Mythical Three Kingdoms

This situation naturally ended with everyone being overjoyed. Regardless of Xiahou Yuan’s cold demeanor, Liu Bei and Guan Yu kept toasting Xiahou Yuan. And to be honest, having someone of Liu Bei and Guan Yu’s status toast him did have an effect—Xiahou Yuan gradually softened as he drank.

After all, considering Liu Bei’s stature and Guan Yu’s strength, just being toasted by them was a sign of respect. Xiahou Yuan soon started feeling lightheaded from drinking, especially since no one was using their Inner Qi to dissipate the alcohol fumes. Thus, they could only drink more and let the festivities continue.

As a result, this banquet could truly be described as a joyful gathering, except for Ma Chao, who harbored hopes of challenging the generals present. However, nothing major occurred otherwise.

Although Ma Chao had previously disrespected Liu Bei, Liu Bei didn’t fuss over it too much. He simply thought that Fa Zheng was far more obedient and paid little attention to Ma Chao. So when Ma Chao suggested combat sparring, Liu Bei showed minimal interest and instead told his generals that anyone who was interested could go and trade a few moves.

During the banquet, Ma Chao abandoned the idea of challenging Zhao Yun. Originally, he thought Zhao Yun was the weakest one, only to see Zhao Yun casually forge a wine cup from Inner Qi. The cup was smooth as jade, and Ma Chao didn’t even realize it was made from Inner Qi when he held it in his hand...

Afterwards, Ma Chao carefully inspected the others and eliminated Hua Xiong, as they’d already fought before. Hua Xiong was someone Ma Chao believed he could now defeat, so there was little excitement in it. As for the older man who appeared rather elderly, Ma Chao hesitated momentarily but decided to rule him out as well. Honestly speaking, Ma Chao felt it was unnecessary to fight someone with white hair who had achieved Inner Qi Manifestation.

This left Ma Chao with only a few targets: Guan Yu, Gan Ning, Zhang Fei, Xuu Chu, and Wei Yan. However, whether they were even willing to spar remained a question. Still, Ma Chao had at least narrowed down his focus.

After the host and guests had thoroughly enjoyed themselves, Ma Chao stealthily followed Xuu Chu. In his opinion, heavyset individuals were always easier to approach. Luckily for Ma Chao, it was Xuu Chu on duty today instead of Wuu Anguo, otherwise Xuu Chu wouldn’t have planned to head off for more drinking. To be honest, whenever Xuu Chu isn’t busy protecting Liu Bei, he often seems idle.

To provoke Xuu Chu into showcasing his true strength, Ma Chao disguised himself in clothing that concealed his identity, dressing thoroughly and tightly before launching a sneak attack.

Naturally, Ma Chao’s ambush on Xuu Chu ended with him getting beaten to a pulp, his nose and face swollen. If Ma Chao hadn’t eventually revealed his identity when he could no longer defend himself, Xuu Chu might have mistaken him for a Hebei vigilante and beaten him half to death.

It’s simple—if weapons aren’t involved and it’s solely a matter of hand-to-hand combat, Xuu Chu can overpower anyone in a brawl, except for monsters like Dian Wei. Generally, the one lying flat won’t be Xuu Chu.

Xuu Chu, having unintentionally pummeled a guest into bruises, felt somewhat awkward himself. Naturally, he treated Ma Chao more kindly afterwards and warned him not to act recklessly like that again. If Ma Chao tried this with someone like Guan Yu, who’s prone to hypersensitivity, it could result in Guan Yu striking instantly—and that might truly end in tragedy.

Unfazed by his injuries, Ma Chao instead grew highly interested in conversing with Xuu Chu. What he learned from Xuu Chu thrilled him greatly. It confirmed his belief that this was indeed a fantastic place—far better than Chang’an.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Chen Xi wandered alone, unconsciously feeling a pang of longing for his wife and daughter. The reason why he thought of ”wife and daughter” was simple: before the decisive battle between Yuan Liu, he had received a letter from home informing him that Chen Lan had given birth to a daughter. As for the child’s name, Chen Xi was still pondering over it.

Liu Bei’s son, on the other hand, was born even earlier, with the nickname still being ”Adou.” As for his proper name, it hadn’t been decided yet, but it would most likely be Liu Shan. The phrase ”swallowing the Big Dipper and birthing Liu Shan” inevitably led people’s thoughts elsewhere.

Lost in thought, Chen Xi hadn’t taken many steps before he bumped into someone. Normally, Chen Xi always had someone protecting him, making such collisions unlikely. However, the figure in front of him—a little girl—clearly required no clearing away, as Hann Qiong didn’t think a three- or four-year-old girl posed any danger.

”Thud~” Chen Xi stumbled slightly and saw a little girl dressed in white sitting on the ground near his leg, dazed. It was obvious she came from a wealthy background.

”Whose child is this?” Chen Xi extended a hand to help the four- or five-year-old girl up. She hesitated briefly before taking his hand, standing up on her own, displaying a resilience uncommon for children who would usually cry when knocked down.

”What’s your name?” Chen Xi asked curiously, squatting slightly to look at the girl who had refused his support and stood up by herself.

”Mother said girls shouldn’t tell strangers their names,” the girl replied crisply, though she seemed to glance around nervously—likely lost.

”Oh, that’s quite a reasonable teaching. Where are your parents?” Chen Xi asked, crouching down to speak at eye level with her.

”They’re looking for me,” the girl answered with a small sigh, her expression showing hints of distress.

Chen Xi clicked his tongue in contemplation. A child who got lost and remained calm like her was either showing rare maturity or had grown up too quickly for her age.

”Do you want some help?” Chen Xi asked with amusement. He wasn’t particularly busy anyway, so helping out with a minor issue would be a nice way to pass the time.

”But I don’t know where my father is...” The girl’s tone weakened as she spoke. ”Besides...” She turned her spinning, round eyes toward Chen Xi and clearly showed signs of concern.

Chen Xi chuckled dryly, surprised at how precocious this little one was—already cautious and wary at such a young age. Truly unexpected.

”But I’m willing to trust you,” the girl suddenly said, smiling mischievously. However, she cautiously maintained a small distance between herself and Chen Xi.

”You’re something else,” Chen Xi remarked with a resigned smile. ”Which home are you from? I’ll have someone escort you back. Surely your family isn’t far—do you remember which household?”

”I can’t say. I want to find my father,” the girl refused, shaking her head.

Chen Xi furrowed his brow. ”Then at least tell me your surname. I can help you find your father.”

”My surname is Xin,” the girl answered hesitantly, knitting her brows slightly, as if she’d noticed Chen Xi’s genuine intent.

”Xin?” Chen Xi scrutinized her carefully and then recalled someone. Currently in Ye City, among prominent families with the surname ”Xin,” there was only the Xin Family of Xin Pi and Xin Ping. Given her age...

”Your name is Xin Xianying?” Chen Xi asked, frowning as he spoke. He seemed to recall something—he had already sealed off the Xin Family’s residence. How could Xin Xianying have gotten out? Although the Xin Family hadn’t been detained, they were still under house arrest for certain reasons.

”Ah!” The little girl covered her mouth, looking startled, clutching her sleeve nervously. ”How do you know my name?”

”Take her back to the Xin Residence,” Chen Xi ordered with irritation. He was both baffled and amused. If the Xin Family was under restriction, how did this child manage to get out?

”No, I don’t want to go back! I want to find my father. You promised you’d help me find him—you liar!” Xin Xianying turned and ran, but Chen Xi quickly caught her. She immediately started crying and screaming loudly.

Her cries soon attracted a crowd of onlookers, and judging by the expression on the uninformed people’s faces, they clearly mistook Chen Xi for some kind of debauchee. After all, from any perspective, Xin Xianying was undeniably a budding beauty. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)