Chapter 10

Tao Shang was counting on this Fan Kuai to fight for him with the same loyalty that Fan Kuai had shown to Emperor Gaozu of Han, but who would have thought that this guy was actually a glutton and even started to act like a rascal, refusing to fight unless he was fed.

"Sure enough, every heroic soul retains its personality. I remember that this Fan Kuai was a butcher by trade, no wonder he’s demanding meat. There’s nothing I can do but indulge him. After all, my initial charisma is too low, how frustrating..."

Tao Shang inwardly lamented and could only immediately order a bonfire to be set up on the city wall, taking a leg of lamb from the treasury and roasting it for him.

Soon, the city wall was filled with the aroma of cooking, and Fan Kuai squatted beside the fire, staring eagerly at the increasingly golden lamb leg, constantly swallowing his saliva.

The local soldiers around him were all dumbfounded, none of them could believe that at such a critical moment of battle, their county magistrate would actually roast a lamb leg for a martial student.

Below the city, Xu Sheng, seeing that Tao Shang had not responded for a long time, was already impatient and shouted, "Tao, if you don’t have the ability to fight me, come out and die quickly, or I will attack the city."

With a roar, Xu Sheng raised his saber, and the five hundred pirates brandished their weapons, their battle cries shaking the sky, ready to attack the city.

I must stabilize him first!

Tao Shang’s eyes darted, he took a deep breath, and returned to the parapet, pointing at Xu Sheng and said proudly, "Xu Sheng, don’t be so arrogant. My army is full of brave warriors, and those with martial prowess far surpassing yours are countless. They are all vying to behead you. If you dare, just stand there and don’t run. I’ll pick the weakest one to deal with you."

These "ravings" made the local soldiers on the city wall change color, all of them feeling extremely uneasy, thinking that Tao Shang was exaggerating too much. What if it angered the pirates?

"Ha ha—"

Xu Sheng, however, burst into laughter, his laughter full of ridicule, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

The laughter abruptly stopped, and Xu Sheng, with a look of disdain, raised his head and sneered, "Tao Shang, you are indeed a blind and useless waste. You underestimate me, Xu Sheng, too much. Do you think that by exaggerating, I will be scared away? What a joke! I’ll give you half an hour to see what ‘brave warriors’ you can send to deal with me. After half an hour, I will raze Haixi to the ground."

With that, Xu Sheng, instead of rushing to break the city, dismounted and had his henchmen bring him wine and dried meat, and began to eat and drink.

The five hundred pirates also sat down where they were, some drinking water, others chewing on their rations, completely relaxed and at ease.

Xu Sheng was so confident that he didn’t take Tao Shang seriously at all, as if destroying Tao Shang was as easy as crushing an ant.

"Xu Sheng, underestimate me as much as you want. Soon, you will pay for your arrogance..." Tao Shang’s lips curled into a barely noticeable sneer.

He wanted to provoke Xu Sheng’s disdain, making him underestimate him and let down his guard, to buy time for the glutton, Fan Kuai.

The fire burned brighter, and the lamb leg was soon roasted to a crispy and tender perfection. Fan Kuai, who had been eagerly waiting, grabbed the leg and started gnawing on it without a word.

A large lamb leg, enough for three people, was devoured by Fan Kuai in a single gust, leaving only a few bone fragments.

This astonishing appetite left Tao Shang speechless, thinking to himself, "This guy is a real glutton. Could it be that the heroic soul has changed his physical structure after possession?"

Before he could marvel further, half an hour had passed.

Outside the city, Xu Sheng had finished his drink and dried meat, and was finally thoroughly impatient. He remounted his horse and shouted at the city wall, "Tao Shang, I’ve given you enough time. If you are afraid of death and want to drag this city down with you, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Pass the order, prepare to attack the city."

Xu Sheng raised his saber, and the five hundred pirates rose to their feet, forming ranks, their battle spirit reignited.

The pirate attack was imminent.

The atmosphere on the city wall immediately became tense again. Tao Shang knew he couldn’t delay any longer and glared at Fan Kuai, shouting, "Fan Kuai, you’ve finished gnawing on the lamb leg. Aren’t you going to fight for me now?"

Fan Kuai slowly finished his last bite, used the tip of his saber to pick his teeth, and then lazily stood up, patting his round belly and burping contentedly.

"Beep... System scan: Fan Kuai is pleased, loyalty increased by 3 points, current loyalty is 8."

"Beep... System scan: Fan Kuai feels the host’s benevolence, gained 3 benevolence points, current benevolence points are 3, cruelty points are 0."

Two system notifications sounded in his mind, and Tao Shang was overjoyed, realizing that roasting the lamb leg wasn’t in vain. It had so easily increased Fan Kuai’s loyalty and earned him 3 benevolence points.

"It seems that summoning a glutton has its benefits. As long as I feed him well, I can easily boost his loyalty. This Fan Kuai was a good choice, and my previous worries were for nothing..."

As Tao Shang secretly rejoiced, Fan Kuai tightened his belt, the veins on his face suddenly bulging, his eyes burning with a fierce killing intent, his demeanor instantly changing to a fierce and terrifying one.

"Lord, please wait a moment on the city wall. I, Old Fan, will be back soon with the pirate’s head." Fan Kuai slapped his chest and made a bold promise, then without any hesitation, shouldered his large saber and rushed down the city wall.

Tao Shang’s confidence soared, and he returned to the city wall, ordering the drawbridge to be lowered and the city gate to be opened, watching Fan Kuai go out to fight with a smile.

Outside the city, Xu Sheng was just about to launch the attack when he suddenly saw the city gate, which had been tightly closed, burst open, and the drawbridge slowly lowered. A martial general, wielding a large saber, galloped out and charged straight to the front of his army.

A look of surprise flashed across Xu Sheng’s face, clearly not expecting Tao Shang to actually send someone out to fight.

The surprise quickly dissipated, and a look of arrogance returned to his young face. He raised his saber and shouted, "I, Xu Sheng, do not cut down nameless ghosts. State your name."

"I am Fan Kuai, a general under Lord Tao." Fan Kuai, who had just arrived, shouted roughly.

Fan Kuai?

Hearing this thunderous name, Xu Sheng was taken aback. Although he was a pirate, he had read some books and knew that "Fan Kuai" was Emperor Gaozu of Han’s brother-in-law, who had followed Liu Bang in the uprising, fought in numerous battles, and even earned praise from the mighty Xiang Yu at the Feast at Hong Gate.

How could such a hero from the past appear in a small county like Haixi, and under the command of a fallen noble like Tao Shang?

While Xu Sheng was still confused, Fan Kuai pointed his large saber and roared, "Pirate, if you know what’s good for you, dismount and surrender. Otherwise, I, Old Fan, will turn you into minced meat and feed it to my dog."

The arrogance was extreme, treating Xu Sheng like a mere chicken or dog!

"Dog, how dare you not take me, Xu Sheng, seriously—"

Before Xu Sheng could finish his sentence, Fan Kuai roared and charged forward on his horse.

His mount, a large black steed, was like a bolt of black lightning, instantly colliding with Xu Sheng.

His tiger-like eyes were wide with rage, and the overwhelming killing intent in his gaze enveloped Xu Sheng, making him feel as if the air around him had been sucked away, leaving him almost breathless.

As he was stunned, Fan Kuai’s large saber transformed into a fan-shaped blade, carrying the force of a raging storm, and slashed horizontally at Xu Sheng’s neck.

The blade’s momentum was too fast, and Xu Sheng, without time to think, took a deep breath, raised his steel saber, and used all his strength to block it.

Clang—

A deafening sound echoed through the air.

Fan Kuai’s saber, like a towering wave, contained an unstoppable force. When the two sabers clashed, Xu Sheng felt a tingling sensation in his arms, as if a lightning bolt had struck him, the force spreading through his body like a wet whip, striking his internal organs.

In an instant, he felt his chest constrict, almost unable to breathe.

"Such strength? This guy’s martial prowess is actually above mine!" In the moment of their clash, Xu Sheng was greatly alarmed, his previous arrogance and disdain vanishing in an instant.

Fan Kuai didn’t even give him a chance to be surprised, turning his horse and roaring, charging like a mad beast.

"Indeed, you are Fan Kuai. With a martial prowess of 81, you are no joke. Xu Sheng, do you still dare to underestimate me..." Watching the shocked Xu Sheng below, Tao Shang’s lips curled into a sneer.