Battle Royale of the Sinners 111 Turning Point at Jinyang – Part 2

The infamous name of Lu Bu started when he killed his foster father and joined Dong Zhuo in 189 AD. There were many factors that drove Lu Bu into making the decision.

In the historical timeline, Dong Zhuo held a high position in the imperial court before he became the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. Most officials at the time supported his cause as he was a major political powerhouse leader. This was the first tempting factor, the influence of the high court rank.

The father-killing event happened in Luo Yang where Ding Yuan and Lu Bu had been summoned back to help with the Capital stability. As a country bumpkin, Lu Bu was vulnerable to the luxurious lifestyle of the Capital officials and the city. This was the second factor.

The third factor was the chain that bound Lu Bu with Jinyang City, his wife, and his daughter. The event in the real timeline happened in 189 AD when Lu Lingqi had grown a bit and his wife married him for years. As old couples, their relationship became dull. Thus, the chain was loose.

And the last factor, the tempting of controlling a massive army. In 189, Dong Zhuo controlled the majority of the troops in the Capital as the other imperial armies were battered from the long battles with the remnants of Yellow Turban bandits. Controlling Dong Zhuo entire army meant that he controlled the entire Capital forces.

With many benefits, Lu Bu killed Ding Yuan as proof of his allegiance to join Dong Zhuo in the true timeline.

But in this world, Lu Bu might not be a person with the politic skills, but he was not stupid. A decade on the frontline and countless battles taught him about wits, tactics, and mental strength. In addition, Li Feihong had also influenced him with the way of thinking from the 21st-century, moral integrity, and the law of consequences.

Most importantly, the timing, the location, and the tempting factors for the event, which caused Lu Bu to betray Ding Yuan and joined Dong Zhuo, was off!

The butterfly effects that reincarnators caused was about to take a strange turn.

…
…

June 17th, 182 A.D.

8 A.M.

Tong, Zhou Cang, and Julu escort troops packed their belongings in the preparation to journey back home. Their purpose of this trip had been completed as Jinyang and Julu would open the border to each other for trading. In addition, they agreed to send troops to help each other when one of the parties needed.

Tong planned to continue staying in order to monitor Zhang Ji and his men's action in this city. However, Ding Yuan had already scheduled Tong's departure date yesterday, which Tong was not able to refuse because Ding Yuan had to attend the new guests. It might raise suspicion from Ding Yuan if Tong insisted to stay.

For those reasons, Tong had to pretend to leave.

At the exit gate, a general with a stern face stood there. Gao Shun came to send them off in place of Ding Yuan and his men.

"Thanks for coming, brother Tong. I hope we can spar again. I need my rematch."

Gao Shun said with a friendly smile. The spar he had with Tong was a good experience to him. With their similar skill in swordsmanship, Gao Shun treated Tong as a friend and a rival.

Tong nodded in appreciation of Gao Shun's goodwill. He thought of something for a moment, then he leaned forward and whispered.

"Keep an eye for your boss. Dong Zhuo's men are trying to make Lu Bu betray Ding Yuan."

"WHAT!?"

Shocked by the sudden news, Gao Shun exclaimed out before Tong covered his mouth and gestured him to quiet down.

"Don't panic. I talked with Li Feihong and already told him about this. He will try to stop Dong Zhuo's plan, but he can't do much on his own. You should coordinate with him on this matter. I can't help you much because it's your internal affair. But I don't want to see your boss end up branded as a father killer."

Gao Shun's face turned solemn as he nodded. This was a serious matter. He, too, did not want Lu Bu to become someone unfilial to his benefactor.

"Also, remember this. If you and others have troubles, don't hesitate to contact me. My city will always open the gate for you."

Feeling Tong's sincerity, Gao Shun gave Tong a warm smile and nodded. He patted Tong's shoulder and dashed back to his camp.

Both men parted way. Gao Shun rushed back to see his boss in a hurry. He hoped that he was not too late for this.

Tong gazed at the back of Gao Shun who was leaving. He gave an order to Zhou Cang in a low voice.

"Zhou Cang, go back with the others. I'll remain in this city for one more day."
"My lord?"
"I'll go back to Julu on my own. For now, go!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"

Tong watched as Zhou Cang and his men departed. Then he texted a message in the system Clan Chat.

"Feihong, open the gate for me."

…
…

8.10 AM.

In front of Lu Bu's camp, fifty Redhare horses lined up in order. They were being guided by Xu Da and his assistants.

Lu Bu stood in front of the camp, staring at the horses in astonishment.

His Xiangnu warhorses were smaller than the Redhare by half. These red horses were even taller than Lu Bu, who was almost 2 meters in height. He could not help but extend his hand to touch the horse in front of him in admiration.

"How about it, Lord Lu Bu. We will give you these 50 horses as our goodwill. There are a thousand of them back in Tianshui City. We can give you all of them to you for your private use. You can keep them to yourself or give them to your men, we won't mind it at all."

Xu Da's sales talk continued to pull out Lu Bu's greed.

However, the face of Lu Bu changed from the greed look into a mocking smile for a second. Then, he looked at Xu Da with a friendly smile.

"Please give my thanks to Lord Dong Zhuo. I really like these horses. As for the future matters, I will have to consult with my men and my family first. You see, my father took care of me for decades. I can't just simply leave him without saying goodbye or consult with him if it's a good choice."

Xu Da was taken aback by the reply. Those were not the answer he had predicted.

'WTF!? Is this the backstabber Lu Bu? Isn't he recorded as a capricious and frivolous man? Why does he act like a cunning fox!?'

"Excuse me. What about our agreement?"

Xu Da asked in confusion. He attempted to gesture Lu Bu that he should come to his sense and accept the offer.

Witnessing the dancing monkey in front of him, Lu Bu laughed in his heart.

'It is just like what Feihong had told me. Someone from Dong Zhuo's men will bait me into betraying my father. Hah! Do you think I'm a fool!?'

"What agreement? I don't know what you are talking about."

Lu Bu feigned ignorant and turned back toward his camp. He also did not forget to gesture Xu Da to go back as if he was saying "Thanks for the meal. Now you can scram".

Realizing that he was scammed, Xu Da's face reddened. Veins bulged under his facial skin. His breath became rough and short, while his eyes were blood-shot.

"TURN AROUND, LU FENGXIAN! WE'RE NOT DONE YET!!"

Shouted with all air in his lung, Xu Da planned to use his skill on Lu Bu one more time. This time, Xu Da would command him to kill Ding Yuan directly. Once the deed was done, Lu Bu would not have a place to go but Dong Zhuo's cities.

Lu Bu stopped his feet. He did not turn back as he was told to. Instead, an order came out from his mouth.

"Send away the guests! If they resist, kill them on the spot!"
"Lu Bu! You ingrate!"
"I'm ingrate? No, you're the ingrate! Your grandmother is the ingrate! Your entire family is the ingrates! I did not pursue and kill you yesterday is already an act of kindness! You are the dog that bites the hands of your benefactor. Guards! Kill them all!"

A hundred elite soldiers of Lu Bu rushed in with their spears.

Because of the sudden turn of events, the two hundred escort troops of Xu Da were still in shock and unable to draw their weapons to defend themselves. All of them was killed in an instant.

"Dammit, Lu Bu! I'll make you pay back a hundredfold! All of you lots! Look into my eyes! Kill your friends right now!"

Xu Da gave a command to the victims that fell into his trick and glanced into his eyes.

The affected soldiers stumbled backward for a couple seconds as they felt the sharp pain, and a new memory was injected into their brain. The moment the headache subsided, they turned around.

The attacking soldiers were thrown into a confused uproar. Friendly soldiers suddenly turned around and attack their comrades with their spears. Brothers who grew up with each other from birth killed each other with tears in their eyes. Friends that had been through several battlefields together stabbed the others with their swords while the sane soldiers kept asking them "Why".

…

******************
[Eyes of Domination] LV.5
- Targets will follow the command of the host once for one hour.
- If the target has been under this skill for more than 6 times, the effect will be permanent.
Skill Cost: 100 Lifespan
Skill Restriction:
- Can only apply to all targets that look into the eyes of the host.
- Can only be effective on the targets once a day.
******************
…

[Eyes of Domination], a devastating skill that was designed by Xu Da. He had been using this as his trump card for years in many battlefields while he was fighting for Dong Zhuo at the western borders.

One second of eye contact and one command was all he needed to slaughter the entire army of 100,000 men!

Lu Bu had tasted this skill yesterday night, so he became conscious of Xu Da's eyes. He could not explain this phenomenon, but Lu Bu could tell that the sorcery's origin connected with Xu Da's eyes.

Because of the wariness of the unknown sorcery, Lu Bu retreated into the camp without turning back to look at Xu Da.

"Soldiers! That man will use sorcery on you if you look at him in his eyes! Those who aren't affected by the spell, retreat to the camp!"

"Hahaha! It's too late Lu Fengxian! There is no escape! Soldiers, be my slaves and capture Lu Bu!"

Another batch of Lu Bu's guards was entranced by the skill. They turned around and chased after their boss.

Within less than two minutes, all one hundred guards that came with Lu Bu were either died or ended up under the mind-control of Xu Da.

Lu Bu was depressed and frustrated by the unexplainable situation. He did not want his men to kill each other. If he were to retreat, more of his men would fall prey to this sorcery again.

Lu Bu resolved himself and turned around with a short bow in his hands. He nocked an arrow and drew the string into a half-moon shape. The eyes of Lu Bu locked with Xu Da's for a split second before the arrow was fired.

"LU BU! BE MY SLAVE!!"

*Whoosh*
*Ssuuk*

The arrow that Lu Bu had fired flew pass the incoming crowd. It pierced the right eye of Xu Da and knocked him backward.

Meanwhile, Lu Bu received the full effect of the mind-controlling skill. He staggered backward in dizziness while he was gritting his teeth.

"I AM THE MASTER OF MY WILL! YOU CANNOT CONTROL ME!!"

Lu Bu bit his tongue and clenched both of his fists to the point that his nails dug into his hands. Blood dripped down from the wounds and the corner of his mouth. His eyes fixated at Xu Da with hatred.

Lu Bu did not move for ten minutes before he was unable to resist the system skill. He knelt down with one knee and bowed toward Xu Da.

Chapter end