"Oh, right, that did happen." Chen Xi, completely oblivious to Lü Bu's expression, tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Yes, I did write you a letter back when we were in Luoyang."
"You can go to hell!" At that moment, Lü Bu erupted like a volcano. With a furious swing of his halberd, the ground before him shattered into pieces, and the overwhelming force of the attack was directed straight at Chen Xi.
"Boom!" Zhao Yun, who had an innate sense of clarity, had already felt something was amiss the moment Lü Bu asked about the letter. As soon as Lü Bu attacked, Zhao Yun immediately stepped in with his spear to intercept the blow. However, despite Zhao Yun's efforts, the immense power behind Lü Bu's strike still surged toward Chen Xi.
As Lü Bu struck, Han Qiong was taken aback. Desperately, he tried to shield Chen Xi with his own body, hoping to keep him unharmed. Fortunately, Zhao Yun's intervention bought them a moment, and Han Qiong managed to grab Chen Xi with one hand and, with a wave of his spear, disappeared from the path of Lü Bu's attack.
"Boom!" The banquet site was blown to pieces. In the next instant, Han Qiong, clutching Chen Xi, reappeared several hundred paces away, but he immediately coughed up blood, though Chen Xi remained unharmed.
"Lü Bu, prepare to die!" As the ground crumbled beneath them, Guan Yu, who had not reacted in time, was enraged. His eyes widened in fury, and his Green Dragon Crescent Blade swung toward Lü Bu's neck with unstoppable force.
At the same time, Zhao Yun also lunged at Lü Bu with his spear. Regardless of the reason, after that one strike, Lü Bu had to die!
"Why? Why!" Lü Bu frantically swung his halberd, each simple move displaying astonishing power. He completely ignored Zhao Yun and Guan Yu's attacks as he charged toward Chen Xi, his shattered dreams fueling his rage.
"Die!" Lü Bu roared as he wildly slashed at Guan Yu and Zhao Yun. In his mind, the only hope of returning to Bingzhou had been destroyed. He could never go back, never again. Hatred consumed him as the mental pillar that had supported him all this time collapsed...
"I can never go back, never go back!" Despite the countless openings in his frenzied attacks, Lü Bu's overwhelming strength made them irrelevant. His rage overwhelmed Zhao Yun and Guan Yu, pushing them back as he relentlessly pressed toward Chen Xi.
Zhang Liao was stunned. What was happening? That one strike from Lü Bu had left his mind in a complete mess. Weren't they just drinking and laughing together? How did it suddenly turn into this? What had happened in between? Did he mishear something?
"Zhongkang, thank you." Guo Jia, pale-faced, spoke to Xu Chu, who had shielded him. He had already noticed the blood dripping from Xu Chu's body.
"As long as you're safe, Military Advisor Guo, that's all that matters," Xu Chu replied, suppressing his wounds. Seeing that Guo Jia was only a bit disheveled, he continued, "I was taken by surprise when Lü Bu attacked. My mind went blank. Did I miss something?"
Regardless of what he might have missed, as soon as Lü Bu's strike came down, Xu Chu had lunged toward Guo Jia, determined to protect him. Although he managed to shield them both with his inner energy, the proximity of the attack meant that even though Lü Bu hadn't targeted Guo Jia directly, the residual force still injured Xu Chu. Blood continued to flow from his wounds.
"Where is Zichuan?" Guo Jia, alarmed, noticed a massive crater beside him and immediately grew concerned.
"Old Han has already taken the Military Advisor to safety," Xu Chu pointed to another direction.
"Lü Bu really is fickle. Since that's the case, don't blame me. I was willing to give him a way out because of his valor and heroism, but now he can die for all I care. Mobilize the army. Zichuan and I will leave here first," Guo Jia said, his face pale but his eyes cold. If he had any respect left for Lü Bu earlier, it had now turned into anger. He wanted Lü Bu dead.
"Zhang Liao, prepare to die!" Xu Chu, his anger boiling over, grabbed his large saber and scanned the area. Spotting Zhang Liao standing in the middle of the battlefield, ready for action, he charged at him with fury. Zhang Liao, frozen in shock, was dumbstruck.
"Clang!" When Xu Chu's horizontal slash hit Zhang Liao, it sent him flying. Only then did Zhang Liao snap out of it, but his mind was still reeling. He had no idea what had caused Lü Bu to suddenly lose control. How had things gone so wrong?
"Zhongkang, let's talk!" Zhang Liao, blocking another of Xu Chu's strikes, called out.
"Die! I'll kill you, bastard!" Xu Chu roared as he swung his saber at Zhang Liao again.
"It was just a mistake..." Zhang Liao deflected the blow and hurried to explain.
"Killing you would also be a mistake!" Xu Chu yelled, refusing to listen and continuing his assault.
"I don't even know what happened!" Zhang Liao dodged another strike and tried to explain again.
"I'll find out by killing you!" Xu Chu bellowed, relentlessly attacking Zhang Liao.
"Old Han, are you alright?" Chen Xi, looking at Han Qiong, who was standing beside him, leaning on his spear and spitting blood, asked with concern. He could no longer remain calm—what in the world was going on? Weren't they having a friendly conversation just moments ago? How had things turned out like this? Had Lü Bu lost his mind or something?
"I'll live. It's good that you're unharmed," Han Qiong replied, waving his hand.
Earlier, Han Qiong had used a secret technique, almost like teleportation, to cover several hundred meters in an instant. More importantly, he had directed most of his energy to protect Chen Xi from harm, rather than reinforcing his own body. As a result, his internal organs had taken a serious hit.
"That's good, that's good," Chen Xi said, relieved to see Han Qiong's face recovering rapidly. "But what is wrong with Lü Bu? Why did he suddenly attack me?"
"In the future, just avoid doing things like this, and that'll be help enough for me. Fortunately, Zilong reacted quickly. Otherwise, even I wouldn't have been able to keep you safe. Lü Bu is a madman—disloyal, unfilial, and lacking in a warrior's honor!" Han Qiong, his strength returning, began to regulate his breathing. He glanced at Chen Xi and warned him.
"I understand. I won't do something like this again. I just didn't expect Lü Bu to attack so suddenly," Chen Xi nodded, feeling the need to defend himself.
"Who knows what he's thinking!" Han Qiong sneered, then, with a cold laugh, he gripped his spear and charged into the fight between Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Lü Bu.
"Why, why? Why did you deceive me?" Lü Bu raged as he attacked Guan Yu and Zhao Yun. His dream of returning to Bingzhou was shattered. The last sliver of hope was gone. He could never go back, never again.
"Lü Bu, what are you talking about?" Chen Xi shouted at Lü Bu. "When did I deceive you? Where is your honor? Where is your courage? Now you're no different from a madman. What on earth are you saying?"