Having dealt with all this, we finally had time to see what Yu Ji, who was nestled beside Xiang Yu, looked like...
Chapter Thirty-Three: Good Men of the Three Kingdoms
Xiang Yu fell off his horse, but he was still conscious. He stared blankly in the direction where Yu Ji had called out. When she ran up to him, he couldn't help but blurt out, "It's you?" He seemed somewhat surprised.
The person who arrived was Zhang Bing (those who guessed it was Baozi, go stand in the corner and face the wall!).
Zhang Bing, tears streaming down her face, ran over and knelt down in front of Xiang Yu with a thud. She covered Xiang Yu's wound with her slender hands, and then without hesitation, she took off her outer garment, tore it into strips, and used them to properly tie up Xiang Yu's entire shoulder.
Xiang Yu stared at Zhang Bing, who remained motionless as she fiddled with her, and murmured, "Ayu?"
Seeing that Xiang Yu was unharmed, Zhang Bing both cried and laughed, saying, "It's me, Your Majesty."
Xiang Yu placed his hand on Zhang Bing's shoulder, his eyes fixed on her. Zhang Bing gazed back at him tenderly. She was indeed different from the dancing girl she used to be; her eyes held a new fervor and infatuation. Xiang Yu laughed loudly and pulled Zhang Bing into his arms.
Just then, I had just tackled Erpang to the ground. Turning around, I was stunned to see Zhang Bing. Everyone gathered around Xiang Yu and Erpang, greeting Zhang Bing. Those most happy for Xiang Yu were Zhang Shun and the Ruan brothers; everyone had personally witnessed Xiang Yu's deep affection for Yu Ji that night at the bar.
Zhang Bing nodded slightly to everyone, then buried her head in Xiang Yu's arms. I walked up to Xiang Yu and whispered in his ear, "Brother Yu, are you sure this is your sister-in-law?"
Xiang Yu glanced back at me, but before he could speak, Zhang Bing suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, did Black Tiger charge out that night?"
Xiang Yu said, "Ayu, you're confused. Black Tiger died in battle at Pengcheng."
Zhang Bing said, "Oh, really? I forgot."
I asked, "Who is Black Tiger?"
Xiang Yu said, "One of my lieutenant generals."
I turned my face toward Zhang Bing and deliberately asked, "What weapon is this person using?"
Zhang Bing smiled faintly: "The weapon he uses is very rare; it's a meteor hammer."
At this point, Xiang Yu no longer suspected anything. He suddenly mounted his horse, stretched out his hand to Zhang Bing, and said, "Come here!"
Zhang Bing chuckled, grabbed Xiang Yu's hand, and leaped onto the horse's back with remarkable agility.
Xiang Yu drove Zhang Bing around the field twice, then couldn't help but shout, "Haha, I'm so happy!"
I pulled Lu Junyi aside and said, "This is bad! Brother Yu is exhausted from fighting too. Should we give him another hand?" The heroes all knew that Zhang Bing and I didn't get along, so they looked at me with smiles.
I grabbed Zhao Bailian again: "Xiao Zhao, give him a slipper."
Zhao Bai shoved me away and gave me a look as if I were an idiot: "Stop messing around!"
I'm speechless.
To be honest, I never expected Zhang Bing to be Yu Ji. Although both Xiang Yu and Liu Bang said she looked exactly like the Yu Ji of yesteryear, through several encounters, I felt this woman was far too cunning. My understanding of Yu Ji was limited to a few words from Xiang Yu, but that stubborn and unyielding little girl was truly unforgettable. Even now, I still can't accept the fact that Zhang Bing is Yu Ji.
Although I know it's probably true—any girl could claim to be Yu Ji, but not every girl can remain so calm at the sight of blood, and the fact that she knows the name of one of Xiang Yu's former generals and the weapon he used makes it even more believable.
And then there's the most important question: How did Zhang Bing recall the past? And why did he suddenly appear here? These questions are clearly not the time to ask yet. Xiang Yu, with Zhang Bing by his side, waved to the crowd and ran off into the distance.
I shouted behind him, "Watch out for the traffic police!"
After Xiang Yu left, everyone was filled with emotion. Not only had they witnessed a thrilling final battle, but they had also seen a couple finally united in marriage. Xiu Xiu's eyes welled up with tears; she didn't need to watch any Korean dramas today.
Seeing that things were temporarily settled, I looked around and asked, "Has that 'invincible one' woken up yet?"
An Daoquan said, "He just woke up and is sitting over there."
I looked up and saw Erpang sitting on the grass, hugging his knees. His eyes still looked a little dazed. I kicked him and jumped back several meters away, asking warily, "Do you remember who you are?"
Erpang smiled sheepishly and said weakly, "Thanks, you saved my life."
I then sat down next to him, lit a cigarette for him, and asked, "Was Lu Bu in history also afraid of being tickled?"
Erpang nodded: "Yeah, I was afraid of that in my past life."
Damn, Lu Bu is afraid of being tickled. This intelligence would be worth a fortune if it were sold during the Three Kingdoms period. Back then, the three heroes fought Lu Bu with such difficulty, why didn't anyone think of attacking that spot? No wonder Erpang made himself a set of leather armor; it was just to protect that fatal weakness. But thankfully, he wasn't wearing it.
Seeing his face covered in blood and sweat, and remembering how desperately he had been working, I asked him, "What were you doing all this time?"
Erpang lowered his head and said, "He Tiandou promised that if I win this battle, the shops on the two streets adjacent to my motorcycle repair shop will all be mine."
I almost jumped up: "Didn't you say you weren't doing it for the money?"
Erpang scratched his head: "Did I say that?"
I said, "That day I asked you something, and what did you say to me—you said, 'Do you think Lü Bu is the kind of person who can be easily bribed with money?'"
Erpang said embarrassedly, "I didn't say no—what I meant was that you can't easily bribe them, but if you can't easily bribe them, then it's hard to say."
I angrily cursed, "You money-grubbing traitor!"
Erpang said seriously, "Xiaoqiang, let me ask you, do I count as having ability?"
I stammered for a moment, then finally said, "Fine." On this point, I felt there was no need for pointless arguments. Leaving aside his past glory, tonight Erpang fought Xiang Yu to a standstill. Of course, after he was exhausted, Xiang Yu was still unharmed if not for the ambush, which shows that Erpang was slightly inferior in strength. However, in terms of technique, Xiang Yu seemed to be a step behind. In the end, Erpang single-handedly defeated the Liangshan heroes and the Four Heavenly Kings, making them stagger. It's said that Fang La's eight Heavenly Kings were all capable of defeating ten thousand men, yet they were all taken down by a fat man at his last gasp. This shows that even those capable of defeating ten thousand men have different levels. To say that such a person is incompetent is just arguing for the sake of arguing.
After I finished speaking, Erpang gave a bitter laugh: "So even if I had the ability, what could I do? Robbing a bank?"
I chuckled and said, "Why does having the guts to rob a bank have to do it? I didn't go, did I—"
Erpang glanced at me, then suddenly said earnestly, "Who doesn't want a good life? Especially a man like me with a family to support. Just repairing motorcycles isn't enough. You know, in my past life, I was easily confused when drunk and lost in trouble, falling into unethical and immoral ways step by step. I have nothing to regret. Originally, I would have just stayed in this life repairing motorcycles, but who would have thought I'd have this opportunity to become Lu Bu? Why can't I use my own abilities to make my family's life better?"
I couldn't help but nod: "I didn't expect you to be such a family man."
Clearly, no one forced him to die, so he ended up as a fat motorcycle mechanic. But his obsession with his wife is quite like Lü Bu's. Speaking of which, Liu Bei abandoned his wife, Liu An killed his wife, and Lü Bu was obsessed with his. Let's not even talk about Liu Bei. Liu An was probably just executed a few days ago—it was in the newspapers, that guy killed his wife, cooked her, and dumped her in the wilderness.