Such a Magnificent Beard!

After saying our goodbyes to Kong Rong, an attendant of his lead us towards the horse stables where we were given some Thoroughbred Red and Black horses, me getting the red one while Cai Yan got the black one.

"You know how to ride her?" I asked Cai Yan as she got on her Black Mare while I got on my Red Stallion.

"Of course I do, I learned how to ride a horse at a young age." She said with a rather proud look on her face while I petted mine.

"I come from a family full of horse riders, so this is second nature to me, I was able to break in a wild horse by the time I was seven even." I said proudly, though now I'm regretting a bit not actually living most of my childhood out myself and instead of letting NPC me live out my childhood, next life I'll go and personally grow up, though hopefully it gives me the option to remember things after I turn 3 or 4, I don't desire to remember the time of being a baby and being breastfed.

"Anyway enough about that, let's head south to Langye!" I said before tapping my heels onto the sides of my horse as both me and Cai Yan made our way to Langye.

..

.

The next day

After spending a night in a small woodsman village we left by dawn and by midday we saw the capital of Langye in the distance.

After Liu Bei took control of it the city went from a small city to a large regional city that could house over 500 thousand people within its walls, though compared to the capital before it was destroyed it's still small as the capital could house well over 5 million people in its walls before Dong Zhuo burned it all to the ground with many of its citizens scattering all across China.

"I can't believe I'm finally home." Cai Yan said with a bright smile plastering her face as I smiled with her as we let the horses rest as we kept our speed to a canter so as not to exhaust them further as we made our way to the main gates of Langye.

And not long later we made it there, though there was a long line of people trying to enter the city, refugees from across China are flocking under Liu Bei's banner as the people of China have come to view him as the only legitimate candidate to possibly become the Han Dynasty's next Emperor do to his royal heritage along with his humble and kind personality allowing home to convince Han Dynasty Settlements under the old Han control to willingly surrender to him of their free will.

And with the aid he provided Tao Quan when he was under threat of CaoCao, before his death from sickness, he offered all of the lands he owned to Liu Bei as he saw him as an adoptive son of his, one that he never got to have in his long, long life to which Liu Bei humbly accepted and thus when his time had come Liu Bei had claimed both the Donghai Province and the Xapi Province under his direct rule along with the main city of the Pengcheng Province as well.

"Well, looks like we will have a long wait." I say rubbing my chin as the line was very long and it might take hours to get through this all.

"But we need to get this letter to Liu Bei as quickly as we can right?" Cai Yan asks as the more time we waste, the more danger Kong Rong will face.

I rub my chin and hold up my hand stopping us from cresting the hill that would put us in plain view of the front gate.

"I have an idea, Red, Black, I need you both to act tired as we make it to the guards that we galloped the entire way to deliver the message from Kong Rong, can you do that for me?" I said petting both Red and Blacks heads.

"You can speak to Horses?" Cai Yan says surprised while I just raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't I just say I was raised around horses, let's just say I have a way of getting my words across to them that they can properly understand." I said to which they both snorted while looking at me, signaling they understood.

"Okay Cai Yan, hold the reigns tight, we are heading their at a breakneck pace!" I said slapping Red's side.

They neighed loudly as they stood on their hide legs before breaking into a full sprint while Cai Yan had to hold on for dear life as we crested the hill and got in sight of the main gates of Langye.

"Make way! Make way! Emergency message from Lord Kong Rong! Make way! Make way!" I shouted out as both me and Cai Yan rushed towards Langye as we went around the crowds of people waiting their turn to enter the main gate.

I kept shouting for everyone to make way as we went around from the side to pass the other travelers while saying what we were here for which stopped any possible discontent anyone would have for us cutting past the extremely long line.

Though seeing our rush towards the front and towards the gates, the guards began to rally as they prepared their swords and spears at us, "Halt! Any further movement and we will consider you an enemy of our lord and my brother Liu Bei!" A man with a magnificent flowing beard that I had ever seen, jumped down from the ramparts and stand in front of the guards as he pointed his Green Dragon Cresent Guandao towards us both as I controlled both Red and black to make them come to a halt.

"I'd know that magnificent beard anywhere! Your Guan Yu! Thank goodness I was able to find one Liu Bei's sworn brothers so soon!" I said as I got off Red, while Cai Yan was to dizzy to move from her horse from the sudden speed we were all at.

(Guan Yu)

Hearing someone say how magnificent his beard was made Guan Yu rather proud, after all it was hard work keeping the hair on his head and the hair on his face neatly clean, making him habitually stroke his beard from hearing that.

"Well I am flattered to hear you say that, that still doesn't explain you and your companions actions at coming to the main gate without sticking to the line like everyone else." He said while shaking his head.

"I understand, however it was an urgent emergency that I passed this message to Liu Bei, or one of his Oathsworn brothers." I say pulling out the scroll and holding it out towards Guan Yu.

Seeing this he walked up to me and took it, soon enough he opened it up and read the contents, which I assumed was Kong Rong asking for aid and possibly some other things but that being the main issue.

"I see, Yuan Shao and his sons point their sights to Kong Rong and he requires our aid, he's a staunched ally of ours and I am sure my brother will be more than willing to offer assistance." He says with a nod as he places the scroll into his robes for safe keeping.

"Oh and I have another thing to say, I think you might know my companion here, and her father who is desperately trying to look for her." I say as I see out of the corner of my eye that Cai Yan was beginning to get up, and just in time as he turns to see her fully.

"Your…. Young Lady Cai Yan! Oh what a relief! It's good that you were able to return safe and sound!" Guan Yu says happy to see the daughter of one of his companions safe and sound.

"Yes *Ehem* it was all thanks to my savior here that I was able to make it back home on this day." She said with a bright smile on her face.

"Then this is a cause for celebration, please come on in, I know my brother and her father would be more than happy to meet than man who saved the sole heir to the Cai Clan." He said to which all the soldiers and gate guards made their way for us before we entered Langye proper.