Chapter 25: The Prodigal Son Guo Jia

  The rain is pattering down nonstop.

  In the grand hall, the fiery sparks crackled and burned ceaselessly.

  The young man wiped his mouth with a satisfied expression, stretched his waist and muttered to himself: "Having wine to drink is one of the greatest pleasures in life, what joy! What joy!"

  The young man bowed slightly and expressed his gratitude before lying down on the straw to rest.

  Although the wine in the jug had been drunk by the young man, he still occasionally picked up the jug and put it to his nose for a sniff, with an intoxicated expression on his face. This expression fell into Pei Yuanshao's eyes, making him furious.

  "Drunkard! White-eyed wolf!"

  Pei Yuanshao muttered softly, although Pei Yuanshao lowered his voice, but with Pei Yuanshao's loud voice, even if he lowered his voice, Wang Can and the young man could hear it clearly. Pei Yuanshao didn't care about these things, and continued to hold the wine jug, taking a sip of the wine in the jug one by one. A faint scent of wine wafted out of Pei Yuanshao's wine jug, and although the young man was lying on the straw with his eyes closed, his nose still twitched slightly, obviously smelling the fragrance emanating from the wine jug.

  Wang Can smiled slightly but didn't say anything.

  He gave a young man a pot of wine, a piece of flatbread and a set of clothes, which was already the utmost kindness.

  "Wow, I can't take it anymore, it's too tempting!" The young man's nose twitched nonstop, his drooping eyelids quivering, and after a long silence, he suddenly sat up, his clear eyes revealing a dazed expression. He stared at the wine jug in Pei Yuanshao's hand and laughed: "Big black boy, can I have a sip?"

  Pei Yuanshao didn't want to bother with the young man anyway, and immediately shook his head: "No way, I still want to drink."

  The young man smiled and said, "Drinking is a matter of great subtlety. When we drink, it's not just the taste of the wine that matters, but the atmosphere. At least two people are needed to create a good atmosphere. What's the point of drinking alone? It's better to enjoy together than to enjoy alone. Drinking alone is really not enjoyable. Why don't you share some with me and we can drink together? Wouldn't it be more fun for both of us?"

  Pei Yuanshao shook his head repeatedly, saying: "I'm just a rough man, I don't know what's fun or not, all I know is that you've already had a pot of wine, if I give you half again, I won't have any more wine to drink, can't divide it, can't divide it."

  Pei Yuanshao's gaze swept over the young man, his eyes falling on the wine jug, and he didn't even glance at Pei Yuanshao.

  "Who?" The young man's eyes widened and he said: "Summer insects cannot speak of ice, summer insects cannot speak of ice..."

  The young man shook his head, but then he glanced at Wang Can, who was sitting cross-legged by the bonfire with his eyes closed. The young man also noticed that most of the people around him were meditating with their eyes closed. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Sighing, the young man plopped down onto the thick layer of straw and sighed: "No wine, no joy!"

  The young man's voice dragged on and on, a mournful sound that echoed endlessly in the great hall.

  "Master, someone has arrived."

  Suddenly, Pei Yuanshao, who was drinking, stopped and looked vigilantly towards the outside of the main hall.

  Wang Can shook his head and said, "It's just a passerby taking shelter from the rain, there's no need to be flustered." Wang Can shook his head again and continued to meditate with his eyes closed. Occasionally, someone would come to the Taoist temple to take shelter from the rain, which was a very normal thing.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, outside the main hall, a flurry of hurried footsteps came, and four people wearing raincoats and conical hats walked in.

  The two people walking in front entered the grand hall side by side, while the two people following behind stood still at the entrance of the grand hall. The two people who entered the grand hall, the person on the left had grayish white hair, a tall and slender figure, high cheekbones, thin lips, sharp eyes like a knife, and a beautiful grayish white beard that fluttered under his chin, making people dare not look directly at him; the person on the right had a smiling face, handsome and elegant, with a refined complexion, clear and bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and a good-looking appearance that made people feel refreshed and comfortable as if they were basking in the spring breeze.

  "Guo Fengxiao, you rascal, actually hiding in the Taoist temple drinking wine, making me and Zhong De Gong worry for a while. You little scoundrel really deserve to be beaten!"

  The person who came in from the right shook his head with a tone of regret and frustration.

  "Huh, Wen Ruo, Zhong De Gong, how did you two come?" The young man suddenly flipped over from the straw, his eyes full of joy. He walked forward, holding their hands and laughed: "Isn't it uncomfortable not having me to drink with? Haha... I knew someone was inviting me to drink again!"

  "Come on, come on, let's go drinking!"

  The young man pulled the two people's hands and walked out of the main hall. The two men, referred to as Zhong De Gong and Wen Ruo by the young man, also got up without hesitation and turned around to leave. Apparently, these two were specifically here to find the young man, and after finding him, they turned around and returned.

  But when the young man reached the gate of the great hall, he stopped again.

  Young man turned around and bowed to Wang Can and Pei Yuanshao: "Guo Jia entered the Taoist temple to avoid the rain, thanks to the care of the two of you, not only did you give me wine to drink, but also gave me pancakes to eat, and even gave me clothes. Guo Jia is grateful, thank you both." After finishing speaking, Guo Jia cupped his hands and bowed to Wang Can, then turned around and left, truly coming and going lightly.

  Wang Can closed his eyes to meditate, and upon hearing the two words "Guo Jia", he suddenly opened his eyes, with a flash of intense heat in his pupils.

  Guo Jia, it turned out that this young man was actually Guo Jia.

  Wang Can's shock can be imagined, so far the most powerful person he has met is Ji Ling, a great general under Yuan Shu, unfortunately Ji Ling has been killed.

  Looking at Guo Jia's gradually disappearing back, Wang Can opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't say it out loud. It wasn't that Wang Can didn't want to call out to Guo Jia, but he had no reason to do so. Wang Can was still a man with the reputation of being a Yellow Turban bandit, and even if he did call out to Guo Jia, what could he possibly do? Would someone like Guo Jia follow a person with the label of Yellow Turban bandit on his head? Such a thing was absolutely impossible.

  Wang Cai felt a pang of regret in his heart. A great opportunity was right in front of him, but he couldn't seize it, leaving Wang Cai with a deep sense of remorse.

  However, Wang Can adjusted his mentality in an instant. Now encountering Guo Jia is not a bad thing. At least he left a good impression on Guo Jia. Although Wang Can is now a Yellow Turban bandit, as long as he enters Luoyang and meets Dong Zhuo, Wang Can believes that he can get rid of the label of being a Yellow Turban bandit. By then, Wang Can will have become a powerful warlord, and recruiting Guo Jia will be justified.

  "Zhang De Gong? Wen Ruo?"

  Wang Can muttered the names of the two men who had come to find Guo Jia, and after a long deliberation, Wang Can slapped his thigh loudly and exclaimed: "I know! I know! Unexpectedly, it's these two!"

  Cheng Yu, styled Zhongde.

  Xun Yu, styled Wenruo.

  The two men in Guo Jia's mouth were Cheng Yu and Xun Yu.

  Wang Can was well-versed in history and naturally knew who these two men were. Cheng Yu was someone Cao Cao referred to as his confidant, while Xun Yu was someone Cao Cao referred to as "my Zhuge Liang". These two men were the top figures in Cao Cao's camp. Unexpectedly, he had encountered such figures in this dilapidated Taoist temple. Wang Can felt a thrill of excitement in his heart, but also an endless sense of regret. If only he could recruit these three men to his side, how wonderful it would be!

  Outside the main hall, a sudden horseshoe sound rang out, and a horse-drawn carriage slowly drove away.

  Cheng Yu sat cross-legged in the carriage, his eyes gleaming with a hint of sharpness as he asked, "Feng Xiao, do you know who the people in the Taoist temple are?"

  Guo Jia shook his head and said: "I don't know, it's just a fleeting encounter."

  Cheng Yu's eyebrows slightly furrowed as he said, "This is strange. When you mentioned your own name, that young man sitting in the great hall with his eyes closed suddenly opened them, and a scorching light flashed in his eyes. This person wasn't someone we knew, so why would he have such an expression? How strange! How strange!"

  If Wang Can heard what Cheng Yu said, he would definitely widen his eyes.

  Cheng Yu this old man actually noticed his eyes, it's really incredibly fierce.

  Guo Jia shook his head, a look of puzzlement on his face. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, "but I do know that this person is not bad. When I got soaked in the rain and went into the Taoist temple to take shelter, I asked his attendant for some wine to drink, and not only did he give me wine, but he also found a set of clothes for me to change into. This guy's not bad, huh? I admire him!"

  Xun Yu smiled and said, "At first glance, the person sitting in the grand hall is indeed extraordinary. He has a unique aura about him, and I estimate that his identity is definitely not ordinary. As for who he exactly is, it depends on our future encounters. Also, when he heard the name 'Feng Xiao', his eyes flickered, but that can only be said to mean that he's heard of Feng Xiao before, nothing more. Lord Zhong De, don't take it to heart."

  "Haha……If what you said is true, then he's just a passerby, not to be taken seriously." Guo Jia laughed and put his arm around Xun Yu's shoulder: "Xun Yu, have you prepared some good wine? I'm starving! That big black guy in the main hall only gave me one jug of good wine, what a pity, it wasn't enough to satisfy me."

  "Guo Fengxiao, you rascal, really..."

  Hahaha...

  In the sound of rain, bursts of bright laughter were drowned out amidst it.

  PS: Next week, it will start exploding, with at least three updates every day. Brothers and sisters, please give your support, collect and reward!