The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

Taking advantage of Hua Tuo's follow-up visit, Xun Hao insisted on dragging Guo Jia along, asking Hua Tuo to examine him as well, since Hua Tuo was a divine doctor and it would be a waste not to see him.

"I'm perfectly fine, what are you looking at?" Guo Jia said dismissively.

"Sir, please take a look at him." Xun Hao used his tried-and-true "sickly" tone, his eyes pleading.

Guo Jia had no choice but to extend his wrist.

Hua Tuo examined Guo's pulse for a while and said, "Mr. Guo's pulse is strong and vigorous, and his qi and blood are abundant."

Xun Hao breathed a sigh of relief.

"However..." Hua Tuo changed the subject, his brows furrowing again, "Mr. Guo seems to have been drinking for many years, and there are signs of slight stagnation in his liver meridian. Although alcohol can be enjoyable, too much of it is harmful to the body. If he does not exercise restraint, it may shorten his lifespan in the long run."

Xun Hao's face instantly darkened.

That evening, Guo Jia habitually reached for the wine gourd on the table, but found nothing.

He turned around and met Xun Hao's cold eyes. Xun Hao sat on the bed, holding his wine gourd in his arms, his face expressionless.

"Master Hua Tuo said, you can't drink anymore."

"I...I'll just have a small sip," Guo Jia tried to bargain.

Xun Hao remained unmoved, simply watching him quietly. Then, right in front of him, he uncorked the gourd and poured the fragrant wine inside, drop by drop, into the flowerpot outside the window.

Guo Jia's heart shattered, drop by drop, along with the wine.

Looking at the boy holding the empty wine gourd with a "I'm doing this for your own good" expression, he deeply understood for the first time what it meant to reap what you sow.

Guo Jia felt that he couldn't live like this anymore.

Ever since Hua Tuo said "I fear it will shorten your lifespan," his wine gourd was confiscated, and the spare wine pouch hidden on the roof beam mysteriously disappeared. Now, what he does most often every day is to move a small stool, sit at the door of Xun Hao's room, and stare blankly at the orchid under the windowsill that is almost "drunk" by the wine.

The orchid is innocent; the guilty one is the person who poured the wine.

He turned around and saw Xun Hao holding a copy of "Zuo Zhuan," which he had read eight hundred times, slowly flipping through it.

Under the conditioning of the medicinal soup and the nourishment of "ample energy", the face finally regained some color, making the features even more picturesque.

But the people in this painting have black hearts.

Xun Hao noticed his gaze, looked up, and smiled at him with a gentle curve of his lips. He looked innocent and harmless.

Guo Jia gritted his teeth inwardly.

He found himself somewhat enjoying the feeling of being managed and needed. Only occasionally, when the urge to drink struck, did it become difficult to bear.

No, he can't live this life alone.

A thought suddenly popped into his troubled mind. He slapped his thigh, stood up, and his listless peach blossom eyes instantly brightened again.

Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind. That person, like him, was a heavy drinker, exceptionally talented, but much sickly in poorer health.

Xi Zhicai.

He's the one who needs to quit drinking!

It's better to share happiness than to enjoy it alone; if you're unlucky alone, you might as well take someone else down with you.

Guo Jia immediately returned to his room, spread out a scroll of bamboo slips, and began to write fluently.

In his letter, he first lavishly praised Cao Cao's righteous deeds in Luoyang, how he risked his life to save the classics, and how he suffered a defeat in Xingyang to save the people, portraying Cao Cao as a hero of the times who, despite his flawed background, had the world in his heart.

Then, he changed the subject and began to describe the excellent situation in Dongjun today. Everything was in need of reconstruction, which was the best opportunity for scholars from poor families like them to make their mark.

Finally, he casually mentioned the legendary physician Hua Tuo.

"...With the divine physician Hua Yuanhua here, who can revive the dead and heal flesh and bone, Jia'er caught a cold, and after his treatment, she felt refreshed and clear-headed in just a few days. Her past ailments have all disappeared. Your cough should be no problem at all."

After finishing writing, he blew on the ink and rolled up the bamboo slip with satisfaction.

The letter made no mention of "quitting alcohol," only stating that the illness could be cured. As for how to cure it, that would only be known when the person arrived. Guo Jia could almost see Xi Zhicai's astonished face, and his mood instantly improved considerably.

At this moment in Yingchuan, Xi Zhicai was leaning against the window of a tavern, coughing as he drank the turbid wine in his bowl in one gulp.

Lately, children have been singing new folk songs on the streets and alleys.

"When Cao Cao looked westward, he rescued the books from the fire, thus preserving the literary tradition of the Han Dynasty."

"The traitor Dong Zhuo moved the emperor, and the people were slaughtered. Cao Cao pursued him, and although he was defeated, he was still glorious."

The lyrics of the ballad were simple, yet extremely powerful. After listening to it for a few days, Xi Zhicai had his opinion and wanted to meet with the singer.

Just then, a servant rushed in from outside the door and handed over a scroll of letter: "Sir, an urgent letter from Dongjun."

When Xi Zhicai unfolded it, he saw that it was Guo Jia's handwriting.

The more he read, the brighter his eyes became. The Cao Cao described in the letter perfectly matched his own thoughts. And the last phrase, "the divine physician Hua Tuo," rekindled the dormant spirit in his heart.

I know my own broken body best. If it could truly be cured…

"Prepare the car!" Xi Zhicai slammed his wine bowl down on the table. "To Dongjun!"

Xi Zhicai arrived in Dongjun several days later, having traveled a long and arduous journey.

The moment he stepped through the city gates, he sensed the difference this place possessed. The streets were clean and tidy, and although the pedestrians looked pale and sickly, their eyes showed no signs of the numbness and despair of displacement. Beneath the city walls, people were working in the newly cultivated fields. Long queues formed in front of several soup kitchens, all in an orderly fashion.

This scene was a world apart from the starving people and rampant bandits he had seen along the way.

His opinion of Cao Gong rose even higher.

Guo Jia had been waiting for some time in front of the prefectural governor's mansion. Dressed in a blue robe, he stood tall and straight, a warm smile on his face. "Zhicai, you've finally arrived!"

Guo Jia stepped forward, affectionately grabbed Xi Zhicai's arm, and looked him up and down. "You must be tired from your journey. Come on, our lord has been waiting in the hall for quite some time." Xi Zhicai was pulled inside by him, and a little doubt flashed through his mind. I'm not Xun Yanruo, when did I become worthy of Guo Fengxiao's attention?

In the main hall of the government office, Cao Cao, dressed in casual clothes, made no polite remarks. He simply stepped forward, took Xi Zhicai's arm, looked at his pale face, and said sincerely, "Sir, you have come a long way and must be tired. I know your talent, but in all things, your health should be the most important."

Xi Zhicai felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this.

After entering the residence, there was no grand banquet, just a cup of tea and a long, intimate conversation.

From the general trend of the world to policies for pacifying the people, and then to the way of training troops, Xi Zhicai became increasingly alarmed as he spoke, for many of Cao Cao's ideas resonated with his own.

This is a person who truly gets things done.

Xi Zhicai stepped back, straightened his clothes, and solemnly bowed to Cao Cao.

"I am willing to serve my lord with utmost loyalty!"

"Good! Good!" Cao Cao was overjoyed and personally helped him up. After the excitement subsided, Cao Cao looked at Xi Zhicai's body, which seemed to be coughing so hard it could fall apart at any moment, and immediately remembered Guo Jia's "entrustment".