New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

The Imperial Seal of the State!

Sun Jian felt a chill run down his spine, but his face remained impassive.

He stared intently into Yuan Shao's eerie green eyes, the remaining strange power within his body subtly mobilizing, flowing silently through his meridians to his limbs and bones.

Seeing his silence, Yuan Shao assumed he was hesitating, and this time, his tone carried a hint of threat:

"Now that you have obtained the Imperial Seal, in order to avoid arousing suspicion among the feudal lords, you should place this item with the Alliance Leader. In the future, I will be able to present it to the court, return it to the Emperor, and report your merits in protecting the country."

A shrewd glint flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"Otherwise, the other lords will say: We risked our lives to suppress the rebels at the front, only to have a traitor in our own camp who dreams of becoming emperor. General Sun, don't you think that's ridiculous?"

Sun Jian paid no heed to Yuan Shao's words. His ears were listening, but his mind was elsewhere.

He kept thinking about the same thing: he had been beaten up by Liu Bei before, and it was one thing that he was not as good as Liu Bei, but at that time Zhang Fei and Guan Yu's weapons were clearly held to the necks of his two sons, so he had no choice but to bow his head.

But now, you, Yuan Benchu, also want to take advantage of my misfortune. Do you think I, Sun Wentai, am really weak and easy to bully?

A plan formed in his mind in an instant.

Yet his face betrayed no sign of his true feelings; he remained calm and composed, his tone steady as if he were genuinely and sincerely discussing a business deal.

"Alliance Leader Yuan, my summoned creature was injured by Liu Bei, and I also suffered a severe backlash. My internal injuries have not yet healed, and I am no longer able to fight. I plan to lead my troops back to Jiangdong early tomorrow morning."

He paused, then lowered his posture even further, bowing slightly as if to show weakness.

"I can leave this Imperial Seal to Alliance Leader Yuan. However, I have a few small requests..."

Seeing Yuan Shao nod slightly, signaling him to continue, Sun Jian then spoke:

"Jiangdong has always been short of money and food, and our troops are also insufficient. If it weren't for Brother Gonglu's usual assistance, we probably wouldn't even know what we'd eat tomorrow. Therefore, I can give this imperial seal to Alliance Leader Yuan, but I hope..."

"Stop!" Yuan Shao abruptly waved his hand, slamming his palm on the table, abruptly interrupting Sun Jian's words.

Sun Wentai spoke slowly and incoherently, rambling on for ages without getting to the point. This made him increasingly anxious, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

He leaned forward, urging impatiently, "Sun Jian, what exactly do you want? Just say it! I don't have time to listen to your nonsense!"

Sun Jian suddenly laughed. The smile came without warning, without any build-up, and just suddenly appeared on his face, which had just been full of submissiveness.

In Yuan Shao's view, the smile was inexplicable, and even had an inexplicable eeriness.

But the next second, a bone-chilling coldness rose up from his neck without warning.

A cold sweat instantly broke out on Yuan Shao's back. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly realized what was happening.

Sun Jian had been rambling on and on, but he wasn't actually negotiating terms; he was deliberately stalling for time and trying to get his attention!

That damned assassin, the Earth Tiger, had silently crept up behind him, waiting for him to make a mistake.

He was about to activate his teleportation ability to escape immediately when a deep and cold voice reached his ears.

"Alliance Leader Yuan, you can try. Let's see if my blade is faster, or your teleportation is faster."

A cold dagger pressed against his throat. The blade was chilling, pressed tightly against the skin on the side of his neck. He didn't dare move his Adam's apple, much less swallow, for fear that if his Adam's apple moved, he would bump into the blade.

Yuan Shao cursed inwardly, but could only sit stiffly in the main seat, even his breathing becoming slightly shallower. He couldn't gamble, nor could he afford to.

Seeing this, the swordsmen nearby drew their swords and rushed to the rescue. But before they could thrust their swords, a huge shadow descended from the sky.

Tianhu spread his giant wings, which were burning with golden flames, and swooped down with a fierce roar. His sharp claws swept across the crowd like scythes, and with each swing, several armored soldiers were cut in half at the waist.

The enormous, mountain-like tiger also launched its attack at the same time. It strode heavily into the ranks of the axemen, and with each strike, several armored soldiers were smashed into a bloody pulp.

The two tigers launched a one-sided, crushing massacre against the axemen, sending limbs flying everywhere and blood splattering on the charred wood, making a sizzling sound.

Crimson halos were layering upon each other on the two tigers, surging like flames. That was the Pride of the Warriors buff, which had already stacked quite deeply.

Sun Jian threw his head back and laughed loudly. The laughter echoed back and forth among the broken palace beams, causing the still-burning embers to flicker.

His smile was twisted and chilling, like a tiger that had finally bitten its prey's throat.

"General Yuan Shao, do you have any last words?" He took a step forward, looking down at Yuan Shao, who had a dagger pressed against his throat, his tone full of vengeful pleasure.

"Now, taking your life is as easy as taking something out of a bag. How about that? Weren't you just now so arrogant, wanting to take my Imperial Seal?"

He suddenly raised his hand, pointing at the axemen slaughtered by the two tigers, and his voice suddenly rose.

"Dream on! I'll make you watch your men die right before your eyes! Anyone who covets my Imperial Seal will pay the price!"

Sun Jian laughed wildly, about to carry out his exhilarating revenge to the very end, when Sun Quan grabbed his sleeve, looked up at him with his small face, and said urgently:

"Father, stop laughing! Pride comes before a fall! Right now, Uncle Di Hu should act quickly and kill Yuan Shao with a single blow. That would be the best course of action! The longer we drag this out, the more openings we'll create!"

Sun Jian's laughter abruptly stopped, as if it had been abruptly cut off by an invisible hand. He coughed awkwardly twice, then gave Di Hu a look.

Di Hu understood immediately, gripped his dagger, and was about to stab Yuan Shao. But just before the blade was about to pierce Yuan Shao's throat, Yuan Shao vanished into thin air.

But Di Hu was quick-witted and nimble; in the instant Yuan Shao disappeared, he still managed to slash his neck with his dagger, and a line of blood splattered out.

He flicked the blood off his blade and turned to report to Sun Jian: "My lord, my dagger has severely wounded him, leaving him crippled. He was just one strike away from being killed! I don't know where he has fled, but I can go underground to search for him."

Sun Jian waved his hand and slowly shifted his gaze to the remaining swordsmen and axemen who were still putting up a stubborn resistance.

A cold smile played on his lips as he spoke in a measured tone:

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy. Let's finish eating the rest of the meat first."