The Old Spear
The wind was calm that morning.
Tian was doing drills again. Each movement sharper than the last.
Strike. Step. Parry. Thrust.
His sweat hit the earth like rain.
Lü Bu stood nearby, silent as always.
He wasn't just watching the sword. He was watching the eyes.
Focused. Composed.
No longer the angry, desperate boy he'd saved.
"Again," Lü Bu said.
Tian nodded. No complaints. Just will.
But something broke the rhythm.
A crunch of leaves.
A presence approaching — steady, unhurried, but heavy. Like a boulder rolling downhill.
Lü Bu turned.
Out of the mist stepped a man with silver-streaked hair, wrapped in an old warrior's cloak. His spear was slung across his back, worn smooth by years of blood and battle.
His gaze was calm. But his aura… it shook the air.
Tian froze.
But Lü Bu didn't.
"State your name," he said.
The man chuckled — not mockingly, but like he was hearing something familiar.
"I was once called General Feng," the man replied.
"But now, I am no one. Just an old soldier drawn by stories of a boy with the eyes of a war god."
Tian's mouth parted. "Wait— the Feng? You commanded ten thousand at Blackstone Ridge—"
"That man is dead," Feng said, cutting him off. "And I didn't come here for praise."
He looked at Lü Bu.
"I came to see if you're worth the stories."
He unslung his spear. It gleamed like a sleeping dragon.
"Fight me."
Tian stepped forward. "He's not—"
"Stand down," Lü Bu said calmly.
He stepped forward, barefoot, sword in hand.
"If this is a test," Lü Bu said, "then don't hold back."
The clash was brutal.
Feng didn't fight like a retired man. He moved with precision, weight, and absolute control.
Each strike of his spear was like thunder — calculated, powerful, unrelenting.
But Lü Bu… he was faster.
He dodged. Slipped. Countered.
Not perfectly — not yet. He was still young. Still growing.
But his instincts were sharp. His reflexes honed. And his will — unshakable.
Minutes passed like hours. Dust and sparks danced around them.
Until finally — Lü Bu's blade reached Feng's throat.
Stopped.
Feng stepped back, breathing deep.
Then, for the first time, he smiled.
"Good," he said.
"Very good."
He looked at Lü Bu with something rare in his eyes — respect.
"Your form is raw. Your foundation is crude. But your heart…"
"Your heart is the kind that shapes empires."
System Alert
— New Trait Acquired: Veteran Recognition
— Commander Affinity Increased: Presence Level 2
— New Unit Option Unlocked: Veteran Instructors (Currently: 1)
— Bond Formed: General Feng (Mentor Rank)
That night, they sat by the fire.
Feng drank slowly, watching the flames.
"You're gathering stones for something, boy. I can see it."
"Not a warband. Not a gang. But something bigger."
Lü Bu nodded.
"An army," he said.
"One the world will never forget."
Feng chuckled again. "Then I'll stay. For now."
He turned to Tian.
"Boy. Tomorrow, I'll teach you how to actually stand when facing a spear. Your feet are a disgrace."
Tian groaned.
But Lü Bu smiled.
Because for the first time…
He wasn't building alone.