Chapter 122: The True Chosen One, Invincible Among Peers

"Stop, stop, stop!"

"Duke Wen, hold your tongue, or my three thousand personal guards will lose their patience!"

Fan Li was startled and hurriedly cut off Lu Bu’s 'spellcasting'.

Good heavens! Was 'Wandering Half a Lifetime' actually Lu Bu's ultimate move? He was a perfectly fine, innocent young man who hadn't even found a wife yet, and now he was supposed to adopt a nine-foot-tall foster son who had a penchant for backstabbing?

Lu Bu, kneeling on the ground, looked equally bewildered. He had come to defect in good faith, so why was Fan Li so eager to refuse? A peak-stage Ninth-Grade Harmony Realm powerhouse was usually welcomed with open arms wherever he went. With his extensive experience in job-hopping, Lu Bu couldn't figure out if there was something wrong with himself or if Fan Li had lost his mind.

"Ahem, Duke Wen, please rise." Fan Li gestured for him to stand, but he dared not get too close.

"Duke of Jin, I am sincere in my defection!" Lu Bu said, though he stood up with alacrity; he didn't enjoy kneeling to others either.

The current situation was indeed unfavorable for Lu Bu. He had rebelled alongside Dong Zhuo, offending the Han Emperor. Fleeing the battlefield meant burning his bridges with Dong Zhuo as well. With nowhere to go and a desperate lack of security, Lu Bu was in urgent need of a new master to cling to. Right now, within Chang'an, Fan Li was the best choice. Even though the Han Emperor and Dong Zhuo were locked in a fierce struggle, the nation's strength would inevitably be depleted after the war. Fan Li, meanwhile, held absolute power in the Chu State. Future rulers of the Great Han would certainly not want to offend Fan Li, nor would they dare to pursue Lu Bu for seeking his protection.

Should he accept? Or not? Fan Li felt a splitting headache. His distress was something others couldn't comprehend. From the perspective of talent acquisition, Lu Bu’s strength was beyond question. But this guy was a human-shaped 'Lu' horse—a natural omen of destruction for his masters. Fan Li feared that if he took Lu Bu in, he would meet a violent end within a few years.

"Such a rare and formidable tiger general, and you actually don't want him? What exactly are you hesitating about? Tell me," Princess Changle suddenly hooked her arm around Fan Li’s neck. She leaned into his ear, whispering in an intimate tone.

This scene left Lu Bu stunned. Changle was both the Eldest Princess of the Great Han and the Empress of the Chu State; to be so intimate with Fan Li in public? This only proved that Fan Li’s influence in the Chu State was even more terrifying than Lu Bu had imagined! This new father—no, wait, this powerful backer—Lu Bu was determined to cling to him!

"You know nothing," Fan Li pushed her away, annoyed by her clinginess. "Every person who has been a foster father to Lu Bu has met a miserable end! Have you not heard of the fates of Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo?"

After whispering this, Fan Li remembered that Dong Zhuo wasn't dead yet. The Princess chuckled.

"How old are you, and you're already thinking about being Lu Bu’s foster father?"

"Can't you just take him into your retinue?"

Her words were like a wake-up call! That was it! The biggest bug was becoming his foster father. As long as he didn't take on that role, he could potentially avoid the risk. Given Lu Bu’s character, as long as his material needs were met, he was unlikely to betray him. The Fangtian Halberd, the Red Hare horse, Diaochan—aside from the last one, with Fan Li’s vast wealth, supporting a Lu Bu was a trivial matter. The only downside was that Lu Bu only fought when he was on the winning side.

"Lu Bu!" Fan Li immediately announced loudly, "Are you truly willing to submit to me?"

Lu Bu was overjoyed. He had almost thought Fan Li would reject him, and he hadn't expected the other man to change his mind.

"I am sincere in my defection, with no ulterior motives!"

"If you do not believe me, I am willing to take you as my—"

Fan Li waved his hands repeatedly. "No need for such trouble; let's skip the oaths and vows! I have always admired your talent and character, General. Since you are sincere in your defection, I shall accept you."

That was close! He almost didn't stop him in time. Lu Bu was even more delighted. In truth, with Fan Li being so young, it would have been awkward for him to call him father. By skipping that step, Lu Bu felt a sense of gratitude toward Fan Li.

"The Duke of Jin is so straightforward, not imposing any conditions. He must truly value my talent. If the opportunity arises, I must perform well!"

Having accepted Lu Bu, Fan Li appointed him as a Third-Grade General of the Garrison, temporarily commanding the mission’s bodyguard unit. Lu Bu was very satisfied with this. Under Dong Zhuo, although there was a father-son bond, his military rank wasn't particularly high—merely a General of the Household, also a Third-Grade position. Having just defected to Fan Li, he was already given the rank of Third-Grade General of the Garrison and command over the entire bodyguard unit, which showed how much Fan Li valued him.

"The Duke of Jin truly intends to use me!" Lu Bu was secretly ecstatic.

In reality, Fan Li understood the situation clearly. Lu Bu was eager to prove himself, so he would give him the chance. As for the issue of loyalty, while Lu Bu’s loyalty wasn't high, he was a man who understood the times and would certainly not betray him at this juncture. With this thought, Fan Li felt safe using him.

What really gave Fan Li a headache was Dong Zhuo. At that moment, outside the Weiyang Palace, Fan Li could clearly see Dong Zhuo, including the wrinkles on his face and his hair and beard fluttering in the wind. With Fan Li’s cultivation level, he shouldn't have been able to see these details so clearly. However, Dong Zhuo had transformed into a giant! He stood thirty or forty zhang tall, and the once-imposing outer walls of the Weiyang Palace now looked like low doorsteps that Dong Zhuo could step over with ease.

"What is happening?" Fan Li asked Princess Changle in a low voice. "Is Dong Zhuo getting stronger? What level of the Mahayana Realm is he at now?"

The Princess’s tone turned uncharacteristically serious. "Fifth grade... Sixth grade... He is approaching the seventh grade."

"What!?" Fan Li was shocked. Was the 'Taotie Demon Art' that terrifying? After a frenzy of consumption, Dong Zhuo’s cultivation had soared to such an extent?

"Didn't you say the demon art had flaws?"

"At this rate, if Dong Zhuo eats your father too, wouldn't he be invincible?"

Princess Changle shook her head, remaining silent. The demon art must have flaws, but the facts were right before their eyes: Dong Zhuo was truly becoming invincible...

...

"Interesting."

"Minister Lan, you have shown me a fine spectacle."

In the Great Ming Imperial Palace, at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the National Preceptor Lan Daoxing was performing the 'Fu Luan Qi Ji' secret technique. Though it consumed a great deal of spiritual energy, it allowed him to project the scene in Chang'an for the Jiajing Emperor to behold.

"The 'Taotie Demon Art'?"

"You are all learned men; have any of you heard of such a strange cultivation technique in this world?"

Below the imperial steps stood the high-ranking officials of the Great Ming Cabinet. At the head was Yan Song, and at the very end, surprisingly, was Zhang Juzheng.

"Perhaps this old servant's knowledge is shallow, for I have never heard of any 'Taotie Demon Art'," Yan Song knelt and reported. Since the Senior Grand Secretary had knelt, Xu Jie and the other ministers behind him had no choice but to follow suit.

"If Your Majesty is interested in the 'Taotie Demon Art', you could issue an edict to the Embroidered Uniform Guard lurking in Chang'an to find a way to obtain the manual," Yan Song suggested.

The Jiajing Emperor laughed aloud upon hearing this.

"I am the True Dragon Son of Heaven, the most supreme and noble! Should such a lowly demonic path be worthy of my cultivation?"

Senior Grand Secretary Yan Song replied, "Dong Zhuo has used the demon art to consume the Xiliang army, and his cultivation has skyrocketed; he faintly shows the potential to become peerless in the world..."

Flattery was a highly technical craft. Yan Song seemed to be contradicting the Emperor, but he had already seen through that the Jiajing Emperor held the combat power displayed by the demon art in contempt. Therefore, the more he praised Dong Zhuo and the demon art, the more room he gave the Jiajing Emperor to boast.

Sure enough! The Jiajing Emperor gave a disdainful smile and said with relaxed confidence, "Zhong, do you believe me? If Dong Zhuo were standing before me right now, I could make him drop dead on the spot with a single move."

"The True Son of Heaven, invincible among his peers—that is not an empty boast."