It Wasn’t a Martial Arts World, but the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 61. The Oddball

“General Xu Rong, in a retreat?”

“Not a retreat, but…”

“Does that mean General Xu Rong truly perished?”

“Yes, by the enemy commander, Unryong…”

Li Ru placed a hand on his forehead at the sudden news from the messenger.

General Xu Rong, dead?

The man who wouldn’t shed a drop of blood even if you stabbed him, died so easily and meaninglessly.

Unryong.

I’d heard about him, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.

Killing Hua Xiong, routing Lü Bu, and now even beheading Xu Rong.

Eventually, the news reached Dong Zhuo, who went on a rampage, leaving the officials in the court with no choice but to watch his tyranny unfold.

Thus, the officials sighed deeply, each with an expression of impending doom.

After all, Dong Zhuo’s sword could turn on them at any moment.

However, amidst this chaos, there was one woman with a far too serene expression, yawning.

With her light pink eyes sparkling, she approached Li Ru and grinned slyly.

“My, my, that’s quite a grim face you have.”

“This is a serious matter…”

“Life is meant to pursue beauty; don’t wrinkle your face like that. Your already ugly face is starting to look downright hideous.”

“How can you be so flippant in a situation like this? Aren’t you embarrassed as a civil official?”

“Oh, Li Ru. I told you not to wrinkle your face. Do you want to see me gag?”

“Show some respect!”

“What respect? Why bother with that between us? It’s been years since we’ve been acquainted.”

“Haa… Jia Xu, every time I talk to you, it feels like my lifespan shortens. Where’s the Lieutenant General you should be accompanying? Why are you always acting alone?”

“That man’s not my type; he’s too ugly.”

Jia Xu shook her head, narrowing her brows as if genuinely lamenting.

She continued speaking.

“Our lord must be raging right about now.”

“Of course. It’s a complete mess.”

“You’re working hard, too.”

Jia Xu patted Li Ru’s shoulder, covering her hand with her sleeve.

It was clearly a mocking gesture.

Li Ru was about to erupt in anger again, but considering the situation, he took a deep breath instead.

“So, what brings you here? You didn’t come all this way just to see me.”

“Why are you so cold? Even an ugly man like you knows how to make a woman cry.”

“Jia Xu!”

“Oh dear, my ears.”

She chuckled and spoke again.

“I just wanted to see your face.”

‘For the last time,’ Jia Xu whispered softly.

“Ha, you’re talking nonsense.”

“You wound me.”

“If you have time for pointless jokes, come up with a strategy. Now’s the time for us to put our heads together.”

As Dong Zhuo’s strategists, Li Ru and Jia Xu were essential.

In essence, they were the brains of Dong Zhuo’s entire army.

Jia Xu, resting her chin on her hand, pretended to ponder deeply at Li Ru’s words.

“In that case, I have a question. What do we have left? General Xu Rong has fallen, and among our usable forces, we have the Bingzhou army, the remaining Imperial Guards, Lieutenant General Hu Zhen, and Lü Bu.”

Li Ru nodded.

Jia Xu continued.

“But with the tragic loss of General Xu Rong, the core of the Imperial Guards, our Lieutenant General isn’t particularly competent, to be honest. Oh, then we have one powerful card left: the Peerless Warrior of the World!”

“Get to the point.”

“You still don’t get it? Goodness, you’re not just ugly; you’re slow, too…”

“If you keep talking, I won’t just stand by.”

When Li Ru glared at her, Jia Xu quickly raised her hands and waved them.

“Calm down. I don’t want to lose my place in the court.”

With that, Jia Xu brushed back her light pink hair.

“We have the Peerless Warrior of the World, Lü Bu, but the problem is that’s all we have.”

Her expression suddenly turned serious.

“What do you think?”

“What kind of question is that? Our army is still intact. With tens of thousands of reinforcements and the armies of Li Jue and Guo Si, combined with Hu Zhen’s forces, they won’t stand a chance.”

“No, that’s impossible.”

“Why do you think that?”

“We lack provisions, don’t we? The grain.”

Li Ru smirked at Jia Xu’s words.

“That’s an absurd question with an absurd answer. That’s not like you. Isn’t there plenty of grain here in Chang’an?”

“If there’s plenty?”

“Must I say it out loud?”

“Hmm, true. No need to dirty your mouth. A scholar’s virtue is integrity, after all. I never thought I’d learn something from you.”

Jia Xu clapped her hands and smirked.

Li Ru’s implication was simple: they’d exploit the people of Chang’an as they always had.

With a smile still on his face, Li Ru spoke.

“The discussion is over. We’ll send Lü Bu forward and bide our time. Until then, prepare for deployment.”

“Fine, fine. I surrender.”

With those words, Jia Xu walked away briskly.

She worshipped beauty.

Beauty was pleasing to the eye and inspired brilliant ideas; how could she not love it?

So, in her eyes…

“It’s over.”

These people were not beautiful.

They were ugly, filthy, and detestable.

Well, she was no different, but humans were inherently born with an ugly nature, weren’t they?

Beauty not only symbolized aesthetic appeal but also encompassed the essence of life.

After all, you had to survive to see anything, didn’t you?

“Lü Bu and the coalition army, huh.”

Thus, she pondered.

“Who will emerge as the victor? It’s about time I made a choice.”

This was what they called a tightrope strategy.

***

Two hours had passed since the victory report.

Sima Yi stood beside me, gazing indifferently at the gruesome battlefield spread out below the hill.

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight, watching them decapitate heads and clear away corpses.

Even when I tried to cover her eyes, she merely shrugged her shoulders, refusing my gesture.

“…You really did it. And in such a short time.”

Sima Yi looked up at me, her face filled with astonishment.

She stared so intensely that I started worrying if there was something on my face.

“Didn’t I promise? I said I’d twist their necks like a chicken’s.”

“Well, you didn’t just twist them; you butchered them.”

Hey, what’s with this kid using such blunt language?

No matter how I looked at it, education in this era was definitely flawed.

“But I like it. Yes, I really do. Because now I understand.”

“Understand what?”

Sima Yi grinned widely at my question.

“It’s got nothing to do with qualities of a hero or whatever.”

“Huh?”

“You said you’d reclaim the way of Jianghu, didn’t you?”

Sima Yi’s violet eyes blazed.

“Honestly, that’s something kids my age would fantasize about, but your martial prowess isn’t exactly realistic.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You’re a masterpiece. The finest sword in the world.”

Sima Yi declared.

“The so-called Tianxia Diyi.”

Tap, her small finger touched my shoulder.

Her smile remained as bright as ever.

“With you and me, reclaiming the way of Jianghu is a trivial thing. We could even aim higher. Say, guiding the Emperor. Protecting the people from the warmth of the sun.”

“Kid, the war isn’t over yet.”

“Of course not. That’s why I said it’s just a possibility. I have no intention of losing due to complacency. Lü Bu’s forces are still out there.”

Sima Yi’s faint smile suddenly hardened.

Lü Bu.

A familiar name.

“Well, don’t worry about that. I’m not some reckless child… Hey, mister?”

Sima Yi called out to me.

It seemed she was fixated on the mention of Lü Bu.

She tilted her head slightly.

“Is something wrong?”

“Enmity.”

I spoke.

“Enmity is something a warrior can’t easily sever.”

“Hmm?”

Sima Yi tilted her head to the other side.

I merely ruffled her hair.

Explaining everything since our first meeting would be a hassle. It was too grandiose anyway.

“Ah! I told you not to!”

As Sima Yi stood there with her mouth agape, I gazed down at Hangu Pass below the hill, a smile tugging at my lips.

From afar, amidst the swirling dust, red battle flags fluttered.

It was a banner I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to.

Yeo, I don’t know about you.

But I really.

Really.

Wanted to see you.