"Um, may I ask for your name?"

  Chihiro asked, curiosity evident in his toer hearing the old man's words.

  The elderly figure answered slowly, "I am Zhang Jiao."

  "Zhang Jiao!"

  Chihiro was stuo hear the name. He couldn't believe it—Zhang Jiao, the famous revolutionary figure associated with the Yellow Turban Rebellion during the te Han Dynasty, had appeared as a Heroic Spirit. (Note: In this setting, Zhang Jiao's Heroic Spirit card was not yet released when Chihiro reinated.)

  Zhang Jiao chuckled, "It seems you know my story. It's ly a legacy of honor, is it?"

  Chihiro shook his head quickly. "No, that's not it… I mean, regardless of the oute, you were undoubtedly a man of great resolve."

  After all, few dared to lead a rge-scale uprising in defiance of the established order, even if the movement's end was mired in tragedy.

  "Alright, alright, o ftter me," Zhang Jiao said with a weary smile. "History has never been kind to my name."

  He had hoped to overthrow a corrupt regime and bring relief to the on people. Yet, in a matter of months, the Yellow Turbans, who had initially been viewed as a bea of hope, became reviled as mere bandits due to the chaos that followed.

  Zhang Jiao tinued, "Well then, I'll lend you my strength for the seven days."

  "Thank you, Zhang," Chihiro responded gratefully. He then produced the Heroic Spirit Summoning Card. "But before we proceed further, let's wele another panion."

  "What is that?" Zhang Jiao inquired, the card in Chihiro's hand with curiosity.

  Chihiro briefly expihe system's meics, though he left out the fact that its core resided within himself. He and Zhang Jiao had only just met, and it was too early to fully trust him.

  "Activate."

  The summoning card dissolved into white light, f a new summoning circle that materialized out of thin air. Unlike Chihiro's previous makeshift circle, this one seemed to transd css limitations, its glow suggesting it was capable of calling forth a powerful spirit.

  Chihiro could only hope for someone capable of fag Gilgamesh. He definitely didn't want to get crushed by the King of Heroes.

  "Rider, I am here to ma myself. This body, whiows no equal, will heh serve you."

  The voice that echoed from the summoning circle was deep and resonant. Chihiro's eyes brightened with hope. Could it be Lu Bu?

  Although in the inal work, Lu Bu often appeared as a Berserker, his deeds indicated that he could easily fit the Rider, Archer, or Lancer csses any of which could potentially make him more powerful than his Berserker terpart.

  The Berserker css's "Mad Enha" stripped away Lu Bu's ability to use his martial skills to their full extent. It made him more of a ragi than the unparalleled warrior that history remembered.

  If Chihiro mao summon him in the Rider css, perhaps he could avoid the pitfalls of Berserker's madness. He would just have to be cautious and make good use of his and Spells to keep the warrior in line.

  The light of the summoning circle faded, revealing a tall figure. However, upon seeing who had actually been summoned, Chihiro's excitement quickly turo bewilderment.

  The "warrior" standing before him wasn't Lu Bu at all. Instead, it was a taur crimson armor, wielding a massive spear.

  It was her than the famous steed—Red Hare. (Gudako will be so jealous lmao)

  Of course, it had to be Red Hare. He should have realized the identity from the voice alone.

  "Greetings, Master. I am Lu Bu. From this moment on, I shall lend you my strength," said the taur in a surprisingly digone.

  "Uh… Thank you. I look forward t with you," Chihiro replied, quickly colleg himself.

  Well, a summoned Red Hare was better than nothing. As for the fact that Red Hare sidered itself Lu Bu, that was an issue that Chihiro didn't o worry about.

  After all, there was no correg this particur misception.

  "This is…"

  Zhang Jiao gazed at Red Hare, visibly taken aback. The taur's armor was clearly from aimes, but Zhang Jiao had never entered such a being before.

  With a sigh, Chihiro began expining Red Hare's identity to Zhang Jiao.

  "So, you're saying this creature is from the same era as I am?" Zhang Jiao said, ughing as he processed the information. "It's a pity I never had the eet the 'world's mightiest warrior' in my lifetime."

  His gaze drifted back to Red Hare. "Though I never expected that even a horse could bee such a being."

  "There is a small issue…" Chihiro muttered as he looked at the taur before him. "How am I supposed t Red Hare into the city like this? He'd be taken for some kind of monster."

  Having no other solution, Chihiro turo Zhang Jiao for help.

  "Ha! This is hardly a problem for me," Zhang Jiao chuckled. He raised his hand and summoned a talisman, pressing it onto Red Hare's forehead. In an instant, the taur's form shifted to that of a burly, rough-looking man.

  "What kind of spell is this?" Chihiro asked in surprise. "A transformation spell?"

  "No, it's merely an illusion," Zhang Jiao crified. "It tricks the eyes of those who look upon him, making them see a human. Iy, Red Hare remains a taur."

  As he spoke, Zhang Jiao pced aalisman on Chihiro's forehead, and the illusion faded, revealing Red Hare's inal form once more.

  "I see. You truly live up to your reputation, Zhang," Chihiro remarked, impressed by the seamlessness of the illusion.

  "Hmph, you still have much to learn," Zhang Jiao said with a knowing smile. "So, should I disguise myself as well?"

  "No, that won't be necessary," Chihiro replied. "Just ge your clothing to something that matches the current era."

  He gestured toward the distant, well-lit cityscape of Fuyuki. "You should dress like the people here."

  "Ah, so that's how people look in this era," Zhang Jiao mused. With a mere thought, his attire morphed into a bck suit, plemented by a yellow overcoat draped over his shoulders.

  *****

  T/N: I uand that some of you might feel flicted since his servants are ese, while he is supposedly of Japanese dest, these are just tweaks I made.

  Ultimately, this is a ese transtion and don't worry his servants aren't ese, so if that doesn't bother you, feel free to tinue reading.

  Also if you enjoy reading this drop a review