New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

"this……"

Recalling all that had happened since joining the alliance, how he had been repeatedly slighted and his dignity shattered, Yuan Shao's thoughts wavered slightly.

But the moment that dark glimmer appeared, it was fiercely suppressed by the kindness and pride in his bones.

Yuan Shao gazed at the blood-red characters reflected in the mirror, shook his head, and said in a deep voice, "The position of alliance leader should belong to the capable. The emperor is still suffering under the control of the traitor Dong Zhuo; I will swallow any humiliation, why should I bother with it?"

"Even if Liu Bei takes the position of leader, what does it matter? I, Yuan Shao, am not a greedy person who covets fame and fortune. As long as we can restore the Han Dynasty and save the Emperor from suffering, it doesn't matter who becomes the leader."

Before the words were finished, a chilling, sinister laugh suddenly emanated from the depths of the bronze mirror. The laugh was neither male nor female, sharp and piercing, like an ice pick scraping against the eardrum, sending a chill down one's spine.

"You are so magnanimous, but others may not be so upright. Do you still remember Liu Bei's men? They were invulnerable to swords and spears, and impervious to water and fire."

Yuan Shao nodded hesitantly. He had clearly seen the scene in the mirror just now, and he had been wondering about it himself. That invulnerability to swords and spears, and the ability to withstand water and fire, were clearly Hua Xiong's unique evil arts. How could Liu Bei's subordinate also possess such strange abilities?

He even had a fleeting thought: Since there is such a capable person, why not let him fight Hua Xiong and use poison to fight poison?

Before he could sort out his thoughts, the bronze mirror laughed again. The laughter was full of contempt and seduction.

"Have you ever considered that Hua Xiong might not be dead at all?"

Ok?

Yuan Shao's pupils contracted sharply. A bold and absurd idea quietly sprouted in his mind, but he instinctively dared not believe it. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his voice trembled involuntarily.

"But what about Hua Xiong's head..."

"Have you ever seen Hua Xiong? How do you know that what Guan Yu brought back was definitely his head?"

The bronze mirror's cold rhetorical question plunged Yuan Shao into silence.

"But all the feudal lords..."

Before Yuan Shao could finish speaking, the bronze mirror coldly cut him off.

"You're saying that all the lords are convinced that the head belongs to Hua Xiong, right? But have you considered that everything today seems inexplicably strange?"

Yuan Shao pondered for a moment, lost in thought. Indeed, everything that had happened today had been strangely unsettling from the very beginning.

"Doesn't it feel like a dream?"

Yuan Shao nodded blankly. There was a sense of unreality, as if he had been transported to another world.

"That's because everyone is just putting on an act for you. Of these nineteen warlords, you are the only one who is truly loyal to the Han Dynasty. The rest are all Dong Zhuo's men."

Yuan Shao felt a jolt in his heart, and a chill ran from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

He suddenly remembered Cao Cao's forged imperial edict. He remembered the obsequious faces of the various warlords towards Cao Cao, practically kneeling before him. He remembered why Guan Yu could so easily slay the invulnerable Hua Xiong.

At that moment, all the scattered fragments frantically pieced together in his mind. He finally understood why everything today had been so bizarre, so dreamlike.

So, everyone was just putting on an act? Could it be that among all these lords, he was truly the only one loyal to the Han Dynasty?

A bloodshot tinge crept into Yuan Shao's usually clear and gentle eyes.

Just as that chilling power was about to completely invade his mind, at the critical moment, his kind and compassionate nature resurfaced, like warm sunshine melting snow, forcefully suppressing the surging negative emotions. He shook his head sharply.

Yuan Shao raised his head again and stared directly into the bronze mirror. At this moment, his mind was clearer than ever before, his gaze piercing, and he questioned in a deep voice.

"Impossible. If what you say is true, then why would Cao Cao risk his life to assassinate Dong Zhuo? Why would Guan Yu kill Hua Xiong in battle? And why would the eighteen warlords swear a blood oath?"

"If they really wanted to harm me, they could have done it during the alliance meeting. Why go through all this trouble and put on this show for me? I'm not some indispensable person."

"What you just said was nothing more than a deliberate attempt to sow discord among us feudal lords. What exactly is your intention? What are you trying to express? What are you implying?"

Yuan Shao's rebuttal was well-reasoned, supported by evidence, and delivered with resounding force. The bronze mirror was momentarily speechless, unable to refute him. After a long while, a soft sigh finally came from within the mirror.

"Everyone says that Yuan Shao is indecisive, fond of scheming but unable to make decisions, short-sighted, obsessed with fame and fortune, and autocratic. But after meeting him today, I realize that everyone has misjudged Brother Yuan. What a pity, what a pity..."

A chilling and eerie aura emanated from the bronze mirror, causing Yuan Shao to shudder and instinctively retreat.

"You...want to kill me?"

"Kill you? Heh, I'd love to tear you to pieces and swallow you piece by piece. Unfortunately, the rules don't allow it. Even if we're supernatural beings, we still have to abide by the rules."

Rules? Strange? Yuan Shao had never heard of these words before and was completely baffled.

"Let's sink into the world of this new Three Kingdoms!"

Before Yuan Shao could think it through, a high-pitched and impassioned voice-over suddenly rang out. A screen of light appeared out of thin air before his eyes, and the images began to flow.

"Eight months after the outbreak of the Golden Rebellion at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty..."

……

The scene shifts to a banquet where the feudal lords are drinking to celebrate their victory, their revelry causing the heavens and earth to collapse and the universe to crumble. Only the seats for four people are now empty.

Outside the outhouse, Liu Bei and Yuan Shu slipped in one after the other. They found Yuan Shao slumped on the cold ground, completely drunk, without even a guard beside him. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have been indistinguishable from a dead man.

Yuan Shu frowned, cursing inwardly at Yuan Shao's drunken state. What a muddle-headed and incompetent elder brother! What can he do besides drown his sorrows in alcohol?

After a moment's thought, Liu Bei whispered to Yuan Shu.

"Brother Highway, why not just splash General Benchu ​​with cold water to wake him up? Otherwise, even if he is awakened, he will probably be delirious."

Yuan Shu nodded in agreement. Liu Bei, without further hesitation, grabbed a ladle of cold water and splashed it hard on Yuan Shao's face. Yuan Shao suddenly awoke with a start, sat up as if electrocuted, looked around, and began to curse.

"Who! Which bastard has disturbed this leader's sweet dream!"

Liu Bei quickly pulled Yuan Shu forward and bowed to comfort him.

"General Benchu, please calm down. I have an extremely urgent matter to report!"

Yuan Shao glanced at Liu Bei and gave a cold snort in annoyance.

"What important matters do you, a commoner who weaves mats and sells shoes, have to concern yourself with?"

Liu Bei was slightly taken aback. Wasn't Yuan Shao usually so good-tempered? Why did he suddenly become so irritable after being given a bucket of cold water? He assumed that Yuan Shao was still grumpy from drinking and had a bad temper after waking up, so he didn't think too much about it and patiently continued.

"General Benchu, what I am about to say may be far beyond your comprehension. Please prepare yourself mentally."

Liu Bei subtly tugged at Yuan Shu's sleeve. Although Yuan Shu was still somewhat reluctant, considering the overall situation, he forced a show of seriousness and took over the conversation.

"Brother, this matter concerns your life and fortune, you must listen patiently to the end."

Having said that, Yuan Shu looked around, secretly calculating in his mind. There were three people in the latrine, which, according to the rules, met the conditions for avoiding eavesdropping. Only then did he feel slightly relieved.

Liu Bei naturally understood this as well. Seeing that Yuan Shao had finally calmed down, he took a deep breath and was about to speak when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing outside the window.

Ok?

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat, and he darted to the window. But when he peered out, the dark figure had already fled in disarray, disappearing into the night. That disheveled figure even bore a resemblance to Cao Mengde.

hiss……

Liu Bei gasped. Luckily, he had sharp eyes and spotted the eavesdropper in time; otherwise, he would have revealed the whole story about the rules. But then he thought again, something was wrong.

According to the rules, if two people conspire, they will be overheard; a third party is needed to prevent this. Right now, he, Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shao are clearly three people; how could they still be overheard? It's truly strange.

Seeing Liu Bei's unusual behavior, Yuan Shu immediately realized that someone was lurking in the shadows. He quickly walked to Liu Bei's side and asked in a low voice.

"What should we do now? Should we leave this place first?"

Liu Bei didn't answer. His mind was racing, the rule swirling in his head: Two people plotting together will inevitably be overheard. Two people plotting together will inevitably be overheard…

A cold and absurd thought coiled around his mind like a venomous snake: Was it possible that the Yuan Shao before him was no longer human?

Liu Bei and Yuan Shu stood with their backs to Yuan Shao, each lost in their own thoughts. Completely unaware that behind them, Yuan Shao, who should have been dead drunk, was slowly curving a bizarrely sinister smile.

Those eyes, which were usually clear and gentle, were now blood-red.