Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

On the banks of the Sishui River.

Under the dark night, a full moon peeks out from the surface of the river in the east. The bright moonlight is like sand blown by the wind, and the shimmering light twists and turns with the waves, shining for thousands of miles. There is a faint fragrance of flowers at the tip of the nose, and the sound of rustling wind beside the ears, which makes people feel refreshed.

Guo Jia reined in his horse and stood by the river, gazing at the picture of the moonlit spring river in front of him. He thought of the young boy who told stories in the Yangdi Restaurant many years ago, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

It was a sunny afternoon. He was wandering around bored when he passed by the restaurant on Zhengyang Road. He saw a group of people gathered outside to watch the fun. He couldn't help but walk in out of curiosity to take a look. From then on, he was addicted to the boy's story and couldn't extricate himself.

Stories about gods, foxes, ghosts and spirits, love between humans and demons, and the unending love between humans and ghosts deeply attracted me when I was a teenager.

From then on, he would go to the restaurant every day, and every time after listening to the story, he would call the boy to the private room to tell it to him again. He especially liked to see the boy's eyes that were full of stars when he counted money.

Later one day, the young man who was telling stories was suddenly replaced by an old man. Although he was still telling the same stories, he felt that something was missing. He felt a little lost and wanted to send someone to look for the young man. However, Yangdi was suddenly attacked by the Yellow Turbans within two days. After the Yellow Turbans were defeated, the young man was nowhere to be found.

The restaurant owner didn't know where he lived. He only knew that his name was Zhang Mo and that he was as thin as skin and bones when he first came to Yangdi. That was all.

He had people search all over Yangdi, but there was no sign of the young man. He was very sad for a while.

At that time, he once suspected that there was something wrong with his sexual orientation, but later it was verified that he still liked women, but his feelings for the boy were a little special.

In the first year of Chuping, he traveled north to meet Yuan Shao. He originally wanted to become an official, but he left after staying in Yecheng for only a few days. He has been living in seclusion for many years. In his spare time, he began to write stories about fox spirits and ghosts. The first one was based on the young man and was named "Fox Demons in Troubled Times".

Guo Jia looked up at the bright moon in the sky, and the face of the young man appeared in his mind every time he took off his hat to count money. On that face as clean and beautiful as the bright moon, his eyes seemed to be flashing with countless little stars, shining brightly, which was unforgettable.

He often wondered how graceful the young man would be if he were to transform into a woman. He was afraid that Daji would be no more graceful than him!

"Young master, it's cold at night, put on more clothes!" The guard Guo Ning brought a piece of clothing and put it on Guo Jia, interrupting his thoughts.

Guo Jia glanced at the gorgeous robe on his shoulders and said with a smile, "Are you willing to let me wear brocade clothes at night?"

"Don't thieves have a hard time seeing at night? If you were wearing this in broad daylight, we would have been robbed long ago."

Guo Jia was speechless. "Where's the horse? Are the bandits blind?"

Guo Ning explained seriously, "Even though I'm riding a horse, my clothes are tattered, and I still have weapons in my hands. Even if bandits see me, they will just think I'm a bandit too. Since we're in the same industry, they'll always be more tolerant."

"Wrong sense!"

Guo Jia turned and walked towards the makeshift tent. Guo Ning followed behind and asked, "Are we going to stay in Yanzhou from now on? Lü Bu of Bingzhou has been sending people everywhere to inquire about your whereabouts for years, which shows how much he values ​​you. Why don't we go to Bingzhou?"

Guo Jia paused and said, "Wen Ruo sent me a letter inviting me to be his guest. I'll go see him first! As for Lü Bu... he has no shortage of counselors, and he even has a wife who is incredibly wise, almost like a demon. One more person won't make much difference, and one less person won't make much difference."

"Then why didn't you come out earlier? He issued a recruitment order long ago."

"I was shortsighted. I never thought that this idiot could be a wise leader."

"I feel like Cao Gong can't defeat him. Shouldn't we find a safer lord to join?"

"Can't win?" Guo Jia smiled, "Not necessarily!"

Guo Ning flattered him again, "Of course, if you go to help Cao Gong, you will definitely be able to turn the world upside down, turn the sun and moon upside down, turn the mountains and rivers upside down, and make the world lose its color..."

"Shut up!" Guo Jia interrupted his chatter speechlessly.

Over there, Guo Qian had already made a makeshift bed. Guo Jia crawled into the tent, dressed, and lay down. Guo Qian and another man kept watch outside. Guo Ning followed and continued chatting by the tent. "Young Master, you're not usually the type to meddle in other people's business. Why are you helping Liu Bei today?"

"I'm bored!"

Guo Ning said excitedly, "Then let's make up a few more ghost stories. The moonlight tonight is so charming, it's perfect for a female fox fairy."

"All the energy has been sucked away!"

"If there really is a beautiful female demon like the one described in the story, I'd be happy to absorb her light. Young Master, have you been living in seclusion in the mountains all these years just to encounter demons and monsters? And Ahri, when do you think he'll be able to cultivate into a human? He needs to eat fish and meat every day, and I can barely afford to feed him..."

"Shut up!" Guo Jia shouted with a headache.

Guo Ning smiled awkwardly and shut his mouth obediently.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, the master and servants packed up their things and set off on horseback. Two days later, they arrived at Changyi County, the Han capital established by Cao Cao.

Guo Jia entered the city very low-key and went to Xun Yu's mansion first.

Seeing him arrive, Xun Yu was overjoyed. "I thought you were in the mountains looking for a fox spirit and had become possessed and refused to come out. I didn't expect you to come so soon!"

Xun Yu took his hand and walked towards the mansion while asking someone to make tea quickly.

"Wenruo, please have someone prepare water for me to bathe first!" Guo Jia looked at his dirty clothes with a bit of disgust.

Xun Yu then noticed his attire and laughed, "I was wondering why you looked different after not seeing you for a few years. It turns out you're wearing tattered linen clothes!"

He said to the servants in the mansion, "Quick, go prepare some water, and remember to add some spices!"

Guo Jia followed the servants to wash up. It was already evening when they were done. Xun Yu treated him to a big meal. After eating and drinking to their fill, the two of them slept side by side at night.

On a wide bed, Xun Yu slept on the east end and Guo Jia slept on the west end, each covered with a brocade quilt and chatting.

"Let's stay in Changyi this time?" Xun Yu said.

"Are you so optimistic about Cao Mengde?" Guo Jia asked, with one hand behind his head and the other on his abdomen, looking at the dark ceiling of the tent.

"Apart from him, who else can save Han?"

"It's impossible to save him. Even if he can defeat all the princes and unify the world in the future, do you think he will be willing to give up that position to a puppet?"

Xun Yu was silent for a moment, then sighed, "We have to try! At least now it seems that he truly wants to save the Han Dynasty."

"If you want to restore the Han Dynasty, why not go and assist Uncle Liu? After all, we are all royal relatives. If he becomes emperor one day, the world will still belong to the Han Dynasty."

Xun Yu frowned. "My lord has treated me well. How could I abandon him so easily? Besides, while Uncle Liu is righteous and kind, he lacks strategic strategy. Without a foothold, it's impossible for him to achieve great things."

Guo Jia said, "I ran into him on the way here. He's just as you said, a man of great moral integrity. In today's world, clinging to such things is a bondage. If he had listened to me and taken Jingzhou, he could have established himself without a single soldier. Unfortunately, he can't bear to fight against his own people, so he's going to ask Lü Bu for troops to fight Zhang Lu."

"Why did you give him advice?"

"I'm free!"

Xun Yu smiled and said, "I've been so idle these years that I've become ill. Tell me, what are your plans for the future? What are your ideas?"

"I had a lot of ideas when I went to join Yuan Benchu ​​a few years ago, but the situation in the world has changed so quickly. To be honest, I'm a little confused now. I don't know whether I should continue to search for fox spirits in the mountains or stay in the mortal world to pursue great things."

"You might as well become a monk!" Xun Yu was speechless.

"That won't do. I'm a very elegant young man. How can I shave my head and become a monk?"

"I've read in a story about a monk named Tang Sanzang, who was a handsome man that even foxes fell in love with. If you shave your hair, maybe the fox demon will come to you on its own, saving you the trouble of looking for him." Xun Yu teased.

"Have you also heard of Journey to the West?" Guo Jia was surprised.

Xun Yu laughed and said, "You are ignorant because you have been living in the mountains. In recent years, a kind of bookstore has appeared in Yanzhou. They not only sell pens, ink, paper and inkstones, but also books. Paper books, I have a collection of several at home, including vernacular novels, as well as the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Analects of Confucius."

Guo Jiateng sat up from the couch and kicked Xun Yu with his foot, "Quick, bring me the storybook."

Xun Yu sat up and asked, "Is he really possessed?"

"No, I just want to find someone."

"Aren't you looking for a fox demon?" Xun Yu said sarcastically, got up, lit the lamp, and went to the study next door to get a few books.

Guo Jia scanned the books one by one by candlelight and asked, "Who published these books?"

Xun Yu said, "I don't know who it is exactly, but I know that the bookshop is run by a merchant from Bingzhou. The price of paper is not bad, but the books are extremely expensive. Most people can't afford them."

"Bingzhou?" Guo Jia closed the book, returned to his couch and lay down, saying, "I'm going to Bingzhou in a few days."

"Looking for someone or the Lord?"

"Looking for someone! Don't worry, Lu Bu has sent people everywhere to look for me these years. If I wanted to surrender to him, I would have gone there long ago. Why wait until now?"

Xun Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Then tomorrow I'll take you to see Cao Gong first?"

Guo Jia hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's meet!"