CHAPTER 1832: CHAPTER 1833: THE KING OF KILLERS ARRIVES

Cao Cao led the group to the city tower, and upon looking up, he saw two figures fiercely fighting on the battlefield outside the city gate.

"Hmm, why does that person look familiar?" The speaker was a middle-aged man with handsome features, whose appearance somewhat resembled your fellow apprentice, Sun Ce.

"Isn’t that the adoptive brother of the Second Young Master of the Yuan Alliance? What’s his name again?" Cao Cao stared intently at you, who were entangled in a duel with Hua Xiong in the distance. Both stood firmly on the ground, weapons set aside, exchanging powerful punches, a true test of strength without any trickery.

"Boom!"

You and Hua Xiong collided fists, the ground beneath your feet suddenly collapsing, the air around you exploding with energy waves rushing in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust!

"Thrilling!"

You and Hua Xiong retreated ten steps each, both exclaiming simultaneously.

"I didn’t expect there to be such a master among this damned allied army. Today I, Hua Xiong, have truly broadened my horizons!" Hua Xiong retreated to his long knife, grabbing its handle.

"Heh, Hua Xiong, you certainly live up to your reputation, but unfortunately, you are not my match." Your smile grew brighter as your right hand gripped the handle of the Verdict.

"Enough talk, prepare to die!" Hua Xiong shouted angrily, his long knife sweeping through the air in an arc, slashing straight at you!

You did not dodge but advanced instead, the Verdict tearing through the earth to block diagonally.

"Clang!"

In just one strike, Hua Xiong’s attack was destroyed. Due to the immense energy you infused into the Verdict, not only did it break Hua Xiong’s move, but it also forced him to lean backward. At that moment, a thought naturally flashed through Hua Xiong’s mind—"This is not good!"

"Whoosh!"

The Verdict smashed downwards, producing a sound as if a multitude of people were crying. As it was about to crush Hua Xiong’s head, at the last moment, he hastily spun his body sideways, narrowly avoiding the blow.

"Boom!" The Verdict struck the ground, causing it to explode!

"Again!" The over two-thousand-pound Verdict in your hand was like a toy. As it smashed down again, Hua Xiong, terrified, hurriedly swung his knife to block,

Clang!

Hua Xiong blocked the Verdict again.

"Again!"

By the time your voice reached Hua Xiong, the Verdict was already almost upon him!

"Clang!"

The same force, the same angle, this strike actually bent the iron handle of the long knife in Hua Xiong’s hand, and his head was smashed by your blow!

Hua Xiong, a lost soul beneath the Verdict!

With Hua Xiong’s death, a thunderous cheer erupted from the city walls behind you.

While Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others were discussing you, at the edge of the crowd, Liu Bei’s face looked extremely somber. He never expected that not only did you not die, but your strength had improved drastically since last time. What he found most unacceptable was that the classic story of "Guan Yu slaying Hua Xiong with warm wine" was abruptly thwarted by you.

You swung the Verdict, flinging off Hua Xiong’s blood. This battle with Hua Xiong was your first clash with a strong opponent since learning the Five Elements Opera. As a war general under Dong Zhuo, Hua Xiong’s strength was formidable, but he encountered you unaware of your true power. If he had known your fighting capacity, Hua Xiong might have held on for a moment longer, though just a moment, since you hadn’t gone all out.

You shouldered the over two-thousand-pound Verdict and slowly walked back towards Chenliu City.

Amidst the cheers of the soldiers, under the watchful eyes of the Eighteen Local Lords, you entered Chenliu City with a calm expression.

"Good, good, who would have thought there was such a valiant general under Master Yuan’s command!" Cao Cao and his group descended from the city tower and stood before you.

Hearing this, Yuan Shao was overjoyed as well.

You smiled, deliberately glancing at Liu Bei and his two companions, then turned and walked away.

Yuan Shao wanted to call out to you but didn’t know your name, so he had to give up.

Seeing Yuan Shao’s action, the corners of Cao Cao’s mouth lifted slightly, remaining silent.

Just as you returned to your yard, envoys from several vassals called on you.

All were politely refused by Little Liu, without you even bothering with a pretense of interest.

You knew their true faces better than anyone; your situation was incredibly delicate. Nominally, as Yuan Xi’s adoptive brother, you should be under Yuan Shao’s command. However, since you never explicitly declared loyalty to Yuan Shao, many vassals secretly kept an eye on you. Your recent display of battle prowess had deeply shaken everyone.

"Brother, Brother!"

Shortly after, Yuan Xi rushed in like the wind. Entering the main hall, he found you devouring steamed buns at an astonishing speed.

Seeing Yuan Xi, you quickly devoured over a dozen buns and said to him, "The food here is a bit lacking. Have them prepare some meat for me. Without a full belly, I don’t even have the strength to chop people."

"Oh, my good brother, stop eating. The killer king Lu Bu is here!"

"Lü Bu?" Hearing the name, you naturally recalled the picturesque scene from the cave that day.

Yuan Xi seemed anxious, trying to pull you up: "At the sound of Lü Bu’s name, those generals who usually blow their own trumpets become like turtles. Everyone now says only you can contend with Lü Bu."

Remaining as stable as Taishan, a faint smile appeared on your face.

"They’re wise; rushing to die knowing they can’t win is foolish." You laughed, "I can’t beat Lü Bu either, and I’m hungry. No strength to fight, so hurry up and get me some food. I’ll meet Lü Bu after I’m full."

In truth, you wanted to meet Lü Bu more than anyone, but for some reason, a thought lingered inside you to wait a bit longer. Liu Bei, like you, is someone from the modern world. Since you killed Hua Xiong, he must be hoping for a "Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu" as a way to spread his fame.

You think Liu Bei shares your thoughts. In front of these vassal leaders, neither he nor you can gain any advantage. All you can do is make a name for yourselves.

Earlier, you crushed Hua Xiong in three moves, and your name spread throughout the army. Once these soldiers return, the stories will naturally spread. Meanwhile, Liu Bei remains unknown, and is surely eager to stage a show, with Lü Bu as the best stepping stone for making their brothers’ names famous.

However, Liu Bei isn’t aware of Lü Bu’s true prowess. Though neither have you faced him directly. In the past, when opposing Lü Bu—or rather, being crushed by him— you were like a rat in the street, scurrying about, while Lü Bu never truly showed his hand. As your strength grew, so did your perception of Lü Bu’s dreadfulness.

Your earlier remarks to Yuan Xi were not modesty; you genuinely knew you were not a match for Lü Bu.

Yet, you must confront Lü Bu, for both public and personal reasons you need to truly fight him. You also understand that though you may not defeat Lü Bu, you can at least ensure your own safety. Most importantly, you doubt Lü Bu will deliver a killing blow to you.