Chapter Five: Land of Heroes Past

After finishing the qualifying examination, Pei Min experienced the lightness of having nothing pressing on his mind.

Yuan Lüqian had already withdrawn from the Yan Yun Academy, only waiting for the exam results before setting off with Yan Gaoqing to Weizhou. Though Yan Gaoqing's official transfer order had not yet been issued, he intended to go ahead to Weizhou to observe the local customs and terrain, so as to lay a solid foundation for his future post.

With this departure from home, Yuan Lüqian had no idea when he might return, so he suggested that they travel around and take a final look at their homeland's scenery.

This proposal was met with enthusiastic approval from both Pei Min and Yan Gaoqing. Pei Min, having arrived in this world, had not yet truly toured his motherland's magnificent landscapes from a thousand years ago, and naturally longed for such an experience. Yan Gaoqing, too, had never witnessed the sights of Youzhou, and was equally full of anticipation.

The three of them discussed and settled on an eight-day journey through Youzhou, planning to return to Jicheng on the day the exam results were announced.

If one were to name the most famous heroes from the history of Youzhou, there would be no doubt: Liu Bei and Zhang Fei!

No visit to Youzhou would be complete without paying homage to the traces left by their forebears. Their first stop was Zhuo County, the former residence of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei!

Pei Min stood beneath two enormous, intertwined mulberry trees, craning his neck as he mused, “So Emperor Zhaolie once pointed to this great mulberry tree and said, ‘Someday I will ride in a feather-canopied chariot like this’? How did one tree become two?”

The ancients revered their predecessors, always addressing them with honorifics rather than their given names. Among scholars, it was considered disrespectful to call someone simply ‘Liu Bei’. Pei Min, following local custom, referred to him as ‘Emperor Zhaolie’.

Yuan Lüqian looked up and said, “That's how the elders have passed down the story. As for the two mulberry trees, they say that two hundred years ago, on a night of storm and rain, a bolt of lightning split the tree in two. The villagers thought it would surely die, but against all odds, both halves survived. Not only that, they grew stronger and eventually their separated trunks entwined again, as if in an embrace. Thus, the mulberry tree became famous far and wide as the Tree of Matrimony. It’s said that if a loving couple pledges themselves under this tree, they are sure to enjoy lifelong happiness together.”

Yan Gaoqing added, “How interesting! But isn’t it a bit awkward for the three of us scholars to be standing here under the Tree of Matrimony?”

Pei Min laughed, stepping back ten paces, and said, “Don’t count me in—you two are the pair!”

They did not linger under the Tree of Matrimony but instead found an inn called “Zhang Fei’s Meat House,” ordered the signature braised pork, and sat down to rest.

As Pei Min sipped the water the innkeeper had brought, he said, “After seeing the great mulberry tree at Emperor Zhaolie’s gate, I wonder if Zhang Marquis Huan’s Peach Blossom Garden still exists?”

“What Peach Blossom Garden?” Yuan Lüqian had visited Zhuo County several times in his youth but had never heard of such a place related to Zhang Fei.

Pei Min replied regretfully, “So it’s gone. I only heard a story about it—it’s so classic, it almost seems real. I just mentioned it in passing.”

Yan Gaoqing’s interest was piqued. “Why not tell us the story?”

Finding the conversation at a lull, Pei Min took another sip of water to moisten his throat, then recounted to them the tale of the Oath of the Peach Garden from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

As a top student of Chinese literature, Pei Min had always been eloquent, and with such a familiar and thrilling story, he brought it vividly to life. When he reached the part where the Yellow Turban rebel leader Cheng Yuanzhi led fifty thousand troops to attack Zhuo County, and Zhang Fei charged with his spear to slay Deng Mao, while Guan Yu swung his blade to behead Cheng Yuanzhi, and three brothers—Liu, Guan, and Zhang—led five hundred men to rout tens of thousands, a loud “Bravo!” rang out nearby.

Only then did Pei Min realize that the entire inn had gathered around their tables to listen, their meals forgotten.

Of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, two were local heroes of Zhuo County and the other, though he had come to Zhuo County to escape trouble, was considered by locals as half a native son. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is famed for exalting Liu and disparaging Cao, and Pei Min’s portrayal of the three heroes as towering figures delighted the townsfolk, who listened with rapt enjoyment.

Yan Gaoqing praised, “I had worried that Brother Pei, traveling alone to the capital for the exams, might find himself in unfamiliar places without anyone to rely on. Now I see my concerns were unfounded. With Brother Pei’s gift for storytelling, he could earn a living wherever he goes. He need not fear want.” What he called “storytelling” would later be known as the art of the storyteller.

Yuan Lüqian added, “Brother Pei, you are truly versatile! Your tale was a seamless blend of fact and fiction, and you brought the personalities of the three brothers to life… Admirable, truly admirable!”

Pei Min, well aware of the charm of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, had read the hefty tome at least five times. He could recount any story from it, so he didn’t bother with modesty. “You flatter me! Come, let’s eat before the food grows cold.”

But just as he was about to put a piece of meat in his mouth, a young man about his age called out, “My friend, you only told half the story and now you’ve left me itching for more. How about this—I’ll cover your meal if you’ll tell another tale and finish the story for us?”

“Bravo! Brother Lei is generous!” the other eager diners chimed in.

Pei Min replied, “I appreciate your kindness, brother, but the story is so long that I could talk for three days and three nights and still not finish. The three of us have other places to visit, so it wouldn’t be convenient to continue.”

The young man called Brother Lei looked disappointed. “So be it. If that’s the case, I won’t press you. Still, that story was exactly to my liking…” With that, he called to the innkeeper, “Put this table’s bill on my tab, and bring me a few more good dishes as well.”

Pei Min glanced at Brother Lei, feeling a pang of regret. If he had been alone, he would have insisted the man join him. He had always admired and wished to befriend such open-hearted and generous souls. But Yan Gaoqing and Yuan Lüqian were pure scholars, and it was unlikely they would appreciate or understand someone as boisterous as Brother Lei. As their friend, Pei Min naturally had to consider their feelings.

So Pei Min chatted and ate with Yan Gaoqing and Yuan Lüqian, when suddenly a woman burst breathlessly into the inn. Without even looking to see who was present, she shouted at the top of her lungs, “Lei Zhen, are you here? Lei Zhen, your mother has taken ill—how can you still be drinking here? Hurry and fetch a doctor, go home and see her!”

Lei Zhen?

Hearing the name, Pei Min felt it was familiar, as if he’d heard it before, but couldn’t quite recall where.

While he pondered, the young man called Brother Lei leapt up and dashed toward the door.

Without thinking, Pei Min called out, “Brother Lei, the chestnut horse at the door is mine. If you can ride, take my horse. I’ll wait here for you…”

Lei Zhen stopped in his tracks and responded, “Thank you!” Then there was only the fading sound of hoofbeats as he departed.