Chapter 31

As he watched the spearhead, as wide as a palm and a foot and a half long, thrust straight at his face, Shixun couldn't help but be terrified, his soul almost leaving his body. If his feet hadn't still been in the stirrups, he might have fainted and fallen off the horse.

He regretted not letting Taishi Ci come along. If Ziyi were here, would he fear a single spear? Even nine more spears, and I bet Ziyi could handle them. The main reason was that he had spent most of the night thinking about how to persuade Guan Hai to retreat. Some of the words he planned to say, though common in the thinking of two thousand years later, were quite shocking and heretical in this era. He didn't want Taishi Ci to hear them. But even if it was heretical, he could explain afterward that it wasn't his true intention, just a temporary measure, which was better than being stabbed before even seeing Guan Hai.

Closing his eyes, he thought, "I'm done for!" Suddenly, he heard a "clang." The wind of the spear stopped just in front of him and then retracted. Opening his eyes, he saw a familiar figure riding up, waving a bow arm to gently deflect the spear.

—Ah, little Lolita, it's worth it that I've been thinking of you all this time!

Guan Si's slender, slightly playful eyebrows were raised high, her eyes wide with anger. She shouted, "He says he wants to see my father, but my father hasn't spoken yet. Who are you to make decisions for my father?!" She looked around. "Seize him and wait for the general to decide!"

Two strong soldiers immediately rushed forward, grabbing Shixun's legs to pull him off the horse. Little Lolita stomped her foot on the saddle, pointing at the Yellow Turban soldier who had tried to spear Shixun. "Idiot, I said to seize him!"

The two soldiers looked embarrassed, mumbling apologies, and quickly ran over to pull the soldier off the horse and tie his hands behind his back. Shixun calmed down a bit and bowed to Guan Si. "Thank you for saving my life."

"Thank your sister!" Guan Si glared at him, pouting. "You have a lot of nerve to come alone to see my father." "This is called seeking an audience in battle," Shixun protested. "I'm unarmed, how could I 'invade'? You should hurry and report to your father that I have important things to say to him."

"Wait here," Guan Si turned her horse, walked a few steps, then suddenly turned back. "This... how should I report? I don't even know your name."

"Ah, I am Shixun from Beihai, styled Hongfu."

"Hmph, what a strange name!" Little Lolita said as she rode away. Shixun thought, "You think my name is strange? Your family's names aren't much better. I wonder if your family's next child will be called Guan Zi, Guan Chou, Guan Yin, Guan Mao... If they have the same zodiac sign, how would you name them... Fortunately, this little Lolita is a snake, which isn't too bad..."

Hmm, Si Snake, the Year of the Snake... He calculated that little Lolita was born in the year Ding Si of the Xiping era, making her fourteen years old, fifteen by the Chinese age system, only two years younger than him. How could there be such a big height difference between us?

After a while, he heard a commotion in the enemy ranks, with hundreds of people shouting, "The general summons the Han envoy!" But the shouts were a bit out of sync, and Shixun almost didn't understand what they were saying. He straightened his clothes and followed a Yellow Turban soldier toward Guan Hai's main tent.

In front of the tent, dozens of soldiers held long halberds, forming two rows, leaving a narrow path in the middle. A soldier shouted, "The Han envoy dismounts and enters through the gate!" Shixun muttered, "Dismount and enter, what's the big deal," and jumped off the horse, calling, "Shixun from Beihai, seeking an audience with General Guan Hai."

Just as he was about to step into the narrow path, he heard a "clatter." The soldiers lowered their halberds to a 45-degree angle, the spearheads crossing to form a glittering "gate." Shixun sneered, "I've seen this in movies and TV shows."

He had imagined all possible scenarios for today, but he never expected to almost be stabbed before even entering the camp. So he didn't care about such formalities. In literary works, the brave envoy would walk in proudly, while the timid one would be scared stiff. Shixun thought those people weren't timid, they were just stupid. If they really wanted to kill you, would they need to set up a weapon gate?

Thinking this, he lifted the hem of his robe and was about to walk in proudly. But after one step, he felt something was wrong. First, the gate was too low, and he would have to bow to pass through, which would diminish his presence. Second, he suddenly remembered almost being stabbed, indicating that Guan Hai's army wasn't very disciplined. There might be a few fanatics among the Yellow Turbans who could drop their halberds and cut off his head without orders.

Thinking this, his legs started to tremble. The Yellow Turban soldier urged him, "Hurry up!" Shixun swallowed and thought, since he was already here, he might as well fight. So he stepped back and sneered, "I must have come to the wrong place. This isn't a military camp, it's a doghouse. Only a doghole would be so low."

Hearing this, the nearby Yellow Turbans glared at him, and a few hot-tempered ones were about to attack. Shixun felt a chill down his neck, but fortunately, little Lolita came to his rescue. "Mr. Shi is right. Why are you doing this? Step aside and let him see my father!"

Shixun glanced at the little Lolita who ran out of the tent, thinking she could pass through the weapon gate without any trouble... Good girl, you saved me again! If you ever have nowhere to go, come find me, and I'll take care of you for life! Of course, he only thought this and didn't dare say it out loud.

He followed Guan Si into the main tent. Before entering, he heard her whisper, "My father's mood hasn't been good lately. Be careful." Shixun nodded gratefully and took a deep breath, walking in proudly.

Although it was the general's tent, it was quite shabby, with patches everywhere and a few "skylights" that hadn't been sewn up, making the tent surprisingly bright. Shixun entered and saw four or five Yellow Turbans standing sparsely, likely guards or advisors. Guan Hai was sitting cross-legged in the middle on a straw mat, with no table in front of him.

Seeing him enter, Guan Hai said coldly, "You have a lot of nerve. Are you here to deliver a challenge?"

"Not at all, not at all, I..." Shixun was about to use literary language but noticed a translator behind Guan Hai, the same one he had seen on Fuzheng Mountain. Literary language was more impressive, but Guan Hai was a rough man who wouldn't understand. If the words were translated, they might lose their meaning, so he quickly changed his tone.

"That day on Fuzheng Mountain, the general spared my life and cured my muteness. I came today to repay your kindness and show you a way out."

Guan Hai sneered, "That's laughable, as if I'm about to die—why would I need your guidance?!"

Shixun pointed behind him with his thumb. "Do you see the soldiers I brought?"

Guan Hai drew his ring-handled saber with a "clang," scaring Shixun so much that he took two steps back. He heard a "ouch" behind him and felt a strong push on his back. "You bastard! You hurt me..." It turned out Guan Si had followed him in and been stepped on by Shixun.

Despite her small size, Guan Si was as strong as a grown man. She pushed Shixun forward, and he stumbled, almost falling into Guan Hai's arms. Guan Hai drew his saber, but instead of stabbing, he used the back of the blade to press against Shixun's chest. This broke Shixun's momentum, but the atmosphere in the tent became less tense.

"Is that all the courage and strength you have? Do you think you can intimidate me? There are only three to five thousand government troops. If they have the guts, let them come. I'm not afraid of them!"

Shixun finally steadied himself, gently pushing the saber away with his left hand and wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "Hehe, your daughter... her strength is really great. I'm a scholar, not a warrior, so it's understandable, hehe, understandable..."

He took a deep breath, calmed down, and answered Guan Hai's question. "Those are not ordinary government troops. They are the soldiers of Pingyuan. The general has fought them in Pingyuan and should know their strength."

Hearing this, Guan Hai's face darkened. Shixun saw an opportunity. He had talked a lot with the officers under Guan Yu, learning many stories, from Liu Xuande's preference for fair-skinned women to Guan Yu's own weaknesses and Zhang Fei's appetite. He also knew about the battles between the Pingyuan army and the Yellow Turbans, their causes, and losses. He knew that Guan and Zhang's Pingyuan army was very strong, and the Yellow Turbans had rarely won against them. Seeing Guan Hai's wary expression, he added:

"Their leader is a bearded man surnamed Guan..."

"Guanyu!" Shixun noticed Guan Hai's grip on the saber tighten. "Heh, good. Tell him to get ready. I'll cut off his head here to avenge my previous defeats!"

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