Chapter 4

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When Chen Xi arrived in Chenliu, the ride he wanted to hitch had already left. Cao Mengde had already sent out the proclamation. Estimating by this pace, if Chen Xi could really make it to Hulao Pass, he might just see the Liu Xuande brothers, who were still minor figures at the time.

"Master, where are we going now?" After brewing a pot of tea for Chen Xi, Chen Lan stood by and asked. As for sitting, Chen Xi had said many times, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

"Let's go to Suanzao. We don't have much of a reputation, but fortunately, I am a scholar, and I have the backing of the Chen family of Yingchuan. It shouldn't be a problem to blend in, right?" Chen Xi said helplessly. Originally, his plan was to follow Cao Cao's army. As a famous righteous man at the time, who had not yet become a villain, Cao Cao wouldn't just kill someone like him who was hitching a ride for no reason.

"Oh, are we leaving now, Master?" Chen Lan tilted her head and asked.

"Let's go, let's go. We'll see if we can find another group to give us a ride along the way." Chen Xi finished the tea in one gulp and walked towards the carriage. Speaking of which, Fan Liang had given him a lot of money before he left, enough to last him for three to five years.

Chen Xi casually covered the carriage with a layer of mental energy, making it less noticeable. He then got in and continued to explain the knowledge of mental extraction to Chen Lan, but it was clear that progress was slow.

"Master, we might have to camp out tonight," the steward, Chen, said with a wry smile. "We probably took the wrong direction at the fork in the road."

"Ha, it's fine." Chen Xi's face was a bit embarrassed. It was he who insisted on taking this route. He casually picked up a rice cake and divided it between the two of them, swallowing it with cold water. "Well, rice cakes are not bad."

"Hey, Master, look, isn't that smoke over there?" Chen Lan took a couple of bites of the rice cake and glanced north. Her sharp eyes spotted a plume of smoke rising in the distance.

"There are people. Let's go and freeload. Rice cakes are really too hard to eat." Chen Xi immediately retracted his previous statement and instructed the steward to head towards the smoke.

As the saying goes, "Looking at a mountain can tire a horse," and the same goes for looking at smoke. From a distance, it looked like a thin plume, but up close, it turned out to be quite a large area.

"Given this scale, it can't be one of the warlords, can it?" Chen Xi hesitated, stopping not far from the smoke. At this time, warlords could be good or bad. Some might protect you if you followed them, while others might drive you away or even rob you...

"Master, should we go and take a look?" Chen Lan asked curiously.

"Let's take a look. We're already this close, it would be a shame not to. I don't know which warlord it is, but I'll cast a small spell and go check it out." As he spoke, Chen Xi covered himself with a layer of mental energy, blending seamlessly into the surroundings. This spell originally had many flaws, but with Chen Xi's improvements, it was now quite effective.

After sneaking over, Chen Xi saw the large encampment and the white horses. He stared at the central flag, stroked his chin, and felt much better. He had encountered a pure nationalist—General Gongsun Zan of the White Horses.

"Who's there!" Just as Chen Xi was about to return and bring his steward and maid to join the feast and hitch a ride, a loud shout echoed. Chen Xi swore he had never heard a louder voice, and his ears were still ringing.

Before Chen Xi could react, a black-faced, muscular man leaped over ten meters from the camp and charged towards him.

"Bang!" Without any weapon, the man landed and created a pit several meters wide in the ground.

Chen Xi was also shaken out of his hiding place, looking disheveled. He frowned at the muscular man. The moment the man appeared, Chen Xi's mental energy boiled, and every nerve was warning him of extreme danger.

"Who are you, daring to spy on the camp?" A thunderous voice surrounded Chen Xi. As soon as these words were spoken, a group of cavalry quickly emerged from the camp and surrounded him.

"Would you believe me if I said I came to freeload?" Chen Xi, though frightened, remained calm after being surrounded. After all, in this chaotic era, he was a resource. As long as he demonstrated his value, these warlords wouldn't mind such trivial matters.

Before the other man could speak, Chen Xi smiled and said, "This place is sparsely populated. I saw the smoke from a distance and thought it was a household, so I wanted to ask for a place to stay. I didn't expect it to be an army. Out of necessity, I came to investigate. After all, armies in this world are of different levels. Some provide protection to us traveling scholars, while others... well, let's not talk about them."

The muscular man frowned at Chen Xi. "Do you have any proof?"

"Just that move you saw. You should know that my training is different from yours. If we were the same, I wouldn't have much of a threat to you. With mental energy, as long as I stay by your side, I'm confident that you can control me at any time, given your strength." A glint of insight flashed in Chen Xi's eyes. He was betting that the man was Zhang Fei. The strength, the build, the voice, and the location all pointed to this possibility.

"That's true. Since you are a scholar, tell me where you are from. Our Liao Xi troops will not harm you." The muscular man nodded, acknowledging Chen Xi's explanation. He was very confident, extremely confident, and his strength made him even more so.

"Chen Xi, Chen Zichuan, from Yingchuan." Chen Xi said helplessly. "I think you must be Zhang Fei."

"Hey, you actually know me." The muscular man was taken aback, then his face lit up. He was completely unaware of Chen Xi's mention of Yingchuan.

"Alright." Chen Xi shrugged and said nothing. Running into Cao Cao and then encountering Liu Bei was another good choice. Besides, the current Gongsun Zan was not as cruel as he would become later and wouldn't mind a few followers.

"Third Brother, I heard you caught a spy?" Just as Zhang Fei was about to speak, another voice came from behind.

He had an average appearance, large ears, and long arms. Chen Xi muttered to himself. Behind him was a red-faced, muscular man, who could only be Guan Yu. Thinking about it, Chen Xi sighed. He was sure that this world was closer to the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"Scholar Chen Xi, Chen Zichuan, pays respects to Lord Xuande." Chen Xi bowed to Liu Bei. No matter what, he was still in their hands, so he couldn't afford to offend them.

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