Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 94 Each other
How dare that scoundrel Cao call me a lecherous thief?
Liu Bei felt that this world was too absurd...

"Brother Mengde, please don't slander me... Besides, if this gets out, I won't be the one who will be ashamed to face anyone!"

Liu Bei used his strength to force Cao Cao back, and then swung his sword at Cao Cao's left arm.

This is the fighting style of a martial arts contest; it doesn't aim for vital points.

A crisp "clang" sounded.

Cao Cao swung his sword back, but instead of blocking, he used the blade to block directly, completely disregarding the damage to the sword.

The blades clashed, sparks flew, and both swords developed tiny nicks the size of grains of rice.

"Enough with the words! Today, I, your master, will settle this with you!"

Cao Cao was unable to remain calm at the moment, and thrust his sword forward with considerable ruthlessness—aiming to stab Liu Bei in the groin.

I don't know if it was intentional or not...

However, Cao Cao was a head shorter than Liu Bei, so after blocking, he thrust back, and the most suitable place to attack was indeed that spot.

"How could they be so ruthless! They have no regard for the rules of the martial world!"

Liu Bei sidestepped and used a "stirring" technique to block Cao Cao's sword. Then, taking advantage of Cao Cao's forward steps, he struck Cao Cao's chest and abdomen with the hilt of his sword.

Cao Cao had used up his sword, and as he leaned forward, the sword struck him squarely.

Cao Cao grunted and took a half step back, but he was quite agile. Using Liu Bei's force, he took another half step back, then slashed back the old sword he had thrust out, aiming at Liu Bei's arm with the motion of drawing the sword.

Liu Bei had long arms, so when Cao Cao drew his sword, it was actually more difficult for him to block. Cao Cao's swordsmanship was quite good.

But Liu Bei completely ignored Cao Cao's slash. Instead, he followed Cao Cao's retreat and took advantage of the situation to raise his sword, using his height and long arms to slash at Cao Cao's right arm.

This is a fighting style that trades injuries for injuries.

Cao Cao drew his sword and slashed quickly, but with little force, so he couldn't injure anyone too severely.

Although Liu Bei launched a counterattack after the initial one, his attack was more forceful and should have forced Cao Cao to retreat and back down.

But Cao Cao neither dodged nor retreated.

As a result, both men's right arms were cut by the sword, and their clothes were torn.

but……

Neither of them was injured.

Beneath Cao Cao's torn brocade robe, silk armor inlaid with iron plates was revealed...

Beneath Liu Bei's clothes, there was also an inner armor inlaid with iron plates...

Both of them came prepared—they were wearing protective inner armor made of multiple layers of silk pressed together and mixed with iron scales, also known as silk armor.

This thing is very expensive, complicated to make, and difficult to maintain. Once it is damaged, it basically has to be made from scratch, unlike lamellar armor which can be repaired with parts.

But there's a reason why it's expensive; this kind of inner armor is very suitable for preventing assassination.

The inner silk's toughness can cushion attacks from arrows and sharp blades, and the silk threads will wrap around high-speed arrows to reduce their penetrating power, while the iron plates embedded in the outer layer can protect against cuts and slashes.

If riding a horse into battle, one could wear an additional layer of scale armor, which is commonly referred to as "wearing two layers of armor".

This is high-end equipment that only the wealthy can afford.

Both of them are now very wealthy...

Moreover, both of their inner armors were thickened.

Both men were carrying ordinary swords, namely eight-sided Han swords. Although they were steel swords, they were difficult to use against thick soft armor, and their slashes and cuts were like scraping.

Unless beheading or throat stabbing...

Or escalate the attack and resort to violent stabbing.

To be honest, Liu Bei's swordsmanship was clearly superior to Cao Cao's. If neither of them had been wearing armor, Cao Cao would have been more seriously injured than Liu Bei in that attack.

However, since both of them were wearing armor, swordsmanship was less effective, and Liu Bei was indeed somewhat restrained from using his full strength against Cao Cao.

Cao Cao gritted his teeth and took a step back, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands: "You treacherous villain!"

Liu Bei also took a step back, sheathing his sword at his side and gripping it with both hands: "Likewise..."

The two men stared at each other.

Then, as if on cue, they lunged forward together, but instead of thrusting, they slashed fiercely at each other, their blades aimed at each other's shoulders—clearly, both wanted to inflict some pain on the other, but neither wanted to kill the other…

But when the two lunged forward at the same time, they collided, and both swords were stuck at their sides, making them unable to exert any force.

They were so close, their eyes met...

The two simultaneously rammed each other with their shoulders, each taking a step back, and then swung their swords at each other again. However, because they had both taken a step back, they only managed to strike each other's blades.

With a loud clang, sparks flew everywhere, and the blade shattered...

The two cracked characters for "virtue" fell to the ground with a clatter as the broken sword blade shattered.

……

"What business is it, Mengde?!"

"How is my beloved?!"

Outside the tavern, the men on both sides heard the sound of metal clashing and became excited.

Guan Yu led his troops forward and loudly questioned those inside the tavern.

On Cao Cao's side, a fierce man led his men to block Guan Yu, and also loudly inquired—that fierce man was named Xiahou Dun, Cao Cao's cousin.

Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was originally from the Xiahou family but was adopted by the powerful eunuch Cao Teng. Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao were cousins ​​and were very close from childhood.

"I'm fine!" "All is well!"

Liu Bei and Cao Cao both shouted loudly outside at the same time.

Then Cao Cao threw the hilt of his sword at Liu Bei, bent down and lunged forward, swinging a powerful punch at Liu Bei's face.

Liu Bei also threw his sword hilt at Cao Cao, and then countered with a straight punch following the path Cao Cao had taken.

Using the momentum of Cao Cao's forward charge, this rear hand punch landed squarely on Cao Cao's eye socket.

In a fight unarmed, Cao Cao would be at a huge disadvantage.

Liu Bei was a head taller than Cao Cao, with a wingspan a full half foot longer, and could land a straight punch even if he was thrown later.

Moreover, Liu Bei had no psychological pressure fighting bare-handed, which was much easier than swordsmanship, because he no longer needed to worry about whether he would accidentally kill Cao Cao.

Cao Cao took a punch, let out a howl, rolled on the ground, got up, and pounced on Liu Bei again, this time using a wild, unrestrained attack that included both a lunge and a hug.

It seems they've finally realized that since they're not as skilled or physically imposing as Liu Bei, they'll have to resort to a brutal fight and rely on strength—or, to put them to the ground and then compete in grappling techniques…

But Liu Bei dodged the lunge by sidestepping, then hooked Cao Cao's leg with his leg. Cao Cao staggered and missed, while Liu Bei followed up with an elbow strike aimed at Cao Cao's face.

It wasn't that Liu Bei was ruthless; it was just that he was so comfortable with the move that he instinctively struck head-on.

"Ow!"

Cao Cao was hit hard in the other eye socket, let out a loud cry and fell to the ground. He then covered his eye and lay motionless on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

Liu Bei had iron plates secretly embedded in his elbows; a direct hit from them could really kill someone...

"Brother Mengde, are you alright?"

Liu Bei felt that he might have gone too far. If he had hurt Cao Cao, he feared that it would attract a large army to surround and annihilate him. He quickly squatted down and reached out to check.

"Come die!"

Taking advantage of Liu Bei crouching down, Cao Cao suddenly launched a sneak attack, striking Liu Bei in the face with an elbow.

Liu Bei was crouching down and reaching out. Although he was on guard, he did not expect that Cao Cao could still counterattack with all his might after being hit hard. He only had time to turn his head slightly, but Cao Cao's elbow still swept his side of his face.

It also let out a "whoosh" and flipped several times.

Cao Cao's elbow was also inlaid with iron plates...

……

Outside the tavern, the two men's men heard their boss's screams and became agitated, rushing towards the tavern's entrance.

Xiahou Dun charged ahead, only to unfortunately run into Guan Yu, who was also leading the charge...

When two sides are squeezed together, it's hard to stop, especially when you see an enemy charging towards you. You'll feel itchy if you don't kick them.

Guan Yu then delivered a lightning-fast frontal kick, knocking Xiahou Dun to the ground.

This kick ignited the brawl.

The streets were narrow and crowded, and since no one was carrying any weapons, they didn't pay attention to tactics and just huddled together, fighting each other in a chaotic mess.

Just then, Bian Ji arrived.

Upon hearing from Bian Bing that Cao Cao had come to see Liu Bei, Bian Ji was extremely anxious, fearing that something might have happened to Liu Lang...

This is the first update today. Subsequent updates will resume at 6 AM and 18 PM. Any extra updates will be at 12 PM.

I'm trying my best to type...

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(End of this chapter)