Vol 9 Chapter 17 (1/2)

VOLUME 9 CHAPTER 17: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS A MEETING WITH A SAGE ON THE ROAD (4)

Liu Bei POV

“Eh? Liu Bei.”

… Un? When I heard the girl’s astonished voice, I looked up and saw that her eyes were bulging. Because her eyebrows were raised even further than before, her bandana was now no longer obscuring her eyes.

Is my name that surprising to people? Hahaha.

Alright, I am actually quite delighted inside. I never thought that so many people would know about me even though I haven’t achieved much.

And I believe that this charisma is not limited to the name of Liu Bei. No matter what, there should be some significant that comes from me as a person.

“… Could it be… The one Kong Ming was talking about… But… Wasn’t it supposed to be in Xinye…” While I was indulging in my ego, the girl lowered her head and held her chin as she whispered softly. It was too soft for me to hear it and I was not inclined to ask her to repeat herself as she has a stuttering problem which will probably get worse if she feels nervous.

“Umm… Is there any problem?” I asked, hoping that she could explain herself. I could guess that she definitely has some issue troubling her that is related to me.

“Ah? Ah– Huhu.” She suddenly became alert when she heard my question and shuddered before hurriedly flailing about. At the same time, it seems like she bit her tongue from nervousness and she pulled down her bandana such that it now completely covered her eyes.

“No– othing, it’s just me, my own thing, that’s all…”

“I, is that so…”

She did her best to allay my concerns but she still ended up stuttering twice in such a short sentence. This nervousness ended up infecting me, making me stuttering as well.

Thereafter, it seemed like her troubles remained unresolved as her mouth opened and closed but no word came out.

“Benefactor, calm down. You won’t be acting up like this once you calm down.” Huang Zu could not watch any longer and interrupted us as she brought the girl a gourd and poured a cup of that mystery liquid for her.

When she received it, she finished the cup in one gulp and gave a long sigh, seeming much better than before.

“Ah, don’t be too alarmed Imperial Uncle. My benefactor acts like this sometimes, it’s a common phenomenon.” Huang Zu said with a rare, calm expression of hers when she saw my troubled look.

“My benefactor may have a stuttering problem but this is dependent on the situation. I too thought that it was strange at first.” She said as she recrossed her legs, “I’ve recently found out however, that my benefactor only stutters when she’s anxious, nervous or in some other pressing situation.”

“Huang Zu, do, on’t say anymore.” The girl hurriedly interrupted her and said so with a serious expression as she adjusted her bandana. If she’s stuttering now, and her face is red, does that mean she’s feeling shy now?

… Looks like this girl is cuter than I initially thought.

“Do, on’t look…”

“Ah! Ah, sorry.” Looks like my old problem is acting up again. Every time I think about a person, my eyes will instinctively focus on said person.

“Un…” She looked at me and cleared her throat before she said, “Alright, let’s return to the topic we were at before.”

“Oh, un.” I hurriedly a.s.sented. It’s not much but I did receive some degree of hospitality from her after all. Some awkwardness may have arisen but I still have not solved the is

sue for which I came here for.

“Umm, the reason why I came here is to ask for directions.” I said as I did my best to remember the route Sima Hui told me about, “Ah… If I continue straight, will there be a small village?”