Lu Bu eagerly rushed to the armory in Luoyang to find his Fangtian Huaji, leaving Fei Qian and Zhang Liao staring at each other in bewilderment.
The official in charge of Luoyang's armory should normally be the Commandant of the Capital, but during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, this position was often given to irrelevant individuals, gradually turning it into an honorary title. The armory thus fell into the hands of the eunuchs.
Later, after Jian Shuo was killed, and with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao leading troops to storm the palace, many eunuch leaders were executed, leaving the position of armory overseer vacant for a long time. Only some low-ranking officials remained to manage daily maintenance and organization. Naturally, Lu Bu could "inspect" the armory as he pleased, even taking items home to "inspect"...
Originally, the Han Dynasty armory housed many treasures. However, during the fifth year of the Han Yuankang era under Emperor Xuan, a lightning strike caused a fire that destroyed the armory, burning many precious items to ashes. Otherwise, even more treasures would have survived.
Here's a list of some of the treasures lost in the fire:
- Wang Mang's head: It's bizarre that an emperor's head would be preserved as a specimen and stored in the armory. What value would such an item add? A 100% success rate in cursing enemies?
- Confucius's wooden clogs: These were intimately connected to the sage's feet... Would wearing them increase persuasion success by 100%?
- Emperor Gaozu's sword that slew the white serpent: At least this is a proper weapon. In terms of game stats, it would likely be a treasure with at least +100 to fortune.
Over two hundred precious items were lost in the fire, along with countless weapons...
Zhang Liao, being meticulous, feared that Fei Qian might be upset by Lu Bu's actions. After all, whether in ancient or modern times, it's unheard of for a host to leave halfway through entertaining guests. He said to Fei Qian, "Marquis of Duting is just impulsive, he means no harm. I hope you won't take offense."
"Impulsiveness is good! Why would I take offense?" Fei Qian wasn't just being polite. Considering Lu Bu's already formidable martial skills, if he weren't straightforward but instead scheming like Xun Yu, who in the world could possibly stand against him?
Seeing that Fei Qian didn't seem to be lying, Zhang Liao felt relieved and took over hosting duties, urging Fei Qian to eat and drink.
Thanks to Red Hare's speed, it wasn't long before they heard Lu Bu's laughter as he returned, triumphantly carrying the Fangtian Huaji.
Upon entering the hall, Lu Bu, disregarding the preciousness of the green bricks, thrust the Fangtian Huaji into the ground with a loud "clang," piercing the hard stone as if it were tofu.
Lu Bu downed a bowl of wine in one gulp, then grabbed the wine pot and drank directly from it. After finishing half the pot, he let out a satisfied sigh and proudly stroked the Fangtian Huaji, saying to Fei Qian and Zhang Liao, "Magnificent! Come, take a look at my treasure!"
Fei Qian sighed inwardly at Lu Bu's manner of speaking...
The Fangtian Huaji did resemble some replicas Fei Qian had seen in his past life, but those were mere imitations, lacking the cold, menacing aura of the real thing before him.
Fei Qian estimated the Fangtian Huaji to be about twelve feet long, with a flat metal spearhead at the top and crescent-shaped blades on either side connected to the spearhead by small branches. The edges gleamed coldly, clearly razor-sharp. The spearhead and crescents were adorned with intricate patterns, and at the junction of the spearhead and shaft was a menacing "Yazi" motif. The shaft itself was a dark red, with fine dragon patterns winding down to the base...
Lu Bu's pride was evident as he said, "This was forged by Gongshu from meteorite iron, capable of cutting through iron like mud and slicing through hair... The armory official initially refused, but I..."
Realizing he might have said too much, Lu Bu quickly stopped and pulled Zhang Liao to spar with him, eager to test the weapon in combat.
Zhang Liao, curious about Lu Bu's new weapon, agreed, and the two headed to the backyard to spar, once again tormenting the poor plants that had just survived their last encounter.
Perhaps due to the Fangtian Huaji's design or some hidden mechanism, when Lu Bu swung it, the sound was distinctly different from the usual "whoosh" of a spear. It was as if some creature was attached to the weapon, emitting a piercing screech that could unsettle the mind...
After just a few exchanges, Zhang Liao, still unaccustomed to the weapon, had his spearhead caught by the Fangtian Huaji's crescent blade. With a twist, Lu Bu snapped the spearhead off, sending it flying toward Fei Qian...
Fei Qian saw a glint of cold light heading straight for him, his scalp tingling with fear...
At that moment, Lu Bu leaped forward, stretching out his arm to intercept the flying spearhead with the Fangtian Huaji. With a soft "thud," the spearhead embedded itself into a beam above...
When Fei Qian regained his composure, he found both Lu Bu and Zhang Liao standing beside him, staring intently...
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Fei Qian asked, puzzled.
"...Brother, weren't you scared just now?" Lu Bu inquired.
Fei Qian nodded, "I was a little, but it's over now, isn't it?" Of course, he was scared, but fear wouldn't help, especially with two skilled warriors like them around.
Lu Bu laughed heartily, thrusting the Fangtian Huaji into the ground again and handing Fei Qian a bowl of wine. "You're truly remarkable, not like those timid scholars. Come, let's drink together..."
Zhang Liao also raised a bowl of wine, drinking it in one go, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "When we spar, weapons often break. Some officials have been in your situation before, but you're the only one who remained calm and composed..."
Well, I was just too shocked to react—
But then Fei Qian thought of something. This was the late Eastern Han Dynasty, on the brink of widespread chaos. As a civil official, without the protection of warriors like Lu Bu or Zhang Liao, he could easily be killed by a random blade. With two such skilled fighters before him, why not learn a few moves to at least protect himself in emergencies?
"You want to learn martial arts? Hmm, there's some truth to that, but..." Lu Bu looked Fei Qian up and down, frowning. "My skills might be too much for you... It's not that I won't teach you, but your physique..."
Lu Bu shook his head dismissively.