New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

(The following content is recommended to be enjoyed in conjunction with Xiao Qiao's Song)

Beside a secluded stream, clear water splashes against pebbles, making a soft, gurgling sound.

Red Hare, its reins removed, was leisurely grazing on the grass by the riverbank, while the halberd was stuck in the ground beside it, its blade gleaming coldly in the dappled shadows of the trees.

On the grass, Diao Chan lay quietly on a pile of leaves that she had found at some unknown time, covered with Lu Bu's bright red cloak.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her long eyelashes trembled incessantly, as if she were being haunted by some unpleasant dream.

Lu Bu stood beside her, just standing there straight.

His mind was blank, yet it felt as if it were completely filled with something.

His gaze slid from Diao Chan's smooth forehead, across her slightly furrowed brows, past her delicate nose, and finally settled on her slightly parted red lips.

His Adam's apple bobbed. A wicked thought quietly rose from the depths of his heart, and he subconsciously shook his head, trying to dispel this vile idea.

But his soul had already left his body, and his emotions and instincts were already out of balance. The impulse was not suppressed, but instead burned brighter and brighter like a wildfire.

He took a deep breath, slowly leaned down, and with trembling lips, moved closer to the sleeping face.

Just before his lips were about to touch Diao Chan's, a clear yet gentle voice suddenly rang out: "Please, General, have some self-respect and do not defile yourself."

Lu Bu was jolted awake, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

He hurriedly straightened up, only to meet Diao Chan's open eyes.

She just looked at him quietly, without anger or disgust, only a kind of openness and trust that made him feel ashamed of himself.

Lu Bu's face flushed crimson. He staggered back two steps and raised his hand to slap himself twice across the face.

The sound was crisp and clear, standing out sharply against the sound of the stream. He fell to his knees with a thud at the edge of the grass, his head drooping so low it almost touched the earth, his voice hoarse and hurried:

"I'm so sorry, Miss Diao Chan! I was bewitched and acted rashly, almost defiling you! Please forgive me!"

Diao Chan slowly sat up, her bright red cloak slipping slightly off her body.

Looking at the general kneeling before her, head bowed in remorse, she gently shook her head and said softly, "No, no, it was this servant who was afraid of defiling the general."

Lu Bu raised his head, his face full of astonishment. He opened his mouth, his mind seemingly blocked by something, and after a long while, he finally came to his senses and stammered, "..."

"Miss Diao Chan, you are Lord Situ's adopted daughter, a woman of noble birth. How could you possibly defile me? It's...it was I who almost defiled you, wasn't it?"

Diao Chan sighed softly, lowered her eyes, and lowered her voice:

"General, I... I am a descendant of a loyal minister and a member of the imperial family. However, my entire family was murdered by a treacherous minister and executed. I was the only one who managed to escape and am now wandering in the wilderness."

She raised her head, her gaze drifting to the shimmering surface of the stream, a look of reminiscence on her face.

"That spring, Lord Situ went into the mountains to worship his ancestors. As he burned incense, a mountain breeze blew, and a wisp of incense ash fell on an orphan girl who had stolen some of the offerings. That orphan girl was my servant."

The more Lü Bu listened, the more familiar the story seemed. Hadn't Liu Bei told him this story before? The exact same beginning, the exact same details. It seemed Liu Bei hadn't lied to him after all.

He smiled slightly, his tone becoming more composed: "Miss Diao Chan, I know all this. Not long ago, I even fought against your father."

Diao Chan was taken aback at first, then looked at him with an expression that was both sympathetic and amused, and said softly:

"General, are you telling a ghost story? My father... died ten years ago."

Lu Bu's smile froze instantly.

He stared blankly at Diao Chan, as if he hadn't understood what she had just said, and squeezed out a sentence: "What? Died ten years ago?"

Diao Chan blinked, somewhat puzzled, seemingly not understanding why he was so shocked. She simply nodded and said in a normal tone:

"Yes, General. My father, Liu Bei, passed away ten years ago. Later, to prevent me from being hunted down by my enemies, Lord Situ changed my surname to Diao and my given name to Chan."

Liu Bei. Lü Bu's mind went blank for a moment.

The pronunciation of the name was almost identical to that of Liu Bei, so he naturally mistook Liu Bei for Liu Xuande.

An overwhelming fear gripped his heart instantly. He felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and he collapsed onto the damp, cold grass.

Not long ago, he actually fought a dead man and called him "father" affectionately!

Thinking about all this, cold sweat poured down his back, and the hairs on his arms stood on end.

Seeing his distraught appearance, Diao Chan realized something was wrong and quickly knelt down, asking softly:

"General Lü, what exactly happened? Tell me, and perhaps I can help you solve your problem."

Lu Bu took a deep breath and, trembling, quickly recounted the whole story.

Upon hearing the words "Liu, Guan, and Zhang, the three brothers," Diaochan's mind raced, and she instantly connected Lü Bu's unusual behavior with the story he had just told.

But she didn't interrupt him. She listened quietly until the end, then sighed softly, "General Lü, you're probably mistaken. My father's name is Liu Bei, the 'bei' in 'wolf and disheveled,' not the 'bei' in 'prepared.' That Liu Xuande is most likely lying to you."

Lu Bu's thought process was different from ordinary people. Now that he had just broken free from fear, a sour feeling of jealousy surged up.

He turned his head, staring at Diao Chan with his bloodshot eyes, and asked in a low voice, "Miss Diao Chan, how could you, living so far away in Luoyang, know about these three nameless soldiers, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei?"

Diao Chan paused slightly, then smiled faintly and said, "Lord Situ mentioned to me in casual conversation that these three brothers are incredibly brave and actually stabbed Prime Minister Dong off his horse, their fate unknown."

Before she could finish speaking, her brows furrowed suddenly, as if she had remembered something extremely important. The smile on her face vanished instantly, and her tone became urgent.

"General Lü, you said that Liu Bei personally told you about my background, and that it was exactly the same as what I just said? That's not right! I only told my adoptive father, Minister Wang, about my background."

Lu Bu blurted out, "Could it be that Minister Wang leaked the news?"

Diao Chan shook her head, her tone resolute: "My godfather is always cautious. If our enemies knew I was still alive, it would surely bring about my death. Therefore, my godfather would never let even the slightest word slip by."

Both of them fell silent.

The stream still gurgled, and Red Hare still grazed on the grass, but the air in that small space seemed to have frozen.

Since Wang Yun did not leak the secret, and Diao Chan herself could not have spread it around, how did Liu Bei, who was thousands of miles away, know about this secret and use it to weave a flawless deception that made Lü Bu completely fooled?

After a long silence, Diao Chan suddenly noticed the large red cloak spread out on the edge of the grass and asked softly, "General, what is this?"

Lu Bu followed her gaze, and a trace of color finally returned to his face.

He straightened his back, his tone solemn and filled with an unyielding reverence: "This is my most revered totem, the phoenix rising from the ashes."

The two looked at each other, and their eyes were locked forever.

The fear and confusion in Lü Bu's eyes vanished like mist the moment he looked into Diao Chan's clear eyes.

He involuntarily leaned forward, his throat moved slightly, as if a thousand words were stuck in his chest, but he couldn't utter a single one.

Diao Chan blushed slightly under his gaze, but she did not flinch. She simply looked back at him quietly, her eyes filled with curiosity and a tenderness that was hard to describe.

The original film of the new Three Kingdoms suddenly made a dramatic transition at this point.

What was once bright daylight suddenly turned into a deep night, the process of which was completely erased by the unseen hand of fate, leaving no trace for anyone to know.

The author dared not speculate and could only vaguely define this passage as: halfway through the ambush, Lü Bu went off to indulge in romance, taking Diao Chan on a scenic tour.

As night fell, Lü Bu rode Red Hare, carrying Diao Chan, and escorted them all the way to Xin'an City, where Dong Zhuo's army was stationed.

As they parted, he draped his bright red cloak over Diao Chan's shoulders. His fingertips brushed against her shoulder unintentionally, then quickly withdrew as if burned.

Whether this can be considered a token of love from Lü Bu to Diao Chan is debatable, in the author's opinion.

In short, Diao Chan, draped in that dazzling red cloak, inquired about Wang Yun's whereabouts along the way. She weaved through the chaotic crowd, finally running towards that familiar figure.

"Godfather!"

Wang Yun froze. That familiar voice was like a heavy hammer blow to his heart.

He turned around shakily and saw the familiar figure in a bright red cloak rushing towards him.

He blinked hard, then wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, as if to confirm that what he was seeing was not a hallucination caused by his old and failing eyesight.

Upon seeing the person's face clearly, his eyes welled up with tears, and he blurted out, "Diao Chan? It really is you! Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes! You're not dead yet!"