Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2953

Chapter 1466 Another True God

After seeing Xie Daoyun off, Zu An returned to the imperial army to welcome the new commander-in-chief, Huangfu Song.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion was broadly divided into three main forces, the core of which was naturally the army led by the three Zhang brothers of Ji and You provinces.

The other two main forces were Zhang Mancheng’s army in Nanyang Commandery and Bo Cai

‘s army in Yingchuan Commandery. The imperial court dispatched Zhu Jun to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Nanyang Commandery, while Huangfu Song suppressed Bo Cai’s army in Yingchuan Commandery.

Zhu Jun was bogged down in a stalemate in Nanyang Commandery, while Huangfu Song achieved a decisive victory against Bo Cai’s army with fewer troops, killing tens of thousands. Simultaneously, he swept through the surrounding counties of Yingchuan, quelling rebellions.

With Dong Zhuo’s defeat, the imperial court transferred him north to serve as commander-in-chief, continuing to deal with the Zhang brothers’ main forces.

Compared to Dong Zhuo, Huangfu Song clearly enjoyed greater popular support.

He was the descendant of a famous general and had a good reputation in the capital.

The five northern army colonels considered Huangfu Song one of their own.

The moment Zu An stepped into the commander’s tent, he sensed an unusual aura.

It wasn’t Huangfu Song’s aura.

Huangfu Song sat behind his desk, a man in his fifties, with a fair complexion, a light beard, and clear, upright features—a man of principle. He was speaking in hushed tones to one beside him, his expression gentle yet dignified, showing no outward signs of anything amiss.

The unusual aura came from the man beside him.

This man stood to the right of the desk, unarmored, wearing a dark robe and a leather belt. He was not tall, and his face was not handsome, even somewhat ordinary.

But his eyes were exceptionally bright, like moonlight reflected in two deep wells, carrying a composure and clarity beyond his years.

He spoke softly and calmly, but with each sentence, Huangfu Song would slightly tilt his ear to listen, clearly valuing his opinion highly.

Zu An’s pupils contracted slightly. Although no one had introduced him, he already knew the man’s identity—Cao Cao.

This young man, not yet thirty, was currently just a military officer in Huangfu Song’s army, far from the pinnacle of power he would later attain by “holding the emperor hostage to command the princes.”

But in Zu An’s eyes, the aura surrounding this man was just as dangerous as that of Dong Zhuo!

Because he had sensed the same aura.

Just recently, in Dong Zhuo’s central command tent, that oppressive gaze, that invisible scan, that dark silhouette penetrating from a higher dimension—it shared the same origin, the same kind, the same essence as the aura emanating from this young man.

But they were not entirely the same.

Dong Zhuo’s aura was violent and oppressive, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment; standing before him, you would instinctively want to retreat.

Cao Cao’s aura, on the other hand, was restrained and calm, like a bottomless abyss; standing before him, you would unconsciously want to approach, and then you would never find your way back.

Two completely different expressions, the same essence.

A projection of another true god!

He was unfamiliar with the other’s aura and could not immediately determine which true god it was.

At this moment, he was cursing inwardly. One Dong Zhuo was already an Immortal Ancestor of Annihilation, and now another True God had arrived. Competing with these guys was practically hellish!

Zu An steadied himself and bowed to Huangfu Song according to etiquette. Ting Xue and Yun Jian Yue, having shone brightly in the previous battle, were also qualified to enter.

The two women stood silently half a step behind him. Ting Xue slightly lowered her head, neither impolite nor giving anyone else a second glance.

Yun Jian Yue, on the other hand, observed everyone in the tent with great interest, trying to take in the characteristics of each person.

The others were fine, but Yuan Shu’s gaze, fixed on them, revealed undisguised covetousness.

Huangfu Song’s gaze lingered kindly on Zu An for a moment, then fell on the two women behind him. He paused slightly, clearly taken aback by their contrasting auras—one cold and the other beautiful—and their unparalleled beauty.

But being a general, he quickly withdrew his gaze and began his routine questioning.

Zu An answered fluently.

Throughout this process, he kept an eye on Cao Cao out of

the corner of his eye. From the moment he entered the tent, Cao Cao’s gaze had remained fixed on him.

Initially, the gaze was on Zu An, with a scrutinizing interest, as if looking at an interesting object.

Zu An could feel that gaze sweep over him, neither too heavy nor too light, purely a condescending look.

But quickly, the gaze shifted.

It moved to Ting Xue and Yun Jian Yue behind him.

And then it never left.

Zu An’s back stiffened slightly. This feeling was strange; the enemy wasn’t scary, what was scary was the enemy eyeing the most important people around you.

Especially since the other party had the nickname “Husband Cao.”

He subtly shifted half a step to the side, using his body to slightly shield the two women.

This movement was so small that Huangfu Song didn’t notice it at all, but Cao Cao did.

Those extremely bright eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Alarm bells rang in Zu An’s mind. Historically, Cao Cao had been extremely fond of Guan Yu. How could it be that even now, with Cao Cao and Guan Yu replaced, they couldn’t escape this bond?

“And even Zhang Fei?”

Huangfu Song asked, then nodded. “I’ve long heard of Xuande’s name. Dong Zhuo has just been defeated, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion is still raging. The next stage of attack and defense will depend on the bravery of our generals.”

He paused, then turned to Cao Cao. “Mengde, what do you think?”

Cao Cao smiled slightly.

The smile was faint, even polite and proper, perfectly natural on the face of any normal advisor.

But Zu An saw something else in that smile—a possessiveness hidden beneath a gentle exterior, almost instinctive.

Not the kind of lustful, vulgar desire, but a higher, more fundamental desire:

the desire to collect.

Like a dragon seeing a gem it’s never seen before, not because of its value, but because it’s unique and therefore must belong to it.

Cao Cao stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting to Zu An: “Brother Xuande, I’ve long admired you.”

His gaze passed over Zu An’s shoulder, landing on Tingxue and Yun Jianyue, openly and undisguisedly admiring them.

His gaze wasn’t lewd; in fact, it could be described as frank, so frank that no one could find fault with it—he was simply looking at an outstanding person, without making any inappropriate moves; you couldn’t completely prevent someone from looking at you.

But it was precisely this frankness that made Zu An’s heart sink.

A man like Dong Zhuo—you can tell at a glance he’s no good. You can be wary of him, you can unite with others to oppose him.

But the terrifying thing about someone like Cao Cao is that everyone sees him as a friend, lowering your guard, and then, when he deems it opportune, he silently takes everything he wants.

You simply can’t find allies to fight him; others might even think you’re overthinking it.

It’s not pure evil, but a behavioral pattern that transcends good and evil, based on some higher logic.

Zuan found it strange; the other party was clearly not a Chaos True God, so why was he so interested in Tingxue and Yun Jianyue?