Three Kingdoms, Myth

Li You knew there was no way to cover up this lie any longer—it was too obvious. Looking back now at what Chen Xi had told him, that all of this was made of dirt and sand, Li You wiped the sweat from his brow. How could he have been so foolish to believe it at the time?

The materials and the final product were two entirely different things. The skill of the craftsmen was the key. A shoddy craftsman could ruin even divine materials, while a master craftsman could turn even the most ordinary materials into something extraordinary. The craftsmen who built Liu Bei's ancestral home were selected from millions of people and were truly top-tier. Even the helpers were considered outstanding anywhere else.

So, the end result was that these craftsmen showcased the materials Chen Xi provided to their fullest potential. Sun Qian was the first to feel dizzy upon seeing it, and next, Liu Bei, who came to inspect the finished work, felt a sharp pain in his chest. As for Li You, he gave up entirely on trying to cover up the lie—there was just no way to explain this away!

Though it was impossible to lie about it, Li You was still very satisfied with the building itself. He believed in the saying, "Your dwelling nurtures your spirit." If he could have built something like this for Dong Zhuo back in the day, Li You was certain that even in the imperial palace, Dong Zhuo would have been able to look down on everyone else with disdain. This was the kind of vision and confidence that such a building could instill.

Liu Bei looked at the high-end, grand, and upscale glass and swallowed hard. In fact, everyone who came to see the front of the library was doing the same. Even though they couldn't go inside, the luxurious glass door alone was enough to blind everyone who looked at it. It didn't matter whether the glass was perfectly smooth or had impurities—just the sheer size of it was enough to dazzle these country bumpkins who had never seen anything like it before.

And then there was the entire library. The exterior wasn't covered in tiles like Liu Bei's mansion, but the roof was adorned with nearly identical fake red glazed tiles that shimmered in the sunlight. Seeing this, Li You felt relieved. Whatever Chen Xi spent was his business—as long as it lived up to what was promised to Liu Bei, that was enough.

"How much did this cost?" Liu Bei's eyes were about to pop out of his head. He knew that when this was being built, Chen Xi hadn't yet sold any land. How did he come up with the money? This didn't make any sense! And as for embezzling from the treasury, that was a joke. Did people really think Liu Bei didn't know anything? The treasury was practically empty at the time, and Chen Xi had been operating with zero capital!

"I want to go inside!" Liu Bei pulled out his official seal and waved it at the thousand-man commander patrolling outside the library's walls. The commander quickly summoned Hua Xiong. Recently, with nothing to do, Chen Xi had reassigned Hua Xiong and Zhang Fei to stabilize the security in Fenggao, especially since such expensive buildings attracted attention.

"Greetings, my lord!" Hua Xiong saluted, and his subordinates followed suit.

"Open the door. I want to see what kind of library Chen Xi has built," Liu Bei said, trying to remain calm. He was genuinely shocked by Chen Xi's extravagance.

"Alright." Hua Xiong smiled wryly, then pulled out a key and unlocked the outer gate. When he received this patrol and guard assignment this morning, even he had been stunned by the sheer cost of it all.

"My lord, perhaps you could invite a few scholars to join you as representatives. That would also fulfill Chen Xi's original promise," Li You suggested when he saw Liu Bei about to enter.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and stopped at the entrance of the library. Turning to the scholars who had gathered in excitement, he announced, "I am General of the East, Marquis of Fanyang, Liu Xuande. I am here to inspect the completion of the library. You may select ten representatives to accompany me inside!"

"If Liu Xuande does not object, I would be honored to enter," a scholar in a blue robe calmly stepped forward with a smile.

Liu Bei was taken aback—this was the most composed self-recommendation he had ever seen. He smiled and nodded. "Very well! Does anyone have any objections?"

"Liu Xuande said ten could enter but did not specify how they should be chosen. I, Chen Gongxi, believe I have the qualifications to be one of the ten. Since the number isn't full, why shouldn't I be allowed?" Chen Gongxi exuded confidence, his face calm as he spoke.

"Indeed, you are qualified," Liu Bei nodded in agreement. His sharp eyes told him that although it was their first meeting, this was no ordinary person.

"Since Liu Xuande has allowed ten people to enter, does that include me, a humble woman?" A soft voice tinged with sorrow rang out, instantly silencing the crowd. Looking over, they saw Cai Yan had stepped out of her carriage, holding the Jiao Wei Qin, standing quietly by her side.

"Cai Da——" Li You signaled to Liu Bei with a glance, and Liu Bei nodded slightly. Li You then walked over and instructed the guards to clear a path for Cai Yan.

"Greetings, Liu Xuande, Uncle Li, General Hua." Cai Yan saluted the group after entering, then quietly followed behind Li You.

"Brother, help me out here. I'm interested in this too." As Hua Xiong approached the crowd, a hand suddenly reached out, grabbing him by the arm and nearly dragging him over to the person who had grabbed him. It was no small feat—Hua Xiong was an internal energy master, and even when off guard, it was rare for anyone to shift his balance like this. Whoever had grabbed him had strength equal to that of a peak-stage Qi Refining master.

In the next moment, Hua Xiong felt a surge of colorless internal energy rise from the person's hand. Although not fully stable, it was the energy of a top-tier internal energy master.

Hua Xiong laughed heartily and threw his arm around the person's neck, pulling him close with his own bright red internal energy, revealing Chen Dao, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot. As a newly arrived hothead, his friend had been forced into Fenggao, and without thinking, he had come to rescue him. The result was this situation.

"Liu Xuande, this is my old friend, whom I haven't seen in years. Could you grant him a spot?" Hua Xiong, though straightforward, wasn't stupid. Naturally, he didn't mention the embarrassing fact that he had just been held captive. After all, they had nearly crushed each other's bones, and neither was easy to deal with.

"If Zi Jian recommends him, how could I refuse?" Liu Bei smiled.

"I'm warning you, if you try anything here today, I'll show you what death looks like!" Hua Xiong whispered threateningly to Chen Dao, ensuring that Liu Bei couldn't hear.

"Do you think I'm as brainless as you? I've seen enough to know that Liu Xuande is righteous. Why would I do anything to harm him?" Chen Dao shot back in a low voice. "On the count of three, we let go. And if we get the chance, we should spar."

"Agreed!" Hua Xiong responded. He could hear the reverence for Liu Bei in Chen Dao's words, so he decided to trust him. Besides, standing this close, both Xu Chu and he were ready—if Chen Dao tried anything, they were confident they could stop him.