Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

When Fa Zheng and Hua Xiong rushed back, the messenger who had been waiting for them nearly broke down in tears. The letter from Lu Su was marked as extremely urgent, yet it had been delayed to the point where it was now slower than an ordinary message.

”Alright, you don’t have to worry about this anymore. I’m here now,” Hua Xiong said, recognizing the beleaguered soldier as one of his own. He waved the soldier off, telling him to rest and return to Taishan by the end of the month.

”Yes, sir!” The messenger was overjoyed. His greatest fear had been that something would go terribly wrong because his message didn’t arrive in time, leading to his execution. Many messengers had met such fates...

”Where is Lord Xuande likely to be?” Hua Xiong asked as soon as Fa Zheng had settled his father and returned to the office. He wanted to address the matter as quickly as possible.

”Most likely in this area,” Fa Zheng replied, pointing to a spot on the map.

Hua Xiong glanced at it and nearly spat out blood. He had passed by that very location earlier.

Suppressing his frustration, Hua Xiong said, ”Xiaozhi, you stay here and oversee Beihai. I’ll go and report this matter to Lord Xuande. But remember, don’t leave your post so recklessly again. Even if Beihai seems quiet, you can’t abandon your duties. And if you must leave, ensure you appoint someone to take your place.”

”Fine, fine. Just go already. Don’t worry, developing Beihai is easy. Trust me, we’ve done this countless times before,” Fa Zheng replied, clearly annoyed. ”You just focus on your own tasks. You don’t need to worry about Beihai. I was there when we developed Taishan!”

With that, Fa Zheng practically shoved Hua Xiong out the door. For him, developing Beihai really wasn’t a challenge. He had seen firsthand how Chen Xi and Lu Su had developed Taishan, and after being appointed as Xiang of Qi, he had already implemented similar agricultural, commercial, and mining developments there. When Liu Bei later assigned him to Beihai, Lu Su had even provided him with a detailed plan for handling large-scale Yellow Turban refugees, originally drafted by Chen Xi for Taishan.

This was why Fa Zheng was so confident. The plan, supplemented by Lu Su, was already incredibly thorough. Beihai’s situation was almost identical to Taishan’s when Chen Xi first arrived, except now they had ample resources. By following the steps, Fa Zheng could easily implement the work-for-relief programs.This also explained why Fa Zheng had been wandering around inspecting the local conditions. He wasn’t trying to outshine Chen Xi or Lu Su; he just didn’t like copying others. He wanted to introduce something unique, like when he had mobilized the people of Qi to build an iron mine and manufacture agricultural tools rather than weapons. He hadn’t even reported this achievement to Liu Bei yet, planning to surprise him with the ready-made farm tools, which were still in short supply.

Hua Xiong left the office, watching as Fa Zheng ordered the gates to be closed. He mounted his horse with a look of disdain and rode off into the night, heading toward the location Fa Zheng had indicated. Once he reached the area, he planned to release his aura, hoping that Xu Chu would sense it and lead him to Liu Bei.

That night, just as Zixu was about to meditate and heal his injuries, he heard faint footsteps outside his door. Sighing, he put on his shoes and opened the door just as the person outside was about to knock.

”Click!” Jia Xu was just about to knock when Zixu appeared in front of him with a calm expression. Jia Xu’s raised hand paused mid-air, his expression momentarily stunned. But he quickly composed himself, showing no sign of emotion.

”What a coincidence, Zixu,” Jia Xu said, lowering his arm and ignoring the awkwardness.

”To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Jia Changshi?” Zixu asked, his face expressionless.

”Aren’t you going to invite me in? We’re around the same age; just call me Wenhe,” Jia Xu replied calmly, seemingly indifferent to Zixu’s demeanor.

”Of course, Brother Wenhe, please come in,” Zixu said with a forced smile, though internally he felt a sense of dread. Despite his confidence that he hadn’t revealed any flaws in front of Jia Xu, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy around him. Jia Xu was like a shadowy blade, deadly and unseen.

Jia Xu entered without hesitation, taking the main seat and tapping his tea cup. Zixu could only smile bitterly as he served Jia Xu tea, suppressing any displeasure. Even if he wanted to confront Jia Xu, it would have to wait until after they parted ways.

”Zixu, have a seat. No need to stand there awkwardly,” Jia Xu said, seemingly only noticing that Zixu hadn’t sat down after taking a sip of tea.

Once Zixu had found a seat, he asked, ”Brother Wenhe, what brings you here? I’m a bit concerned.”

”It’s nothing major. I just wanted to continue the conversation from the other day. Ziyang asked a question that piqued my interest, and now I’d like to know the answer,” Jia Xu said with a sly smile, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Zixu. ”Specifically, I’m interested in the spiritual abilities of the Cao and Yuan families.”

Zixu was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Jia Xu to come asking about this. It seemed easy enough to deflect. ”Why would Brother Wenhe be so interested in such a thing?”

”Zixu, let’s not beat around the bush. If you’re joining us, you need to show your true capabilities. Half-truths won’t do either of us any good,” Jia Xu said calmly, but the depth of his gaze sent a chill down Zixu’s spine.

”I don’t know,” Zixu hesitated before finally speaking. At this moment, he couldn’t perform any divination. With Jia Xu present, any prediction he made wouldn’t necessarily come true—the implications were too complex.

”Are you sure about that?” Jia Xu raised an eyebrow. ”If you have any difficulties, just say so. These individuals are important to us. Since you’re residing here, we need to understand your intentions. Alternatively, you could share the information we seek. It would benefit everyone.”

”Aren’t you afraid I’ll attack you?” Zixu asked, his identity exposed. After an initial moment of shock, he felt less intimidated by Jia Xu.

”I’m not afraid. You won’t dare, and even if you did, it wouldn’t work,” Jia Xu replied calmly. ”I have my own means of protection, and besides, aren’t you still injured? Forcing yourself to act would likely do you more harm than good.”