Zhang Fei smiled smugly as he landed on his feet.

Then he reached out and grabbed Zhuge Liang's belt, pulling him off the horse like a chick.

Liu Bei asked in surprise, "Is it really Master Kongming?"

Zhang Fei raised his thick eyebrows: "Hehe, it's the real deal!"

Liu Bei was so frightened that his face changed drastically, and he was completely sober.

Zhuge Liang remained calm, his eyes wide open.

"You brutes, trespassing on private property, you've gone too far!"

"Shut up!" Zhang Fei grabbed Zhuge Liang's shoulder and scolded him gruffly.

“My elder brother has come to Wolonggang to pay his respects three times, which is more than enough. Yet you are ungrateful and lie at home sleeping. If it weren’t for my elder brother’s persuasion, I would have burned down your dilapidated thatched hut long ago!”

Li Huan understood.

Previously, the old scandal of Zhang Fei forcibly taking a young girl as his wife was revealed, which made Zhang Fei extremely angry and ashamed. He then vented his anger on Zhuge Liang, captured him from his thatched hut, and handed him over to Liu Bei.

Seeing Liu Bei trembling with anger, Guan Yu quickly rebuked Zhang Fei: "Third brother, stop talking!"

Liu Bei quickly stepped forward, swiftly untied the rope from Zhuge Liang, and then kowtowed to apologize.

"Yide was rude and offended Master Kongming. I hope you will forgive him!"

Zhuge Liang glared at Zhang Fei: "He barged into the thatched cottage and, without saying a word, tied me up. He's utterly barbaric!"

Li Huan laughed and said, "General Zhang drank a few more bottles of wine and his head was spinning for a moment. He didn't mean to bully Mr. Kongming."

Zhuge Liang then noticed Li Huan, attracted by his hairstyle and clothing, and curiously looked at the electric tricycle and the simple dining chair.

Liu Bei hurriedly explained, "Knowing that Master Kongming was taking a nap, I didn't want to disturb him, so I ate here and waited for him to wake up..."

Suddenly, a page boy came running from a distance, followed by seven or eight villagers.

The villagers, armed with hoes or sickles, surrounded Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, shouting as they did so.

With a whoosh, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei drew their swords to protect Liu Bei.

The pageboy's face was stained with blood, and he held a cloth shoe in one hand and a feather fan in the other.

He asked anxiously, "Are you alright, sir?"

Zhuge Liang said, "I'm fine. How are your injuries?"

The pageboy's eyes reddened, and he said aggrievedly, "Zhang Fei kicked me down the steps, and I broke my forehead..."

Zhang Fei retorted, "You blocked my way and even bit my arm, how could I not kick you?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei became even angrier and trembled all over.

Guan Yu also felt this was inappropriate and said to Zhang Fei, "Third brother, you're really something!"

Liu Bei hurriedly ordered, "Yun Chang, go and get twenty taels of gold and give it to Master Kongming to treat the page's injuries."

Guan Yu sheathed his sword and walked toward Zhang Fei's "Black Steed".

"Wait!" Li Huan called out.

Guan Yu was taken aback and turned to look at Li Huan: "What is it?"

Li Huan said to Liu Bei, "You three brothers have eaten and drunk your fill, so you should pay one hundred taels of gold. The amount cannot be less."

Liu Bei hurriedly said, "Yide injured Mr. Kongming's pageboy, so he should first pay for the medicine."

Li Huan said, "We should indeed compensate them for their medical expenses, but the one hundred taels of gold was agreed upon beforehand and should be paid to me first!"

Liu Bei said, "Don't rush, I'll give you eighty taels for now, and the other seventy taels will be on the tab. Come back to Xinye with me to settle the accounts."

Li Huan said, "No, after you return to Xinye, send someone with gold to Wolonggang to compensate the page!"

Determined to complete the mission, Li Huan refused to compromise.

Zhuge Liang looked surprised: "What kind of food is this, so expensive that it costs a hundred taels of gold?"

Li Huan reached out and lifted the lid of the food bucket to reveal various dishes.

"Four meat dishes: braised ribbonfish, braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, sweet and sour pork ribs, and spicy diced chicken."

"Four vegetarian dishes: stir-fried green peppers with eggs, stir-fried lettuce with garlic, bean sprouts with vermicelli, and stir-fried lettuce with dried tofu."

Although Zhuge Liang traveled extensively and tasted all kinds of delicacies, had he ever seen these eight dishes before?

Next, Li Huan began to introduce the origin and characteristics of "ribbonfish, chili peppers, romaine lettuce, and lettuce".

Zhuge Liang was so engrossed in listening that his stomach growled a few times.

Liu Bei, quick-witted as ever, immediately picked up his chopsticks and respectfully handed them to Zhuge Liang, saying, "Please, Master Kongming, have a taste."

Zhuge Liang readily accepted, picked up a piece of braised ribbonfish, and ate it with relish.

"Hmm, this fish tastes delicious and makes one's appetite soar."

Seeing Zhuge Liang smile, Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief, and the villagers left on their own.

Zhuge Liang ate another slice of "preserved mustard greens with braised pork," praising it repeatedly and gesturing for his page to taste it as well.

After swallowing a few pieces of spicy chicken, Zhuge Liang's face turned red from the spiciness.

Liu Bei poured a glass of beer for him: "Mr. Kongming, this is beer from a foreign land. It is very refreshing and can relieve the spiciness."

Zhuge Liang took the glass and found it interesting to see the beer foam expand and then decrease.

He tilted his head back, drank half a glass of beer, quickly let out a burp, and felt instantly refreshed!

Li Huan smiled and said, "Mr. Kongming, are these dishes worth the price?"

Zhuge Liang sincerely said, "These delicacies are of unparalleled taste, produced overseas, and are rare in the world. They should be sold at a high price."

Li Huan said, "Each boxed meal costs five taels of gold, and Liu Huangshu bought thirty of them."

Zhuge Liang asked Liu Bei, "Why did you buy so many? Even if the three of you have big appetites, you can't finish thirty servings."

Liu Bei explained, "To be honest, Mr. Kongming, I made a bet with the stall owner Li Huan that if he could reveal Yun Chang's secret, I would buy these thirty boxed meals."

Zhuge Liang laughed and said, "Clearly, General Liu has lost."

Liu Bei looked on with admiration: "Li Huan's cooking skills are superb, and he is also proficient in divination. He not only revealed Yun Chang's secret, but also accurately calculated Yi De's secret. It's amazing!"

After listening, Zhuge Liang became interested and put down his chopsticks.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!