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Chapter 893: Hebei Loses Two of Its Four Pillars
🕑 Added 2024-10-24 07:01:26 +0000 UTCBoth fighters came to a stop, as if the momentum had vanished. If an ordinary person were to witness this, they might feel dizzy or nauseous. However, neither Wen Chou nor Guan Yu was an ordinary warrior. Both were among the top-tier warriors of their era, and such a small disturbance was hardly worth their attention.
When their charge ended, they found themselves in switched positions. As a gust of wind swept by, Wen Chou reached out and grabbed Yuan Shao's body, lying on the ground. Without hesitation, he turned and rode past Guan Yu, who, as promised, did not try to stop him.
Wen Chou held Yuan Shao’s body tightly and galloped back with reckless abandon. His consciousness had already begun to blur, but his unwavering loyalty to Yuan Shao was all that kept him going.
After Wen Chou finally disappeared from the horizon, Guan Yu stood silently, staring at the pool of blood on the ground—the blood that had dripped from his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, belonging to Wen Chou.
Guan Yu's simple, unadorned slash had cut through Wen Chou’s chest and out his back. In any normal circumstance, Wen Chou should have been cleaved in two. Yet, against all expectations, he did not fall.
Though Guan Yu was certain that his strike had fatally wounded Wen Chou, the man’s sheer determination and sense of duty had kept him standing even after death was all but certain. Out of respect for this final act of loyalty, Guan Yu chose not to break the promise he had made to let him go.
“What a pity, to see such a loyal man fall at my hands,” Guan Yu muttered as he lifted the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. His body, too, bore the weight of injuries from that fierce strike.
A few dozen miles away, Huang Zhong suddenly reined in his horse and turned to look at Li You. "Military Advisor, Wen Chou’s life force has vanished."
"As expected of Yun Chang," Li You remarked with a slight smile, momentarily pausing before continuing. "Let’s go verify Yuan Shao’s identity. We don’t want another mistake like the one in Xuzhou."
Huang Zhong’s nearly supernatural level of perception was something Li You had no reason to doubt. After all, Huang Zhong was a legendary archer who could shoot immortals from beyond normal sight distance. If he couldn’t sense an Inner Energy expert from several dozen miles away, how could he claim to be a master of long-range combat?
Back in Xuzhou, Li You, along with Jia Xu and others, had been utterly embarrassed when a mere body double had fooled them all. Even though they had all met Cao Cao, Chen Xi, and Guan Yu personally, they had been duped by a clever ruse. Sometimes, small tricks could indeed save lives.
At that moment, a distant figure rapidly approached, moving faster than expected. Li You and Huang Zhong clearly saw Wen Chou cradling Yuan Shao’s body as he rode past them.
"Chase him!" Li You was about to give pursuit when Huang Zhong stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Advisor, there’s no need to chase him. Wen Chou is already dead. All of his vital functions have ceased; only his unyielding will remains. That’s likely why General Guan allowed him to leave. A loyal warrior like that deserves to complete his mission," Huang Zhong said slowly, watching Wen Chou disappear from view.
Li You glanced at Huang Zhong but did not argue. He mounted his horse and headed toward Guan Yu, already convinced that the man Wen Chou had protected was indeed Yuan Shao.
As Li You rode off without a word, Huang Zhong felt a bit uneasy. After traveling from Jing Province to Mount Tai, he had not yet met Liu Bei but had seen the prosperous city, filled with diligent and hopeful citizens. He had been reunited with his son, met Hua Tuo, and encountered Li You.
Mount Tai, in Huang Zhong's opinion, was not luxurious but radiated grandeur. The determination and vitality of its people were evident in their faces. As for Hua Tuo, Huang Zhong could only describe him as a miracle worker, almost divine.
When Huang Zhong had seen the terrible wound on his son Huang Xu’s chest, a wound that could have disemboweled him, he had been at a loss for words. That his son was still alive had filled him with immense joy.
As for Li You, Huang Zhong’s only thought was that he was even more terrifying than Kuai Yue. Every step Li You took seemed meticulously calculated, and Huang Zhong's respect for him only grew. Now, he found himself defying the man’s orders.
"My mission was to ensure Yuan Shao’s death, and Yuan Shao is dead. Nothing else matters. Even a loyal man’s final act of dedication should not be thwarted," Li You said, not looking back as he rode forward.
Huang Zhong was taken aback but silently cupped his hands in respect. Li You, without turning around, casually waved his hand as if he had eyes in the back of his head and spurred his horse onward toward Guan Yu.
At that moment, Hua Xiong and Zhao Yun had successfully withdrawn and were also heading toward Guan Yu. They, too, had seen Wen Chou carrying Yuan Shao’s body, and their extraordinary senses told them that Wen Chou was already dead, driven solely by sheer willpower.
Humans were capable of incredible feats. As Hua Xiong and Zhao Yun watched Wen Chou ride off into the distance, they both removed their helmets in silent respect. Though Wen Chou had been their enemy, even they had to honor such unyielding loyalty.
For that reason, neither Hua Xiong nor Zhao Yun made any attempt to stop Wen Chou or seize Yuan Shao’s body. It wasn’t about verifying whether the corpse was indeed Yuan Shao’s; it was out of respect for Wen Chou’s final act of loyalty.
"There are many honorable men in Hebei," Zhao Yun sighed as he spurred his horse southward. Wen Chou was dead, but he had succeeded in retrieving Yuan Shao’s body. Zhao Yun couldn’t help but worry about Guan Yu.
Wen Chou, carrying Yuan Shao’s body, finally returned to the Yuan army. Under Jiang Yiqu's command, the troops formed a line in the shape of a goose. Everyone dismounted and slowly approached to receive Yuan Shao’s remains.
Wen Chou’s horse slowed down more and more, eventually stopping in front of Yuan Tan. However, Wen Chou did not dismount.
"Thank you, General Wen, for recovering my father’s body," Yuan Tan said slowly, kneeling before Wen Chou’s horse and raising his hands to receive the body.
In Yuan Tan’s mind, although Wen Chou was covered in blood, he had managed to reclaim his father’s body, so he assumed that Wen Chou was fine. After all, the formidable regenerative abilities of an Inner Energy master meant that as long as they weren’t dead, they were more or less safe.
"I… have recovered… our lord’s…" Wen Chou struggled to speak as a faint light appeared in his eyes.
"I know!" Yuan Tan replied impatiently. He had been kneeling for some time now and couldn’t understand why Wen Chou hadn’t yet handed over his father’s body.
Suddenly, Yuan Tan caught the scent of blood, and at the same time, it felt as if it had started raining. The downpour drenched him instantly. Wen Chou, meanwhile, smiled faintly before collapsing from his horse. He had completed his mission.
"My lord, Brother Yan, Brother Ju, the two advisors, I am coming…" A massive wound, cleaving through much of Wen Chou’s left chest, had opened. With that, Wen Chou fell.
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