Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 308 Yun is furious!
The sky in Luoyang is so blue!
Gan Ning slowly opened his eyes, the dizziness not yet completely gone.

He stared blankly at the azure sky above, a strange sense of tranquility rising within him.

He, who has always been burdened by fame and constantly on the go, seems to have never before been able to quietly appreciate this clear sky, nor has he ever felt the vastness of this world.

But soon, confusion welled up in my mind.

Why is he lying here, and where is this place?
Suddenly, a huge "dark cloud" descended, completely obscuring the blue sky.

"what!"

Gan Ning was startled. Almost instinctively, he did a swift, somersaulting motion, flipped over, and picked up the fallen spear.

However, it was not a dark cloud, but the valiant general Lü Bu!

At the age of eighteen, Gan Ning was already seven feet eight inches tall and rarely needed to look up at others.

However, at this moment, Lü Bu stood right in front of him, his tall figure casting an imposing shadow.

Lu Bu lowered his head slightly and looked down at him. The sense of powerlessness and insignificance that came from the depths of Gan Ning's bones instantly seized his heart.

He had already remembered what had just happened!
Just now, he thrust his spear straight forward, launching a full-scale attack on Lü Bu.

Lu Bu simply dodged the attack with a seemingly casual sidestep.

Immediately afterwards, the heavy wooden spear, with a whistling sound that tore through the air, struck his chest hard!
In that instant, Gan Ning seemed to see his long-deceased parents, smiling and waving at him... The next moment, the illusion dissipated, and all that remained in his vision was Lü Bu and the wooden spear in his hand.

Lu Bu's movements appeared extremely slow to Gan Ning, but his body was unable to make any effective response, and he could only silently watch everything unfold.

He saw Lu Bu's burly, thick arms, heard the whistling sound of the wooden spear cutting through the air as it struck, and noticed that the spear deformed when it hit his breastplate. The elasticity of the bent spear combined with Lu Bu's arm strength sent him flying!

The wooden spear broke the moment it struck him.

Gan Ning composed himself, his gaze fixed on the wooden spear broken in two in Lü Bu's hand, then looked down at the obvious white dent on the chest of his black armor.

A chilling feeling of relief instantly crept up his spine, making him feel like he was being pricked by thorns and filled with terror.

If it weren't for this sturdy black armor, with Lü Bu's terrifying strength, if that spear had landed squarely on his chest, his internal organs would probably have been severely damaged, and he would have become a cripple even if he didn't die!
Can this be played without cutting?
Liu Bian, who was watching from the sidelines, witnessed all of this and a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.

He subconsciously turned his head slightly to look at Dian Wei, who was standing behind him.

Dian Wei's expression turned solemn as he slowly shook his head.

This silent action suggests either an admission that he cannot defeat Gan Ning in one move, or an acknowledgment that he is no match for Lü Bu.

While warriors can accept the existence of warriors stronger than themselves, they will not easily admit defeat. The fact that Dian Wei could display such an expression shows just how brave and fierce Lü Bu had become at this moment.

Although Lü Bu's overwhelming strength was somewhat unexpected by Liu Bian, upon closer examination it was quite reasonable.

At thirty years old, Lü Bu was in his prime, when his strength and skills were at their peak.

Historically, Lü Bu at this age might have been a village head on the grasslands, barely making ends meet, and might not have become Ding Yuan's chief clerk.

Now, at the age of twenty-seven, he has entered the Crown Prince's Palace as a cavalry captain with a salary of two thousand piculs of grain, but his circumstances are completely different.

People say that it's true that those who study literature are poor while those who study martial arts are rich. Whether studying literature is truly a sign of poverty is hard to say, but if one doesn't become wealthy, it's impossible to succeed in martial arts.

The path of martial arts is extremely demanding. Eating well every day is only the most basic requirement. In addition, one needs a lot of meat, vegetables and fruits to nourish the body, and various precious medicinal herbs to strengthen the body and replenish vital energy.

They also need excellent weapons and warhorses, as well as good teachers to guide them.

Especially the latter!
These martial arts skills, which can only be passed down from generation to generation rather than simply annotated in a book, can only be taught and passed on by a good teacher.

While in the Crown Prince's residence, Lü Bu not only received systematic martial arts instruction, correcting the shortcomings of his unorthodox martial arts training over the past twenty-seven years, but also received an abundant supply of nutrition.

Most importantly, there are those equally formidable comrades around me.

They constantly tempered Lü Bu's will, preventing him from becoming addicted to the extravagance of Luoyang, allowing him to maintain his ambition, fully realize his innate martial arts talent, and hone his skills to the extreme.

Liu Bian turned his gaze to the arena, looking at Gan Ning, who had clearly suffered a great loss but was still stubbornly preparing to challenge Lü Bu again. He sighed inwardly, but maintained a gentle demeanor on his face and comforted him, saying, "Fengxian is the foremost general of the Han Dynasty, and is in his prime. It is only natural that Xingba is no match for him for the time being... Why don't we let Zilong spar with Xingba?" Upon hearing this, Gan Ning immediately glanced at Zhao Yun, who was dressed in white armor and white robes, standing to the side.

Seeing that he was much thinner than Lü Bu, Gan Ning, eager to regain face and the emperor's trust, immediately nodded heavily.

If you can't beat Lü Bu, surely you can beat Zhao Yun, who looks a bit weak?

However, the crushing defeat just now made him put away some of his arrogance. He raised his hand to smooth the stray hairs from his forehead behind his temples, and his eyes were fixed on that striking white figure with a serious expression.

On the battlefield, a person clad in white armor and robes is nothing short of a sitting duck, a blatant declaration to the enemy, "The commander is here." (Note 1)

No one would dare to dress like this unless they have absolute confidence and strength.

If it were anyone else, Gan Ning would only think that this was just trying to attract attention.

However, there are no incompetent generals under the emperor's command. Zhao Yun was able to serve as the captain of the Zhonglei Camp with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain) at the young age of twenty, which naturally means he had the talent to match the position.

To dare to dress like this, one must have formidable martial arts skills to rely on!

However, to Gan Ning's surprise, Zhao Yun was completely different from what he had imagined after they engaged in combat.

Faced with Gan Ning's rapid and relentless attacks, Zhao Yun simply stood firmly in place, wielding his spear, defending without attacking.

Zhao Yun's aura and martial arts skills seemed unremarkable, lacking the awe-inspiring power of Lü Bu. What bothered him was the tight, iron-clad defense that left him unable to find any openings.

Lu Bu, watching from the sidelines, subtly raised an eyebrow.

An outsider might think that Gan Ning had the upper hand, suppressing Zhao Yun to the point of only being able to defend, but he saw it clearly.

Zhao Yun's breathing was steady, his eyes were calm, and every parry and deflection was done with ease, even giving people a sense of composure.

In his hands, the spear, through a combination of "stirring" and "kneading," easily neutralized Gan Ning's fierce attacks.

Zhao Yun's gaze swept over Gan Ning indifferently, his posture as immovable as a mountain.

In less than twenty rounds, he had completely figured out Gan Ning's moves and weaknesses.

He had no intention of emulating Lü Bu's ruthlessness and humiliating his future comrade-in-arms.

But Gan Ning was clearly unimpressed. Seeing that Zhao Yun was only defending and not attacking, as if he were being "teasing" him, a surge of anger at being slighted welled up in his head, and he roared, "You scoundrel! Since you've come to fight, why are you acting like a little girl!"

Ok? !

Yun is furious!
Zhao Yun's eyes suddenly sharpened!
The previous tranquility was instantly replaced by a sharp edge. With a flick of the wrist, the attack suddenly erupted. The spear shadows were like dense raindrops, or like pear blossoms falling from the sky, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion, combining strength and gentleness.

The offensive was sometimes cunning and aimed directly at the vitals, and sometimes continuous and surging like waves!
This sudden and fierce offensive, completely unlike anything before, caught Gan Ning off guard.

In just three rounds, Gan Ning, who was struggling to cope, revealed a fatal flaw!

With a precise flick of Zhao Yun's spear tip, Gan Ning's wooden spear flew out of his hand!
Immediately afterward, Zhao Yun moved with lightning speed, jogging and leaping slightly, kicking Gan Ning squarely in the chest, sending him flying.

Gan Ning grunted, and his whole body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground.

This time, Gan Ning did not lose consciousness, but he also did not get up immediately.

He just lay there blankly on his back, staring at the birds soaring freely in the sky.

An absurd question that no one had ever thought about before suddenly appeared in his chaotic mind.

So, why can birds fly?
(2709 words)
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Note 1: Historically, wearing white armor and white robes was mostly for show. Apart from the "White Horse Cavalry", the best example is Xue Rengui, who wore white armor and white robes to impress Li Shimin when he was just a junior officer.

The Old Book of Tang states: Ren Gui, relying on his bravery and strength, desired to achieve extraordinary feats. Therefore, he changed his attire, donning white robes, wielding a halberd, carrying a quiver and drawing a bow, and charged ahead with a great shout. He was unstoppable, and the enemy was utterly routed. The main army followed suit, and the enemy suffered a great defeat. Emperor Taizong, seeing this from afar, sent a messenger to inquire who the vanguard in white was. He specially summoned him, bestowed upon him two horses and forty bolts of silk, promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant General and Commander of Yunquan Prefecture, ordered him to guard the North Gate, and also granted him ten captives.

(End of this chapter)