Chapter 1: Picked Up by Guan Yinping and Brought Home
Seventh month, the thirteenth year of Jian'an.
Cao Cao, with the might of having pacified Hebei, assembled an elite army of 100,000, claiming a total of 800,000 troops.
He marched south, his forces pointing directly at Jing Province.
...
Within the northeastern mountain forest of Fan City.
A young man in strange attire was stumbling through the mountains, his steps uneven.
"They won't even let me enter the camp gate. Where's the 'Only Talent Matters' they promised?"
"If you won't take me, fine, but at least give me some clothes. Then I wouldn't have to hide in these deep mountains and get lost. I'm afraid I'll starve to death in this wilderness..."
Xiao He, dizzy and disoriented from hunger, grumbled to himself, clinging to a sliver of hope as he opened his backpack again, wanting to see if there were any leftover cookie crumbs.
Just as he unzipped his backpack, a deer suddenly burst out from behind him.
"Look out!"
At the same time a woman's warning cry rang out, a sharp arrow flew towards him, whistling past his ear.
The arrow struck the deer squarely.
Xiao He was startled, missed a step, and tumbled down the hillside.
"Bang!"
His head hit a rock.
Just before his eyes closed, in a daze, he seemed to see a woman in armor, riding a tall horse, galloping towards him.
Everything went dark, and he lost consciousness.
...
Fan City, in a side room within the government office's inner courtyard.
Liu Bei and a group of strategists and generals were gathered around the young man, who lay unconscious on the couch in his strange clothes.
"Yinping, where did you bring this person back from?"
Liu Bei looked up, his suspicious gaze falling upon the bright young woman in armor.
"This morning, I went hunting and chased a deer into the forest. Just as I was about to shoot, this fellow suddenly appeared from nowhere."
"Luckily, I managed to shift my aim by a hair, so the arrow only grazed him instead of killing him on the spot."
"But he got startled, lost his footing, hit his head on a rock, and passed out immediately."
"Seeing how peculiar he was, I brought him back."
Guan Yinping, with a glib tongue, explained the whole story.
Listening to his niece's account, Liu Bei and the others exchanged glances, the clouds of doubt in their eyes only deepening.
So, he lowered his head and scrutinized the young man on the couch once more.
He had neither long hair nor a beard, making him look at first glance like a criminal who had undergone the punishment of shaving his head.
However, this 'criminal' was not wearing prison clothes; his attire was extremely unusual, and the material felt neither like cloth, hemp, nor silk—it was unlike anything they had ever encountered.
Presumably, it was made of some rare fabric. How could a condemned criminal afford to wear such clothes?
Besides that, a pile of strange objects was stacked on the small table, all taken from the bag the man had been carrying.
Things like a flashlight, an entrenching tool, a thermos, a lighter... a whole jumble of miscellaneous items.
"Military Advisor Kongming, these objects are truly peculiar. I have never seen them in my life, Xuan De."
"You are widely read and knowledgeable in ancient and modern times, do you recognize any of these things?"
Liu Bei's bewildered gaze turned to the white-robed young man holding a feather fan beside him.
This young man was none other than Wolong Zhuge Kongming, whom he had recently appointed as Military Advisor after three visits to his thatched cottage.
Zhuge Liang's eyes widened as he examined them carefully, but a look of shame appeared on his face.
"Forgive my shallow knowledge, but I do not recognize a single one of these objects on the table."
Zhuge Liang shook his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Liu Bei's expression grew even more astonished.
Even Wolong, who was said to be able to bring peace to the world if one acquired him, had never seen these strange objects, let alone them, these warriors.
"What exactly is this thing?"
Zhang Fei muttered to himself, picking up a flashlight and examining it from front to back.
This cylindrical object, neither iron nor pottery, had a round, thin piece on top that resembled crystal but was even more transparent.
Zhang Fei squinted, looking inside.
While playing with it, he accidentally pressed the switch button.
A beam of light instantly shone on Zhang Fei's face.
"Ow!"
Zhang Fei yelled in fright, almost dropping the cylindrical object from his hand.
Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, as well as Guan Yu and Yinping, quickly gathered around, their faces full of curiosity.
"This object, without fire, can emit such a bright light?"
"How extraordinary, truly extraordinary!"
Zhuge Liang took it from Zhang Fei's hand and examined it repeatedly.
After a long while, he still couldn't figure out its principle.
He accidentally pressed the button again.
The beam of light instantly vanished.
Zhuge Liang discovered the trick, so he kept turning it on and off, the cylinder flickering between bright and dark, and he exclaimed in wonder repeatedly.
"What is this object used for?"
Guan Yinping picked up the lighter from the table.
The others gathered closer again.
Guan Yu leaned in, his phoenix eyes narrowing as he scrutinized it, discovering that this small item was transparent, containing a water-like substance.
Just as he was guessing.
Guan Yinping accidentally pressed the lighter's casing.
"Whoosh!"
A burst of hot flame instantly shot out from the nozzle.
Guan Yu, who was too close, nearly had his beautiful beard ignited. Startled, he quickly took half a step back, frantically checking if his magnificent beard had been damaged.
Guan Yinping's face instantly turned pale, and she threw the lighter down.
Her father cherished his beautiful beard the most; if she had accidentally singed a few strands, she would be in for a furious scolding.
Fortunately, Guan Yu was quick enough, and his beautiful beard was unharmed.
"What exactly is this thing, and why can it spray fire?"
Although Guan Yu had been merely startled, he was still somewhat annoyed.
Zhuge Liang picked up the lighter and, mimicking Guan Yinping, pressed it a few times, and indeed, it produced a flame.
"This small object, with a light press, can spray fire; it is truly miraculous!"
Zhuge Liang nodded repeatedly, again exclaiming in wonder.
Guan Yinping, seeing her father's beautiful beard was safe, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then turned to glare at the man on the couch.
"Uncle, Father!"
"This fellow's origin is unknown, his clothes are strange, and the things he carries are also strange. Could he be a Yellow Turban demon?"
Guan Yinping's speculation immediately put Guan Yu and Zhang Fei on alert.
Liu Bei, however, smiled dismissively, saying:
"Yinping, don't make wild guesses. The Yellow Turban Rebellion happened almost twenty years ago; where would there be any Yellow Turban demons now?"
Guan Yinping was speechless.
Zhang Fei scratched his head, his eyes lighting up:
"If he's not a Yellow Turban demon, could he be an immortal living in seclusion?"
"Are all these strange objects of his immortal lamps, immortal fires, and other items used by immortals?"
Liu Bei was stunned, unable to refute for a moment, and could only look at Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang pondered for a long time, then sighed:
"The sages only warned us to keep our distance from talk of ghosts and gods, but they did not explicitly state whether there truly are gods, immortals, ghosts, or monsters in this world."
"I am afraid I cannot answer General Yide's speculation."
His implication was that he neither denied nor affirmed, choosing to remain neutral.
Guan Yinping, however, scoffed dismissively:
"Third Uncle is truly making wild guesses. If he were an immortal, would he have been scared unconscious by my arrow?"
This time, it was Zhang Fei who was speechless.
Everyone made various guesses, but no conclusion could be reached.
Liu Bei simply waved his hand and said:
"Although this young man appears strange, we must not make rash assumptions."
"It's not too late to ask him about his identity once he wakes up."
The words had just fallen.
Xiao He, on the couch, suddenly sat up with a carp-like leap.
He was awake.
He looked around, finding himself in an ancient-style room.
Three middle-aged uncles, a handsome young man in white, and a spirited young woman in armor, five people, were staring at him.
Xiao He swallowed, and asked in a slightly nervous, low voice:
"Excuse me, gentlemen, where is this place, and how did I end up here?"
Liu Bei pointed at Guan Yinping and said:
"My niece here says that yesterday, while hunting in the mountains, she accidentally startled you, causing you to roll down the hillside and be knocked unconscious."
"My niece then brought you back to Fan City."
Xiao He touched the back of his head, gradually recalling what had happened earlier. It seemed to be just as he said; before he passed out, he had indeed seen a young woman dressed as a warrior.
It must be this one beside him. Now that he looked closely, this girl was indeed a pretty little beauty.
"So that's how it is."
Xiao He composed himself, then gave Guan Yinping a slightly awkward bow with clasped hands:
"Thank you, young lady, for saving me. May I ask your esteemed name, and also the esteemed name of this general?"
Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang exchanged glances.
To be so polite, with graceful and appropriate words and actions, at least confirmed he was not a mountain bandit or a ruffian; he was most likely a scholar.
"I am Liu Bei, General of the Left of Han. The one who saved you is my niece, Guan Yinping."
"May I ask this young master's esteemed name?"
Liu Bei lowered his guard, politely cupped his hands, and introduced himself.
"Liu Xuande?"
Xiao He's eyes suddenly widened.
Eight feet tall, ears reaching his shoulders, hands extending beyond his knees...
General of the Left, Fan City, niece Guan Yinping...
Who else could this person in front of him be but Liu Bei, the Han Emperor Zhaolie, whose name would be passed down through the ages?
"What a coincidence..."
