Chapter 13: Lord Guan's Three Cuts

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"Third brother, what do you think second brother is planning? Why is he riding so slowly?" Chen Xi poked Zhang Fei's waist and said.

"Second brother is serious this time. Just watch, Hua Xiong is bound to lose. Second brother's every step is building momentum, and by the time he's a hundred paces away from Hua Xiong, he will have accumulated enough. In all the world, no one can withstand it," Zhang Fei said gravely, having seldom seen his second brother this cautious.

Just as Zhang Fei had predicted, Guan Yu was accumulating momentum; after all, Hua Xiong was already a top-notch expert. If he were to get ensnared in close combat, not even he could defeat a top-notch expert capable of Inner Qi Projection quickly, so to win cleanly and decisively, he had to kill Hua Xiong within three to five moves!

Hua Xiong sneered at the swaying Guan Yu, feeling almost no threat from him. It seemed that the Coalition Army really had no one left.

A hundred paces arrived. Guan Yu looked at Hua Xiong, who indeed was a top-notch expert capable of Inner Qi Projection. Unfortunately, his Qi was concentrated but not solid, far from matching up to him.

"Hua Xiong, remember the man slaying you is Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang!" Guan Yu bellowed, and then a Qing blade irised with a thunderous roar, wrapped in a sonic boom cloud scraped past Hua Xiong.

"Boom!" With a colossal crash, Hua Xiong felt trouble the moment Guan Yu soared toward him. Brandishing his sword furiously toward what he sensed as the most dangerous spot, the formidable force directly sent him and his horse flying dozens of meters.

Numb hands, tight chest, but Hua Xiong didn't wait to adjust when a vast surge of Qing light smashed in his direction again. There was no disguise; perhaps for Guan Yu, the most crude method was sufficient to defeat the opponent. Disguise held no value; after all, it was a matter of a few strikes.

"Burst open for me!" Hua Xiong summoned all his strength, his whole person blazing like flame, as the huge red Fire Blade roared toward Guan Yu's Qing Light Blade. Regrettably, it failed to halt Guan Yu's immense blade whatsoever, crashing like a wave against a seaside boulder and shattering to pieces.

"Clang!" A tremendous ringing sound caused hundreds of meters away, making everybody's ears ring incessantly, compelling them all to activate their defenses.

His wrist splitting, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth, and the Refined Iron Broadsword that had followed him for many years developed cracks at this moment. His body's healing speed couldn't keep up with the destruction. At this instant, Hua Xiong realized that his opponent was probably on the level of Lyu Bu; that might, enough to plunge one into despair.

"I am Hua Xiong!" Hua Xiong bellowed, squeezing every ounce of his strength. The region before Sishui Pass became lit with fire. The once intangible and loose Fire Blade started to solidify at this moment.

But all of this was in vain. The immense Qing Light Blade that Guan Yu wielded still shattered Hua Xiong's desperate counter like a water balloon, relentlessly slashing toward Hua Xiong.

As the Light Blade approached, a flicker of despair flashed in Hua Xiong's eyes. He hadn't had the chance to challenge Lyu Bu, and in that moment, he realized the chasm between himself and Lyu Bu was as vast as a gorge...

Just as the tremendous Light Blade was about to strike Hua Xiong, Guan Yu suddenly thought of Chen Xi's words. He changed the slash to a smack that sent Hua Xiong flying out like a tennis ball.

When the dust settled, only Guan Yu remained on the battlefield, along with Hua Xiong, whose life or death was unclear, hundreds of meters away. Continuing at the same swaying speed, Guan Yu reached out to pick Hua Xiong up, then turned his horse around and trotted back.

"Fortunately, I've completed the mission without disgrace." Guan Yu tossed down Hua Xiong to be bound.

With half-closed eyes, he gave Yuan Shao a cupped-fist salute, then picked up the glass of wine prepared by Cao Mengde and drank it down. It was scorching hot, but luckily, it didn't show on Lord Guan's ruddy complexion.

Everyone was shouting in their hearts, "Too brutal!" Previously, when reading the 'Records of the Grand Historian,' even scholars like Kong Rong thought that King Xiang must have been exaggerated. After witnessing Guan Yu today, they reconsidered the historical accounts and suspected that perhaps they weren't exaggerated after all, but rather written with stark realism!

"The Alliance Hierarch can now take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to capture Sishui Pass!" Cao Cao was the first to recover. Now was not the time to be shocked by Guan Yu's martial force!

Reminded by Cao Cao, everyone immediately came to their senses. Hua Xiong's matter was cast to the back of their minds as the various troops mobilized and, taking advantage of the unguarded Sishui Pass, stormed it and claimed it for themselves.

Sitting within Sishui Pass, Yuan Shao was in high spirits. In just a short moment, they had seized the pass. It was indeed thanks to his apt command.

Liu Bei, who sat among the crowd, became the protagonist this time. He was effusive in his praise of Guan Yu's unmatched bravery, declaring him a Tiger General of the age. Of course, his eyes showed envy, and he missed no opportunity to try to tempt Guan Yu to his side.

At that time, Liu Bei, due to Chen Xi's consistent influence, was in good humor with the various Feudal Lords. Even a fool could see the genuine congratulations from Kong Rong and Gongsun Zan, while the others had their own agendas, especially Yuan Shu, whose eyes almost burned with an intense fervor.

After a session of eating, drinking, boasting, and mutual flattery, Liu Bei, with Guan and Zhang and Chen Xi, returned to their own camp. From then on, no one dared to underestimate Liu Bei, for it was clear that the Han Dynasty still had substantial foundations—at least, heroes like these were still in the Han's grip.

Back in the main tent, Chen Xi, quite tipsy, drank some sobering soup and looked at the still proud and half-awake Guan Yu to ask, "Lord Guan, what about Hua Xiong? He's a top expert. If he recovers without someone as skilled as you to guard him, he could escape, and we'd be helpless then."

Steam emanated from Lord Guan's body, revitalizing him, "Never mind whether or not Hua Xiong will come to, for even if he does, his Inner Qi is currently suppressed in his Dantian. Without external assistance, he cannot possibly regain his former strength."

"Oh, that so? Remember to keep a close watch on him. It would be most advantageous if we could persuade him to switch allegiances." Chen Xi worked hard to stir his spiritual power, trying to activate his mind, as he began planning for what was to come. These recent days by Guan and Zhang's side, he felt, were quite good.

"Indeed, Hua Xiong was formidable. In terms of strength alone, he was already very strong, it's a pity..." Guan Yu partially opened his eyes, expressing a hint of regret.

"Huh?" Chen Xi looked at Guan Yu with a puzzled expression, not realizing Guan Yu had a habit of self-praise.

"Zichuan, Second Brother is right. Hua Xiong was indeed quite strong. If it were an ordinary fight, it would have taken Second Brother seventy or eighty rounds to find an opportunity, but that fool Hua Xiong was too careless!" Zhang Fei bellowed loudly.

"Truly, Hua Xiong was a worthy opponent. However, he misjudged my strength. I can now perfectly conceal my aura and momentum. Those three strikes—the first was twenty percent heavier than normal, the second thirty percent heavier than the first, and the third another thirty percent on top of that. Hua Xiong was doomed from the moment he chose to block the first and had no chance to dodge the rest." A rare smile crept onto Guan Yu's face; this was his ultimate technique, and when it came to cutting down enemies, it was without equal.