New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Just as Liu Bei and his two companions were looking at each other, unsure of what to do...

"what!"

Yuan Shao suddenly covered his face, his ten fingers digging deeply into his flesh. On his face, which had once regained its human form, the tiger stripes appeared and disappeared as if they were alive, as if something was about to crawl out from between his bones.

He was convulsing, and his voice sounded like it was being forced out from between his teeth.

"Xuande, Gonglu, hurry... I can't hold it back any longer!"

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat. The man struggling in agony before him was the lucid Yuan Shao, not the sinister smiling tiger he once knew. He exchanged a glance with Yuan Shu, and the three of them quickly retreated to the doorway of the outhouse, ready to flee at any moment.

Yuan Shao trembled violently. The pair of stark white shark fins slowly coalesced on his forearm, their sharp edges piercing his skin and drawing out a string of dark red beads of blood.

"Xuande, Gonglu, remember... don't easily believe everything you see!"

Yuan Shao recalled his experience visiting the Nineteen Garrisons' mansion that afternoon, and felt a surge of anger rising within him.

Just as I was being corrupted by the strange entity, I also glimpsed the will of Heaven.

He understood everything. That afternoon, he had been deceived by the illusions of the strange creature. In fact, he had not gone to Liu Bei's place at all, but to Cao Cao's residence.

With that thought in mind, Yuan Shao used his last bit of strength to try and remind Liu Bei and the other two.

"Otherwise it...it will..."

Before he could finish speaking, the last vestiges of clarity in Yuan Shao's eyes were completely swallowed by crimson. The tiger stripes deepened abruptly, and his shark fins fully extended.

Liu Bei dared not hesitate any longer. He grabbed Yuan Shu and Tang Xiaohu, turned around and rushed out of the outhouse.

The three walked quickly for several dozen steps, and only stopped at a secluded corner after confirming that there was no movement behind them.

After the surgery, Yuan Shu pressed his back against the cold wall, panting heavily.

Tang Xiaohu's hand holding the gun was still trembling slightly, and his knuckles were white from the force.

Liu Bei remained expressionless. But his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

"Thank you for your help earlier." Yuan Shu caught his breath and looked at Tang Xiaohu. "If you hadn't arrived in time, the three of us would probably have perished inside."

Tang Xiaohu grinned, then quickly composed himself, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said, "Protecting my master is my duty."

Liu Bei didn't reply. He was rapidly reviewing everything that had just happened. From Yuan Shao's bizarre transformation to Tang Xiaohu's desperate provocation, and then to Cao Cao's mysterious reappearance, a complete chain of events was gradually piecing together in his mind.

Yuan Shao's bizarre behavior is most likely triggered by a morbid thirst for "approval." And there appear to be two methods to suppress it.

First, there was the oppressive aura emanating from Cao Cao, almost like a natural enemy; second, there was the forceful suppression of his own remaining will. As for whether the strangeness within him could be completely eradicated, that remains to be seen.

But at least for this moment, he was certain of two things. First, Yuan Shao could still be saved. Second, the rule that "the supernatural is not invincible" was on the right track.

"Master," Tang Xiaohu lowered his voice, "what do we do next?"

Liu Bei collected his thoughts, glanced at Yuan Shu, and then turned his gaze to the brightly lit banquet in the distance.

"Let's go back first. The victory banquet hasn't ended yet. If we leave for too long, Cao Cao will become suspicious."

Yuan Shu nodded, but couldn't help turning back to look in the direction of the outhouse. The door was still open, and it was pitch black inside; nothing could be seen. Only the night wind occasionally blew in, making a low, mournful sound, like something weeping from the depths.

"My brother..." Yuan Shu hesitated, then stopped himself.

"There is still hope," Liu Bei said calmly, his tone completely unwavering, "but not now."

He turned and walked toward the banquet. The cold, white moonlight cast his shadow long, like a silent snake, slithering silently across the cold stone pavement of Chenliu City.

At this banquet, Hua Xiong's head was hung at the highest point of the command platform for all the lords to admire. Cao Cao's face flushed red, and he raised his wine cup high, his voice booming like a bell.

"Gentlemen! Hua Xiong's dog head is right here! I believe it won't be long before we also behead Dong Zhuo and hang his head above the gates of Chang Le Palace!"

"With Alliance Leader Yuan absent, I, Cao, will decide on the next offensive strategy. Anyone have any objections?"

None of the princes dared to voice any objection, and they all rushed to express their opinions.

"I wholeheartedly support Mengde's decision!"

"Mengde is just like our Han Xin, Bai Qi, and Zhou Yafu!"

"Mengde, we will all obey you. Give the order quickly!"

It was Sun Jian who shouted those last words. Cao Cao chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before settling precisely on him.

"General Wentai speaks well! In that case, you shall lead the troops to attack Baima Fortress tonight!"

Oh, this.......

Sun Jian's smile froze on his face. He had only flattered him a couple of times to go with the flow, how did he end up being labeled a troublemaker in the blink of an eye?

He instinctively wanted to decline, but as soon as he looked up, he met the gazes of all the surrounding lords.

Those pairs of eyes, illuminated by the candlelight, gleamed with an eerie light, as if they were watching a sacrifice about to be offered on stage.

Sun Jian's Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed back his words of refusal, gritting his teeth and accepting the order with clasped hands.

Cao Cao let out a satisfied, wicked laugh, and then called upon the assembled lords to raise their cups in celebration of Sun Wentai's departure.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Liu Bei and his two companions quietly slipped back to their seats. Upon hearing Cao Cao's military order, Liu Bei immediately understood. Baima. Sure enough, Sun Jian had been sent to attack Baima.

Knowing the plot well, he instantly connected the timeline: Tonight, Sun Jian will attack Baima under the cover of night, and tomorrow morning Cao Cao will come to recruit him with a thousand catties of grain and a hundred catties of cooked meat.

Afterwards, Sun Jian was ambushed by Dong Zhuo's 80,000 elite Xiliang cavalry at night and suffered a humiliating defeat; then Dong Zhuo's army pressed in, which led to the highlight of the Three Heroes' Battle against Lü Bu.

So, the most urgent matter right now is how to save Yuan Shao. He had just confirmed while reviewing the situation outside the outhouse that Yuan Shao could still be saved, but it required the right opportunity. Until then, at the very least, he couldn't let something like this happen again.

He suddenly turned his head and said in a solemn voice to Yuan Shu beside him.

"Brother Gonglu, come sleep at my place tonight."

"what?"

Yuan Shu was startled by his sudden remark and nearly dropped his wine cup. He stared wide-eyed at Liu Bei in disbelief.

"Xuan... Xuande, don't scare me. Are you serious?"

Liu Bei nodded, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Just now, we followed Yuan Shao and saw him go into the outhouse alone. In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he was no longer human. What does this mean?"

"This shows that in this world, acting alone is suicide. Come to my place tonight; I have my second and third brothers, and Tang Xiaohu, enough to protect us both."

Yuan Shu fell silent. The thought of sleeping in the same bed with a grown man made him extremely uncomfortable.

But when he thought of Yuan Shao's tiger-like face and those eerie green eyes, his fastidiousness and sense of propriety were instantly washed away by his survival instinct.

Well, what's a little physical discomfort compared to losing my head? He rolled his eyes at himself, which was a tacit agreement.

After mentally preparing himself, Yuan Shu turned his attention back to the banquet. The lamplight flickered, cups clinked, and the faces of the various lords were filled with intoxication and fervor.

He suddenly felt that the lively atmosphere in the room was even more chilling than the dark outhouse he had just been in.

Suddenly, a drunken, gruff voice rang out from behind.

"Hey brother, where did you run off to? My second brother and I were looking for you to have a drink, but you vanished as soon as we turned around!"

Zhang Fei staggered over, his steps unsteady from drinking. His dark, round face was flushed red, and paired with his brightly colored clothes, he looked rather endearingly simple-minded.

Liu Bei's mind raced through the scene of Liu Bei disciplining his brother in the new Three Kingdoms, and his expression immediately turned gloomy.

"Third brother, you've been drinking again. There might be a tough battle tomorrow. How can you go to war in this state? If you do it again, you're not allowed to touch a drop of alcohol from now on."

Zhang Fei grinned. This familiar, nagging scolding sounded surprisingly pleasant to him. Yes, that was exactly the vibe!

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and chuckled foolishly.

"Hehe, big brother, you know I, Old Zhang, really like this kind of thing. Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say. From now on, I'll only have a little, not a lot! Hehe..."

Watching Zhang Fei grinning foolishly as he ran off into the distance, judging by the direction he was heading, he was probably off to find Guan Yu and Cao Ren for another drinking contest. Liu Bei shook his head inwardly.

In the new Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are portrayed as a pair of stubborn fools who would never listen to their elder brother. They would only quiet down for a moment if he held a sword to their own necks.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

A dilemma, a real dilemma~ (Sigh of Zhuge's wife)

He finally understood the predicament of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang in the new Three Kingdoms. These two brothers were troublesome to keep around; one would lose Xuzhou and the other Jingzhou in the future.

But if he doesn't keep them, he really has no one else available right now.

A thought suddenly flashed into his mind like lightning. What if he didn't follow the original course of history?

Xu Shu went to Cao Cao's camp because of his mother. If he had brought his mother to Cao Cao's camp beforehand and eliminated this worry, why would he have lost Yuanzhi?

However, given the work environment in Liu Bei's camp in the new Three Kingdoms, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei bullying the strategist every day, even if Xu Shu's mother were brought over, Xu Shu would eventually be driven away by these two living devils.

A surge of intense emotion welled up within Liu Bei.

He wanted to change his destiny! Not the destiny of history, but his own. He wanted to create a history of his own.

Zhang Fei losing Xuzhou? Absolutely impossible. I'll just send Zhao Zilong to defend it!

And then there are Xu Shu and Pang Tong, these brilliant talents crushed by fate—none of them can die. Otherwise, wouldn't all those times I, a transmigrator, have wasted watching the new Three Kingdoms series?

And, most importantly, Liu Bei turned his burning gaze to Yuan Shu beside him.

Yuan Gonglu and Yuan Benchu ​​are two of the few normal people in the new Three Kingdoms. Liu Bei can't let either of them die.

Yuan Shu felt a burning gaze fall upon him, and a shiver ran through him. He slowly turned his head, cautiously glancing at Liu Bei out of the corner of his eye.

"Uh, Xuande... do you want a wife? I have several stunningly beautiful women in my household, I'll give them all to you. Please, stop staring at me like that, okay?"