Liu Bei POV

We are here. Much faster than I thought. I was just thinking we ought to rush but here we are. Looks like I can see the rest soon.

“Umm… Where is this?” Huang Zu seemed puzzled as she looked at me. Well how could she understand how I feel at this moment?

“In any case, let’s enter Xinye quickly!”

“Ah? Ah… Oi!”

I did not pay any heed to Huang Zu’s confusion nor did I bother explaining myself and just swung my reins as Dilu galloped towards the village town.

“Dilu, we’re going to see Yun Chang and the rest soon, are you happy?~”

*Neigh*~

I was so excited that I actually began speaking to a horse. But it’s a good thing that this horse understands and actually replied me.

“I see, I see, you’re happy too huh?”

Though I do not understand it, I have received its feelings.

Jia~

I yelled out loudly and lightly swung the reins, making Dilu accelerate further. In just a short period of time, I could get a full view of the village town.

When I looked up at the village town, I was both elated and disappointed. I never expected that Xinye would be this small. From end to end, it seemed like there were only 100-200 households.

Un? When I looked about, I could not find any military tents. Logically speaking, it should not be this difficult to find a garrison that is several tens of thousand large…

Could it be that… I got it wrong? I got myself happy for nothing?

My heart felt hollow and I decided to get Dilu to stop. I wrangled about with the reins for a bit before I remembered what Yuan Zhi said and lightly tugged the reins as I said, “Dilu, stop.”

*Neigh*~~

Dilu lightly neighed and the speed slowly dropped. Though it was not as fast as when Dilu accelerated, I did not have to expend any effort at all and my safety was a.s.sured.

Ah, now that I think about it, no one said that this was Xinye.

“Imperial Uncle, why did you suddenly start galloping? It was really difficult for us to catch up to you.” Huang Zu’s voice came from behind.

When I looked back, I saw Huang Zu and Yuan Zhi galloping towards me. Huang Zu was sweating buckets, probably because of the sudden exertion.

When I looked at Yuan Zhi, I saw that she was now sitting up normally. I was honestly curious at how she was able to ride while lying down but I have more pressing matters at the moment.

“Umm, just in case, I’d like to ask you a question, Yuan Zhi.” I said in between huffs as I tried to catch my breath and raised my hand, “This wouldn’t be Xinye right?”

“Of course not.” Yuan Zhi said as she looked at the village town, “I’ve pa.s.sed through Xinye before. No matter what, Xinye is much bigger than this. Though it’s also a village town, its size is that of a commandery city.”

“Ah… I see.” I nodded, feeling disappointed that I got it wrong. If I had just charged in and excitedly asked people if this was Xinye, I would have looked like an idiot.

“But now that we’ve reached this village, that means Xinye should be close.”

“Eh?! Really!” I exclaimed as I leaned over to Yuan Zhi.

“Ah, un.” Yuan Zhi was scared by this and backed up a few steps before she continued, “We just need to head north after this village for a day or 2 and we will reach Xinye.”

… A day or 2 huh?

“Alright, I got it.” I nodded and did my best to seem as normal as possible. Just a day or 2 more, please wait for

me, everyone.

“I know we’re in a rush but running into a village like this is a rare opportunity.” Just then, Huang Zu rode up and interjected, “Don’t you both want to go in and get a hot meal?

“Yes, we’ve had a lot of dried food on our way here.” Yuan Zhi said and began riding but then she seemed to remember and turned back, “Will this be alright? Isn’t Xuan De in a rush?”

“Un…”

To be honest, I was in quite the bind here. If possible, I do not want to tarry for even a second. But–

*Gu*~~

“Ah, this sound is–”

“Please don’t mind it!”

Naturally, I knew that it was my stomach growling and hurriedly interrupted Huang Zu. I have had enough of dried food by now and would really like some fresh, hot food.

Ah… Even if it’s that horrible mess that Yun Chang made a long time ago.

“Un, let’s have a meal.” I knew that my expression would not look good nonetheless and rode past them before I said so, “But I do hope we can get there as soon as possible.”

“That’s fine,” Yuan Zhi said as she turned back and looked at me for a while before she continued, “By the way, Xuan De ought to tell us why you’re going to Xinye by now.”

“Un… Yes, I haven’t mentioned this at all yet. Let’s ride as we talk.” I said and began to tell them why I had to go to Xinye, including all the events that led up to here.

When we entered the village, I looked about and saw that we managed to traverse a good part of its entire length within a mere 15 minutes.

As we rode along, I told them about how I was detested by the Cai sisters when we first arrived in Jing state up to my getting chased out of the city and being saved bu Shuijing. By the time we came to a stop, I had finished telling them everything.

As I shared my story, Yuan Zhi and Huang Zu would nod from time to time. Even though Yuan Zhi had less knowledge and context, Huang Zu seemed more shocked at what had happened.

“Eh, such things actually happened?” Yuan Zhi said, her eyebrows raised and her eyes bulging as she did so.

“I didn’t know about any of this at all.” Huang Zu said, seeming just as surprised as Yuan Zhi.

“Does Lord Huang Zu not know any of this at all?” I said, thinking that Huang Zu ought to know at least a little about what I had shared such as my popularity in Xiangyang or that the troops I was leading to Jiangxia were mainly Cai Mao’s loyalists.

“I didn’t know at all. It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Xiangyang after all.” Huang Zu shook her head as she said so, her fringe swaying along, revealing her scar which caught my eye.

But when she caught me looking at her, I hurriedly looked away and stopped staring at her.

But there’s no reason to doubt what Huang Zu said. When she met with Liu Qi, the young mistress of the domain, Huang Zu was calm and did not display any of the respect and formality that I saw in Xiangyang. This was probably because Huang Zu got accustomed to this in Jiangxia.

“But Cai Mao huh…” Huang Zu muttered as she raised her hand and played with her hair, “If you’re saying that she’s the one who did all that to you, I can believe it.”

“Eh? Why do you say that?”

“From what I know, that Cai Mao person is very strange.”

Un, you have no right to say that about someone else at all. Or so I would have liked to tsukkomi, but Cai Mao is indeed very strange from my own experience.

“Does Lord Huang Zu have any other opinion on this?” I could not hold back anymore and decided to ask directly.

“Un? Opinion?”

“Ah, that is… You’re a fellow military retainer of Jing state so I’m not sure what Lord Huang Zu might be feeling–”

“I don’t feel anything in particular,” Huang Zu replied immediately. Indeed, her expression does not seem to say that she does, “Though we may be colleagues, as I said before, our relations.h.i.+p is not deep in the least and my only purpose is to work for the Governor. Of course, I am deeply apologetic that they brought harm to Imperial Uncle.”

Huang Zu lowered her head as she said so. But from my perspective, it does not seem like Huang Zu is apologetic at all. That said, what happened to me has nothing to do with her at all. I thought she would get angry but then it looks like I was just thinking too much after all.

“But I wonder how the Governor thinks about all this…”

“Un.”

“Alright, I understand now.” Just then, Yuan Zhi who was deep in thought nodded and spoke up, “So Xuan De is heading to Xinye because his companions are there, correct?”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“And what of your foot soldiers?”

“I do not lack for foot soldiers.”

I said and thought for a moment before I continued, “In total, I have over 20,000 and close to 30,000 troops under my command. I don’t know if the numbers are just as good now though.”

“Un~” Yuan Zhi hummed meaningfully at this. I did not understand what she meant by this but I did not ask as there was too much on my plate at the moment.

By now, we had dismounted and came to a food stall that sold some sort of soup. It was a roadside food stall that you could find anywhere in this era. The soup it sold had other food in it such as meatb.a.l.l.s and the like but I am not too sure what its name is.

In any case, being able to eat and drink something hot and fresh is a real luxury, especially in such a small and remote village.

If we were not in a rush, I would have loved to stay here for a night before getting on the road again. Unfortunately, time waits for no man and I cannot afford to tarry here.

“So will Xiangyang do anything to Xuan De now?”

“Eh?”

“Do something? I should think not–”

“But given how Cai Mao is like, she might go even further if she can’t find you.” Huang Zu interjected and said some very dangerous words in just as calm a tone, “Like searching every village downstream for instance.”