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

"Xiahou Dun, I have no grudge against you. Cai Yang and Qin Qi were trying to kill me, so I had no choice but to kill them. Why are you forcing me to do this?" Guan Yu sheathed his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, planted it on the ground, and coldly glanced at Xiahou Dun kneeling on the ground as he spoke.

"No need for further words, let's do it!" Xiahou Dun closed his one eye, raised his head, water still dripping from his hair, looking every bit the hero going to his death.

Small boats carrying Cao Cao's troops gradually docked. Two guards were about to disembark when Zhou Cang heard the commotion. He raised his longsword, glared at them, and pointed it without saying a word. The two guards cowered and retreated.

A bizarre scene unfolded on the mudflats less than twenty miles from Xuchang, Cao Cao's main camp. On four or five small boats, seventy or eighty Cao Cao soldiers watched quietly as their commander knelt before another "still-on" general of Cao Cao's camp, as if being judged.

The wind by the river lifted Guan Yu's long beard, which he slowly stroked. Gazing into the distance, he said in a deep voice, "You are the Prime Minister's beloved general. To take your life is not my intention. I will spare your life today. I will report the matter of Cai Yang and Qin Qi to the Prime Minister. Let this matter end here."

Xiahou Dun couldn't believe his ears. He had chased Guan Yu for nearly two hundred miles, gone through so much trouble, killed all of Guan Yu's soldiers, and almost succeeded in killing him, only to be captured alive and Guan Yu didn't kill him.

Guan Yu turned his head away, not even glancing at Xiahou Dun, and continued, "General Xiahou, please rise. Whether you return to Guandu or enter the city to see the Prime Minister is entirely up to you." He then nimbly mounted Red Hare and glanced at Zhou Cang.

Xiahou Dun slowly stood up, his eyes lowered, and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Thank you... for sparing my life!"

Although it was a chaotic time, it was still the Han Dynasty after all. Scholars had their integrity, and generals had their moral character.

When Xiahou Dun was captured alive and woke up, he was already prepared to die. Even if Guan Yu did not kill him, he would most likely have wanted to commit suicide because he could not bear the scene of such public execution.

But after Guan Yu actually let him go, he felt for a moment like someone with a terminal illness had just escaped death. He thought of his cousin's unfinished ambition, and of how he had shouted "My father's essence and my mother's blood are precious!" when he fought Lü Bu, swallowing the eyeball that Cao Xing had shot in him, and then personally killing his enemy—

You can't die yet!

At this moment, Zhou Cang, dragging his Mo Dao in one hand and holding Xiahou Dun's sword in the other, brushed past him without blinking. He casually shoved the sword into Xiahou Dun's arms, snorted coldly, and mounted his horse with Sun Qian.

Startled by Zhou Cang's push, Xiahou Dun stared blankly at the sword in his hand before looking up at Zhou Cang's retreating figure...

Although Liu Bei has not yet become a powerful force, he has one fierce general after another under his command, such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the "Black-faced Bandit of Runan" in front of him. The momentum of this spark is quite terrifying.

Moreover, Xiahou Dun saw in them an indescribable quality that he had never seen in Dong Zhuo, Lü Bu, or even the now powerful Yuan Shao.

No wonder I heard Mr. Xun Yu say that the Prime Minister once told Liu Bei, "The only heroes in the world are you and Cao Cao." I didn't quite understand why the Prime Minister praised Liu Bei so highly before, but now I have a different feeling.

Looking up again, Guan Yu and his two companions had already sped away, heading straight for Xuchang. Xiahou Dun calmly looked at the disoriented soldiers on the small boat and shouted, "You must never forget the shame of today!"

"Yes!" The unified voice echoed along both banks of the Ying River. After all, they were all soldiers who had followed Xiahou Dun in his campaigns for a long time, so they easily understood Xiahou Dun's determination.

A guard stepped off the small boat and asked, "My lord, shall we enter the city or return to Guandu...?"

Xiahou Dun, expressionless, said: "Return to Guandu!"

How could anyone have gotten this out? So many people disobeyed military orders, deserted their camp without permission, and suffered such a great humiliation. How could they possibly face the Prime Minister in the city?

As darkness fell and the moon and stars became scarce, Zhou Cang and the other two had to stop their journey about ten miles from Xudu.

"Yun Chang, judging from the sky, it seems that it is already past Hai Shi (9-11 PM), and Xu Du has already closed its gates. Why don't we find an open space to rest here and enter the city early tomorrow morning?" Sun Qian pulled on the reins and looked at Guan Yu.

Guan Yu said helplessly, "Well... I'll do as you say, sir."

Under the moonlight, the three quickly found a thick old pine tree, tied their horses to it, and sat down to rest under the tree.

Zhou Cang walked around the area, collected some twigs and pine needles, and began to make fire by rubbing sticks together.

If only I had a lighter... if not, a match would do, and if all else fails, a tinderbox would do too.

Unexpectedly, the most challenging skill after transmigrating is outdoor survival.

Zhou Cang was rapidly rubbing a small wooden stick while his mind wandered.

"Yuanfu, I have spared Xiahou Dun's life today. Do you have any complaints?" Guan Yu, sitting to the side, suddenly asked Zhou Cang this question.

Zhou Cang was taken aback, and his hands unconsciously stopped rubbing the wooden stick again.

"I have no complaints," Zhou Cang replied casually.

Guan Yu nodded. Sun Qian, seeing Zhou Cang's few words, assumed that Zhou Cang was dissatisfied and explained, "Yuanfu, it's not that Yun Chang wants to let you down, but the Second Madam..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Cang interrupted him by shouting, "It's caught fire! It's caught fire!"

A spark slowly spread from the pine branches and licorice beneath Zhou Cang's wooden stick, followed by a wisp of smoke. Zhou Cang quickly knelt down and blew on it.

"Hiss...whoosh" The small fire finally caught fire.

Sun Qian was not annoyed by being interrupted. Seeing Zhou Cang start a fire, he got up to pick up some branches.

When they returned, Zhou Cang had already taken off his armor and hung it by the campfire to dry. Guan Yu, without making a sound, took off his own battle robe and handed it to Zhou Cang: "Wear this for now."

Zhou Cang was taken aback, and Sun Qian said with a smile, "This robe of Yun Chang was a gift from our lord, Yuan Fu, please take it quickly."

"Thank you, my lord!" Zhou Cang took the battle robe, draped it over his shoulders, and then sat down.

How could Zhou Cang not know that Guan Yu's battle robe was a gift from the Imperial Uncle?

When Guan Yu first arrived in Xuchang, Cao Cao saw that Guan Yu's battle robe was worn out, so he specially ordered someone to make a brocade robe for Guan Yu. However, after thanking him, Guan Yu wore it under his old robe and covered it with his old robe.

When Cao Cao asked, "Why is Guan Yu so frugal?" Guan Yu replied frankly, "This old robe was bestowed upon me by Liu Bei. Wearing it is like seeing my brother's face. I dare not forget my brother's old gift because of the Prime Minister's new one, so I wear it." This made Cao Cao praise him verbally but break down his guard in his heart.

Knowing the importance of this old battle robe to Guan Yu, Zhou Cang was deeply moved when Guan Yu handed it to him.

"Sir, I have no complaints whatsoever. I hope you can put your mind at ease." Sun Qian was warming his hands by the fire when he heard Zhou Cang pick up where he left off after being interrupted.

"I am but a humble man, and I dare not presume to know your profound intentions, my lord. I only know that since the Second Madam is still in Xudu, further killing would be of no benefit." Zhou Cang paused.

"Secondly, although Cao Cao is cunning, he has ultimately been kind to you, my lord. Xiahou Dun, the blind man, is Cao Cao's cousin, unlike Qin Qi and Cai Yang. This is my humble opinion, and I hope you will consider it." Zhou Cang felt that he should stop here, as he didn't know how to continue.

Upon hearing this, Sun Qian was greatly impressed and looked at Guan Yu, saying, "Indeed, I was overthinking things."

"What Yuanfu said is exactly what I meant." Guan Gong only closed his eyes to rest and did not open them.

Sun Qian stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "When Yuanfu jumped at Xiahou Dun today, I thought he had gained another Yide, but I never imagined that Yuanfu's insight is even greater than Yide's!"

Upon hearing this praise, Zhou Cang became embarrassed, scratching his head and saying, "Sir, you are joking. I had no other choice at the time. Please don't make fun of me anymore..."

At this moment, Guan Yu couldn't help but laugh, opening his phoenix eyes to look at Sun Qian and saying, "Yuan Fu captured Xiahou Dun alive in the water, which is truly a great achievement. You are being too harsh, sir."

Sun Qian feigned seriousness and said, "Eh? This man's recklessness is no less than that of Zhang Fei. These words were spoken by Guan Yu himself, so why are you blaming me?"

The fatigue of the past few days quickly overwhelmed the brief moment of relaxation. After exchanging a few jokes, the three succumbed to sleepiness and drifted off to sleep in the wilderness of Xudu.