Chapter 57: Tearing Tiger Skin, Pulling a Large Banner

  Liu Bei cooperated very well, went forward and pushed Zhang Fei out, saying "Slow down, don't see me off!"

  "Don't cause trouble." Zhang Fei was about to blow up, but suddenly came to his senses. At this moment, he couldn't even offend Liu Bei, so he quickly changed his expression and begged: "Xuande brother, Xuande brother."

  "It's too late to call for anything now." Liu Bei raised an eyebrow, speaking with a fierce and sinister tone, feeling particularly relieved. With just a few moves, he pushed Zhang Fei to the door. Zhang Fei panicked, grasping the door frame with his hands and using his feet to block the threshold, refusing to retreat another step. After catching his breath, he suddenly stretched out his hand and forcefully pushed Liu Bei aside, taking a strong stride to rush to Liu's side, and with a thud, knelt down on the ground, hugging Liu's leg and repeatedly apologizing: "Sir, it was my fault, I was wrong, please forgive me, sir."

  Liu Xu had made a big show, until Zhang Fei was crying and sniffling, if he didn't loosen up his expression, he feared his own clothes would be affected. Only then did he relax his face, and Liu Bei also took the opportunity to say a few good words. He finally loosened up and kicked Zhang Fei: "Get up."

  Zhang Fei, as if he had just received a great amnesty, stood obediently to one side, his forehead dripping with sweat, his eyes red, looking very nervous. A large patch on his chest was wet, from the tea water Liu Shao had splashed on him, as well as his own sweat and tears. His nose twitched occasionally, making him look especially pitiful.

  "Go wash up."

  Liu Bei turned around and was about to leave, when the maid quickly grabbed a wooden basin from the nearby rack and rushed out. Not long after, she returned with half a basin of water and timidly said to Zhang Fei: "Young master, wash up."

  Zhang Fei washed his face and sat properly in front of Liu Xiu again, the arrogant air he had when he first came in was completely gone. He bowed again: "The student is at fault, please punish me, sir."

  Liu Xiu's face was cold, and he stared at him for a long time. Until Zhang Fei lowered his head, he said sternly: "If you want to follow me to learn, it's not impossible. However, there are a few conditions that we must make clear first. If you can accept them, then we can temporarily become master and apprentice. But if you can't accept them, it's better to go home early and avoid being misled by me, which would ruin your future."

  His words were sarcastic, but Zhang Fei did not dare to retort, and nodded repeatedly: "Please, sir, say it, no matter if it's a few or a hundred things, I'll follow you completely. From now on, I won't dare show any disrespect to you." He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and begged: "If... I accidentally offended you, please punish me as you see fit, just don't drive me out of the house, okay?"

  Liu Xiuchang suppressed his smile and raised a finger: "Firstly, forget all the skills you had before and start from scratch."

  "Ah?" Zhang Fei was taken aback by the first sentence, and just as he was about to ask a question, he met Liu Xiu's fierce gaze, shuddered, and then meekly lowered his head: "Yes."

  "Two, from today on, learn books first, when you have some writing skills, then bring up the matter of learning to paint."

  Zhang Fei hesitated for a moment, then nodded again.

  "Three, don't expect me to tell you much, don't expect me to demonstrate, you have to figure it out yourself, you have to practice yourself." Liu Xiu said in a harsh tone: "Also, don't think about leaving behind even a piece of paper with my painting. My paintings... aren't casually given to people."

  Zhang Fei let out another "ah" and after a while, he asked tentatively: "Then can I buy... is it okay?"

  "No way." Liu Xiu directly crushed his hopes.

  Zhang Fei shivered and didn't dare say anything else. Whatever Liu Xiu said, he would agree with it.

  "One last thing." Liu Xiu stared into Zhang Fei's eyes, saying word by word: "I must solemnly remind you, don't make me angry, otherwise, making the Zhang family cut off their descendants may not be possible, but cutting off your hands and feet is completely possible."

  Zhang Fei looked at Liu Xiu with some astonishment. He had just said this sentence, and now it came out of Liu Xiu's mouth, how did it become even more frightening?

  Before he could react, Liu Xiu suddenly swung his arm and slammed it onto the table in front of him. The sound of "ka-cheng" echoed through the air as the table split cleanly into two segments. Zhang Fei, who had initially underestimated Liu Xiu's martial prowess, was caught off guard and stumbled backward, one hand supporting himself on the ground and the other clutching his wildly racing heart. His eyes were wide with fear, like bronze bells, and when he saw Liu Xiu's gaze flicker towards his arm, he instinctively hid the hand that had been covering his chest behind his back.

  Liu Xiu's eyes widened and he shouted sternly: "Do you remember?"

  Zhang Fei was speechless and nodded repeatedly. In the face of Liu Xiu's continuous blows, he was defeated and had no more will to resist.

  "How about reconsidering?" Liu Xiu asked: "I advise you not to rush into an answer, maybe after a night's sleep, you'll regret it tomorrow."

  Zhang Fei awkwardly curled his lips, shaking his head like a rattle drum: "No regrets, no regrets, whoever regrets is the one who hums."

  After all, it's a butcher's origin, and he knows how to hum. Liu Xiu shook his head speechlessly, glancing at the wooden case that had just been smashed by him. Liu Bei smiled secretly, picked up the broken wood chips on the ground, and threw them out of the door. Zhang Fei rubbed his hands and said in a low voice: "Sir, I... have an idea, can I say it?"

  "Speak," Liu Xiu nodded, his expression becoming a bit more gentle. Zhang Fei saw this and let out a sigh of relief, then leaned in close to Liu Xiu and said: "This relay station is bustling with people coming and going, it's not a quiet place for studying. And the Governor has been staying here these past few days, what if something happens, wouldn't that be inconvenient?"

  Liu Xiu looked at him and thought for a moment, it seemed to be the case. However, if he didn't stay in the post house, where could he stay?

  "Sir, come live at my place, my house is spacious and has everything you need. You can even practice horse riding and archery if you want to. If you want to practice martial arts, I can also accompany you." Zhang Fei listed many favorable conditions in a row, then looked at Liu Xiu with eager eyes, waiting for him to agree.

  Liu Xu furrowed his brow: "I really don't have the heart to consider these problems now, I'm thinking about how to complete the task left by my senior brother. Yide, do you have any way?" He raised his hand and stopped Zhang Fei, who was patting his chest and talking: "Using brute force is out of the question, if we really break someone's leg, this matter will be even more impossible to handle."

  Zhang Fei was thinking just that, but before he could even open his mouth, Liu Xiu rejected him, and he was left speechless.

  "Big brother, I have an idea that might be useful." Liu Bei also came over and glanced at Zhang Fei with a smile: "The Wings' family is also a famous family in Zhuo County, and the Wings are both literate and martially skilled. He must be a hero among his peers."

  "What else can be said?" Zhang Fei laughed loudly and patted Liu Bei's shoulder: "Brother Xuande, you really have a keen eye for heroes."

  Liu Bei smiled and ignored him, brushing aside his hand and rubbing the shoulder that had been slapped sore. He continued, "If Yide proposes a gathering to drink together, I think many people will come. Since ancient times, Yan and Zhao have produced many heroes. Although there may not be many young men in my hometown of Zhuo who are fond of reading books, there are indeed many who are interested in horseback riding, archery, and military tactics. At that time, discussing the situation in Youzhou at the banquet might spark their interest."

  Liu Xu raised an eyebrow and nodded repeatedly: "Xuande, this idea of yours is not bad."

  "Haha." Liu Bei smiled humbly and continued, "Big Brother can persuade Lu to leave his seclusion and personally go to Shanggu to observe the Huns' situation. It shouldn't be difficult for him to persuade these young masters to follow along with just a few words, right?"

  Liu Bei hadn't even had time to comment when Zhang Fei excitedly clapped his hands and shouted, "Brother Xuande, this method of yours is brilliant! Just as you said, those fellows are all rough men. If you try to get them to read books, they'll run away faster than rabbits. But if you talk about military strategy or compare martial skills, they're like wolves that have seen meat - their eyes turn green with excitement!"