Surviving as Guan Yu in the Three Kingdoms

Zhang Fei apologized, but honestly, I hadn’t been holding it deeply in my heart.

That’s because in this late Han era where public safety and security have long been thrown to the dogs, when a suspicious man suddenly comes…

If he clings to a girl so pretty that anyone passing by on the street in Korea would mistake her for an idol and ask for an autograph, saying he wants to serve her, it’s understandable to be suspicious.

It was Liu Bei’s magnanimity in trusting me readily that was too great; Zhang Fei was just being normal.

“No, it’s fine.”

But Zhang Fei interrupted me and continued with what she wanted to say.

“No, if it were me, I’m sure I would have felt really hurt. When I had no such intention at all, if a not-so-cute woman appeared and said such things, it would be strange not to get angry. Even now, you’re just not saying it, but you actually dislike me, right?”

In Korea too, when people get drunk, they generally don’t listen to others and just say what they want to say. Is this the same everywhere people live?

Still, since this is an opportunity to hear Zhang Fei’s hidden true feelings, I should go along with it to the end if possible.

Although she’s different from the male Zhang Fei I know from the Three Kingdoms, she’s still Zhang Fei Yide here, so as a Three Kingdoms fan, I can satisfy some of my personal interest.

It might become the occasion to gain Zhang Fei’s goodwill and form the Peach Garden Oath.

Zhang Fei sighed and continued speaking.

“I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m making excuses after misunderstanding first, but when I was young, I lost my parents and almost had all my property taken away by my relatives. I can laugh about it now, but at the time, it was a really serious problem.”

I’ve never experienced a crisis of almost having my property taken by family members like Zhang Fei, as I’ve lived in poverty since childhood.

But I can somewhat imagine how it would feel.

I’ve experienced the indescribable anxiety, loneliness, sadness, and pain of being left alone in this harsh world at a young age.

When I came home and realized that my parents who should have welcomed me were already in a cold columbarium and I would never see them again, I cried so much I thought I would die…

And in that situation, relatives came and made a fuss demanding money from me…?

If it were me, I would have felt so wronged and scared that I might have wanted to jump and die instead.

“Several relatives, much bigger and stronger than me, came rushing in, fighting over which field was theirs, which house was theirs, and told me to go out and die or whatever I wanted. These were the same people who were busy flattering my mom and dad for even a bit of soybean powder when my parents were alive.”
“You must have felt very distressed and wronged.”

Zhang Fei looked up at the stars in the night sky with a dejected expression.

“I wanted to die following my mom and dad too.”

Tears fell from her eyes.

“I knew clearly what would happen if I lost all my property and was kicked out at such a young age, and I thought what’s the point of living anyway without mom and dad.”

I managed to live by entering an orphanage at a young age, receiving some protection, and studying like crazy while receiving national scholarships, which led to success in getting a job at a large company.

In this era, there’s absolutely nothing like orphanages or welfare.

So if you’re kicked out with no property at a young age, you’re likely to become a beggar and starve to death or get kidnapped and sold into slavery.

“So I was crying my eyes out in a corner of the village when Elder Sister Xuande came and asked why I was crying. When I explained everything, she said she would help me. So I asked for help, and she came to stay at our house with me.”

A smile appeared on Zhang Fei’s face, which had been crying until just now.

“She included me when playing with kids in the village so I wouldn’t be lonely, and since a child can’t cook for themselves, she cooked for me with her clumsy skills. At that time, Elder Sister Xuande wasn’t very skilled either, so she would burn the rice sometimes, and when she added too much water, it became porridge instead of rice.”

I can imagine it just by hearing about it.

Unlike now, the image of a small Liu Bei acting like a mother, cooking for Zhang Fei herself so she wouldn’t be lonely, and helping her make friends.

“Then after about a week, when relatives came in droves threatening to take away my property, sister drew her sword and pointed it at my uncle. She said she would have to cut him down before he could take away this child’s property.”

Liu Bei had the qualities of a gang leader from a young age.

To threaten an adult man with a sword at such a young age to protect Zhang Fei…

Is this the kind of person you need to be from childhood to become a xia ke who dominates an entire county despite having no property?

Zhang Fei laughed heartily while making a sword-swinging gesture.

“My uncle also rushed at her with his sword drawn, asking where she learned such manners, but sister just cleanly cut his clothes in half. Then she glared at the relatives and said if they bothered me again, she would kill them next time, so they tucked their tails and ran away. After that, those relatives never came to our house again.”

Not only Liu Bei’s swordsmanship in accurately cutting only the person’s clothes in half, but if I were that uncle or one of the relatives present, I would have wet myself on the spot.

And after such an experience, they would lose all thought of coveting the inheritance.

After all, if you die, inheritance or whatever becomes useless.

“So I asked Elder Sister Xuande how I could repay her. What do you think she answered?”

Although Liu Bei’s acts of kindness are to lay the groundwork for eventually taking over the world…

The Liu Bei I’ve seen so far was a woman who couldn’t bear to see a hungry child starving next to her, even if it meant she herself would go hungry.

“She must have said she didn’t need any compensation.”

Zhang Fei nodded at those words.

“That’s right, she didn’t take anything. And then she said this: She had suffered because there was no one to help her when she was most struggling and in pain, so she just didn’t want to see someone else go through such pain. Isn’t our sister really stupid?”

Even in Korea these days, people won’t even call the police if someone is randomly murdered, so where would you find a woman who helps at the risk of her life just because she doesn’t like seeing others in pain in this harsh late Han era?

If I were Zhang Fei at that time, I would have fallen for her right away.

A woman who saves you without asking for anything in return when you’re on the brink of taking an express train to rock bottom in life.

It would be strange not to fall for such a woman, no, such a person.

“So I swore then. That I would spend the rest of my life for our sister. In the process, I’ve killed several guys who were trying to get with sister. At first, I thought you, Yunchang, were one of those guys…”

Zhang Fei lowered her head and blushed.

“I really didn’t think you would fight for the people of Xu County, who have no relation to you, because you were moved by sister’s intentions. I’ll apologize once more. I’m sorry, Yunchang.”

When Zhang Fei said harsh words to me, it was a situation where even I thought it was quite understandable to misunderstand.

But as soon as the misunderstanding was cleared, she came to me with a sincere apology and explained her backstory of why she acted that way…

It’s enough to dispel any anger that might have been there.

No, rather, I feel like I’ve gained something by being able to learn about a story I hadn’t seen in novels or comics.

“It’s enough that you’ve withdrawn your misunderstanding.”
“You’re not going to get angry? If it were me, I would have felt really wronged.”

I shook my head and answered.

“Lady Xuande is an incredibly beautiful person. So beautiful that even just passing by her on the street would naturally draw your eyes and make you stare blankly.”

Including my years living in Korea, I’ve never seen a woman as beautiful as Liu Bei.

So it’s understandable for any man to have such desires.

If Liu Bei hadn’t been the Liu Bei I knew, I would have naturally harbored such feelings too.

“Even I thought it was quite suspicious of me to suddenly approach such a person and say I wanted to serve her.”

In Korea, it would have been such a reckless act that I would have nothing to say even if the police suspected me and investigated.

“And hearing your story like this today, I actually feel even better. Not just because the misunderstanding has been cleared.”

Zhang Fei repeated my words as if chewing on them.

“Not just because the misunderstanding has been cleared…?”
“I was glad that there’s someone who cherishes Lady Xuande so much. I thought it would be difficult to follow the harsh path Lady Xuande wants to take alone for a lifetime, but I thought if I’m with someone like you, Yide, it would be quite doable.”

Zhang Fei smiled with satisfaction upon hearing the word ‘lifetime’.

Then she grabbed my hand, completely erasing the gloomy expression she had until just now.

“Really? I haven’t known Yunchang for long either, but I thought if it’s Yunchang, I could walk the same path for a lifetime.”

In the Three Kingdoms, it’s said that the Peach Garden Oath was actually initiated by Zhang Fei, not Liu Bei. Here too, it seems Zhang Fei was the most open and generous person…

Then Zhang Fei hugged me tightly.

It seems she’s doing this because she’s in a drunken state and her goodwill towards me is also rising…

Separately from that, just as my head was starting to feel dizzy from the sensation of two luscious fruits, feeling firm yet soft like marshmallows, touching my body…

“Alright, then from now on, I’ll just call you Yide comfortably. There seems to be some age difference, but if our intentions match, we’re all friends anyway, right?”

I heard that in Confucianism, if people’s intentions match, it was possible to be friends ignoring an age difference of about 8 years…

I never thought I’d experience this in my life like this.

But it’s not bad.

“Let’s do that, Yide.”

When Zhang Fei separated from me, she put on a serious expression again.

“Elder Sister Xuande also said on the way here that she has now gained enough fame, and orders to suppress the Yellow Turbans will soon come down… so it’s time to make a name for herself in the world.”

Cao Cao also said this on the way:

That the suppression of the Yellow Turbans would begin in earnest.

“For Elder Sister Xuande to spread her ambition, she needs to raise an army, but we’re short on money now. So I’m planning to sell all my property for sister, but it’s far from enough. Do you have any good ideas, Yunchang?”

…… A method?

There’s only one right now.

“Let’s ask Master Zhang (Zhang Shiping), who has shown us favor this time, for some help.”

In the official history of the Three Kingdoms and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, they originally started by receiving initial funds from Zhang Shiping and Cao Xiang.

I’m sure there will be a way this time too.