Chapter 898: Xiahou Miaocai, Brother-in-Law

"You're giving me a headache, can you stop pacing around in front of me?" Fa Zheng said, rubbing his temples as he watched Zhang Fei pacing back and forth in front of him.

"I'm the one with the headache! Xiahou Yuan, that bastard, dares to boss me around. Who gave him the guts to do that?" Zhang Fei growled, raising his head with a dark expression.

"Didn’t I tell you to just stab him with your spear?" Fa Zheng said irritably. "He’s no Lü Bu. What are you afraid of?"

"Report! General Xiahou Yuan has come again to demand the release of the hostage!" At that moment, a messenger rushed in to deliver the news.

"See? I told you, you should've just killed Xiahou Yuan. He’s come eight times today, all for that woman!" Fa Zheng said with frustration. Even a blind man could tell that Zhang Fei had developed feelings for Xiahou Juan.

"I'll go kill him!" Zhang Fei roared, grabbing his snake spear and rushing out. Finally, Fa Zheng had some time to press his fingers against his temples and think clearly about the current situation. In his assessment, today, at this very moment, the battle between Yuan Shao and Liu Bei would come to a decisive end.

Even though Fa Zheng was confident that Liu Bei wouldn't lose, he couldn’t guarantee that Yuan Shao would be killed today. Hence, he had to fulfill one critical responsibility: to stall the Emperor's emissary, or more accurately, the mediation force sent by Cao Cao, and prevent them from reaching the battlefield. Until the news of Yuan Shao's death arrived, Fa Zheng couldn't allow the imperial edict to pass through—that's why he was stalling for time. As for Zhang Fei killing Xiahou Yuan...

"Stop!" Xiahou Juan, having heard that her cousin and Zhang Fei were fighting again, rushed out from the rear camp to intervene.

"You bastard, are you going to hand her over or not?" Xiahou Yuan yelled furiously, pointing his spear at Zhang Fei after being stopped by Xiahou Juan.

"Why should I hand over my prisoner to you?" Zhang Fei roared back even louder. When it came to yelling, Zhang Fei feared no one, unleashing a deafening roar so powerful it seemed like it created shockwaves.

Even with preparations in place, only Xiahou Yuan’s troops could march all the way from the border of Chenliu to Puyang overnight without losing combat strength. Their ability to boost their march speed by fifty percent without losing effectiveness showed just how terrifying Xiahou Yuan’s army’s talent was. Meanwhile, Ma Chao’s cavalry, trailing behind, was still far off. By the time Xiahou Yuan had come eight times to demand the hostage, Ma Chao’s cavalry hadn’t even arrived yet.

Hit by Zhang Fei’s sonic roar, even someone at the peak of Internal Qi Detachment like Xiahou Yuan experienced some ringing in his ears. Enraged, he raised his spear to continue fighting Zhang Fei. At this point, the gap in their strength wasn’t so vast anymore—though Xiahou Yuan would likely lose, the fight wouldn’t be too humiliating.

"Let's fight then! Who’s afraid of who?" Zhang Fei spurred his horse forward, ready to clash with Xiahou Yuan once more. Even he was surprised at how much Xiahou Yuan had improved.

"Let go! I’ll kill this bastard!" Zhang Fei shouted, his snake spear held tightly in Xiahou Juan’s grasp. Not wanting to hurt her, Zhang Fei restrained his strength, though his gaze remained locked on Xiahou Yuan with burning rage. If it weren’t for Xiahou Yuan’s interference, Zhang Fei figured that with a bit more effort, he could have gotten married by now—and then he’d just send Xiahou Yuan a wedding invitation.

"Stop it, both of you!" Xiahou Juan yelled in frustration. From what she had seen, Zhang Fei was holding back. Otherwise, after a hundred or so moves, Xiahou Yuan would have had to flee. As for why Zhang Fei was holding back, Xiahou Juan had a good idea.

"Can we sit down and talk?" Xiahou Juan sighed, unsure of what else to say. To be honest, she didn’t know which identity to use—she was aware that Zhang Fei had already made it clear that even if he had to fight Cao’s forces, he wouldn’t let her go. Releasing her wasn’t an option.

"Hmph!" Both Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Fei snorted, dismounting their horses to sit down for their third attempt at a peaceful discussion.

Xiahou Juan knew there were certain things she couldn’t tell Xiahou Yuan. Zhang Fei had clearly taken a domineering stance and wouldn’t let her go. If she told Xiahou Yuan this directly, knowing him, he’d rather die than compromise, and the two would be locked in an unyielding battle with no room for negotiation.

"Father..." Xiahou Juan was about to explain things to Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Juan understood that she didn’t exactly have romantic feelings for Zhang Fei. She felt a sense of gratitude for being rescued and a certain awe for his strength. But what ultimately swayed her was Zhang Fei’s declaration: "Even if I have to fight Cao Cao, I won’t let you go." Reflecting on this, Xiahou Juan’s soft nature gradually caved.

In her mind, while her uncle, Cao Cao, was certainly powerful, Liu Bei was even stronger. And Zhang Fei to Liu Bei was akin to Xiahou Yuan’s relationship with Cao Cao—a sworn brother.

Waging a war over her, which Zhang Fei could not win, seemed pointless to Xiahou Juan. So, she thought, perhaps choosing to stay with Zhang Fei could prevent further conflict. After all, in the past, marriages had often been used for peace.

At her age, Xiahou Juan was already at the appropriate age for marriage. Compared to the more effeminate men from other families, Zhang Fei was overwhelmingly masculine. Moreover, from her perspective, Zhang Fei was undeniably powerful—among the strongest she could name.

In terms of status, position, and strength, Zhang Fei was a suitable match. Since she was bound to marry someone of similar standing anyway, it seemed better to choose someone as formidable as Zhang Fei. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about him dying in battle and leaving her widowed.

"Speak!" Xiahou Yuan grunted.

"Wing De is quite... good..." Xiahou Juan glanced timidly at Zhang Fei, speaking softly.

Both men were stunned—Xiahou Yuan because he hadn’t expected this, and Zhang Fei because he was so overwhelmed with joy that he froze in place, dumbfounded.

"He must have forced you!" Xiahou Yuan snapped back to his senses, roaring in anger. He leapt to his feet, spear in hand, and charged at Zhang Fei. "I’ll kill him right now!" Clearly, Xiahou Yuan was furious.

"Here we go!" Zhang Fei quickly dodged Xiahou Yuan’s attack, but this time, he didn’t retaliate. Instead, he scrambled around, avoiding Xiahou Yuan’s furious strikes.

Before long, amidst Xiahou Yuan’s relentless assault, Zhang Fei started shouting, "Xiahou Miaocai, my dear brother-in-law! I didn’t force her, I swear! Hey, Juan’er, quickly stop him! He’s serious this time!"

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