NOVPUBGuo Jia lay in a pool of blood, feeling no severe discomfort. As he spat out a mouthful of blood, he didn’t feel his life slipping away, just a bit of dizziness, which meant that his core wasn’t damaged.
"Jia Wenhe, I will definitely kill you when I get back. Couldn’t you have told me about the side effects when you told me about the spiritual talent!" Guo Jia thought irritably, his head spinning. He hadn’t expected that upon grasping a sliver of opportunity and actively triggering his spiritual talent for the first time, it would harm himself before others.
"Just prescribe some blood-replenishing medicine for me," Guo Jia said, propping himself up to sit properly, speaking to Li Dangzhi.
"Chief Clerk Guo, please allow me to take your pulse before discussing anything else. Although it looks like you have just lost too much blood and suffered no injuries from your appearance, this is the first time I’ve encountered such a situation, so please let me check again," Li Dangzhi said, not feeling any anger from having been carried over by Wei Yan.
Guo Jia extended his left arm, carelessly placing it upon the bloodstained desk. His creamy Shu Brocade Long Robe was instantly stained with blood.
"Strange, strange..." Li Dangzhi muttered, puzzled as he looked at Guo Jia.
"I told you, just some blood-replenishing medicine would do," Guo Jia grumbled.
"You’ll be fine with some dietary replenishment. Porridge, soup—maids in a Chief Clerk’s household know how to make such things," Li Dangzhi said with a troubled expression before leaving.
Afterward, Guo Jia and Guan Yu switched tables and continued their feast. However, before long, Guan Yu’s maid brought over a bowl of Three Reds Blood Replenishing Porridge. Guo Jia eyed the tangled colors, then still drank it under Guan Yu’s fiery gaze.
"Tell me, what exactly happened earlier," Guan Yu demanded, his expression stern, after seeing Guo Jia finish the porridge.
"The negative effect of my spiritual talent. Normally, if this talent is triggered unconsciously, it wouldn’t have any impact, but now, even with my Lord’s talent weakening it, I still got a little hurt. Nonetheless, it was worth it," Guo Jia said, placing the bowl aside casually, a smile on his face.
"Don’t do such dangerous things in the future. Others may not know your capabilities, but I, Guan Yunchang, know them well. As long as you’re here, unless Northern Yuan Shao brings a massive army, Qingzhou is safe," Guan Yu said with a nod.
"If there’s a next time, I would still do it, because it’s worth it. Even if I had to exchange my life for the world to be pacified ten years earlier, I would do it, let alone for just a mouthful of blood," Guo Jia said smilingly. "Zichuan, I’ve already paved the way, the rest is up to you."
Guan Yu remained indifferent. Although he didn’t understand the full meaning behind Guo Jia’s words, he sensed his determination; such a person couldn’t be swayed by words, whether from comrades or foes.
"What a trap. It seems the price of triggering my spiritual talent this time is quite significant. I can’t even feel my spiritual talent now. It’s probably going to be a year and a half before I can use it again. However, if what Jia Wenhe’s letter says is true, then this time, it seems I have managed to shift the tide with the help of the Cui Family," Guo Jia silently schemed. As for his spiritual talent being sealed, he didn’t feel much about it; he didn’t rely on it to survive.
In fact, what Guo Jia didn’t know was that if it hadn’t been for the first-time activation of Liu Bei’s talent forcefully neutralizing the side effects of his spiritual talent’s activation, Guo Jia would have been left barely better off than Xi Zhicai, dead or not, and his lifespan would have been substantially shortened.
After all, the ability to decide the situation with one word depends on whom it’s used against. The cost required to decide the fate of a beggar compared to that of an empire is worlds apart. Although Guo Jia prudently used Cui Lie as a fulcrum to leverage the Cui Family, then used the Cui Family to leverage the Aristocratic Families of Hebei, and finally conspired to undermine Yuan Shao with the Aristocratic Families of Hebei, it did not change the fact that he had actively altered the grand trend of the world.
"Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the outcome." Guo Jia couldn’t help but look northward. Regardless of enmity, he had to admire Yuan Shao, a true Mighty Lord, yet since they opposed each other, formidable or not, he must fall at the feet of his Lord Liu Bei.
Chen Xi was unaware of the events that had taken place in the past quarter hour, he only knew that Zhou Yu had arrived and that Zhou Yu’s forces and generals were no weaker than their own, even with the possibility of having an edge. The words of Zhuge Liang had made it clear to him that the enemy had at least two top sages and three martial experts capable of Inner Qi Manifestation. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"Friend from Lumen Academy, who are you speaking of?" Chen Xi asked in confusion, "Who has graduated from Lumen Academy at this time?"
Chen Xi’s inquiry caused Zhuge Liang some embarrassment, as there truly were no senior disciples emerging from Lumen Academy, which was one of the two greatest academies in the world, while the talents from Yingchuan Academy were essentially the foundation supporting all overlords in the land.
"Pang Shiyuan, a man who is no less talented than me." Zhuge Liang said with some dissatisfaction; the young man was not yet able to utter the modest words of being ten times outdone by others.
"Pang Shiyuan?" Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, "Leave him to you to handle, I will deal with Zhou Yu. As long as you can hold back Pang Shiyuan, that will be enough. Can you do it?"
Zhuge Liang frowned slightly, but eventually nodded, "Fine, I will hold back Pang Shiyuan. I can manage that."
"What’s wrong, Shiyuan?" Zhou Yu also noticed the slightly distressed look on Pang Tong’s face and asked with a hint of confusion.
"Opposite me, besides Chen Zichuan, there is also Zhuge Kongming. Leave him to me; I’ll handle him!" Pang Tong said with a cold laugh, as he immediately used his Spiritual Talent to plunder Zhuge Liang’s intelligence.
"Zhuge Kongming?" Zhou Yu looked at Pang Tong in bewilderment.
"Someone who really annoys me, and I’m sure he will annoy you as well," Pang Tong said coldly, "this time, I’m going to make him suffer. Let me fully disperse the mist first; the River Map you gave me has no issues, right?"
"No," Zhou Yu shook his head and said.
"Good, then. The river is turbulent, with countless undercurrents—who knows what reefs it may hide," Pang Tong said with a sinister smile, "This battlefield is excellent, just watch me sink their ships."
"Gan Xingba, do you dare to engage me in a battle upon the river!" Before the mist had even cleared, a powerful voice resounded from the river.
"Zhou Youping, are your wounds healed yet?" Gan Ning called out with a hearty laugh.
"A mere scratch. Today, you and I will settle our differences!" Zhou Tai’s booming voice traveled once more along the river.
"As a commander-in-chief, fighting with an underling like you who has always been defeated, in addition to being a guard, does seem a bit beneath my dignity!" The mocking voice of Gan Ning spread throughout the entire fleet, followed by laughter from all directions.
"Ziyi, something doesn’t seem quite right. Zhou Youping is also an expert in naval battles, and he will surely lead troops directly against me," Gan Ning said seriously, "wait a moment before moving the Central Army to withstand their assault. I will lead the left wing to pierce straight into their central forces. After all, Sun Bofu is still young, and his strength has not reached its peak. Taking advantage of the strategist and Kongming engaging their civil officials, I will quickly take down Sun Bofu."
Although Gan Ning had not yet confirmed the number of the enemy’s ships, the sheer momentum of Zhou Tai’s challenge told him there would be no small number of vessels. In such a situation, if one wished to emerge unscathed, the best tactic would be to capture the leader! (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes at Qi Dian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
