Listening to that rumbling sound, he felt it was the most exquisite pleasure in the world, whether it was in his own wife’s ** or someone else's wife’s **—that kind of enjoyment was truly incomparable.

Rumble, rumble—vast quantities of flammable material ignited fiercely, and the two men were tossed about violently by the beast’s frantic thrashing, leaving them nauseous. But they endured, knowing that leaving now meant certain death. So, no matter how fiercely the flames roared, they paid them no mind, simply gripping the solid parts near them tightly, waiting motionlessly for the fire to die down, or for the great beast to perish.

Yet, the creature was truly a behemoth. The flames had entered a phase of frenzied combustion, but the beast showed no sign of stopping. It had been burning for half an hour, yet the amplitude of its convulsions had not weakened in the slightest, still shaking ceaselessly. Though Lu Zong and Ma Xiong were drenched in sweat, they persevered for the sake of survival and future happiness.

Rumble, rumble—finally, a magnificent explosion echoed. The two instantly felt that the greatest enjoyment in the world had arrived. Although the sound was piercing, to their ears, it was the most beautiful music in existence. It was an experience they hadn't enjoyed since emerging from the womb.

Lu Zong clung desperately to Ma Xiong. But simultaneously, they felt a colossal, earth-shattering tremor, followed by a resounding crash as something fell heavily. It seemed they had finally subdued the great beast; it was now lying on the ground, completely dead.

Outside, observers, seeing the beast convulsing relentlessly, knew it must be in agony, though they couldn't fathom why. Only when the sound of the explosion reached them did they see that the creature’s brains had been blown out before it slowly collapsed. Everyone was astonished, wondering what sort of power could unleash such force. This beast had been undefeated in countless battles, fighting tens of thousands of engagements, yet today, it perished at the hands of these two. Indeed, the reputation of the Twin Heroes was well-deserved. Still, they struggled to believe it, as the disparity in power was immediately apparent—how could two mortal bodies defeat a creature hundreds of times their size?

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, finding the situation incredible.

"I think this monster must have simply eaten too much and burst its own head; I can’t think of any other reason," commented a stout warrior, watching the scene unfold.

"I don't see it that way," countered a young soldier beside him with a sigh. "I believe these two inside finished the job. Look, what animal has a self-destruct mechanism in its brain? We must have overlooked something crucial."

Having spoken, he stared intently at the beast in the arena, trying to discern some hidden truth.

If the two emerged, it proved they had killed the beast. The warrior who had insisted they were responsible now laughed and said to the younger soldier next to him, "Let's make a bet. If the Twin Heroes killed the beast by coincidence, you win. If the beast died for any other reason—meaning the two are still alive—I warn you, I never go easy on a wager."

"A bet? Who’s afraid of whom?" The young soldier seemed confident in his own assessment, unaware that soon he would lose more than he could afford to lose.

The beast's head began to violently explode. In a short time, only a thin layer of skull remained; the flesh inside seemed completely incinerated, yet the figures of the two men were still absent.

Even without seeing them emerge, the onlookers were terrified. The beast, which had lived for so long, had been killed by someone. Frankly, even if all of them had joined forces to attack it, they wouldn't have stood a chance; a direct assault would surely have cost many of their own lives. Thinking of this, their hearts involuntarily trembled: "Are those two inside demons or humans? Their strength rivals that of an entire army. Are they dead now?"

The older warrior also worried for the pair's safety, trusting that the two would not disappoint him. At the same time, another person’s heart was racing: the leader of Lu Zong and Ma Xiong, the one who bore the exquisite appearance of Ge Mei. He stared blankly at the center of the arena, clearly stunned. He had never anticipated the beast’s death; his original plan was for the Twin Heroes to win perpetually, and this time he intended to show them what true power was.

Because the beast’s body was composed entirely of fats and phospholipids—highly flammable and explosive substances—it burned away quickly. All that remained on the ground were scraps of unburnt hide and tattered skin, silently conveying one fact: "The beast named Ao Bai, called immortal by the warriors, the divine beast in their hearts, had fallen to two mortals."

Silence descended upon the scene; even the announcer forgot his lines, forgetting to declare the winner or the loser, as the fate of the two remained unknown.

But an announcer is an announcer. Amidst the chaos of thought, he regained his composure and addressed the crowd: "Now, the moment of excitement has finally arrived! The so-called immortal general, the Ao Bai beast, has become a pair of barbecue skewers, lying peacefully on the ground, perhaps longing for an embrace and a kiss. Our Twin Heroes are also missing and presumed dead—no, now it is clear—they perished along with the Ao Bai beast. Therefore, I declare the result of the match: a draw—"

Before he could utter the final syllable, a loud sound erupted from within the beast’s remains. The sound flooded people's ears like a torrent. The thoroughly confused spectators then saw two small, pale lumps gently rolling amidst the cooked flesh.

Pop! A faint explosion sounded, and one of the lumps burst open. Ma Xiong suddenly stood up, bowing respectfully to the surrounding crowd. The crowd instantly fell silent, frozen in place, utterly unable to comprehend that the two, just pronounced dead by the announcer, were actually alive.

But Ma Xiong was undisturbed by the silence. He merely shook his head slightly to fling off the blood and grime, then walked toward the lump that represented Lu Zong. Just as he reached within a few meters of it, that lump burst open just like his own. Lu Zong scrambled out, coughed twice, and shouted, "Ma Xiong, we won! We are victorious!"

Ma Xiong walked over and emotionally embraced Lu Zong, roaring, "Yes, we won! Our strength is great!"

Ma Xiong repeated this phrase over and over, and Lu Zong joined him. Then, the entire audience was swept up by their fervor, roaring back, "We won! Our strength is great!" The sound soared into the heavens, shaking the earth. The entire arena was filled with the unified shouts of the soldiers.

The announcer then roared his declaration: "Now, I announce that in the competition between the human representatives, the Twin Heroes, and the beast representative, Ao Bai, the Twin Heroes have won by an overwhelming margin! This also proves to everyone that our strength is great and invincible!"

With the announcer's words, the crowd erupted once more, proving the man was indeed qualified for his role. The atmosphere of the venue was pushed to new heights, again and again.

The leader of the Twin Heroes also screamed in excitement. He had never imagined that these two 'foods' could bring him such a massive surprise.

The competition finally ended. Amidst the cheers, the two men re-entered the vehicle they had arrived in. This time, the leader was noticeably happier. Looking at them, he said, "Well, you two really delivered. I only pulled you from the riverbank, and you've brought me such a tremendous surprise. It seems visiting Chancellor Cao is now possible."

The two suddenly remembered that their leader had been talking about seeing Chancellor Cao all along, but why had he made them compete in the arena? Thinking of this, Lu Zong and Ma Xiong’s expressions darkened. They quietly asked, "Boss, didn't you say we were going to see Chancellor Cao? Why did you send us both to our deaths?"

The leader looked at them strangely. "What do you mean, sending you to your deaths? I was helping you! Without me, you would have been stuck in this era for the rest of your lives. Did you really want to stay here?"

Hearing this, the two sensed something deeply strange. A person from the Three Kingdoms era knew they weren't from this time. It seemed this leader truly knew something. They quickly pressed him, "Who exactly are you, and how do you know our identities?"

The leader suddenly shifted, his expression turning serious. "I cannot tell you right now. Just do as I say. Don't worry, I won't let you remain in this place. Since you arrived here, there must be a plan of fate laid out for you. Follow my instructions obediently, and you will be safe."

Seeing how serious the leader was, they realized he wasn't joking. But how could he know their identities? They hadn't mentioned their backgrounds since waking up, and even if they had, no one could have overheard. But would anyone believe them?

The leader noticed their confused expressions. "Don't worry. I know who you are, and I won't reveal it. I can’t reveal my identity yet. When the time is right, you will know. But you must follow my instructions. When you meet Chancellor Cao, you will know the truth of the matter—my identity will be included in that revelation. In the future, this world will belong to you two."

Ma Xiong glanced at Lu Zong, whose mouth was still agape in astonishment.

It made sense. Was it merely a coincidence that the leader looked exactly like Ge Mei? But how could it be? This leader was too mysterious, revealing nothing about his identity. Most importantly, he claimed the future world would belong to them. What did that mean? They were being asked to follow the orders of a stranger whose identity they didn't know, and they felt intensely reluctant. However, reluctance didn't mean they wouldn't comply, because the leader promised that following him meant they would go home. Their primary goal now was returning home, not lingering in this strange place.

The two returned to their quarters. The leader gave no further instruction and walked straight out. Everything that had just happened was too miraculous; they felt as if they were still dreaming—a dream so ephemeral, so fleeting. Before they could even begin to unravel the truth, the leader had vanished.

"No, quickly check on Ge Mei!" After saying this, they rushed to Ge Mei's room, anxious to know her condition, wondering if anything untoward had happened to her in their absence, or if anyone had discovered her.

When they entered, they found Ge Mei awake, sitting alone on the bed, her hair hanging down. Seeing them, her previously dim eyes suddenly brightened, as if she had encountered a relative. She said, "You two are back. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, you know...?"

Seeing Ge Mei, another future traveler like themselves, Lu Zong and Ma Xiong finally felt a sense of grounding. Lu Zong looked at her and asked, "Ge Mei, you're awake. Are you feeling alright? Do you remember what just happened to us?"

Ge Mei nodded. "I remember. I remember we encountered a black hole and seemed to be transmigrating. Right, have we transmigrated? Or are we filming a historical drama? This place feels so ancient, so rustic."

Lu Zong quickly interjected, "That’s right, we have transmigrated, and quite successfully too. But don't worry, we will take you back."

Ge Mei merely gave a soft "Oh," and fell silent. The two suddenly felt that Ge Mei was strangely unfamiliar, as if she had already foreseen the unfolding events and was completely unfazed by the present situation. However, to put her at ease, they didn't dare say anything alarming, simply comforting her: "Don't worry, Ge Mei, with the two of us men here, just rest easy. We will take good care of you."

With that, they turned to leave.

"Did the Boss say anything to you?" Ge Mei suddenly spoke up.

The two were startled, speechless for a long moment. Ge Mei had been unconscious, yet she knew more than they did. At this point, they began to suspect they had been played by this person.

"Ge Mei, how do you know about the Boss?" Ma Xiong asked urgently. For them now, Ge Mei knew too much. They needed to extract enough information from her to devise a way to unravel the puzzle, and they were intensely curious about their current predicament. Thus, they were eager to know the truth.

But unfortunately, Ge Mei only shook her head and said, "It’s better not to talk about it now. It's not the right time. Knowing too much will be detrimental to you. Alright, I need to rest now. I appreciate your concern. But I’d like you to step out for a moment; I’m fine here and I want to sleep. You should just follow the Boss’s instructions; he will arrange everything for you. Remember, only through obedience will the future world be yours."

Hearing this, Lu Zong and Ma Xiong were overcome by a distinct feeling of being manipulated. Why did it seem like everyone in the world knew the truth except for them?

"What is going on?" This question spun ceaselessly in their minds.

Ge Mei settled back onto the ** and closed her eyes, seemingly asleep. Ma Xiong and Lu Zong found the situation too bizarre to disturb her further, so they quietly closed the door and left.

What was happening? Outside, the two lay on their **s, waiting for the next plan, completely uncertain of what to do or what their next step should be, simply waiting for the Boss to arrange things. Since Ge Mei was asleep, they couldn't extract anything from her, so they abandoned the idea. However, they guessed they were now famous, because even their maidservants were overheard discussing:

"Hey, we need to take good care of these two. Legend says they defeated our divine beast, Ao Bai. If they break another record, Chancellor Cao might notice them. Then, they could become key officials of the state. So, we need to be careful."

Another voice replied, "Haha, I think you’ve got your eye on those two handsome men! You should try charming them. Maybe when they become high officials, they'll cherish this relationship, and even becoming a concubine would be infinitely better than staying here."

"True, true, but what are we? Just little maids. Why would they look our way? Best not to get sentimental. Let’s go; if the Boss overhears us, we'll be in trouble."

At that moment, they realized they hadn't seen a single maid since arriving at this estate. Could such a large manor truly lack servants? Having overheard the conversation, they hurried to the window to look outside. But with just one glance, Ma Xiong was terrified. Lu Zong, seeing Ma Xiong's stunned expression, immediately realized something must be wrong and poked a hole in the window to see what was happening.

But as he looked, he too was paralyzed with shock. He stood there motionless, unsure of what to do next.