Everyone was looking at Guan Sheng...
Guan Sheng hesitated and asked, "You don't mean you want me to give my knife to Xiao Qiang, do you?"
Everyone looked at him, without saying a word...
Guan Sheng sighed, "What a disgrace! If my ancestor Guan Sheng knew this in the afterlife, he would surely condemn me as an unworthy man."
I reassured him, "No, I'll explain this to my second brother..."
Guan Sheng snorted and planted his broadsword in the ground. Someone struggled to pick it up and hand it to me.
The horse arrived, and I happily took the Green Dragon Crescent Blade—I almost strained my arm, realizing how incredibly heavy it was once in my hand. As far as I recall, the real Guan Yu wielded a blade weighing over 80 jin (approximately 40 kg), so this must be a high-quality replica, perhaps even heavier. When I first read *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* and saw Guan Yu wielding an 80-jin blade, I felt a bit unbalanced. Look at the Four Fierce Warriors and Eight Great Hammers—each hammer weighed at least 400 or 800 jin (approximately 200-400 kg). How could the God of War, Guan Yu, carry an 80-jin blade? No wonder he blushed. But later I realized the problem: the Four Fierce Warriors and Eight Great Hammers I read was from a comic book, more like a light novel. Super Saiyans could punch a crater in the earth—it was all exaggerated. In reality, an 80-jin blade is barely enough for an adult male to carry up to the third floor; swinging it like a propeller is practically impossible.
Later I also discovered that, as an ordinary adult man, aside from boasting about my strong sexual abilities, I'm actually quite the average person in terms of physical strength—holding this knife, I wouldn't hesitate at all...
I awkwardly handed the knife back to the henchman beside me, saying, "Hold this for me for a moment." The henchman looked at me, leaning on the knife with a completely bewildered expression. I climbed onto the horse and then held out my hand to him, saying, "Give me the knife now."
Everyone froze in shock...
The henchman, seemingly out of nowhere, held up the knife to me. I caught it with all my might, then placed the hilt on the horse's back, wiped my sweat, and laughed, "That works now."
Hu Sanniang asked in bewilderment, "Xiaoqiang, are you just going to put on a show of mounting a horse and wielding a knife and call it a day, or are you really planning to fight Shi Bao to the death?" Duan Jingzhu, who was next to her, quietly pulled her aside and said, "Third Sister, don't provoke Xiaoqiang. What if he gets really agitated and rushes forward?"
Zhang Qing rode his horse in front of me, placing his hands carefully in front of him, and said cautiously, "Xiao Qiang, if you're having trouble thinking about anything, talk to your brother. Everything can be resolved. Suicide is not a good solution..."
Everyone chimed in, pleading, "Yes, Baozi is waiting for you to go back."
I stroked the three strands of black beard under my chin and smiled slightly, saying, "You all should refrain from further conversation and quickly step aside so I can go and take that stone treasure."
The crowd whispered among themselves: "Has Xiao Qiang gone mad with anger?" "Logically speaking, it shouldn't be like this. With his thick skin, Hua Rong could shoot him for three days and his HP wouldn't even drop a drop..."
I was frustrated, I was going crazy, I was plucking my beard strand by strand. How could I be so pathetic in their eyes? — Of course, I dared to act so arrogantly because I had a backup plan; the replica Guan Yu biscuit was right in my pocket. The reason I didn't eat it before mounting the horse was because I was worried that these things would take up those precious 10 minutes. I really didn't know if Shi Bao's bravery was enough for the replica Guan Yu biscuit to take him down within 10 minutes.
It seems there's no other way now; my brothers absolutely won't let me go unless I show them what I'm capable of... To be honest, I'm quite touched by that. We joke around all the time, but when it comes to something serious, they really treat me like a brother and take care of me.
Without anyone noticing, I reached into my hand and grabbed the biscuit, then casually put it in my mouth while pretending to touch my nose, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it. Instantly, that familiar bursting sensation filled my entire body again, much like after eating Wu Song's biscuit. The difference was that this time, riding a horse, my riding skills unconsciously improved considerably.
I casually brandished the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in front of my chest and then held it behind my back, stroking my "beard" with my other hand and smiling slightly: "Aren't you all going to move aside?" Because I am now possessed by Guan Yu, I can't be too polite when speaking to these juniors, otherwise it would be beneath my status as the Second Master.
"Huh?" Everyone was taken aback at the same time, sensing my domineering aura, and they all said, "One more time, one more time..."
I instantly broke down and yelled, "Hurry up, brothers, there's no time!"
People hesitantly made way for me. Just as I was about to urge my horse on, Guan Sheng suddenly grabbed my arm. I turned around in surprise: "What's wrong?"
Guan Sheng's eyes lit up, and he grabbed my hand and whispered, "Xiao Qiang, is your surname really Xiao?"
I was stunned for a moment before I realized what he meant: after seeing me use that move, he probably suspected that I was a descendant of the Guan family, so he could only say dejectedly, "Absolutely authentic."
Guan Sheng released his grip in disappointment, then suddenly whispered in my ear, "Be careful, this guy surnamed Shi might use the dragging knife trick!"
I nodded and rode up to the front of the two armies. Shi Bao was cursing loudly when he was surprised that someone on the other side actually dared to accept the challenge, especially someone he had never seen before. After a morning of fighting, he recognized most of the most skilled fighters on Liangshan, and he was taken aback, asking, "Who are you?"
I rested the knife behind my head, placed my hands on the hilt, and said, "Didn't you call me that for ages?"
Shi Bao laughed and said, "Haha, so you're Xiao Qiang. The flag is hanging so high, you must have something special. Putting aside your kung fu skills, at least the fact that you dared to come out shows that you're not afraid of death."
Judging from his nonchalant demeanor, he probably wanted to have a debate with me first. The morale of Fang La's army is currently low, and it's rare to have a confident general like Shi Bao to step in and maintain order. He probably wanted to preserve this momentum for a while longer.
But I don't have that kind of time. Normally, I could easily hold my own against him for three days and three nights without repeating myself. In ancient Western times, eloquence was an essential quality for heroes, because before every battle, the heroes of both sides had to stand at the front and, like in a hip-hop match with African Americans, berate each other. One would point his thumbs and forefingers like a gun and say, "You're a whore from the black neighborhood." The other would immediately reply, "I only take one customer, MUM."... Achilles and Hector argued like this for ten years outside the city walls.
Besides, I'm representing Guan Yu now, how can I lower myself to his level? I spurred my horse forward and brought my sword down on his head: "Enough nonsense!"
Caught off guard, Shi Bao awkwardly dodged, then laughed and said, "Good. Just my style!"
I pulled my horse back, feeling as excited as if I'd just woken up and drunk three large cups of coffee, my mind brimming with ideas. The sword in my hand was like a dragon striving to reach the heavens; in the blink of an eye, I swiftly unleashed three swift strikes, slashing at Shi Bao from above, below, and in the middle. This display of skill roused the entire Liangshan hero, who exclaimed, "What superb swordsmanship!"
Shi Bao focused intently, dodging and parrying. The moment the two horses parted, one of them exclaimed, "You truly are a remarkable person. I have never seen an opponent like you since I mastered my skills."
Without a word, I led my horse and charged again. I could tell this was definitely going to be a tough battle. Although Second Master was strong, he wasn't invincible; there were quite a few people in the Three Kingdoms who could fight him to a draw. And this Shi Bao was also a master swordsman. In addition, these mother-and-child biscuits were only temporary replicas, so Second Master couldn't use the true essence of his swordsmanship. The outcome of this battle was still hard to say.
This time, Shi Bao attacked first, swinging his broadsword straight at my chest. I deflected it with the hilt of my sword and slashed back, the entire move flowing smoothly and perfectly. I heard another round of cheers from the heroes behind me, mixed with many puzzled and doubtful voices.
Shi Bao, who had been so lively and unrestrained just moments before, was now calm and solemn. He used the same move to defuse the crisis, and his gaze towards me had changed—three parts surprise, three parts admiration, and three parts resentment. We both steadied our horses and exchanged over a dozen blows in mid-air. The flashing blades and the whistling wind made all the onlookers pale.
Actually, since the fight started, I haven't felt much. With Second Master's spirit in my body, and my opponent wielding a knife, no matter how exquisite his moves were, they all felt ordinary, and I naturally had ways to counter them. But to say I could easily defeat him was a bit beyond my capabilities. In this kind of peak duel, eating a biscuit on the fly won't elevate the level of skill. Several times I heard Guan Sheng behind me express his regret, and I knew he had missed his chance to take the initiative. If he had eaten that biscuit, Shi Bao would probably be unable to hold on by now.
Even so, Shi Bao seemed to be running out of tricks. Having not encountered a strong opponent for a long time, his swordsmanship had reached a plateau. Plus, he had already fought Guan Sheng in the morning, and his stamina was also inferior. The two of us, one a Martial Saint, an imposter, and the other a Sword King, a player on a private LAN server, were evenly matched. As the fight progressed, we lost all focus, and then, as if pre-arranged, we simultaneously feigned defeat by drawing our swords at an opening…
Although the details differed, we all shared the same idea: to use the dragging knife tactic.
This "dragging-the-blade" technique wasn't just something Shi Bao knew; Guan Yu was practically its ancestor. Once unleashed, it was a move that could kill anyone, even a Buddha—not just block, but chase. It involved feigning defeat and dragging the blade, then suddenly turning around while the enemy was gloating, using oneself as a pivot, and swinging the blade in a wide arc to smash them. Let alone a sword, even if someone were to grab a piece of leather armor and slap someone in the face while the horse was moving, it would be enough to disfigure them!
But who would have thought that we would both use this move at the same time? This is going to be interesting. Have you ever seen two generals fighting and then suddenly turning around and running away together?
It was so embarrassing. I should have just not chased after them; at least I wouldn't have gotten a prize. The fact that we ran together made some people think someone had farted and woken us up with the smell.
Shi Bao was almost in Fang La's arms when he realized I hadn't chased after him. I was better than him; I saw Lin Chong running back when I was still more than 20 meters away.
In the end, we could only slowly circle back, and looking at each other's expressions, we were both a little embarrassed. Shi Bao blushed and whispered to me, "The 'dragging knife trick,' huh?" I nodded, "Hey, excuse me."
Keep fighting...
This time, we both really put in our best effort. It's like an acrobat who messed up the first show; to repay the audience, they have to do an extra show and show off their special skills, otherwise who will watch acrobatics in the future?
Once things got serious, Shi Bao finally started to struggle. In truth, he wasn't as good as me in terms of either skill or technique. Aside from lacking the same flair, I was a true reincarnation of the Second Master, while Shi Bao was ultimately just a skilled farmer, lacking experience and strength. Besides, his stamina was waning. After another 50 rounds, I used my Green Dragon Crescent Blade to nearly make Shi Bao drop his weapon. He swung his blade haphazardly, trying to retreat to his own lines—this time, it wasn't a mere feint. I was about to call it a day, not even checking my watch during the fight, estimating that 10 minutes would be up. But my warhorse, accustomed to its own pace, didn't even pull the reins and charged after me. One of Fang La's generals, seeing me about to capture Shi Bao, quickly spurred his horse forward to assist. In the rush, I saw a large spear thrust out from nowhere. Instinctively, I dodged, swiftly striking the attacker's abdomen with the back of my blade, and without a second thought, I captured him on horseback. Fang La's army erupted in cheers. I'd gotten a great deal, so I quickly ran back to my own lines, threw the man under my arm to the ground, and said triumphantly, "Tie him up!" The henchmen chimed in, shouting, "Yes, sir!"
I was brimming with pride and couldn't help but let out a long laugh on horseback. Suddenly, I felt the knife slip to the ground, and at the same time, my whole body felt weak and sore—the biscuit's effects were wearing off. I quickly used the last bit of strength I had to dismount. Zhang Shun and the others were lined up in a circle, all staring at me in astonishment. I shuddered, but before I could utter any boastful words, these guys suddenly rushed up to me, one slapping me on the back of the head, another kicking my butt, all saying, "You're something else!" "How did you manage this time?" "Was that stone treasure spun by Duan Tianlang?"...