The crackle of the small fire roasting the meat felt more deafening than the pounding of war drums. Beneath the dark cliff overhang, Zhao Yun stood frozen. The silver dragon knight's face was deathly pale. The tip of his spear had just flicked something off the embers, dropping it onto the muddy ground. A human arm. The arm of their very own comrade in arms. Jo Fan fell to his knees in the mud. His empty stomach churned violently, forcing his stomach acid up into his throat. The young man spat out bitter saliva. His body trembled violently as he looked at the two Pingyuan soldiers who were now prostrating themselves in terror before Zhao Yun. "Mercy, General! We went mad from hunger! Our stomachs feel like they are being pierced by thousands of needles!" one of the soldiers wailed. Tears soaked his face, which was dirty with dust and soot. "He froze to death this afternoon. We just... we just didn't want to follow him."<

The rainstorm had subsided. It left only a cold drizzle and thin fog among the trees of the wilderness. The night felt incredibly long for the remnants of the Shu-Han army. Beneath the canopy of large branches, three thousand soldiers sat huddled, wrapped in the cold. Their stomachs no longer screamed for human flesh, thanks to the coarse grain looted from the corrupt noble's manor. They only ate half portions to save the remaining logistics, but it was enough to restore a little sanity into their heads. In the middle of the damp camp, a small campfire struggled to burn. It hissed every time a raindrop fell from a leaf. Jo Fan crouched near the fire. The silvery-white-haired young man's face was no longer pale as a corpse. The instant calories and the MSG miracle from the curry noodle soup had truly kicked his brain back into two hundred percent capacity. With hands that no longer trembled, he unrolled a worn leather map

The wet and freezing wilderness became the silent witness to a highly absurd negotiation. On one side, Guo Jia stood in a pristine dark blue robe, flanked by elite Wei guards and two wooden carts billowing with the aroma of roasted meat and expensive wine. On the other side, Jo Fan sat on the muddy ground. The white-haired young man's clothes were dirty, soaking wet, and reeked of sweat. His eyes, however, radiated an arrogance that could not be bought with a piece of meat. Jo Fan tossed the pork thigh bone he had just picked clean into a puddle of water. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then stared at the golden silk scroll in Liu Bei's grasp. "An Imperial Decree, huh?" Jo Fan laughed cynically. His voice was hoarse but sounded incredibly mocking. "Cao Mengde is really good at playing with stamps. But that golden paper isn't going to fill our soldiers' stomachs, Master Guo Jia." Guan Yu

The giant steel gates of Xuchang opened wide. The creak of its heavy hinges sounded like the mouth of a monster swallowing its prey alive. Liu Bei's small entourage stepped inside the capital of the Wei faction. The view inside the city was absolutely magnificent. Teak wood buildings with curved roofs layered with red clay tiles stood neatly. The main streets were paved with extremely flat, clean natural stone. There was no smell of corpses or starving people like in the outskirts of Xuzhou. Here, prosperity was visible on every street corner. However, behind that grandeur, a highly structured mental intimidation was being put on display. All along the road to the main palace, thousands of Wei heavy infantrymen stood in tight ranks on the left and right sides of the street. They wore gleaming steel plate armor, holding their spears straight up with perfectly rigid postures. Their gazes were cold, locking onto every step

The night air of Xuchang immediately hit Jo Fan's face the moment the wheels of his wooden chair crossed the threshold of the main hall. The winter wind pierced through his gray robe, making his fragile bones ache and creak. Zhao Yun pushed the wheelchair with a steady, constant motion. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei walked around him in a tight, protective formation. Crazy. My heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest, Jo Fan cursed inwardly. He swallowed his saliva, which tasted bitter. Arguing with Cao Mengde was like playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun. But they had made it out alive. At least for tonight. Just as they were descending the marble stairs toward the vast palace courtyard, the sound of heavy, armored footsteps echoed rapidly from behind them. "Halt!" an ice-cold voice sliced through the night air. Cheng Yu stepped out from the shadows of the palace pillars. T