Chapter 21

"Ridiculous, this bastard, truly ridiculous. Damn it! What are you all doing, you bunch of good-for-nothings? Get up quickly! Keeping you around is completely useless; over twenty of you can't even beat a group of seven or eight people." Yuan Shu's face was flushed, and he was spitting out curses in a rage.

His arm extended out of the carriage window, as if he wanted to teach the guards a lesson or chase after Zhang Hao. But his movement was too hasty, and his arm suddenly hit the window frame, causing his face to twitch. He withdrew his arm, trembling slightly, and noticed that many people were watching. He quickly pulled down the curtain.

"Get up and return to the manor!" Yuan Shu's suppressed roar echoed from inside the carriage.

The faces of the twenty-odd guards were pale. Many of them were skilled, but compared to Huang Zhong, the gap was too large. Caught off guard, they were directly overpowered by Huang Zhong and the other guards. They also never expected Huang Zhong and the others to actually dare to attack.

In Luoyang, the Yuan family's name was very influential. Over the years, following Yuan Shu, they had never suffered much in conflicts. Huang Zhong and the others were ruthless, and now they were all in pain. But with their master raging, what could they say?

They could only quickly get up, endure the pain, and drive the carriage away, not without scolding the onlookers.

At this moment, the arrogant guards, hearing the muffled roar from the carriage, were as silent as cicadas in winter. If it were just Zhang Hao, it would be fine. Despite his connection to Zhang Rang, he wasn't easy to provoke. But the Yuan family wasn't afraid of him. However, involving Yuan Shao was different.

As people close to Yuan Shu, they naturally knew how much their master hated Yuan Shao, the famous scholar of the Yuan family.

"Damn barbarian. And that bastard, just a house-born slave, wants to rise to the top!" Inside the carriage, Yuan Shu gritted his teeth, his face twisted in anger, and his hands were grabbing and pinching the two delicate maidservants beside him. Both maidservants were pale with pain but dared not make a sound.

"Sun Cheng, send people to keep an eye on that barbarian. When he leaves the city, take your private troops and eliminate him. This time, over twenty of you were beaten down. Next time, with hundreds of men, if you still fail, you won't need to come back."

Although Zhang Hao had stirred up his inner pain, Yuan Shu didn't forget him. Feeling superior due to his noble birth, he had a condescending attitude towards those of low birth. He had never been so disrespected before, and he couldn't bear the humiliation.

"Master, I understand. Rest assured, I will bring his head back." The knight outside the carriage responded.

My patience has really decreased! Zhang Hao walked down the road, thinking about what had just happened, and evaluated himself this way.

In the past, when he sold insurance in the modern world, he had heard much worse than Yuan Shu's refined words. Back then, he had always endured it. Now, he didn't hold back, despite the potential trouble it could bring.

Is it because I'm getting arrogant, or do I feel superior in this Three Kingdoms world?

Zhang Hao soon realized that thinking this way was rather pointless. Looking at the street, despite the bustling traffic, there was a clear distinction between the nobles and the commoners. Zhang Hao looked at Huang Zhong.

"Brother Huang, let's leave tomorrow. Luoyang isn't suitable for us right now. Not only have we accomplished nothing, but we've also tarnished our reputation and offended many people. We should leave as soon as possible, or things will get worse."

Huang Zhong nodded. "How should we arrange it? Not to mention those who might be tempted by the opportunity, even that Yuan Zhonglang won't let it go easily."

"First, let Xizhi and Tian Feng's family leave. No one will be watching them. Send two people to follow them, and have them go directly to Xiangxiang. Others won't know our destination is Wuchang, but they can find out our origin through the travel permits. So, let the ladies leave first."

Zhang Hao pondered and said, "I think the boats in Xiangxi should be ready. We can follow the Han River directly into the Yangtze and sail downstream to Wuchang, which will be much easier. Sigh, it's all my fault, making the ladies rush on their journey."

"Zigao, there's no need to say that. We don't hold such formalities between us," Huang Zhong said solemnly.

Zhang Hao nodded and didn't dwell on it. "When the time comes, with just a few of us left, it will be much easier. We won't need Zhang Rang's help to leave. In the end, whether it's Yuan Shu or others, as long as we leave the area around Luoyang and they can't find us, they won't have the patience."

Huang Zhong nodded and then smiled. "Actually, we did gain something this time. Mr. Xizhi, though a bit scatterbrained, seems very knowledgeable. Mr. Tian Feng is a famous scholar from Ji Province, and to enter the imperial court, he must be no ordinary person."

Zhang Hao smiled. "That's true."

Without returning to the inn, they went directly to Tian Feng's house. Over the past few days, they had become quite familiar, and Zhang Hao knew where Tian Feng lived. It was clear that Tian Feng's family was quite wealthy to own a house in Luoyang. In this era, the poor couldn't afford education.

After explaining the situation to Xizhi and Tian Feng, Xizhi laughed, clearly mocking Zhang Hao's current reputation.

Tian Feng didn't blame anyone, just sighed about the next generation of the Yuan family, who had held power for four generations. Without hesitation, Tian Feng instructed his wife and two concubines to pack their things. Xizhi, however, requested to go with Zhang Hao and the others.

But Zhang Hao just patted his shoulder, and Xizhi's body slumped. With his small build, he probably couldn't keep up with Zhang Hao and the others.

The house was sold to a broker. By evening, everything was packed. Tian Feng's family, along with maids, managers, and guards, were all ready. Zhang Hao visited Zhang Rang, who sent fifty cavalry to escort Tian Feng and the others to Xiangxiang.

Although they could hire people, it was more reliable to have a family with a household. Moreover, with Zhang Rang's seal, the local authorities wouldn't dare to be negligent.

Zhang Hao took a break and returned to the modern world, bringing some printed books for Tian Feng and Xizhi to read on the journey.

After seeing off Tian Feng and the others, Zhang Hao felt a weight off his shoulders. Now, besides Huang Zhong, he had only five guards left. Two had already left with Tian Feng, one to lead the way, and the other with a few cavalry to return to Xiangxiang.

Not for any other reason, but to prevent any unexpected issues, to ensure that Lady Huang and the others left the estate in advance, in case Yuan Shu sent people to cause trouble there.

Although the chances were low, Zhang Hao had to consider it.

This hurried arrangement made Zhang Hao despise Yuan Shu and those who saw him as an easy target even more.

In any world, without power, there is no status.

In the evening, he invited several major merchants who had agreed to cooperate, and they exchanged tokens. Some of these merchants were from the Luoyang area, while others came from various regions. To be able to do business in Luoyang, they were undoubtedly shrewd and influential.

They were crucial to Zhang Hao's plans, so he needed to communicate well with them.

The next morning, an ordinary carriage left the inn. The carriage was small and couldn't hold many people.

At the city gate, in addition to the city guards, there were some alert people watching the passersby. The carriage was opened and inspected, but it was empty. The driver said he was going outside to pick someone up and was quickly allowed to leave.

The carriage left Luoyang and traveled a long distance before stopping in a forest. The driver left. After a while, several people emerged from the empty carriage. They were Zhang Hao and Huang Zhong and the others.

Inside the carriage, Zhang Hao opened a time portal, transferring everyone to the modern world. They agreed on a time and then returned through the portal, avoiding the attention of those with ill intentions.

Two guards identified their location and entered the forest, returning with several horses. The horses and carriage had been arranged the previous day, and fortunately, there were no issues, such as the horses being stolen.

The group rode out of the forest. Zhang Hao looked back at Luoyang, despite the distance, he could still faintly see the city's grand outline and the numerous palaces.

He had a good impression of this city. If possible, he wanted to prevent the historic city from being destroyed by Dong Zhuo.

At the same time, he felt a bit regretful. Luoyang was a place of great talent, but as an ordinary person, Zhang Hao had no right to recruit anyone. Even if he had an official position, recruiting officials in the capital would be a dream.

Speaking of which, what interested Zhang Hao more was that one of the Four Beauties of ancient China, Diaochan, was in this city. Although he didn't know if this world's Diaochan was Wang Yun's adopted daughter or a palace maid, she was undoubtedly here.

Unfortunately, Zhang Hao couldn't see or touch her. He could only wait for the future.

"Let's go!" Zhang Hao pulled the reins, and the horses moved forward. Their destination was Donglai Commandery. However, Zhang Hao had other plans. He intended to recruit some famous people along the way.

Although he had no official position, even those who were minor officials waiting for their chance couldn't be recruited, but there was still some hope.

For example, the famous bodyguard of the Three Kingdoms, Dian Wei from Chenliu. This guy was currently in trouble and hiding near his hometown.

Of course, besides him, Zhang Hao couldn't think of anyone else he could recruit at this time. Guan Yu, who was also in trouble, was currently wandering with Liu Bei!

But having a goal was good. Learning about the strength of the warriors in this world from Huang Zhong, Zhang Hao was extremely eager for strong warriors, so he was willing to make a special trip to Chenliu.