Chapter 4: Zhang Fei: What Kind of Xiao Is This? Could He Be a Sorcerer?

As though struck by a thunderbolt.

Liu Bei’s body jolted violently, his expression freezing in a single instant of stunned disbelief.

Xuzhou had truly fallen.

“Only days ago you sent word that all was well. How could Xiaopei have been lost so quickly?”

“Yide, what exactly happened?”

Guan Yu, equally shaken, turned sharply on Zhang Fei and demanded an answer.

Zhang Fei knelt on the ground, his face full of shame, stammering in embarrassment and unable to speak.

“Zizhong, how in the world did you lose Xiaopei?”

“Could it have been an ambush by Lu Bu?”

Liu Bei finally recovered his wits a little, and his gaze fell on Mi Zhu, who had followed behind.

Zhang Fei and Mi Zhu both changed color, looking at Liu Bei in astonishment.

“Ho... how did my lord know that Xiaopei was attacked by Lu Bu?”

Mi Zhu asked, his voice trembling.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu drew a sharp breath, then turned to look at each other.

That man had been right.

Lu Bu, that faithless bastard, had indeed launched a surprise attack on Xiaopei.

“Brother left four thousand men for Yide to defend Xiaopei, and even ordered you and Gongyou to assist him. How could it have been taken so easily by Lu Bu?”

“Zizhong, speak plainly. There is no need to conceal anything.”

Guan Yu seized Mi Zhu, his agitation sharpened by a stern edge.

Mi Zhu no longer dared shield Zhang Fei, and could only tell the truth:

“At my suggestion, General Yide set a banquet to receive Cao Bao and the other officers from Danyang, hoping to ease the conflict between them.”

“But Cao Bao did not appreciate the gesture. At the feast he kept speaking in veiled barbs, enraging General Yide.”

“At the time, General Yide was already half-drunk. In a fit of rage, he lashed Cao Bao with a whip.”

“Because of that, Cao Bao, furious beyond bearing, secretly allied himself with Lu Bu and invited him to lead troops in a sudden assault on Xiaopei. He even opened the city gates by night and brought the Danyang soldiers over to Lu Bu’s side.”

“General Zhang fought bravely but could not win, and was forced to abandon Xiaopei. He then came with us to Xutai to report the matter to my lord.”

Mi Zhu recounted the whole affair exactly as it had happened.

Zhang Fei hung his head and remained silent, thereby admitting what Mi Zhu had said.

Having heard the full account, Liu Bei and Guan Yu looked at each other again.

“It was all predicted by that Xiao Jinglue!”

The same thunderous realization rang in both their minds.

That young nobleman from Jingzhou, who called himself a learned man yet had no name of consequence to his credit.

It was one thing that he had correctly foreseen Lu Bu’s ambush on Xiaopei.

He had even correctly predicted the finer details—that Zhang Fei, drunk on wine, would whip Cao Bao, driving the Danyang troops to defect and allowing Lu Bu into the city.

This man’s strategem and intellect were truly beyond belief.

“Brother, I am useless. I have failed in the trust you placed in me.”

“But that Cao Bao spoke to you with such disrespect—it was truly infuriating. I simply could not swallow that insult.”

“Brother, if you mean to punish me, then do as you please. Even if you kill me, I will accept it!”

Zhang Fei pressed his forehead to the ground, shame and self-reproach written all over his face as he begged forgiveness.

“What nonsense are you saying? Get up at once!”

Liu Bei helped Zhang Fei to his feet, then gave a soft sigh.

“It was I who acted on sentiment and gave shelter to Lu Bu, and so I sowed the seeds of today’s disaster.”

“Moreover, the situation at Xiaopei was already tangled beyond reason. Even I could not have sorted it out, much less you, Yide.”

“To have made you hold Xiaopei was indeed to place a heavy burden on you.”

“That you are still alive and have made it to Xutai is already a blessing amid misfortune. Do not blame yourself further.”

Seeing that Liu Bei not only did not reproach him, but even worried for his safety, Zhang Fei was deeply moved. Yet the more touched he was, the more he felt himself unworthy to meet anyone’s eyes.

“Yide, where is Sister-in-law?”

When Guan Yu saw that Lady Su was nowhere to be seen, he hurriedly asked.

Liu Bei’s whole body tensed at once.

He was nearly forty now, yet had neither son nor daughter. At long last, his wife, Lady Su, had conceived his child.

If anything were to go wrong, would that not mean losing wife and child both in a single stroke?

“When the city fell, it happened too suddenly. General Zhang and I led the remnants out through the south gate. We feared Lu Bu would give chase, and that if the mistress followed us she would be in danger.”

“So we split into two groups. Sun Gongyou, my younger brother Mi Fang, and the others escorted the mistress out through the east gate. By now they should already be heading east toward Haixi.”

Mi Zhu’s answer made Liu Bei breathe a little easier.

“Brother, now that Yuan Shu’s army presses from the south and Xiaopei has fallen in the north... how are we to proceed?”

Guan Yu looked at Liu Bei with grave concern.

That question, however, clouded Liu Bei’s face once more, covering it in a heavy overcast.

After a moment’s thought, a flash of brilliance surged in his eyes, as though he had suddenly thought of something. He sprang to his feet.

“Come. Let us go see that Xiao Jinglue.”

“In this situation, I fear only he can help us.”

Guan Yu immediately understood. Liu Bei meant to seek guidance from Xiao Fang.

“This man predicts events like a god. His intelligence truly surpasses that of ordinary men. I was wrong to doubt him before.”

“If he is willing to help, perhaps he can turn our desperate situation around.”

Guan Yu rose at once and followed.

Zhang Fei and Mi Zhu were left behind, exchanging blank looks in confusion.

“Xianhe, just who is this Xiao... Xiao Jinglue?”

“How is it that from the way the two brothers speak, this man sounds so formidable?”

Zhang Fei grabbed Jian Yong and asked, bewildered.

“This Xiao Jinglue is named Xiao Fang. He claims to be a renowned man of Jingzhou, and though he is only in his early twenties, he is truly unfathomable.”

“It was precisely this Xiao Jinglue who just now deduced that Lu Bu would...”

Jian Yong stroked his narrow beard and, with a tone of utter conviction, explained the whole sequence of events in detail.

Mi Zhu’s eyes widened little by little.

Zhang Fei’s mouth gaped open, and the more he heard, the more his scalp tingled; he drew in several sharp breaths in succession.

“This Xiao-whatever Fang can really divine things to such a degree?”

“How can there be such a terrifying man in this world? Could he be some kind of demon?”

Zhang Fei could hardly believe it and was reduced to incoherent speech.

Mi Zhu, meanwhile, looked dazed and murmured:

“Xiao Fang... Xiao Jinglue?”

“I have heard of many Jingzhou men of repute, yet I have never heard of such a formidable figure in scholarly circles.”

The two of them were lost in astonished speculation.

“It is said that Jing and Chu are lands of exceptional talent, a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers have dwelt since ancient times. It seems the saying is no exaggeration.”

“If you do not believe it, then come with my lord and see this Young Master Xiao for yourselves.”

Jian Yong let out a meaningful sigh.

Zhang Fei and Mi Zhu exchanged glances, then hurriedly rose and followed Liu Bei.

Thus the whole group, in a flurry of urgency, rushed to the guest quarters.

In the main hall, Xiao Fang had just eaten and drunk his fill, and was leisurely savoring fine wine.

Then Liu Bei arrived, bringing a great crowd with him as they surged inside all at once.

A quick glance was enough for Xiao Fang to notice several unfamiliar faces behind Liu Bei.

Among them was a burly dark-faced man, eight chi tall, with a leopard’s head and ringed eyes, a hawk’s beak and tiger’s whiskers, like a god of slaughter in human form.

No need to ask. It had to be Zhang Fei.

“General Zhang has come to Xutai. If I am not mistaken, Xiaopei must already have been taken by Lu Bu.”

Xiao Fang set down his cup and rose with a smile to greet them.

Liu Bei was first startled, then his face filled with sincere admiration.

He quickly straightened his robes and bowed to Xiao Fang with the utmost seriousness.

“Lord Xiao is indeed a master of divine calculation, truly a prodigy of the age!”

“Everything happened exactly as the Young Master predicted. Yide, drunk on wine, lashed Cao Bao; the Danyang troops mutinied; Lu Bu launched a surprise assault on my Xiaopei. Every single detail matched the Young Master’s prophecy without the slightest deviation.”

“I now find myself in such dire straits that I truly do not know what to do. I beg the Young Master to instruct me!”

At these words, Zhuge Liang, who stood by, could not help but shudder, and his gaze of admiration shot toward his own brother-in-law.

Xiao Fang, for his part, quietly let out a breath of relief.

His butterfly’s wings had not yet affected the timeline enough to reach Xuzhou. Everything that should happen had indeed happened.

His image as a man of uncanny foresight had now taken root in Old Liu’s heart.

So Xiao Fang helped Liu Bei up and said calmly:

“Xuzhou would have been lost today even if it were not lost yesterday. In any case, it could not be held.”

“Since it is gone now, all the better. Lord Liu may as well cast off this burden, lead your army westward, and seize Jingzhou!”

“I told you long ago: taking Jingzhou is the only chance for you to restore the realm and bring the Han dynasty back to life.”