Chapter 18: First Meeting with Jia Xu and Guan Yu

  But then Zheng Bo followed Zhao Xing down to the first floor, and Zhao Xing leaned in close to Zheng Bo and whispered a few words. After hearing this, Zheng Bo's tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and he quickly walked towards the wine cellar at the back of the hall.

  Zhao Xing, however, did not wait for Zheng Bo to bring the wine back and returned alone to the third floor. "This robust fellow, I am Zhao Xing, the owner of Drunken Immortal Pavilion. May I ask how this brother offended you, that you are so enraged as to seize him?" Zhao Xing stepped forward, clasped his fists in greeting, and asked indifferently.

  On the other side, Guan Yu had seen the person summoning the shopkeeper to go downstairs, seemingly to take out good wine for himself to taste. He had a few points of goodwill towards Zhao Xing, feeling that although he was young, he was steady and dignified, lacking the cunning and vulgarity of a businessman. So he replied politely: "I am Guan Yu from An County, I heard people say that recently, a wine tower opened in Changzi County, selling excellent Longhe Daqu. I came to pay my respects, and for several days, I have been drinking in your tower, feeling carefree and happy. However, I heard that the Longhe Daqu was brewed by you, so I asked your brother to find you for a meeting, to see if we could find some intoxicating good wine. Unfortunately, your brother kept making excuses and refused to go, and in a moment of anger, I captured him. Now that you have appeared, I will let him off." With that, he released his left hand from Li Jinwu's grasp.

  Witnessing this scene, Zhao Xing's heart was excited for a while. "He is indeed a fierce man! Li Jinwu has great strength like an ox and is famous far and near, but he was caught in his hands like a little chicken. If it were me, I wouldn't be enough for him to slap, haha, the more fierce he is, the more I like him!"

  "It turns out that it is, but the elder brother said that it is indeed true, and not hiding from each other. In fact, I have been away from home for half a month. If you don't believe me, good fellow, go to the city gate and ask the guards to verify!" Zhao Xing began to carefully plan another big scam.

  "So it seems I was wrong to blame your brother. Guan Yu this side apologizes!" After finishing, Guan Yu made a bow to Li Jinwu, taking responsibility for his mistake and apologizing.

  "Hmph, bullying me because I'm young and weak. Just wait till I grow up to be as tall as you, I'll definitely come find you for a rematch!" Li Jinwu said with a temper tantrum, not knowing his own limitations.

  "Just now, I heard the little boy at the gate calling out to the guests saying that the Zhuang Han wants to dismantle my Drunken Immortal Building, I don't know why?" Zhao Xing pretended to be somewhat annoyed and asked Guan Yu.

  "It's better not to mention it, but now that you've brought it up, it really gets my blood boiling! Your Drunken Immortal Pavilion is famous for being able to get even immortals drunk, so why is it that I've been drinking here for three days and still can't get drunk?" Guan Yu said with a straight face.

  "This wine shop dares to be called Drunken Immortal Pavilion, and it's true that it can teach people in the world to enter upright and be carried out drunk. If you don't believe me, let's make a bet!" A certain scoundrel has started to reap the benefits!

  "What's the bet?" Guan Yu showed no weakness.

  Zhao Xing didn't answer directly, instead turning to the middle-aged scholar and asking, "I wonder if this gentleman is interested in joining us for a game of chance?"

  "I'm not good at gambling, but I can be a witness for you two," said the middle-aged scholar with a smile, as if he had seen Zhao Xing's unease from the very beginning.

  "All right, I'll make a bet with you using this wine shop as the stake. If I can get you drunk today, you have to follow me for three years and protect me from all harm! But if I fail to get you drunk, I'll take down the signboard and give this wine shop to you!" Zhao Xing said boldly to Guan Yu.

  "Alright, I've made a bet! Now hurry up and bring the wine!" Guan Yu replied nonchalantly, seemingly very confident in his own capacity for liquor.

  "Hold on! Does the hero dare to bet even bigger?" Zhao Xing had already pulled in half of the net.

  "What's the big deal if it's a bit bigger?" Guan Yu asked in puzzlement.

  "I'm not only betting that the Drunken Immortal Pavilion can get you drunk, I'm also betting that my capacity for liquor is greater than yours!" Zhao Xingniu said with a grin to Guan Yu.

  The young and vigorous Guan Ergou heard this, raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but suspect that he had misheard. Looking at the little guy in front of him, who was refined and courteous, although he seemed to have a martial arts background, but probably just knew a few fancy moves, dared to challenge himself, I, Guan Changsheng, am not afraid of you!

  "Just now it was a wine shop, I don't know what you can take out to bet with me now?" Guan Yu had obviously been stirred up by his competitive spirit.

  "Whoever falls down first acknowledges the other as the elder brother!"

  Arrogant, absolutely arrogant! Guan Yu couldn't help but want to beat the little brat in front of him a few times. You dare to compete with me in drinking and still want to be the big brother? Dream on!

  "Alright, a gentleman's word is his bond! Please ask Mr. Wen He to be our witness!" Guan Yu said with a fist in his hand towards the middle-aged scholar.

  "Is Wenhe, but Wu Weizhang's Jia Yu Jia Mr. Wenhe?" Hearing Guan Yu call out "Mr. Wenhe", Zhao Xing suddenly became alert and hastily asked the middle-aged scholar.

  "A rustic from the mountains and fields, unexpectedly able to make my younger brother remember him, what an unfortunate honor!" The middle-aged scholar was quite surprised. Although he was a descendant of the famous Western Han scholar Jia Yi, his family had declined, and he was now just a minor scholar from Liangzhou Wuwei County, with no high-ranking officials or renowned names. And yet, the young man in front of him, who looked to be only 15 or 16 years old, unexpectedly owned a wine shop that had suddenly become famous far and wide thanks to its "Great River Melody", clearly not an ordinary person's family, but seemed to know himself very well. Logically speaking, this kind of young man with wealth and status would generally be proud and look down on others, so why would he pay attention to him?

  When the middle-aged scholar was hesitating, Zhao Xing was also thinking about it. Zhao Xing remembered that Jia Xu had followed many masters in his life, and only after following Zhang Yang to surrender to Cao Cao's camp did he finally stabilize. Historians' evaluations of Jia Xu are mixed, but they all say he is clever, knowing how to plan for himself in a chaotic world, and always able to remain safe.

  When Li Jue rebelled, Jia Xu was under Li Jue's command. Before Li Jue rebelled, he was a subordinate of Dong Zhuo, which means that Dong Zhuo did not make use of the person who was evaluated by Yi Zhongtian as the smartest person in the Three Kingdoms period, and Li Jue also failed to utilize him, it is simply the greatest waste of human resources!

  It is also possible that, according to Jia Xu's political wisdom and insight, he had already seen that Dong Zhuo and Li Jue were unpopular and would eventually end up in a situation where they would die without being buried. Therefore, at the beginning, he did not show off his talents, until after helping Zhang Yang use a plan to make Cao Cao suffer several big losses, only then did he become famous throughout the land and became Cao Cao's honored guest.

  Anyway, regardless of the records of orthodox history and fiction, now that Jia Yu is drinking in Suixian Tower, he is still unknown, which is the best opportunity to make a move!