Byeongju(2)
Leading the army on patrol, I returned earlier than usual, but my mother, unbothered by formality due to the harshness of Bing Province, greeted me cheerfully outside the building.
“Son! You’re back?” she exclaimed.
“Mother, there’s no need for you to come out…” I protested.
“Of course, of course! I know my son’s heart! Are you hurt anywhere?” she inquired with her straightforward and informal demeanor.
Surprised by Lü Bu standing beside me, my mother’s expression turned curious.
“And who might this be?” she asked.
“I found her while on patrol. She single-handedly drove away the foreigners,” I explained.
“Really?” My mother seemed impressed.
“I am Lü Bu, my name is Bongseon,” Lü Bu introduced herself with respect, acknowledging my mother’s position as the high official of Bing Province.
“You drove away the foreigners by yourself? Then you are indeed remarkable,” my mother acknowledged.
A spontaneous duel then unfolded in the training ground, drawing the attention of soldiers and officials alike. Lü Bu, the focus of the event, warmed up with a spear in her hand.
Her opponent, a veteran soldier with a notable scar, was amused, underestimating her. However, Lü Bu quickly knocked him unconscious with a single strike, surprising everyone.
“Yongsik is down in one hit!” the soldiers exclaimed.
As other muscular soldiers rushed in to challenge Lü Bu, she easily dispatched them, creating a whirlwind of action. When the dust settled, all the soldiers lay scattered in various states, showcasing Lü Bu’s formidable strength.
“…Where do you keep finding these kids?” my mother whispered to me, half in awe, half in exasperation.
“There shouldn’t be any more,” I replied, perhaps wishfully thinking.
Having proven her mettle, Lü Bu was swiftly assigned to lead troops. Her tactics were simple yet effective: she would break through the enemy lines, followed by her soldiers crushing the opposition. Her approach worked brilliantly, leaving the foreign tribes and bandits scattered like fallen leaves.
However, Lü Bu wasn’t invincible and sustained injuries in battle. I insisted on treating her wounds, despite her protests. “This will heal on its own…”
“What if it gets infected? I’ll apply some medicine, and you can see a physician later,” I said while treating a cut on her arm.
Lü Bu, with her fiery eyes, asked me teasingly, “Would you dislike it if I got a scar?”
I laughed softly and playfully roughed her up a bit. “Ouch! Hey, what are you doing!” she protested, but not too vigorously.
“Of course, I would dislike it. Who would be happy if a close friend got seriously hurt?” I replied.
She shook her head vigorously, pleased with my response. “You almost broke my arm just now!”
“Ah, thanks for that,” I said, half-joking about her strength.
Regardless, Lü Bu seemed happy with my answer, and Seoyo, as usual, watched over me nearby.
Lü Bu, always at the forefront, was nicknamed ‘Fei Jiang’ (Flying General) by the people, a term implying agility and prowess, reminiscent of the famed general Li Guang from the Han dynasty. Lü Bu’s reputation grew, and if anyone asked who the strongest person in the land was, the answer would likely be Lü Bu.
So, here we were, with this unparalleled warrior, currently engaged in a heated challenge.
“Hey! Let’s have a match!” she called out, ready for another bout.
Lü Bu, clearly eager for a challenge, pointed her favorite weapon, the Banchun Hawk Extreme, at Seoyo and initiated a fight. Surprised by the sudden duel request, I touched my head in thought. Seoyo ignored Lü Bu’s challenge and focused solely on guarding me. When Lü Bu began to get agitated, I intervened, asking her why she was acting this way. She blushed and turned her head away.
I stroked my chin, pondering. It was true that Lü Bu had never seen Seoyo fight. Ever since Seoyo turned our house upside down when she first started learning martial arts, no one had questioned her strength. When Seoyo protected me from those targeting me, Lü Bu wasn’t there. She must have felt confident attacking me, knowing Lü Bu was absent. Lü Bu probably worried about my safety since she had never seen Seoyo’s martial prowess. I had basic training in wielding a sword, but I wasn’t particularly skilled in combat.
“So, the solution is to see how well Seoyo can fight, right?” I proposed.
“Exactly!” Lü Bu agreed.
I turned to Seoyo, who was watching me with an expressionless face, and asked, “Could you please show us?”
Seoyo hesitated, but I could tell she was torn between wanting to fulfill my request and her duty to keep me safe.
To avoid disturbing others with this duel, I decided to observe it in a secluded part of the forest. I brought a notable general with me for extra security, just in case. The general, known as Weisok, was one of the eight generals under Lü Bu, a significant figure in the novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”
“Keep today’s event a secret, okay?” I instructed Weisok.
“Of course. I won’t utter a word about it,” Weisok assured.
The rules were simple: surrender or lose consciousness. If things got too heated, I would end the duel.
Lü Bu and Seoyo, without a word, gripped their weapons and clashed. The impact of their weapons was like a thunderous explosion, beyond what one would expect from a mere collision of arms. I could only see the afterimages of their weapons and the sparks they created. This battle was truly at the pinnacle of martial prowess in the era of the Three Kingdoms.
“Facing Lü Bu like this… the world is indeed vast,” I thought, amazed.
Lü Bu, known as the Flying General and now increasingly called the Unmatched, was meeting her match. It felt like encountering an insurmountable wall for the first time. Exciting, indeed.
Lü Bu concentrated all her attention on the duel, determined to land at least one solid hit on Seoyo. She seemed to move faster than before.
“Stop!” I finally called out.
Both of them ceased their actions immediately. Lü Bu, looking exhausted, sheathed her weapon, while Seoyo, expressionless as usual, stood by my side to guard me.
“How was it?” I asked Lü Bu.
She nodded in response. “Right, at least you won’t be in danger.”
It was the first time I saw Lü Bu openly tired. A person who could fight all day was exhausted in just an hour?
I looked at Seoyo, standing beside me, not a drop of sweat on her. Unchanged as always.
