The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

His tone was relaxed and he had a sincere smile on his face. He thought to himself that as long as he could complete the task assigned by the Prime Minister, these external conditions would not matter.

After hearing their words, Liu Bei's worries were slightly relieved. He once again said gratefully: "Then you two should go to bed early. We have important things to do tomorrow."

After saying this, Liu Bei quietly left the room.

The next day, the sun shone on the ancient streets.

Liu Bei was dressed simply, but walked with a seemingly steady but actually nervous pace, and came to the bridge in a high-profile manner to sell straw sandals.

He looked around calmly, but his heart was beating like a deer: "I must make a name for myself today."

The brothers Ho Tung and Ho Sai were like two iron towers, silently guarding nearby, observing the movements around them with sharp eyes.

The vendors around were shouting their wares. An old man selling benches hobbled over to Liu Bei.

He narrowed his eyes, looked suspicious, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Hey, young man, did you pay protection money? Otherwise, how dare you sell straw sandals here today?"

Liu Bei remained calm, shook his head slowly, and said calmly: "No, I just want to find a living here."

After hearing Liu Bei's answer, the old man's eyes suddenly widened, his mouth opened wide, and he said in surprise: "Oh, young man, don't be ignorant of your own limitations. Those people are not easy to deal with. You'd better leave this place as soon as possible." As he spoke, he rubbed his hands anxiously, his face full of worry.

Liu Bei raised his chin slightly, his eyes showing stubbornness and fearlessness. He said nonchalantly: "It doesn't matter. I, Liu Bei, am upright and make a living by my own skills. Why should I be afraid of others?"

The old man looked at Liu Bei helplessly and sighed heavily, which seemed to contain endless regret.

He slowly turned around and staggered back to his stall, thinking to himself as he walked: "This young man, didn't he suffer enough last time? Why can't he adapt?"

His brows were furrowed, and his eyes were full of worry and confusion about Liu Bei.

Liu Bei, however, seemed not to hear anything. He straightened his spine, raised his neck, and shouted in a loud and clear voice: "Selling straw sandals! The best straw sandals! Strong and durable!"

His face was filled with confidence, and he thought to himself: "I, Liu Bei, can no longer be timid. This time I must make a name for myself."

Liu Bei's loud hawking voice echoed in the air, like a sharp sword, finally breaking the calm and attracting the attention of those who collected protection fees.

A few bullies were hanging around not far away, their cunning eyes scanning the crowd and were attracted to Liu Bei's voice like a magnet.

They walked with arrogant steps and quickly surrounded Liu Bei.

Several bullies stood in front of Liu Bei, their vicious eyes like hungry wolves. One of the bullies with a face full of flesh gnashed his teeth and said, "Humph, how dare you come to sell shoes again? Wasn't the lesson last time enough?"

Liu Bei raised his head fearlessly, his eyes were like torches, and he said in a resounding voice: "It is natural for me to sell shoes. Why can't I make money with my own hands?"

After hearing this, the bullies burst into shrill laughter, which was full of mockery.

The leading bully stretched out his thick finger, pointed at Liu Bei's nose and shouted: "Stop talking nonsense and pay the protection fee quickly, otherwise I will continue to beat you today and let you know who is the boss of this territory."

Liu Bei was burning with anger, but he suppressed his anger.

His face remained calm, but there was a hint of stubbornness in his eyes.

Several bullies looked ferocious and raised their fists to attack Liu Bei.

Liu Bei's eyes widened, and he shouted in panic and anger: "You are simply lawless!"

At this critical moment, the brothers He Dong and He Xi rushed over like a gust of wind.

He Dong frowned, his eyes sharp as an eagle, and thought to himself: "How can I allow you bullies to run wild here?"

He shouted, "Stop!"

He Xi's face was stern, his fists were clenched, his muscles were tense, and he was ready for a fight.

The bullies were startled by this sudden change. One of them shouted in a timid tone: "Who are you? Mind your own business!"

He Dong smiled contemptuously and said, "We are the kind of people who cannot bear to see you do evil."

After saying that, he flashed and attacked the bullies first. He Xi followed closely behind, and the two of them instantly fought with the bullies.

During the fight, Ho Tung stared at his opponent intently, thinking to himself, "These bullies are just mediocre at fighting."

He used his hands and feet together and his attacks were fierce.

He Xi responded calmly, and every move and style was just right to block the bully's attack. He silently said in his heart: "I must protect Liu Bei."

After a fierce fight, the two brothers beat the bullies so hard that they ran away in panic.

Although a bully was beaten black and blue, he still shouted unwillingly: "Hmph! You will not have a good end if you offend us, just wait for it!" The bully had a ferocious face, but his eyes revealed a hint of guilt.

At this moment, He Dong calmly reached into his bosom, took out a token, and then suddenly held it in front of the bullies and said loudly: "Open your dog eyes and take a good look at what this is?"

The bullies' eyes were focused on the token, and one of them opened his eyes wide with a look of astonishment.

His mouth opened wide, and he stammered, "This... this is actually the token of the Prime Minister's Mansion."

The bully was terrified, thinking: "This is a dead end. Why are people from the Prime Minister's Mansion here?"

His face turned pale in an instant and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

When the vendors around heard the noise, they all stopped what they were doing.

Their eyes widened, their mouths slightly opened in surprise, and their gazes all looked over here.

An old lady selling fruit unconsciously covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes full of shock. She thought to herself, "I didn't expect that these seemingly ordinary people would have a connection with the Prime Minister's Mansion. This is really incredible."

The wrinkles on the face of the old man selling pottery next to him deepened due to surprise. He squinted his eyes slightly, looked at the glittering Prime Minister's Mansion token, and muttered to himself: "Who is this Liu Bei? He has people from the Prime Minister's Mansion protecting him."

Everyone started whispering, with an expression of disbelief on their faces.

Suddenly, one of the bullies was stunned for a moment and then burst into laughter with his head raised. The laughter was full of suspicion and disdain.

He grinned and said fiercely: "This must be fake. How could an ordinary person like you be related to the Prime Minister?"

When He Dong heard this, his face instantly darkened. His brows knitted tightly, his eyes widened with anger, and he shouted, "You idiot, open your dog eyes and take a good look."

He Xi also had a stern face and said in a cold tone: "If you don't believe it, you can go with us to see the Prime Minister now. Don't blame us for not giving you a chance then."

After hearing this, the bully's arrogance was almost extinguished.

His eyes kept moving back and forth between the token and the faces of He Dong and He Xi, and he began to worry.

He thought to himself, "If this token is real, I'll be in big trouble. But if I don't verify it, I'll feel unhappy. Am I really going to just let it go?"

Fine beads of sweat gradually seeped out of his forehead, and his eyes were filled with confusion and anxiety.

The bullies looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then their legs went weak and they knelt down in front of the He Dong brothers with a plop.

He Dong frowned and scolded in a stern voice: "You bastards, how dare you collect protection money here in broad daylight? If I know that you have done such evil things again, I will make you lose your heads!"

He Xi also had a serious face, his eyes full of majesty. Liu Bei stood aside, watching the bullies in such a state, with a smile on his face.

When the people around saw this scene, they all turned their eyes to Liu Bei, their eyes full of confusion and surprise.

A cloth-selling woman whispered to the people beside her: "Who on earth is Liu Bei? How could he be protected by the people in the Prime Minister's Mansion?"

A scholar selling fans also frowned slightly, thinking to himself: "This person looks ordinary, but he has such a background, so he must be no ordinary person."

Everyone was whispering to each other, guessing Liu Bei's identity, and the looks they showed towards him changed from indifference to awe and curiosity.

A few bullies crawled to Liu Bei's feet tremblingly and kowtowed to him "bang bang bang".

One of the bullies was terrified and said with tears streaming down his face: "Master Liu, we are so ignorant and have offended you. I hope you can be magnanimous and help us beg for mercy in front of the two masters."

As he spoke, he kowtowed, and his head hit the ground with a dull sound.

The other bully also raised his head tremblingly, his eyes full of pleading, and said in a trembling voice: "Master Liu, we know we are wrong, and we will never dare to collect protection money again. As long as you help us this time, we will do anything for you."

He felt extremely regretful, wondering how he had provoked such a big Buddha. At this moment, he only hoped that Liu Bei could help them avoid punishment.

Liu Bei looked at the bullies who were kowtowing in front of him, put his hands behind his back and narrowed his eyes slightly.

His mind was filled with thoughts and his face showed a complicated expression. He thought: "If I help them to intercede now, they may be grateful and turn over a new leaf; but if I don't help them, they will also deserve it."

After a moment, Liu Bei slowly said, "Do you know your mistake?"

When the bullies heard Liu Bei's question, they immediately responded, "We know we are wrong, we know we are wrong. We are really bewildered."

Liu Bei frowned and looked back and forth at the bullies, as if his eyes could see through their hearts.

He was silent for a while, then he slowly said: "You should have reaped the consequences of what happened today. But God is merciful, I can plead with your two brothers on your behalf."

He Dong and He Xi frowned slightly when they heard Liu Bei say this.

He Dong said reluctantly: "They have done so many evil things, are we going to let them off so easily?"

Liu Bei turned around, looked at He Dong and He Xi, and said with a slight bow: "Since they have already known their mistakes, it would be a good deed if we could give them a chance to correct them."

When the bullies heard Liu Bei pleading for them, they kowtowed even harder, muttering words of gratitude over and over.

The vendors around saw this scene and talked about it in low voices.

An old man selling cakes said: "This Liu Bei not only has the support of the people in the Prime Minister's Mansion, but he is also kind-hearted."

Another woman selling jewelry also nodded and said, "Yes, if it were someone else, they would not easily forgive these bullies."

Liu Bei said to the bullies sternly: "Today I plead for you, but you must swear to reform yourself and never bully others again. If you do it again, I will not let you off easily."

Several bullies raised their hands and swore as if they had been pardoned, and they looked very sincere.

He Dong frowned and said angrily, "We can't let you get away with it like this! Pay back all the protection money you collected before."

When the bullies heard this, their faces turned pale in an instant. They kowtowed and cried, "Sir, we used to live a life of debauchery and all that money has been squandered by us. We really have no more money left."

He Dong was furious after hearing this. He rushed forward and kicked one of the bullies hard, shouting, "You bastards, you have done so many evil things and you still don't repent. You took other people's hard-earned money and used it for your enjoyment, and now you can't give it back? I think you won't cry until you see the coffin."

The bully who was kicked rolled on the ground, groaning in pain.

The other bullies were so scared that they trembled all over. One of them cried and begged for mercy: "Sir, we really know we are wrong. We will find a way to make up for it in the future. Please forgive us this time."

He Dong's eyes were red, and the anger in his heart was hard to calm down. He kicked several times in succession, cursing non-stop: "Make up? How are you going to make up for the damage you have caused? How are you going to make up for the losses of the people you have bullied?"

Liu Bei watched from the side and frowned slightly. He felt a little reluctant, but he also knew that He Dong was venting his anger for those who were bullied.

He sighed, walked up to He Dong, and said, "Brother He Dong, don't get angry. Since they have no money, we can find other ways to punish them and make them pay for their actions."

When He Dong heard Liu Bei's advice, he thought it made sense and stopped.

At this time, a bully suddenly had an idea and said hurriedly: "Sir, there is a mine in the east. We can go there to mine for compensation without asking for any compensation."

The people around nodded one after another. An old man said, "There is indeed a mine, but it is difficult to mine there because the environment is bad."

He Xi frowned, stared at the bullies with sharp eyes, and said loudly: "Since you asked for it, I will satisfy you. But listen to me, if you dare to commit crimes during the mining period, watch out for your heads."

Several bullies kept kowtowing like chickens pecking at rice. One of them said, "We will never dare to do anything bad. We will dig well and reform ourselves."

Their faces were full of determination, but they were a little nervous in their hearts.

One bully thought to himself, "This mine is not easy to deal with, but it's better than being severely punished. I must hold on."

Liu Bei looked at these bullies and sighed slightly, feeling a little emotional.

He said to the bullies earnestly: "This is your chance, don't waste it. Mining is hard, but it will make you understand the value of labor and wash away your evil thoughts."

When the bullies listened to Liu Bei's words, something seemed to be touched in their hearts.

After they kowtowed again, they stood up and walked towards the mine, supporting each other.

The people around cheered when they saw this scene.

A young man said excitedly: "Great, these bullies finally got the punishment they deserved. From now on, we can do business with peace of mind."

A woman looked at Liu Bei and the brothers He Dong and He Xi with gratitude and said, "Thanks to you, you have helped us get rid of this anger."

Liu Bei smiled and waved his hand, saying: "This is what we should do. I hope they can really reform themselves." He Dong and He Xi stood aside, their expressions slightly relaxed, but still remained vigilant.

They know that whether these bullies can truly change their ways remains to be tested by time.

He Dong scratched his head and said in confusion: "Brother Liu Bei, you are too kind to these bullies. You should teach them a lesson so that they dare not commit the same crime again." He Xi also nodded in agreement.

Liu Bei just smiled, his eyes turned to the direction where the bullies left, and slowly said: "Of course I know that you two brothers will leave sooner or later. If we just punish them severely, those bullies will definitely settle accounts after we leave, and then the people will be in trouble again. But dealing with them like this now not only punishes them, but also makes them grateful. Working in the mines, they will experience the hardships of life, and perhaps they can really turn over a new leaf."

Liu Bei paused, and then continued, "We should forgive others when we can. Besides, this is also for the long-term peace and stability of this place. If they can turn this gratitude into action, they may be able to do some good things for the people in the future."

After listening to Liu Bei's words, He Dong and He Xi were thoughtful.

He Dong said: "It turns out that Brother Liu Bei has such a long-term view. We two brothers are a little shallow."

He Xi also said: "Yes, it seems that there is a profound truth in this, and we still need to learn more."

Liu Bei waved his hand and said, "This is just my personal opinion. We all hope that there will be more peace and less evil in this world."

He Dong and He Xi looked at each other. He Dong scratched his head, a silly smile appeared on his face, and said, "Brother Liu, now that the matter has been resolved, we should go back and report. It's time to leave."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei hurriedly stepped forward, his face full of reluctance. He grabbed He Dong's arm and said earnestly: "Two brothers, please stay a little longer. With you here, the evil forces around here will not dare to act rashly."

He Dong gently broke free from Liu Bei's hand and said helplessly: "Brother Liu, we really can't stay any longer. We have military orders." (End of this chapter)