An Unexpected Visitor
My vision went completely black. I was conscious, but my eyes refused to open. What day was it? How many days had I been here? Or did I get that backwards? What was the last thing I did? Ah, right—I charged recklessly and fell into Yuan Shao’s trap. Who was involved again? I definitely remembered Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Then there was one of Yuan Shao’s sons who had Lady Zhen with him, and some general named either Sun or Xun. Okay, my head was finally starting to work again. All I needed to do now was open my eyes…
“?!”
It was an unfamiliar ceiling. I’d expected a military tent, but this place was spotlessly clean. A faint, pleasant aroma of incense drifted through the air, and a cool breeze slipped in through an open window.
“Ah! His eyes are open!”
“Huh?”
I turned toward the familiar voice and saw Lu Ming standing there.
“Husband, you’re alive!”
“Lu Ming? Why are you here… ugh!”
“Wait just a moment! I’ll fetch the physician!”
I had no idea why Lu Ming was here, but she dashed off, her silver hair swinging behind her. A short while later, several physicians burst into the room carrying armfuls of medicine chests.
“Zhonglangjiang! Zhonglangjiang, are you awake?”
“Oh heavens! We’re saved!”
I didn’t understand why the physicians looked so relieved, but at least I was alive.
“Zhonglangjiang, do you know where you are?”
“What happened in the battle…?”
“After the battle, the Chancellor urgently brought you to Baima Fortress. This is the official residence inside Baima Fortress.”
“How long have I been lying here?”
“It has been five days. You kept crying out in terrible pain and coughing up dark blood, but you have finally recovered.”
“Huu…”
Five whole days? It was possible for a person to remain unconscious that long?
“Zhonglangjiang, three of your ribs were broken, your shoulder was pierced by an enemy spear, you suffered deep wounds to your side and leg, your ankle was twisted, and we barely managed to stop the bleeding from the arrow wounds.”
“So you’re saying it’s a miracle I’m still alive?”
“You must remain in bed for at least two months.”
“That would be far too late.”
“It’s all right, husband. I’ll take care of you the whole time.”
Right, I still needed to ask how she even knew to come to the battlefield…
“Zayul! Zayul!”
Cao Cao came rushing in, with Dian Wei right behind him.
“Uncle.”
“Ohhh, you’re alive? You really survived! What a relief!”
Cao Cao grabbed my hand tightly, his joy almost overwhelming. Meanwhile, the physicians used knives heated in boiling water to cut away the necrotic flesh around my wounds, disinfected them with various herbs, and replaced the bandages with fresh ones.
“How is the battle progressing?”
“Your body is more important. I will take the field myself.”
“Uncle, I really need to know what happened to those bastards.”
“Hmm. After that day, a siege battle broke out at Baima.”
So that was how it went.
“The enemy secured their position and then withdrew on horseback. Only Yan Liang remains now, and that one alone has proven extremely troublesome. Dian Wei went out to face him, and it was a fierce clash between dragon and tiger.”
“My lord, if I had just one more moment, I would have won.”
“Yes, yes, but the situation did not allow it.”
Dian Wei spoke in his usual blunt tone, but when he looked at me he gave a small nod of reassurance.
“When my lord saw your condition, he shed tears. He then ordered me to ride immediately to Xudu to report the situation and inform your wives.”
“Aigo! Three of them are pregnant right now!”
“I know. I truly had to be careful at that moment, but I was so heartbroken…”
Lu Ming gazed quietly at Cao Cao. Honestly, from her perspective, Cao Cao and Guan Yu were the enemies who had killed her father. That was why she had deliberately avoided meeting Cao Cao, and because of her characteristically blunt way of speaking, she couldn’t use casual speech in front of him—so I had always kept her away. But when she heard the news, she packed up every medicinal herb and fresh set of clothes in the house and volunteered to come nurse me, following Dian Wei here.
“Husband, everyone at the Xudu house is safe. The physicians have checked multiple times. In fact, they’re making a huge fuss trying to guess whether the babies in their bellies are boys or girls using all sorts of folk methods.”
“You must give birth to many sons. You need to produce several children with your talent.”
Even while I was being tended to, Cao Cao continued worrying about me until he finally left. From outside came the intermittent sounds of war drums and battle cries. Even though I was a wounded soldier who needed rest, I would have to return to the front soon.
“The moment I get up, I’m going to kill every last one of you.”
“Who exactly?”
“Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Xun Yuqing, and Yuan Xi.”
“Hmmm.”
Lu Ming tilted her head, then mentioned one name.
“Yuan Xi… Yuan Xi!”
“Why that name?”
“I’ve heard of him. Isn’t he the guy who stole your woman?”
“Pffft—!”
I had been drinking water by the bedside and ended up spitting it everywhere!
“Who told you that?”
“That uncle named Zhou Ling who came with the former Colonel said so. He told me that you originally prepared a huge pile of gifts for a girl from the Zhen family of Zhongshan, but Yuan Shao’s son Yuan Xi took her away.”
“That bastard Zhou Wenbo…”
“I see. But it’s fine since I’m here now, right?”
“Yeah… the story’s actually quite different, and I don’t have that kind of connection with Yuan Xi.”
It was true that Yuan Xi had taken a Zhen daughter, but when Zhen Fu rejected him, he took her older sister Zhen Jiang instead.
“Ah, and I heard one more thing.”
“What now?”
“The younger Zhen sister is still there, but the older Zhen sister has such a terrible relationship with Yuan Xi that they’ve been living separately for years. Yuan Xi immediately went to the front lines and took concubines, while the older Zhen sister is stuck just serving her in-laws because it was a political marriage.”
Ah, I see. I had heard plenty of good stories. Because of my condition, all I could do was lie in bed and chat. Still, having Lu Ming take care of me from head to toe was a great comfort. She didn’t act cute or anything—she simply did everything with a blank expression. Today as well, she washed my body while carefully avoiding my wounds, changed me into fresh clothes, and gave me a new blanket, making me feel much more refreshed.
“Are you sleeping beside me again tonight?”
“You need to get better quickly. I’ll give you some energy.”
Lu Ming took my hand and prepared to sleep like that. It was then that—
“Hm?”
Heavy footsteps thudded outside. Who could be visiting so late at night? Lu Ming reflexively grabbed the Gojing Sword.
“Hey, why are you drawing your sword…”
The door opened, and a giant over nine cheok tall strode in, beard flowing, carrying a basket of fruit as he looked for me.
“Zayul, are you in here…”
“You bastard!”
“Lu Ming!”
Clang—!
Lu Ming drew her sword without warning and swung at the visitor. In that instant, the guest who had come to see me—Guan Yu—casually swatted the blade away with his hand, sending Lu Ming flying back into the wall. How could a bare hand striking a sword make that kind of sound?
“Hmmm!”
Guan Yu deflected Lu Ming’s surprise attack without even glancing at it, then rolled up his sleeve. Beneath it was a bracer of armor marked with a sword scar.
“My father’s… enemy!”
“Lu Bu raised quite a fine daughter. I understand.”
“Lu Ming! Put the sword down!”
“…Tsk!”
It had all happened in the blink of an eye. Guan Yu, who should have been in Xudu, had suddenly come to visit me. The moment Lu Ming saw him, she attacked, but Guan Yu brushed it off effortlessly.
“Lu Ming, are you okay?”
“Husband… I can’t stay here.”
Lu Ming declared she couldn’t remain in the same room as Guan Yu and left. I tried to stop her, but Guan Yu spoke calmly.
“I will only say what I must and leave shortly.”
“Uncle Yunchang, this is a tremendous breach of etiquette…”
“Breach of etiquette? Who could stay silent after their father was killed?”
Guan Yu spoke boldly, saying that damaging one piece of armor was nothing to him and that he didn’t care.
“Originally, whether it is Cao Cao or Yuan Shao, I have no interest in other people’s wars. However, when I heard that Yuan Shao’s army nearly killed you, I came just in case.”
“That is what happened.”
“To think that my disciple, Guan Yunchang’s student, was so miserably defeated. It is a lack of training! A lack of training!”
“It was four against one.”
“That is… hmmm!”
Guan Yu had been scolding me, but upon hearing it was four against one, he stroked his beard with a strange expression.
“…Where are those wretches?”
“Yuan Shao’s vanguard general Yan Liang, secondary general Wen Chou, defense commander Xun Yuqing, and Yuan Shao’s second son Yuan Xi. Those four.”
“Truly despicable men. Are they still on the battlefield?”
“Three have returned across the Yellow River. Only Yan Liang remains to fight.”
“Then I shall deal with that one first.”
Guan Yu was stepping forward like this? He had said he came because of my news, scolded me for lack of training, and called the clash between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao “someone else’s war,” yet now he was… Of course, this was an incredible stroke of good fortune. Having Guan Yu take action like this felt incredibly reassuring.
“Take good care of your body. If that daughter of Lu Bu returns, share these with her.”
Guan Yu set down the basket of Western Region fruits he had brought as a get-well gift beside my bed and left as calmly as he had come. Truly, an astonishing series of events had occurred one after another.
Some time later, Lu Ming peeked her head around the doorframe, watching my expression carefully.
“It’s fine. Come in.”
“Okay.”
She scampered over. I picked up one of the fruits by the bedside and handed it to her.
“Ugh, this green tangerine is so sour.”
She peeled it, took a bite, scrunched up her face, and kept chewing anyway. There was no point bringing up what had just happened, and since Guan Yu himself had said to eat them together without minding it, I let the matter pass. I had her climb onto the bed, and even though my body hurt, I patted her gently until we both fell asleep.
The next day.
Guan Yu strode confidently up to Cao Cao. Despite being a guest general, he declared that he would strike Yuan Shao’s army. Cao Cao, whose insides had been burning with rage after my defeat, was overjoyed by Guan Yu’s unexpected participation. He immediately appointed Guan Yu as vanguard commander and sent him out with the remaining cavalry.
Meanwhile, intelligence arrived that Yan Liang’s forces, who had been relentlessly besieging Baima Fortress, were preparing for one final decisive battle.
“Whew—”
It was a shame, but since I had been injured from the very beginning of the Guandu Campaign, I would have to skip the early stages and pour everything into the later phase. Once I recovered, I would deal with Wen Chou and Xun Yuqing exactly as history dictated. As for Yuan Xi, that bastard was especially infuriating, so I would make sure to finish him off with particular cruelty.