Chapter 23: A Favor for a Cake

  "No." Zhang Fei looked at Xu Feng and shook his head.

  "Alas... what a pity for your good martial arts skills. Come on, send him off." Xu Feng helplessly waved his hand and turned around, unable to bear looking again. At this moment, Xu Feng felt extremely stifled in his heart, as if he had lost the most precious treasure.

  As for Zhang Fei, Xu Feng really couldn't bear it, but what could he do? Knowing that Liu Bei and Guan Yu hadn't come to rescue him, Zhang Fei had completely given up hope, his heart set on death. Several attempts at persuasion were unable to change his mind.

  Several sturdy axe-wielding men came over, pushing Zhang Fei to one side. Zhang Fei was pressed down onto the ground, his face expressionless, as if he had seen through life and death. A burly man with a thick beard and a large knife in hand picked up a wine jug, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp of wine. After drinking, he lowered his head and spat it out onto the blade of the knife, which was covered in cold dew. The blade, now wet with wine, reflected the sunlight, shining brightly and flashing with a cold light, like a bloodthirsty beast baring its teeth, making people's hearts tremble with fear.

  Tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on the executioner's knife, gazing at Zhang Fei's meaningless appearance before his death. In their hearts, they secretly admired him, thinking he was a real man who didn't fear death. Little did they know, it wasn't that he wasn't afraid of death, but rather Zhang Fei had lost all hope and will to live, with a heart that only yearned for death.

  "The time has come, carry out the execution." Just as the sun reached its peak directly overhead, someone shouted loudly.

  The executioner glanced up at the scorching sun above his head, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and with a sudden swing of the Ghost Head Knife, both arms exerted force as it came crashing down, whipping up a gust of bloody wind. A cold gleam flashed through the air, and everyone's eyes widened in unison. Everyone understood what would happen next. The knife flashed, a head fell, and on Mount Da Xing, another corpse appeared - nothing more than this outcome.

  "Sparing someone from under the knife"

  At the moment when a thousand pounds hung by a single thread and human heads were about to fall, someone suddenly shouted loudly at the foot of the mountain, and then everyone saw that a bright and nimble figure stumbled and staggered running over.

  "Ah Gong..." Xu Feng turned around and gazed at the familiar figure, his eyes suddenly reddening as they welled up with tears.

  "Old Dad"

  Zhang Fei's thunderous voice shouted at the old man running towards him, Xu Feng was taken aback for a moment, this is Zhang Fei's father, then I...

  "General, have mercy... please spare my son's life..." The old man panted heavily, his face covered in sweat, and without catching his breath, he ran to Xu Feng's side and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.

  "Sir, do you still recognize me?" Xu Feng hastily bent down and helped the old man up, his voice trembling with excitement.

  "You are..." The old man looked at Xu Feng and shook his head, seemingly without any impression.

  "Old fellow, do you still remember that half a month ago, you gave half a pancake to a begging youth?" Xu Feng said excitedly, grasping the old man's hands.

  "Ah, I remember now, I gave half a pancake to a teenager over ten years old, could it be...". He glanced at Xu Feng and Zhang Fei's father couldn't help but be shocked "Could you be..."

  "Yes, I am that young man. Honorable sir, please accept a bow from Xu Feng."

  At first, that half piece of bread, although Xu Feng didn't bear to eat it, but the old man's appearance and demeanor, Xu Feng had firmly remembered in his heart, unexpectedly, this old man turned out to be Zhang Fei's father, what a coincidence.

  "Let him go..." Xu Feng waved his hand and shouted at the executioners. Since Zhang Fei was Lao Tou's son, even if he had done something wrong, Xu Feng couldn't kill him again. He would never repay kindness with enmity.

  "This..." Everyone was stunned. An old man suddenly appeared, and Xu General actually knelt down to thank him, repeatedly calling him "Benefactor". This is too strange!

  "Brother, I'm all confused, you tell me, what's going on?" Zhou Cang anxiously asked.

  "It's a long story, but the thing is..." Xu Feng briefly told his experience of being a refugee recently. At that time, Xu Feng didn't know who the old man was, nor did he know that he lived in Zhuo County. If he had known, after capturing the city, he would have gone to visit him first and wouldn't have arrested Zhang Fei.

  "So that's how it is. Since this old fellow has a favor to ask of you, let's just drop the matter. Come on, release him." Zhou Cang waved his hand at the soldiers who were still in a daze, and they had no choice but to release Zhang Fei on the spot.

  "It's really you, I didn't expect that you would become a general of the Yellow Turbans. The old man heard from the people in the city just the other day that there was a General Xu of the Yellow Turbans who treated the common people with kindness and hated evil, but he didn't think it was actually you. Thank you, General, for sparing my dog's life." The old man knelt down again, knocking his head on the ground, although he had been given a pancake, Zhang Fei's father did not dare to be presumptuous in front of Xu Feng, that was not a lifesaving grace, let alone Xu Feng being a high-ranking general now.

  "If I had known earlier that Zhang brother was your son, I would not have arrested him. Well, you and your son are reunited, which is a good thing. This matter will be dropped, and in the future when I am free, I will personally visit your mansion to pay my respects." Xu Feng's body still bore injuries, and after standing for a long time, he couldn't bear the pain, so he cupped his hands together and wanted to leave.

  "Kneel down. You ungrateful wretch, General Xu spared your life, that's a great mercy, yet you don't even thank him." Zhang the old man turned around and scolded Zhang Fei harshly.

  Zhang Fei also understood at this time, and did not expect that his old father had such a story with Xu Feng. For the sake of this half-bun, in front of tens of thousands of soldiers, Xu Feng actually knelt down to his father and let him go. This kid? Zhang Fei was extremely shocked, Xu Feng's actions made him feel ashamed and inferior.

  Half a pancake can be so heavy with emotions and memories, deeply etched in his mind. This Xu Feng is not simple.

  "I've told you before, don't listen to that Liu Bei who sells shoes on the street, he's deceiving you. You didn't listen and insisted on killing chickens and sheep, making friends with them, and gathering a crowd to cause trouble. They say they're serving the imperial court, but what kind of imperial court is it? Don't you understand? The Yellow Turbans entered Zhuo County without harming anyone, showing great kindness and justice to the people, punishing corrupt officials, and getting rid of evil tyrants. Which commoner doesn't praise them? But you've lost your head and want to be enemies with the Yellow Turbans, foolish child, you've lost your head!"

  Zhang Lao Han pinched Zhang Fei's ear and scolded him severely. Zhang Fei was very obedient, hanging his head down and didn't dare to resist at all.

  "Still refusing to kneel down for the general."

  "I don't kneel, a man has gold under his knees. I only kneel to heaven and earth, and to my parents. Zhang Fei never kneels to others."

  "Fine, you want to suffocate me to death, if you don't kneel, I'll do it for you." Zhang Lao Han was so angry that his whiskers were almost crooked, just about to kneel down when Xue Feng hastily held him back. "Forget it, Master, the matter is over, don't blame him anymore, take him back home, I still have things to attend to, won't keep you company." After saying this, Xue Feng looked at Zhang Fei with a helpless expression and hastily bid farewell and left.