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"Kongming," Lie Fan added, turning to the scholar who stood serene as always, fan tapping his chin thoughtfully, "you're coming as well. This is a political matter as much as a military one." Zhuge Liang smiled faintly. "A dragon and a fox may build an empire together, my lord. Let us see if Liu Qi prefers wings or claws."
"And last I will brought all of the Yellow Ghosts," Lie Fan finished. "You three come with me. Stay close, stay silent, and watch everything."
The three yellow ghost bodyguards that followed Lie Fan was Zhou Cang, Pei Yuan Shao, and Guan Hai, all cloaked in their muted yellow line armor and based helmet, said nothing.
But they nodded, eyes gleaming from beneath their helmet. They had protected Lie Fan through assassinations, ambushes, and court intrigues. A secret audience was still a battlefield in its own way.
Within the hour, the small party rode out, six riders, cloaked and swift, moving along a dirt path toward a forested glade that sat in the low hills outside Xinye.
The sun had begun to set behind them, casting long shadows across the land, and the air smelled of pine and faint ash.
They dismounted from their horse, the autumn leaves crunching beneath their boots. The air was crisp, the scent of damp earth and pine heavy in the breeze.
"Are we certain this isn't a trap, my lord?" Zhao Yun murmured, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his spear.
Lie Fan chuckled. "If it is, it's a poor one. Liu Qi has nothing to gain by betraying us now."
Zhuge Liang nodded in agreement. "His letter reeked of desperation, my lord. He knows his position is untenable."
Before they could say more, the sound of approaching hoofbeats reached them.
A small contingent of six riders as well, emerged from the trees, Liu Qi, clad in simple robes rather than armor, his face drawn but resolute. Beside him rode Liu Pan clad in armor and Fu Xun, whose sharp eyes darted between Lie Fan's party with barely concealed anticipation.
Liu Qi dismounted, his movements stiff with tension. For a long moment, the two men simply stared at one other, one a rising conqueror, the other a lord whose world had crumbled beneath him.
"Lord Lie Fan," Liu Qi greeted, his voice steady. "You've come."
Lie Fan approached, nodding. "I honor your invitation. This place is well chosen."
Zhao Yun, Zhuge Liang, and the Yellow Ghosts fanned out behind him, assuming protective positions with practiced ease. Liu Pan, Fu Xun, and Liu Qi's two soldiers did the same for Liu Qi.
For a moment, neither man spoke. The weight of history hung between them.
Then Liu Qi broke the silence.
"I have made a mistake," he said quietly. "I gave my trust to a man who speaks of justice but acts only in shadows. I see now the damage done in the name of his cause."
Lie Fan didn't interrupt.
"My people suffer," Liu Qi continued, looking past him toward the distant city. "Bandits roam freely. Corruption seeps into every office. And Liu Bei…" he stopped, exhaled slowly. "Liu Bei is not the man he once pretended to be. I cannot follow him any longer."
"And you wish to surrender Xinye to me?" Lie Fan asked, his tone neutral, but sharp.
"I do," Liu Qi replied. "But on two conditions, if I may."
Lie Fan's brow rose slightly. "Speak them."
"First," Liu Qi said, "I retain my post as governor under your command. The people know me. Let me ensure the transition is bloodless."
Lie Fan nodded once. "And the second?"
"The safety of my people," Liu Qi said firmly. "No looting. No forced conscription. No executions of innocent men."
Lie Fan looked at him for a long moment. Then he stepped forward and offered his hand.
"You have my word," he said. "Xinye will not be lootrd and it's people will be safe. Not that it will ever come to that."
Liu Qi took his hand. The deal was made. Lie Fan use this chance also to use the Eye of Erlang Shen to look at the stats of Liu Qi, Fu Xun, and Liu Pan.
• Liu Qi
INT: 389 WIS: 64 VIT: 78 CHR: 75
• Fu Xun
INT: 423 WIS: 70 VIT: 65 CHR: 60
• Liu Pan
STR: 485 VIT: 80 AGI: 79 INT: 65
Zhuge Liang stepped forward. "Then we shall draw up the official documents and prepare the announcement. Lord Liu Qi, your city shall know peace, under a new banner."
Liu Qi closed his eyes for a moment, as if shedding a decade of weight from his shoulders. "Then let it be done."
Fu Xun, however, took this chance to speak. "And what of Liu Bei?"
Lie Fan's smile was razor thin. "That, Advisor Fu Xun, is no longer your concern."
As the sun dipped behind the hills and the first stars blinked into view, the pact was sealed.
Within hours, word began to spread like wildfire. The gates of Xinye opened at dawn, not to resistance, but to cheers. Soldiers of the Qilin and Xuanwu marched in orderly ranks, their discipline clear to all. No homes were looted, no temples burned. The people watched with awe and disbelief.
Liu Qi stood at Lie Fan's side as Lie Clan symbol banners were raised while Liu Bei's symbol was lowered.
Zhuge Liang observed it all with quiet satisfaction.
"One city taken without bloodshed, my lord," he mused. "How many more will follow, I wonder?"
Lie Fan didn't answer. His gaze was already turned south. Toward Xiangyang.
Meanwhile, the news of Liu Qi's surrender to Lie Fan and the fall of Xinye reached Xiangyang like a howling wind carrying ash. It came not through the heralds or the gossiping streets, but directly into the inner residence of Liu Bei, where the illusion of peace reigned over morning rituals.
Liu Bei was seated with Lady Gan, his wife, in the private dining room of their manor, a steaming breakfast laid out neatly before them. They rarely had these moments, and Lady Gan, delicate and quiet as always, had hoped it might ease some of the tension weighing down her husband's shoulders of late.
But the moment the messenger burst through the doors, face pale and hands trembling with the sealed letter of surrender, everything shattered.
Liu Bei broke the wax seal, eyes scanning quickly. His expression darkened like a stormcloud. His hand trembled, not from age or weakness, but from the fury roiling in his gut. The porcelain bowl he held slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor.
"Liu Qi…" he muttered, voice low and venomous. Then louder, louder still, until, "LIU QI!"
Without warning, he stood, fists clenched, and flipped the entire wooden table in a violent sweep. Bowls shattered, porcelain and plates clattered, food scattered, a pot of tea spilled over the fine silk rug. Lady Gan gasped in shock, nearly falling from her seat, her hands flying to her mouth.
The servants and maids froze in place, none daring to move their eyes wide with shock. Never, never, had they seen their lord behave like this.
Liu Bei stood, his chest heaving, his face twisted into something unrecognizable. The mask of benevolence, of gentle wisdom, had cracked.
She rose carefully, her voice gentle. "My husband… please calm yourself. You are not well."
"Calm?" Liu Bei turned to her, eyes ablaze. "You tell me to calm down when that traitorous worm has handed over MY city to that upstart fox? He, he dares to mock me!"
Lady Gan reached forward, placing her hand softly on his chest. "You must not let anger rule you. There will be another path."
But her touch only lit the fuse.
With a growl, Liu Bei slapped her across the face, the sound echoing like a thunderclap. Lady Gan crumpled to the floor, her hand pressed to her cheek in stunned pain, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Gasps erupted from the servants, several dropping what they held. One of the younger maids began weeping softly, unable to comprehend what she'd just seen.
Liu Bei loomed over his wife, his chest heaving. "Do not speak to me of calm, you useless wench! Your role is to serve your husband, not to speak above your station!"
Lady Gan, tears beginning to streak down her face, tried to sit up. "My lord, why…? Why are you saying such things?"
"Because you are nothing!" he roared. "Just a vessel to warm my bed and bear my name, a token I carry to maintain appearances. Do not presume to counsel me in matters of war and betrayal!"
The room fell deathly silent.
The servants dared not breathe. Lady Gan covered her mouth, as if to stop her own sobs from spilling forth. Her vision blurred with tears. This was not the man she knew or perhaps, she realized with sickening clarity, this was the man he had always been.
From the shadows, one of the braver servants darted out of the room, feet pounding through the corridors of the estate. She knew there was only one place to turn, General Guan Yu and General Zhang Fei.
Guan Yu was polishing his blade when the maid burst in, her face streaked with tears, her words tumbling out in a frantic rush.
"General! General, you must come, Lord Liu Bei! he, he struck Lady Gan! He's gone mad!"
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade slipped from Guan Yu's fingers, clattering to the ground.
Zhang Fei, who had been drinking nearby, nearly choked on his wine.
"What?!"
The two brothers exchanged a single glance, then moved as one.
Minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, and the grand doors slammed open with a force that nearly tore them from their hinges.
"Big Brother!" Zhang Fei's voice bellowed, and he stormed in like a thunderstorm in human form. Behind him, Guan Yu walked swiftly, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched.
Zhang Fei's gaze swept over the wrecked room, the shattered table, the broken bowls, and then, Lady Gan, weeping on the floor.
His fists clenched. "What is the meaning of this?!"
Lady Gan could only put her head down, eyes downcast as tears continue to flow. She could not say it.
It was Guan Yu who noticed the servants, their heads bowed in fear. One whispered something into his ear, and his face went still.
Guan Yu's expression darkened. He strode forward, and knelt beside Lady Gan, helping her to her feet with surprising gentleness.
"Are you hurt?" he murmured.
She shook her head, though the red mark on her cheek told another story. Then slowly, with measured calm, he turned to Liu Bei.
"Brother," he said, voice cold, "Tell me this is not true."
Liu Bei stood in the middle of the wreckage, breathing hard, his rage still smoldering. "That traitor Liu Qi handed over Xinye to Lie Fan! Everything I had one to him and this is how he repay me! And now she—" he gestured wildly at Lady Gan, "—tells me to calm down!?"
Zhang Fei, meanwhile, with horror in his expression, stepped between Liu Bei and the others, his massive frame blocking the way. "Brother, no matter the news, you do not take it out on your wife and our sister in law!"
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Overlord Of The Central Plains
Age: 33 (200 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 1325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 951 (+20)
VIT: 613 (+20)
AGI: 598 (+10)
INT: 617
CHR: 96
WIS: 519
WILL: 407
ATR Points: 0