Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 13 Thieves Across the World

The girl and Liu Quan looked each other over and forgot to speak.

Zhang Fei felt awkward and quickly introduced Liu Quan.

He casually referred to the woman as his "cousin," whose surname was Zhang and given name was Yue.

Then he called Liu Bei and Liu Quan to sit down.

Liu Bei had no suspicions, but he felt that A Fei's cousin was a little too "beautiful".

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn water, and her face was so exquisite it looked as if it had been painted on.

But it's a bit too delicate, making it seem a little effeminate.

Unlike my son, Quan, who is also extremely beautiful, but has a sharp and intimidating presence, full of masculine energy.

Liu Quan knelt down to one side.

Zhang Yue's gaze kept falling on him.

He remained calm and talked with Zhang Fei and Liu Bei beside him, seemingly unconcerned about the stares directed at him.

Zhang Yue was even more delighted. "This kid is so calm. He's so young, yet he has such an air of composure in the face of both honor and disgrace. I like that."

She picked up her wine bowl, straightened her back, raised the bowl to Liu Bei and Liu Quan, and said with a smile, "My two brothers have come from afar; you must be tired from your journey. I'd like to offer you this toast!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank it down, leaving not a drop in the bowl.

Seeing her forthrightness, Liu Bei also finished his bowl.

Liu Quan picked up the bowl, took only a small sip, and then put it down.

He doesn't like drinking alcohol.

Even though the alcohol content of liquor was very low in that era, he was unwilling to drink much.

Zhang Yue didn't mind. She put down her wine bowl, turned to Liu Quan, her eyes sparkling, and asked softly, "How old are you, young master Liu?"

The two boys beside her, both cousins ​​from the clan, were now glancing at their eldest sister out of the corner of their eyes with shocked expressions.

When has my eldest sister ever spoken to anyone in such a tone?

The two then turned their attention to Liu Quan.

Well, it's no wonder the boss tries to act like a lady; her face is just too enviable.

Upon hearing Zhang Yue's question, Liu Quan cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I am eleven years old this year."

Zhang Yue smiled and said, "Excellent! Such a wonderful time!"

But in her heart she thought, "I'm three years older than him. There's a saying: 'A wife three years older than you brings wealth like a mountain.' So it seems we're really a good match."

Upon thinking of this, Zhang Yue immediately burst into laughter, her eyes turning into crescent shapes again.

Zhang Fei watched from the sidelines, his heart pounding with fear.

Fearing that her unruly cousin might say something shocking, she quickly changed the subject and urged the two to eat.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

First, someone shouted loudly at the gate of the courtyard, followed by a cacophony of footsteps, hoofbeats, and the clash of weapons, creating a chaotic scene as if a pot had been boiled over.

Zhang Fei was still chewing beef, but his ears perked up and his round eyes darted around.

He has an extremely strong sense of curiosity and will flock to any exciting place; you can't stop him.

"I'll go take a look!" Zhang Fei threw down his chopsticks, stood up, and ran outside.

Liu Bei and Liu Quan exchanged a glance and followed.

The three of them passed through the moon gate, went around the screen wall, and arrived at the front yard.

The courtyard was filled with people, and the atmosphere was unusually tense.

Zhang the butcher stood at the front, accompanied by a man dressed as a servant.

The man was disheveled, his face was covered in blood, and his voice was hoarse as he spoke to Zhang Pu.

"Elder brother!" Butcher Zhang's voice was urgent and deep. "The Su family's birthday celebration caravan has been ambushed by bandits! The Su brothers are trapped! Quickly gather men to rescue them!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the courtyard.

Today, in addition to relatives and friends, many local powerful figures from Zhuoxian County have come to celebrate Zhang Pu's birthday.

We are from the same hometown and have frequent interactions, so we have a close relationship.

Upon hearing that Su Shuang had been attacked by bandits, everyone stepped forward. Some went to gather their followers, some went to fetch horses and prepare saddles, and some went to get weapons, causing chaos in the courtyard.

These days, the land of Youzhou is not peaceful.

To the north are the Xianbei people, and to the east are the Wuhuan people. Bandits roam the grasslands, committing crimes as swiftly as the wind, and the government cannot keep up with them.

Each family's safety depended entirely on the retainers and soldiers they kept.

The powerful families in Zhuo County were no exception; some kept hundreds of men, while others kept dozens. They were used to guard the houses and courtyards, and to fight whenever trouble arose.

Although Zhang Pu is old, he is decisive in handling matters.

He stood up, leaning on his cane, and his voice boomed like a bell: "Every household, bring out your troops and assemble at the village entrance! Second son, you lead the Zhang family's men at the front!"

Butcher Zhang responded and turned to leave.

In less than half an hour, a team of over a hundred people was formed.

They all had horses, and a few tribal leaders even wore leather armor.

Although not as well-organized as the government troops, they were still strong and fierce.

Butcher Zhang rode a black horse, carrying a thick-backed cleaver, and led the way.

The Zhang family's retainers followed closely behind, making up half of the total number.

Then came the retinues of other families.

In an instant, the sound of horses' hooves thundered, dust flew, and they marched off towards the outside of the village in a grand procession.

Zhang Fei stood at the courtyard gate, watching his father and uncles ride away on horseback, his heart itching with longing.

He clenched his fist, turned to Liu Bei and Liu Quan, and said, "Let's go and take a look too!"

Liu Bei frowned: "Your father is going to fight bandits, why are we going to join in? What if something happens..."

"Just one look!" Zhang Fei said urgently, "Just one look from a distance, no further!"

Liu Quan remained silent.

He didn't care.

It's fine whether you go or not.

Anyway, he figured he could protect both A-Bei and A-Fei.

A clear, crisp voice came from behind the three: "Where are you going?"

Zhang Fei shuddered and turned around abruptly.

Zhang Yue had somehow appeared behind them, her hands behind her back, her head tilted, looking at him with a half-smile.

"B-Brother," Zhang Fei stammered, "why are you here?"

"Why can't I come?" Zhang Yue said slowly. "You guys are sneaking around like that, are you trying to follow me to see what's going on?"

"No, no!" Zhang Fei waved his hands repeatedly, "We're just... just looking around here for a little while..."

Zhang Yue snorted, crossed her arms, and raised her chin: "I'm going too. If you don't take me, you can forget about going either."

Zhang Fei knew his cousin's temperament and always kept his word.

It was clear that if this dragged on any longer, the team would fall far behind.

So he gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and said, "Fine! Let's go!"

The four men quietly crept to the stable in the backyard, where only three donkeys remained.

Zhang Fei rode one horse by himself, Liu Bei and Liu Quan rode another horse together, and Zhang Yue rode one horse alone.

Three donkeys, carrying four teenagers, sped off along the path behind the village.

Once you leave the village, you'll find yourself in a vast plain.

Zhang the Butcher and his men ran fast and were no longer in sight.

Fortunately, Butcher Zhang had mentioned that the Su family's cavalry was attacked by thieves on the official road more than ten miles north of the village.

Zhang Fei led the three men along a shortcut, across a dry riverbed, up a small hill, and they could see the battlefield in the distance.

The shouts of battle drifted on the wind, rising and falling, mixed with the neighing of horses and the clanging of weapons.

Zhang Fei lay prone behind the earthen slope, peering out. He saw a dark mass of people on the official road, two groups locked in a fierce battle.

The powerful retainers brought by Zhang the Butcher were indeed fierce and brave, charging into battle without fear of death.

Most of the men on the frontier are like this: those who are afraid of death either die or run away; those who survive are the ones who are not afraid of death.

The bandits were starting to falter and were beginning to retreat.

"Great!" Zhang Fei was so excited that he couldn't help but cheer.

Liu Bei was also engrossed in watching.

He had never seen a real battlefield before. Although what he saw was just a small-scale battle involving a hundred or so people, the scene of flashing swords and flying blood still shocked him.

He clenched his fists instinctively, his heart pounding.

The battle did not last long.

The powerful clansmen were already outnumbered and better equipped. When the bandits saw that things were not going well, they let out a whoosh and scattered in all directions.

Butcher Zhang brandished his knife and shouted, and his men chased after him, leaving a mess on the official road—several corpses, several wounded horses, and scattered goods.

Just as Zhang Fei was about to cheer, he suddenly saw a bandit rush out from the chaos of the army.

The man was riding a yellow horse, with a boy sitting across its back.

The boy's hands and feet were bound, and his mouth was stuffed with a strip of cloth; he was struggling desperately.

The bandit held the boy down with one hand and brandished his saber with the other, charging toward a grove of trees on the east side of the official road.