It Wasn’t a Martial Arts World, but the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 107. Intention (5)

White plum blossoms were scattering.

They looked like tiny snowflakes, making it hard to believe it wasn’t winter.

I was in the middle of it all, seated in a cross-legged position, having just finished my circulation of qi.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Zhang Yang staring at me intently.

She was tidying her bangs, and upon meeting my gaze, she quickly hid her hands behind her waist and smiled sheepishly.

“Have you finished your circulation of qi?”

“Yes, but when did you get here?”

“Well, um… Ah, yes! I was just strolling through the garden when I happened to see you and stopped for a moment.”

What a blatant lie.

Having reached a level where I could sense qi even with my eyes closed, I knew that Zhang Yang had been watching from behind a nearby tree from the very beginning.

And yet, she’s lying so obviously… I’ll have to reveal this to her one day and watch her make a sulky face.

“Ahem…! Isn’t the weather just lovely?”

“Well, I suppose it is.”

As Zhang Yang awkwardly tried to make conversation, I sighed and stood up.

I had expelled all the impure qi from my body.

My acupoints were restored.

My dantian had been repaired.

But still, I hadn’t achieved rebirth.

Even when I tried to forcefully spread qi throughout my body to change my muscles and bones, all it brought was intense pain and sweat-drenched clothes.

I must be missing something.

“By the way, Unryong, are you really planning to head to Fengyi Commandery alone?”

“Well, not alone. Yeo will be coming with me.”

“…Well, yes, but…”

Zhang Yang puffed her cheeks slightly at the mention of Lü Bu’s name.

It seemed she still wasn’t fond of her.

Fortunately, Lü Bu was training elsewhere; otherwise, another tense confrontation might have occurred.

Anyway.

As Zhang Yang mentioned, Lü Bu and I were planning to head to Fengyi Commandery.

Thanks to Zhang Yang’s precise intel on the movements of Cao Cao’s forces and my brothers, we could set our destination directly.

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to conscript some soldiers before you go? If needed, I can help—”

“They’d just be a burden.”

“…What?”

Zhang Yang tilted her head with a blank expression.

At this level, traveling with uncoordinated soldiers would be like carrying dead weight.

But I didn’t bother explaining. Too much of a hassle.

“And you know, Governor, I’d rather not reveal my identity publicly yet.”

“…”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang reluctantly nodded, understanding my reasoning.

News of me moving voluntarily—especially with Lü Bu—could disrupt the battle plans of both Cao Cao and Yuan Shu.

My existence was a significant variable for them.

Not knowing the full flow of the war yet, I wanted to avoid that as much as possible.

Realizing that I intended to go alone, Zhang Yang slowly shook her head and sighed.

“You’re putting yourself in danger again. It’s times like this that I can’t stand you.”

“Hah, you can’t stand me?”

“…N-not seriously, of course…!”

When I playfully teased her, Zhang Yang flinched and vehemently denied it.

She was so earnest that her face turned bright red as she shook her head, making it impossible not to laugh.

“…Y-you! Honestly!”

Zhang Yang realized I was teasing her and lightly hit my shoulder with her fist. Compared to Lü Bu, it was ticklishly gentle.

Yes, this was normal.

It was a sudden reminder that Lü Bu was more of a gorilla than a human.

“Ah, that’s refreshing.”

“You’re as mischievous as ever!”

After a good laugh, I felt lighter inside.

It was almost surprising how seamlessly I had blended into this world.

Zhang Yang eventually stopped hitting me and delicately placed her hands back on her skirt, clearing her throat a couple of times.

“You’ll be leaving tomorrow, right?”

“Well, I still need to gather some supplies first.”

“I’ll take care of that for you. Gathering enough provisions for two people isn’t difficult.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“But remember, nothing in this world is free.”

Saying this, Zhang Yang turned her head slightly, and I noticed her ears were flushed.

“So, how about a little walk?”

There was no reason to refuse.

I laughed heartily and agreed.

And so we walked.

She led us to a stone wall path, where not only plum blossoms but also a variety of colorful flowers decorated the streets.

“I wanted to show you this path.”

Zhang Yang said with a smile.

Now that I think about it, after the coalition disbanded, she had written to me about wanting to see the flowers together.

As described in her letter, it was indeed a beautiful scene.

Then, Zhang Yang quickened her pace, moving ahead of me.

Soon, she stopped and stretched out her pure white hand.

She stood under a large plum tree.

The petals fell like snowflakes, piling up on her outstretched palm.

The sight of innocent, timid Zhang Yang paired perfectly with the pure white petals.

It was a scene straight out of a painting.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Have I finally caught your eye?”

“Hah, you’re quite the beauty. I got lost in the sight.”

“…Really?”

Zhang Yang seemed to want more praise and stepped deeper into the falling petals.

But it backfired as the petals covered her completely.

“You should’ve just stayed still.”

“…I’m already regretting it, so please stop.”

Not wanting to see her look so dejected, I stepped forward.

Soon, petals piled up all over me as well.

“Oh, it’s so ticklish.”

“Hehe… It suits you quite well.”

Zhang Yang, seemingly in a better mood, covered her mouth with one hand and chuckled.

Then, she spoke up.

“My dear.”

“Hmm?”

“This time, please don’t do anything reckless. Though I know saying it is meaningless…”

She sighed deeply, like a woman sending her lover off to war.

“Then let me rephrase. Come back safely this time, too.”

– Grab!

Zhang Yang firmly grasped my cheeks.

Her hands trembled slightly; she still seemed unaccustomed to touching a man.

“If you return, I’ll reward you again…”

Come to think of it, this woman had suddenly kissed my cheek before, hadn’t she?

Hah, she’s just calling it a reward on her own.

But men are creatures of instinct. Hearing her mention a reward made my heart flutter.

Feeling awkward, I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.

“Governor, are you a pervert?”

“P-perv—! What an indecent thing to say!”

“Isn’t it though? Acting like this with a grown man.”

“If you don’t like it, then fine!”

Zhang Yang sharply turned her head away.

I smirked and brushed the petals off the back of her head.

“Did I ever say I didn’t like it?”

“…”

“Since you put it that way, I’ll take you up on it.”

“…Ahem.”

Zhang Yang lowered her head and covered her face with her hands.

Seeing her trembling like a small animal, it was clear she had reached her limit.

Honestly, why did she insist on doing things she wasn’t used to?

For a while, I just patted her head.

***

After our brief walk, I returned to the garden. Zhang Yang, saying she had official duties to attend to, returned indoors. Her face looked brighter than when we had first reunited, which was a great relief.

As I walked, lost in thought, I noticed Lü Bu standing in the distance with her arms crossed and her brows furrowed.

“So now I’m just an afterthought, huh? Guess you’ve seen all you needed to.”

She grumbled, kicking at the ground… wait, the ground shook? Is this for real?

She’s definitely not human.

“What’s the matter, Yeo? Are you sulking?”

“Screw that. I’m sweating, so I’m going to rest.”

“Oh, come on.”

I quickly put an arm around her shoulder as she tried to leave.

“Once we’re on the march, we’ll be stuck seeing each other’s faces all the time. If you leave like this, how will you endure the rest of the days?”

“Forget it. Get lost.”

“Hey now, I brought you a gift.”

“…”

Lü Bu seemed intrigued by my words.

Of course, I had no real gift; it was just a random flower I picked up off the street.

Still, women generally liked flowers.

My girlfriend from my previous life did, and so did Zhang Yang.

Although I doubted Lü Bu would.

But given the situation, I pulled out the flower from my pocket as a makeshift gift.

“So, what do you think? Isn’t it pretty?”

“…You’re giving that to me?”

“Well, don’t women like flowers? I put some thought into it and brought it.”

Yeah, that’s a lie. I just picked it up… I feel guilty seeing her look so surprised…

As expected, Lü Bu didn’t seem pleased, snorting loudly before roughly shoving the flower into her pocket.

“Hah! A woman… you’re calling this Lü Bu a woman…! You’ve really lost your mind. No one’s ever said that to me before.”

She turned her back on me as she spoke, clearly not happy.

I was about to sigh and wonder how to smooth things over when—

“What are you standing there for? We’re setting off at dawn. Don’t you have preparations to make?”

“…”

Lü Bu stopped and called me.

Did… did that actually work?

Seeing me stand there dumbfounded, Lü Bu motioned for me to hurry over.

She truly was an unpredictable woman.