The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

The strong man approached the dead tiger, a look of joy on his face. He then put down the bamboo basket on his back, drew the knife from his waist, and began to skin the tiger.

Liu Chen examined his face closely and found that the man had a majestic appearance, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a full beard, which matched his strong and robust physique perfectly, exuding a fierce and masculine aura.

"What a brave warrior!" Liu Chen thought to himself again, then dismounted and stepped forward to bow, saying, "If it weren't for your rescue, I fear I would have lost my life. Thank you." After a pause, he politely asked, "My name is Liu Chen. May I ask your name, brave warrior?"

Just as the strongman was about to speak, he suddenly frowned, as if deep in thought, and paused in the act of peeling the tiger skin from his hands.

"Da da da".

"Young master, young master."

Yu Hai and the others had almost been shattered just now. Seeing Liu Chen safe and sound, they were immediately exhausted, but overjoyed. They quickly gathered around, dismounted, and bowed.

Yu Hai composed himself, and feeling both fear and shame, he knelt down on one knee and bowed, saying, "We failed to protect you properly, please punish us, young master."

The others instantly remembered their boastful words and disastrous performance, their cheeks flushed red, and they lowered their heads in shame.

Liu Chen didn't comfort them, but said calmly, "Like Lord Ye who loved dragons but was terrified of them, remember this lesson."

"Yes," Yu Hai and the others replied with their heads bowed.

Liu Chen ignored them and looked down at the strong man.

The valiant man, who had initially suspected something amiss, immediately confirmed Liu Chen's identity upon seeing Yu Hai and the others' behavior. He said calmly, "I have no name or surname. As for whether or not I will be rescued, you don't need to worry about it. I'm doing this for Hu."

After saying that, he continued to cut the tiger skin with his knife, his movements were very skillful.

Yu Hai and the others were furious upon seeing this, and someone shouted, "How dare you, a mere commoner, be so disrespectful to the young master?"

A few even drew their swords from their waists as a threat.

Liu Chen sighed helplessly. These people were more trouble than they were worth. Besides, at least they saved his life.

The warrior was enraged. He stood up, gripping his knife tightly, his anger blazing. The knife, stained with tiger's blood, was half black and half red, exuding a menacing aura.

Fearing a misunderstanding, Liu Chen quickly scolded, "Shut up and get out of here." He then clasped his hands in a salute to the strong man and said, "My guards are all hot-blooded and speak without thinking. Please forgive them, strong man."

"Hmph." The strong man snorted coldly, but his expression softened slightly as he continued to squat down and cut the tiger skin.

Yu Hai and the others were indignant, but dared not act rashly, and those who wanted to draw their swords stopped. They also gathered around Liu Chen to act as his guards.

Liu Chen felt a headache coming on after seeing the strong man's words and actions. He couldn't continue speaking, and it was rather unpleasant; he had been offered a warm welcome but met with indifference.

But Liu Chen felt that this brave man was extraordinary; he was a hero from Shu and might be the makings of a fierce general.

Even if you're not cut out to be a great general, you can still join the army as a common soldier or be assigned to be a bodyguard.

Thinking of this, Liu Chen said, "Brave warrior. This tiger is heavy; I'll send someone to help you take it back."

"No need, I have companions to help me." The strongman still had a cold face, as if Liu Chen owed him a thousand gold pieces.

Liu Chen was speechless, while the guards around him, including Yu Hai, were filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could draw their swords and chop this rude man into mincemeat.

Just then, the woman Liu Chen had rescued climbed down the tree with her child in her arms. She was still shaken but grateful for his help. She rushed over with her child, and upon seeing Liu Chen and the others, she felt a little frightened; the sight of the dead tiger sent chills down her spine.

"Are you the victor?" the woman asked after recognizing the strongman, hesitating for a moment.

The strong man glanced up at the woman, but ignored her without any regard for her appearance, and continued cutting the tiger skin.

The woman was immediately embarrassed, then took a deep breath, put the child down, and bowed to Liu Chen, saying, "My husband's surname is He. Thank you for your help."

The tiger was shot dead by the brave warrior, but she was saved by Liu Chen. She clearly understood the priorities.

"Win or lose?" He treated everyone equally. Liu Chen chuckled inwardly as he looked at the valiant man. As for the woman, he said, "It was nothing, nothing to mention." After a pause, he asked, "Is Madam injured? Should I send someone to take her home?"

"No, I'm not injured. No need for you to trouble yourself." The woman shook her head and waved her hands repeatedly. She hesitated for a moment, feeling she didn't seem to have anything of value to offer as a thank you gift, so she bowed and said, "I wished to invite you to my home, young master, but I fear I would be disrespectful. I have nothing more to say; please take your leave."

"Please do as you please, Madam," Liu Chen said.

The woman bowed once more, picked up the child, and left.

As the woman walked further and further away, Liu Chen glanced once more at the burly man who ignored him. Without another word, he clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Brave warrior, I will never forget your life-saving grace. If you need anything, you may go to Master Li or Qiu's house in Chengdu. Farewell."

After saying this, he mounted his horse and told his men to ride away.

"Hmph." Yu Hai and the others couldn't help but snort softly before mounting their horses and following Liu Chen.

After they had walked some distance, Liu Chen waved to a guard and said, "Go and follow that woman and investigate the background of that strongman."

"Yes." The guard was reluctant, but he still bowed and replied, then turned and left.

Liu Chen frowned and said to the guards, "You all boasted that you would hunt tigers first, only to be routed later. If it weren't for this brave man, I'm afraid I would have died in the tiger's jaws. This brave man shot the tiger with several arrows, and the wounds were all on its neck. He did this to keep the tiger skin intact, which shows his superb archery skills."

"I have great respect for such brave men, please do not look down on them."

The guards, recalling what had just happened, blushed with shame. They looked at each other, then clasped their hands in a respectful bow. Yu Hai led the way, saying, "Young Master is right. We will certainly be more careful in the future, and if we see that brave man again, we will treat him with utmost respect."

"Hmm." Liu Chen nodded, dismounted, and fetched a drink of water. A guard immediately took down a small stool from behind the horse and offered it to Liu Chen to sit on.

Another guard took out a scroll of bamboo slips and offered it to Liu Chen to relieve his boredom.

The others either spread out to guard the area or stood guard with their hands on the hilts of their swords.

Liu Chen glanced at their professional-looking group and shook his head. "They're all just paying lip service to something they don't truly understand." Historically, it was this very group that led the fight against Deng Ai.

One defeat led to the destruction of the nation.

"Who exactly is he?" Although Liu Chen was reading a book with bamboo slips in his hand, his mind was filled with the image of the brave warrior shooting a tiger.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter." After a long while, the guard who had gone to gather information returned on horseback. He reined in his horse, dismounted, and bowed to Liu Chen, saying, "Reporting to my lord, I have found out. The man's surname is Zhang, and his given name is Sheng. He is the grandson of Zhang Ren, a famous general under Liu Zhang."

Liu Chen raised an eyebrow and suddenly felt enlightened.

So that's how it is. There's no such thing as hatred without a reason.

Liu Bei attacked Liu Zhang. Many people in Yizhou surrendered, while many others resisted. Zhang Ren was exceptionally loyal and brave, leading his troops in several battles against Liu Bei, before finally being captured at Mianzhu.

Liu Bei tried to persuade Zhang Ren to surrender, but Zhang Ren bravely faced death.

My last words were: "This old minister will never serve two masters again."

Liu Bei sighed, showing great respect for Zhang Ren.