Chapter 44: The Green and Tender Ah Fei

  Liu Xiu looked at the group of people who were obviously not good guys following behind Liu Bei, frowned and said: "Xuande, what's going on here?"

  "Big brother, I...I was beaten by someone." Liu Bei's mouth twitched and tears welled up in his eyes, looking wronged like a little daughter-in-law.

  "Why?" Liu Xiu was puzzled. Liu Bei wasn't someone who liked to cause trouble, and he was very polite in his interactions with others. During his time at the Peach Grove Temple, almost all of his classmates liked him and were willing to associate with him. How did things change so much once they arrived in Zhuo County that he ended up getting beaten? Was it just a case of city people bullying country people?

  "Why?" A white-faced young man, half a head taller than Liu Bei, with acne on his face, walked out of the crowd, with his hands behind his back, and looked up and down at Liu Xiu with a cold smile: "Because he said that the beauty I painted is not a beauty, but a slave wife."

  "Who are you?" Liu Xiu's heart was annoyed as soon as he saw this young man, although his height was not small, but his face looked tender and immature, with only a thin layer of almost invisible down on his lips. He tried to put on an air of maturity, but unfortunately, it was all betrayed by the acne on his face.

  That little guy was like a young rooster, holding his head high and puffing out his chest, as if afraid others wouldn't notice his muscles. Yet he spoke in a refined tone, with the air of a cultured person. "I'm here to paint that person your brother called a slave wife. I heard there's an expert painter around, so I came to ask for guidance..."

  "A Fei, you're getting bolder and bolder, daring to stir up trouble in the post house!" A clear and crisp voice came from beside him, followed by a burst of chaotic footsteps. "Don't blame me for not warning you, Governor Shi lives here, be careful or you'll get your family accused of being local tyrants."

  That young man was originally very serious, trying to make himself look like an adult. However, upon hearing this voice, his face changed color and his eyes became somewhat complicated. Then, with a speed that Liu Xiu couldn't believe, he exchanged a flattering smile and turned around to say: "Sister, I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm here to ask for guidance from the wise. Even if the Governor sees me, he can only praise me for being diligent and progressive, but won't say that I'm bullying people in the countryside." He paused for a moment, then said with a flattering tone: "Sister, I already have a courtesy name, given by Li Zhong yesterday, it's called Yide, meaning 'Wing of Heaven' and 'Virtue of Heaven'".

  Although he lowered his head slightly, he didn't look tense. A pair of big eyes looked up and stared at the owner of that voice, with a youthful infatuated expression in his eyes.

  "Haha, I knew you were being too arrogant, turns out you're in cahoots with Li Zhizhong again." A slender hand stretched out from outside the door and ruffled the young man's hair, messing up his neat hairstyle. The young man scrunched up his face but didn't dare to push the hand away.

  Liu Xiuyan didn't make a sound, and peeked out to take a look. He saw that it was a young woman, followed by two maidservants and four sturdy men. Although he didn't recognize her, what made him feel somewhat strange was that the woman's voice seemed somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

  "A Fei, you are a famous painter in Zhuo County, who can be better than you? Is it someone from the Central Plains?" The woman said with a smile, turning her head to look at Liu Xiu. Her face suddenly changed, and her slightly thick eyebrows were raised. The smile on her face disappeared without a trace. She turned her head again, no longer looking at Liu Xiu, and coldly said to the still silly-smiling young man: "A Fei, in these years, many famous scholars have come from Zhuo County to the south and north, but there are also many swindlers. It's a good thing that you're eager to learn, but don't think that every Tom, Dick, and Harry is an expert just because they claim to be one. Being cheated out of food and drink is a small matter, but if you're led astray and your studies are ruined, that would be a big deal."

  After finishing speaking, she didn't wait for the young man to respond and turned around to leave, bringing her entourage with her to the next room. Two burly men stood at the door, expressionless, with their hands on the hilts of their swords, exuding an air that warned others not to disturb them.

  Liu Xiu suddenly became angry, who is this woman? I don't know you at all, no grudges or hatred, how dare you scold me like that and say I'm a swindler? Did I cheat you out of money or did I cheat you out of sex? He glared angrily at the two men standing in the doorway, originally wanting to rush over and ask for an explanation, but thinking about it, he decided to deal with this little brat first before doing anything else. Anyway, she lives next door, so there's no need to hurry, there's plenty of time to slowly torment her.

  That young man also felt a bit surprised at this scene, but he could see that his sister and this guy had a grudge, and it wasn't an ordinary one. He stiffened his face, puffed out his chest, cleared his throat in a pretentious manner, and was about to speak when Liu Xiu raised his hand: "Who are you? Do I know you? What's the point of standing at my door for nothing?"

  That young man took a deep breath, just about to reprimand Liu Xiu with righteous words and show off to his sister next door. But before he could speak, Liu Xiu cut him off, causing him to choke and turn red in the face, looking quite flustered. He licked his lips, then feigned calmness, cupped his hands together, and said seriously: "I am Zhang Fei, alias Yide, from Zhuo County. I heard that you are skilled in painting, so I came to ask for your guidance."

  He said it was a consultation, but that made people feel that if Liu Xiuzi couldn't explain himself clearly, he would definitely be beaten up like Liu Bei.

  Liu Xiu was stunned, subconsciously opening his mouth wide and widening his eyes. In his heart, he cursed, "Damn it! This guy with a face full of acne is actually Zhang Fei, the drunkard who can drink until the water flows backwards? Indeed, history is written by people, no matter how awesome the characters are later on, they were all awkward when they were young. Those stories about famous ministers and generals being born with an aura of good fortune are all made up by later generations."

  When he came to this world, he had a tight identity and a sense of awe for historical figures. After being classmates with famous people like Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan, and even having the future emperor of Shu wash his feet, his awe for historical figures was greatly reduced. Today, after meeting with his old man and having a harmonious conversation, his concerns about identity were gone, and he felt much more relaxed. Now, when he saw Zhang Fei, one of the legendary Five Tiger Generals, who looked like a spoiled brat, he couldn't even muster up any respect.

  Astonished expression flashed across his face, Liu Xiu's mouth twitched: "You hit my brother just because he said you didn't draw well?"

  Zhang Fei originally saw Liu Xiu's surprised look, thinking that he had also heard of his great name, and was about to show respect. He was considering whether to take a step back to show his broad-mindedness or to pursue him fiercely to reason with the sister next door. However, after a brief moment of surprise, Liu Xiu regained his composure and even added a hint of disdain, which made Zhang Fei extremely angry and scowled: "Dare to ask."

  "Can only praise, cannot criticize, is this the style of Zhuoxian or your Zhang family?"

  "Uh..." Zhang Fei was speechless.

  Liu Bei didn't give Zhang Fei a chance to explain, and said in a series of loud voices: "Not to mention whether my brother is right or wrong, even if he's wrong, can you hit him? Is there still any law in your eyes? Is Zhuoxian the Zhuoxian of Great Han or the Zhuoxian of Zhang family?"

  Zhang Fei was enraged, he waved his hand and shouted loudly: "You'd better not speak too much. Indeed, your brother was beaten by me, he said it was you who told him to do so, I came to find you just to ask for an explanation. If you can explain clearly, I will apologize to your brother and return the beating. If you cannot explain clearly, don't blame me for also beating you. As for whether there is a law or not, what I say doesn't count, what you say counts? Moreover, as a great Han dynasty man of honor, being insulted by someone can be punishable by death, let alone just a beating." He paused and continued: "You and I are both seven-foot-tall men, don't use the law to threaten me, if you have skills, bring out some real skills, as long as you can make me convinced and satisfied, I will take responsibility for my actions."

  Liu Xiu was taken aback, and the big Han had this to say. If someone is insulted and kills people, it's not against the law? He turned his head to look at Liu Bei, who looked pitiful and didn't notice his gaze. Liu Xiu smiled secretly, Li Ding said that Liu Bei was hurt by himself and changed his fate, he was a bit skeptical, but now looking at this situation, he had to believe it somewhat. Originally, Zhang Fei should have followed Liu Bei without complaint, but instead beat him up, which seemed quite strange. He thought for a moment, then coldly smiled: "That's right, I said that. I'll tell you why, and then you must apologize to my brother."

  "This doesn't need to be said." Zhang Fei raised his head and said loudly: "A great man's word, once spoken, cannot be taken back even by a team of six horses."