Traveling Through Time as Lü Bu to Unify the Three Kingdoms.

Lü Bu raised his Fangtian Huaji, astride his horse, standing at the front lines, gazing at Mengjin Crossing, his expression shifting from solemn to troubled. The supplies stacked in the port could sustain tens of thousands of refugees, and the thousands of innocent civilians inside made it unbearable for him to destroy them. However, this was the order from General He Jin, mandated by the governor of Bingzhou, Ding Yuan; how could he refuse? Having followed Ding Yuan for many years, he had grown accustomed to the disregard for life shown by the military. He sighed softly; perhaps eliminating those eunuchs would bring peace to the realm, and these commoners would die for a greater cause. With his weapon raised high, he proclaimed, "Hear my command, set Mengjin ablaze, let the flames illuminate Luoyang!" Three thousand cavalry from Bingzhou galloped forward, encircling the port completely before swiftly igniting their torches. The flaming brands soared into the night sky, landing on the oil-soaked piles of grain, which ignited instantly, the fire rapidly spreading to the wooden houses topped with thatch. In the port, the thousands of civilians were still asleep, many unable to escape in time, burning alive. Accompanied by the heart-wrenching cries of the innocents, the flames grew ever higher, lighting up the Yellow River and the skies, casting a glow all the way to Luoyang. Inside Luoyang, the eunuchs, led by the Ten Regular Attendants, saw the flames and realized that He Jin had summoned foreign troops to eradicate them. Panic spread among them as if the apocalypse had arrived. Meanwhile, He Jin’s faction had their own agendas; some rejoiced at the prospect of power, while others fretted over the impending chaos. Unwilling to witness the suffering of those trapped in the inferno, Lü Bu swung his Fangtian Huaji and ordered a retreat. At that moment, he suddenly felt a cool breeze on his face and looked up at the sky. When Lü Bu first arrived at Mengjin Crossing, the moon had yet to rise, and the sky was a deep blue, studded with bright stars. But as the inferno blazed, the starlight faded, the sky darkened, and the clouds thickened. The wind from the Yellow River grew stronger, carrying heavier moisture, and then, without warning, torrential rain poured down like a deluge, extinguishing the flames and saving many innocent lives, though it left Lü Bu's army drenched and disheveled. Amid the howling wind and rain, a strange purple lightning bolt streaked across the dark sky, ripping through the air and striking Lü Bu directly. The lightning was blinding, and as it coursed through him, he flickered for a moment before collapsing, limp on his horse. Three days later, outside Luoyang at Xiaopingjin, in the camp of the Bingzhou army, within Lü Bu's tent. The subordinate, Hao Meng, whispered to Ding Yuan, "My lord, what if Lü Bu doesn’t wake up for a long time?" Ding Yuan shot a cold glance at the unconscious Lü Bu, "I'll give him three more days. If he doesn’t wake up, then he’ll never wake up again. We can always claim he died from his injuries. How many have survived after being struck by lightning?" Hao Meng’s slick face twisted with malice as he replied, "It’d be best if he died. Without his father-in-law Yan Mu as support, I could marry into the Yan family and hand their fortune over to you." Ding Yuan stroked his graying beard, smirking, "Once we eliminate the eunuchs, I’ll leverage the Bingzhou cavalry to force General He Jin to elevate me among the Three Dukes. After that, wealth won’t be a concern. My worry is Lü Bu’s martial prowess. He has defeated the Yellow Turbans, Xianbei, and Xiongnu, earning the soldiers' loyalty. If he grows arrogant and harbors ambition, I need to find an opportunity to eliminate him. I can't afford to raise a tiger at my side." Lü Bu's trusted soldiers waited outside the tent, and while Ding Yuan and Hao Meng spoke in hushed tones, their words could not escape the ears of the man lying in bed. In the three days since being struck by lightning, profound changes have been occurring within Lü Bu’s body. Lü Pu, a university student from the twenty-first century, was a huge fan of the Three Kingdoms, spending most of his time reading Three Kingdoms web novels and playing related games. As a result, his academic performance was average, and he faced many difficulties when searching for a job. One rainy day, while he was out with his resume, he was struck by a purple lightning bolt that tore through the sky. Within three days, two souls battled in Lü Bu's spiritual realm. Ultimately, the soul from the twenty-first century, with its 1,800 years of accumulated information, defeated the second-century soul and took control. Fortunately, Lü Bu's original memories remained intact, especially his martial skills, which had been honed over twenty years of rigorous training and became instinctual. The lightning bolt's impact was entirely absorbed by the reddish-brown horse beneath Lü Bu, which turned into a black steed and died on the spot. Thankfully, it wasn't the legendary Red Hare; otherwise, he would have been heartbroken. The lightning caused no harm to Lü Bu's body but instead enhanced it, making his muscles denser, his heart and lungs stronger, and his stamina more abundant. However, this change wasn't entirely beneficial, as the increase in strength could lead him to become overconfident in his martial abilities, overshadowing his original reliance on technique. Lü Pu felt a whirlwind of emotions inside him; he didn't even know whether to laugh or cry. Lü Pu's favorite character in the Three Kingdoms games was none other than Lü Bu. With Lü Bu's extraordinary martial prowess combined with Lü Pu's own exceptional gaming skills, he dominated the games without encountering any rivals. He had often dreamed of becoming Lü Bu, riding the Red Hare and leading thousands of troops into battle, wielding the Sky Piercer to take vengeance on Cao Cao and Liu Bei, while enjoying a sweet romance with Diao Chan. These dreams felt incredibly vivid, bringing him immense joy. However, Lü Pu had never imagined actually living in a chaotic world as Lü Bu. He preferred the peace of modern life over the turmoil of the Three Kingdoms era. He thought, as long as he could survive in this so-called prosperous world—playing computer games and reading web novels—why would he want to experience the terrifying scenes of human cannibalism in a war-torn land? But it was too late; he had arrived, soul-transcended, and the original body was likely long gone. Sighing, he resolved to accept his fate. At that moment, he pondered whether to call himself Lü Pu or Lü Bu. After careful thought, he realized that although he relished the joy of being reborn as a historical figure and wanted his original name to be renowned, he understood that in this era, the body he occupied had to be Lü Bu and could never be Lü Pu. Thus, Lü Pu decided that in this late Eastern Han era, there would be no more Lü Pu—only Lü Bu. This new Lü Bu would make up for all the regrets Lü Pu had harbored while enjoying the Three Kingdoms stories. Lü Pu—no, he should call himself Lü Bu. At this moment, Lü Bu could hardly believe his ears. What nonsense had Ding Yuan and Hao Meng just said? How could they be so heartless and treacherous? It turned out that the seemingly kind and gentle Ding Yuan had been pretending all along. No wonder, after ten years of countless military achievements under his command, he was still just a mere clerk managing documents, with a rank lower than the mighty Zhang Yang and the commander Gao Shun. If it weren't for his exceptional martial prowess and the soldiers' loyalty, he might have long fallen to the status of an inconsequential subordinate. And that sycophant Hao Meng, who often flattered him, turned out to be a two-faced traitor—no wonder he had plotted to rebel against Lü Bu in the original history. A surge of murderous rage filled Lü Bu's heart. He wanted nothing more than to strike and kill those two bastards immediately, but he knew he had just awakened, still feeling the lingering numbness from the lightning, and his limbs were not yet fully coordinated. Acting rashly would likely end in failure. With that thought, Lü Bu clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He couldn't allow his anger to get the better of him and make a sound that would alert those two. Who knew how they would deal with him? Killing him to silence him would be a trivial matter.