It Wasn’t a Martial Arts World, but the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 34: The Meeting of Two Dragons

The mountain valley, filled with the energy of spring, overflowed with the aura of life.

I could see frogs hopping across small stones and hear the refreshing sound of the stream flowing through the valley.

By now, I felt like my body was mostly healed.

My senses were sharper by the day, allowing me to perceive everything in this forest with all five senses.

“Those guys were complete fools.”

I muttered as I looked at the clouds leisurely drifting by, a leaf dangling from my lips.

“Even amidst that chaos, that guy Sun Jian managed to find the Imperial Seal, and the lords, ignoring the cries of the people, were all obsessed with that Seal, tearing each other apart.”

“…Yes.”

“Cao Cao, who had gone on the expedition, must’ve been furious seeing that. She stormed off, her eyes bulging like a monster.”

“…Yes.”

Cao Cao, who had been driven to a bitter defeat due to a reckless expedition, looked at me with pitiful eyes, like a cat drenched in the rain.

And then she asked.

‘Do you think this is the right path? Even if the coalition wins, can the Han Dynasty really be revived?’

I vaguely consoled her by saying that the coalition was full of idiots.

She slowly nodded, then asked if I’d join her to the end.

In the end, I declined her offer.

It was a bit too burdensome for me.

What had she said? Something about conquering the world together?

And how the Han Dynasty would be beyond salvation if these cowards were left unchecked.

At that time, Cao Cao had given a cold smile.

“Honestly, I can kind of understand that woman. I did make quite a bit of an impact. Now, tell me. Who am I?”

“The hero of the coalition, the Mad Dog of Bing Province, Unryong, sir.”

“Tsk, I told you to drop the ‘Mad Dog’ part.”

“…I really don’t want to.”

I ignored the woman in front of me and spoke again.

“Anyway, after that, Cao Cao led her troops away. The other lords did the same. Each of them marched off with their armies. So, do you know how much hell I went through with Liu Bei to put out the fires in Luoyang? While I was just trying to rest, the bureaucrats were only concerned about their own safety.”

Of course, the other lords did send troops to help restore Luoyang, but that was only after some time had passed.

Liu Bei and I were the first to start.

We both concentrated solely on extinguishing the fires, without a thought for who took the lead.

“Honestly, if you’re going to follow anyone, Liu Bei is the one to follow. Sure, Cao Cao wasn’t bad either, but—”

“Then why didn’t you follow her?”

“I told you, I have things to do.”

Being here, where I was surrounded by the nostalgia of my homeland, made my blood boil.

There was the urge to gather herbs and elixirs, and the primal desire to train in martial arts constantly surged within me.

“Yeah, this is what I should’ve been doing all along. Really, what was I thinking going to those places for glory and riches? After all, a person shouldn’t stray too far from their homeland.”

“…So, when will this story finally end? You beheaded Hua Xiong, stopped Lü Bu, and became the idol of every coalition soldier, Unryong?”

“Tsk, who told you to recklessly swing your sword without thinking? You should’ve assessed your opponent first.”

“…”

The girl with light blue hair lowered her head, as if she had nothing more to say.

“That… was entirely my fault. Yes, I won’t deny it.”

She then glared at me with a fierce look in her eyes.

“But, this treatment is too much, isn’t it? Why am I kneeling here with both hands raised? And for this long…?”

“Well, if you did something wrong, you should be punished. If I were weak, my head would already be rolling around somewhere over there.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill you. I just needed to confirm what kind of insignificant nobody you were.”

What? She still wasn’t reflecting on her actions?

“Kya! Ow, that hurts!”

When I lightly chopped her head with my hand, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

“Tsk, the nerve of this kid.”

“You’re the one who’s younger than me…”

This woman was the villain who had suddenly attacked me while I was brewing medicinal herbs in the mountains.

Apparently, she had mistaken me for some kind of bandit.

Well, it wasn’t entirely her fault. I had holed up in the mountains with about 500 troops, so it was understandable that she would make that mistake.

“Still, you shouldn’t go swinging your sword around recklessly. Got it? You brat.”

“…I’m sorry.”

She pressed her lips together, as if she had no more room to argue.

I was absolutely shocked when I first fought her.

Her spear moved so fluidly. I had no idea a spear could bend and move so freely.

“Now, where was I…”

“Oh, is there more?”

“A hero’s tale isn’t complete without knowing their life story. Now, let’s move on to martial arts.”

“…I’m sorry. Please, no more…”

She bowed her head to me with a desperate look on her face.

“Hey, seems like you’ve got a curious mind.”

Just as I was about to continue speaking, I heard a whistling sound from behind.

When I turned around, I saw a woman with her hair braided into two pigtails.

“Yide, what brings you here?”

“What else? Here, catch.”

She tossed a bottle of liquor toward me.

“Why else do people meet? Come on, drink up. This stuff is pretty famous in You Province.”

With that, Zhang Fei plopped down onto the ground.

She was always showing up out of the blue, handing me alcohol.

The reason was simple.

“When will we ever be free of that coward…”

Just to vent.

Zhang Fei was not at all happy about Liu Bei serving under Gongsun Zan.

So, ever since I began staying in Ji Province, she would drop by whenever she got bored.

“Isn’t that right?”

“You hate him way too much.”

“If you ask me, that guy thinks he’s some kind of grand loyalist. But you know, I’ve told you before. That little wimp left you to die. He’s completely two-faced, I tell you. A sneaky bastard.”

“I told you, I don’t really care.”

Gongsun Zan or whatever—he’d deal with his own business. Why did I have to sit here, listening to her vent her emotions every day?

Well, free booze wasn’t a bad trade-off, so I let it slide.

Zhang Fei gulped from the bottle, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Ah! By the way, who’s the girl? I didn’t take you for someone with such peculiar tastes, but maybe I was wrong?”

“Damn it, it’s because she suddenly attacked me with her sword.”

“She swung her sword?”

Zhang Fei’s cold gaze turned to the girl, who immediately jumped to her feet.

“It was just a small misunderstanding!”

“Do people usually swing swords during small misunderstandings? What, you jab here and there for fun?”

As I sneered, the girl stomped her feet in frustration.

“After Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang’an, bandits have been pillaging this entire Changshan Commandery…”

At this, Zhang Fei let out a deep sigh.

“So, you were just trying to teach a lesson.”

“Exactly.”

I nodded in satisfaction.

“I was correcting this rude girl’s behavior.”

“Well, don’t be so harsh. In times like these, who’s going to see a guy holed up in the mountains with an army as anything but a wild animal?”

Isn’t that a bit too harsh?

“…Fine. Still, it was just getting interesting.”

“Interesting?”

When Zhang Fei approached with a curious expression, the girl, panicking, squeezed herself between us.

“Please stop! I beg you, no more…”

At this rate, she really would burst into tears, so I had no choice but to hold back.

Clicking my tongue, I gulped down the liquor Zhang Fei had handed me.

“Don’t tell me it was that story again? The martial arts one?”

“Exactly.”

“Seriously, you need to tone it down…”

What? Why was she acting like this? She used to love hearing about it in the beginning.

As I pouted silently, the girl standing awkwardly nearby glanced at us nervously.

“So, who exactly are you?”

“…Now you ask. You were so busy boasting about yourself, you didn’t even ask for my name…”

She muttered quietly, but I heard everything. Just wait, you’ll pay for that later.

Finally, she brushed back her blue hair, which reached down to her shoulders, and placed her hands together politely.

“Pardon me, esteemed guests. My name is Zhao Yun, also known as Zilong of Changshan.”

“Zilong? What a coincidence. Two dragons, huh?”

Zhang Fei laughed heartily, slapping her knee repeatedly. It seemed the alcohol was getting to her.

And I, wondering if my ears were playing tricks on me, tapped them a few times.

“What did you say your name was?”

“I said I am Zhao Zilong of Changshan.”

I see.

That explains it.

No wonder she was so damn strong…