Chapter 43: Fang Tian Paints Halberd

  Seeing Liu Bian not believing, Lü Bu became impatient and walked to Liu Bian's side. Without saying a word, he stretched out his hand to grab Liu Bian's hand. Wang Yue saw this and blocked Lü Bu's way, shouting sternly: "Lü Bu, you must not be rude!"

  Lü Bu was startled, and only then did he realize that the young man in front of him was not an ordinary person, but the Son of Heaven who ruled over all. He hastily took a step back and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I merely wanted to test your true energy, with no malicious intent."

  Liu Bian was also startled, thinking that this guy had taken a step forward, and the pressure was indeed not small. Even he, who had undergone cruel training, couldn't ignore it. If every minister were as reckless as him, it would be no fun at all. However, at this moment, he didn't mind Lü Bu's rudeness. Like Lü Bu, he was also very curious. He naturally hoped that what Lü Bu said was true, although the possibility was extremely small.

  Liu Bian pushed away Wang Yue, rolled up his sleeves, revealing his wrist, and stretched it out in front of Lü Bu. Lü Bu reached out and gently grasped it, his thumb lightly pressing on Liu Bian's pulse, trying for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed into a "川" shape, muttering to himself: "Strange, strange. Why is Your Majesty inconsistent inside and out?"

  "How dare you!" Wang Yue could no longer hold back, drew his sword out of its scabbard and glared with anger.

  Lü Bu glanced at him, disbelieving, and continued: "Your Majesty has the appearance of a dragon's stride and a tiger's step, but why is it that in your dantian there is nothing, not even a single reaction? Wang Yue, have you ever seen such a situation?"

  Wang Yue was taken aback, and only then did he understand that Lü Bu had been probing Liu Bian's true energy without gaining anything. He hastily shook his head: "I've never seen it before. Anyone with true energy inside them will always have a reaction when their true energy is invaded."

  "Yes, Your Majesty... indeed unfathomable." Lü Bu withdrew his hand and said awkwardly.

  Liu Bian felt somewhat disappointed, but didn't dare show it on his face. He pointed at the Halberd of the Overlord: "Feng Xian, why not try the Halberd of the Overlord?"

  "It's no use trying." Lü Bu turned his head and looked at the Halberd of the Conqueror with a hint of regret: "I... have the heart but not the strength, the Halberd of the Conqueror is a divine weapon used by the Conqueror himself, it's not something that can be wielded by someone like me. If I'm lucky enough to advance one more rank, maybe I'll be able to use such a divine artifact, but for now..."

  He shook his head, with a face full of regret.

  Liu Bian hesitated for a moment: "In that case, let's choose another suitable weapon. Besides the Hegemon-Halberd, this pavilion also houses the divine instruments used by the Twenty-Eight Generals of Cloud Platform. There should be one that suits you."

  Lü Bu was overjoyed and followed the prison guard all the way to a place where a halberd was stored, and he couldn't move his feet anymore. "Your Majesty, I... want to try this halberd."

  Liu Bian walked over, looking at the halberd with blades on both sides, which was very similar to the Fang Tian Hua Halberd of later generations. He was stunned for a long time. Could it be that the Lü Bu in history really used the Fang Tian Hua Halberd? Was this his destiny? He turned to the guardian official: "What is...

  The keeper of the arsenal hastened forward and reported: "This is a Fang Tian painting halberd that was once used by Jia Fu, the Marquis of Gaodong."

  Liu Bian nodded: "Then let's try it first, if it works for you, use this one first."

  "Only!" Lü Bu was overjoyed, and he himself took down the Halberd of Heaven's Painting. With large strides, he exited the pavilion. Just like when Zhang Xiu encountered it that day, as soon as he exited the pavilion, the originally ordinary-looking Halberd of Heaven's Painting revealed an extraordinary radiance. A faint aura enveloped the halberd head, swirling between the two halberd blades.

  "Hah!" Lü Bu swung his arm and thrust out his spear, beginning to practice his spear techniques.

  Compared to Zhang Heng's gun technique, Lü Bu's spear technique has many more uses. The spearhead can be used for thrusting, the spear shaft can be used for chopping and hooking, and the spear blade can be used for hooking and grabbing. Although Lü Bu does not have a big and bold style, with his feet flying across the courtyard, there are many small movements in his hands. The "Heavenly Painting Spear" has come alive in his hands, changing into numerous variations, like a giant dragon rolling and leaping about, with a faint sound of wind and thunder within a radius of two zhang, as if the dragon is singing and the tiger is howling.

  "Hua ji!" The cold light converged, Lü Bu sheathed his halberd in his hand, majestic and awe-inspiring, like a celestial deity descending to the mortal world. A joyful expression overflowed from his face as he hastily said: "Your Majesty, I want to fight Zhang Xiu again."

  Liu Bian burst out laughing: "When two tigers fight, one must be injured. You can compare your skills, but you can only engage in hand-to-hand combat and cannot use weapons to kill each other. In the future, when there is an opportunity to go into battle, you can compete again to see who kills more enemies."

  Lü Bu's mood was pleasant, and he no longer wanted to take Zhang Xiu's life. He smiled and replied: "I don't want to take his life either, I just want him to know who is the number one in the world."

  ……

  Having subdued Lü Bu, Liu Bei also managed to recruit Zhang Liao to his side, and he was in a good mood. He returned to the palace, where Tang Ying welcomed him with a smile: "Your Majesty, you're back."

  "What's wrong? Something happened?"

  "It's a big deal, the great scholar Cai Yong you've been waiting for has arrived and is waiting outside the palace. He brought his daughter Cai Yan with him, and Princess Wan An immediately took a liking to her and has already taken her in to talk."

  "How come you didn't go?" Liu Bian asked casually, and immediately regretted it. Cai Yan was a famous talented woman, and Princess Wan also had literary talent, perhaps that's why she especially liked Cai Yan. Tang Ying, on the other hand, was semi-illiterate, and when speaking with them, where could he possibly join in? This question he asked really lacked level.

  As expected, Tang Ying's face was somewhat unnatural: "Your Majesty, I am uneducated and truly ashamed of myself."

  Liu Bian chuckled: "Nonsense, we're evenly matched, who's laughing at whom? We're a couple who've been through thick and thin, can't just make wild guesses like that. Yingzi, you're being paranoid."

  "Is that so?" Tang Ying's anger turned to joy, and she smiled with pursed lips: "I'm afraid Your Majesty will change his mind after seeing Cai Yan. That little woman, tsk, is really beautiful, and her words are not something a rough person like me can compare to."

  "It's useless to talk nicely, only solving the problem is useful." Liu Bian suddenly remembered something, now that the He family was hopeless, did the Tang family have any backup? "Yingzi, your family is also a big clan in Yingchuan, are there any talented people available?"

  Tang Ying's face darkened, and his tone was somewhat unpleasant. "Your Majesty, there are indeed talented people, but they can't be obtained simply by seeking them out. Those who would die for a just cause are not uncommon, but they are all just local heroes who may be able to kill people, but are not capable of governing the country. The aristocratic families who value profit are the ones who can govern the country. If Your Majesty wants them to come up with strategies for you, sincerity alone is not enough; you must also make them feel that there is something in it for them."

  Liu Bian was inexplicably puzzled, he just wanted to ask if the Tang family had any talented people, why was she so excited. He shrugged and changed the subject: "Let's talk about this later, I'll go see Cai Da Ru first, I have a lot of questions to ask him."

  ……

  Cai Yong looked withered and worn out, his hair was all white, he looked like an old man in the twilight of his years, more than a decade of exile and fugitive life had taken its toll on him.

  "Your hard work is appreciated." Liu Bian bowed respectfully to Cai Yong, as if apologizing for the previous emperor's wrong decision.

  "It is my duty to serve the late Emperor and Your Majesty." Cai Yong let out a light sigh, feeling downhearted: "Unfortunately, I was unable to fulfill the late Emperor's entrustment, and I am ashamed of betraying the trust he placed in me."