Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

When Liu Quan arrived at the horse farm, the sun was already past its zenith.

Liu Bei and his three companions were squatting on the earthen embankment by the field, each with a large bowl and a thick steamed bun in their hands, drinking mutton soup and eating meat buns with gusto.

Upon seeing Liu Quan, the four of them stood up in unison, all eight eyes glancing behind him.

Zhang Fei was the first to lose his temper, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Where's my older sister?"

"It's been sent back."

Liu Quan walked over, lifted his robe, and sat down on the earthen embankment.

A clever young swordsman immediately brought him mutton soup and meat buns.

After the wandering swordsman had gone some distance, Liu Bei approached with a mischievous grin. "Ah Quan, what have you been doing with your elder sister for so long?"

Liu Quan turned his head and glanced at him, uttering a few words: "They went to have sex in the wild."

"Cough cough cough!"

"puff!"

Liu Bei was startled and coughed repeatedly.

Han Dang spat out a mouthful of mutton soup.

Guan Yu gave him a disapproving look.

Waste of food.

Although the group had some suspicions, they didn't expect Ah Quan to be so frank.

In this era, most people are ashamed to talk about such things.

Zhang Fei jumped up immediately, "Ah! So, Quan, you're going to be my brother-in-law!"

Liu Quan took a sip of mutton soup and said, "I've already told your sister about this. We'll talk about it again when we get back from Mount Goushi."

Zhang Fei leaned closer and cautiously probed, "Ah Quan, you're not going to shirk responsibility, are you? You're so handsome, what if some noble lady in Luoyang takes a liking to you..."

Liu Quan put down his bowl, touched his nose somewhat awkwardly, and said with a rare display of emotion, "Zhang Heitan, you're just a kid, don't meddle in adult matters. Since I promised A-Yue I would marry her, I will definitely keep my word."

After saying that, he added in his mind, "It just might not be the first wife."

He deliberately avoided leaving a "seed" in Zhang Yue's body this time because he had considered his marriage with Liu Bei.

In this era, marriage was a major way to advance one's social class. For example, their senior brother Gongsun Zan married the daughter of the governor, and his life became smooth sailing from then on.

As an artificial human in the post-apocalyptic era, Liu Quan has no moral or legal constraints, and prioritizes the "consciousness instructions" implanted in his brain.

The first instruction given to all androids is: to perpetuate the human gene pool.

This task can actually be considered completed.

But Liu Quan still has one obsession: the one hundred human genes within his body.

To produce these genes, he certainly couldn't have only one or two women; the more the merrier.

Since there are bound to be many women, why not maximize the benefits?!

Marry a woman from a noble family, accumulate resources as quickly as possible, and prepare for the coming chaos.

This idea, however, stemmed from his second instruction.

This instruction was somewhat strange; it was generated from his self-awareness after he was born into this world and met Liu Bei.

That is: to help A-Bei continue to grow, as for how much he will grow?

To be honest, he didn't know either.

The significance of this second instruction is actually very important.

Even Liu Quan himself probably doesn't understand.

It signifies that from this point on, his "self-awareness" is paramount, meaning he truly begins to live according to his own ideas.

It is a new beginning.

A burst of loud laughter came from the side.

Liu Bei patted Zhang Fei on the shoulder and said, "Afei, don't worry. Don't you know my Quan? He always keeps his word."

Zhang Fei was relieved, but then remembered something else and hurriedly said, "When you two brothers go to Mount Goushi to study this time, you must take me with you."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "If your father agrees, we have no problem."

Han Dang suddenly spoke up: "Abei and Aquan, if you are planning to study away from home, it would be best if your elders gave you a courtesy name first. Things are not like in Zhuo County outside; without a courtesy name, it will be inconvenient for people to address you."

Liu Quan nodded.

He had thought about this a long time ago.

According to Han Chinese custom, men would only receive a courtesy name after their coming-of-age ceremony at the age of twenty, but some would receive one at a young age to prepare for social interactions.

Liu Yuanqi is an elder in the clan, so it would be most appropriate to ask him to choose a courtesy name.

"I'll go back and discuss it with Lord Liu," Liu Quan said, then looked at Liu Bei, "A-Bei, what do you say?"

Liu Bei scratched his head, his large ears turning slightly red in the sunlight.

He said, "Actually, I have a courtesy name. Last year, my mother told me that my father gave me a courtesy name before he passed away. It is called 'Xuande,' which is said to come from the Book of Documents: 'Xuande ascended to the position, and was then appointed to a post.' I think it's a good name, so I'll use it."

"Xuande..." Liu Quan laughed, "Indeed, excellent calligraphy."

Zhang Fei shouted, "I want my father to give me a courtesy name too! From now on, when we're out in the world, I can't let you all outdo me!"

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

For the past two weeks, nothing at the horse farm has been neglected.

Guan Yu and Han Dang, these two "military training instructors," did a remarkable job.

Every day before dawn, the two of them would lead the hundred or so wandering knights to run laps around the Juma River. After running, they would practice their fist and foot techniques, then arrange their weapons, and finally set up formations.

Every afternoon, Liu Quan would go to the field to inspect the training progress.

After the training was over, he would call Guan Yu and Han Dang to the thatched shed by the field to teach them military strategy. Occasionally, Yan Rou would come over to listen when she finished her work.

"Warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when capable, feign incapacity; when active, feign inactivity..."

Guan Yu and Han Dang sat side by side, clearly treasuring this opportunity.

The two were initially worried about whether Liu Quan could speak well, but they quickly felt relieved.

Ah Quan's lectures were insightful yet easy to understand, delivered with a rhythmic and engaging delivery. He also frequently cited examples of battles they had never heard of before, which quickly captivated the two men.

Guan Yu especially loved hearing about strategies for attacking cities.

Whenever Liu Quan talked about battle examples such as besieging a point to attack reinforcements or using feints to attack in the east while striking in the west, he would stroke his increasingly long beard, his phoenix eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

Han Dang was more interested in the use of cavalry, and often asked about details about scouts, raids, and flanking maneuvers.

What Liu Quan talked about were all the essence of military strategy refined through countless trials in the Pangu database. It had the foundation of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, the practical application of "The Art of War by Duke Wei", and was also mixed with the analysis of battle examples of famous generals throughout history.

After listening for a few days, Guan Yu and Han Dang felt that their previous fighting style, which relied on brute force, was simply child's play.

The day before he left, Liu Quan handed over a thick stack of military strategy books, copied onto paper and bound with thread, to Guan Yu and Han Dang.

"Yun Chang, Yi Gong, this military strategy is called 'Heaven-Sent Military Strategy,' a secret passed down only by the Liu family. You two must study it carefully and not let even a single word slip out."

Guan Yu accepted it with both hands, as if he were holding some rare treasure.

Han Dang's gaze was fixed on the thick book.

Both of them were extremely excited.

After Liu Quan left.

Guan Yu gently stroked the book in his hand and sighed, "This kindness is immense!"

Han Dang smiled and said, "It's alright. I've already made up my mind. From now on, I'll sell my life to those two brothers."

Guan Yu shook his head, then nodded, his gaze thoughtful.