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After parting ways with Fei Qian, Guo Jia went to find Xun Yu.
Although there was a slight age difference between the two, they were indeed good friends. Xun Yu admired Guo Jia's talent and did not look down on him for being from a humble background. Guo Jia, in turn, felt that Xun Yu, despite being from the prestigious Xun family, did not carry himself with arrogance, making him easy to talk to. Of course, the most important thing was that friends shared resources...
Guo Jia had spent all his money on wine in the past few days, so he decided to mooch off Xun Yu for a few meals...
When Xun Yu saw Guo Jia deep in thought, he asked what was on his mind, guessing that Guo Jia might have either borrowed money or tricked someone again...
To his surprise, after pondering for a while, Guo Jia suddenly exclaimed, "Ugh! That guy probably knew the answer all along and was just messing with me!"
Xun Yu chuckled. This was something new—Guo Jia, the master trickster, had been tricked? He pressed for details.
Guo Jia's eyes darted around, and he explained Fei Qian's question about sacrificing one of the four: ruler, subject, noble family, or common people. After all, the bet only required a solution, not necessarily that it had to be solved by Guo Jia himself. Drawing parallels was also acceptable...
"Ruler, subject, noble family, common people..." Xun Yu hummed thoughtfully. It was indeed a difficult question, and he couldn't help but ponder it as well. The first and last options were clearly impossible to sacrifice, so the choice had to be between the subject and the noble family. But sacrificing either would surely throw the country into chaos...
As Xun Yu thought about it, he suddenly remembered something and asked Guo Jia what he meant by saying that Fei Qian probably knew the answer.
Guo Jia explained that when Fei Qian proposed the bet, he was calm and composed, even going so far as to write down the terms on paper, as if he wasn't worried about losing at all. This suggested that Fei Qian already had some idea of the solution. Otherwise, how could he be so confident?
Of course, Guo Jia didn't mention that the wager of a hundred jars of fine wine had been too tempting, leading to a momentary lapse in judgment...
Xun Yu stroked his beard and frowned. "If your speculation is correct, then based on your description, I suspect that the paper he had you sign might have another purpose..."
A flash of realization struck Guo Jia as he recalled the scene. He froze for a moment, then exchanged a look with Xun Yu, and they both said in unison, "So that's it..."
Guo Jia scratched his head anxiously, feeling like he had grasped something but couldn't quite put it into words. It was frustrating. "...That's impossible! Even if every family were to hold lectures like the Xun family did, they wouldn't just hand over all their knowledge... Besides, the world is so vast. How could it be done?"
Xun Yu nodded silently. After a while, he said, "...But from what we can see now, that seems to be the only solution... I wonder who this person is, to have such foresight..."
"Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan, from the Fei family of Heluo!" Guo Jia gritted his teeth, clearly annoyed. He thought to himself that he had been too careless, far too careless! He had underestimated the Fei family of Heluo, thinking they hadn't produced any notable figures, only to be played like a fool. What a blow to his pride...
"Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan..." Xun Yu repeated the name softly, as if committing it to memory.
Xun Yu gazed at the distant clouds and murmured to himself, "The world is vast, and talents emerge in every generation. Perhaps it's time to travel and see more of it..."
Guo Jia also nodded but remained silent, standing beside Xun Yu as they both looked out at the endless sky.
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If Fei Qian had known that a piece of paper he had casually written on would lead Guo Jia and Xun Yu to such deep thoughts, he would have never written it...
What hidden meaning? It was just a random note! These people really love to overthink things...
At the time, Fei Qian had only wanted to leave a reason for possibly meeting Guo Jia again in the future. After all, Guo Jia was someone who had worked tirelessly for Cao Cao until his dying breath—a man whose loyalty was off the charts. Fei Qian didn't expect to just stand there, gaze at the sky, spout some nonsense about the fate of the world, and have Guo Jia fall to his knees, begging to follow him...
He just hoped to meet a few more times, build some rapport, and maybe, if things ever got tough, Guo Jia would remember him and lend a hand. That would be more than enough for Fei Qian.
After all, with his experience from the future, Fei Qian deeply understood the value of having more friends—more paths to take.
Just like how he was now pulling Zao Zhi along. Fei Qian smiled warmly, almost like a wagging tail. The Zao family might not be a big name, but you shouldn't underestimate them...
Zao Zhi was much easier to handle than the cunning Guo Jia. With Guo Jia, one wrong move and you'd be exposed. It was exhausting...
"Brother, I must bid you farewell now. Take care of yourself!" Fei Qian had no trouble dealing with a newbie like Zao Zhi. In just two or three days, their relationship had gone from "sir" to "Zijing," and now to "brother."
Yes, Fei Qian wanted to leave early, without waiting for the third day to end.
After all, he had already met the big shots of the Xun family and Guo Jia. As for the others, given his current situation, he couldn't exactly invite them over, and more importantly, he didn't have a good reason to visit them one by one.
The story about the "friend" he had made up was fortunate in that Guo Jia hadn't paid much attention to it. But if he kept using it, sooner or later, it would be exposed, and that wouldn't be fun at all.
Another important reason was that Zhang Zhao's official duties, though arranged by Zhang Liao, had a time limit. Staying in Yingchuan for two or three days was manageable, but if he dragged it out too long, Zhang Zhao would face undue punishment, possibly even execution!
In the Han Dynasty, this crime was called "missing the deadline," and it was a serious offense.
After all, Zhang Zhao had been arranged by Zhang Liao as a favor. Fei Qian couldn't let the man lose his head because of him, could he?
So Fei Qian bid farewell to Zao Zhi, saying he had to leave. As for the other roommate, Ying Yu, Fei Qian only saw him during lectures and at bedtime. The rest of the time, he had no idea where Ying Yu went, so he decided not to say goodbye.
But Zao Zhi was genuinely reluctant to see Fei Qian go.
Zao Zhi had sneaked out of his home and, by sheer luck, met someone who was similar in age, interests, and background—someone who was kind, amiable, and encouraged him to pursue agriculture. Where else could he find such a person? They had only just gotten to know each other, and now Fei Qian was leaving...
"I... I..." Zao Zhi was at a loss for words and even choked up a little.
Ah, this honest kid.
Fei Qian felt a bit embarrassed and comforted Zao Zhi gently. "It's alright, it's alright. I'm just going to Jingxiang to study. It's not like I'm leaving forever. We'll definitely meet again. Besides, once I get to Jingxiang, I'll write to you. And if you get your parents' permission, you can come to Jingxiang too. Don't cry, okay..."
*****
A/N: Guo Jia was born in 170 AD, and Xun Yu was seven years older than him. Sima Yi was born in 179 AD, and Zhuge Liang in 181 AD. These two natural rivals were still just little kids at this point... Perhaps some are born with exceptional intelligence, but time and experience are also essential... So if someone tried to recruit Zhuge Liang during the time of Dong Zhuo's assassination, it would just be laughable.