Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Lord Xuande is indeed open-minded. You should know that Xun Yu is a king’s adviser, comparable to Marquis Liu Zhang Liang, and Xun You is a rare mastermind of this world,” Chen Xi said with a playful smile.

”So what? What one can’t have, no matter how good, is not as valuable as what one already holds in their own hands, right, Zichuan?” Liu Bei turned around and looked at Chen Xi seriously.

After a long silence, Chen Xi spoke, ”I won’t disappoint you, at least I don’t think I will be inferior to them. Let’s go. Since the Aristocratic Families do not welcome us, then we should display our strength, which will make all the Aristocratic Families of the world take notice, and let the world tremble beneath us. Let them regret their choices made today.”

Liu Bei looked at Chen Xi, he could feel the intense confidence emanating from him—the confidence that scorned the whole world, an arrogant aura that carelessly spread, influencing those around him.

”Good, let us show the power that will make the Aristocratic Families of the world take notice, make the world tremble beneath us, and let them regret their choices today!” Liu Bei stretched out his hand, full of bravado, and Guan, Zhang, Zhao, and Hua Xiong all showed fervent expressions.

Chen Xi was well aware that the words said at this moment would definitely reach the ears of all the Great Aristocratic Clans in Yingchuan but that was exactly the effect he wanted. The other party had given up on pretending to be civil, Liu Bei had already paid them a visit, and even if they were not prepared to enter service, they should at least meet him. Given that they had shown such disrespect, it was time to tear that façade to shreds!

Chen Xi had intended to take on this proclamation alone, yet to his surprise, Liu Bei had repeated it and then offered his hand to him.

”Let’s go, Lord Xuande, Yingchuan has no room for us to stretch our hands any further. Since we have spoken these words, the Aristocratic Families will be waiting to mock us. Trust me, in no more than three years, we will set foot here again, but that time, everyone will bow to you,” Chen Xi said with a smile on his face, but it could not hide the chill beneath it—the pride of a transmigrator, something they would never understand.

”Alright, let’s go!” Without further ado, Liu Bei mounted his horse and, with a flick of his whip, galloped towards the east gate of Yingchuan. Since Yingchuan no longer had room for him to make his mark, he was not going to waste his efforts there.

Liu Bei did not even attend the farewell banquet but left Yingchuan directly, along with his great army and his profound memories of the place.

”This time it was my mistake, Lord Xuande. Although Great Aristocratic Clans have enough talent, for now, we can only strive for the talent of the Humble Family. To them, we are not worthy!” Chen Xi said with a cold laugh. Then he remembered Liu Bei had recruited some Scholars in Yingchuan, which was, at least, better than nothing.

”Oh, speaking of that, I just thought of something interesting. There’s a Ranger who wants to join me, says he wants to be my chief clerk. I tested him and found the fellow knew nothing. I asked some local elders and found out that the scholar-looking fellow is actually a well-known local Ranger. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time, but I told him, ’You should read more books. Once you have thoroughly studied the Spring and Autumn Annals and Sun Wu’s Art of War, come find me. I will definitely appoint you then.’” After finishing his story, Liu Bei laughed heartily. ”Zichuan, do you know what his reaction was?”

Chen Xi’s eyebrows shot up, thinking it couldn’t be such a coincidence, but he still went along with the conversation, ”That fellow must have said he would indeed study the Spring and Autumn Annals thoroughly and master Sun Wu’s Art of War, asking Lord Xuande to save a spot for him. He will definitely come, whether it takes three to five years or just one to two, right, Lord Xuande?”

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Liu Bei was taken aback, looking at Chen Xi with a somewhat peculiar expression, ”Was Zichuan really nearby at that time? How do you know everything so clearly?”

”Is that guy called Shan Fu or Xu Shu?” Chen Xi said, holding his forehead.

”Xu Shu?” Liu Bei asked in confusion, ”You weren’t there at the time?”

”So it was really him,” Chen Xi rolled his eyes, thinking this might be a case of losing at dawn and gaining at dusk. Xu Shu was truly Liu Bei’s catch—how could people like Xun Yu, Xun You, and Chen Qun from the Great Aristocratic Clan possibly take a fancy to Liu Bei?

”What about him, is there an issue?” Liu Bei asked with curiosity.

”Perhaps Lord Xuande should reserve a position as a registrar for him. He has finally forsaken martial pursuits for scholarly ones, set on a different path. This man is resolute, once he has made up his mind, he will not change. Since he has chosen to follow the scholarly path, in a few years he will certainly become one of the leading strategists of the age,” Chen Xi said with utmost seriousness. He didn’t want Liu Bei to treat Xu Shu as a joke—if Xu Shu were to impulsively give the ’Sleeping Dragon’ and the ’Young Phoenix’ to someone else, that would truly spoil the fun.

”Hmm? Zichuan, are you very familiar with this man?” Having nodded in agreement to Chen Xi’s suggestion, Liu Bei then asked with curiosity.

Chen Xi felt a pang of emotion inside. Liu Bei didn’t ask anything else; he didn’t even say what if Xu Shu failed to succeed later— he simply agreed with Chen Xi.

”It’s not that I’m familiar with him. He originally was a ranger from Changshe who killed someone for a friend. He was arrested after drawing his sword in public, but because people were intimidated by his qi, no one dared to inform the government officials of his identity. Later, he was rescued by someone and the incident faded away. However, if he says he will abandon martial arts for the scholarly life, he will undoubtedly do so. This man is indeed famous for keeping his word,” Chen Xi spoke with great earnestness.

Chen Xi couldn’t very well tell that Xu Shu was actually a transmigrator. Just a few days ago, he had abandoned his sword to embrace the scholar’s life. With no more than five years of diligent study, his temperament had remarkably changed: the belligerence was completely gone and he became refined, and most importantly, within five years he could wrestle with the top strategists of the world. His prodigious talent was maddeningly extraordinary.

As a warrior who swung his spear and brandished his sword every day, he achieved the level of a top strategist in just a few short years after his awakening. Consider how long it took Guo Jia and Xun You to reach their level, then think of how long it took Xu Shu, and you’ll realize the terrifying nature of Xu Shu’s talent. It’s a pity his realization came late.

It must be said that the life of a ranger is ultimately a minor path. To succeed, one must be able, in letters to bring peace and in arms to settle the universe. The sort who can make black appear white, and the white seem black—whatever they say, goes. Who would dare not concede? It seems that Xu Shu’s foray into the scholarly world was probably inspired by such grand dreams.

”Oh, I see,” Liu Bei nodded, ”In that case, I will keep such a position as a registrar for him. But when he comes, I must thoroughly examine him.”

”Yes, when the time comes, you should take all the capable civil and military officials under your command for the examination. That man will surely hold his ground,” Chen Xi said with a smile. Having found the treasure that was Xu Shu, nothing else seemed to matter. Although Xu Shu was still an unripe, green fruit, as long as he was still on the tree, he would eventually ripen. Sooner or later, he would be theirs, and he would also bring his two comrades along.