I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

Five days have passed since Jian Yong left Guandu for Xudu.

In Cao Cao's camp, Guan Yu grew more and more uncomfortable each day.

"Wen Yuan, has the Prime Minister sent any letter yet?" Guan Yu finally couldn't wait any longer and went straight to Zhang Liao's tent to ask.

Zhang Liao sat in his tent, simply shaking his head. He had gotten used to Guan Yu's daily inquiries over the past few days, and indeed, no letters had arrived.

"Alas, could it be that the Prime Minister has changed his mind?" Guan Yu looked at the drizzling rain outside the tent, his expression slightly dazed.

Just as Zhang Liao was about to offer some words of comfort, he heard a sudden commotion outside the tent and hurriedly went out with Guan Yu to investigate.

"General Guan, General Zhang, General Xiahou Dun has arrived," a soldier reported.

"Oh? Where are you now?" Upon hearing this, Guan Yu realized that Cao Cao must have arranged for him to return and replace him.

"Waiting in the central command tent."

"Wen Yuan, let's go." Guan Gong was overjoyed, thinking that this meant he might be able to leave today.

The two walked to the outside of the large tent and saw a large group of people inside, at least a dozen or twenty.

They exchanged a glance, both looking puzzled.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Guan Yu entered the tent, he was immediately surrounded by ten armored soldiers with swords.

Guan Yu sneered and asked loudly, "What is the reason for this?"

Several people were arguing in front of the table, but they immediately quieted down upon hearing Guan Gong's voice.

A man stepped down from the table, drew his sword halfway from his waist, and shouted, "Guan Yu, do you know your crime?!"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Liao was greatly alarmed and quickly stepped forward to ask, "Zilian, what is the cause of this?"

Cao Hong, his face flushed, glared at Zhang Liao and said, "This man's brother, Zhang Fei, has caused the deaths of many of my soldiers in Runan. I swear to kill Guan Yu to avenge this!"

Guan Yu glanced at Cao Hong and laughed, "Hahaha, it's your incompetence that's to blame, how can you blame me?"

Upon hearing this, one of the men who had been sitting at the table stood up angrily, smashed his wine cup, and shouted, "Guan Yu, how dare you be so insolent!"

Seeing this, someone nearby advised, "Yuanrang, you mustn't kill Yunchang unjustly!"

Xiahou Dun glanced at him and sneered, "Gongming, you shouldn't side with outsiders."

Xu Huang, taken aback by his retort, had no choice but to turn around and look at Zhang Liao.

Just as Zhang Liao was about to speak, Cao Hong drew his sword, rushed towards Guan Yu, and slashed at him!

As the steel blade fell, Guan Yu shifted his body to the side, drew his Qinggang sword, and slashed down at Cao Hong's blade!

"Clang—!" Cao Hong's sword was cleaved in two by the Qinggang sword.

Guan Yu angrily said to Cao Hong, "The Prime Minister has bestowed upon me the precious Qinggang Sword; are you all planning to rebel?"

When Cao Hong saw that his sword had been broken and that Guan Yu had carried Cao Cao out, he took a half step back and turned to look at Xiahou Dun.

Xiahou Dun stared coldly at Guan Yu without saying a word.

Guan Yu also looked at Xiahou Dun and asked, "Xiahou Dun, are you all recklessly attacking here on the orders of the Prime Minister?"

Xiahou Dun, with a stern face and eyes looking elsewhere, said, "There is no decree from the Prime Minister."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao shouted at the armored soldiers, "Since there is no decree from the Prime Minister, why are you all withdrawing now!"

The armored soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment. Two of them were somewhat frightened and wanted to leave the tent, but then they heard Xiahou Dun shout.

"Who dares to make a move!"

As Xiahou Dun spoke, he stepped down from the tent, staring intently at Guan Yu with his single eye. He then drew his sword and slowly stepped forward.

Seeing that Xiahou Dun was about to lose his mind, Xu Huang stayed close by, not daring to slack off.

Xiahou Dun slowly circled Guan Yu with his sword, seeing that Guan Yu held the Qinggang Sword and remained motionless.

Xiahou Dun then looked at Zhang Liao and Xu Huang and said, "There is indeed no decree from the Prime Minister. It is just that Guan Yu's brother, Zhang Fei, has rebelled in Runan three times, damaging our troops. Now this man wants to rebel against the Prime Minister and surrender to Yuan Shao."

As he spoke, Xiahou Dun walked to Cao Hong's side, stared at Guan Yu, and said, "I am here to rid the Prime Minister of a great scourge. If the Prime Minister wishes to punish me, would he really cut off my head?"

Upon hearing that Xiahou Dun intended to fight, Xu Huang immediately rushed forward to block Xiahou Dun's path, shouting, "Yuan Rang, don't be reckless!"

Guan Yu stroked his long beard, assumed a fighting stance, and said to Xiahou Dun, "Since you are so eager to die, then I, Guan, will grant your wish!"

"Yun Chang! You mustn't!" Zhang Liao saw that Guan Yu also had murderous intent and stepped forward to block Guan Yu's path.

"Gongming, get out of the way! Let me kill this red-faced thief!" Xiahou Dun reached out and pulled Xu Huang, and Cao Hong also rushed forward to help.

Just as Xiahou Dun and Guan Yu's blades were about to clash, a loud voice rang out from outside the tent: "Yuan Rang! Yun Chang! Do not engage in battle!"

The group looked up and saw Cao Ren striding in.

"Why don't you all leave now, or are you going to die here?" Cao Ren glared at the armored soldiers, who lowered their heads and left obediently.

Seeing Cao Ren's firm attitude, Guan Yu sheathed his Qinggang sword.

Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong glanced at Guan Yu, gave him a cold snort, dropped their swords, and walked to the side.

Cao Ren walked straight to the main seat, glanced at Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong, then at Xu Huang and Zhang Liao on the other side, and angrily said, "With a formidable enemy at hand, instead of thinking of killing them, you've started infighting within the central army! How can you face the Prime Minister!"

Cao Hong, resentful of being reprimanded, argued, "Guan Yu's brother, Zhang Fei, has repeatedly wounded my troops in Runan. Now that he intends to betray us and join Yuan Shao, what harm is there in killing him?!"

Cao Ren became even angrier when he saw that Cao Hong was still talking back, and he scolded, "You have suffered defeat after defeat, what face do you have to make a scene here? Go back to camp immediately and reflect on your actions. You are not to leave the camp without my order!"

Helpless, Cao Hong cursed as he walked out of the tent. Before leaving, he glared at Guan Yu, who was standing in the middle of the tent, and snorted coldly. Guan Yu didn't even raise an eyebrow.

"May I ask General Cao Ren, are you here to hand over military affairs to me?" Guan Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute to Cao Ren, both as a polite gesture and to express his gratitude for rescuing him from the predicament.

Although Cao Hong and Cao Ren were both Cao Cao's cousins, Cao Ren was the military successor that Cao Cao was mainly grooming. Guan Yu naturally knew that the two were completely different in status and represented different wills of Cao Cao, so he was more polite to Cao Ren.

Cao Ren nodded and said, "This is precisely why I came."

Seeing that someone reasonable had finally arrived, Guan Yu said in a low voice, "Does the Prime Minister know that I am taking my leave?"

Cao Ren said, "The Prime Minister is already aware of this matter."

Guan Yu was delighted, smiled slightly, and continued, "Then I, Guan, will set off back to Xuchang today."

Cao Ren frowned and said, "However, the Prime Minister has been suffering from headaches recently. I was not informed of when you could leave before I departed, so leaving today might not be appropriate..."

Guan Yu was very displeased upon hearing Cao Ren's words. He immediately put on a stern face and said, "We had a prior agreement at Tushan. Now that you know I am leaving, how can you stop me?"

Cao Ren said, "The Prime Minister naturally remembers the agreement at Tushan. General, you may wish to wait a few more days until the Prime Minister's decree arrives before you set off."

Zhang Liao also advised from the side, "Yun Chang, why not wait a little longer?"

Guan Yu's face grew increasingly grim. He glared coldly at Cao Ren, uttered the words, "I, Guan Yu, take my leave!" and turned to leave.

Xiahou Dun flew into a rage again, looking at Cao Ren and saying, "Zixiao, why have you allowed this man to act so presumptuously? I will arrest him and hand him over to the Prime Minister for punishment!"

Cao Ren glared at Xiahou Dun and said helplessly, "The Prime Minister previously bestowed the Qinggang Sword upon him, granting him the authority to act as he sees fit. Now, he hasn't explicitly told me to stop him from leaving. Let him go."

Xiahou Dun glared at Cao Ren and said, "You! Sigh!" He then plopped down, picked up his wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp as if in a fit of pique.

Zhang Liao gave Cao Ren a wink, and Cao Ren nodded. Zhang Liao then left the main tent and chased after Guan Yu.

Guan Yu returned to his military tent, retrieved some personal belongings, picked up his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, mounted his Red Hare, and braved the rain to leave Cao Cao's camp.

After walking for several miles, the rain became heavier and the visibility became blurred. They saw a small pavilion by the roadside and took shelter in it.

A moment later, the rain subsided, and he hurriedly mounted his horse, about to set off, when he vaguely heard a loud shout from behind, "Yun Chang, wait!"

Guan Yu raised his hand to shield his head and, sure enough, saw a figure rushing towards him from afar.

"Yun Chang!" Zhang Liao, panting, reined in his horse.

Guan Yu looked at him and asked, "Wen Yuan, what is it?"

Zhang Liao said, "On my way to Xuchang, I must bid a proper farewell to the Prime Minister! I beg your forgiveness regarding the matter concerning Yuan Rang and Zi Lian!"

Guan Yu laughed and said, "Of course I know that. Did Wen Yuan come for such a trivial matter?"

Zhang Liao said, "I don't know when we will meet again after Yun Chang's departure."

Guan Yu pondered for a moment and said, "I understand Wen Yuan's meaning. The next time we meet, it will probably be another battle on the battlefield."

In fact, what Guan Yu wanted to say most to Zhang Liao was gratitude. If it weren't for Zhang Liao's persuasion at Tushan, he probably would have really sacrificed his life for righteousness and never had the chance to see his elder brother again.

If it weren't for Zhang Liao shuttling back and forth between himself and Cao Cao, persuading Cao Cao, probably no one else in the world would have been willing to agree to these three promises.

Although Guan Yu spoke up to save Zhang Liao when Cao Cao was in front of the White Gate Tower, that was merely giving Cao Cao a way out, and it was completely different from the help Zhang Liao had given him.

But the words were on the tip of my tongue, and I didn't know how to say them.

Zhang Liao solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yun Chang, take care!"

Guan Yu solemnly returned the greeting, saying, "Take care!" He then turned his horse around and galloped away without looking back.

Zhang Liao watched Guan Yu's figure disappear into the rain before slowly turning back to Cao Cao's camp.

How wonderful it would be if I could have another chance to fight alongside Guan Yu!

From the bottom of my heart, I hope Guan Yu can successfully find Liu Bei.

From the bottom of my heart, I hope that the legendary tale of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei can have a happy ending.

At this time, inside the Prime Minister's residence in Xuchang, Cao Cao was still suffering from headaches.

Guo Jia had just come out of Cao Cao's bedroom when he saw Cheng Yu rushing over.

"Zhongde, what is it?"

"Oh, Fengxiao! Is the Prime Minister feeling better?" Cheng Yu bowed to Guo Jia and then inquired about Cao Cao's condition.

Guo Jia shook his head and said, "She hasn't recovered yet. Lady Bian went in just now, and I came out."

Cheng Yu said, "What a coincidence! What a coincidence!"

Guo Jia looked puzzled and asked, "Why do you say that, Zhongde?"

Cheng Yu pulled Guo Jia aside and said, "Liu Bei's advisor Jian Yong is currently in Xuchang!"

Guo Jia asked in surprise, "You saw it with your own eyes?"

"Indeed, I saw him enter Yun Chang's residence with my own eyes."

"In Zhongde's opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

Cheng Yu stroked his beard and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Madam Bian again..."

Guo Jia shook his head and said, "Since Yun Chang intends to leave, if we try to stop him, it would be disrespectful to the Prime Minister, and what would be the point?"

Cheng Yu frowned, as if he wanted to say something, when the door to Cao Cao's bedroom creaked open.

Madam Bian walked out slowly and said to the two men, "Mr. Zhongde, what advice do you have for me? Please speak freely."