Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

Amid the continuous cheers of the people in Fenggao, Sima Yi and Sima Lang left the city. Initially, only Sima Yi planned to leave, but Sima Lang, concerned about his younger brother traveling alone, decided to accompany him. They exited the city gates and let their horses carry them in a random direction, with no specific destination in mind.

Not long after they had set out, Sima Yi heard a familiar voice calling from outside the carriage. He paused for a moment and said, ”Brother, stop the carriage. My teacher is here.”

”Your teacher? Hu Gong?” Sima Lang was surprised but quickly stopped the carriage. Soon after, they saw a scholar riding toward them on horseback.

”Student Sima Boda greets Hu Gong,” Sima Lang said respectfully before his younger brother could even bow. He then turned to glare at Sima Yi, who stared at Hu Zhao.

”Haha, no need for formalities, no need for formalities. Zhongda, you’ve improved—much less arrogant than before,” Hu Zhao said with a hearty laugh. ”Are you surprised to see me in Taishan? Haha, let me tell you, when Chen Zichuan was sweeping through Yuzhou, your teacher was a guest in Runan. I ended up being packed up and sent to Fenggao.”

Hu Zhao didn’t care whether Sima Yi was listening or not. He continued talking to himself. ”At the time, I was quite frustrated—after all, I am a renowned Confucian scholar, and here I was being bundled up and shipped off. But once I arrived in Fenggao, I realized this place isn’t bad at all. It’s much better than that little hill I used to live on.”

”You came to Fenggao of your own accord, and you probably took advantage of Chen Zichuan’s offer for convenience,” Sima Yi said with exasperation, knowing his teacher too well to believe he could ever suffer a loss.

”You can’t put it that way. It was really dangerous at the time. But I must admit, after spending a few months here in Fenggao, I have to acknowledge that Liu Xuande has remarkable character, ambition, and virtue. So, how about joining me in serving Liu Xuande?” Hu Zhao laughed heartily, yet there was no sense of discord in his demeanor, despite referring to Liu Bei, a man of his own age, as a ”youngster.”

”Zhongda, as your friend, let me ask you—do you think Liu Xuande is suitable for me?” Sima Yi asked calmly, staring at Hu Zhao.

”No, he isn’t,” Hu Zhao immediately rejected his own earlier suggestion.”Then why did you recommend him to me?”

”I was moved by Liu Xuande’s ideals. I was already quite proud of having successfully educated a small group of people in Luhun Mountain, but here is a ruler who wants to educate the entire populace of the world,” Hu Zhao said, shedding his usual playful demeanor. His eyes revealed a deep sense of admiration.

”Then why do you intend to leave?” Sima Yi asked, bowing respectfully to Hu Zhao before continuing his question.

”Because it’s impossible. I taught you everything I know because you’re as realistic as I am. If something can’t be done, it can’t be done. We won’t indulge in unrealistic dreams. We only focus on what we can achieve. In this chaotic world, overly ambitious dreams can drag you down,” Hu Zhao said solemnly.

”Boda, you should go on your journey alone. I’ll take Zhongda to travel the world. His mindset is now mature enough to inherit my teachings,” Hu Zhao said, glaring at Sima Lang. Although Sima Lang was Sima Yi’s older brother and had always shown great respect for Hu Zhao, the latter had never been particularly kind to him.

”Zhongda, don’t trouble Hu Gong,” Sima Lang said, not arguing further. He gave his brother some brief advice and then rode off, leaving the carriage for Hu Zhao and Sima Yi.

After Sima Lang left, Sima Yi sat down on the ground next to Hu Zhao. ”Teacher, I’ve awakened my spiritual talent.”

”Oh? As expected of Zhongda,” Hu Zhao replied calmly, though he was inwardly very pleased. After all, he himself hadn’t awakened his spiritual talent until he was seventeen or eighteen.

”I met a boy with the same courtesy name as yours. He’s twelve years old and already possesses spiritual talent, with a mental capacity equal to my brother’s. This world truly has its share of geniuses,” Sima Yi said, his tone devoid of emotion as he spoke to Hu Zhao.

”The world is vast, and there are bound to be a few prodigies,” Hu Zhao said after a long silence. ”Perhaps I still haven’t seen enough. Come, Zhongda, I’ll take you on a journey across the world for one to three years. I’ll teach you everything I know, and then the rest will be up to you.”

As Hu Zhao casually dusted off his Confucian robe, Sima Yi also stood up and nonchalantly patted himself off before getting into the carriage. They picked a random direction and prepared to set off.

While sitting in the carriage, Sima Yi’s mind wandered to the serene demeanor of Zhuge Liang.

Meanwhile, Sima Lang had traveled no more than fifty li westward before encountering two carriages. Seeing the group of around a hundred soldiers and the sturdy man leading them on horseback, even without a banner, Sima Lang could guess whose entourage this was.

However, before Sima Lang could move aside, he heard a voice call out from one of the carriages, ”Boda, long time no see!”

”Er’ao, stop the carriage!” Chen Qun shouted toward Dian Wei, and soon the entire group halted.

”Well, if it isn’t Changwen! It’s been a while. You’re here for your cousin’s wedding, right? I must say, you’re sneaky. If I hadn’t gone to the Fan family to confirm, I wouldn’t have known that Chen Zichuan is also from the Chen family. I ended up leaving my family’s heirloom jade pendant as a wedding gift when I left,” Sima Lang said with a smile as he greeted Chen Qun. He then began to complain, clearly very familiar with him.

”It’s a long story,” Chen Qun replied with a wry smile. ”Boda, let me introduce you. This is my lord’s advisor, Xi Zhicai.”

”You’re the one who pacified Yanzhou, stabilized Nanyang, and defeated Yuan Shu—Xi Zhicai? I’m Sima Lang of Henei. It’s an honor to meet you, Advisor Xi,” Sima Lang said, bowing to the frail, slightly sickly-looking man before him.

”No need for such formalities. Since you’re a friend of Changwen, feel free to call me by my courtesy name,” Xi Zhicai said, stroking his beard as it trembled slightly.

Chen Qun was visibly surprised. Xi Zhicai, who was usually curt with others, was now showing such respect to his friend. Could there be something more to this?

Chen Qun glanced at Xi Zhicai curiously but didn’t interfere. He, too, wanted to see what Xi Zhicai was up to.

Xi Zhicai had no intention of letting Sima Lang go. Anyone with spiritual talent, regardless of what kind, was a strategist worth knowing!

Xi Zhicai’s words left a favorable impression on Sima Lang. With his friend Chen Qun by his side, it didn’t take long for Xi Zhicai to convince Sima Lang to join them in the carriage. Together, they headed back toward Fenggao.