Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

”Lower your guard; it might be fine to keep an eye on me, but there’s no need to worry about him,” Gan Ning said as he stepped in front of Chen Xi, fearing that Guan Hai might suddenly attack Chen Xi in a fit of rage. ”This is Xuande’s strategist, Chen Zichuan—you should have heard of him.”

Guan Hai, however, remained cautious, his eyes still locked on Gan Ning. He didn’t want to be captured due to a moment of carelessness. His current identity could easily be used against him, so he had to stay vigilant.

”I’m Gan Xingba—you should know who I am. You’re on my ship; surely, General Guan mentioned my name, right?” Gan Ning continued, pointing at himself.

”I know. General Guan said that if something went wrong, I should find Gan Xingba,” Guan Hai replied with a nod. ”But how do I know you really are Gan Xingba? How do you prove that?”

”I can’t believe this!” Gan Ning was stunned, pulling out his official seal and placing it on the ground before gently pushing it toward Guan Hai. ”This is my seal as the Navy Commander—there’s only one like it in all of the Han Dynasty.”

”I can’t read,” Guan Hai admitted. He had begun to trust them, but his wariness remained.

”What do you want, then?” Gan Ning asked in exasperation. This was the first time he had encountered someone so stubborn.

”General Guan ordered you to go to Yizhou, but I have some business that could use your help. We’re headed to Lujiang, and there’s a chance we might have to fight. I’d like you to lend a hand,” Chen Xi said, patting Gan Ning on the shoulder to signal him to step aside. He figured Guan Hai had already recognized them.

”Can’t you handle it?” Guan Hai asked, clearly surprised.

”We can. It’s just that the scale of the battle is uncertain. It’s a precaution,” Chen Xi calmly explained. ”Of course, if you don’t want to, we can still follow General Guan’s orders and take you to Yizhou.””Can you guarantee my identity won’t be exposed?” Guan Hai asked.

”We can guarantee it. As long as you don’t reveal your own name, no one in Lujiang will know who you are. If necessary, you can even use an alias,” Chen Xi said, raising an eyebrow. Guan Hai’s question implied he was willing, as long as his identity remained hidden due to Guan Yu’s instructions.

”Alright, it’s settled then. But unless it’s absolutely necessary, I won’t get involved,” Guan Hai agreed, then gestured for Chen Xi and Gan Ning to leave.

As Chen Xi and Gan Ning made their way through the ship’s corridors, Gan Ning began grumbling, ”What bad luck! Such a strong and fierce man, yet he hesitates and makes excuses. It’s disappointing. I thought he’d be full of loyalty and righteousness, but now that we’ve met, he’s pushing back on everything. What a letdown—he even hesitates when asked to fight.”

”His situation is complicated; he has to be careful. Besides, this doesn’t conflict with his sense of honor. Given his actions in Qingzhou, he’s certainly proven his loyalty. Don’t be too hard on him. He’s just being cautious,” Chen Xi said with a smile, trying to comfort Gan Ning. He knew Gan Ning wouldn’t hold a grudge over this, but it was better to smooth things over so they could work together without any issues.

”Fine, whatever. I’ll let it go,” Gan Ning waved it off. ”Let’s go. If he’s agreed, then he’ll keep an eye on things when the time comes. People like him value honor.”

In the days that followed, when Gan Ning wasn’t overseeing the daily training, he spent his time fishing with Mi Fang and the others. In the end, Zhuge Liang confirmed one thing: using a large hook with a rope to fish in this area was far more effective than using a rod and line with bait.

Although Zhuge Liang was frustrated that his fishing rod caught nothing and switching to a large hook nearly got him dragged into the sea, he ended up having a great time. Of course, after nearly becoming fish food himself, he enjoyed eating fish that evening even more—it seemed all his frustrations had been taken out on the fish.

While Chen Xi and Zhuge Liang were dining on fish at sea, Hua Xiong had already galloped into Beihai territory. There’s no denying that even a mediocre horse in this era could cover ground quickly. If he had Red Hare, he would probably be close to Qi by now. This was the advantage of a good horse. However, traveling with a group would have slowed them down significantly.

”Where’s the lord?” Hua Xiong’s luck seemed to hold as he encountered Fa Zheng, who was out inspecting the area with his father. Hua Xiong reined in his horse, stopping right next to Fa Zheng. The cloud of dust that followed engulfed Fa Zheng, who had been about to greet him with a smile, leaving him covered in dirt.

”Ugh, ugh, ugh!” Fa Zheng spat out the dust, his face darkening. ”General Hua...”

Hua Xiong felt a bit embarrassed, seeing Fa Zheng’s expression and hearing his tone, realizing that Fa Zheng was a bit annoyed. But it had truly been an accident.

”Father, take it easy. This is General Hua Xiong, a loyal subordinate of Lord Xuande,” Fa Zheng quickly moved to help his father out of the carriage, choosing to let go of his earlier grievance. He introduced Hua Xiong, ”This is my father.”

”Greetings, sir,” Hua Xiong dismounted and respectfully saluted Fa Yan, grateful that Fa Zheng’s father appeared much older than him.

”No need for that, General. My son can be a bit reckless; please don’t hold it against him,” Fa Yan said, noticing Fa Zheng’s irritated expression. He patted his son on the shoulder, signaling him to make amends with Hua Xiong.

”Sir, you’re too kind. We all know how straightforward Xiaozhi is—he wears his heart on his sleeve. It’s nothing,” Hua Xiong replied, bowing to Fa Yan.

”Well, I’m an old man now, and seeing my son achieve so much already makes me very proud. Xiaozhi, it’s time for you to return to Beihai and take up your duties. I’ve seen enough of your abilities,” Fa Yan said affectionately, looking at his son with pride. He was already very pleased with Fa Zheng’s success and didn’t want him to neglect his responsibilities any longer, even if it was under the guise of ”inspecting the people’s conditions.”

Fa Zheng forced a smile, ”Father, I really am inspecting the people’s conditions. I brought you along to enjoy some fresh air, but rest assured, Beihai is in no immediate danger.”

Standing off to the side, Hua Xiong could barely contain his irritation. He tapped Fa Zheng on the shoulder, and when Fa Zheng gave him a puzzled look, Hua Xiong pulled him aside and explained everything that had happened recently. Fa Zheng’s face turned pale.

”You’re not joking?” Fa Zheng asked, his voice trembling.

”Do you think I rode hundreds of miles to make a joke? Don’t you know I’ve been busy training troops in Taishan?” Hua Xiong retorted, annoyed. ”Let’s head back to Beihai. I still need to report to Lord Xuande. Most of the letters from Lu Zijing never made it through—you really messed up this time!”

Fa Zheng grimaced, then forced a smile as he turned to his father. ”Father, you were right—Beihai does need someone in charge. Something’s already happened as soon as I left!”