Chapter 944: Embracing the Sun and Moon

The immortal who once protected Sun Ce had long been removed by Yu Ji. It’s worth mentioning that even twenty years before Sun Ce’s birth, Yu Ji used Qimen Dunjia to predict Sun Ce’s general future.

The brilliance of Sun Ce’s destiny, like the blazing sun, shocked Yu Ji. At the same time, he realized that killing Sun Ce at the peak of his power would not be easy. After all, according to Yu Ji’s calculations, Sun Ce’s fate was tied to the sun.

One could say that if Yu Ji hadn’t also foreseen the existence of Sun Quan, he might have abandoned the idea of targeting Sun Ce. Unfortunately, fate works in strange ways. Yu Ji not only foresaw Sun Quan’s existence but also clearly predicted that Sun Quan’s destiny was tied to the moon, while Sun Ce's was tied to the sun. Sun Quan’s brilliance was merely a reflection of Sun Ce’s.

There is a mystical art known as "fate alteration." Normally, it is extremely difficult, but since Sun Quan and Sun Ce were brothers of the same blood, with linked destinies, Yu Ji forcefully reversed their fates.

Thus, Sun Ce became tied to the moon, and Sun Quan to the sun. On the surface of fate, their roles had been exchanged.

The moon waxes and wanes, but when it is full, it can outshine the stars. During that time, whether it is the Ziwei Star or any other, all are overshadowed by the moon’s light. This is when the fate tied to the moon is at its strongest. However, when the moon is new, the stars shine brightly—this is when the fate is most fragile.

Now, Sun Ce’s fate, tied to the moon, had reached its peak. By swallowing this fate and returning it to its original form, Sun Ce could reclaim the brilliance of the sun. Under the blazing sun, no star, no matter how bright, could rival it.

The stars might shine alongside the lonely moon, but to compete with the sun is sheer foolishness. As they say, "The heavens cannot have two suns, just as a country cannot have two kings." The purpose of a fate tied to the sun is absolute dominance!

Unfortunately, Sun Ce’s original fate had been rewritten by Yu Ji before his birth. While Sun Quan inherited the fate of the sun, he lacked the true essence of it. Even his original fate tied to the moon would have been stronger, at least allowing him to outshine the stars at its fullest.

As the full moon began to wane, Sun Ce’s fortune started to decline drastically, almost changing by the day. Meanwhile, Sun Quan’s fortune began to rise mysteriously. However, it remained to be seen whether Sun Quan could handle this newfound power.

Leaving aside the entanglements between Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Zhou Yu, and Yu Ji, we rewind a month. Shortly after the release of the Heroes List, Chen Xi and the others laid out their tasks for the coming year and planned to send people to Taishan to bring their families and officials to Ye City. From now on, Ye City would be Liu Bei’s new seat of power.

By this time, the peace agreement between Yuan Tan and Liu Bei had been signed. Yuan Tan needed time to stabilize his situation, and Liu Bei needed time to clear out the issues in Ji and Yu provinces. Both sides needed time.

Though Yuan Tan still harbored a deep hatred for Liu Bei, the advice of his civil officials had made it clear that launching a massive campaign with tens of thousands of soldiers against Liu Bei was not feasible. Thus, the war between Yuan and Liu officially came to an end, and the land returned to a state of peace. However, unlike before, the dominant powers in the realm were now clear.

"Shoucheng, you are always welcome in Ye City," Liu Bei said, cupping his hands in farewell to Ma Teng.

"If I ever need your help, I hope you will not refuse, Lord Xuande," Ma Teng replied, fully aware of the vast difference in power between himself and Liu Bei. Though Liu Bei showed him respect, Ma Teng dared not address him too familiarly.

"Of course. We are both loyal subjects of the Han; how could we not work together?" Liu Bei responded with a smile. Then, he turned to Xiahou Yuan. "Miaocai, please prepare in advance. My third brother will soon go to Chang'an to marry Lady Xiahou."

Xiahou Yuan lowered his head in silent acknowledgment. His resentment towards Zhang Fei was deep, but since his sister had agreed, there was nothing he could do about it.

"We will meet again on the battlefield; I hope you won’t hold back!" Ma Chao declared proudly to those around him. But before he could finish, Ma Teng grabbed him by the head and forced him to bow. "On the battlefield again? Do you want to die?" Ma Teng thought, scolding Ma Chao silently—though he didn’t realize Ma Chao’s words would one day come true.

"I won’t go easy on you next time!" Gan Ning laughed heartily.

"I hope you'll be stronger the next time we meet," Xu Chu said with a wave.

"If you can beat me, I’ll give you my Black Dragon Whip!" Zhang Fei roared at Ma Chao.

Guan Yu said nothing, but when Ma Chao looked at him, Guan Yu slowly opened his eyes. In that instant, Ma Chao felt a sharp blade pass over him. Though he wasn’t harmed, he mentally recorded Guan Yu’s astonishing strike.

"Thank you, General Guan," Ma Chao said with a bow.

Guan Yu gave a slight nod without saying a word.

After glancing at all the warriors he had sparred with, Ma Chao took a deep breath. "Next time, I’ll knock every single one of you to the ground!"

For a moment, everyone was stunned, then bursts of laughter and banter followed. As things calmed down, Ma Chao waved and turned to leave, preparing to summon his steed, Lifu Sha, and depart alone.

A whistle rang out, and soon four streaks of light flew through the sky—one purple, one red, one white, and one yellow. The four horses, as they ran, bit at each other. Just moments ago, they had been running together peacefully. Now, why were they suddenly fighting?

"Get back here!" Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, and Xu Chu shouted in unison, their faces darkening as they saw their horses biting Lifu Sha. What had their horses done to deserve this? A send-off had turned into this embarrassing scene—where was their dignity?

The red, white, and yellow streaks hesitated, their eyes showing a clear sense of human-like doubt. Finally, Yanzhao Yushi was the first to fly back to Zhao Yun, followed by Juanmao and Zhaohuang Feidian.

Seeing the three horses retreat, Lifu Sha visibly relaxed and hesitated, but seeing Ma Chao below, it finally landed next to him.

However, the moment Lifu Sha landed, the other three horses looked ready to start fighting again.

After calming their horses, Ma Chao didn’t bother inspecting the bite marks on Lifu Sha. In Ma Chao’s view, it was normal for prized horses to fight when together. There would be no peace until one emerged as king of the horses.

The fact that Lifu Sha had been attacked by the other three showed just how powerful his steed was. Even Lü Bu had been ganged up on before, so it made sense that these horses had their own pride. If they weren’t individually strong enough, why would three gang up on one? Thinking this, Ma Chao felt a bit smug—his horse was indeed the best.

Ma Chao rode Lifu Sha alone toward Chang'an. Since his horse was fast, traveling alone wasn’t dangerous, so he took off by himself. However, halfway through his journey, Lifu Sha suddenly stopped in midair and spat out a stone that had been lodged in its mouth, swelling its cheek.

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