Three Kingdoms: Mistakenly Becoming Liu Bei's Adoptive Father at the Start

Zhou Cang wiped the blood from his face and continued, "A few days ago, that scoundrel Liu Dai, in order to borrow grain, led his men into our camp at night and killed Prefect Qiao. I and a few brothers escaped in the chaos, determined to avenge the prefect. Today, we finally managed to stop one of his men, but... but we still couldn't defeat them. If it weren't for you two, I would be dead here today."

"Get up," Liu Liang said. "What kind of behavior is it to kneel like that?"

Zhou Cang didn't get up, but raised his head and said, "Sir, although I am a rough man, I know I am a defeated general and have no face to ask for anything. If you don't mind, I am willing to serve under you, to lead your horse and stirrups, to follow you to the death, to go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Liu Liang thought for a moment, and realized that if he took Zhou Cang under his wing, Guan Yu would be one less person to carry his great sword in the future.

Seeing that Liu Liang remained silent, Zhao Yun quickly said, "Brother, Zhou Cang's swordsmanship is excellent, and he is loyal and capable."

Liu Liang steeled his heart, thinking, "Whatever. If Zhou Cang isn't here to carry the knife, someone else will." He helped Zhou Cang up and said, "Get up. From now on, follow me. We'll be brothers. No need to kowtow."

Zhou Cang looked up, paused for a moment, and then grinned.

That smile looked a bit silly against the backdrop of blood and grime on his face.

Liu Liang said, "Come on, let's find a place to bandage you up first. If you walk around like this, be careful people don't mistake you for a corpse and take you away."

Zhou Cang got up, limping, but he couldn't stop smiling.

Zhao Yun took out a piece of beef and some water from his pocket and handed them to him.

Zhou Cang didn't stand on ceremony, took the food and started eating, wolfing it down, clearly starving.

As Zhou Cang walked, he munched on the dry biscuit. After a few steps, he suddenly spoke up: "Sir, General Zilong, I have a favor to ask."

Liu Liang stopped and turned around, asking, "What is it?"

Zhou Cang stuffed the pancake into his mouth in a few bites, swallowed it, wiped his mouth, took a few quick steps to catch up with Liu Liang, and knelt down again with a thud.

Liu Liang frowned: "Why are you kneeling again?"

Zhou Cang knelt on the ground, looked up at him, then at Zhao Yun, and grinned, saying, "You two saved my life. I have no special skills, only the ability to kill with a knife. Meeting you two today is my good fortune. I dare to ask if we can become sworn brothers."

Liu Liang was taken aback.

Zhou Cang continued, "I know I am a rough man and not worthy to be called brothers with you, sir and General Zilong. But I truly admire you both. If I follow you without a proper title, I will feel uneasy."

Zhao Yun said, "To become sworn brothers, we need to follow a seniority system. How old are you?"

Zhou Cang said, "I am twenty-six years old this year."

Zhao Yun said, "I am twenty-three."

Zhou Cang scratched his head: "That humble man is three years older than General Zilong, so he should be the second elder brother. But that won't do."

Zhao Yun asked, "Why not?"

Zhou Cang said, "You two saved my life; your life-saving grace is greater than heaven. Second, General Zilong's martial arts are far superior to mine; I am but a student before you. Third, I am a rough man; I can barely read a few characters, and it would be a laughing stock if word got out that I was the second brother. Fourth…"

Liu Liang interrupted him: "Alright, alright, one is enough."

Zhou Cang chuckled and kowtowed again: "So, I dare to ask to be the third brother. Sir, you are the eldest brother, General Zilong is the second brother, and I am the third brother. Sir is the eldest, which is only right. Although General Zilong is younger than me, he saved my life and taught me martial arts, so he is also right to be the second brother. I am the third brother, which is just right."

Zhao Yun shook his head: "No. The order of seniority is the rule. You are older, so you should be the elder brother."

Zhou Cang grew anxious: "General Zilong! Just agree! If I become the second brother, how am I supposed to learn spear techniques from you? And if I have to act like an elder brother to you, wouldn't that be the death of me?"

Liu Liang, watching from the side, laughed out loud: "Alright, stop arguing. Zhou Cang, do you really want to be the third brother? Or are you just being polite?"

Zhou Cang thumped his chest loudly: "Sincere! More genuine than real gold!"

Liu Liang then looked at Zhao Yun: "Zilong, what about you?"

Zhao Yun said, "I will listen to my elder brother."

Liu Liang said, "Then it's settled. Zhou Cang, you are the third brother. Zilong is your second brother, but you can't address each other as brothers to others."

"Understood, understood! I call my eldest brother Mr., and my second brother General Zilong." Zhou Cang grinned and laughed like a child.

After laughing, he continued kowtowing, but Liu Liang grabbed him.

"Stop kowtowing! If you hurt your head, who's going to lead my horse?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I, Zhou Cang, will be your groom for life!" Zhou Cang rubbed his hands together with joy, spun around twice, then suddenly remembered something and turned back: "Big brother, second brother, when are we going to have a proper ceremony? Like killing a chicken and a sheep, burning incense and kowtowing."

Liu Liang said, "Let's talk about it after we leave Chang'an. The whole city is in chaos right now; where are we going to find chickens and sheep?"

Zhou Cang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, brother is right. I'll remember this and make it up later."

The three chatted and laughed for a while, then continued walking forward.

Zhou Cang followed behind Zhao Yun, his steps becoming much lighter, and the pain in his leg seemed to lessen.

After walking for a while, Zhou Cang quickened his pace and approached Zhao Yun, scratching his head as he said, "Second Brother, your spear technique is amazing... Could you teach me sometime?"

Zhao Yun laughed and said, "First, practice your swordsmanship."

Zhou Cang chuckled: "Of course, of course."

Liu Liang walked ahead, listening to the murmurs behind him, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He came to Chang'an to find Diao Chan, but ended up picking up Zhou Cang first.

This trip was worth it.

Liu Liang, accompanied by Zhao Yun and Zhou Cang, traversed half of a street that had been burned to pieces, and finally found the residence of Situ Wang Yun.

Unlike the surrounding dilapidated doors and windows, this mansion, though also harassed by marauding soldiers and bearing traces of torch smoke at the entrance, had intact doors and the three characters "Situ Mansion" still on the lintel.

A few lights shone through the crack in the door, and one could vaguely see people moving around inside.

Zhou Cang muttered, "Is this family still alive?"

Liu Liang did not go in immediately, but stood at the door, considering his next move.

Wang Yun, Minister of Works, was one of the Three Dukes.

When Dong Zhuo was alive, he feigned madness and avoided trouble.

Dong Zhuo is gone; he should still be in that mansion.

Diao Chan is his adopted daughter, so she should be there too.

The problem is, how do I meet people?

You can't just walk up to him and say, "Minister Wang, I've heard you have an adopted daughter named Diao Chan. I'd like to meet her."

Liu Liang rubbed his temples.

Zhao Yun and Zhou Cang stood guard on either side of Liu Liang, vigilantly scanning the pedestrians and carriages passing by.

Liu Liang suddenly turned his head to look at Zhao Yun: "Zilong, tell me... am I pretty boring?"

Zhao Yun, without looking to the side, answered without the slightest hesitation: "Brother, you always have your reasons for doing things."

Zhou Cang scratched his head, not understanding at all what Zhao Yun meant by "boring," but seeing Zhao Yun's prompt answer, he nodded emphatically as well: "Yes, that's right! There's always a reason why Big Brother does things."

Liu Liang looked at the two of them and couldn't help but smile.

One follows without questioning right or wrong, while the other doesn't even bother to ask and simply nods in agreement.

Unfortunately, both of them were fierce generals capable of defeating ten thousand men.

"Let's go." Liu Liang straightened his clothes, stepped forward, and said, "Let's go take a look around the Situ residence."