Chapter 7: You Cannot Leave

A few individuals hurriedly made their way to the scene of the incident under the guidance of Liu Deran

Oh! The Lord of the City Gate is angry, I am so scared!" Cui Juye was just worried about not having a reason to take action, but upon seeing Zou Dan's anger, he coldly smiled to himself and said in a sinister tone: "Come on, strike here.

"Cui family? Hmph." Huangfu Cen let out a light snort, casting a disdainful glance at a few individuals. His contempt was evident. With a grim expression, he said, "I am here; none of you can touch him today."

"What are you all doing? Why aren't you coming over to help?" Liu Deran called out

Gongsun Zan raised his hand to deal with that fellow. However, he was stopped. Huangfu Cen smiled, stepped forward to stand in front of Cui Juye, and brought his own chin close to the person who was reprimanding him, saying with a smile: "Hehe, I really am nothing special."

"Cui Juye, do not go too far." Zou Dan arrived from behind and also heard the conversation among several people. Although the matter was indeed Liu Bei's fault, the rights and wrongs had other complexities, and Liu Bei could not be entirely blamed.

Gongsun Zan glared angrily, and the members of the Cui clan, intimidated by Gongsun Zan's remaining authority, hurriedly retracted their words and ceased further discussion

Hmph! Those who are sensible should quickly release Liu Bei. "Gongsun Zan shot a disdainful glance at his archrival before clasping his hands together, his contempt evident as he said: "Cui Jueye, if you have the guts, come at me directly. Picking on a weakling like Liu Bei, don't you have any shame?"

As soon as Huangfu Cen's imposing presence was mentioned, several young members of the Cui family were immediately intimidated

Oh dear! This young master is not very bright; he has been quite foolish since childhood and truly needs your guidance. What is considered excessive, and what is not?" Cui Juye mockingly addressed several members of the Cui clan beside him.

This, this... a few https://www.hetushu.com.com people are whispering and do not dare to speak

Haha. Behind him, Zou Dan and a few others laughed simultaneously. No one expected Huangfu Cen to speak so sharply; indeed, it was a scholar's way of cursing without using foul language

Hmph! Huangfu Cen seemed to have not noticed Cui Juye's sword at all, walking straight up to Cui Juye. He gently pushed aside the sword's edge with his finger and disdainfully said: "Everyone knows that I, Huangfu Cen, have a gentle temperament, yet they do not know that if someone truly comes to provoke me, I, Huangfu Cen, will never back down."

Seeing that Huangfu Cen's words were unkind, several people stopped what they were doing, glaring angrily at Huangfu Cen in front of them

"You little brat, I will kill you." Zou Dan had never endured such disrespect from a few half-grown boys; this insult was already unbearable, and he raised his hand to draw his sword.

Oh! What great authority you have, do not think that just because you are a city gate order, you can meddle in this matter at will. You are merely a dog under my father's command. Even that old scoundrel Zou Jing has to give my father some face, do you really think so highly of yourself?

What do you think we should do? Huangfu Cen understood that Cui Juye was trying to pick on someone vulnerable, knowing that he had no background and that Cui Juye had nothing to fear. With a calm demeanor, Huangfu Cen asked.

"Someone has died, and you all will have to face the authorities." Although Zou Dan held a minor official position, he had a very strong temperament. He did not expect that the group before him would dare to be so arrogant, lacking even a hint of a friendly tone.

"Damn you, I see you must be tired of living, daring to meddle in the affairs of the Cui family?" The shock on the faces of several people had not yet faded, as they saw the person who had just been behind them suddenly appear right in front of them.

Oh. Oh. It was only then that Liu Deran came to his senses, holding onto Liu Bei, but unable to lift him.

Good! What Lao Er said is quite right. Gongsun Zan immediately laughed heartily, as he had been worried about Huangfu Cen. He never expected that the usually mild-mannered Huangfu Cen could utter such words. It seems that his time spent with me was not in vain

Cui Jueye's relentless pursuit is primarily due to his longstanding grudge against Gongsun Zan

Gongsun Zan's expression darkened; he could neither take Liu Bei away nor allow Huangfu Cen to suffer any further injustice. The matter concerning Zou Yuniang was entirely borne by Huangfu Cen on his behalf. Having already owed Huangfu Cen a favor, how could he afford to owe another one?

What is going on?" Gongsun Zan turned around and asked Liu Weitai. Without much thought, it must be the work of the few people behind him. Although he had always looked down on Liu Bei, he knew that Liu Bei was not the kind of person to act sneakily.

At this moment, Huangfu Cen, who had rushed out early, felt as if his heart was twisted into a tangled mess, worrying about Liu Bei's current situation, and he had no idea how badly Liu Bei was injured. Although he did not care much about the butterfly effect, it would be extremely irresponsible to history if Liu Bei were to perish simply because of this trivial matter

"Zhuo Lingchang, I fear that you cannot shield the murderer, can you?" Zou Dan did not expect the younger generation of the Cui family to be so rampant, she said softly

Oh! What is going on tonight, why are there so many obstacles in the way?" The person with a tilted head walked up to Gongsun Zan with a sly smile, fully displaying a rogue demeanor, and said: "I thought who it could be? It turns out to be my big brother Gongsun!"

Haha. Big brother, did you see? He himself said he is not worth anything, it cracked me up. The members of the Cui clan at m.hetushucom.com burst into laughter upon hearing this, and those beside them laughed in unison.

"Brother Gongsun, I have given you face by allowing you to take Liu Bei away, but you should also give me some face. This person has insulted me in front of so many brothers. What do you think I should do about it?"

"What do you think you are? My elder brother is speaking, so why are you interrupting?" shouted a clansman standing behind Cui Juye.

I said, "Cui Juye, are you looking for trouble or what? Is this never-ending?" Gongsun Zan's mood had plummeted to the lowest point, and he exclaimed in anger

At the fingertips, it was none other than Huangfu Cen.

Cui Juye, a general under Yuan Shao, once led an army of over 10,000 men to besiege Gongsun Zan but was unable to capture him. While retreating south, he was pursued by Gongsun Zan's army of 30,000 at Juma River and suffered a great defeat

"What if I say this is not a trivial matter?" Taking advantage of the moment when several people were momentarily stunned, Huangfu Cen leaped through the encirclement and protected Liu Bei.

"You are quite perceptive, then we shall take our leave." Gongsun Zan said with a sneer, his lips curling in disdain

"Bo Gui, step aside. I need to teach these arrogant fellows a lesson," Zhao Dan said angrily

Huangfu Cen turned to look at Liu Bei and said to Liu De: "There is currently no major issue, but he has lost too much blood. We should take him to Doctor Zhao as soon as possible; otherwise, it may be too late to say what will happen."

Stop! Huangfu Cen leaped out and shouted to halt.

Before the sword could fall, it was stopped by Gongsun Zan

Cui Juye was so arrogant and overbearing, as it turned out, he had the upper hand. Huangfu Cen bent down to check if Liu Bei's breathing and heartbeat were still present, and hurriedly applied some simple first aid and bandaging.

"Dare you insult me?" Zou Dan, unable to contain her explosive temper, shouted angrily

Liu Bei?" Cui Juye turned around to look at Liu Bei and pretended to sigh, saying: "So his name is Liu Bei. I thought he was some thief wandering around my Cui residence at night, stealing my belongings. Since you, Brother Gongsun, want to protect Liu Bei, what do you suggest we do about this matter?"

"Huangfu Cen, let me tell you, Liu Bei has stolen items from the Cui residence and was caught in the act. We cannot be blamed for this. Even if it goes to the authorities, we are not afraid." Cui Juye recalled the earlier incident and steadied his mind, saying, "For the sake of Brother Gongsun, we will let Liu Bei go. However, you have insulted me, and you must stay tonight."

Hmm? A few people were taken aback; they had never seen anyone in Zhuo County dare to say such words in front of them. Pushing through the crowd, one person stepped forward, tilting his head and weighing the stick in his hand, exuding an unmistakable air of a young dandy. With a hint of a wicked smile at the corner of his mouth, he said: "It seems you don't take the Cui family seriously; are you here to cause trouble?"

"Dare you insult us?" Cui Juye raised an eyebrow, drew the sword at his waist, its cold light flashing as he pointed it at Huangfu Cen, and shouted sternly

"Wait a moment, the matter has not been clarified, none of you can leave."

Cui Juye looked up at the unfriendly expression of Gongsun Zan, feeling a tremor in his heart. Gongsun Zan's martial prowess was not something he and a few others could withstand, and the Gongsun clan of Liaoxi was also a significant family. It was best to avoid friction whenever possible. He took a moment to steady his tone and said: "I, Cui Juye, will give face to you, Brother Gongsun."

It is sufficient to be acquainted.

"Get lost, mind your own business," came a cold remark from the depths of the alley, as if they were completely unafraid of being seen.

Cui Juye, upon hearing this, steadied his mind, chuckled a few times, and looked at each other with arms crossed.

Oh, and the books. Liu Weitai and a few others carried Liu Bei towards the medical clinic of Doctor Zhao, as mentioned by Huangfu Cen

"Cut it out! Who are you trying to scare?" The members of the Cui clan felt a bit uneasy when they noticed that Liu Bei behind them was completely still. Although they had the upper hand in reasoning, the fact that someone had died made the situation much more complicated. However, they were unwilling to concede verbally. "Hmph! I see you must be blind. Uncle Cui is the magistrate of Zhuo, and our Cui family is deeply rooted in Hebei. Do you really think you can report this to the authorities? You should think twice before speaking, you pig-headed fool."

Cui Juye let out a sneer and disdainfully said, "Wait, he cannot leave."

Under the moonlight, Cui Juye was finally able to see clearly that the one who had just spoken was Zou Dan. With a hint of a sly smile, he straightened his expression and teased, "So it turns out to be the City Gate Order, Lord Zou Dan!"

"It is meant to block the horizontal, what can you do about it?" Before Huangfu Cen could speak, several individuals emerged from behind these people. Liu Weitai, Li Yizi, and Le Heding all tightened their grips on their clubs, surrounding Gongsun Zan. Zou Dan took a step back, yet remained within close proximity.

I am not an object; I am merely a person. Of course, perhaps you are an object, or perhaps you are not. However, regardless of whether you are objects or not, the only thing I can confirm is that you are not human

"Brother Zou, let me handle this." Gongsun Zan said with a stern expression, lowering his voice: "First, let Liu Bei pass. You can direct your grievances towards me."

How is it? Has there been any result from the discussion?" Cui Juye's lips curled slightly as he fiddled with his hands, a typical case of being unyielding when in the right.

"Cui Juye, you do not intend to give me face," said Gongsun Zan

Under the night sky, illuminated by the moonlight, I vaguely saw at the entrance of the alley several people ganging up on an individual. The small figure curled up in the corner, yet did not utter a sound