Meeting Liu Biao

The next day, Yun went to visit Liu Biao alone. He left Diao Chan behind with Dian Wei and the kittens since if he walked into a trap they would be able to leave the city easily with Shadow's help.

He could fight his way out of the city and if he couldn't then he could just take as many people with him as possible.

Yun stood in front of the Liu Manor waiting for a servant to bring him in as he was the guest and it would be disrespectful to just enter the Manor. Soon a servant came to get him and he was led through the Manor arriving at the backyard where Liu Biao was drinking wine with his people.

Liu Biao is a man that was in his mid-forties. He has long well-kept hair that has already some gray hair in it. But even if he wasn't the youngest he was still quite handsome.

"My Lord, I brought your guest," says the servant as Liu Biao looked at Yun which was quite young for a General.

"Thank you for bringing him. How about you bring him a serving of our breakfast and some wine," says Liu Biao as he sends his servant away who nods before leaving.

"Now, how about you take a seat, General Zhao," says Liu Biao as Yun nods and joins the group.

"Just Zhao Yun is enough, Lord Liu," says Yun as he joins them.

"If you say so," says Liu Biao as Yun nods when the servant brings Yun a serving and places it in front of him.

Yun eats with Liu Biao accepting his hospitality out of good faith making Liu Biao smile seeing Yun accepted it.

"Now why have you traveled this far. I don't think you came just to meet me and gift me the corpse of the tiger that terrorized the nearby forests," says Liu Biao as he was a realist.

He knew that Yun came for something because even if he was from the Liu Family, Yun didn't have to visit him or gift him such a precious treasure like a tiger corpse.

"To tell you the truth, I am searching for people to join my army. I am going from city to city at the moment looking for talented people. If I found someone I send them to Zhending as I did in Suiyang. I am sure you heard what happened," says Yun as Liu Biao nods knowing what happened and that he recruited an assassin in his troops.

"I heard about it, but that shouldn't worry me since I rule over Xiangyang and said assassin helped the Liu Family," says Liu Biao as he was more interested in Yun's recruiting plans in Xiangyang.

"Now I am really curious why you have gifted me the tiger. Is it because you want to recruit someone that is in my ranks. If that is the case, I won't be able to help you if he someone important to me," says Liu Biao as Yun smiled knowing that Liu Biao would say that.

"I know that you wouldn't give me someone important to you that's why I want to gather people from around Jing with a lucrative offer," says Yun as Liu Biao was now intrigued wanting to know more.

"And what will be that offer you are going to reward those that you recruit?" asks Liu Biao curious about that.

"That will be a secret until the day of the recruiting. I want to hold it in a week if you allow it?" asks Yun as Liu Biao really wanted to know what that reward was going to be.

"I will send some messengers towards the villages near Xiangyang tomorrow maybe some brave young men come to the big city and try to get recruited by you, Zhao Yun. And if they don't cut it I will keep them for myself," says Liu Biao as he saw it as a chance to recruit more people under his banner.

Yun really didn't care about Liu Biao's agenda when he was interested in something or better-said someone as he says, "I heard you have quite an old man in your ranks. I need someone with experience in my ranks."

"You must mean Huang Zu. I can't give him up to you. He is too important to me and he is quite young compared to me," says Liu Biao as Yun smiled.

Yun was happy that Liu Biao seemed to not know about Huang Zhong even when he was the General of the Household of Liu Biao.

"I didn't mean Huang Zu, but Huang Zhong," says Yun making Liu Biao think about who Yun was talking about when Liu Biao began to smile.

"You really sure you want to have that old General?" asks Liu Biao as it was perfect for him.

Huang Zhong has a sick child which will most likely die sooner or later making his line end with him. Liu Biao would rather have another man be his General who has some descendants that could become loyal to him over time than someone with a dead family line.

Liu Biao wasn't really cruel but a realist that looked in the future and seeing this opportunity he would lose two loyal subjects but he could gain a whole new family which has a family line that is blooming and not dying out.

"I am quite sure. I need someone with experience by my side to learn the ropes of being a General from since I was promoted this fast and my father is only a Commander that was promoted to General only temporarily because of the Rebellion. If he could teach me a thing or two it would be helpful for me," says Yun as Liu Biao thought he made more from this invisible transaction than Yun.

"Then I shall inform Huang Zhong and his son to join you in Zhending," says Liu Biao as Yun shakes his head.

"That won't be necessary. He should meet me in the Red Wine Inn. The Inn with the red roof," says Yun as Liu Biao was nervous that Yun would be disappointed with the old General once he meets the sick son.

"Are you sure about this? Shouldn't he ride to Zhending and prepare your teaching material for you?" says Liu Biao as Yun smiles.

"I won't be angry if there is a defect with Huang Zhong. You can tell me, Lord Liu," says Yun as Liu Biao was pushing too hard for Yun not to ask even if he knows the defect already.

"General Huang's son is seriously sick. I just don't want you to become ill as well," says Liu Biao as he played it off as him being worried about Yun's well-being.

"They will be having their own room. Lord Liu won't have to worry about me but I thank you for worrying about me," says Yun as he bowed showing that he was grateful for Liu Biao worrying about him.

"Then I will inform him to meet you in the Inn," says Liu Biao as Yun nods before wanting to stand up when he remembered something.

"Could Lord Liu not mention my name on the recruiting. I want them to think that they are joining Lord Liu," says Yun as Liu Biao had no trouble with that.

"I will do so," says Liu Biao as he thought he got way more than he thought with everything that happened.

"Then I should be leaving. I will meet Lord Liu again in a week," says Yun as Liu Biao nods before Yun stood up and a servant led him out of the manor.

Yun returned to the Inn and Dian Wei seemed more relieved than Diao Chan about his return making him sit down beside her while saying jokingly, "It seems, I am marrying the wrong person."

"I know very well that you could fight your way back towards me if something were to happen," says Diao Chan as she lifted her veil a bit so Yun could kiss her.

"You know me far too well, but how was your morning?" asks Yun as Diao Chan just pointed at the kittens which were playing around.

"They were the whole morning playing around. How about you treat me like your wife and we leave Dian Wei behind to look after our furballs while we go out to see the city," says Diao Chan tempting Yun who looked at Dian Wei.

"Dian Wei, look after the kittens. Also, there will be a man coming to the Inn. I don't know if he will come today or tomorrow after having a loud conversation," says Yun as he wouldn't believe that someone like Huang Zhong wouldn't get angry after serving his Lord this long just to be gifted away by him.

"I will keep my eyes open," says Dian Wei as Yun stood up and helped Diao Chan before they leave the Inn.

"So how long are we staying? You wouldn't have agreed to this if you didn't feel guilty about something," says Diao Chan as Yun took her out in Zhending before informing her that he was leaving Zhending.

Yun sees that his future wife can already read him quite well and says, "We will stay for a week as Liu Biao will hold a recruiting for me."

"So you didn't get who you wanted?" asks Diao Chan quietly as Yun shakes his head.

"I got him but the recruiting in a week is just a decoy from the real reason we came," whispers Yun back as both knew they could be watched right now.

In the meantime in the Liu Manor, Huang Zhong was furious that Liu Biao sold him for just a dead tiger to a young General. He wasn't showing it on his face and didn't raise his voice since Liu Biao was his Lord.

Huang Zhong is a man who seemed to be in his early-mid-forties. He was tall and muscular. He was as tall as Liu Biao maybe a bit taller but had a stockier build since he is a soldier while Liu Biao is a scholar.

He has medium-long black hair that seemed to be gray at its roots and a long well-kept beard that was also graying up on the roots. He has yellow eyes with a tin of brown in them.

He went to get his son who was chained to the bed because of his illness. Huang Zhong had one servant named Ren and she was there to take care of his son, Huang Xu.

"How is my son doing today?" asks Huang Zhong as Ren bows to Huang Zhong respectfully.

"He is sleeping at the moment. Should I wake him up?" asks Ren as Huang Zhong shakes his head.

"No, but prepare his and your things. We were sold for a damn TIGER CORPSE. He will regret it someday to give me away for such a low price just because my line is dying out," says Huang Zhong angry at Liu Biao.

"Where are we going?" asks Ren as Huang Zhong saw it only fair for Ren to know where they were going.

"Zhending, it seems that the youngest appointed General needs a teacher and he wants me for that because he heard about what I did in the Rebellion," says Huang Zhong suspicious about that since he almost didn't do something that's why Liu Biao sold him this cheap away.

"Can we be sure that he won't kill Huang Xu just to be sure he doesn't contagious someone of his men?" asks Ren worried about Huang Xu.

"I don't think he would kill Huang Xu if he wants me as his teacher. But he will most likely isolate him from the others like Liu Biao is doing it right now," says Huang Zhong as Ren sighs in relief.

"I should send a letter to 'My General' and tell him that I will meet him tomorrow. I need to calm down before I meet him," says Huang Zhong as he began to write the letter while seeing the good side of living in the middle plains.

"Maybe we can find some medicine or doctor over there that can help my son," says Huang Zhong quietly to himself as he finished the letter.