Vol 7 Chapter 29 (2/2)

“Eh?”

He waved, and a carriage which was wider than any I’ve seen before stopped in front of us. Wait, am I going to have to sit on the same carriage as this fellow?

“Eh!”

Though I really wanted to turn this down, I was forcefully pulled up the carriage by him, and by the time I realised what was going on, I was inside the carriage.

“So big!” This was my first reaction upon seeing the insides of the carriage.

I couldn’t see much from the outside, but the insides were really luxurious. There were exquisite wood carvings on the walls and floor, and it was so s.p.a.cious that it could even fit a few singers and dancers.

I rubbed my feet on the floor, and found that it wasn’t an ordinary wooden floorboard. There was a beast’s furhide covering the floor. As I stepped on the furhide, I thought about the heavily armoured infantry I saw when I disembarked and trembled.

So this is Liu Biao of Jing state huh? What a wealthy and strong state.

“Sit.” Liu Biao said as he gestured to me. I frantically looked about before I knelt down on a cus.h.i.+on. As I did so, I realised that the cus.h.i.+on was also made of beast hide.

“I didn’t think elder brother would have so many possessions…”

“It’s not that many. They’re all things I’ve acc.u.mulated. It’s all thanks to the heavens which favoured Jing state, and I, Liu Biao Liu Jing Sheng.” As he said so, he spread his arms wide open, as though someone was singing his praises.

His opening seemed humble, but only his opening. That said, acting humble at this time would only make it seem like humble-bragging.

But let’s get to business.

“Elder brother,” I called out before bending down, “I, Liu Bei, am truly grateful to elder brother for neither refusing nor delaying refuge to me!”

When I finished, I bowed once more. Of course, these words were all prepared for me by Zi Zhong. She gave me some ancient texts that had over 1,000 words and wanted me to remember it but I really couldn’t. Expressing one’s grat.i.tude is important, but that was a little too much.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Come, get up.” Liu Biao did not seem to bother too much with these pleasantries, and got me to get up.

“Thanks, elder brother.” I said, and raised my head only to be greeted with the sight of Liu Biao with tears in his eyes as he looked at me.

“Elder brother, this is…”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.” Only then did he notice, and used his hands to wipe the corners of his eyes, “I’ve been away from the royal capital and have been fulfilling my duties to defend the south border against the Nanman. Now that I have had the good fortune to meet a blood brother with the same roots, I’m just feeling a bit overwhelmed.”

That’s quite an exaggeration.

“But you could have come to the capital for an audience with the Son of Heaven, no?”

“No, I won’t go.” He said as he raised a wine cup.

“Eh?”

Before I realised what was going on, I saw the cup slip from his hands and landed on the beast hide, dyeing it a blood red from the wine.

“Men!” He roared out, “Get this fellow!”

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