New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Once Guan Yu's song was played, apart from Liu Bei, no one else could withstand this terrifying force of divine correction.

Time flowed backward in the blink of an eye, returning to before Lü Bu set off, but this time, the perspective focused on Gao Shun.

At this time, Gao Shun had already led eight hundred soldiers of the Trapped Camp on the road to Xiaopei.

Throughout the journey, he remained worried, as if something was weighing on his mind.

When the army arrived at a place called Jianying Lake, Gao Shun reined in his warhorse, stood on the shore, looked at the lake thoughtfully, and sighed softly.

A young soldier nearby noticed this and quickly stepped forward, asking in a low voice:

"Vice Commander, this humble general... I noticed you seemed preoccupied when we set off, and I suspect it's related to the Grand Commander..."

His voice was low and timid. He stammered as he spoke, not daring to lift his head or look Gao Shun in the eye. He appeared extremely cowardly.

After speaking, he paused, then mustered his courage to add, "This humble general is not very talented, but I had some education in my youth and am willing to help the Deputy Commander solve his problems..."

"Oh?" Gao Shun was slightly taken aback, turned around to look at the young general who was speaking with trembling voice, and felt a little curious.

He thought for a moment, then decided to speak frankly: "Alas, to be honest, I do have a worry in my heart, and it is precisely about the Grand Commander. However..."

He paused for a moment, then sighed, "But what worries me is that I don't even know what I'm worried about."

After saying that, he looked up at the horizon, and the sorrow on his face deepened.

His question was too tricky; ordinary people simply couldn't answer it.

Gao Shun was surrounded by brave warriors fighting on the battlefield, so there was no one to help him with his worries. Therefore, he could only feel troubled by himself.

He hadn't expected the young officer to say anything, but to his surprise, after thinking for a while, the officer cautiously began to speak:

"Vice Commander, I have some suspicions, but I lack sufficient evidence. Would you be willing to hear them?"

"Hmm?" Gao Shun turned around in surprise, looked the young general up and down, nodded, and said in a deep voice, "Speak. Whether it's right or wrong, I will make my own judgment."

The young officer nodded repeatedly, his tone still tense: "Vice Commander, this humble general believes that there may be a traitor among the Commander's men."

A mole?!

Gao Shun was shocked and couldn't believe it. His face changed drastically, and his eyes widened. He rushed forward, staring at the other person and urgently asked, "What did you say? Who is that person?!"

The young player didn't name names directly, but instead slowly listed out his speculations one by one:

"Vice Commander, this is what I think. Cao Cao is too cunning and is most adept at manipulating people's hearts. The Grand Commander, on the other hand, is a pure and honest man. If Cao Cao were to devise a poisonous scheme to harm you, the Grand Commander might be in danger of losing his life."

After listening, Gao Shun frowned deeply, but shook his head in denial:

"I've thought about this too. But the Grand Commander is a match for 100,000 men. No matter how cunning Cao Cao is, he can't hold him back. Besides, there are tens of thousands of troops outside the city under Zhang Liao's command. If something happens in the city, Zhang Liao will definitely lead his troops to its aid."

At this point, Gao Shun's expression darkened slightly, and he practically forced the words out through clenched teeth:

"But if what you say is true, that there is a traitor among the Grand Commander's men, and that traitor is indeed Zhang Liao, then the Grand Commander may indeed be injured. But he will definitely not die; he will definitely fight his way out. I believe in him!"

The young general shook his head and sighed, "Vice Commander, why don't you think about it? Who is the Grand Commander most concerned about?"

Gao Shun was taken aback, then blurted out, "That's naturally Diao Chan. This woman is too alluring; she has completely bewitched the Grand Commander."

"Without this woman, the Grand Commander might have already become a revered figure. Although she is dead, her spirit lingers, constantly haunting the Grand Commander..."

Before Gao Shun could finish speaking, the young general suddenly bowed respectfully. This time, he raised his head, looked directly into Gao Shun's eyes, and said solemnly, "Please, Vice Commander, consider this again: who is currently guarding Diao Chan's body?"

"Of course it is..." Gao Shun was about to blurt out when his face suddenly froze, his pupils contracted sharply, and he exclaimed, "You mean, Zhang Liao is the traitor, and he's going to use Diao Chan's corpse to threaten the Grand Commander?"

The young general nodded, then shook his head, and whispered:

"That's right. However, these are all just my speculations, and I've only found one piece of evidence. But, based on this evidence, I can add a few more deductions for the Vice Commander. Would the Vice Commander be willing to listen?"

Gao Shun's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. He nodded heavily, signaling the other party to continue.

Seeing that Gao Shun hadn't seen through him, the young general smiled inwardly and continued:

"Firstly, Zhang Liao did not follow the Grand Commander from the beginning; he surrendered later. This shows that he was a coward who valued life over righteousness and was by no means a loyal and righteous person."

"Secondly, Zhang Liao had repeatedly requested to lead troops into battle, but his requests were repeatedly rejected by the Grand Commander, and he was never given an important position. It is understandable that he harbored resentment and plotted to assassinate the Grand Commander so that he could become the commander-in-chief of the three armies himself."

"Thirdly, this is solid evidence. This thief Zhang Liao has a criminal record. Previously, when Chen Gong overstepped his authority to mobilize troops, Zhang Liao was the first to follow Chen Gong and left without even looking back."

"This shows that this person is absolutely untrustworthy, let alone entrusting Diao Chan's corpse to him for safekeeping."

Having said that, the young general bowed deeply to Gao Shun, his tone almost pleading:

"Please reconsider, Vice Commander. If I'm wrong, that would be best; but if it is true, then the Grand Commander's side will be in danger."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Shun was already moved, his face showing sudden realization, and he nodded emphatically:

"No need to think about it anymore. I'll immediately turn back to support the Grand Commander. Hopefully, I can still make it in time. If not, then I'll die in battle beneath the walls of Fuyang. If the Grand Commander dies, I, Gao Shun, will not live alone!"

The young officer smiled inwardly, thinking it best, but said with feigned concern, "The Deputy Commander is heading to Fuyang City now; everything will still be in time!"

Gao Shun nodded, then suddenly turned to stare at him and asked in a deep voice, "What's your name? If I come back alive, I'll definitely promote you to a higher rank."

The young general smiled slightly, first bowing in thanks, and then said unhurriedly:

"Thank you, Vice Commander. My name is Fang Zheng."

"My parents named me this in the hope that I would be an upright and honest person. Therefore, I read some books from a young age and learned some principles of being a good person."

Gao Shun gave a half-smile and a snort: "I'm afraid your name isn't Fang Zheng, is it? You should be the Attendant Li Ru."

The young officer listened, gave a wry smile, and nodded slightly.

Then he spun around in place, his figure swayed, and he returned to his original appearance.

It was none other than the Attendant-in-Ordinary, Li Ru!

Despite being exposed on the spot, he showed no sign of panic. Instead, he appeared confident and chuckled softly:

Gao Shun nodded without hesitation and said solemnly, "Don't worry. You're here to help me; how could I turn against a friend?"

After saying this, he clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Li Ru, and said earnestly, "Sir, you risked your life to come and tell me that if Gao Shun is able to return alive, he will surely repay this kindness."

Li Ru returned the greeting and said with a smile, "Then I will be waiting for you, General, on the city wall of Xuzhou."

Having said that, Gao Shun did not delay any longer and ordered the army to turn back.

He charged ahead alone on horseback, rushing towards Fu Yang with all his might, hoping to reach the Grand Commander's side as quickly as possible, with the army following closely behind.

Li Ru watched Gao Shun leave, and as the group of people gradually disappeared from sight, the smile on his face suddenly froze, and he shuddered violently, spitting out a mouthful of thick black blood.

He staggered back to a boulder, leaned against it, and slowly slid down, his chest heaving violently, feeling as if his very bones had been drained.

After a long while, he finally caught his breath, clutched his chest, stood up, looked in the direction Gao Shun had left, and gave a bitter smile:

"That was close. If Gao Shun had really wanted to kill me, I'm afraid I would be dead here now."

He glanced down at his lower body and chuckled self-deprecatingly:

"Trading that useless thing for this disguise technique isn't a bad deal. It's just a pity that this disguise has cost me ten years of my lifespan. Now I only have two hundred years left, which isn't much, but it's enough."

The imposter is Li Ru's civil official skill. The mysterious skills are divided into military skills and civil official skills.

Generally, only in extremely critical moments can a creature unleash its full potential, thereby mastering skills and turning the tide of battle.

But Li Ru was different from ordinary monsters. After becoming a monster, he couldn't even use the most basic monster powers.

Why is that? Because a restriction has been placed inside his body.

To master this divine skill, one must castrate oneself.

He must personally cut off his own genitals to truly become a monster.

Li Ru's wish was to assist a wise ruler and help him achieve great things.

This has absolutely nothing to do with whether he can become a true supernatural being.

So initially, he didn't intend to become truly bizarre.

But a turning point came. The situation was extremely dangerous. Li Su had just died, and Dong Zhuo desperately needed someone to replace Li Su and do something that only Li Su could accomplish.

That night, Dong Zhuo talked to Li Ru all night long. Li Ru finally gave his answer, six words: "Then let me become a demon."

At that time, Dong Zhuo was the most outstanding lord in Li Ru's heart, perfectly meeting all his expectations.

Li Ru was willing to do anything for Dong Zhuo.

Without hesitation, he raised his knife and brought it down, thus becoming a true anomaly. In the midst of excruciating pain, he comprehended the civil official skill he was destined to awaken: the Impersonator.

Castration wasn't entirely without its benefits. Li Ru's lifespan was extended several times over as a result.

As long as he consumes his lifespan, he can impersonate anyone he wants.

However, this skill of a civil official has two side effects. First, if the opponent is far more powerful than him, they can see through his disguise at a glance.

Li Ru had investigated Gao Shun's strength in Xuzhou City beforehand and confirmed that the other party was not as strong as himself, which is why he dared to come with peace of mind.

Secondly, he would become extremely weak after each use.

Fortunately, Dong Zhuo always stood behind him and protected him.

It was precisely because of his loyalty to Dong Zhuo that Li Ru's position rose steadily, eventually reaching the position of Attendant Gentleman.

This is the origin of the title "Changshi Li Ru".

However, Dong Zhuo was gradually corrupted by the divine will contained in the Imperial Seal, and his attitude towards Li Ru deteriorated day by day.

In the end, Li Ru left Dong Zhuo. Now, having just used the imposter, he is extremely weak, and any ordinary person could kill him.

But the Prime Minister Dong, who would always be there to protect him, is no longer here.

Li Ru shook his head slightly, a fleeting look of worry crossing his face, but a light quickly shone in his eyes. He had found a new wise ruler, Liu Bei.

"For Lord Xuande, I wouldn't even flinch if it meant killing my own father and mother!"

A morbidly manic smile appeared on Li Ru's face. He then used the little life he had left to transform into a shadow and chased after Gao Shun in the direction he had left, skimming along the ground.