Chapter 28: The Peacock Arrow

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Liu Bei felt a bit uneasy. Ever since Chen Xi had turned his gaze away from Yuan Shao, he had been sizing Liu Bei up from head to toe.

"Zichuan, if you have something to say, just say it. If you keep staring at me without speaking, I won't be able to help you," Liu Bei asked, coughing twice toward Chen Xi, who was still staring.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just find it strange. Yuan Shao can exude an aura of a hegemon, so why doesn't Lord Xuande possess one?" Chen Xi looked at Liu Bei with great interest. At least in the month he had followed Liu Bei, he had never seen Liu Bei emit that kind of "hegemonic aura" that makes one's body tremble and causes heroes from all directions to bow in submission. Instead, it was the Yuan Shao, whom he had consistently looked down upon, who occasionally caught Chen Xi's attention.

"What hegemonic aura? How would I dare compare myself to the Alliance Leader?" Liu Bei asked in confusion. Beside him, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun—along with Hua Xiong, who had been made to feel like little more than a bandit—all looked at Chen Xi curiously.

"It's that kind of momentum where your body trembles and heroes from all directions bow in submission. Mm-hmm, just like what the Alliance Leader did before, using his breadth of mind and spirit to directly subdue Sun Wentai. Looking at General Sun, he was so moved he was almost ready to hug the Alliance Leader's legs," Chen Xi gestured a few times, and seeing that no one understood, he provided an example.

"Zichuan, do not speak such nonsense recklessly," Liu Bei said, a strange smile appearing on his face even as he told Chen Xi to stop talking nonsense.

"Alright." Chen Xi shrugged. "Lu Bu is definitely coming to challenge us in a moment. Brother Yun, how is your archery?"

Zhao Yun looked at Chen Xi with some confusion but nodded nonetheless. "My master specifically taught me archery in the past; I can say I have reached a level of proficiency."

"Oh, then I'll leave it to you. If Lu Bu comes up to crash the party, if someone is taken down within three to five moves, don't intervene. But if someone holds out for twenty or thirty moves and their defeat becomes imminent, Brother Yun, step in and save them. Let's just consider it making a good connection," Chen Xi said with a smile. Then, he turned his head and looked at Zhang Fei with a devious grin. "Third Brother, what did you say when we were drinking yesterday?"

"Isn't it just Lu Bu? I'll go tear him apart!" Zhang Fei's dark face grew even deeper, but there was little fear in his voice. Even if his three powerful teammates were just coasting and providing a mere threat, even if he couldn't beat Lu Bu and had to run, Lu Bu wouldn't be able to do anything to him. There was no helping it; he had too many brothers.

Well, Zhang Fei's loud voice ensured that everyone present heard him. Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others glanced at Zhang Fei with smiles, showing no contempt. Only a few people whispered and pointed at him, but for the thick-skinned Zhang Fei, this was of no consequence.

"Alright, I hope you can indeed tear him apart," Chen Xi said helplessly.

Just then, a tall man with a yellowish complexion rode up and bowed to Guan Yu. "Xiahou Miao greets Lord Xuande, Brother Yunchang, and Brother Yide."

"You are not bad," Guan Yu said, his half-lidded eyes opening a crack.

"I hope to have the opportunity to spar with Brother Yunchang," Xiahou Yuan said, cupping his hands in a salute.

"Fine." The second master remained as laconic as ever. He couldn't help it; he wasn't close to Xiahou Yuan, so being able to speak normally was already quite good.

"You actually managed to break through using Lu Bu's hand. Tsk, tsk, tsk." Zhang Fei looked at his future father-in-law with curiosity, marveling at him, which actually made Xiahou Yuan feel a bit embarrassed. However, if Xiahou Yuan knew that this fellow would marry his daughter in the future, he would likely have slapped him long ago.

"If Yide wishes to face Lu Bu, you should still make more preparations. The ferocity of Lu Bu last night still leaves me with lingering fears," Xiahou Yuan cautioned. Lu Bu's brutality was etched into his very bones; unless absolutely necessary, he would never provoke that monster.

"Hahaha, don't worry, don't worry! See that? They are all here to support me. Nothing will happen," Zhang Fei said boisterously, looking quite proud. With three super-experts by his side, even Lu Bu might suffer an unexpected setback.

"Then I wish Yide a glorious victory." Xiahou Yuan looked at Zhang Fei, then at Zhao Yun and Guan Yu, but he couldn't see anything unusual. Left with no choice, he decided not to dampen Zhang Fei's enthusiasm.

"Don't worry, don't worry. Even if he can't win, Lu Bu won't get the slightest advantage. I have my brothers," Zhang Fei said, looking proudly at Guan Yu, who gave a slight nod.

"In that case, I am relieved. If you need anything, remember to call out," Xiahou Yuan said. Seeing that Guan Yu had also nodded, he said no more. Even if Guan Yu and Zhang Fei couldn't win, they wouldn't be in danger—at least, that was how it appeared to Xiahou Yuan.

Lu Bu sat beneath the gate tower of Hulao Pass. His tall physique was bathed in the morning sun, making him look like a celestial deity. The surroundings were silent; there wasn't even a single city guard. This was Lu Bu's confidence, and it was also the recognition of all soldiers regarding Lu Bu's strength. There were no soldiers in that area; to pass through, one only had to defeat Lu Bu. But could anyone defeat him?

Gazing at the black line on the horizon, with Lu Bu's vision, he could clearly see every detail of every person. Naturally, he had already found his targets: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the fellow who dared to shoot arrows at him yesterday. His Sky Piercer halberd only needed to be stained with the blood of the strong.

As for Red Hare, Lu Bu had already untied the reins, letting the horse wander on its own. He wasn't afraid of anyone going back to seize Red Hare. Not only did Red Hare possess strength comparable to a person's internal energy leaving their body, but his own reputation alone was enough to make anyone eyeing the horse retreat.

Of course, Lu Bu knew Red Hare wouldn't wander too far, staying within a radius of ten miles or so. When he needed him, a single long whistle would suffice, and Red Hare would streak across the sky like a line of fire to become his mount once more, following him to slay any enemy who dared appear before him.

"They are coming." Lu Bu stood up. Looking at the gathered eighteen routes of lords, a strange thought suddenly occurred to him: would it be interesting if he rushed over right now and wiped them all out? Or perhaps, if he unleashed a "peacock arrow" in that direction, the opposition would fall into a state of panic.

Lu Bu, having conceived such a thought, had no intention of hiding it. Since rushing over would require summoning Red Hare, he thought for a moment and pulled out his Precious Eagle Bow from his side, then drew four arrows the size of short spears. Drawing the bow and nocking the arrows, he shot toward the leaders of the eighteen routes of lords gathered on the horizon.

With a loud crack, Lu Bu didn't even look in the direction he had shot. He nocked another four arrows; after repeating this four times, Lu Bu put away his bow and arrows.

Having been remotely targeted by Lu Bu's arrows, Zhao Yun pulled his precious bow from his horse, though he did not nock an arrow, merely drawing the string. As the sonic boom clouds appeared, Zhao Yun drew his bow fully, and four consecutive silver-blue arrows shattered the incoming arrows.

"Hidden blades?" Zhao Yun watched as the two sets of arrows collided and turned to dust, only for several golden-red energy arrows to fly out from the debris like streaks of light. A hint of battle intent appeared on his calm face.

Drawing the bowstring, a buzzing sound gathered on the string. Upon release, silver-blue filaments surged backward, enveloping the path traced by the golden-red light. "It would be impolite not to return the favor!"

(End of Chapter)