Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 14 Liu Quan Saves People

Meanwhile, Butcher Zhang, leading his band of powerful men, routed the bandits.

But a thief rode out on horseback, seemingly having captured a boy.

A burly man dressed in leather armor, resembling a family retainer, chased after the bandits, brandishing his sword and shouting, "You dog, release my young master at once!"

The bandit didn't even turn his head; he just spurred his horse to flee.

Seeing that the other man was about to rush into the grove, the burly man swung his hand and threw the knife away.

The steel blade spun around for about ten meters before striking the horse's rump.

The thief's horse was startled, let out a long neigh, and suddenly turned around, charging towards the earthen slope where Zhang Fei and the others were hiding.

Zhang Fei's expression changed drastically.

The horse galloped extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it had covered a hundred paces.

At this moment, the bandits also saw the four children on the hillside. Their eyes flashed with ferocity, and they raised their sabers high in the sunlight, which gleamed coldly.

"Get out of the way!" Zhang Yue yelled, pulling the donkey to run to the side, and also reaching for the reins of Liu Quan and Liu Bei's donkeys.

Zhang Fei and Liu Bei also tried to escape, each pulling on the reins.

Unfortunately, the donkeys had never experienced such a scene before, and they were already intimidated by the momentum of the charging horse, their bodies spinning around in a chaotic mess.

The bandit charged closer and closer, fifty paces, thirty paces, twenty paces...

The saber, raised high, was poised to strike.

In the distance, Butcher Zhang turned his head to look over and saw this scene. His eyes widened in fury, and he let out a heart-wrenching scream: "Ah Fei!"

Just then, Liu Quan made a move.

He was originally riding behind Liu Bei, with his hands loosely resting on Liu Bei's waist.

Just as the bandit rushed in less than ten steps, he pressed his hands on Liu Bei's shoulders and soared into the air like a large bird.

This leap spanned several meters.

The bandit only felt a blur before his eyes, and a bluish-gray shadow had already swept above the horse's head.

He subconsciously looked up and saw a boy standing firmly on the head of his yellow horse in a one-legged stance.

The horse neighed and reared up, almost throwing the bandit off, but the boy remained motionless.

This bandit was also a desperate man. He gritted his teeth and swung his knife at the boy's chest and abdomen.

Liu Quan stood on the horse's head, one leg on each side, his body rising and falling with the horse's movements.

As the saber came slashing down, he slightly shifted his body, and the blade swept past him without even touching his clothes.

Immediately, his right leg sprang out, his calf whipping out like a whip, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

With a sharp "crack," the toe struck the bandit's temple.

The bandit's head snapped to the side, his left eyeball bulging out of its socket from the shock, and he was thrown off his horse, tumbling twice in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Without uttering a sound, he breathed his last.

The yellow horse, having lost its master, neighed in alarm and ran off on all fours.

Liu spun around, spread his legs, and sat steadily on the horse's back.

He grabbed the reins and yanked hard, and the horse neighed loudly, ran a few more steps, and then stopped.

All of this happened in just two or three breaths.

On the earthen slope, Zhang Fei's mouth was agape, big enough to fit a fist, and his eyes were practically bulging out.

Liu Bei was also stunned. He thought he had witnessed A Quan's skills before, but to see him leap and fly like the wind? Such incredible skill!

He then remembered: "Oh, Ah Quan is a deity! I almost forgot."

Zhang Yue was completely stunned. She covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide like apricots, and her heart was pounding. She didn't know if it was from fright or something else.

In the distance, Butcher Zhang, carrying a knife, galloped towards them on horseback.

Upon closer inspection, the bandit lay motionless on the ground, his left side of his head caved in and deformed, clearly indicating that he was not going to survive.

He then looked at Liu Quan, who was calmly untying the ropes binding the boy on the horse, his expression completely unlike someone who had just killed someone.

Butcher Zhang took a deep breath, bowed respectfully to Liu Quan, and said, "Young Master Liu, I am deeply grateful to you for everything today!"

As Liu Quan helped the boy down from his horse, he said to Butcher Zhang, "It was nothing, Uncle, no need for such formalities."

The bound boy dismounted from the horse, his limbs weak and he could barely stand.

His face was deathly pale, and he was trembling all over. It took him a while to recover before he bowed deeply to Liu Quan: "Thank you so much for saving my life! My name is Su Shuang. May I ask your honorable name?"

"This is my brother Liu Quan," Liu Bei announced loudly, having appeared out of nowhere.

Zhang Fei followed behind Liu Bei, looking at Liu Quan with excitement, his desire to learn martial arts from Liu Quan growing even stronger.

Zhang Yue didn't come over; she hid behind the donkey, afraid of being seen by her second uncle (Butcher Zhang).

At this moment, the burly man who had been chasing the bandits earlier also arrived.

He nimbly dismounted and first checked Su Shuang over.

Seeing that he was not injured, he was relieved and hurried over to thank Liu Quan.

"Thank you so much, sir, for saving my young master."

Just as Liu Quan was about to speak, a wail came from below the earthen slope, "Awei, Awei, wake up quickly, wake up quickly!"

Su Shuang and the burly man both paled and hurriedly ran down the hillside.

Butcher Zhang sighed, then turned and glared at the top of the slope. "Xiaoyue, aren't you coming out? How long are you planning to hide?"

Zhang Yue awkwardly emerged from behind the donkey, feigning embarrassment as she bowed to Butcher Zhang, saying, "Second Uncle, I didn't see you just now."

"Hmph! I'll tell your father later."

Butcher Zhang was very unhappy that the children had run away on their own, knowing that it must have been his own son who had instigated it.

Then he glared at Zhang Fei again, "And you too."

Zhang Fei was shocked and exclaimed, "Father, aren't you my father?"

Butcher Zhang laughed in anger, "Stop interrupting! You were so audacious this time, you almost harmed the two young masters of the Liu family and Yue'er. Wait till we get back, I'll deal with you!"

Liu Bei hurriedly said, "Uncle Zhang, this matter was discussed and decided by all of us; it's not A-Fei's responsibility alone."

As he spoke, he winked at Liu Quan.

Liu Quan asked, "Uncle Zhang, someone just cried out in pain down the slope. What happened?"

Zhang the Butcher was now very grateful to Liu Quan. Hearing Liu Quan change the subject, he stopped scolding Zhang Fei and explained, "The one who cried out in grief just now was Su Neng, the head of the Su family. His younger brother, Su Wei, was shot in the back by a bandit's arrow. It seems he didn't make it."

He added, "Su Shuang, who was just rescued by A-Quan, is Su Neng's eldest son. A-Quan saved his life, which is a great favor to the Su family."

Then he revealed a look of resentment: "Damn Xianbei people, these barbarians are getting more and more rampant."

"Are these bandits Xianbei?" Liu Bei exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm." Butcher Zhang nodded. "It's likely that the Su brothers were targeted when they bought horses from the Xiongnu. They were tracked all the way here, and only made their move when the Su family's troops were off guard. They're really bold."

Zhuo County is already within the territory of Youzhou. The fact that these Xianbei bandits dared to pursue us all the way here shows their great audacity and also exposes the laxity of the border defenses of Youzhou.

He sighed, "Alas, this matter is also related to my family. The Su family bought this batch of horses to celebrate my elder brother's birthday; otherwise, they might not have suffered this calamity."

Liu Bei comforted him, saying, "Uncle Zhang, don't blame yourself. This matter is the fault of the Xianbei people. In the future, when we do business on the grasslands, we must be careful."