Guo Jia's words left Liu Bei speechless. He was about to give up, but he calmed himself down and chuckled twice.

"Mr. Fengxiao is indeed a man of great talent, but my journey to Yizhou is a matter of confidentiality and I cannot tell you."

Liu Bei's words were quite blunt: I am not here to prepare provisions, but why should I tell you about my family's affairs?

Everyone just needs to understand and let us pass without saying anything; there's no need to make things awkward.

Liu Bei's tactic of retreating to advance was extremely well executed; even the brilliant strategist Guo Jia couldn't find any flaws in it.

After all, whether or not someone wants to work for Gongsun Zan is their own business. There's no enmity between them, so there's no need to hold a grudge.

Guo Jia, seemingly lost in thought, broke the awkward silence in the tent with a hearty laugh.

"General Xiahou, weren't we just wondering who should go scout ahead? Isn't this the perfect candidate?"

Xiahou Yuan glanced at Liu Bei and his two companions and thought to himself, "Just as I thought, Liu Bei and his two companions are the best candidates to scout ahead."

After all, the inexplicable disappearance of Xiahou Dun and his 100,000-strong army, with not a single one escaping back, was terrifying.

They sent soldiers to search for the courtyard, but none of them could find it, and none of those who did return alive. That's why the generals decided to go themselves.

However, no one is going; it's not that they don't want to, but that they dare not.

They could remain calm in the face of hundreds of thousands of troops, and even laugh at death, but they were terrified of this unknown existence.

Now that Liu Bei and his two companions have just arrived, aren't they just cannon fodder sent to them by heaven?

Xiahou Yuan immediately forced a smile and said, "Xuande, I have long heard that you three brothers are highly skilled in martial arts. Your second brother even killed Hua Xiong, the fiercest general under Dong Zhuo, on the battlefield. I wonder if you could go to Luoyang City to do something for us?"

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat, knowing that his opportunity had come, but he remained calm and said, "General Xiahou, can we leave after the three of us brothers have finished this matter?"

Xiahou Yuan immediately replied, "Of course, you can not only pass through my army, but I will also give you a hundred gold pieces as a gift."

"Alright, General, please tell us what we need to do."

Xiahou Yuan pointed to the map of Luoyang and said, "There is a courtyard here. Go and kill the people inside, and this mission will be complete."

Liu Bei and the other two exchanged glances, their eyes scrutinizing Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Yuan chuckled awkwardly at the look in his eyes.

Liu Bei's eyes seemed to say, "Are you kidding me? You have 200,000 troops here just to kill the people in the courtyard?"

Xiahou Yuan shouted, "Go and get two catties of strong liquor! I want to send off Xuande and the other two!"

Liu Bei was bewildered. "I haven't even agreed yet, why are you already sending me off?"

Just as he was about to retort, Guo Jia said from the side, "Liu Xuande is a benevolent and righteous man, and he is on very good terms with my Prime Minister. Surely he wouldn't refuse to help with such a small matter."

Even with all his patience, Liu Bei was still furious at the two of them's coordinated attack!

However, his goal was to enter Luoyang City first, and then he would think about other things.

He immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "General Xiahou, there's no need for wine. Let's go now."

After saying that, he ignored everyone and turned to leave.

The three of them walked to the gate of Luoyang City and suddenly heard Guo Jia's voice.

"Uncle Liu, wait a moment."

"What? Is Mr. Fengxiao afraid we won't go? He even personally saw us off!"

Guo Jia seemed oblivious to the extreme dissatisfaction in Liu Bei's tone and said quietly, "I can't say much, but I guess your purpose is to enter the city. As for the reason, only you know it."

Liu Bei was shocked and was about to speak when Guo Jia stopped him.

"Uncle Liu, there's no need to argue. There's no human being in this world that I, Guo Jia, cannot see through."

"I'm giving you a chance to get in, which could change the course of your life."

Liu Bei was even more surprised to hear this. Although he didn't understand why Guo Jia said that, it made him even more certain of his guess.

"So I've misunderstood you, sir!"

Liu Bei understood Guo Jia's good intentions and immediately pulled Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to pay their respects to him.

Guo Jia quickly stopped him, saying, "There are many eyes and ears here, so there's no need for formalities. I have something I'd like to say to my uncle, and I hope it can be of some help."

"Mr. Fengxiao, please speak freely!"

"Your Royal Uncle may not know why the Prime Minister has risen so quickly. It's all because of that person in the courtyard of Luoyang. That person is an immortal in the mortal world. Your Royal Uncle must treat him with utmost sincerity when you meet him!"

"Now that I've said my piece, you may go inside!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

Liu Bei looked deeply at Guo Jia's back, seemingly guessing Guo Jia's purpose!

The three entered the city. Although Luoyang had been repaired, it was still hard to hide the desolation within.

After a long pause, Zhang Fei finally asked, "Brother, what exactly does Guo Jia mean by all this? Why is he being so long-winded?"

Liu Bei scolded, "Third brother, stop talking nonsense. Master Fengxiao must have seen something and has been helping us all along."

Guan Yu also understood: "Brother, Guo Jia is so intelligent that he's almost supernatural. I suspect he's thinking of joining your side."

Liu Bei looked at him with slight surprise: "Second brother, I didn't expect you to see things so deeply, but all of this depends on whether we can get out alive."

Zhang Fei laughed loudly, "Big brother, second brother, if the three of us join forces, we can fight our way out even from among ten thousand troops, let alone a courtyard!"

The usually proud Guan Yu frowned and said, "Third brother, the person in the courtyard who could keep Xiahou Yuan's 200,000 troops from making any move must be beyond our imagination!"

Liu Bei shared the same sentiment. When they heard Guo Jia's evaluation of the people in the courtyard—that they were immortals of the mortal world, they were still just ordinary people, and therefore they had to take them seriously!

Liu Bei ignored the map and followed the guidance in his mind. Before long, he arrived at the outside of an exceptionally clean courtyard.

"Sure enough, this is the courtyard marked on the map."

Liu Bei suddenly realized that the root of everything was here. According to Xiahou Yuan, hundreds of soldiers had died here, as if there were two gaping maws in the abyss swallowing people's lives.

He straightened his clothes, as if making up his mind, and strode forward.

Drum!

After knocking on the door, Liu Bei stood respectfully by the door.

Since arriving here, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have felt a subtle pressure that has prevented them from acting recklessly!

"Come in."

The sound seemed to be right next to their ears!

As the sound faded, the door opened.

Just as they were about to step inside, the three of them were suddenly lifted off the ground and uncontrollably floated towards the depths of the courtyard.

The three were stunned, forgetting even the beautiful scenery in the courtyard.

The three of them floated to the outside of a pavilion before landing.

The three quickly steadied themselves and glanced at Meng Fan, who was drinking tea in the pavilion. They felt that the young man in front of them seemed to have experienced countless years, and his temperament was ancient and weathered.

Even the proudest Guan Yu and the most carefree Zhang Fei restrained themselves and stood aside, not daring to say a word.

Liu Bei was better off than them. Unlike Cao Cao, he had lived at the bottom of society since childhood. When he saw a figure like Meng Fan, he immediately knelt down.

"This humble commoner, Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande, kowtows to the immortal!"