Blood and Fire in Puyang (3)
Before Cao Cao arrived in Puyang City.
A sudden heavyweight had appeared at the government office in Puyang.
A man of towering height and broad shoulders stood there, his face radiating absolute confidence that no one under heaven was stronger than he.
The Zhang brothers, Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao, who had summoned Lu Bu, welcomed him warmly.
It was then that Chen Gong, who had come to see Zhang Miao, met Lu Bu for the first time.
When Chen Gong grabbed Zhang Miao by the collar, Zhang Chao stepped in to block him.
Chen Gong exploded in fury. Meanwhile, Lu Bu simply sat there, shrugging his shoulders as if the whole affair had nothing to do with him. He merely listened in silence.
As Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao took turns speaking, Chen Gong’s heart truly wavered. After all, it was he himself who had personally recommended Cao Cao as Inspector of Yan Province. If their words were true, then everything that had happened was his own grave mistake.
In that moment, Lu Bu, who had been quietly listening, nodded and spoke.
In an instant, a common enemy—Yuan Shao and Cao Cao—had formed between the powerful clans of Puyang in Yan Province and Lu Bu.
Lu Bu spoke to the Zhang brothers and Chen Gong with unshakable confidence.
Chen Gong sharply pointed out Lu Bu’s two previous betrayals. While serving under Ding Yuan, the Governor of Bing Province and his adoptive father, he had been lured away by Dong Zhuo and betrayed Ding Yuan. Later, he had even turned on Dong Zhuo himself.
Yet upon hearing those words, Lu Bu burst into loud laughter before his eyes widened fiercely.
“……”
Normally, Chen Gong would never have yielded to such words. But after hearing that Yuan Shao stood behind Cao Cao and that the respected elder Bian Yang and his son had indeed been killed by him, his resolve shook violently.
And like a gear beginning to turn, the situation started moving.
“Fire! Fire! There’s a fire!”
“Put it out, quickly! Save the silk and grain!”
The merchants of Puyang had been struck by sudden disaster. Desperate to salvage even a portion of their capital, they frantically doused flames with water and gathered whatever goods remained intact.
It was within that chaos that Xu Shu and I, having brought the helmet-wearing Cao Cao deep into the city, searched for the largest shop we could find.
The silk, salt, and iron that had been on display were now soaked and ruined on the floor, while the truly valuable items had already been carried away.
I pushed deeper inside, opened the door to the “secret shop” I had been shown before, and stepped in.
Fortunately, the underground passage was brightly lit, and the space was large enough that we could hide until Xiahou Dun brought reinforcements.
Cao Cao looked around the space and let out a long sigh. At that moment, we sensed movement from the opposite side of the passage.
The men coming from the other direction drew their swords. Among them was a very familiar face.
The man who screamed in shock upon seeing us was none other than the merchant Yang Ga. He was the one who had told me about this place and sold the famous Xiliang swords and jewelry bound for Chenliu.
Xu Shu and I immediately drew our swords and charged at Yang Ga and the guards of his trading company.
One of the company warriors swung at me. I barely dodged by pressing against the corridor wall, then slashed his side open. As he staggered, I drove my blade straight through his throat.
The next man to rush forward had his wrist pierced by Xu Shu’s thrust, forcing him to drop his weapon. Xu Shu yanked his sword free and immediately slashed downward, severing the man’s neck.
The company warriors kept pouring in. They attacked all at once using sheer numbers. Although I dodged what I could, I couldn’t avoid everything.
I was stabbed in the lower abdomen, but I immediately pulled the blade out and cut the throat of the man who had stabbed me.
At that moment, every remaining warrior charged. Xu Shu and I raised our swords and swung them like madmen, ensuring not a single one could reach Cao Cao.
Thud…
After fighting in a frenzy and turning the underground secret passage into a sea of blood, I finally managed to stand.
Without armor, armed with only a single sword, I had fought and defeated numerous warriors. Only now could I steady myself.
Cao Cao grabbed my arm and we moved deeper inside together. The door opened to reveal several remaining swords, piles of gold and silver, and a set of lacquered armor coated in gold.
After hiding Cao Cao, Xu Shu rushed over urgently, examined my wound, and tore nearby silk to fashion bandages.
When I looked at the wound, I could only smile. In a life-or-death situation, I had taken a blade… yet I had endured it.
Thinking back, it really had been a hellish life. Transported to this world with no knowledge of anything, I had trained my body relentlessly to survive. For four years I had lived in a place where law and order barely existed, killing or being killed by bandits.
Xu Shu tightly wrapped the stab wound with silk cloth to stop the bleeding. Cao Cao sat alone, muttering to himself.
Watching Cao Cao mutter as if his soul had left his body, I wondered if the shock had broken his mind.
Suddenly Cao Cao threw his head back and laughed loudly.
Cao Cao kept laughing as if he couldn’t believe it, then approached me.
Indeed, that’s how it turned out. Well, first we had to get out of here and link up properly with our allies in Puyang City.
Sure enough, the sound of galloping horses echoed from above. It was a sound I had grown extremely familiar with during my training in Qiao County.
Cao Cao helped me up, then suddenly pointed at the lacquered armor hanging on the wall. It was the same magnificent gold-adorned armor I had seen before—something only a great general would wear.
It made sense. The supreme commander had been running around wearing nothing but a soldier’s helmet. From now on, he needed proper equipment.
Cao Cao donned the golden lacquered armor. Xu Shu and I each took a new sword, and we were finally ready to head out again.
With Cao Cao’s words ringing in my ears, I put on my armor, fastened my sword, and left the underground warehouse with renewed determination.
In the midst of the chaos, I spotted Xiahou Dun on horseback.
The moment Xiahou Dun saw Cao Cao, he hurriedly dismounted. After checking his condition, he gave a wry smile.
Xu Shu quickly assessed the situation. Cao Cao mounted the horse Xiahou Dun had been riding and headed for the South Gate. While he rode, Xu Shu and I ran on foot, preparing to break out through the South Gate.
Just a little farther. Just a little more…
“!”
Lu Bu was standing boldly in front of the South Gate. Towering a full head above the other soldiers, he raised his long iron halberd and pointed it directly at Cao Cao.
He hadn’t recognized him earlier, but now that Cao Cao was mounted and wearing armor, it was obvious.
Lu Bu stood with eyes wide open, completely blocking the South Gate. If we couldn’t break through him, we would all die here.
Could we possibly get past Lu Bu?
Xu Shu had already drawn his sword, ready to fight.
As the enemy soldiers rushed forward to surround us, Lu Bu charged with his Fangtian Huaji at terrifying speed. Xu Shu and I drew our swords to meet him.