Liu Bei POV

“Ow! Zi Long, can’t you be a bit gentler?”

“My lord is being far too spoiled. As a man, how can you be crying out in pain so easily?” As she said so, Zi Long continued to apply medicinal cream vigorously on my back.

Ugh… It really hurts.

“Have you heard any recent news about Yun Chang and the rest, Zi Long?” It’s been 3-4 days since I came to Ye city, and I’ve been having Zi Long help me find information on Yun Chang and the rest.

“No. Cao Cao ended her campaign on Xu state shortly after your defeat and returned to Xuchang thereafter to get ready to deal with Yuan Shao. So there’s very little information about what happened to Xu state reaching Ye city.” Zi Long said as she shook her head after getting up.

She then came over and said in my ear, “Also, I’ve been gathering troops for my lord as well. When you are able to, you should show yourself in front of them.”

“Eh? Gathering troops? When was this?”

“Just over the last couple of days. I’ve gathered a few hundred already.” She said proudly and then continued after seeing my troubled expression, “I don’t know what troubles my lord, but even if my lord intends on seeking refuge with another feudal lord for now, wouldn’t it be better to bring along some of your own troops?”

“Un… That does make sense…” Though I said this, I was hurting deep down. The soldiers that had followed at the very beginning were by now mostly either dead or on the run and have never had an easy time. I wonder how much blood debt I owe by now.

As an ordinary high schooler, this burden is honestly too heavy for me to bear. Having the mental and emotional fort.i.tude to bear the responsibility for hundreds and thousands of lives is not something I can easily muster.

“Speaking of which, where does my lord plan to go?” Zi Long said as she extended her hand and helped me up, “This Ye city can be considered to be within Yuan Shao’s sphere of influence in Hebei so Yuan Shao is the easiest choice. If we take a boat, we can also easily reach Sun Ce in Jiangdong or Liu Biao in Jing state.”

“Un… Indeed, where to?” I muttered as I sank into thought, The Xu state 3 floated up in my mind, “I’d sent people to test the waters of each of the 3 you mentioned but none of them have returned yet.”

I wonder if they know about what happened in Xu state. Also, how am I ever going to get in touch with them?

“My lord, if it were up to me, Yuan Shao would be the right choice.” Just as I was unable to decide, Zi Long advanced the conversation again, “Firstly, you both have Cao Cao as a common enemy. Second, she is the closest of all physically speaking. Lastly, my lord is, even if in name, a descendent of the Great Han, and a.s.sisting you would be a perfect front for Yuan Shao… Un? Why is my lord looking at me like that?”

“Ah, no.” I smiled to cover up my expression before and waved my hands, “I thought that Zi Long would have hated Yuan Shao after what happened to Bo Gui.”

Zi Long seemed to be calm after hearing what I said, and her expression did not waver. I thought I’d said the wrong thing when she gave a ‘hmph’.

“Learning how to prioritise reason and emotion is of utmost importance. I may curse Yuan Shao privately but for my lord, I must look at the issue at hand rationally. The reason why my lord has been reduced to such a pathetic state is because my lord is always thinking about the sad things that have happened in the past, soft-spoken, indecisive and overly kind. Will you please reflect on yourself?” Zi Long delivered me a scolding that left me no room for reb.u.t.tal much like a teacher from my era.

Zi Long looked at me and sighed, “In any case, from a rational point of view, seeking refuge with Yuan Shao is the best choice for now–”

*Ka*! The door was brusquely slammed open.

“Who is it?!” Zi Long stood up immediately and yelled out at the person standing at the door, “I didn’t ask for any attendants!”

Zi Long’s caution made me nervous as well, and I squinted at the door as I hid behind Zi Long.

Because of a lack of light, I couldn’t quite see what the person looked like.

“Haa… Haa… Excuse me,” That person was panting and spoke in a very agitated and anxious female voice, “Is Liu Bei Liu Xuan Denstaying here?”

Un? This voice…

“Who are you? If you don’t leave now, don’t blame me…”

“Zi Long, wait.” I stopped Zi Long who was about to wield her long spear and stepped out, hoping to get a good look at who it was. When I did so, I saw that she wasn’t very tall and had a pair of big clear eyes that made one feel like she lacked energy atop a tall nose. Her hairdo gave a sense of propriety and prudence that was unlike her youthfulness. Right now, she had an anxious expression on her but I could still feel the aura of a knowledgeable and proper young woman.

When I realised who she was, I couldn’t help but to shout her name, “Gon You?!”

“Is it my lord?!”

When she heard me, her eyes widened as she ran towards me. When she finally saw me clearly, she dropped to the ground like a rock.

“Gong You!” I hurriedly ran forward and stretched my hands to catch her head.

“A, at last. I finally found you.” She muttered before fainting.

From what Zi Long said, it seems like there are no wounds on Gong You beside some minor scratches and she fainted from exhaustion and a lack of food.

A few hours later, Gong You regained consciousness.

“I’ve been searching for my lord for 4 days now. Ever since Xu state fell, I scoured Feng city, Xiaopei and Dingtao but I couldn’t find any news about my lord at all.” When she woke up, she returned to her usual calm and said flowingly, “I didn’t hold much hope for Ye city but I never thought I’d hear that my lord was recruiting troops here. I’m so glad, I’m just so glad.”

Gong You’s voice gradually got more tearful as she continued and I patted her shoulders to comfort her only to realise that she was trembling.

“Has Gong You been on a horse all this while?”

“… Ah, yes.” When she heard me ask this, she tried to hide the scratches on her hands.

Even though she isn’t very good at horse riding… It must have been really hard on Gong You for her to ride for such a long distance.

“Speaking of which, is everything well with my lord? Where is Lord Yun Chang and Lord Yi De?”

“… Ah, that’s a long story.” I chuckled and lowered my head as I held Gong You’s hands, not knowing where to begin.

Ah, no good. My feelings of relief and sorrow are threatening to overwhelm me. I’m starting to feel like crying.

“But this means we can go seek refuge with Yuan Shao right.” Zi Long interrupted and brought back the conversation to the main topic when she saw that the atmosphere had become awkward.

“… Un, Yuan Shao has indicated that she is willing to offer refuge and a.s.sistance.” Gong You nodded and looked at me, “Ye city is part of the lands over which Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are fighting over. This isn’t a place we can stay for long, we should hurry to Nanpi as quickly as we can.”

“I am of the same opinion, my lord.” Zi Long added.

That’s right, I can only seek refuge with Yuan Shao no matter what. And it is indeed true that I can’t just stay here.

I looked at them and nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I’ll go and gather our troops now, and we’ll leave for Nanpi immediately.” Zi Long nodded with a smile and quickly walked out of the room.

“… Speaking of which, my lord, the one from just now is–” The moment Zi Long stepped out, Gong You asked about her as she pointed at the door.

“Ah, she’s a subordinate of my good friend Gongsun Zan, who has now fallen and so Zi Long came to serve me. She is very impressive~~”

“… Another one came huh.”

“Un? Did you say something?”

“… Nothing.” Gong You shook her head as she smiled helplessly.