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

hum-

The scarlet color inside Xiang Antong's hole suddenly dissipated.

"Wow--"

While suspended in mid-air, Xiang An suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Then, like a kite with a broken string, it fell to the ground.

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

Chapter 972 Across the River, Xiang An Leaves Western Chu

Xiang An fell down.

He fell to the ground and rolled several times due to the slope, eventually reaching Xiang Yu's side.

Xiang Yu and Xiang An, the two former brothers, lay at the bottom of the deep pit in opposite directions, in the same posture.

"You still saw it... all of this..." Xiang An asked weakly, his voice filled with sorrow.

Peng—!

!

The chaotic flow of water crashed into the pit beside them, splashing up huge, muddy-yellow waves that, along with the drizzle, landed on the two of them.

Xiang An looked at the gloomy sky, his eyes still tinged with pain and resentment.

Xiang Yu lay beside Xiang An, his face covered in blood, his abdominal wound further aggravated by Xiang An's blows, yet his expression remained calm.

Burning Words

"...I saw it..." Xiang Yu's calm but weak voice reached Xiang An's ears.

"Cough cough—uh—" Xiang An seemed to want to say something, but it triggered a cough, causing severe pain in his internal organs, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.

Even so, Xiang An, who was nearly exhausted, still managed to sit up.

"...You've never lied, Xiang Yu." The hair tie had long been lost in the frenzied battle, and Xiang An's hair was loose, obscuring his face and making it impossible for Xiang Yu to see Xiang An's expression.

Xiang Yu tried to sit up, but—his limbs had been broken by Xiang An.

Xiang An seemed to want to stand up, but his knees buckled and he involuntarily fell back down.

This was just enough for Xiang An to see Xiang Yu's face.

Seeing Xiang Yu's miserable state.

Xiang An lay prostrate on the ground, staring at Xiang Yu, stunned.

But then he suddenly laughed.

"Look... there are things in this world that you can't see..."

"There are things you can't see!..."

Xiang Yu's consciousness was already somewhat hazy, but for some reason, he could clearly feel some water falling on his face.

It was warm, but it turned icy cold after touching his face.

Using his last bit of strength, Xiang An struggled to his feet and walked toward the top of the pit.

Xiang Yu was left behind, still lying there.

"From this day forward... I am no longer the Great General of Western Chu, nor am I your younger brother, Xiang Yu..."

Xiang An's voice was weak and muffled, yet it entered Xiang Yu's mind precisely.

The onlookers finally arrived. Yu Meiren went mad and stopped trying to hide. Like a blood-red shadow, she bypassed Xiang An and rushed to Xiang Yu, who was still lying at the bottom of the pit.

"Lord Xiang Yu, Lord Xiang Yu..." She frantically checked Xiang Yu's injuries, grabbing his hand. "Lord Xiang Yu... are you alright, Lord Xiang Yu..."

“…Yu…” Xiang Yu’s eyes seemed to regain some of their luster as he slowly uttered this single word.

"Big brother, second brother—!"

! ”

"Second Brother!"

! ”

"Lord Xiang An!"

! ”

Apart from Xiang Jing, Zijuan, and Liao Ye, the other generals were all lying on the top of the pit, looking down and watching everything that was happening, while Xiang Jing, Zijuan, and Liao Ye rushed to the bottom of the pit.

"Sister-in-law." Xiang An called out as he looked at the group rushing over, but he was actually calling for Yu Meiren.

"Huh?" Yu Meiren hugged Xiang Yu's upper body and helped him sit up. Hearing Xiang An calling her, she raised her head blankly.

Xiang An turned halfway around, looking at Xiang Yu and Yu Meiren with a sorrowful expression.

"Take good care of the big one... take good care of this bastard, I... am leaving now."

"If we meet again on the battlefield... I will take his head. Tell him this."

Yu Meiren looked at Xiang An's retreating figure, then at Xiang Yu whom she was holding in her arms, and gave a bitter smile.

"Uncle, don't you regret it?"

Xiang An gently shook his head. Zi Juan had already run over and supported Xiang An's swaying body.

"I don't regret it, but rather... I regret even more that I didn't leave sooner."

Liao Ye also wanted to help Xiang An up, but after seeing that Zi Juan had already helped him up, he stood beside Xiang An at a loss. Xiang Jing stepped over Xiang An and stood between Xiang An and Xiang Yu, at a loss.

"...It was your elder brother who betrayed you..." After a long silence, Yu Meiren lowered her head.

"...It doesn't matter anymore. Just consider it my fault for apologizing to him." Xiang An turned around and walked away with a limp, supported by Zi Juan.

"Western Chu—soldiers!" Xiang An shouted with his last strength as he walked.

"Today, I, Xiang An, sever all ties with the King of Western Chu!"

"If there are any people who no longer wish to follow Xiang Yu—!"

"Then cross the river to that new country!"

"Cough cough—um—"

"Second brother, stop talking!" Zijuan patted Xiang An's back, tears streaming down her face as she spoke painfully.

"...It's alright." Xiang An waved his hand without turning around and asked, "Third brother, are you coming over?"

Xiang Jing's body trembled violently. He stood there helplessly, looking at Xiang Yu and then at Xiang An, unsure of what to do.

Xiang Lu stood at the top of the pit, looking down, and closed his eyes.

"......Yeah."

"Let's go, Xiao Si."

Xiang An didn't say much. With Zi Juan's help, he walked out of the pit and slowly headed towards some unknown distance.

......

Xiang An disregarded his injuries. He reorganized his army and declared that he had broken away from Western Chu and intended to establish himself as king, giving all the soldiers of Western Chu a choice.

Ultimately, nearly half of the Western Chu soldiers were willing to follow Xiang An.

As evening fell, Xiang An did not wait until the next day; he organized his soldiers who were willing to follow him and they crossed the river.

Some people tried to stop her, some objected, and there were even angry generals who wanted to fight Xiang An, but Zijuan repelled them all.

Xiang Yu also woke up, but didn't react much to what had happened. He sat silently by the river, watching the soldiers who no longer belonged to Western Chu crossing the river in the distance, as if he wanted to say something, or as if he had some questions.

But no one could answer him.

"Lord Xiang Yu, after all that has happened, do you really... have no regrets?" Yu Meiren acted as a support for Xiang Yu, allowing him to sit instead of lying helplessly.

Clearly, all it took was a simple plea or an apology to keep Xiang An here.

Yu Meiren and Xiang Yu were both aware of this.

"No regrets." Xiang Yu's tone was always so calm.

"...What scenery do you see in your eyes?" Yu Meiren remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

"...Perhaps, even I myself don't know..."

Xiang Yu shook his head and said something that Yu Meiren hadn't expected, but before Yu Meiren could ask again, he continued.

"Yu, help me...to stand up."

Yu Meiren nodded, and with great strength, helped Xiang Yu to his feet.

Xiang Yu and Yu Meiren walked towards the riverbank and looked towards the north side of the river.

On the north side of the river, Xiang An did the same thing, looking towards the south side of the river.

A turbulent Yellow River separated the two brothers.

“From now on…” Xiang An looked at Xiang Yu on the opposite bank, lowered his eyes, and murmured.

"Then we're no longer brothers..."

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

Chapter 973 Two items separated, the world is shocked

morning.

Inside the carriage heading northeast, Xiang An lay quietly. Although he was still conscious, his eyes were blankly staring at the carriage roof, and he did not utter a word.

Xiang Lu and Zi Juan sat opposite Xiang An, both silent, their eyes filled with heaviness and sighs.

Xiang An led 80,000 Western Chu troops away from Western Chu.

The surging waves, which had never wanted to pull a carriage before, for the first time pulled a horse-drawn carriage, carrying Xiang An and leading the entire army, like withered leaves detached from a tree, heading nowhere.

"Second Brother, we..." Zijuan slightly raised her body and looked at Xiang An.