New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Gongsun Zan felt a chill run down his spine, but his feet didn't budge.

He knew Liu Bei was a man of deep cunning and ruthlessness, and that he should never approach him rashly. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his gaze warily fixed on Liu Bei, and his voice turned cold.

"Liu Bei, you hypocritical scoundrel, don't think I don't know what you're up to." He raised his left hand and pointed to the ground, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "I'm standing right here. You and I, keep a safe distance."

He pulled the crumpled letter from his pocket, held it up in front of him, and stared intently at Liu Bei's face, trying to find a flaw in that expressionless face.

But Liu Bei remained expressionless, simply looking back at him calmly.

Gongsun Zan felt uneasy, but still forced himself to ask, "Liu Bei, did you write this letter? What do you want from me after you tricked me into coming here?"

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat. Gongsun Zan reacted quickly, saving him a lot of trouble. He didn't answer, but simply raised his hand and clapped it twice.

Two soldiers came out from the backyard upon hearing the noise, carrying a painting covered with a white cloth. They set the painting up in front of Gongsun Zan, lifted the white cloth, and then bowed and stepped aside.

Gongsun Zan's gaze fell on the painting, and his expression immediately changed. He glared at Liu Bei, his lips pressed into a thin line, and he didn't utter a single word.

The two soldiers carrying the painting noticed the sudden tension and began to wonder. What on earth was depicted in the painting? It was all so mysterious.

While Gongsun Zan was in a daze, the two of them secretly glanced at the screen.

The painting depicts a traditional Chinese wedding hall. The newlyweds are at the head of the hall, with guests lined up on either side.

The groom's face was hidden in a murky shadow, his features obscured. The bride wore a bright red wedding dress and embroidered shoes, her veil hanging low, her face also hidden.

The guests sat upright in the hall, clearly there to offer their congratulations, yet their faces were devoid of color, their bodies stiff, and their lips curled into identical smiles. Those smiles looked painted on, perfectly still.

The two soldiers initially glanced at it furtively, but their eyes were immediately drawn to the painting. Their heads involuntarily turned, staring intently at the crimson wedding hall depicted in the picture.

As the red candles flickered and the newlyweds exchanged vows, they found themselves standing among the guests, raising their glasses with the pale-faced congratulatory guests around them, clapping together, and praying for the newlyweds whose faces they could not see.

The applause was perfectly synchronized, like countless hands simultaneously clapping a piece of wood.

They forgot who they were, forgot where they were, and only knew to keep clapping and offering their blessings.

Two eyeballs silently slid off their faces, bounced twice on the ground, and then flew straight into the painting.

In the wedding hall depicted in the painting, two more figures appeared at the guest seats, grinning and clapping enthusiastically.

Outside the painting, the bodies of the two soldiers remain standing in the same spot, their faces now only bearing two dark, bloody holes.

Liu Bei walked up to Gongsun Zan, clapped his hands in admiration of the strange painting, as if he had seen some rare treasure.

Gongsun Zan frowned and retreated repeatedly, not daring to get too close to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was not annoyed. He pointed to the strange painting and explained it to himself:

"It is said that a person has three souls: the Heavenly Soul, the Earthly Soul, and the Human Soul. I used to think it was just a legend and was half-believing and half-doubting. But today, having seen it with my own eyes, I know that such evil things really exist in this world."

He paused, his finger slowly tracing the pale faces of the guests in the painting, his fingertip stopping on the stiff face of one of the paper effigies.

"This eerie painting specifically targets and absorbs people's celestial souls. The souls that are absorbed will be trapped in the painting forever, and the strange power contained within these souls can be extracted by the host at any time to nourish themselves."

He withdrew his fingers, stood with his hands behind his back, and a rare hint of regret flickered in his eyes. He shook his head and sighed deeply.

"Unfortunately, it is ultimately an evil spell. The side effects are too great. Once a host becomes tainted by this stuff, it is like being poisoned by a bottomless pit of thirst, requiring a constant supply of food, never to be satisfied."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Bei abruptly raised his head, his gaze piercing Gongsun Zan. His tone was calm, yet every word was piercing: "General Gongsun, if I'm not mistaken, this is probably why you keep asking 'What should we eat?', isn't it?"

Gongsun Zan shuddered violently, as if struck in the spine by an invisible bolt of lightning.

He felt as if Liu Bei had seen right through him, leaving him completely naked before that expressionless face.

He opened his mouth, as if to argue something, but only a heavy sigh escaped his throat.

Every word Liu Bei said was true, and every word he uttered was factual.

Zhang Fei slapped his thighs loudly, laughing so hard he almost fell over, and gave Gongsun Zan a thumbs up.

"Gongsun Zan, you're quite the character! My nose is sharper than a dog's; you painted this with corpse oil mixed with other substances, didn't you? And whose corpse oil is it? Do I need to tell you? It's from the bride in your painting, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers nearby all glanced at Gongsun Zan with strange looks, unconsciously taking a half-step to the side, thinking to themselves:

"This guy is a psychopath."

"Get away from him, get away from this pervert right now."

"General Zhang's rebuke was well done. I thought he was going crazy again. I misunderstood General Zhang."

Gongsun Zan remained silent, his face grim.

Zhang Fei glanced back at Liu Bei, who, holding his wine bowl, nodded slightly. Zhang Fei, now even more energized, put his hands on his hips and continued shouting at Gongsun Zan:

"Gongsun Zan, next time you have a ghost marriage, remember to invite me, Old Zhang! I also want to have a cup of ghost marriage wine and taste what it's like!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped in shock.

One soldier, quick-witted as ever, immediately chimed in, his voice deliberately trembling slightly: "General Zhang, what do you mean by that? I'm easily frightened, please don't tell ghost stories!"

Zhang Fei glanced down at him, chuckled, and clapped his hands, laughing:

"Hehehe, you're a coward? This Gongsun Zan is much bolder than you! Haven't you all figured it out yet? The groom in this painting, isn't that Gongsun Zan himself? And the bride, she was already dead before the wedding ceremony. Didn't you see the lividity on her hand?"

Several soldiers instinctively tried to look up at the painting, but as soon as they raised their eyelids, they immediately remembered their two comrades who had lost their eyes, and quickly pulled their heads back in fright.

With their limited self-control, one more glance and they'd be completely captivated.

Seeing their reaction, Zhang Fei laughed so hard he trembled, his face contorted with a smug, almost irritating expression, as if he'd just stolen someone's tribute. He leaned closer to Gongsun Zan, his words dripping with sarcasm:

"General Gongsun, you should thank my elder brother! If he hadn't preserved this painting, it would probably have been buried in the fire along with the dozen or so other treasures in your mansion!"

Gongsun Zan glanced at Liu Bei, then surprisingly calmed down. His face was expressionless, except for the two flames burning in his eyes.

"Zhang Fei, are you done?" His voice was very low, but each word seemed to be ground out from between his teeth.

"If you summoned me here today just to burn down my general's mansion and humiliate me as well, then very well, you have succeeded."

"But I will make you pay this price in blood. No one in this courtyard will leave here alive today!"

Before he could finish speaking, Gongsun Zan's back suddenly exploded open, and several black, sticky tentacles burst out of his body, stabbing straight at Zhang Fei's face like venomous snakes!

Liu Bei calmly opened his palm, and a slip of paper lay quietly on it, which read: "Gongsun Zan's Strange Rules".