Chapter Text
Late afternoon in Hanzhong.
The town, already quiet by nature, was now nearly silent.
Though a few inns and taverns stood open to travelers, none of them had the bustling air of the great cities. Under the eaves of one modest inn, Master Hu Bin sat with his daughter, his disciples, and a few attendants—this would be their lodging for the night.
“Guan Yu…” Hu Bin called out in a tired drawl. “I’m feeling a chill. Could you go fetch a jin of white liquor for me?”
“Yes, Master,” the young man replied promptly, standing and heading off with a few coins in hand.
The stillness of the town, mingled with its chilly air, was unnerving. Guan Yu walked steadily, eyes ahead, not paying much attention to stray voices or faces. He had one goal: find somewhere that sold decent wine.
That was when he heard—
“Are you going to pay up or not?!”
“Please, just give me a little more time! I swear I’m not running away!”
He turned. Three or four burly men were cornering a woman and her young daughter. The child clung to her mother, sobbing as one of the men yanked the woman by the collar.
A cold rush surged through Guan Yu—not from fear, but anger. A righteous fury that seized his body.
‘If it were your mother, your sister, or your daughter… Would you stand by like this?’
‘Or if it were the woman you loved—’
He was nearly upon them, blood boiling, ready to knock the brutes out cold. But then—
Whssshh—THUNK!
“AUGH! Who the hell did that?!”
One of the thugs staggered, clutching his eye where a pebble had struck. He wasn’t badly hurt, but the bruise was sure to stay.
All eyes turned toward the source of the stone, including Guan Yu’s. Standing there, not far off, was a boy in white—no more than eleven or twelve , with a makeshift sling in one hand. He looked like he’d come from humble roots despite his refined bearing, freckles scattered across his cheeks. His presence was noble, his movements calm and precise.
“Ah-Long?! Isn’t that the bastard kid from the Zhao household?!”
“Oi! Stay out of grown-ups’ business, you little rat!”
Ah-Long didn’t answer. He simply picked up more pebbles, tucked them in his cloth sling, and with perfect aim, began flinging them:
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
“Gahhh! This ain’t worth it—RUN!”
The thugs fled. The mother bowed low. “Young Master Zhao… thank you!”
“Please don’t call me that, Auntie,” the boy replied softly. “I won’t be one for long.”
“…Eh?”
The boy, surname Zhao, looked up at the sky with a sad smile. Guan Yu, watching from the sidelines, could guess what had happened. This child—likely a year younger than Ah-Qing—must have endured much already.
“No doubt the main wife mistreated him again,” the woman murmured. “Did she…?”
“She accused me of hurting her son,” the boy said, simply. “Father believed her and cast me out.”
The late sun was already cold.
But the blood in Guan Yu’s veins grew colder still.
“Where’s he gone off to now?” Hu Bin mused, eyes scanning the street from the inn. “Surely he’s not dawdling…” Before long, his dear disciple returned—and behind him trotted the boy in white, cheerful despite everything.
“Guan Yu… who’s this little fellow?”
“His name is Ah-Long,” Guan Yu explained. “He was cast out. I pitied him… and thought we could give him shelter for the night.”
Hu Bin raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead, he smiled gently and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “And the wine?”
“I apologize, Master. On the way there, I came across a mother and child being harassed by thugs, so I—”
“No need,” Hu Bin interrupted warmly. “I wasn’t craving wine that badly. Helping others in need… that’s far better.”
He turned to the boy. “Ah-Long, child… where are you headed?”
The boy replied clearly and confidently, with words well beyond his years. “Though my father no longer claims me, some righteous kin have arranged for me to travel to Changshan and seek refuge.”
“Ahaha! Excellent!” Hu Bin beamed. “Such sharp wit from one so young!”
He turned to Guan Yu. “Let him stay with you tonight. Look after him, would you?”
“Yes, Master.”
Upstairs at the inn, Guan Yu led Ah-Long down the wooden hallway, holding a lantern in one hand. Ah-Qing had come to greet them halfway and was chatting merrily with their new guest, treating him like a little brother she never had.
“What’s your real name, Ah-Long~?”
“Yun,” he replied. “Zhao Yun.”
“Yun… the clouds of House Zhao…”
“They say my mother gave birth to me on a day when rain clouds returned after a long drought. That’s what my aunts told me.”
“And the nickname? Long means ‘dragon,’ doesn’t it?”
“Yes… The clouds looked like a dragon, they say. So they gave me that name too.”
The girl and boy chatted cheerfully. Guan Yu, meanwhile, walked quietly ahead with the lantern, debating whether to say something… or just call it a night.
THUMP!
“Oof! I’m sorry, sir—”
“What the hell?! You lookin’ for a fight?!”
The man towering over them looked to be in his early twenties, tall and broad as Pangu himself, with fierce eyes and a thug’s swagger. The trio froze—Guan Yu included.
“Speak up! You wanna fight Lü Fengxian, huh?!”
Everyone: “…Wait, WHAT?!”
Official : “Lü Fengxian…L-Ü-F-E-N-G-X-I-A-N… that’s Lü Bu!”
Woman from Dayuan: “WHAT is happening?!”
Ah… here we go again. Last time it was the unborn soul of a genius atop Mount Wolong. Before that, the first meeting was with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei at Chang’An.
At this point, even I—the humble narrator—can’t tell if all these stories are real… or if someone’s just dreaming them.
But let’s set that aside for now! Because things are heating up fast!
Ah-Qing, ever quick-witted, recovered first and replied to the brute with perfect civility… and maximum sass:
“Dear Sir Lü, we were simply returning to our room. Might you kindly step aside? It’s difficult for others to pass, you see.”
‘Oh, Heaven above, not again!’ Guan Yu groaned inwardly. But deep down, he admired her. ‘With that tongue, no man will ever dare cross her.’
‘Sis is really not afraid of this guy… huh?’ Ah-Long blinked, both impressed and nervous.
Lü Fengxian clenched his fists, his already-fierce eyes narrowing. “You… you’re just a woman! And you DARE talk back to me?!”
“And why shouldn’t I~?” she replied sweetly—but with a deadly glint.
(At this point, Guan Yu was dying inside, while Ah-Long just smiled awkwardly but clearly admired her.)
Sensing trouble, Guan Yu stepped forward and gently pulled both Ah-Qing and Ah-Long behind him. “Brother, please forgive my sister. She has a habit of speaking a little too freely. Don’t mind her.”
“Guan-ge!!!” Ah-Qing snapped.
“Enough, Ah-Qing,” he said with a firm look. He turned back to Lü Bu. “Let it be, brother. It’s late, and we’ll just take another way around.”
Lü Bu scowled. “Tch! Get lost then! Don’t try to act all noble, you stuck-up pricks!” He stomped off. A voice called from one of the rooms:
“Lü Bu! I told you not to start trouble!”
“He bumped into me first, Father Ding!” Lü Bu snapped back, stomping down the stairs without entering his room.
And so ended one night in Hanzhong.
A night of new faces—some who may become allies, others enemies, in the long years ahead.
They had no way of knowing they would meet again.
Official’s Wife: “I pray that they… even Lü Bu… find some joy while they’re still young.”
Merchant Woman: “Mmm… The world’s going to twist even more soon. I’m scared, truly.”
In the shadows of that Hanzhong night, none could know whether the fates awaiting these souls would be sweet, bitter, or silent.
But for now, they could still laugh.
Still walk side by side.
Still quarrel without drawing swords… just walk away.
And for one more night— There were no blades drawn.
No blood spilled on the ground.
Not yet.
Not like it will be, decades from now, in a time of endless war…
A war that will show no mercy to anyone.