monolith. He had no intentions of putting the Xuanyuan Cauldron inside the palace as some might have expected, but instead chose the space before the stele. To die defending the nation and in death still unite with its Fate—perhaps that was Liu Bei’s reasoning.

Each time Chen Xi came here, his usual playful expression would fade as he solemnly regarded the enormous stele.

”By using the nation’s Fate to honor the heroic spirits who perished defending the nation, perhaps their spirits will finally find peace,” Li You murmured softly, bowing reverently to the stele.

Jia Xu said nothing, merely pressing his lips together and offering a bow to the stele. As for the Xuanyuan Cauldron, he had already begun to formulate some hypotheses. Yet when falsehood becomes real and truth blends with falsehood, who could truly discern the difference?

[Am I sacrificing to the nation’s Fate, or to the heroic spirits safeguarding the nation’s Fate? The Xuanyuan Human Cauldron is a Nation Guardian Artifact, capable of uniting the hearts and minds of the people. It was originally meant to be enshrined in the Ancestral Temple, but I have placed it before this stele inscribed with the names of countless heroes who fought and died for the Han Dynasty.]

At this moment, Liu Bei felt a pang of confusion. He didn’t know whether he was offering sacrifices to the nation’s Fate or to the heroic spirits.

Facing the grand stele and the Xuanyuan Cauldron before it, Liu Bei bowed deeply three times. With the first bow, the winds stirred. With the second bow, the Fate endured. With the third bow, the sound of a dragon’s roar echoed across the heavens.

The golden dragon of Fate hovering over Mount Tai, which had previously appeared somewhat vague, became completely solid in that instant. At the same time, many onlookers glimpsed the anomaly of a Golden Dragon Flying in the Sky.

”As expected of Liu Xuande. You’ve managed to tame the Xuanyuan Cauldron to submit to your name so quickly. The once fragile currents of the Great Han’s Fate are beginning to stabilize under the infusion of this Vitality Number,” Fan Liang remarked with a face full of wonder, gazing at the hidden yet radiant Dragon’s Fate hovering above Mount Tai.

”It’s a pity... I can’t fathom why you’re not the Founding Monarch,” Fan Liang muttered, staring at the Dragon’s Fate in the heavens, before casting a sidelong glance at the Northwest, where the nation’s Fate was barely a wisp away from dispersing entirely. His expression was one of bewilderment. By all logic, with Liu Bei’s overwhelming Vitality Number, coupled with the collapsing nation’s Fate of the Northwest, it should have been inevitable for him to become the Founding Monarch.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this story, we welcome you to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile readers, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)