Chapter 3: The Burning of the Thatched Hut, People Fleeing West

  "Fire! Fire! Zhao Si's house is on fire!"

  Waves of panicked and disordered shouting, accompanied by the soaring flames, echoed through the village on a deep autumn night, causing a chaotic scene with chickens clucking and dogs barking.

  In the distance, on a mountain ridge, stood two figures, one gaunt and stubborn, the other weakly leaning against the emaciated youth.

  Looking closely, the two were none other than Zhao Xing and his mother who had fled their home. Zhao Xing's right hand grasped a long silver spear with a dragon-shaped head, his fingers tightly clenched around the middle of the spear handle, the joints creaking with force, clearly revealing the lonely young man's emotions at this moment.

  A large, black, carved bow was slung over Zhao Xing's back from his right shoulder, with a quiver full of long arrows with carved feathers protruding from behind. It has to be said that Zhao Xing now had an air of dominance and heroism about him, as well as a hint of melancholy.

  The gun and bow were the only two valuable family heirlooms left by Zhao Si for his foolish son Zhao Xing.

  According to Zhao, this rifle and bow were left by an old man whom Zhao Si rescued when he went hunting in the mountains a few years ago. The old man was injured and Zhao Si saved him. When the old man recovered and bid farewell, he left these things behind.

  At that time, the old man was still muttering to himself: "Your family's fool, with a clear and unusual skeleton, a majestic appearance, destined for great things in the future. Alas, fate played a trick on him, and due to a strange illness, he became muddle-headed and extremely foolish. These two weapons were made by a master craftsman when I was young, and although they may not be the rarest treasures under heaven, they are certainly among the finest instruments in the world. I shall give these two items to your son, along with a copy of the secret manual for gunplay and archery, in the hope that one day Heaven will open its eyes and this fool will wake up, learn some martial arts, and keep your whole family safe."

  The old man finally instructed that if Zhao Xing was still unable to recover at the age of sixteen, he would bury the weapon and secret book under the crooked old pine tree in the mountain forest where Zhao Si had rescued him.

  Zhao Si didn't know the old man's name until the end, he only knew his surname was Tong.

  Zhao Si never got to see his son recover and protect his family's safety until the end.

  Zhao Si was like the dogtail grass that grew on the hill where Zhao Xing stood, sprouting leaves in spring and withering to yellow in autumn, leaving only roots for next year's growth.

  Looking at the two thatched cottages in the distance where he used to live, Zhao Xing's chest had little nostalgia and sorrow as they turned into flying dust in the autumn wind. Having been poor to this extent, bitter to this extent, and owed to this extent, what else was there to worry about!

  Before his rebirth, Zhao Xing was still Yang Zhi-Jun, an action-oriented person and a typical tough guy in the military. He never feared difficulties or setbacks, always smiled at challenges, and led several teams to success through practical actions. He himself rose from a company officer to a battalion commander within four years.

  Zhao Xing was not afraid of hardship, nor was he afraid of exhaustion, nor was he afraid of his humble origins, and neither was he afraid of being poor at martial arts. Because Zhao Xing always believed that: an army without culture is a foolish army, the knowledge and skills from past lives can help oneself overcome many difficulties.

  All the way north, Zhao Xing and his mother's destination was Lijiazhuang Village, Shangdang County, Pingzhou Prefecture, Hedong Province.

  Zhao's original name was Li Yujiao, and she was born to the concubine of Li Qing, the third son of the current owner of the estate, Li Tingfang. Li Qing is a honest and down-to-earth person, with an ordinary position in the family. As Li Yujiao was born to his concubine, her status in the family was even lower.

  At that time, when Zhao Xing's father Zhao Si married Li Yuju, he was just a Tuntian under the jurisdiction of a departmental commander in the garrison of Yimen Commandery, commanding about 100 soldiers. After the matchmaker came to the door, the Li family did not make excessive demands and casually married off their daughter Li Yuju, who was still in the boudoir waiting for marriage.

  Later, the Xianbei people repeatedly invaded the border, and Zhao Si was uneasy in his heart. After being wounded in a battle, he returned to his hometown of Anyang County, Wei Prefecture, Ji Province, and lived in Zhaojiazhuang, where he tilled several acres of thin land and hunted in the Taihang Mountains during his leisure time, just to pass the days.

  From Anyang to the west, Zhao Xing and his mother traveled with wind and dew, encountering a merchant group coming and going from Yangguan Pass. They learned that the merchant group was going to pass through Hukou in the middle section of the Taihang Mountains, so they begged to go together.

  The leader of the merchant group, Liu Jili, had traveled extensively throughout the south and north for many years, developing a keen eye for judging people. Seeing Zhao Xing carrying weapons and with a sharp glint in his eyes, he didn't seem like an ordinary person, so he agreed to let them join him. Along the way, he was also quite courteous to Zhao Xing and his wife.

  With the protection of the merchant group, they were able to avoid several gangs of bandits. Before leaving, Zhao's family even deliberately smeared their faces with pot bottom ash, which also reduced a lot of trouble.

  Nothing happened on the road. Zhao Xing took out the two volumes of martial arts secret books that he had been carrying with him and pondered them in secret, while chatting idly with Liu Jili.

  In the conversation, Zhao Xing finally confirmed that he had traveled back to the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The current emperor was Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong. This year was the fourth year of Guanghe (181 AD), and there were still three years before the Yellow Turban Rebellion (184 AD).

  Why is Zhao Xing so familiar with this period of history at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty? Because in his previous life, Zhao Xing was a Three Kingdoms enthusiast. He would enthusiastically memorize and experience all sorts of books, films, and even computer games related to the Three Kingdoms. Occasionally, he would let his imagination run wild, comparing himself to heroes like Zhao Yun and Ma Chao. He even made a special trip to Wuxi's "Three Kingdoms City", where he wore armor, rode a warhorse, and took many photos to satisfy his unrealistic fantasies.

  At the same time, after asking Zhao, I learned that he was born in Jianning Yuan, which is AD 168, the year Emperor Ling of Han ascended to the throne. Now Zhao Xing is fourteen years old, and of course, the soul in his body has matured a lot, all the way to thirty years old.

  When he came across a clear spring, Zhao Xing carefully walked to a secluded place, using the pool as a mirror, and carefully examined his appearance. The conclusion made him feel much better!

  This life's Zhao Xing has a seven-out-of-ten resemblance to the previous life's Yang Zhi Jun: thick eyebrows like sleeping silkworms, nose like a hanging gallbladder, big eyes with spirit, clear double eyelids tightly attached under slanted eyebrows, looking majestic yet not losing kindness, elegant yet not frivolous.

  His mouth was slightly smaller, his lips were thin and less fleshy, and his chin was slightly pointed, making him look a bit more stubborn and unwilling. Although Zhao Xing was only fourteen years old, with skin as white as jade and a slender build, he had a broad bone structure and wasn't skinny at all. The only thing lacking was the military bearing and healthy wheat-colored complexion that came from repeated tempering in his past life.

  Crossing over, the only thing that made Zhao Xing feel satisfied was this appearance. He had an impression that in the Eastern Han Dynasty, people who wanted to stand out needed a good face, which was like a golden name card and could save a lot of trouble.

  The most typical two examples are the dignified Yuan Shao and the somewhat ugly Pang Tong.

  Yuan Shao was handsome, so he won the favor of Emperor Ling and became one of the Eight Generals of Zhongyuan at a young age; Pang Tong was ugly, initially even Zhang Fei looked down on him, and had no choice but to pretend to be a peddler, finally came a day when he judged a hundred cases in a single day, revealing his talent, only then could he turn things around.

  The caravan continued to head west, thinking that after passing the most difficult section of the road, it would be smooth sailing, but unexpectedly encountered a group of bandits who had taken a shortcut, and as a result, an additional interesting story emerged.