Chapter 69

While Liu Yao was sizing up Liu Bei, Liu Bei, somewhat dazed, glanced at Liu Yao and Zhang Fei, and a flash of resentment crossed his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. No one could detect it. Of course, this "no one" did not include Liu Yao, who easily noticed this. A familiar feeling arose spontaneously.

Liu Yao suddenly realized, thinking to himself, "No wonder it feels so familiar. Back in Zhuo County, I thought it was just an illusion. I didn't expect it to be you, Liu Bei."

But that was the truth. Liu Bei was originally from Zhuo County and had always known about the highly skilled Zhang Fei there. Therefore, he wanted to befriend him and then use his status as a member of the Han imperial family and his tearful persuasion to recruit Zhang Fei.

However, unexpectedly, Liu Yao appeared and befriended Zhang Fei first. This made Liu Bei dare not try to win Zhang Fei over. Without any official position or wealth, his precious status as a member of the Han imperial family was still far inferior to Liu Yao's status as the heir to the Han throne. Liu Bei did not dare to invite humiliation and could only watch helplessly as Zhang Fei followed Liu Yao.

Now, looking at Zhang Fei, he was already a general of the Han, though just a minor one, which was much more prestigious than Liu Bei's status as a commoner. He felt a deep sense of bitterness. Fortunately, Liu Bei still had his sworn brother Guan Yu, whose strength he believed was no less than Zhang Fei's. This made him feel a bit better.

"Teacher," Liu Bei and Guan Yu approached and bowed to Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi did not respond, just casually waved his hand, and the sadness in his eyes was evident. To be honest, he was not too fond of this disciple. From a young age, he did not study well, always liked to play with cats and dogs, and associate with wandering knights. As a result, he ended up being neither a scholar nor a warrior, and was very calculating. Lu Zhi disliked this very much. He preferred people like Gong Sunzan. However, this disciple had traveled a thousand miles with over a hundred troops to visit him, and he could not drive him away, as it would be a betrayal of his filial piety.

At this moment, Liu Bei noticed the urn in Lu Zhi's hand and asked, somewhat puzzled, "May I ask, teacher, what is this?"

"Alas," Lu Zhi sighed helplessly, his face full of sorrow, "This is your senior brother, Gong Sunzan. He has fallen in battle."

Liu Bei was stunned. He never expected Gong Sunzan to die. He had originally planned to rely on Gong Sunzan's army to gain military merit. Now everything was ruined. Then, as if he had an idea, his eyes turned red, and he knelt down, hugging the urn, and began to wail, "Brother Bo Gui, how could you leave like this? Do you remember our promise to suppress the Yellow Turbans and serve the Han Empire?"

Liu Yao watched as Liu Bei's tears flowed freely, marveling at his crying skills. As they said, Liu Bei was indeed good at crying. In less than a minute, Liu Bei's sleeves were soaked with tears. Liu Yao had to struggle to produce a few tears earlier.

Lu Zhi, Guo Jia, Tian Feng, Zhang Fei, and others looked at Liu Bei with some dissatisfaction. After all, this was a military camp, and wailing was inappropriate.

"Enough!!!! Xuan De, this is a military camp. What kind of behavior is this?" Lu Zhi scolded, his dislike of Liu Bei growing.

Liu Bei immediately snapped to attention and quickly reined in his tears. He had only wanted to show his benevolence but chose the wrong place. Liu Bei, having never been a soldier, did not know the rules of the military camp.

Seeing Liu Bei stop, Lu Zhi's expression improved, and he bowed to Liu Yao, apologizing, "Please do not blame me, Your Highness. My disciple was a bit impolite."

"No problem. This brother is sincere, why would I be offended?" Liu Yao waved his hand and asked knowingly, "This brother is also your disciple, General Lu. He must be a great talent. And the strong man behind him must be a brave warrior. Why don't you introduce us?"

"Xuan De, come over and pay respects to the Governor of Youzhou, Crown Prince Liu Yao," Lu Zhi called to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei, of course, recognized Liu Yao, and he stepped forward respectfully, bowing, "Commoner Liu Bei, Xuan De, pays respects to Your Highness."

Behind him, Guan Yu also bowed to Liu Yao, "Commoner Guan Yu, Yun Chang, pays respects to Your Highness." However, his movements were casual, and his tone was arrogant, which was very off-putting.

Liu Yao narrowed his eyes and glanced at Guan Yu, thinking, "They say Guan Yu is arrogant, but I didn't expect him to be this arrogant, not even bowing to someone of my status."

"Rude! How dare you be disrespectful to the Lord?" Zhang Fei stepped out from behind Liu Yao, glaring at Guan Yu and scolding him.

To everyone's surprise, Guan Yu did not react, but instead stared back at Zhang Fei, as if they both wanted to fight right then and there.

"Rubbish!!!" Lu Zhi angrily slammed the table, scolding, "Xuan De, look at your sworn brother. What kind of behavior is this? How dare you be so disrespectful to His Highness?"

Liu Bei was startled and quickly apologized to Liu Yao, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. My second brother did not mean to be disrespectful." He then pulled Guan Yu aside.

Guan Yu understood Liu Bei's meaning and knew that the person in front of him was crucial to Liu Bei's future. Although he was extremely unwilling, he still apologized to Liu Yao, "Please forgive my earlier rudeness, Your Highness."

"No problem. It's a small matter, don't worry about it. Yi De, come back," Liu Yao said casually. Zhang Fei glared at Guan Yu once more and then returned to Liu Yao's side.

Liu Yao then looked at Liu Bei with "curiosity" and asked, "Xuan De, you are also surnamed Liu? Are you related to my Liu family?"

Hearing Liu Yao ask about his identity, Liu Bei became excited. This was the best opportunity to confirm his status as a member of the Han imperial family. He then forced himself to remain calm and said, "Your Highness, I am indeed surnamed Liu, the thirteenth-generation great-grandson of Emperor Jing of Han's seventh son, Liu Sheng, the King of Zhongshan."

"Wow!!!" Liu Yao exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't expect you to be a member of the Han imperial family. If we go by lineage, I should call you Uncle."

Liu Bei was overjoyed inside but quickly waved his hands, saying he did not dare to accept such a title.

"Ha ha, why not? Since you are a member of the Han imperial family, you have the right. Uncle, why don't you show me your family tree so I can record your status in our Liu family's genealogy?" Liu Yao said excitedly, a familiar smile on his face.

Seeing that familiar smile, the people behind Liu Yao understood that he was about to start scheming against Liu Bei. They were happy to watch the show, as Liu Bei's crying had already annoyed them.

But when Liu Bei heard Liu Yao's words, he became embarrassed, "Your Highness, due to the decline of my family, the Han imperial family tree has been lost."

Hearing this, Liu Yao's excited face immediately turned dark, "Liu Bei, do you really not have a family tree?"

Liu Bei, hearing Liu Yao switch from "Uncle" to "Liu Bei," knew it was not good. But he had no choice and said, "It is indeed lost."

"Hmph!!!" Liu Yao coldly snorted, "Without a family tree, how can I believe you are a member of the Han imperial family? There are so many people surnamed Liu. A while ago, I killed a Yellow Turban general named Liu Pi. Was he also a member of the Han imperial family?!"

Liu Bei was drenched in cold sweat. The crime of impersonating a member of the imperial family was punishable by death. Moreover, he could not even prove the authenticity of his own status, which was just passed down from his ancestors. Without a family tree, Liu Bei felt the bitterness of being unable to defend himself.