Boss Cao's Hobby / The Sword God of Changban Slope

"You made Liu Bei choose."

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the vast refugee column. Their marching speed could never outrun Cao Cao's elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

"He has the benevolence to lead civilians across the river, yet also the ruthlessness to abandon his wife and child. He truly is a man capable of great things."

Ever since that night's discussion with Fujimaru Kyoya, Zhuge Liang had already resolved to leave the mountains. He had merely been waiting for the right opportunity.

Cao Cao's victory at Guandu made him seem unstoppable, but Guo Jia had already died of illness, Cao Cao's ambitions had begun to diverge from Xun Yu's ideals, and Jia Xu was like a donkey that would not move without a whip.

This was the turning point from prosperity to decline, and the best time for him to enter the world.

"I'll set up formations along the route to delay Cao Cao's main force. The rest is up to you."

Zhuge Liang looked at Fujimaru Kyoya. This dangerous task could only be entrusted to his friend before him.

Liu Bei had treated him as a state scholar, so he could not possibly let Liu Bei's wives die for nothing. At the very least, he had to bring out the child.

"Of course I'm always the one doing dangerous things like this."

Fujimaru Kyoya sighed, but said nothing more. After all, between fighting a bunch of muscle-brained brutes and playing mind games with strategists clever enough to seem inhuman... anyone would know which to choose.

"Be careful. If something happens to you, who am I supposed to collect my wedding gift from?"

Zhuge Liang suddenly remembered his own wedding. This shameless bastard had not given even a single coin as a wedding gift, so Zhuge Liang could only hope to make up for it at the other man's wedding.

Though this fellow had shown no intention of marrying all these years, who knew when he might finally come to his senses?

"Marriage? I'm not stupid. If I got married, you'd definitely come mooch free meals."

Fujimaru Kyoya shook his head. It was not that he could not afford the wedding gift; it was simply that no one, throughout all of history, had ever taken advantage of Zhuge Liang.

He rather wanted to give it a try.

"If you want to drink at my wedding feast, then... how about in your next life?"

With that, Fujimaru Kyoya spurred his horse away, leaving Zhuge Liang alone to seriously consider how he could reclaim that wedding gift in his next life.

Boss Cao's Hobby

[You looked at the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in the distance. They were Cao Cao's most elite cavalry force. This should originally have been Zhao Yun's battlefield, but now it had become the battlefield of "Zhao Yun"—you.]

[You did not dwell on your identity. The passing years had taught you not to worry about such trivial things, because you had always been someone for whom such things did not matter.]

[Without hesitation, guided by Zhuge Liang, you quickly found the carriage carrying Liu Bei's wives.]

Fujimaru Kyoya's distinctive white horse and silver spear, along with the armor of Liu Bei's Army, quickly earned their trust.

Lady Gan's guards had also heard of it: their lord had a strange guard who could never be found in ordinary times, yet always appeared at crucial moments to save their lord from danger.

"May I ask if you are General Zhao?"

Fujimaru Kyoya was merely someone hanging around without any real position, so naturally he had no general's title. Still, Lady Gan treated him with sufficient respect.

"That's right."

Fujimaru Kyoya looked into the carriage. Besides Lady Gan, there was another woman inside, an arrow lodged in her body as she lay at death's door. This must have been Lady Mi.

"Is the wound severe?"

"Don't worry about me. Please take Chan'er away, General. He is my husband's bloodline. Please keep him safe."

Lady Mi's face was pale, but her expression remained resolute. She hoped Fujimaru Kyoya would bring the infant away. Even if only this one child escaped, it would still be a good thing.

"No need."

Fujimaru Kyoya did not look at the one later generations called A Dou Who Cannot Be Propped Up. His gaze remained fixed on the five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry behind them.

"General..."

"My lady, surely you know I was also a student of Water Mirror Manor. I know a little about military strategy too."

Fujimaru Kyoya finally found his target and smiled.

"Military strategy?"

No one understood what strategy a force of fewer than a hundred men could use against five thousand cavalrymen, but Fujimaru Kyoya told them to leave quickly. He would handle what came next.

"I was a student of Water Mirror Manor, after all. Don't underestimate me. Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao should be... a stratagem from The Art of War, right? Probably."

Fujimaru Kyoya spurred his horse toward the five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Whether or not it was truly a stratagem from The Art of War, he understood the principle of attacking what the enemy had to save.

Cao Cao's failure this time lay in his impatience.

Since Liu Bei's route headed toward Jiangling, Cao Cao had deliberately brought five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to prevent Liu Bei from reaching Jiangling first. Even if they could not win, they could still retreat.

But could the marching speed of an army compare to that of one man?

"Kucha Zi, let's go."

Fujimaru Kyoya's mount let out an annoyed sound. The illustrious Night-Shining Jade Lion had been given a name like "Kucha Zi," and it was not funny in the slightest.

Still, that was only after Zhuge Liang had repeatedly argued for it. Otherwise, Fujimaru Kyoya had originally planned to call it "Underwear."

Cao Cao had brought five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to intercept Liu Bei before he reached Jiangling, but for some reason they had entered a bewildering formation. By the time they emerged, they had not encountered Liu Bei, but they had encountered Liu Bei's wives.

What a pleasant surprise.

Most of the Cao Army knew what their lord's tastes were. When Guan Yu had still been around, Cao Cao had restrained himself. But now that Guan Yu had gone on his Thousand-Mile Solo Ride, Cao Cao truly could not endure it any longer.

If he could not capture Liu Bei, then he would capture Liu Bei's wives.

With the blood rushing to both heads, Cao Cao had clearly forgotten how he had once lost a beloved general over Zhang Xiu's aunt.

"Hm? What is that?"

Cao Cao saw a white figure charging toward them from afar. It looked like a cloud, utterly without threat.

Of course. He was surrounded by the peerless Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Unless Lu Bu returned from the dead, who could possibly hurt him?

"Reporting to my lord, it is Zhao Yun."

Xiahou Dun had long possessed the reputation of being able to see a hundred li away. Though he had lost one eye, when he swallowed that eye...

He stacked his two eyes and performed an Xyz Summon to call forth the giant spray... Ahem. His eyesight had not weakened in the slightest.

From afar, he spotted Fujimaru Kyoya approaching alone.

"Zhao Yun? I never expected that today I would not only gain two wives, but also cripple one of Liu Bei's great generals. Yuanrang, can you kill him?"

"Please allow Wen Yuan to accompany me."

Though five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry stood beside him, Xiahou Dun remained far from arrogant.

On the battlefield, only three people could truly engage one opponent at a time. In theory, if one person could continuously defeat three opponents, then even an army of thousands could not stop him.

Of course, that was only theory. No one had infinite stamina, and Xiahou Dun understood that using an army of thousands against one man would be overkill.

They still needed to capture Liu Bei's wives. Zhang Liao and he would be enough.

"My lord, to end this swiftly, please allow me to go as well."

At that moment, Xiahou En stepped forward. The Xiahou clan had all risen to greatness through Cao Cao's favor, and he wanted an opportunity too.

He then recalled the battle of the Three Heroes against Lu Bu.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had restrained Lu Bu before Liu Bei entered the battle, putting on a grand performance that had made Liu Bei famous.

Now, Xiahou En looked at Fujimaru Kyoya and thought that with Xiahou Dun and Zhang Liao, two great figures, protecting him, he might as well use Liu Bei's old method.

Besides, Xiahou Dun was his own brother. When the time came, they could give the enemy's head to him, then he could treat them to a meal afterward, and the matter would be settled.

"You really are quick-witted."

Cao Cao had originally been born into the Xiahou clan, only changing his surname after being adopted by Cao Song. Since one of his own brothers wanted to rise, there was no reason for him, the elder brother, not to lend support.

"Very well. Go with Yuanrang and Wen Yuan. Take this sword as well."

As Cao Cao spoke, he removed one of his paired swords and handed it to Xiahou En. Xiahou En was overjoyed at the sight.

The Azure Cyan Sword was Cao Cao's personal sword. Zhang Liao understood the meaning behind giving it away—it was clearly an order for the others not to compete for the merit.

He did not care much about the merit itself. What he regretted was that a strong man like Fujimaru Kyoya would be used as a stepping stone by an ignorant fool like Xiahou En.

"Thank you, my lord."

Having obtained the Azure Cyan Sword, Xiahou En beamed with delight. Xiahou Dun then sent several hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry ahead to exhaust Fujimaru Kyoya's stamina.

Against such a powerful foe, wearing him down first could never be wrong.

Yet they soon realized something was off. Why did that man seem to have no stamina loss at all? The more he fought, the stronger he became.

A man who had once filled Cao Cao with terror seemed to appear before him.

Lu Bu?

Impossible. There could not be another Lu Bu in this world.

Absolutely impossible.

The Sword God of Changbanpo

"You can go with him if you're worried, Consort Yu."

Huang Yueying looked at Consort Yu, who was clearly somewhat absent-minded. Though Fujimaru Kyoya and Consort Yu had not had anything between them over the years, they could at least be considered troublesome friends. If she was truly worried, she could go take a look.

"It's fine. That guy is actually very strong. I just think everything they're doing will still be pointless in the end."

For Consort Yu, who had once witnessed the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, very few people deserved to be called "very strong." Fujimaru Kyoya's current combat performance had not yet earned that evaluation, but...

"That guy is obviously incredibly skilled in Swordsmanship, yet he has always refused to use it. But if he wants to survive this time, he will have no choice."

Consort Yu recalled her sparring sessions with Fujimaru Kyoya over the years. She had once relied on her Immortality to demand that Fujimaru Kyoya fight at full strength. That day, she had finally witnessed Swordsmanship as continuous and unending as flowing water.

When asked about it, Fujimaru Kyoya's answer had only been two words—he was tired of it.

Naturally, he was not tired of the sword itself. He was tired of the style of "flowing water."

Fujimaru Kyoya did not have his memories erased after each simulation. Even after returning to modern life, as long as he trained diligently, he could at least approach the skill level of his simulated self.

He would not abandon these techniques, but Fujimaru Kyoya did not place this approach into his simulations. If he continued simulating this way, the simulations would become incredibly dull.

There would be no Shadow or Zhao Tian in such simulations. There would only be one Lloyd after another, relying on Flowing Water Sword to brute-force countless simulations.

Lloyd had already reached the endpoint of Flowing Water Sword, so Shadow and Zhao Tian had no need to continue exploring that path.

Instead, Zhao Tian could continue exploring the spear techniques that Shadow had not yet brought to their endpoint.

"You really have confidence in him."

"I've lived a long time. Over the course of that long life, I've seen very few people reach that level in any one skill."

Since Fujimaru Kyoya was not present, Consort Yu openly acknowledged his attainments in Sword Art.

Even in the Age of Gods, where Immortals gathered in great numbers, very few people could achieve such insight.

If used properly, it would definitely be far more useful than a spear or anything else. Consort Yu simply did not understand how someone his age could have acquired such skill so early.

Could the decline of the Age of Gods have instead greatly improved the purity of people in this world?

The decline of the Age of Gods was truly incredible.

That day, Cao Cao remembered the terror of being dominated by Lu Bu, and the helplessness of facing a monster.

It was as if time had flowed backward. Back then, he had not yet won Guandu. Back then, when he attacked Xuzhou, Lu Bu had ambushed him. That had been the moment he came closest to that God of War.

He had thought the helpless feeling of having his life beyond his own control would never return to him, yet now he felt it once again.

One man and one spear. Five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry could not stop him at all.

As for capturing Liu Bei's wives?

What kind of joke was that? If Fujimaru Kyoya kept charging, their lord's head would be in danger.

Run?

No. Cao Cao would never run.

In battle, the commander-in-chief was the symbol of morale. If he fled, what would happen to the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry? What would happen to the forces pursuing Liu Bei?

More importantly, Cao Cao had confidence in the generals under his command.