Chapter 1098: The Final Instructions

"Did you change the code again?" Liu Bei asked with a headache, staring at the cryptic symbols sent over by Jia Xu.

"I don't think so," Chen Xi glanced at the symbols, then translated them into binary code and read the message. He quickly decoded it.

"What's wrong, Zichuan?" Liu Bei looked at Chen Xi with confusion, trying to appear as if he could understand the coded message himself.

"Cao Cao has clashed with Lü Bu. Ma Chao is seriously injured, and Lü Bu did not come out unscathed either," Chen Xi said in disbelief.

"What happened?" Liu Bei was stunned, not knowing what to say.

"Ma Chao's personal guard was wiped out by Lü Bu for some unknown reason, about a third of them. Then Ma Chao encountered Lü Bu, who struck him down, leaving him gravely injured," Chen Xi explained briefly. The whole situation seemed fragmented and unclear.

"With our intelligence system, we can’t get more accurate information?" Liu Bei frowned, hoping for more details.

"No, that's all we have," Chen Xi shook his head. "It seems the battle between Cao Cao and Lü Bu has officially begun. Thankfully, the Xianbei have already been defeated by both of them, or this would have been a bigger problem."

"If we deploy our forces now..." Liu Bei began but quickly realized it was impossible. Neither the timing nor the current state of their soldiers was suitable for battle.

"It’s too late, and there’s no way for us to intervene," Chen Xi shook his head. "We’ll have to wait for the outcome; it will reveal itself soon enough."

As Chen Xi spoke, Lü Bu, his face cold and indifferent, was staring down the combined forces of the Cao and Ma clans. Zhang He and Gao Lan were staying neutral for the moment, as Lü Bu had slaughtered a third of Ma Chao’s personal guards and seriously injured Ma Chao.

In such a sudden and chaotic situation, Chen Gong, though initially caught off guard, found himself unnervingly calm once the events unfolded. It was as if he was born for this moment, ready for a decisive battle.

Chen Gong had a sense that this might be his last stand. Though he didn’t understand why Lü Bu had attacked Ma Chao, he didn’t think it was wrong. Since he couldn’t align himself with Cao Cao, whom he despised, surrender wasn’t an option.

"What? You’re telling me not to get involved in this?" Chen Gong asked Lü Bu angrily.

"I told you, just follow my orders," Lü Bu said, his face torn with internal struggle. The backlash of the ancient faith and his pride made it impossible for him to explain why he had slaughtered Ma Chao’s personal guards. In his eyes, it didn’t matter—he had killed them, and there was no turning back.

"Lü Fengxian, you bastard! I’ve supported you this far, and now you're telling me not to interfere at such a crucial moment!" Chen Gong shouted, grabbing Lü Bu by the collar in rage.

"Hmph!" Lü Bu shoved him away, and Chen Gong fell to the ground. Without looking back, Lü Bu strode off. He knew what he was doing but didn’t want Chen Gong to get entangled in his problems.

Holding his halberd, Lü Bu’s eyes turned a cold, inhuman gold. Unlike the last time he had embraced the ancient faith, his eyes now contained a streak of deep black—symbolizing hatred.

The millennia of pent-up resentment carried by the faith didn’t just include the noble ideals of defending the borders and protecting the nation. It also held bitterness toward the corrupt officials who reveled in luxury while countless soldiers perished on the battlefield due to insufficient supplies and inferior armor.

Where there is light, there is darkness. As Lü Bu inherited the faith of a thousand years, he also inherited its grievances. Before, Lü Bu’s mission had been to protect the country, but now, after exterminating the nomads, he found himself facing an army of his own countrymen.

He wielded the strength of a dragon and tiger, his heart filled with the desire to protect his land, yet after completing his mission, there was no praise from his people or rewards from the emperor—only the threat of death from his own kind. How tragic.

Lü Bu didn’t believe he was wrong. He had even shown mercy, refraining from using his full strength when Ma Chao angrily attacked him. It wasn’t until Ma Chao, in a fit of madness, unleashed all of his lightning power that Lü Bu retaliated with deadly force after being wounded.

Even then, Lü Bu held back. He hadn’t killed Ma Chao, who had fallen unconscious from his own attack. Lü Bu had also suppressed another surge of overwhelming murderous intent that wasn’t entirely his own.

Now, with an army at his gates, Lü Bu had no desire to explain. He didn’t care to say whether he had killed the wrong people—what’s done was done. After all, Ma Chao was part Hu, and in the eyes of the ancient faith, those of mixed blood who posed a threat were marked for death.

Striding out of the government hall, Lü Bu found Diao Chan and Lü Qiling waiting at the entrance, tears in their eyes as they gazed at his cold, distant face.

"Stay here," Lü Bu said, a rare smile breaking through his cold demeanor as he looked at Diao Chan. "I’ll be back soon."

With that, Lü Bu began to walk away, but after just two steps, Diao Chan rushed forward and hugged him from behind, burying her face in his cloak.

"Fengxian, don’t go, please," Diao Chan pleaded, her voice trembling as she looked up at him with tearful eyes.

"Stay here. I’ll be back soon," Lü Bu said, his face momentarily softening before turning resolute again. He raised his hand and gently patted Diao Chan’s head. "Your husband is the most powerful man in the world."

Then he took another step forward. Diao Chan, still clinging to him tightly, suddenly felt her arms empty. She collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Outside, Cao and Ma Teng’s combined forces, numbering over a hundred thousand with some of the bravest warriors in the land, waited to face him.

"Fengxian..." Gao Shun and Zhang Liao appeared before Lü Bu, leading a group of loyal officers.

"No need for words. This is my last chance. After this, everything depends on you," Lü Bu said coldly, his once-golden eyes now reduced to just a faint ring of gold around his pupils. He had successfully suppressed the otherworldly force through sheer willpower and the collective anger of his followers.

"Take care," Zhang Liao said, struggling to find the right words. In the end, all he could manage was a simple farewell.

Gao Shun’s face remained stoic. Lü Bu said nothing more and walked through the ranks of his officers. As he passed by Cao Xing, the lowest-ranking of them all, he stopped once again.

"If I fail, take care of Gongtai and pledge your loyalty to Liu Xuande. If I succeed, follow Gongtai’s commands," Lü Bu said, as if leaving his final instructions.

"Understood," Gao Shun suddenly reached out and gripped Lü Bu’s shoulder. "I’ll be on the city walls. If I can help, I will."

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