Liu Bei POV

Un, looks like it’s working.

“My lord! Our losses are too great! Almost half are no longer able to fight or dead!”

“Ah… I know…” I forced out a yell in reply despite my exhaustion.

The one who replied me was Zhou Cang, who sprang back to my side after delivering yet another slash. She was probably spent seeing how hard she’s panting now. I looked at the surrounding troops and saw that they were drained as well. Even those that weren’t injured had part, if not all, of their heavy plate armour damaged. I doubt we can hold on for more than 10 minutes.

“Zhou Cang! Has Huang Zu linked up with Liu Qi?!”

“Yes! They just did!”

Oh, that’s good then. It’s good that they’ve linked up.

“My lord, what do we do now?”

“Eh?” Zhou Cang’s question stunned me. It just so happens that I was just thinking about it.

“Ah?!” Seeing my troubled look, “My lord, don’t tell me you never thought about that!”

“Please give me a moment…”

“Ah…” Zhou Cang was still angry but she seemed deflated at my reply.

Beads of sweat formed on my head as I looked about and saw that Chen Dao and Chen Gong were not out of the woods and yet and had begun heading towards us, probably expecting further orders.

Th-th-this… What do we do now–

“Crooked leader! Hand me your life this instant!”

Just then, a voice came from my side. Before I could turn around, a long spear came flying for me, and was deflected back in the direction from where the voice came from with a *clang*. I looked up and saw that someone had blocked and deflected the spear and jumped in front of me.

“You dare a.s.sault us without even reporting your name, where is your honour?!” Zhou Cang was able to react in time despite her exhaustion and was now standing in front of me.

“Hmph! Repaying a debt of blood with blood is honourable. You owes a blood debt so is it wrong to demand repayment from you?!”

I only got a good glimpse when that person stood up after she leapt away from me. She had a pair of upturned eyes, and her long hair was coiled up with a long lock on her left. She wore a figure hugging long dress that showed off her slender figure. Her expression was ferocious and her face was filled with anger.

“I always pay my tab be it for food or rent!”

I don’t think that’s what she’s talking about.

“Cut the c.r.a.p!” The slender woman took a long step and stabbed at Zhou Cang as she yelled out.

“Step back, my lord!”

Zhou Cang yelled out as she raised her blade and deflected the spear. The woman pulled back and stabbed immediately again, forcing Zhou Cang to block once more. This went on over and over for about 5-6 times until Zhou Cang who was utterly exhausted began to falter.

“Zhou Cang! I’ll help you!” Just then, a voice came from the troops nearby.

*Neigh*~~~

Before I could turn to look, a horse’s neigh could be heard and a girl leapt up from it.

“Chen Dao?!” When I saw the chest guard, I was able to recognise her immediately and called out to her.

She roared out as she spun in the air and stabbed at the slender woman with her spear.

*Ding*

The spear was blocked with the slender woman’s own spear, making sparks.

“Ha!” Chen Dao flipped and brought the spear up with her momentum, forcing the slender woman back as she tried to regain some distance.

“My lord! I’m late!” I can’t believe she still has the time to apologise.

“No no no. Your timing was impeccable. I ran out of strength just now.” Zhou Cang said. I looked at her, and saw that her hand which held her blade had begun trembling. Looks like she’s really out of strength.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let that crook get her way.” Chen Dao looked at that person once more as she said so, “Are you the overall commander for this army?”

“So what if I am, and so what I am note?”

“Ah… No, I was just asking.” Chen Dao seemed a little taken aback when she got the question returned to her.

Are you going to be alright?

“My name is Chen Dao and I am a minor officer. May I ask who you are and to which faction you belong to?”

“…” The slender woman closed her eyes after Chen Dao finished and concentrated, and then–

“Cut the c.r.a.p!” She roared out before heading straight for me again.

“Kuh! d.a.m.n it!” Chen Dao seems to have gotten surprised by this sudden loud roar by the slender woman and wasn’t able to get into a proper position.

“Un?” Just then, the woman stopped, as though she detected something.

*Sou*!

In the next instant, someone to the right shot an arrow at the slender woman, aimed right for her chest. If it landed, she would probably die instantly.

“Hmph!” But at that very moment, a black figure ran out from the crowd and stopped here and deflected the arrow with a *Ka*.

“To the archer over there, stop hiding amongst the chaos. No matter how many you shoot, it’s all worthless.” The black figure that charged out said so. She wore a set of black robes and a black hate that looked exactly like an a.s.sa.s.sin’s garb. And because of that, I couldn’t see her looks though I could figure out that she was another woman from her voice.

Eh? Why did I say ‘another’?

“Oh?! Is that so?”

When the black-clothed woman finished, someone yelled out and walked out of the chaotic battle. As she walked through the battlefield, she moved past all the blades in her way and let loose another arrow!

A clear sound rang out when the black-clothed woman sent the arrow to the ground.

“I said that it was worthless.”

“Really?” That person replied as she continued to walk out of the chaos. And that person was none other than Chen Gong.

Chen Gong stopped when she came out and pointed at herself with her thumb, “Scoundrel, won’t you take a look at who I am?!”

“Ah.” The sound of tearing cloth could be heard from the black-clothed woman’s forehead and when I looked over, I saw that her hat had been split into 2.

“Kuh. You b.a.s.t.a.r.d.” She tried to hide her face, but it was clear as day now.

She didn’t look very old, and was probably in her early twenties as her oval face was beginning to look mature. Her head of greyish-white hair and red eyes made her look abnormal, and the impression I had of her was that she felt like a vampire. At this time, her black coat was covering her mouth, making her seem even more like some vampiric character.

“Foster mother,” The slender woman hurried forward to the black-clothed woman and called out to her before looking at us with fury in her eyes, “The battle is over, yet not only do you not surrender, you even hurt my mother! I’ll tear you to pieces!”

“Foster mother?!” Zhou Cang seemed to be very shocked at this. As for me, I didn’t feel like it was a big deal after getting to know about Guan Ping and Yun Chang.

“Cut the c.r.a.p!” The slender woman stabbed out with her spear at Zhou Cang.

“Hmph! I won’t fall for the same trick again!” Zhou Cang twisted her body and spun in the air as she stabbed out with her blade.

The slender woman dodged to the side and stabbed right at Zhou Cang’s body, meeting her blade head on. Her strength prevailed over Zhou Cang’s and the spear edged closer to Zhou Cang’s body, forcing her to jump back and gain some distance.

“Kuh! Chen Dao! Protect our lord!”

The slender woman didn’t waste any time in charging at us again, seizing the opportunity now that Zhou Cang was temporarily out of the picture. When I saw this, I hurriedly got my stance ready to meet the incoming attack.

“Ha!”

“Get out of my way!”

“– Be careful my lord!”

Chen Dao tried to rush up to receive the attack but the black-clothed woman stopped Chen Dao in her tracks with her own long spear, making it difficult for Chen Dao to approach me.

*Sou*! — *Ding*!

Chen Gong continued to shoot at the slender woman but the arrows didn’t stop her in the least as she continued to head towards me whilst deflecting the arrows with her spear.

Zhou Cang couldn’t get here in time, Chen Dao was occupied with someone else and Chen Gong can only support from far. Looks like it’s basically a 1 on 1 scenario now.

“Imperial Uncle! Get back, retreat into the crowd.” Chen Gong yelled out at me.

But by now, I already made my resolve and pulled out my other sword as I readied myself for the incoming attack.

If I didn’t dare to meet my enemies head-on, then what reason do my soldiers have to die for me?

As I watched the slender person get closer to me, my mind was completely blank and devoid of any schemes that could be used at this urgent juncture.

“Crook! Hand me your life!” She roared out as she held the blunt end of her spear and stabbed at me.

I placed my twin swords in a cross position in front of my chest and got ready to block her stab–

“Kuh!”

Too heavy!

The moment her spear landed on the twin swords, it felt like an elephant was stepping on my chest and I was forced to bend backwards and had difficulty breathing.

*Neigh*~~~

The horse I was riding on cried out as it got a shock from the sudden movement and stepped about. I was practically parallel to the ground now and holding on tightly to the horse with my legs so that I wouldn’t fall off. I put strength into my grip and pushed the spear away with the sword in front, and slashed at her with the other sword.

“Too slow.”

But she was able to easily dodge it and thereafter, I felt like my abdomen was. .h.i.t hard by a pole and my legs gave way as I fell to the ground.

“Ah!” I landed heavily on the ground and hit my head. If this happened a few more times, I would probably be mentally handicapped.

When I slowly opened my eyes after recovering from the fall, I saw the slender woman standing before me. She swung her spear behind her as she stopped Zhou Cang who had caught up, and also to deflect the incoming arrows.

I wanted to stand and a.s.sist Zhou Cang but I lost the feeling in my hands from the fall, and my swords as well.

As I lay on the ground and looked at my surroundings, all I saw were my troops who fell one by one. Looks like everything is over.

Hai, I never knew that as Liu Bei, I would only get as far as this…