NOVPUB"Both boys and girls are good," Chen Xi had recovered his usual demeanor, but the joy in his eyes and brows was subtly apparent. "Our family doesn’t worry about these things; I love all children the same."
"Really?" Chen Lan asked, her voice filled with a hint of delight.
"Truly, boys tend to be more troublesome, while girls can save some worry," Chen Xi said with a smile, trying to reassure her. Although he spoke casually, Chen Lan could tell that he meant what he said, and it wasn’t just to placate her.
"However, I do hope that the child in my womb can be like my husband," Chen Lan said with a light laugh. "So, I still hope for a boy."
Chen Xi smiled and said nothing. Even if he had a son, he wasn’t confident he could teach him to reach his own level. The times are always changing; the education system two thousand years later might have its flaws, but if someone really wanted to learn, they could gain a lot of distressing knowledge—something impossible in this era.
"You should rest well and stop doing these things," Chen Xi gently patted Chen Lan, signaling her not to overexert herself. She was pregnant and still embroidering clothes for the child at night, which was worrying. The maids of the Chen family could make plenty of these things.
"Chen Yun, keep an eye on madam. If she still embroiders these things at night, come and tell me," Chen Xi said, turning his head towards Chen Yun, who stood discretely on the side.
"I understand," Chen Lan said with a gentle face.
"Alright, you better rest now, I’ll watch over you as you sleep," Chen Xi adjusted the bedding for Chen Lan and gently patted it.
A long, long time passed, and Chen Xi was almost dozing off, but Chen Lan was becoming more lively.
"Husband, you should return to your room to rest. You watching over me like this actually keeps me from resting," Chen Lan said, covering her mouth with a light laugh.
"Alright, I won’t disturb you anymore," Chen Xi said, feeling a bit sleepy himself, as if sleepiness was contagious. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
After closing the door properly behind him as he left the room, Chen Xi looked up at the sky and murmured to himself, life before having offspring and after is completely different.
"Jian’er, you’re still here," Chen Xi said with a smile.
"I was waiting for my lord," Fan Jian said with a slight bow.
"Mm," Chen Xi said with a smile. He could see the disappointment in Fan Jian’s eyes and brows.
Chen Xi hadn’t made a special effort to spread the news of Chen Lan’s pregnancy, but soon everyone who needed to know was aware, even receiving gifts ahead of time.
"Congratulations," Liu Bei said as he brought over a Jade Cauldron, his face full of happiness. "Zichuan, congratulations, congratulations."
"Lord Xuande, I wish you congratulations as well," Chen Xi replied with a smile.
"Mutual joy, mutual joy," Liu Bei said, pulling at his mouth to choose another phrase to say. Lady Gan was already four or five months along in her pregnancy.
Chen Xi accepted the Jade Cauldron and handed it to a guard behind him, looking at Liu Bei with a smile. Although he had been a bit frenzied lately due to the dreams about the Jade Bi Disc, this frenzy was nothing compared to the immense joy on hand.
"I have actually been looking forward to this day for quite a while," Liu Bei said with a beaming smile as he walked alongside Chen Xi. "You are finally having a child. Tsk, tsk, tsk, I didn’t expect it to happen so soon, practically without waiting at all."
"Waiting for quite a while?" Chen Xi tugged at the corner of his mouth and poured a cup of clear tea for Liu Bei and himself, then started drinking directly. The two of them didn’t bother with the formalities of serving tea and seeing guests off, finding it meaningless.
"Of course, I’ve been waiting a long time. I even want your daughter to be my son’s legal wife," Liu Bei said excitedly.
[So you’re only interested in having my daughter marry your son, huh? Bah, I’m going to have a son—uh, not that I can control that.] Chen Xi felt slightly annoyed, so he scoffed and said, "I do not know whether it will be a boy or a girl. Lord Xuande seems so certain his eldest son will be a boy."
"If it’s a girl, how about letting her marry your son?" Liu Bei said nonchalantly. "How about that, are you satisfied now?"
[So you have everything figured out. If they’re both boys, do you also want to form a sworn brotherhood?] Chen Xi said speechlessly.
"You’re truly something," Chen Xi said to Liu Bei with a respectful bow. "I am convinced, when the time comes, you’ll see..."
Before Chen Xi could finish, Wuu Anguo came rushing over to Liu Bei with a bow, "Lord, an urgent report from Strategist Jia: General Zhang has been defeated by Lyu Bu, General Xuu and General Guan have both been injured, and Lyu Bu is even more formidable than he was at Hulao Pass!"
"What?" Liu Bei exclaimed, immediately standing up. He had been wary of a one-on-one fight between Zhang Fei and Lyu Bu, but due to Zhang Fei’s insistence, Liu Bei did not want to restrict him too much. For safety, he ordered Xuu Chu to back up in Yanzhou, and later dispatched Guan Yu from Licheng to reinforce Yanzhou. Besides allowing Zhang Fei to fight Lyu Bu without reservations, he harbored thoughts of wiping out Lyu Bu as well.
Rolling time back to when Lyu Bu trampled over Zhang He, the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry under the command of Wei Xu and Hou Cheng could barely lift their heads under the assault of the Vanguard Death Squad, but in Lyu Bu’s hands, they seemed to come alive. Under the boost of Lyu Bu’s Corps’ Legion Talent, the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry possessed an almost Xiliang Iron Cavalry-like charge capability, combined with near White Horse Righteous Followers standards of mounted archery.
The heavy infantry led by the Great Halberdiers encountered Lyu Bu in an instant, and that towering great halberd gave Zhang He no time to react at all. A central thrust from the halberd tore the halberdier formation apart, and then, like a butterfly flitting through flowers or clouds flowing across a stream, Lyu Bu sliced the entire group of heavy infantry into pieces.
Zhang He was not slow to react; as soon as the heavy infantry suffered heavy damage, he immediately contracted the military formation, prepared to have the robust bodies of the heavy infantry directly block the charge of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, and commanded his men to rapidly notify Tian Feng and Xun Shen to dispatch crossbowmen for area suppression.
There was no error in the dispatch. The mistake was Zhang He’s underestimation of the strength of the current world’s number one military general. A single arrow from Lyu Bu broke Zhang He’s long Spear, pierced through Zhang He himself, and incidentally snapped the command banner.
Truth be told, if it weren’t for Lyu Bu running out of arrows after dealing with the scouts, using only shaftless arrows in that instance, that one spear thrust would have been enough to claim Zhang He’s life. Even so, the blow still knocked Zhang He off his horse.
After that, Zhang He lost even the courage to face Lyu Bu head-on. This wasn’t a fight at the same level; killing a man as easily as slaughtering a chicken was no laughing matter.
With Zhang He’s dispatching gone, although the great halberdiers were still elite, they were quickly scattered by Lyu Bu leading the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, forced to fight and retreat.
By the time Zhou Ang, Shen Rong, and others arrived under orders, the situation was irretrievable. Before they could form ranks to rescue the great halberdiers, Lyu Bu leading the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry swept over like the wind. A torrent of arrows rained down, with Lyu Bu at the forefront, piercing through the Hebei Army’s Cloud Qi, then fiercely breaking through.
In an instant, men and horses were sent flying. In less than the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, the Hebei Army’s backup forces were directly routed by Lyu Bu, command banners shattered, and after Lyu Bu led a handful of trusted aides head-on into the fray, the entire Hebei Army burst apart like a punctured balloon, collapsing in full retreat. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendations, monthly votes; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
