New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

On the official road in Hongnong, soldiers from Xiliang escorted groups of ragged people westward in haste.

In the middle of the procession, Dong Zhuo sat side by side with the young Emperor Liu Xie in a carriage. The wheels rolled over the bumpy dirt road, and the carriage swayed and shook incessantly.

As Dong Zhuo gazed at the withered trees and setting sun passing by outside the window, a rare hint of bitterness appeared on his fleshy face.

But the bitterness only lasted for a moment before it dissipated; Dong Zhuo had an innate characteristic that he was never afraid of bitterness.

He turned his head, looked at the child huddled in a corner of the brocade cushion beside him, his big eyes blurry, and spoke in a hoarse and low voice:

"Your Majesty, my life is so bitter. I am the most miserable person in the world, as bitter as the weeds crushed under a cartwheel, as bitter as the bitter herbs squeezed from the cracks in the rocks."

He raised his cloudy eyes, his voice almost overflowing with the vicissitudes of life.

"To save the Han Dynasty, this old minister abandoned his family and home, coming from Xiliang to the court. For over six years, he has suffered greatly, barely eating or sleeping, pouring his heart and soul into his work, walking on thin ice. And what has this loyal service earned him?"

His voice suddenly rose, his fists clenched, and a hint of resentment welled up in his eyes.

"In return, I gained the hatred of the court officials towards this old minister, the wrath of the central plains lords, and countless open and covert attacks, conspiracies and intrigues!"

He lowered his head and looked into Liu Xie's clear but naive eyes. A rare look of unease and guilt appeared on his rugged face.

"Your Majesty, I know that I have done some foolish things. The whole world wishes they could skin me alive and rip out my heart."

His lips trembled slightly, like a child who had made a mistake but didn't know how to explain, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, "This old minister wants to explain to them, wants to apologize to them, but they won't listen, they just won't listen..."

He raised his hand and rubbed his forehead hard, his eyes becoming increasingly cloudy.

"This old minister is becoming less and less lucid these days, and will soon be completely devoured by that strange evil force. At that time, this old minister will no longer be able to help Your Majesty restore the Han Dynasty."

"It's all that damned Imperial Seal's fault..."

He gazed at Liu Xie, a tenderness never before revealed on his face, which had been fierce throughout his life. "Your Majesty, you are my only remaining family. I truly cannot bear to part with you... I cannot bear to part with you..."

Liu Xie blinked his big, bewildered eyes, staring blankly at the rambling old man in front of him, completely unable to understand what he was saying.

He subconsciously shrank back and moved the brocade cushion half an inch to the side.

Dong Zhuo sighed. He slowly extended his large, rough hand, wanting to grasp Liu Xie's cold, tender hand.

But the moment his fingertips touched the back of the child's hand, Liu Xie trembled violently as if he had seen a ghost, pulled his hand back, curled up in the corner of the carriage, and lowered his head, no longer looking at him.

Dong Zhuo's hand froze in mid-air, hovering for a long while before slowly withdrawing.

He didn't get angry, nor did he start cursing as usual.

He simply looked up at the dusky sky outside the car window, sighed softly, and murmured in a voice only he could hear:

"I hope Wang Yun will do as this old minister thinks, and throw the Imperial Seal into the palace, so that those rebels can fight over it, grab it, and kill each other."

He paused, his voice so low it almost blended into the sound of the wheels, "In that case, His Majesty will be alright, alright..."

The narrow carriage isolated the outside noise, creating a natural environment for a secret plot.

Outside the carriage, Lü Bu sat upright on Red Hare, his halberd held horizontally in front of the saddle, but his ear was involuntarily turned slightly towards the carriage. He had heard every word of the conversation between the two people inside.

However, Dong Zhuo's heartfelt complaints and schemes did not linger in Lü Bu's mind at all.

He glanced back at the carriage at the back of the procession, and his gaze was fixed on it.

Sitting inside was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life, Diao Chan.

Ironically, the lie Liu Bei made up that day has not been exposed to this day.

Lu Bu never bothered to verify the truth; in his heart, Liu Xuande was already a sure thing that he would become his future father-in-law.

If Liu Bei were to appear before him at this moment, he would probably blurt out "Father".

Why is this? Because he dares not make a fuss about it, much less investigate it extensively.

Diao Chan was so beautiful, she was like a fairy from heaven.

Based on his understanding of his adoptive father Dong Zhuo, he knew that once this matter reached his adoptive father's ears, that lustful devil would not hesitate to snatch Diao Chan away and take her as his concubine.

Therefore, this feeling remains a secret crush hidden in his heart, which he dares not reveal in the open.

As he was lost in thought, pondering how to properly marry Diao Chan and bring her back to his mansion, the army unknowingly arrived at a treacherous canyon with steep cliffs and dense undergrowth on both sides.

In that instant, countless figures suddenly rose from the overgrown weeds.

"put!"

At a single command, hundreds of archers appeared like ghosts on the cliff top, their fingers, which had been fully drawn back on the bowstring, simultaneously released their bows.

In an instant, arrows rained down from both sides of the valley, and logs and rocks crashed down on the convoy with a dull thud.

Screams erupted as an official riding beside Lü Bu was struck in the throat by a stray arrow. He groaned and fell from his horse, blood splattering everywhere.

Lu Bu frowned sharply, looked up at the ferocious figures on the cliff, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

There's an ambush!

Lu Bu reacted extremely quickly, yanking the reins sharply, causing Red Hare to rear up. A boulder the size of a millstone grazed the horse's belly and crashed down, creating a deep crater in the ground.

Dust filled the air, and chaos reigned all around. Dong Zhuo's carriage had vanished in the confusion. Lü Bu reined in his horse, his eyes scanning the fleeing crowd with lightning speed.

Suddenly, a desperate yet delicate cry pierced through the noisy battlefield.

"Godfather! Godfather, where are you?"

Lu Bu turned around abruptly. Diao Chan's carriage curtain was lifted, and she was leaning out halfway, anxiously looking around, her beautiful face filled with panic.

A log came hurtling towards her, smashing an official and his horse into a bloody pulp.

Lu Bu's heart tightened, and he instinctively wanted to spur his horse forward. But Dong Zhuo's face instantly flashed into his mind, and his movements froze.

Protect his adoptive father, or protect her? He gritted his teeth, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts. In a split second, he made his decision.

A powerful and strange force surged out from his body, and he forcibly created another Lu Bu on the spot, stuffing the earth soul in his body into that clone.

Humans have three souls: the celestial soul, the terrestrial soul, and the human soul.

When the earth spirit leaves the body, emotions and instincts become unbalanced, potentially leading to abnormal sexual desire, depression, or excessive excitement.

But he couldn't care less about that now. He growled at his clone, "Go find your godfather!" and then spurred his horse, galloping towards Diao Chan.

"Don't worry, Miss, Lü Bu is here!" he shouted in a deep voice.

Diao Chan turned her head, and upon seeing him, a relieved smile finally appeared in her panicked eyes.

But the smile lasted only a moment. Her expression changed drastically, and she pointed behind him, shouting shrilly, "General, be careful!"

Lu Bu turned around in astonishment, only to find a huge rock hurtling towards him, casting a shadow as if a mountain were collapsing.

His pupils contracted sharply, and a strange power surged into his right arm. Without even looking, he threw a punch. With a deafening roar, the boulder shattered under his fist, sending fragments flying everywhere.

"General, what skill you have! So amazing!" Diao Chan's eyes were filled with undisguised admiration.

Lu Bu grinned, reined in his Red Hare, and laughed loudly, "That's right, that's right!"

Because his earth soul had left his body, his emotions were already out of balance. At this moment, he was so excited that he could hardly contain himself, and his laughter grew louder and louder, and he couldn't stop.

"Remember this, Miss: in this world, where I am, you are!"

"General..." Diao Chan gazed at him tenderly, her voice so low it was almost a whisper.

Just then, a careless servant stepped on the leg of the horse in front of Diao Chan's carriage.

The horse, startled and in pain, neighed and galloped wildly toward the edge of the cliff.

Diao Chan swayed and was thrown violently against the carriage railing. In a panic, she reached out to Lü Bu, crying out, "General Lü, save me!"

Lu Bu's smile froze instantly.

He felt a chill run down his spine, and with a sharp spur, Red Hare shot off like a streak of red lightning.

The out-of-control carriage was getting closer and closer to the cliff. Its wheels rolled over the gravel, and the carriage was shaking violently. It looked like it was about to plunge into the abyss.

Lu Bu bent down and stretched out his arm, shouting at Diao Chan, "Miss, give me your hand!"

The carriage swayed wildly at the edge of the cliff, and Diao Chan reached out several times to reach his fingertips, but each time she missed him due to the violent jolts.

Just as the front wheels of the carriage were dangling in the air, Lü Bu suddenly leaned forward, grabbed her wrist, pulled her out of the overturned carriage, and held her tightly in his arms.

Red Hare let out a long neigh and landed steadily on the edge of the cliff.

Diao Chan nestled in his arms, gazed at him tenderly for a moment, then closed her eyes and fainted.

Lu Bu held her tightly, letting Red Hare carry them all the way, turning into a small path deep in the dense forest.

At that moment, Wang Yun stumbled and fell onto the rubble at the edge of the cliff.

His clothes were disheveled, his white hair was scattered, and he clung tightly to the broken railing at the edge of the cliff, leaning half his body out to look into the bottomless canyon.

The wind at the bottom of the cliff whipped up fragments of the carriage wreckage, and that familiar piece of cloth billowed among the rubble. Wang Yun shuddered, and all color drained from his wrinkled face.

"Diao Chan!" he cried out in anguish, his turbid tears rolling down his cheeks and dripping onto the rubble at his feet.

"I'm so sorry, Godfather!" he howled to the sky, his voice echoing repeatedly in the empty valley, like an old wolf that had lost its cubs.

He didn't see Lü Bu save the girl; he only thought that he had personally sent his adopted daughter to her death. Regret gnawed at his heart like a thousand ants, hollowing him out completely.

He knelt on the edge of the cliff, pounding his fists against the cold rock, letting out a hoarse, mournful cry: "Quack!"