Chapter 10: The icy cold will eventually give way to the spring days, and the beauty will sometimes don the hero's attire

Seeing this, Yuan Shao felt troubled and thought to himself: If it were not for Chunyu Qiong's indiscreet remarks, making this embarrassing matter known to everyone, why would he have to invite so many people to dinner just to show his gratitude? Although the Yuan family is wealthy, he had previously saved a considerable amount of private funds for the sake of his reputation, and thinking about it made him feel quite pained.

In the midst of the banquet, a singer in a pink dress suddenly took the stage, her body wrapped in light gauze and her face veiled with red silk. She danced gracefully, as light as a dragonfly skimming the water. The audience consisted of spirited young men, all captivated by the enchanting singer, their eyes fixed upon her without distraction.

Wang Yue, along with more than twenty people from the martial arts school, found that Yuan Shao had already made arrangements in advance, booking the entire venue, specifically to express gratitude to Lü Bu

Thus, after Lü Bu learned the skills of hunting from a young age, he hoped that by hunting more game, he could bring joy to his mother and earn the recognition of the villagers. Therefore, upon witnessing Wang Yue's exceptional martial skills, he resolutely decided to leave Bingzhou and accompany Wang Yue to Luoyang, as he sought to learn everything that could enhance his abilities, until one day he could earn the admiration of the world and have people gather around him.

No problem

Yuan Shao first invited Wang Yue and the protagonist Lü Bu to take their seats, while the protagonist sat on one side with his brother Yuan Shu on the other. Below them were Chunyu Qiong and other scholars.

Yuan Shu secretly thought: What strange individuals they are

Lü Bu shook his head and said: "He is my opponent"

Wang Yue also did not want to offend Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, and with a smile, he said: "Since Benchu has the intention, I will yield to him. Fengxian, you must not laugh at me for being too petty, okay"

Yuan Shao ascended to a high vantage point and naturally saw a group of people. At the forefront was Lü Bu, surrounded by the crowd like the moon being embraced by the stars, with Chunyu Qiong being the most boisterous among them

That is good

Chunyu Qiong looked around and said, "Where is Xia Mou?"

Yuan Shao observed that the time was just right, so he agreed and called out loudly for everyone to take their seats. He then invited several of those who had enjoyed the day's festivities to sit at the inner table with Wang Yue.

It is just that the practice is as clumsy as a big, foolish ox

Lü Bu said: "It is of no consequence; it should be this way."

Everyone laughed

The crowd erupted in another round of cheers

Wang Yue smiled, having received this courtesy

Xu You replied, "He intended to come today, but he was frightened by that giant insect yesterday. Upon returning home, he unexpectedly fell ill, so he entrusted me to come and apologize to Fengxian on his behalf."

Wang Yue also smiled and said, "You too."

For a long time, Lü Bu had almost forgotten how to interact with others; that cold, expressionless face was his weapon for self-protection. However, deep down, he yearned for the affirmation of others and hoped to find someone worthy of his affection.

Lü Bu could not help but think of Wang Yue, a man who appeared rough and uncouth, yet took great care of him along the way; such a renowned swordsman did not harbor any disdain for him due to his attitude, but instead imparted to him his secret techniques

Yuan Shao forced a smile and said: "Naturally, that is why I have rented this Drunken Country Pavilion, to express my gratitude to Lü Bu, so that the world knows that I, Yuan Shao, am a person who values gratitude and repays kindness"

When the Hakka presented the meat dishes that Yuan Shao had specifically instructed, aside from the few people present that day, even Wang Yue took a deep breath and hurriedly asked, "How can it be so fragrant and enticing?"

Wang Yue laughed heartily and said, "That should be enough."

Chunyu Qiong remarked sarcastically: "This Xia Muping usually only knows how to read books. It was quite a challenge to get him out this time, and he ended up like this. He truly lacks masculinity"

While joking, Yuan Shu, Zhang Miao, and Chunyu Qiong also walked over.

Wang Yue declared loudly: "Today, I will treat everyone to the Drunken Town Pavilion, and all disciples of my martial arts school are invited."

Yuan Shao's mood improved significantly, and he smiled much more naturally as he said: "Ziyuan, you and I have been brothers for many years, conversing with each other. Why must we speak in such a manner? If that day were to come again, Yuan Benchu would certainly heed your words and follow your advice, and I would also greatly value you, allowing you to fully utilize your talents."

Then how to handle it is entirely up to me

Lü Bu merely smiled

Lü Bu helplessly explained: "At that time, there was no garlic; it was only after arriving in Luoyang that I went to buy some."

Lü Bu then said: "I must have misspoken."

Yuan Shao said to Lü Bu: "Fengxian, if it were not for your selfless bravery yesterday in diverting the fierce tiger away from us, I, Yuan Benchu, would likely have met my end in the belly of the tiger."

Nature

Yuan Shu, standing nearby, said to Wang Yue and Lü Bu: "General Wang, Fengxian, in fact, my elder brother Yuan Shao and Xu You have long arranged everything. As for this meal, let our Yuan family host it, after all, my elder brother's life depends on Fengxian for salvation. Even my father has mentioned that we must properly express our gratitude to General Wang and Fengxian on another day"

Yuan Shu smiled as he recounted to Wang Yue how Lü Bu had prepared food using garlic on that day

Yuan Shu exclaimed in surprise, "Feng Xian, are you not a disciple of the Wang family?"

The Hakka tradition involves presenting wine and dishes, featuring fish and meat, along with several young maidens gracefully dancing among them

Lü Bu never believed that his heart was so fragile; it was merely because these people clapped so simply that he felt somewhat moved. It was an extraordinarily wonderful feeling

Yuan Shaoqiang chuckled to himself, saying, "It's nothing, I just didn't sleep well last night, and now I feel a bit drowsy."

Xu Youdao: "Ah, speaking of which, this time is truly fortunate. Thank you, Lü Bu. If he hadn't come out in time to divert that great beast, we would have been in grave danger in just a moment."

Xu Youdao: "Ziyuan truly admires Brother Benchu's broad-mindedness. If there is another opportunity in the future, Xu You is willing to serve Benchu."

Wang Yue cut off a piece of meat with a knife, put it in his mouth, and before long, he had cut off another piece. In just a short while, half of the roasted lamb had been consumed by Wang Yue

Zhang Miao, you deserve a beating

Lü Bu, with great strength, held the tiger skin in his hands and walked towards Wang Yue. Upon reaching him, he said: "Here, this is my food money for the next few months"

Due to the circumstances of being raised by a single parent, Lü Bu not only found it difficult to interact with the villagers, but even the innocent children were seldom willing to speak with him, ultimately leading him to associate only with wild beasts

Before long, someone informed Yuan Shao that the food and wine had all been prepared, and asked whether they should be brought up

Xu Youdun was deeply moved by the intention of his confidant. Just as he was about to express a few heartfelt words, he heard voices from downstairs and realized that Lü Bu and others had arrived. He then said to Yuan Shao: "Bencu, let us quickly go meet Lü Bu and thank him for saving my life"

Chunyu Qiong smiled and said, "Naturally, it belongs to you"

Wang Yue ate a bit hastily, quickly gulping down a few sips of wine, and jokingly scolded, "Lu Bu, you rascal, you spent several months with me back then, yet I never saw you cook anything so fragrant. Was it intentional?"

Yuan Shu laughed and said, "Do you think everyone enjoys martial arts like you do"

Xu You, standing to the side, laughed and said: "This matter may be a trivial issue for you, Fengxian, but for me and Benchu, it is a matter of life and death. How can it be dismissed with a mere 'no problem'"

Yuan Shao laughed heartily and said, "Since this is the case, you must first pour yourself three cups as a penalty, otherwise, neither I nor Ziyuan will let you off easily"

Yuan Shao then followed, descending the stairs together with Xu You, only to find that many friends were present.

Wang Yuedun was instantly speechless

Now, he has achieved it

All the young boys burst into laughter upon hearing this

Although at that time most doctors dined separately, each at their own table, in the community it was customary to place several tables together or to use a very large one when there were many people.

Lü Bu said to Chunyu Qiong: "Is this tiger skin mine?"

Xu You, observing Yuan Shao's unusual expression, initially thought it was due to the events of the previous day that had left him feeling unsettled, and that he had yet to recover. He then expressed his concern, saying: "Banchu, are you alright? Why does your face look so pale?"

Chunyu Qiong was the first to applaud for Lü Bu, followed by Yuan Shu, Zhang Miao, and others. Eventually, all the young men present did the same.

Yuan Shao and his two friends had met with their close acquaintance, and then he said to Wang Yue: "Master Wang, you have arrived"