Chapter 19

The two of them removed the already broken stone table and sat down at a new one.

"By the way, Yide, have you seen two people these past few days? One is about seven feet and five inches tall, with ears that hang down to his shoulders, hands that reach past his knees, eyes that can see his own ears, a face as fair as jade, and lips as red as rouge. The other is nine feet tall, with a beard two feet long; his face is like a dark red date, his lips as red as rouge, he has phoenix eyes, and silkworm eyebrows."

Zhang Fei thought for a long time and shook his head, saying, "My lord, I have never seen two people who look like that."

"Is that so!" Liu Yao said casually. "It seems that Liu Bei and Guan Yu have not yet come to Zhuo County. Guan Yu, Guan Yu, I hope you are not with Liu Bei. With your sense of righteousness, you would never betray Liu Bei, so I will have to deal with you as well." As he spoke, a glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Zhang Fei keenly noticed this detail and angrily said, "My lord, are these two people your enemies? I, Old Zhang, will go and find them and take care of them right now." With that, he was about to rush out.

Liu Yao quickly stopped Zhang Fei and said with a mix of laughter and seriousness, "Yide, there's nothing to worry about. I was just asking casually."

"Oh, is that so, my lord." Zhang Fei scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. He then said, "My lord, I will now dismiss the workers and sell the estate, and then follow you back."

"Good."

A few days later, after much effort, Zhang Fei finally sold the estate to a family that truly loved and cared for the place. On that day, Zhang Fei, Liu Yao, Shi A, and ten personal guards were preparing to return to Jixian County.

As they were about to leave, Zhang Fei kept looking back at the estate that no longer belonged to him, a look of reluctance on his face.

"Yide, that's enough. If you really miss it, we can always come back and buy the surrounding land and build an even larger estate," Liu Yao consoled him.

Zhang Fei, who was not a sentimental person, quickly recovered after Liu Yao's encouragement. The group set off for Jixian County. At that moment, Liu Yao suddenly felt a gaze filled with killing intent directed at him. When he turned around, he found no one. Liu Yao shook his head and ignored it.

Behind a wall at that spot, a man with ears that hung down to his shoulders and hands that reached past his knees stood, his face full of resentment.

After a few days of travel, the group quickly returned to Jixian County and headed straight for the training ground. At that time, Huang Zhong and the others were training the soldiers. When they saw Liu Yao arrive at the training ground, they all hurried over and bowed, saying, "Greetings, my lord."

"Rise. This is Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide, who has just joined us. He is a man of great valor. The three of them are Gao Shun, Gao Gongxiao, Taishi Ci, Taishi Ziyi, and Huang Zhong, Huang Hansheng. Hansheng is the best warrior in our army," Liu Yao introduced.

The four of them exchanged bows, acknowledging each other. However, Zhang Fei's eyes were clearly filled with the desire to fight as he stared at Huang Zhong. Indeed, Zhang Fei bowed to Liu Yao and said, "My lord, I, Old Zhang, would like to fight with Commander Huang."

Liu Yao, upon hearing this, gave Huang Zhong a questioning look, and Huang Zhong nodded. "Alright, you two can have a match. But only until one of you yields."

"Understood."

Huang Zhong quickly rode his horse to the training ground, and Zhang Fei also chose a warhorse. Although these warhorses were not top-tier like the Red Hare or the Absolute Shadow, they were purebred Da Yuan horses, with great endurance and speed, each costing 20 gold.

The two spurred their horses forward and faced each other. "Please, Commander Huang, guide me," Zhang Fei bowed and said.

"Too kind, let's go," Huang Zhong replied with a bow.

Zhang Fei, being more impetuous, charged first, wielding his 18-foot-long spear and thrusting it at Huang Zhong. Huang Zhong blocked it with his large saber, and the two weapons collided, producing a deafening metallic sound.

Zhang Fei's 18-foot-long spear, as its name suggests, was over four meters long. It must be said that Zhang Fei was a unique individual, as such a long weapon was not easy to wield. Most generals used a spear that was about 12 feet long, and it seemed that only Zhang Fei could use such a weapon effectively. However, long weapons had their advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was a wide range, but the disadvantage was less flexibility.

Huang Zhong's large saber, on the other hand, was only half the length of the 18-foot-long spear. However, a shorter weapon was more dangerous. In Huang Zhong's hands, the saber danced, creating a flurry of blade flowers, forcing Zhang Fei into a defensive position.

The two fought for over a hundred rounds. In the end, Huang Zhong, who was in his thirties and at the peak of his physical condition, with more experience than Zhang Fei, had the upper hand. Zhang Fei, who was only in his mid-twenties, had not yet reached his full strength and lacked experience. He was ultimately defeated when Huang Zhong knocked his 18-foot-long spear out of his hands.

"Thank you for the match," Huang Zhong immediately stopped and bowed to Zhang Fei upon winning.

"Ha ha ha, Yide, how about that? Now you understand that there are always people better than you," Liu Yao said, having intended for Zhang Fei to lose this time to allow him to learn.

"My lord, I understand," Zhang Fei said, somewhat dejected.

"Yide, don't be like that. Hansheng is older and more experienced than you. Losing to him is nothing to be ashamed of. You can always win next time. Besides, we are all on the same side, so there's no need to feel embarrassed," Liu Yao said.

"He he, my lord, I, Old Zhang, understand." Zhang Fei smiled and said, then looked at Huang Zhong with determination. "Commander Huang, I will definitely defeat you next time."

"Anytime," Huang Zhong replied with a smile and a bow.

Zhang Fei, being a straightforward and loyal person, quickly adapted to the military life.

"My lord, you promised me that there would be plenty of good wine. Can we... he he," Zhang Fei said with a sly smile.

"Ha ha, Yide, you only remember the wine. Fine, let's celebrate your arrival today. Let's go back to the governor's residence and have a drink," Liu Yao said with a laugh.

"He he, my lord, I have been thinking about those rare wines you mentioned," Zhang Fei said with a gleeful expression.

"Yide, let me tell you, the wine at my lord's place is unique and cannot be found anywhere else," Taishi Ci interjected. Taishi Ci was also a straightforward person and got along well with Zhang Fei.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Zhang Fei said, almost drooling.

"Reporting to my lord, I will not join you. I need to train the Vanguard Corps, and the six months are quite tight," Gao Shun said, bowing and leaving.

Zhang Fei's face turned sour, thinking that Gao Shun was excluding him.

Seeing Zhang Fei's expression, Liu Yao quickly explained, "Yide, don't take it personally. Gongxiao is indeed very busy. Also, he doesn't drink and is usually quiet. It's not directed at you." Liu Yao did not want any friction among his subordinates.

Sure enough, upon hearing Liu Yao's explanation, Zhang Fei's face brightened up, and he returned to his usual cheerful self, slinging his arm around Taishi Ci's shoulder and heading for the wine. Liu Yao shook his head helplessly.

Time flew by, and half a year passed. It was now September 181 AD, and autumn had arrived. The Wuhuan cavalry was about to enter Youzhou, and the war between Youzhou and Wuhuan was about to begin.

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