Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 9 The Charm of Young A-Bei

Little Zhang Fei lay sprawled on the yellow earth.

He was covered in dirt and his face was covered in ash.

His round eyes stared blankly at the clouds in the sky, his expression like that of a dead dog.

He had been lying there for quite a while; it wasn't that he couldn't get up, but that he didn't want to.

What are you doing getting up?

Should I get thrown again?

He remembered that fight very clearly.

The first time, he reached out to grab the kid's collar, but his wrist was caught, his body spun halfway around like a top, and then he fell to the ground.

He thought it was his carelessness, so he got up and went up again.

The second time, he learned his lesson and instead of reaching out, he bumped into the kid with his shoulder, hoping to knock him over.

But the kid reacted incredibly fast. He dodged and hooked his foot, sending him flying again, this time face down, his mouth full of mud.

The third time, he used all his strength, swinging his fists like windmills.

But that kid was as agile as a squirrel, dodging left and right, and he didn't even touch the hem of the other person's clothes.

Finally, he was gently pushed in the chest, staggered back seven or eight steps, and landed on his bottom.

Three times, a full three times, he was beaten so badly that he had no chance to fight back.

Zhang Fei never submitted to anyone in his life.

His father, Zhang the butcher, was a big, strong man who could split a pig in half with one stroke. He was never convinced of this and always thought that when he grew up, he would definitely be able to beat his father.

But today, he was truly convinced.

He glanced at the figure standing not far away.

Isn't that strange?

This kid is clearly not as tall or strong as me, so how come he's so amazing?!

Zhang Fei felt incredibly awkward.

The boys from Lousang Village were even more surprised than Zhang Fei.

They stood not far away, huddled together in twos and threes, mouths agape and eyes wide with disbelief.

"Is that Quan?" A boy named Liu Ergou rubbed his eyes. "That Quan who's always sunbathing and doesn't really play with the others?"

"My goodness, I never knew Quan was so amazing!"

"I thought Ah Quan was going to get beaten up, but it turns out it was this dark-skinned kid who actually got beaten up."

The boys were all talking amongst themselves, and the way they looked at Liu Quan had changed.

They used to think that A-Bei's younger brother was a bit strange. He didn't like to play with them, didn't like to talk, and wandered around aimlessly in the scorching sun all day long.

They even gave him a nickname in private, "Dumb Quan," because they thought he might not be very bright.

I only realized now that they weren't stupid at all, but incredibly capable.

Just then, footsteps came from not far away.

But Liu Bei strode over, followed by Liu Deran.

Liu Deran covered his shoulder, his face still wet with tears, but his eyes were already bright.

He saw the dark-skinned boy lying on the ground in a sorry state from afar, and he felt so relieved that he wanted to jump up and clap his hands.

Liu Bei walked closer, first looking at Zhang Fei lying on the ground, then at Liu Quan standing under the locust tree, with an expression that said, "I knew it."

"Ah Quan, did you hurt him?" Liu Bei asked knowingly.

Liu Quan said calmly, "Don't worry, I stopped. I only fell three times."

Liu Bei laughed heartily, "Ah Quan truly lives up to his reputation as my master; he's amazing."

The group of teenagers erupted in uproar.

Zhang Fei, who was on the ground, showed a slight change in expression.

Liu Bei casually mentioned Liu Quan's reputation, then strode over to Zhang Fei, squatted down, and extended his hand.

Zhang Fei was staring at the clouds in the sky, lost in thought, when suddenly he saw a large hand reaching out in front of him.

He paused for a moment, then turned his head.

Then I saw a dashing face approaching, with a pair of large, prominent ears.

"Get up," Liu Bei said with a smile, "the ground is filthy."

Zhang Fei hesitated for a moment, then reached out and grasped Liu Bei's hand.

Liu Bei pulled him up from the ground with a forceful effort.

Zhang Fei stood up, dusted himself off, and looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei looked at him and said with a smile, "Being beaten by Quan is nothing to be ashamed of. Look at me, I get beaten by him ten or eight times a day. I'm used to it."

"Is he really your master?" Zhang Fei asked curiously.

"Absolutely true," Liu Bei said. "A-Quan once killed a wolf with his bare hands."

Zhang Fei said thoughtfully, "That's indeed impressive."

Liu Bei turned around and beckoned to Liu Deran: "Deran, come here."

Liu Deran walked over slowly, not daring to look Zhang Fei in the eye.

Liu Bei put on a stern face and said, "De Ran, you speak first. Did you just speak ill of someone?"

Liu Deran lowered his head and said softly, "I said he looked like the black-faced boy in front of the Kitchen God..."

"Why aren't you apologizing yet?" Liu Bei said in a deep voice.

Liu Deran bit his lip, walked up to Zhang Fei, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Young brother, it was my fault for being so talkative and making fun of you. I'm sorry."

Zhang Fei was always the type to respond better to gentle persuasion than force. Seeing the other party back down, he felt a little embarrassed and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Well... it's also my fault. I shouldn't have hit you. Is your shoulder alright?"

Young people are never willing to show weakness in front of their peers.

Liu Deran swung his shoulder with feigned bravado, even though he was clearly in excruciating pain, he forced a smile and said, "It doesn't hurt, it hasn't hurt for a long time."

Liu Bei laughed heartily, patting the two men on the shoulder. "We've become friends through this fight, so from now on we're friends."

"By the way, my name is Liu Bei. What's your name?" Liu Bei asked.

"Zhang Fei".

"A nice name, it sounds welcoming."

Liu Bei laughed heartily, then turned and walked towards the group of teenagers who were watching the commotion. His smile suddenly vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

"You lot," he said, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the boys, "were you all there when Zhang Fei and his brothers were fighting Deran, weren't you?"

The boys looked at each other, not daring to utter a sound.

Liu Bei continued, "De Ran is your fellow villager, and he's being bullied. Not only do you not help him, but you stand by and watch the show? You've completely disgraced our Lou Sang Village!"

Upon hearing this, the faces of the boys all turned bright red, revealing expressions of shame.

Seeing their deep shame, Liu Bei softened his tone: "Alright, let it go this time. Remember, we, the people of Lousang Village, can't back down when we're out there. If our brothers are in trouble, we'll fight together."

Several teenagers responded in unison.

Zhang Fei stood aside, listening to the young man named Liu Bei reprimanding the children, and felt a deep sense of agreement, thinking to himself, "Brother Liu Bei is truly a hero."

Then he looked at the boy who had knocked him down.

The boy stood quietly under the tree, his dark eyes calmly observing everything.

Seemingly sensing Zhang Fei's gaze, the young man turned to look.

Zhang Fei met his gaze, and his heart skipped a beat for no reason. He quickly looked away.

Scared!

Zhang Fei clearly felt this word in his heart.

He was fearless, not even afraid of his father's slaps, but for some reason, the boy's indifferent eyes frightened him.

There was no malice in it, but there was no goodwill either; there was only an air of superiority that made people dare not act recklessly.

As the boy shifted his gaze to Liu Bei, the feeling of fear he had felt vanished.

Zhang Fei breathed a sigh of relief.