Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Wen Xuan looked at Fifth Light and asked:

"Is the retainer Xuande mentioned Cuan Heizi from Liaoxi?"

Fifth Light nodded and said:

"Among all the retainers of Qingxi Manor, his swordsmanship is the best."

"Hmm."

Wen Xuan immediately ordered a servant to quickly fetch Cuan Heizi.

Fifth Light asked curiously:

"Who taught Xuande his swordsmanship?"

Liu Bei immediately said:

"It was taught by my father."

"No wonder, it turns out it comes from a family tradition of learning."

Fifth Light pondered for a moment, then said, "I've already witnessed your swordsmanship at the Wu Family Inn; it was exceptionally sharp. Therefore, I'm thinking that when you and Cuan Heizi spar later, if you don't use your full strength, it won't be clear who's better; but if you do, some injury is inevitable. And bloodshed isn't a pretty sight. So, I propose that you two use whip handles of the same length as your swords to spar?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei pondered for a moment and said:

"A whip and a sword are two completely different weapons. The techniques used are also completely different. Even if a winner is determined in a whip duel, there will always be one side feeling dissatisfied. Only with a sword can one constantly feel the danger of life and death in an instant. These are two completely different kinds of contests."

Fifth Light was taken aback upon hearing this:

"Is Xuande going to fight Cuan Heizi to the death?"

Before Liu Bei could speak, he heard a slightly hoarse, deep voice:

"Then let's have a sword fight!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a wiry young man with a dark complexion, dressed in a short tunic, his body as thin as a bamboo pole, swaying as if he were not touching the ground, and holding in his hand a six-foot (about 140 centimeters) long sword.

A typical Han sword is only four feet long, but his sword is at least two feet longer.

Wen Xuan said to Liu Bei:

"This is Cuan Heizi from Liaoxi Commandery."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei nodded and then glanced at Wutulu, who was sitting next to Zhang Fei.

Wutulu immediately gave Liu Bei a confirming look.

Liu Bei knew that the swordsman Zhang Hun and his men encountered was this person, and that the murderer who killed Zhang Hun in Wild Boar Forest was also very likely this person.

He knew what was going on, and immediately said in a deep voice:

"It's extremely rare to hear of the surname Cuan in the north. If I'm not mistaken, you must be a Qiang person."

Cuan Heizi's voice was deep:

"I don't know if I'm Han or Qiang. I only know that my mother was Han. My grandmother was also Han."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei realized that Cuan Heizi might be a descendant of the Qiang people with Han Chinese ancestry.

"In the southwestern border region of the Han Dynasty, the Nanzhong area of ​​Yizhou, was inhabited by various ethnic groups such as the Di, Qiang, and Puyue. There was a powerful clan there called the Cuan family. Their clan members had lived for generations in the four commanderies of Yongchang, Yizhou, Yuexi, and Zangke in the Nanzhong region. Did your father ever tell you that your family originated from the Nanzhong area of ​​Yizhou?"

Cuan Heizi's eyes darted around:

"Your knowledge is indeed extensive. Father did mention Nanzhong. However, that was more than a hundred years ago. Our ancestors enlisted in the army and came to Liaoxi County in Youzhou, a border region, to fight against the Xianbei. Later, they settled here. By my generation, four or five generations have passed."

Liu Bei understood immediately, realizing that he was likely of mixed Qiang and Han descent.

"I've heard that your swordsmanship is the most superb among all the retainers of Qingxi Manor."

"Apart from my master, I have yet to encounter anyone who can defeat me."

Cuan Heizi spoke with extreme confidence.

"oh."

Liu Bei's interest was piqued, and he asked, "Who was your master, a renowned swordsman?"

Cuan Heizi didn't mince words and said directly:

"My master is King Yue of Liaodong, who is now a Tiger Guard in Luoyang."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei nodded.

He had read historical records and knew that King Yue of Liaodong was a famous swordsman at the end of the Han Dynasty. He became famous because Cao Pi wrote about him in the book "Dian Lun".

Cao Pi was fond of learning swordsmanship and was taught by many masters from various places, but the one who surprised him the most was a man named Shi A.

Shi A was from the area of ​​Henan Province—specifically, Shuofang County in Bingzhou—and was an expert in swordsmanship.

Therefore, Cao Pi followed Shi A to study swordsmanship and mastered its techniques.

Shi A was a disciple of Liaodong King Yue.

Liu Bei had long heard of Wang Yue's exceptional swordsmanship, but had never had the chance to test his skills against him. Now, this Cuan Heizi also claimed to be Wang Yue's disciple, perhaps having received his true teachings.

To compete in swordsmanship with Cuan Heizi is equivalent to competing with Wang Yue.

Of course, Cuan Heizi's swordsmanship may not be as refined and skillful as that of Liaodong King Yue, but he was still a rare master of swordsmanship among the common people.

"So he was a disciple of Wang Yue, the swordsman from Liaodong."

Liu Bei nodded. "With your master's superb swordsmanship, I believe he will soon distinguish himself in the Tiger Warriors and become a close attendant of the emperor. It's even possible that he will be promoted to General of the Tiger Warriors in the future."

Cuan Heizi said calmly:

"My master is not good at socializing, is devoted to the way of fencing, and has little interest in wealth and fame."

"If you have no desire for glory and wealth, why were you selected as one of the Tiger Warriors?" Liu Bei asked curiously.

"The Tiger Warriors are mostly sons of noble families, good men from the six prefectures, elite soldiers from the border regions, and brave and chivalrous individuals from all over the land. My master enjoys making friends and honing his swordsmanship with them to improve his skills. That's why I was selected for the Tiger Warriors."

The "good sons of the six prefectures" refers to the powerful sons of the families from Tianshui, Longxi, and Anding prefectures in Liangzhou, as well as Beidi, Shang, and Xihe prefectures in the Shuofang area of ​​Bingzhou.

"And what about you, sir?"

Liu Bei asked, "What is your view on wealth and honor?"

—He was trying to learn about Cuan Heizi through casual conversation, and to understand the deeper motives and psychological factors behind Cuan Heizi's murder of Zhang Hun.

Cuan Heizi's voice was deep:

"I am not as devoted to swordsmanship as my master, nor am I as indifferent to fame and fortune as he is. I am just an ordinary person. I admire people of high moral character, and I despise those who are domineering and despicable."

Liu Bei silently said:

"A sword duel can quickly determine who is superior. But it's much harder to distinguish truth from falsehood in worldly affairs. And it's equally difficult to discern loyalty from treachery in people's hearts."

"Therefore, I like simplicity and directness. I don't like to think about the complexities behind things."

Cuan Heizi gripped his longsword tightly. "As long as I have this sword, victory or defeat can be decided, and life or death can be determined. The victor stands, the loser lies. The souls that perish by the sword will sleep forever, never to rise again to cause any more trouble. So, sometimes, I am very grateful that swords exist in this world! Swords can resolve many complicated disputes. Swords can quickly silence people. Swords can also make a despicable person disappear from this world in an instant."

Liu Bei listened and remained silent.

From these conversations, he had come to understand Cuan Heizi and knew that he had his own philosophy of survival.

Cuan Heizi is a pure martial artist who simply believes that there is nothing in this world that a sword cannot solve.

But Liu Bei had already vaguely sensed Cuan Heizi's fate—to die by the sword, becoming yet another victim of the sword.

By this time, Liu Bei had a general understanding of the psychological triggers and underlying motives behind Cuan Heizi's killing of Zhang Hun, based on what Cuan Heizi had said.

In Cuan Heizi's view, Zhang Hun, as the leader of the Fifteen Mile Shop, was a local tyrant who bullied and extorted Qingxi Manor. He deserved to be killed. Either Zhang Hun's power was great enough to completely suppress Qingxi Manor, or Zhang Hun was indeed capable enough to completely defeat him in swordsmanship.

But the truth is, Zhang Hun's power is far inferior to Zhao Xiang of Qingxi Manor, and Zhang Hun's swordsmanship is far inferior to Cuan Heizi's.

In Cuan Heizi's view, given their power, killing Zhang Hun, who had been bullying and monopolizing the market, was only right and proper. To some extent, it could even be considered eliminating a scourge for the people.

However, in Liu Bei's view, Cuan Heizi was nominally "respectfully carrying out Heaven's punishment," but in reality, he had violated the laws of the Han Dynasty.

As early as when Emperor Taizu Liu Bang led his troops into Xianyang, he had already established three laws: those who kill will be put to death, and those who injure or steal will be punished.

The bottom line is that murderers must die.

In a country governed by the rule of law, it is natural not to want its citizens to fight each other to the death.

The term "侠以武犯禁" (xiá yǐ wàn jìn) means that wandering knights-errant often disregard official laws and procedures, and privately execute those they deem despicable and deserving of death.

It is understandable if the weak are oppressed and forced to fight back.

But the forces behind Qingxi Manor are very powerful.

The conflict between Qingxi Manor and Zhang Hun can be seen as a contradiction between powerful outsiders and local powerful families.

To ordinary people, it might just seem like dogs fighting dogs and wolves eating wolves.

They are the oppressed party.

After Zhang Hun died, Wu Guang became the leader of the Fifteen Mile Shop.

The people's situation has not changed at all.

Liu Bei, who was originally uninvolved, was unwittingly drawn into the situation. He was determined to find the real culprit and prove his innocence to the world, especially to avenge his good brother Zhang Fei.

He naturally wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei couldn't help but ask Cuan Heizi:

What do you think of Zhang Hun?

……

I also learned fencing, and studied under many masters. The methods varied from place to place, but those of the capital were the best. During the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, there was a Tiger-like warrior named Wang Yue who was skilled in this art and renowned in the capital. Shi A of Henan said that he had once traveled with Yue and learned his techniques. I studied under A and became proficient.

——Cao Pi's "Classics·Autobiography"