After leaving Xuchang, Shaodian Qingnu headed all the way south.
The scenery of the land of Jing-Xiang was beautiful. She had traveled here for many years, witnessing the elegance of the famous scholars of Jing-Xiang. Unfortunately, the provincial governor, Liu Biao, was weak and indecisive, and he was currently plagued by illness. The lords from all directions watched him with greedy eyes, all wondering whose hands the power of Jingzhou would eventually fall into.
Would it be Liu Qi, Liu Cong, or perhaps Liu Bei, who was currently stationed at Xinye?
However, Qingnu did not care at all about these matters that the rest of the world was so concerned with.
One day, as night began to fall, Qingnu arrived outside the city of Xiangyang.
The sky was dark, and a wide stream flowed between two banks, cutting off the path. This stream was known by the people of Xiangyang as the Tanxi.
A chase was unfolding on the other side of the Tanxi.
Liu Bei was galloping on his horse, with a troop of soldiers in hot pursuit behind him.
"There is no road ahead!"
"Liu Bei, surrender now!"
Upon seeing the Tanxi, the pursuers burst into laughter.
Liu Bei had originally reined in his horse, intending to flee in another direction along the stream, but his horse, Dilu, suddenly leaped directly into the Tanxi. No matter how he urged the beast, it refused to move.
On the dry bank, the pursuers had already arrived. Some were drawing their bows, preparing to fire.
"Bring the arrows, quickly!"
"Shoot him dead!"
Seeing this, Liu Bei lamented, "Dilu, Dilu, you truly do bring ill luck to your master!"
However, it seemed the horse was provoked by his words. After Liu Bei finished his sigh, Dilu suddenly let out a long neigh toward the sky and leaped out of the Tanxi in a single bound.
Dilu: 'Watch your mouth!'
Qingnu: "..."
She seemed to see a human-like expression in Dilu's eyes.
There was even a hint of disdain in them.
Liu Bei leaping across the Tanxi gave the pursuers quite a shock; they never expected him to jump across the stream like that!
Liu Bei was also greatly astonished. He looked at Dilu beneath him in wonder and exclaimed, "Dilu, you are truly a magnificent horse!"
"Pfft—"
Just as he finished speaking, he heard a laugh coming from the side. His expression tightened as he looked toward the source of the sound and questioned, "Who is there?"
"Do not be alarmed, Excellency..."
Qingnu stepped out from the woods with a smile on her face, giving Liu Bei a slight nod.
"I am Dian Qing, also known as Dian Yuse. Might Excellency be Liu Xuande?"
Seeing it was a woman, Liu Bei was even more puzzled.
He nodded and said, "I am indeed Liu Bei. I wonder why Lady Yuse would be in such a place..."
Qingnu glanced at the pursuers who were still trying to find a way across the Tanxi, then turned and said, "This is no place for talk. Excellency, please follow me."
She led Liu Bei to a small courtyard, helping him escape capture.
Seeing Qingnu's refined manner of speaking, Liu Bei couldn't help but ask, "Is Lady Yuse perhaps a daughter of one of the great clans of Jing-Xiang?"
Qingnu shook her head and said, "Just a traveler from the countryside. Excellency, please do not trouble yourself over it."
A traveler from the countryside?
What traveler from the countryside could speak with such elegance?
However, seeing that Qingnu was unwilling to say more about her background, Liu Bei did not press further. He bowed to her again, thanking her for saving his life.
"Thank me?"
Qingnu glanced at Dilu to the side and said, "Better to thank him."
Liu Bei followed Qingnu's gaze and nodded in agreement. "Indeed! In tonight's peril, if not for Dilu, I would not have escaped the ambush so easily. Dilu is truly a magnificent horse!"
Qingnu looked at Liu Bei and let out a soft click of her tongue.
He had just been cursing the horse moments ago.
Truly, one cannot even empathize with their own self from a moment ago.
Qingnu shook her head and said to Liu Bei, "Rest here for tonight. Tomorrow morning, you can return to Xinye. Rest assured, this place is hidden; they will not find you."
Hearing this, Liu Bei thought for a moment and said, "Lady Yuse, why not come with me to Xinye tomorrow? It would allow me to properly repay this debt of gratitude."
"Is Excellency trying to recruit me?" Qingnu asked in return.
Liu Bei, his thoughts laid bare, did not feel the least bit embarrassed. He cupped his hands toward Qingnu and said, "Lady Yuse possesses extraordinary knowledge. If you do not find it beneath you, please come forth to assist Liu Bei!"
Qingnu raised a hand in refusal. "My apologies, but I have grown accustomed to being unrestrained."
Asking her to obediently follow Liu Bei and serve as a military strategist?
Impossible.
Liu Bei pleaded earnestly, but Qingnu still would not agree.
He sighed again. Without the help of a great talent, when would he ever be able to realize his grand ambition of restoring the Han dynasty and saving the world?
Liu Bei was not some crybaby, but compared to his ancestors, he was far more sentimental.
"Has Excellency heard of Wolong and Fengchu?"
Qingnu's words interrupted Liu Bei's lamentations.
Liu Bei was stunned. He shook his head with a dazed expression and cupped his hands. "I have not heard of them. Please enlighten me, Lady Yuse. What is so special about these two?"
"Wolong is Zhuge Liang, and Fengchu is Pang Tong. Both are extraordinary talents of this age!"
"Legend says that obtaining even one of them is enough to win the world!"
After Qingnu finished, Liu Bei looked excited and hurriedly asked, "Where can I find them?"
Qingnu raised her hand and pointed in a direction. "Longzhong!"
"Zhuge Liang!"
...
After returning to Xinye, Liu Bei took Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with him to Longzhong.
In front of the thatched cottage in Longzhong, Liu Bei bowed to the page boy and said, "Liu Bei—general of the left of Han, marquis of Yicheng, governor of Yuzhou, and imperial uncle—has come specifically to pay respects to the master! Please announce my arrival."
The page boy shook his head. "I cannot remember so many names."
"Just say that Liu Bei has come to visit."
Once Liu Bei changed his phrasing, the boy said, "The general has come at the wrong time. My master, Wolong, has gone out to visit a friend. I'm afraid it will be several days before he returns!"
"This..."
Liu Bei was stunned, looking up at the thatched cottage.
After a long while, he let out a helpless sigh and said, "It seems my timing was poor. Thank you for telling me; we shall return to visit another time."
Liu Bei was not discouraged. As long as he came a few more times and persisted, he would eventually meet him.
However, as they came and went, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei grew dissatisfied.
This Zhuge Liang was far too arrogant. They had come twice and had yet to see the man! Zhang Fei, being particularly short-tempered, even declared on their third visit—after hearing that Zhuge Liang was taking a nap—that he was going to set fire to the back of the cottage.
"Wait! Third Brother, you must not act so recklessly!"
Liu Bei talked Zhang Fei down, and the three brothers waited respectfully outside the cottage.
As the sun began to sink toward the west, Zhuge Liang finally woke up slowly. Truly it was: Who wakes first from the great dream? I have known it all my life. Having slept my fill in the thatched cottage, the sun moves slowly outside the window.
When the boy reported that Governor Liu was visiting, Zhuge Liang hurriedly invited Liu Bei inside.
"A mere rustic from the mountains, how could I dare trouble the general to come in person! I am truly ashamed."
Zhuge Liang bowed to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei grasped Zhuge Liang's hands, his expression filled with excitement. "To be able to meet Master Wolong today is already my honor!"
The two of them conversed joyfully in the cottage. When they reached a peak in their discussion, Liu Bei asked for a strategy. Zhuge Liang held nothing back, laying out for Liu Bei the famous Longzhong plan that would be passed down for a thousand years!
Unable to hide his excitement, Liu Bei immediately bowed. "I humbly beg the master to come forth!"
"Restore the Han dynasty and save the world!"
The world!
Hearing that word suddenly from Liu Bei's mouth, Zhuge Liang remembered the question Qingnu had asked him years ago.
"My talent is shallow, I fear I am not up to the task."
Zhuge Liang sighed softly.
Liu Bei hurriedly said, "But that Lady Yuse said..."
Zhuge Liang was stunned and quickly asked, "Who did the general say?"
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