In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

Fan Zeng, who considered himself Xiang Yu's strategist, would certainly not allow such a situation to occur if he wanted to monopolize so many benefits!

Xiang Zhuang understood. Although he was a little intimidated by Xiang Bo, he still had to carry out Fan Zeng's orders.

"Then please enlighten me, Third Uncle." Controlling his tone and trying to calm it down, Xiang Zhuang's eyes regained their sharpness, and the killing intent that could sting the skin continued to surge towards Liu Ji.

"General!" Fan Kuai approached Liu Ji from behind, who was still in shock, and nervously watched as Xiang Zhuang, who had already started practicing his sword dance again on the dance floor, and Xiang Bo, whose swords seemed to be dancing together with Xiang Zhuang, but in reality they were already fighting. He grabbed Liu Ji's arm from behind.

"Fan, Fan Kuai?" Liu Ji turned around abruptly and met Fan Kuai's eyes. The cold sweat on his face had not yet faded, and he was still flustered.

"General, shall we?" He gestured with his chin towards the door, his meaning clear.

Fan Kuai's hands were trembling slightly, not because he was afraid of dying, but because he was afraid of losing Liu Ji.

Liu Ji looked in Zhang Liang's direction and noticed that Zhang Liang's hair was already moving on its own without any wind, although the movement was not very large.

Having seen Zhang Liang perform magic before, Liu Ji immediately recognized what Zhang Liang was trying to do and quickly raised his hand to press it down.

The three people sitting in the head seats had a clear view of everything that was happening below.

Zijuan didn't feel anything. In her opinion, Liu Ji was dead, and her elder brother was capable enough to control the situation.

Xiang An frowned and looked at Fan Zeng.

Fan Zeng's behavior was already an act of usurpation.

"Big brother?" Xiang An looked up at Xiang Yu, his tone questioning.

"Wait a little longer. If he really runs away, it's not too late for you to chase after him." Xiang Yu's voice was very soft, so soft that only he and Xiang An could hear it.

“Father has been a bit too indulgent.” Xiang An nodded, then shook his head.

"I understand." Xiang Yu nodded as well, and said nothing more.

The two brothers remained silent, and the scene quieted down. The only sound left in the brightly lit tent was the clash of swords between Xiang Zhuang and Xiang Bo.

Although Zhang Liang was still somewhat wary, he withdrew his magic and severed the connection with the thought key under Liu Ji's frequent prompting.

However, even though the connection was broken, he still felt somewhat dangerous, because he sensed that the two brothers sitting in the main seat were still paying some attention to him.

Moreover, he could clearly sense that something was off about the two brothers, but none of that mattered now. The most important thing was how to ensure Liu Ji's safety during this treacherous banquet.

Anyway, we can't stay at this banquet any longer.

Thinking about it, he clutched his stomach, revealing a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

"Brother Zifang, what's going on?" Han Xin saw through Zhang Liang's plan, but didn't intend to expose it. He just curiously moved closer.

"It's nothing, just a bit of stomach pain. I'll take care of it when I get out."

With that, Zhang Liang stood up and headed out of the tent.

Liu Ji seized the opportunity, gave Xiang Yu, who was seated at the head of the table, an apologetic smile, and followed Zhang Liang out, with Fan Kuai following behind.

Xiang Yu and Xiang An exchanged a glance. Xiang An silently stood up and walked towards the back of his seat.

......

Once outside the tent, the men Fan Zeng had arranged immediately bared their fangs at Liu Ji. Two burly men, wielding long swords, approached the hurried Liu Ji and his companions.

Fan Kuai's expression changed, and he drew his long sword from his waist, standing in front of Liu Ji.

"Pei Gong, hurry up and leave!" Fan Kuai glared angrily, his muscles bulging and his face full of fierceness. In the brightly lit tent, he looked like a ferocious demon.

"General, mount your horses quickly!" Zhang Liang said urgently, having already brought over three fine horses.

Although Xiang Yu's attitude is still unclear, indulgence itself represents an attitude. Staying at the Hongmen Banquet would be tantamount to courting death. If you're going to leave, you have to leave quickly! There's no time to hesitate!

"Go, go quickly! Fan Kuai, you go too!" Liu Ji was a little flustered, but he could still find his way. He grabbed Fan Kuai's clothes, trying to get Fan Kuai to leave as well.

The commotion outside the tent had already attracted some attention, and some guards carrying spears were approaching.

Fan Kuai was frantic: "Lord Pei, you go first, I'll cover the rear!"

"Hurry up and leave, General! General Fan can escape!" Zhang Liang knew that Fan Kuai would not be in danger even if he stayed here, after all, he was just a general. But if Liu Ji stayed here, he would surely die, because this was a crisis brought about by his status.

Before Liu Ji could pull him any further, Fan Kuai darted out and slashed at the two soldiers with his sword.

However, before Fan Kuai could strike, a burly figure leaped over from a distance, seemingly flying close to the ground, and kicked the two soldiers who were close to Fan Kuai aside.

"Traitors." Xiang An spat, looking with disgust at the two soldiers he had kicked away, then his gaze passed over Fan Kuai and fell on Liu Ji, who had already mounted his horse.

"Old Liu, stay here!" Xiang An roared, intending to stop Liu Ji.

"Come on!"

"drive!"

Zhang Liang and Liu Ji knew that Xiang An's arrival meant trouble was brewing. This guy's martial prowess was said to be superhuman, and they absolutely couldn't let him get entangled. So they spurred their horses, cracked their whips, and sped off westward.

"Go away!"

"Xiang family brat, if you want to pursue Liu Bang, you'll have to get past me first!"

Fan Kuai stood between Xiang An and Liu Ji, who was walking further and further away, glaring at Xiang An with his sword raised.

"How dare you stop me?"

With Xiang An's large spear not by his side, he drew his incredibly heavy eight-sided longsword from his waist, glared at Fan Kuai, and immediately engaged him in battle.

------------

Chapter 938 The Painful Duke of Pei

Xiang An initially did not take Fan Kuai seriously. He had dominated the Central Plains for several years and rarely encountered an opponent except for Xiang Yu. Especially after Xiang Liang died in Dingtao and his original strength returned, almost no general could last ten moves against him.

But now, although he wasn't riding the swift horse or wielding the great spear, Xiang An couldn't fully unleash his power, but this Fan Kuai...

Each time was a close call, but he managed to withstand Xiang An's frequent and heavy slashes and thrusts, and now he has lasted for a full thirty rounds.

A sharp pain shot through Xiang An's chest, causing him to frown and squint, slowing his movements for a moment.

"An opening!" Fan Kuai immediately seized the opportunity, pulled back, and thrust his long sword straight at Xiang An's chest.

Xiang An withdrew his longsword and held it to his chest, parrying Fan Kuai's sword strike. Fan Kuai, however, failed to land a blow and quickly retreated, grabbing his last horse and forcing back several Chu soldiers who wanted to surround him. He then followed Liu Ji and Zhang Liang's footprints and fled westward.

"Tsk..." Xiang An couldn't help but feel a little sweat on his forehead.

His hand was pressed against his chest. He wasn't wearing armor anymore, and you could see that the brown color of his clothes had darkened, and blood had seeped through them.

"I already told you not to do strenuous exercise since you're injured," Xiang Yu said as he walked up behind Xiang An.

"Big brother..." Xiang An forced himself to stand up, revealing a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

Since the Battle of Julu, Xiang An had not rested. Although Xiang Yu had also not rested, he had never engaged in strenuous exercise. Xiang An, on the other hand, once again went all out in the Battle of Zhangshui, which followed closely on the heels of the Battle of Julu, giving Jin Qixiu a respectable end. However, as a result, the injuries sustained in the Battle of Julu had not been healed for a long time.

After all, there's no one left to "adjust" for them now.

"It's alright, we've already gotten the answer we wanted, that's enough." Xiang Yu shook his head. "The key is for you to focus on healing your injuries."

"Why?" Xiang An wanted to ask, "Wasn't there no more war afterward?", but because of the sharp pain in his chest, Xiang An could only grimace. When he came to his senses, Xiang Yu had already left, and standing next to Xiang An were Xiang Jing and Zi Juan.

"Second Brother, are you alright?" Zijuan looked at Xiang An with concern, the bloodstains on his chest were shocking.

"I'll go get the army doctor." Before Xiang An could answer, Xiang Jing walked away.

Actually, Xiang An wasn't injured in the Battle of Julu, nor was he injured in subsequent battles. The wound on his chest was caused by a broken rib that had pierced through during the Battle of Julu, and it took a lot of effort to put it back in.

Shaking his head, Xiang An sighed deeply: "It's nothing. I was just a bit too arrogant. The heroes of the world are not to be underestimated."

"What about the feudal lords? Is the banquet still continuing?"

“They’ve almost all left.” Zijuan’s gaze remained fixed on Xiang An’s chest, filled with worry. “Now that the main characters are gone, they just came to freeload a meal. What are they going to do here after they’ve eaten? By the way, Second Brother, are you really okay?”

"It's alright, a re-bandage should fix it, since the bones have healed." Xiang An scratched his head and gave a wry smile. "Leaving it unattended really does cause problems..."

"General." A familiar voice rang out from beside him.

"Oh, Lao Han." Xiang An looked up and saw that it was Han Xin walking towards them. "Let's talk about it later. I'm going to take care of my wound."

Han Xin nodded. He did have some things to discuss with Xiang An, but they weren't anything important.

"Xiao Si, you go to your older brother's side first," Xiang An patted Zijuan's shoulder. "I'll be there in a bit."

"Okay, make sure you recover from your injury quickly." Zijuan was still a little worried, but since Xiang An had said so, it was indeed more important to have something to do.

......

Half an hour later, the night was deep, but there were still too many people with their eyes open.

Liu Ji ran a long way before looking back. When he realized that no one was chasing him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down.

"General, it seems we're safe now..." The river was not far ahead. Zhang Liang looked at the river, let out a breath, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Old Fan..." Liu Ji gritted his teeth, looking worriedly towards the east, towards the direction of Hongmen.

"General Fan will be alright," Zhang Liang offered a token reassurance. "Perhaps he has already escaped."

Liu Ji shook his head, not wanting to respond.

"Zifang, what's your opinion this time?"

“Xiang Yu was probably just testing us. It was Fan Zeng who really wanted to kill you, General…” Zhang Liang dismounted, took the reins, and looked at the shimmering river. He kept sighing. “Otherwise, how could our swift steeds, the Black Steed and the surging waves, not catch up with us?”

Liu Ji also dismounted, stood silently by the river with his hands behind his back.

"What should we do next?" Zhang Liang asked, following behind Liu Ji. "Judging from Xiang Yu's attitude, General, your title of King of Guanzhong is probably gone."

“Those are all empty titles; once they’re gone, they’re gone.” Shaking his head, Liu Ji seemed quite philosophical about it. “I never took it to heart in the first place.”

"What really hurts me is what we've gained..."

"This time, I'm afraid we'll have to hand it all over."

Zhang Liang paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile: "Since you survived, you should exchange something for it."

“Let’s go back and reorganize the army.” Shaking his head, Liu Ji turned around, looking dejected. “Our army will withdraw from Xianyang and retreat to Ba Shang. Everything in Xianyang, including Ziying and the emperor’s chariot, should be handed over to Xiang Yu. Our army will also be under Xiang Yu’s command.”

“Give him everything, including the cities we control. Give him everything.”

As he said this, it was as if he had lost all his strength.

......

"Old Han, speak up, there's no one else here." Xiang An, shirtless with his sharply defined muscles wrapped in bandages, looked at Han Xin and said.

"General, after much deliberation, I still believe that you will find a better future by leaving your brother." Han Xin hesitated for a moment, but still spoke, bowing and lowering his head.