The Dragon Leaves the Cottage
Liu Bei followed Liu Biao into his private chambers.
"Forgive me, but I must lie down a while. This body of mine is no longer what it once was."
"Please, rest. Pay me no mind."
Liu Bei helped Liu Biao onto the bed.
"It grieves me to see you so unwell. I had no idea — I simply enjoyed the banquet without a care. I am deeply ashamed."
"Think nothing of it. The fault is not yours, Lord Liu Bei."
"I shall go at once and have a medicinal decoction prepared for you."
As Liu Bei turned to leave, Liu Biao caught him by the sleeve and held him back.
"No. There is no need for that. All I ask is that you listen to what I have to say."
"Of course. But would it not be wiser to summon a physician first and tend to your illness? I am simply too worried to do otherwise."
Liu Bei tried once more to step outside, but Liu Biao restrained him again.
Something feels… off…?
Whether it was mere fancy or not, Liu Bei could not shake the sense that Liu Biao was concealing something.
My lord. Please be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.
He recalled the quiet warning Jin Cheong had given him before they entered. Clasping his hands respectfully, he steeled himself to hear Liu Biao out — without letting his guard down.
"What is it you wish to say?"
Liu Biao coughed twice, then continued.
"Lord Liu Bei — what do you make of Jingzhou's future?"
"It is a land Your Excellency has poured your heart's blood into protecting. And under your continued rule, it shall remain at peace."
"I speak because my days are numbered. What becomes of this place when I die — that is what troubles me so deeply."
"How can you say such a thing? You will rise from this bed and shake it off, I am certain of it."
But Liu Biao pressed on, his voice weak.
"Neither of my two sons has any real talent. Whether they can govern this land properly — that is what frets me."
"You must not let your spirit weaken. You will recover, without question."
Liu Bei kept offering comfort, urging him not to worry — but the words Liu Biao spoke next stopped him cold.
"Lord Liu Bei. Listen carefully. It is hard for a father to say this of his own sons, but neither of them has the mettle to endure these troubled times. And so… when I die, would you take Jingzhou in my place and govern it?"
"...!"
In that brief instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Liu Bei's mind.
Jingzhou would become his. If the offer were genuine, nothing could be better. And yet…
Liu Bei bowed his head. Then he cast a sidelong glance at the folding screen behind Liu Biao's bed.
Liu Biao's proposal was a sweet dish served in a splendid vessel — but something ominous writhed beneath the surface. The instincts that had carried him through countless crises were screaming a warning.
He dropped flat to the floor at once.
"This Liu Bei lacks both the talent and the breadth of spirit to undertake so great a charge as Your Excellency. I beg you — withdraw those words."
"But Cao Cao may invade at any moment. The only man who can stand against him is you, Liu Bei."
"Should Cao Cao or any other enemy come against us, I will fight with my life. Have you forgotten how I defeated Xiahou Dun at Bowang? I have never forgotten the grace you showed in taking me in when I was a wanderer with nowhere to turn. Give the order, and I will always ride at the front. But I ask that you take back your words about entrusting Jingzhou to me."
Liu Biao looked at Liu Bei with exhausted eyes as he poured out his fervent refusal.
"Is that… your true heart…?"
"It is. Your Excellency need only concern yourself with recovering your health."
"Very well. It seems I have troubled you with needless talk. You may withdraw."
Liu Bei bowed repeatedly, observed every courtesy, and stepped outside. Liu Biao watched the back of his head until he was fully gone, then finally looked away.
"Cough, cough."
Liu Biao coughed several times.
Then the folding screen behind him slid open, and several figures emerged — Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, and a handful of axe-wielding executioners with grim weapons in hand.
Liu Biao regarded them without any particular surprise.
"It seems my suspicions ran too deep. Liu Bei does not appear to be a man who would covet Jingzhou even after I am gone."
This had been a scheme of Kuai Yue and Cai Mao's devising. Had Liu Bei accepted Jingzhou or shown any sign of lusting after it, they meant to cut him down on the spot.
Whether Liu Bei had sensed the trap or spoken from genuine conviction, he had deftly turned the conversation aside and slipped free of the snare.
Kuai Yue still looked unconvinced.
"We cannot yet set our minds at ease. That man Liu Bei will never be content to serve under another. We ought to find some opportunity and dispose of him."
It would have been simpler if he had just agreed to take Jingzhou. That was what Kuai Yue was thinking.
"And yet, should Cao Cao invade, we will need his strength — that much is true. There is no need to stir up internal strife so soon."
"Yes. As you say…"
Liu Bei walked back toward his retainers without any outward show of haste. But his heart was still hammering, and cold sweat beaded on his brow.
"My lord, you have returned."
The sight of his subordinates — Jin Do and Jin Cheong — eased his mind a little.
"Nothing untoward happened, I hope?"
Jin Cheong asked with a worried face. Come to think of it, this young, delicate-looking girl had been the first to sense something amiss.
That he had brushed past death in Liu Biao's chambers was only a gut feeling — and yet he was certain that both his own instincts and this girl's had been right.
"No. Lord Liu Biao is unwell, and it would be unseemly to stay on laughing and carousing. We will pack up and return to Xinye."
For now, leaving was the wiser course.
"Cheong-ah. Off to follow Master Xu Shu again today?"
"Yes, Father. Learning herbal medicine from him is genuinely enjoyable. I can prepare medicines and treat wounds as well."
"Good… Learn well, then."
"I'll learn thoroughly and brew fine medicine for you too, Father."
"All right, all right. Just don't overdo it."
In these troubled times, learning such skills would surely prove useful. And it was a chance to deepen my bond with Xu Shu as well.
He never said so outright, but I could tell Father preferred me handling herbs like this far more than marching off to war.
Well — if I had a daughter, I'd rather she quietly tended plants than ride out onto a battlefield too. But I was no ordinary daughter, and before long I would be heading to the front again. Father would worry, of course.
"Come to think of it, our lord has gone looking for Master Zhuge again. Just how remarkable must this man be, for His Lordship to show such devoted sincerity? I only hope he isn't pushing himself too hard."
Remarkable doesn't begin to cover it. The words rose to my throat and sank back down.
Come to think of it, this was already the third visit. So even in this world, he was going to complete the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage.
Liu Bei's army had a solid line of generals, but its staff of strategists was still thin. If Zhuge Liang joined us, the roster would be vastly strengthened overnight.
"Father, I'll be off then."
"Go on. Take care of yourself."
With that, Father returned to his usual duties — the defense of Xinye and the training of the troops.
I packed my things and set out after Xu Shu. And as always, I learned how to gather and prepare medicinal herbs.
In the middle of foraging, I asked Xu Shu a question as if the thought had only just occurred to me.
"Master Xu Shu — do you truly believe Master Wolong will join our cause? His Lordship has shown such devoted sincerity."
"I worry about that myself. I knew he was proud, but I never imagined we would not even manage to meet him. Still — if His Lordship goes in person, one would think the man might at least show his face once."
"What if you went yourself, Master Xu Shu? Aren't the two of you friends?"
"If I went, he would only resent it, thinking I'd come to press a favor on him. That is the sort of friend he is."
Xu Shu sighed heavily as he spoke. Clearly it weighed on him that the man he himself had recommended had yet to grant their lord even a single audience.
"This is the third time — perhaps he'll be home when they return. There's a saying about the third try, after all."
Xu Shu tilted his head with a look that said, Is that so?
"Yes. I truly hope it turns out that way."
By the time the sun was sinking past the western hills and the sky had turned to dusk, we made our way back.
Someone was standing before the government office of Xinye. Golden evening light fell behind him, so that we could make out only a silhouette — yet the presence he radiated was anything but ordinary. What he held in his hand, however, was plain to see.
A fan. Then could this man be…?
A moment later, I realized I was looking at the fateful encounter I had so long hoped for.
Xu Shu froze the instant he saw him. He blinked as though he could not trust his own eyes, then glanced at me and let out a short, bright laugh.
"It's Zhuge Liang. He — he really came."
I offered a light smile, and Xu Shu hurried forward with open delight.
"Oh, Kongming! So you've finally come."
A young man in white scholar's robes, a white-feathered fan in hand, stood waiting to receive us. Tall and handsome — for all the world like some immortal stepped down from the heavens.
The one who had left his thatched cottage in Longzhong and come to find us. Wolong — the Sleeping Dragon.
Zhuge Liang.