Cao Xiaoxiang said tearfully, "Then could you help me bring one?"
"……good."
Cao Xiaoxiang reluctantly let me go. This is a difficult matter. Even if I can see Cao Cao, how am I supposed to tell him? "You want me to take good care of your son?" It feels like I'm at a disadvantage.
I got into the car and was about to leave when Erpang called: "Xiaoqiang, I'm almost there. Where are you waiting for me?"
I said, "You don't need to come."
"What's wrong?"
"I've already found someone to deal with you!"
Erpang was taken aback. After understanding what I meant, he asked again, "Who is it? Who is so arrogant?" It seems that "one of us" still side with one of us in the end. As soon as he heard that someone was threatening to deal with Lü Bu, Erpang was unwilling.
I said, "Li Yuanba."
Erpang was speechless for a long time. This kid used to live in the same compound as us, and he loved listening to the Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, so he had some understanding of Li Yuanba's bravery. After a pause, Erpang finally retorted, unconvinced, "He might not even be a match for Lü Bu—tell me our battle report as soon as you get back!"
I waved to everyone and stepped on the gas to enter the timeline.
After driving for a while, I noticed the fuel gauge was constantly spiking, so I said to Li Yuanba, "You should just leave this thing in the Three Kingdoms after you're done using it; it's too wasteful of fuel!"
Li Yuanba, holding the cow dung stone, said, "That won't do."
I said to Zhou Cang, "Brother Zhou, when we get there, we need to find Second Master first." As I spoke, I handed him a pill, "Give him this."
Zhou Cang took the medicine and thought for a moment, then said, "This is not difficult. Second Master's status is low right now, so it shouldn't be hard to see him. I'll just say I joined the army, and there shouldn't be any problem."
There were six of us in the car, but no one spoke. Qin Qiong tried to strike up a conversation with Shan Xiongxin several times, but Shan ignored him. Luo Cheng was proud and arrogant, and he and Shan Xiongxin had a grudge against each other even before they became sworn brothers, so they ignored each other. The silly boy Li Yuanba was just excitedly hugging the stone.
When we arrived, it was still late afternoon; the Three Kingdoms period was in a different time zone than ours. The car stopped in an open field outside a formidable pass. In the distance, we could see banners fluttering on and off the pass, and the drums of war were thundering between the two armies.
Luo Cheng got out of the car, took a deep breath, and swayed his shoulders, saying with delight, "This scene is so heartwarming!"
Qin Qiong laughed and said, "That's right."
Li Yuanba pulled a cow dung stone from the cart, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and asked impatiently, "Who is Lü Bu?"
I grabbed him and looked at Zhou Cang. Zhou Cang perked up and said, "Please wait a moment, I'll go!"
We followed him for several dozen meters, and there we saw two armies facing off in an open area. To the left, a garrison was stationed at the gate, and behind them stood the imposing Hulao Pass; to the right, another group of men stood, their banners fluttering with colorful flags, each bearing a different insignia. The tallest flag bore a large character "Yuan," which must be Yuan Shao—I had a flag that tall back at Liangshan…
I looked closely into Yuan's army and almost cried out: Guan Yu was right there, riding a black horse and staring intently at the enemy. Beside him was a burly man with a dark face and bloodshot eyes, yelling incessantly—most likely Zhang Fei. But judging from their armor, they were just ordinary cavalrymen.
Zhou Cang stopped us and said, "Wait until I go and find Second Master before you go to meet him."
Li Yuanba frantically searched among the troops below the pass, then grabbed me and asked, "Which one is Lü Bu?"
I'm looking for it too. To be honest, I've never actually seen Lü Bu, and Erpang is just a distorted replica, so he doesn't count. I've been searching for ages without any results. Qin Qiong said, "That kid Lü Bu treats all the warlords like they're nothing. He probably hasn't even left the pass yet; he's still in the city."
By this time, Zhou Cang had reached the front of the allied forces. Someone approached and questioned him, and he gestured wildly, seemingly saying something, before the two guards actually let him in. Zhou Cang went straight to Guan Yu's horse, gestured again, and Guan Yu's expression changed. Suddenly, Guan Yu dismounted, pulled Zhou Cang along, and they disappeared behind the lines. A short while later, the two emerged hand in hand, smiling broadly. Zhou Cang waved vigorously at us, signaling that we could reveal ourselves.
Shan Xiongxin couldn't help but say, "This guy is a talent! What did he say to Second Master that made it so easy?" In front of an army of tens of thousands, no one paid attention to us "commoners." I glanced at Zhou Cang first, and Zhou Cang made a gesture as if he had already taken medicine... I strode forward and grabbed Guan Yu's hand, saying, "Second Brother!"
Guan Yu laughed and said, "Xiao Qiang, what brings you here?"
I said, "I know about what happened to the old man. I came here to see if I could help you in any way." I turned around and introduced them, "These are some friends. This is Qin Qiong, the second brother of Qin Qiong. This is his cousin Luo Cheng. This is Shan Xiongxin, the second brother of Shan Xiongxin..."
Qin Qiong and Shan Xiongxin clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Second Master!"
Guan Yu quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Oh, don't call me that, just call me Second Brother—is this Qin Qiong the Second Brother Qin from the Sui and Tang Dynasties?"
Qin Qiong said, sweating, "You can just call me Shubao."
Guan Yu stroked his dark beard and said, "I'm still young, aren't I?
Everyone burst into laughter, and so these men began to call each other their second elder brother...
I said, "Second Brother..."
Qin Qiong, Guan Yu, and Shan Xiongxin all turned to me at the same time and asked, "What's the matter?"
"...I mean, Brother Guan, how is your grandfather?"
Speaking of this, Guan Yu said with a somber expression, "He was captured and taken to the pass. Lü Bu only spared his life because he revealed that my elder brother was a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan."
I said, "How could this be? You were fighting Lü Bu like the Three Heroes?"
Guan Yu pointed to a general surrounded by soldiers in the allied forces and said, "It's all because of that Gongsun Zan. My eldest brother was on good terms with him. Gongsun Zan fought with Lü Bu and was about to be killed when my eldest brother risked his life to save him. By the time my third brother and I tried to come to his aid, he had already been captured by Lü Bu." At this point, his second brother sighed. The dark-faced man was indeed Zhang Fei; his eyes were red and swollen, and he gritted his teeth, looking as if he wanted to devour someone.
I asked, "Why don't we try to lure Lü Bu out? We can capture him and exchange him for our master."
Guan Yu said indignantly, "My third brother and I are of low rank and status, so we are not the ones to fight the enemy and insult them. The eighteen warlords are all afraid of Lü Bu, but none of them are willing to put in their best efforts to attack the pass."
Another eighteen warlords? Qin Qiong and his allies were eighteen in number, as was the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition, but both ultimately failed. This shows that eighteen is not an auspicious number.
Guan Yu said awkwardly, "To be honest, Lü Bu is indeed a first-rate guy. Many generals among the warlords have died at his hands. Even if my third brother and I join forces, we cannot defeat him."
I said, "That's why I came here. These brothers are all very capable people."
Guan Yu gave a casual reply, but his gaze towards Qin Qiong and the others still held a hint of suspicion. He had known of Qin Qiong's name for a long time, so he also knew that this sixteenth hero of the Sui and Tang Dynasties was not some invincible general who could kill anyone who stood in his way.
Shan Xiongxin pulled Zhou Cang aside and asked, "I'm very curious, what exactly did you say to Guan Yu that made him believe you so easily?"
Zhou Cang said embarrassedly, "I lied to Second Master and his wife that they were having a difficult childbirth, and said that I was a messenger."
Shan Xiongxin nodded and said, "Yes, it's a simple story, but only someone who has followed my second brother could come up with such a pretext. We have to thank Brother Zhou for this."