Mythical Three Kingdoms

”My head’s pounding right now—can you stop pacing in front of me?” Fa Zheng said to Zhang Fei, who was darting back and forth, visibly annoyed.

”I’m even more annoyed! That bastard Xiahou Yuan actually dared to order me around. Who gave him the guts?” Zhang Fei said, looking up with a stormy face.

”Didn’t I tell you to just stab him with the Serpent Spear? He’s not Marquis Wenn; what’s there to be scared of?” Fa Zheng retorted irritably.

”Report! Enemy general Xiahou Yuan is here to demand the hostage!” At that moment, a messenger soldier burst in.

”See? I’ve been saying all along you should’ve just killed Xiahou Yuan. For that woman, he’s been here eight times today!” Fa Zheng said in exasperation. Obviously, even a blind person could tell Zhang Fei was developing feelings for Xiahou Juan.

”I’ll go slaughter him!” Zhang Fei roared and grabbed his Serpent Spear, charging out the door. Finally, Fa Zheng could press his temples and take a good look at the current situation. In his estimation, today—right now—the Yuan Liu conflict had already reached its conclusion.

However, even though Fa Zheng was confident Liu Bei wouldn’t lose, he couldn’t guarantee Yuan Shao would be defeated today. Hence, he had one critical duty to fulfill!

That was to stall the Emperor—or rather, the mediation army that Cao Cao dispatched—and prevent them from passing through. Before news of Yuan Shao’s death spread, they absolutely could not allow the imperial edict to go through. That was the real reason why Fa Zheng had been delaying things here all along. As for Zhang Fei killing Xiahou Yuan...

”Stop!” Xiahou Juan rushed out from the Rear Camp as soon as she learned her uncle and Zhang Fei were fighting again, trying to stop the two.

”Dammit! Are you handing over the hostage or not today?” Xiahou Yuan, having been thwarted by Xiahou Juan, pointed his Long Spear at Zhang Fei and roared angrily.

”Why should I hand over my prisoner to you?” Zhang Fei, never one to back down in a shouting match, retaliated with a deafening roar, his voice so intense it created a Sonic Roar Bomb and caused a ripple through the air.

Honestly, even if Cao Cao had planned ahead, the only troops capable of marching overnight from the Chenliu border to Puyang were Xiahou Yuan’s forces.

Being able to boost marching speed by a staggering fifty percent without compromising Combat Power revealed the terrifying nature of Xiahou Yuan’s Legion Talent. Meanwhile, Ma Chao’s Cavalry was likely still far behind, eating dust. Xiahou Yuan had already come to Fa Zheng eight times to demand the hostage, yet Ma Chao’s Cavalry had yet to arrive...

Hit directly by Zhang Fei’s Sonic Roar, even someone at Inner Qi Manifestation Perfection couldn’t help but feel a ringing in their ears. Xiahou Yuan was incensed, gripping his spear tightly and preparing to clash with Zhang Fei again. The gap in strength between the two had significantly narrowed now; even if Xiahou Yuan lost, it wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

”Fight then! Who’s afraid of who?” Zhang Fei shouted, kicking his horse’s belly and charging at Xiahou Yuan to continue their duel. He hadn’t expected his rival to grow this much, but deep down, Zhang Fei felt slightly uneasy.

”Let go! I’m going to kill this bastard!” Xiahou Juan grabbed Zhang Fei’s Serpent Spear, stopping him from attacking full force. Furious, Zhang Fei stared at Xiahou Yuan. If Xiahou Yuan hadn’t shown up, Zhang Fei believed his efforts would have paid off—he could’ve gone home, proposed marriage, and sent Xiahou Yuan an invitation.

”Cut it out, both of you!” Xiahou Juan yelled suddenly. ”What do you even want? Can’t you just stop fighting?”

”Come back with me, Juan’er. Zhang Fei can’t force your hand!” Xiahou Yuan pulled his Long Spear back slightly, addressing Xiahou Juan.

”You bastard! If it weren’t for her, I’d have poked a few bloody holes in you by now!” Zhang Fei fumed, his anger flaring up.

”Stop!” Seeing them about to clash again, Xiahou Juan looked at Zhang Fei with growing annoyance. From her perspective, Zhang Fei had been holding back; otherwise, even with eighty to a hundred exchanges, Xiahou Yuan would’ve had to retreat. As for why he was pulling his punches, Xiahou Juan wasn’t clueless.

”Can we sit down and talk?” Xiahou Juan sighed. She wasn’t sure what to say or how to say it. Truth be told, she didn’t know which identity to use to address the situation. After all, she was fully aware Zhang Fei had made his intentions clear—he would seize her even if it meant clashing with the Cao Army. There was no way he’d let her go.

”Hmph!” Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Fei scoffed simultaneously, dismounted, and prepared for their third attempt at a calm negotiation.

Xiahou Juan knew there were things she couldn’t disclose to Xiahou Yuan. One thing was certain—Zhang Fei was unwavering and would never let her leave. If she told Xiahou Yuan outright that Zhang Fei wouldn’t release her, given Xiahou Yuan’s stubborn character, he would fight until he retrieved her, leaving no room for reconciliation.

”Father...” Xiahou Juan prepared to reveal her stance to Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Juan also understood that her feelings toward Zhang Fei weren’t romantic. There was a sense of gratitude for being rescued and awe toward his sheer power. However, what ultimately swayed her decision was Zhang Fei’s declaration: ”Even if it means fighting Cao Cao, I won’t let you go.” Reflecting on this, Xiahou Juan’s naturally docile temperament couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

In Xiahou Juan’s view, her uncle Cao Cao’s might was formidable, but Liu Bei’s strength was even greater. Zhang Fei, as Liu Bei’s sworn brother, stood on par with the bond Xiahou Yuan shared with Cao Cao.

For someone to wage an unwinnable war over her, Xiahou Juan didn’t see the point. Thus, she believed that voluntarily choosing Zhang Fei might actually prevent such a conflict—wasn’t marrying off noblewomen for political peace quite common in the past?

Besides, Xiahou Juan’s age made marriage a timely consideration. Compared to the pampered boys from other families, Zhang Fei exhibited unparalleled masculinity. More importantly, in Xiahou Juan’s judgment, Zhang Fei could be counted among the truly powerful men! His strength was indisputable.

Status and identity matched well enough—it was a respectable union. If she had to marry into a similarly ranked family, why not choose Zhang Fei? At least with such a formidable husband, she wouldn’t have to worry about becoming a widow if he went to war.

”Speak!” Xiahou Yuan said gruffly.

”Yide… he’s quite good...” Xiahou Juan glanced briefly at Zhang Fei, her voice soft and hesitant.

For a moment, silence fell as both men froze—Xiahou Yuan was too stunned to process it, while Zhang Fei was overcome with joy, his head spinning in disbelief.

”He must have forced you!” Xiahou Yuan snapped back to reality, roaring furiously as he grabbed his spear and lunged at Zhang Fei. ”I’ll kill him right now!” Xiahou Yuan was clearly fuming.

”Oh, come on!” Zhang Fei leapt aside, dodging Xiahou Yuan’s attack. This time, he refrained from counterattacking, instead darting around the area as Xiahou Yuan aggressively pursued him.

Soon enough, under Xiahou Yuan’s relentless assaults, Zhang Fei began shouting amid the chaos, ”Xiahou Miaocai, my honored in-law! I didn’t coerce her, I swear—oh, come on—Juan’er, hurry! Stop him! He’s serious!” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian [qidian.com] to cast your recommendation votes or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can visit m.qidian.com to read.)