Chapter 102: Making Acquaintances

Just as he had suspected, this man was none other than Lu Bu, the famous Lu Fengxian. At that moment, Zhang Xuan recalled the depiction of Lu Bu’s entrance in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms": a three-pronged, gold-inlaid crown atop his head, dressed in a hundred-flower robe of red cotton from the Western River, clad in beast-faced armor with interlocking plates, a lion-patterned belt at his waist; bow and arrows at his side, holding a halberd decorated with painted designs, mounted on the whinnying Red Hare steed—truly, “Among men, Lu Bu; among horses, Red Hare!”

Although Lu Bu was not adorned with such regalia now, his aura was already unmistakable. As Zhang Xuan drifted in his memories, Yang Zaixing began introducing everyone to Lu Bu.

“Let me introduce us. My surname is Yang, given name Zaixing, and I haven’t received a courtesy name yet. This is my second brother, Yuwen Chengdu, who also doesn’t have a courtesy name…” Yang Zaixing introduced each person who had just sparred with Lu Bu, and after each introduction, they saluted one another as a sign of acquaintance.

“Big brother, your introductions are a bit too casual! If you’re going to introduce us, just do it—no need to emphasize that we don’t have courtesy names yet! It’s a little embarrassing,” Zhang Xuan whispered, tugging at Yang Zaixing’s sleeve.

“Hello, everyone. I’m glad to meet you all. It’s a pity I’ll be leaving tomorrow, otherwise I’d love to spar with you for a few more days,” Lu Bu said, with a hint of regret.

“Brother Lu, you look a few years older than us—hope you don’t mind me calling you that. Can’t you stay a few more days? We’d love to test ourselves against you and see where we fall short,” Yang Zaixing replied, clearly disappointed to hear that Lu Bu was leaving so soon. He truly wanted to compete with him again, to gauge the gap between them.

“Hmm, I wasn’t planning to come at first, but my master insisted on bringing me here. Still, I’m glad I agreed, or I would have missed meeting all of you. But I doubt tomorrow’s departure will be changed. After all, I’ve already enlisted in the army, and orders are strict—I can’t go against them.”

“Wow, Brother Lu, you’ve already joined the army? Can you tell us what life in the barracks is like?” Zhao Yun raised his hand and shouted eagerly.

“Sorry, I’ve only just enlisted myself and haven’t yet experienced army life. I’ll tell you all about it when I get the chance later!” In fact, Lu Bu had just joined the Bingzhou Army, and the commanding officer, impressed by him—partly due to Li Yan’s recommendation—had made Lu Bu his personal guard. The idea was to let him train in the barracks for now, and later give him further opportunities.

The group continued chatting about various topics. Lu Bu and Yuwen Chengdu recognized each other as fellow disciples, and Lu Bu paid his respects to his elder martial uncle. They discussed their aspirations, among other things.

Yet Zhang Xuan said little, simply observing Lu Bu. Perhaps there were many things he wanted to say but could not bring himself to voice. Was he supposed to advise him not to be obstinate in the army, not to be arrogant just because of his martial prowess, to beware of Li Su, to repay kindness, and not to become infamous as a traitor? He had only just met Lu Bu; saying such things would be meaningless. All he could do was let things take their course. Perhaps, in this chaotic timeline, none of what he remembered would come to pass. Who could say how history’s river would flow?

“You’ll all enlist one day, won’t you?” Lu Bu said, beating his chest with confidence. “Otherwise, your skills would be wasted. If you do, come join me—I’ll help you pursue your ambitions!”

After chatting a little longer, the group dispersed.

“Xuan, you barely said a word just now. Do you actually know Brother Lu?” Yang Zaixing asked, noticing that Zhang Xuan had barely participated in the conversation, which was unlike him.

“Did I really not say anything?”

Everyone nodded. Since his spar with Lu Bu, Zhang Xuan hadn’t spoken, which was out of character for him.

“Maybe I was just too exhausted from the sparring. I’m still out of breath, see?” Zhang Xuan said, feigning a few heaving breaths. With his explanation, no one pressed further; the memory of his fierce exchange with Lu Bu was still fresh.

After Yuwen Chengdu and the others left, Old Tong pulled Zhang Xuan aside. “Come on, tell me—why were you so unlike yourself today? We’ve known each other long enough. What are you scheming?”

“Old Tong, you’ve been so suspicious lately! Isn’t it possible I’m just acting naturally? Why do you always assume I’m plotting something? You give me too much credit. How could someone my age be so calculating?” Zhang Xuan retorted with mock seriousness.

“For most people your age, I’d agree. But you—I’m not so sure. There’s just something about you that doesn’t feel like a child.” Old Tong reflected on the significant events he’d shared with Zhang Xuan and couldn’t shake the feeling that the boy was hiding something. “Let me ask you this: when you first met Yang Zaixing and Yuwen Chengdu, you insisted on swearing brotherhood with them, but when you saw Lu Bu, you barely said a word. Can you explain that?”