“Here should be good enough… Set up camp! Light the fires!”

We had been travelling off the road to Zhuo commandery for some time and it was now nightfall. Everywhere around us was utterly unfamiliar wilderness, but this was actually rea.s.suring.

During this time, my troops had made me feel a lot of pressure. This was because they did not know where I was taking them and I did not inform them of a concrete destination either all this while. Thus, they began to suspect that I did not have a destination in mind along the way.

Though they may be soldiers now, they are normal civilians at heart, and will not believe me without basis forever.

“Hai~~~ I’m so exhausted.” Yi De set down her weapon and sank to the ground.

“It’s no wonder you’re tired. Though we rode on the way here, we’ve been at it non-stop for half a day already.” Yun Chang said as she tidied her messy hair. “You should come down too.”

“… Oh.”

Zhang Jue who had been sitting behind jumped down timidly and planted her her wooden stave on the ground.

“Um, umm…” Zhang Jue raised her head after jumping down the horse with difficulty only to lower her head again when she saw us and spoke with clear nervousness, “I am but a stranger with all of you, yet you have willingly helped a traitor like me. Thank you everyone, truly.”

As she said so she took off her hood and bowed.

“… Umm, Zhang Jue.”

“Yes, please go on.”

“There is only a horse in that direction, we are here.”

“Ah, ah! So, so-so-sorry… My eyes aren’t too good, and I can’t see things clearly.”

She frantically turned around, in a direction more of less facing us and kept bowing profusely.

Is it near-sightedness?… Then is she holding a wooden stick because of that?

I kept thinking it was some sort of wand, but it’s actually a white stick huh~~~

(TL: White stick is the name of the stick blind / hard-at-seeing people use. I never knew. And Zhang Jue in the original was supposedly a Taoist sorcerer.)

I looked at the girl called Zhang Jue. She should be older than me but if I were to go by her looks, she seems my age. Her black wavy hair extended to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and her brown eyes seemed to be big but appeared small due to her frequent squinting.

(TL: No, Chinese people do not have brown eyes. Source: Me.)

“Maa, don’t need to be so stiff about it. Your little brother left you to us., and naturally we must fulfill our responsibility.” Yun Chang smiled as she said so, “If you don’t mind, could you tell us who defeated you? Though your troops may be untrained, you should not be easily reduced to such a state based on your superior numbers.”

As Yun Chang said so, sadness once again appeared on Zhang Jue’s face but she nodded.

“Our encampment was at Julu commandery, which is more or less the last city we could control. Huang Fu Song and Lu Zhi suddenly attacked Julu earlier and we were caught off guard and had no choice but to abandon the city and escape. My brigadier-general said wait for nightfall when they let their guard down and then retake Julu.”

(TL: Huang Fu Song and Lu Zhi are very unimportant generals.)

“Everything was still alright until here. But when night came, we were ambushed before we could initiate ours. As the night was exceptionally dark then, we didn’t know their numbers and could only gather our survivors and run as we suffered attacks at our rear. We continued to run all night, and when dawn came, we found that we had ran in the wrong direction and we were right before Julu city.”

“And so, we were attacked on both sides and it took a fair bit of fierce fighting before we somehow broke through. By then I had no choice and wrote to ask my little brother for help but we walked into a trap by those people the moment we met. And so my troops and those of my little brother became the rear guard and we escaped somehow.”

“…” I thought in silence for a bit, “Those people at the start, whose flags were they waving?”

“Un… Umm, I didn’t see…” She pointed at her staff.

“Ah, sorry.”

How could I have forgotten this, she clearly said it just now.

“Big brother, did you think of something?”

“No, it’s nothing much…”

Though I don’t know those troops belong to ahom, when I think about the depth of tactics used, that definitely means that it isn’t some small fry.

“Ah, right, Zhang Jue.” I took out the fan. “Take a look at this.”

“Un? This is?” She took the fan, and squinted at it, “What about this fan?”

Looks like the fan isn’t hers…

“Umm, it’s like this.”

I summarised the story of my transfer to Zhang Jue, though I said I got into big trouble instead of saying that I travelled through s.p.a.ce-time.

“Un…” She ruffles her hair as she thought. “That book

is indeed mine, but I didn’t write it, an immortal gave it to me. However, I have never read it as I can’t see the words clearly.”

(TL: No, this is not going to be Xianxia. But yes, in the original, Zhang Jue was supposedly taught and trained by an immortal.)

“Is that so…” So it’s not her who wrote it, “Then where is that book now?”

“Ah, I gave it to Bo Cai when I pa.s.sed through Qing state.”

(TL: Bo Cai is yet another unimportant Yellow Turban general.)

“…” I gave up and sat back down as I put the fan away.

How could you just give away something you received from an immortal?! It’s not like it takes up a lot of s.p.a.ce, you could have just left it at home.

“Big brother don’t give up, if that book is very important then all we have to do is just go to Qing state– Though I don’t know where Qing state is.” That would have been very rea.s.suring and comforting if it weren’t for Yi De’s last bit.

“Maa, no need for that. Some things become more elusive the more you chase it.”

How do I say it, actually I’m just tired of travelling. What I want most now is to get to a small fry administrator’s city and take a good rest.

“So what are you going to do now? Run to the south like your little brother said?” Though it was none of my business, I asked anyway.

“Un… But even I go there, they may not be willing to take me. Moreover, the situation of Yellow Turbans nationwide is very poor, and they won’t be happy to feed another mouth.” Zhang Jue said as she smiled helplessly.

“Then why don’t you change your name and start afresh as a farmer again? Few people know about your looks after all.”

“If I could do that, that would be the best. But I can’t! I am responsible for the things the Yellow Turban Army did and there is no way I can selfishly live in peace.” Zhang Jue said emotionally with her eyes wide open. “And I promised my little brothers from the start, that we will never return to farming until the day the world is at peace.”

“Un~~ But you can’t be a small fry in our army right.” I thought for a bit, “Well what can you do? Can you command the weather or summon some magic beasts?”

“That… Actually I can’t do any of those. My little brothers spread many lies about me.” Zhang Jue rubbed her head with a helpless smile, and said abashedly, “If I really have to say it, apart from being able to read, I know a little bit about medicine.”

“Medicine?”

“Un, don’t look at me like that, I’m not bragging but my medical techniques are fairly sophisticated.” She said with a somewhat proud look.

“Hou~~~”

“Big sister, she says she knows medical techniques.”

“Un, I too know how to bandage wounds, albeit a bit roughly. Nothing strange.”

“What? You all don’t believe me!” She angrily took a small bag out of her cloak. “Look at this, this is powder I manufactured on my own. When you spread some of it on places that hurt, it stops hurting immediately. You can try it out.”

“… Is this thing called ‘mafeisan’?”

(TL: The first Chinese anesthesia.)

“!” She stook a step back in shock, “That’s amazing! How did you know? I only gave it a name yesterday! And I thought so long too!”

Hai…

I felt like I had no choice and stood up and grabbed Zhang Jue’s shoulders as I looked at her with kind eyes.

“Eh?!!! U, umm, what… What…” Zhang Jue’s shoulders trembled, her face turned red immediately and her mouth moved up and down but words came out.

“Big brother? You, you want to…”

“I, if big brother wants, wants that then… I, I too… The sky is dark a, anyway… We can… Together…”

“I say,” I ignored my sisters’ inexplicable words and s.n.a.t.c.hed the little bag away from her and began my bold—- Tsukkomi, “This thing shouldn’t be yours, but you probably don’t know what a patent is. But what I want to say is, this isn’t invented by you, it’s invented a very impressive person called Hua Tuo.”

(TL: Hua Tuo is a medical genius who existed in reality as well as in the original. He pioneered the use of surgical techniques and anesthesia at a time when the whole of China munched roots and herbs for everything from colds to cancer. You can think of him as an Asian Hippocrates. However, when he died, he destroyed his manuals and since he had no disciples, his techniques and formulas were lost. And so doomed the progress of Chinese medical surgery.)

Though I don’t know how this thing winded up in your hands, it isn’t to strange, after everything I’ve been through, for Hua Tuo and Zhang Jue to know each other somehow.

But what is with my little sisters? Why did you all loosen your belts? Are you all going to bed? Speaking of which, they seemed to have frozen after I finished speaking, and their faces turned red immediately.

“…” She was struck dumb for a mement. “If you’re talking about Hua Tuo–”

She pointed at herself.

“Don’t be silly, your family name is Zhang and your given name is Jue okay?”

“Right, and my courtesy name is Hua Tuo.”

“Haha, you are such a…”

What did she just say?

“Your fanily name is Zhang and your given name is Jue.”

“And my courtesy name is Hua Tuo.

… Eh?

“Really!?”

The me now was beginning to be very afraid and I seriously doubted the veracity of using the things I know to make sense of this world.

(TL: Note that Hua Tuo and Zhang Jue are NOT the same people in history and the originals.)

“A, and so that is to say that your family name is Zhang, your given name is Jue and your courtesy name is Hua Tuo. Zhang Jue, Zhang Hua Tuo?”

Nods.

“A, and that is to say that when the neighbouring auntie hollers for you, she can call you Zhang Jue or Hua Tuo?”

“Though I don’t quite get what you mean, but basically that is what it is.”

This sort of thing, how can it be…

… Alright fine, I’ll trust you.

“Yun Chang Yi De, I’ve decided that we shall keep her.” I said to the 2 who were fixing their clothing with red faces.

“Ah, ah, that is good.”

“Ah, I have nothing against that.”

What’s wrong? From the moment I finished, you 2 have had weird expressions.

“And so that’s how it is.” I turned to look at Zhang Jue, “If you don’t mind, then stay with us. As for your position… We’ll take it that you are my personal adviser.”

“Un, I don’t have anywhere else to go anyway. And my little brother left me with you despite having exchanged no more than a few sentences with you, which means that he felt following you would not be the wrong choice.”

“Ha, it’s not something so impressive.” I replied, “Alright, from now on, we won’t call you Zhang Jue, we’ll call you Hua Tuo.”

“Un, being a little intimate is good too.”

(TL: Calling one by their courtesy name is something like calling people by their first names in Western tradition, or by calling j.a.panese by their given names. Nowadays, there is no such thing as a courtesy name, so it’s just first name last name.)

“Un, alright.”

I couldn’t say it, that it wasn’t because of intimacy, but because of safety that I want to call you Hua Tuo. If we kept at it with using Zhang Jue, then we would definitely be mistaken for Yellow Turbans.

“Can I ask for everyone’s names…”

“Ah, we haven’t introduced ourselves. I am Liu Bei, Liu Xuan De… Though I don’t think I am.”

“I am Xuan De’s little sister, Guan Yu, Guan Yun Chang. I look forward to working with you.” Yun Chang said as she flicked her hair and cupped one fist in the other hand in a gesture of respect.

(TL: It’s that gesture that you always see in Wushu shows / compet.i.tions when they greet one another.)

“I am Zhang Fei, Zhang Yi De, the smallest little sister. I look forward to getting along with you.” Yi De said, as she held her hip.

“Please do get along with me generals.”

“Aiyaya, don’t need to bother with the formalities and just call us by name.”

“Un, thought I can’t quite see who is who, I have at least remembered your names. If you should get injured, come to me and I will apply medicine for you.”

She bowed again as she said so.

“Hmph, we won’t get injured easily yo~~~”

“Un, we’ll trouble you when the time comes.

Yun Chang and Yi De replied.

“Now then, introductions are all done, and the sky is dark. Let’s go to sleep.”

I clapped twice and then let out a yawn.

Though we still don’t know where to go tomorrow, that sort of thing isn’t so urgent that it can’t be settled tomorrow anyway.

… Un?

Just then, the sound of hooves could be heard from a certain direction. Not many, but they were powerful, and one could tell those were good horses just from hearing their gallop.

“What is it?” Zhang Jue, no… Huo Tuo was squinting into the distance. If you can’t see, don’t need to force yourself you know.

“Looks like we have guests.”

“Un, but don’t awaken our troops yet. From the sound of the hooves, there shouldn’t be too many people.”

As they finished speaking, Yun Chang and Yi De had their weapons in hand already.

Just as I was wondering if I should pull out my twin swords as well, the torch fire from the band of horse riders had already revealed their figure clearly before our eyes.

“Who goes there?!”

Yun Chang yelled with apprehension in her voice.

“Please do not be alarmed everyone. We are just a squad that has escaped from Du city.” The leading rider quickly said. “We saw light here, and thought it was an encampment of the Imperial Court army, and wished to seek shelter for a night.”

From that voice, the general must be a woman. Just being a female general though, was no longer a surprise to me.

Under the light of the flame torches, I saw her wearing a glorious coat armour, with a stern, serious look and razor sharp gaze that would have trumped any male bravado. Even with such an unyielding countenance, her graceful beauty shone through.

“We’re not a battalion of the Imperial Court. Ah, we are also not any merchant troupe.”

I quickly denied it, and turned back to signal Yun Chang and Yi De to put down their weapons. Yi De remained on guard at first, but I looked at her a few times and she finally relented.

“But at the same time, you aren’t traitors right?” She said as she looked at us, and got off her horse without waiting for a reply. “Now then, will you mind us camping beside you?”

“Ah, this is not a problem. But may I first know who–”

And just as I said that, my words stopped at my throat, and I sighed helplessly from the bottom of my heart. Truly, this time was worse than before.

Because, she wielded a halberd.

(TL: A Chinese style halberd, which is a signature weapon for…)

“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself.” She swung the halberd around and stuck the blade portion deeply into the ground, before reaching out. “I am the foster daughter of Ding Yuan, the Inspector of Bing state, Lu Bu Lu Feng Xian.”

… I never expected that even ‘he’ was a beautiful girl?!

And I’m not Dong Zhuo, why are you meeting with me?!