Chapter 8

【Second update of today, please vote and add to your favorites! Old Gao is in a hurry to climb the rankings! Another update in the evening】

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Liu Jing forced himself to calm down and, without panic, bowed and said, "I am the nephew of the Governor of Jingzhou, on my way to Xiangyang."

Yu Jin frowned, 'Nephew of Liu Biao?'

Yu Jin might show some respect to Cao Cao's nephew, but to him, Liu Biao's nephew was nothing.

Yu Jin still had doubts. How could Liu Biao's nephew be so tall and sturdy, with no trace of a scholar, and with bloodstains on his clothes, looking more like a Yellow Turban rebel?

He suddenly reached out, grabbed Liu Jing's collar, and pulled him close, staring at him fiercely. "Kid, you must be a Yellow Turban rebel on the run!"

Liu Jing, hearing the soldiers call him General Yu, guessed that this might be Yu Jin. Seeing the murderous intent in Yu Jin's eyes, he became anxious and shouted, "Yu Wenze, are you going to harm me?"

Yu Jin's courtesy name was Wenze, and few people knew it, even the Xiahou brothers were not aware. Yu Jin was taken aback, wondering how this young man could know his courtesy name, and he loosened his grip on Liu Jing's collar.

Yu Jin once again sized up Liu Biao's nephew, noting that he indeed looked like a young man, about fifteen or sixteen years old, but he was very tall, around eight feet, and extremely robust.

"How do you know I am Yu Wenze?" Yu Jin asked coldly.

"Of course I know!"

Liu Jing's mind raced, and he spoke confidently, "I have always admired the heroes of the world, and I remember all their heroic deeds. General Yu was originally a subordinate of Bao Xin, having won many battles, defeating Lu Bu's two camps in the south of the city, defeating Gao Ya in Xuchang, and slaying Qiao Rui, a subordinate of Yuan Shu. In the Battle of Wan, you displayed the demeanor of Zhou Yafu, and were appointed as the Marquis of Yishou Pavilion by Lord Cao."

Unlike the modern world, in the Three Kingdoms era, transportation was inconvenient, and information was limited. Cao Cao's deeds might be known to the world, but the achievements of people like Yu Jin were probably known only to Cao Cao. The young man in front of him knew these details clearly, which greatly surprised Yu Jin.

Yu Jin sheathed his sword and looked at him curiously, "How do you know about my background?"

Generally, knowing someone's background could be good or bad. If it was negative, it could easily make one hated, but if it was positive, it was a form of flattery.

Although Yu Jin's attitude remained cold, the things Liu Jing knew were what he was proud of, and he couldn't help but feel a bit pleased, his tone softening slightly.

Liu Jing, a lawyer in his previous life, was skilled at reading people's expressions and gauging their moods. He敏锐地察觉到了Yu Jin's tone had softened and felt more confident.

Hearing Yu Jin's accent was similar to his own, and knowing from Wu Xiu that he was from Tai'an, Liu Jing quickly formulated a plan. He said calmly, "I am from Gaoping County in Shanyang, and I studied in Tai'an for many years. I often heard people talk about General Yu's deeds, which I memorized. During the campaign against Zhang Xiu in Wan, you suppressed the Qingzhou soldiers who were plundering the people, and when they reported you to Lord Cao, you built a camp to defend against the enemy, maintaining military discipline, displaying the demeanor of Zhou Yafu, and were appointed as the Marquis of Yishou Pavilion, earning the admiration of the world."

Although Yu Jin was not from the foot of Mount Tai, he was indeed from Tai'an. Liu Jing's explanation was reasonable, and he believed it.

More importantly, flattery never fails. Yu Jin was an extremely proud person, resenting that the world did not know his deeds. Now, Liu Jing could talk about them fluently, especially emphasizing his proudest achievement, the camp-building in Wan. Yu Jin was already extremely pleased.

Yu Jin had completely dispelled his hostility and no longer wanted to kill him, even if he was a Yellow Turban rebel. It was rare to find a young man who understood him. He chuckled, "Young Master Liu is indeed extraordinary, worthy of being the nephew of Governor Liu of Jingzhou. I admire you, Yu Jin!"

At this moment, Liu Jing took out a letter from Liu Biao and handed it to him. Yu Jin looked at it by the light of the torch and confirmed that he was indeed Liu Biao's nephew. At this time, Cao Cao still needed to court Liu Biao to prevent him from allying with Yuan Shao, so Yu Jin knew he couldn't offend Liu Biao too much.

He nodded, "Alright! I have disturbed you, Young Master Liu."

Yu Jin waved his hand and ordered, "Mount up and continue the pursuit!"

He led the soldiers forward, and Liu Jing, drenched in sweat, was extremely lucky. He had already seen Yu Jin's intention to start suspecting him, but fortunately, he had promptly called out Yu Jin's courtesy name. If he had said something wrong, Yu Jin would have definitely ordered a search, and he and Zhao Yun would have been in real trouble.

Although he had flattered Yu Jin, which might seem a bit lacking in manly courage, it was the only effective method in the critical situation. Yu Jin had not suspected that Zhao Yun was hiding nearby; he was just instinctively questioning and searching, which was optional. The key was the commander's decision.

Liu Jing used his knowledge of the Three Kingdoms from his past life, his quick wit as a lawyer, and his eloquence to dissuade Yu Jin from searching the area, thus resolving the crisis.

Seeing Yu Jin ride away, Liu Jing quickly returned to the bushes, found Zhao Yun, and carried him up the mountain. However, as he climbed the slope, a figure emerged from behind a large pine tree.

Liu Jing took a step back, drew his short sword, and glared at the figure.

"It's me, Young Master!" It was the voice of Wu Xiu, the scribe.

Liu Jing's heart relaxed. "Why are you here? Where is your horse?" he asked, puzzled.

Wu Xiu lowered his head, not daring to meet Liu Jing's eyes, and said nervously, "I was thrown off my horse, and it ran away. I had to hide on the mountain."

Liu Jing, a shrewd lawyer in his previous life, saw through Wu Xiu's strange behavior and immediately understood.

The horse was probably intentionally let loose, and he hid on the mountain. If the Cao army caught him and Zhao Yun, they would return to camp, and he would be safe. He must have seen Liu Jing in danger just now.

Liu Jing was secretly angry. This man was extremely selfish. Zhao Yun had saved his life, but he only cared about his own survival.

Liu Jing was dissatisfied but did not show it on his face. They needed to work together, and Wu Xiu could help him take care of Zhao Yun. "Let's hurry up the mountain. I'm worried Yu Jin will turn back and chase us."

Wu Xiu nodded and helped Zhao Yun up the mountain via a small path.

...

Liu Jing's intuition was correct. Although the crisis with Yu Jin was temporarily resolved, many things often fail due to small, unnoticed details, as if fate had a hand in it.

After riding for three or four miles, Yu Jin suddenly turned his horse and rode back. He had come down from the cloud of flattery and realized that he couldn't let Liu Biao's nephew go so easily; he should be handed over to the lord for disposal.

He led his troops back to the original spot but found no sign of Liu Jing, which puzzled him. Where had this kid gone?

At this moment, a soldier discovered bloodstains in the bushes and shouted, "General Yu, there are bloodstains here!"

Yu Jin rode over and saw the bloodstains in the bushes, clearly indicating that an injured person had hidden there. He was furious, realizing he had been tricked. Zhao Yun must have been hiding there. He roared, "Search!"

Soon, the soldiers found the dead horse in the ravine and Zhao Yun's spear. Yu Jin became even more enraged, his eyes bloodshot, like a reincarnated demon.

"Pass my order, bring five thousand troops to search the mountain!"

At this point, Zhao Yun was no longer important. He swore to catch the young man who had fooled him and tear him to pieces. He had never suffered such a great humiliation in his life.

...

This mountain was a rocky one, about a hundred feet high, with dense thorns and numerous crevices and caves, making it easy to hide. However, it was not an isolated mountain but part of a range of hills stretching for dozens of miles with several peaks. Hiding in it would be difficult to search with just a few thousand troops.

Liu Jing, worried about Zhao Yun's injuries, did not dare to go too far. After climbing a few hundred steps up the mountain, he found a cave. The faint moonlight illuminated the cave, which was dry and free of insects and snakes. There were traces of a fire at the entrance, indicating that someone had lived there, probably a herbalist or a woodcutter.

Liu Jing laid Zhao Yun down in the cave. Zhao Yun was still unconscious. Suddenly, he heard a 'click, click' sound behind him and turned to see Wu Xiu striking a flint to start a fire, about to ignite it.

Liu Jing was furious, and his pent-up dissatisfaction with Wu Xiu burst out. He rushed forward, kicked the dry grass and flint away, and glared at Wu Xiu, "Are you crazy?"

Wu Xiu was taken aback, then realized his mistake and lowered his head, "I forgot, it's my fault!"

Liu Jing controlled his anger and said, "Go outside and check the situation, see if the Cao army is searching the mountain."

Wu Xiu nodded silently and went out. Liu Jing returned to Zhao Yun's side and took a water flask from nearby. It was from Wu Xiu's horse, and the man had drunk most of it, leaving only a little.

Liu Jing gave Zhao Yun a few sips of water. The water helped, and Zhao Yun slowly woke up, looking at Liu Jing with gratitude and saying softly, "Thank you, Young Master, for risking your life to save me!"

"General, there's no need to be so formal. You were injured because of me, so it's my duty to help."

Liu Jing felt guilty. Historically, Zhao Yun had not been injured, but he was injured because of him, changing his life's course. If Zhao Yun died because of this, there would be no Zhao Zilong at Changban.

Liu Jing changed his bandages and gave him the last few sips of water.

"Is Young Master really the nephew of Governor Liu of Jingzhou?"

"Let's say I am."

Liu Jing smiled and recited, "I am Liu Jing, from Gaoping County in Shanyang, summoned by my uncle, the Governor of Jingzhou, to Xiangyang. On my way through Runan, I