Three Kingdoms New Lü Bu

  Lü Bu had just put down the rebellion of Zuo Xian Wang, and the Qiang Hu did not dare to make any more trouble. The north was much quieter now that there were no fresh movements from the Xianbei this year. For a time, Lü Bu was quite at leisure, often visiting Cai Yong's residence. Firstly, he could learn a lot about literature and history from Cai Yong, and secondly, he could listen to Cai Yong's qin art. Now that there were so few things to amuse himself with, listening to music had become Lü Bu and Yan Ni's favorite pastime.

  On that day, Lü Bu brought a rare northern fox fur coat to Cai Yong's residence and delivered it in person. Cai Yong had known Lü Bu for a long time and was aware of his temperament, knowing that he would be offended if refused, so after a brief decline, he accepted the gift. He hastily ordered someone to brew tea to entertain him and chatted with Lü Bu himself.

  Lü Bu recently often talked about how to join forces with the Xiongnu Chanyu to defeat Che Nu. Cai Yong listened and praised, Lü Bu's words were so eloquent that he became thirsty and drank tea to quench his thirst. However, this tea was not made by infusing hot water, but rather by boiling it in a broth and adding seasonings, making it more like drinking soup than tea. Lü Bu found the taste very unpleasant, but since there was nothing better available, he had to follow local customs.

  Lü Bu had just put down his tea cup when a clear and crisp sound of the guqin came from beside his ear. The sound was like flowing water, faintly transmitted. Lü Bu's spirit was shaken, his eyes involuntarily lightly closed, and his body also unconsciously swayed gently with the music.

  The sound of the zither was like celestial music, instantly cleansing Lü Bu's mind and spirit. It made him think back to his carefree childhood in his hometown, playing in the fields and villages. He thought about the heroic spirit he shared with his comrades when he first became a soldier. He thought about everything that had happened to him since the car accident. He felt like he had become a different person after killing someone, becoming more and more bloodthirsty and violent with each kill. But at the same time, he also felt himself growing stronger with each kill. As he thought about this, Lü Bu's brow furrowed in concern. He had never imagined that he would become a killing machine, even though his victims were just barbarian slaves - but they too were born of parents and had lives to live. And yet, the sound of the zither was like a divine melody washing over his soul, making Lü Bu suddenly feel calm and clear-headed, no longer troubled by his bloodlust. His heart and body felt light and free, as if he were in a paradise on earth.

  The sound of the zither faded away, but Lü Bu was still savoring it. After a long while, Lü Bu let out a long sigh: "Ah..." A turbid air escaped with his breath. Lü Bu couldn't help but praise: "Bo Yi's zither skills are truly...". He had only spoken half of the sentence when he suddenly realized that Cai Yan was still kneeling in front of the desk, and hadn't left. Lü Bu was puzzled, and asked Cai Yan: "Huh? The person who just played the zither wasn't Bo Yi?"

  Cai Yong smiled and said: "I just heard Feng Qian talk about the battle of Jiluozhai, when did he ever leave his seat to play the zither?"

  Lü Bu said, "Oh. The sound of the zither just now was like celestial music, thoroughly cleansing my soul and spirit, making my mind clear and my ears bright, my body and heart at peace. In this world, apart from you, Bo Yi, who else could have such mastery of the zither?" Then Lü Bu stood up from his seat, bowed respectfully to Cai Yan and said, "I am an ordinary person, today I have the chance to hear this celestial sound. Please, Bo Yi, considering my contribution to the country in guarding the borders, please bring out a high-ranking expert, let me see their skill."

  Cai Yong hastily stood up and returned the courtesy, saying: "Thank you for your high praise. What's this about a masterful hand? It's just that my young daughter is mischievous." After finishing speaking, Cai Yong called over his attendant to come over: "Go invite Miss to come out and meet the guest."

  A seventeen or eighteen year old short-haired girl, holding a long zither, came to see Lü Bu accompanied by Cai Yong's attendants. The girl held a five-stringed zither, the body of which was about as tall as she was, and looked very lovely.

  Lü Bu saw that the girl was born with a very beautiful appearance, elegant and polite. Although she was young, she had good manners.

  The girl held her zither and walked in front of Cai Yong, slightly bowing and called out in a voice as clear as a bell: "Father."

  Cai Yong smiled and nodded, saying to the girl: "Yan'er, come and pay your respects to Lord Lü."

  The girl turned around and took two steps forward to stand in front of Lü Bu, slightly bowed and said: "Greetings, General Lü."

  Cai Yong introduced: "Feng Xian, this is Cai Yan, the only daughter of mine. The sound of the zither just now must have been played by her."

  Lü Bu's eyes widened as he listened to the girl, who was indeed Cai Yan. His mind went blank for a moment before he regained his composure and bowed slightly to her, saying: "So you are Miss Cai. Just now, you called me Governor? Your father didn't explain, how did you know?"

  Cai Yan smiled slightly and said: "Lu Bu of the North, who doesn't know him? I've seen you several times before, it's just that you didn't notice me."

  Lü Bu was even more surprised. "When have I ever seen you before?" He asked strangely, "Oh, how did the young lady see me, but I didn't know?"

  Cai Yan said: "My father was framed, and my family was exiled to the northern border. One day, while we were resting on the road, a group of bandits came to kill us. Fortunately, a kind-hearted man intervened and saved us. However, that day I had shaved my head completely bald, which must have looked too ugly, so the man didn't notice me. But I had already recognized him. Later, he visited many times and sent many gifts, and I saw him often, but he only talked to my father and never paid attention to me."

  Lü Bu saw Cai Yan, although she was young, but her speech was fluent and elegant, and he was very fond of her in his heart. He also remembered that Cai Yan had just played the piano, and suddenly a thought arose in his mind. But this thought was too absurd, Lü Bu couldn't say it for a while. So he said to Cai Yan: "Uh...this...I have some things to discuss with your father...uh...this..."

  Cai Yan was so clever, as soon as she saw Lü Bu speaking hesitantly, she knew there was something difficult to say. With a soft laugh, she said: "Hehe, sir, you killed the bandits with such ease, why are you like this today? Hehe." After finishing, she bowed to Lü Bu again and then turned around to bow to Cai Yong: "Father, I'll take my leave first."

  Cai Yong nodded kindly. Lü Bu saw Cai Yan leave and wanted to express his thoughts to Cai Yong, but couldn't open his mouth for a while. Cai Yong also felt strange seeing Lü Bu's expression and asked him what was wrong. Lü Bu hesitated and couldn't say it out for a moment. But who is Lü Bu! In the end, he still said it with a thick face.

  Lü Bu said to Cai Yong: "To be honest, since I became the county magistrate of Xihe, I have been killing non-stop. The number of people who died at my hands is not less than 800. Every time I kill someone, my murderous aura increases a little. This is really not what I want. Just now, the young lady's zither playing washed away my heart and soul, making my murderous aura disappear instantly. What I worry about is that if I don't get to hear the young lady's zither playing in the future, I'm afraid my murderous aura will only grow and not dissipate, which would be unfortunate. As a governor of a region, if my murderous aura becomes too strong, it may harm the people. Therefore, I have something to ask for. If there is any excessive behavior, please forgive me."

  Cai Yong's heart was clear, and he asked: "What does Feng Qian seek?"

  Lü Bu said: "Uh... this... I wonder if Miss Cai has promised someone?"

  Cai Yong's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he said, "Yan'er is only eight years old this year. How can she be betrothed? She has not been promised to anyone."

  Lü Bu listened and after a brief pause said: "I wish to marry Miss Cai, I wonder what your opinion is, sir?"

  Cai Yong's eyebrows furrowed deeply as he stared at Lü Bu: "My daughter is so young, sir..."

  Lü Bu saw that Cai Yong was angry and hastily said: "My intention is not for the present, but let's first agree on the engagement, and wait until Miss Cai comes of age before she moves in. My true intention is this way I can often hear the young lady's wonderful music, which will calm my restless energy. Elder brother..."

  Cai Yong was in a dilemma: Lü Bu had indeed been very good to his family, and he also knew that Lü Bu was violent. Just now, seeing Lü Bu listening to the qin, he also knew that it wasn't fake, but truly music entering the heart. However, Lü Bu was more than ten years older than Cai Yan, and he also knew that Lü Bu already had a wife from the Yan family. If he agreed, he feared that his daughter would be humiliated. He only had this one daughter, who had followed him in suffering since she was young, and naturally didn't want her to suffer humiliation when she grew up. But if he didn't agree... Lü Bu had been kind to his family, and had shown him great favor. Moreover, Lü Bu's appearance was handsome, his body strong and robust, his martial arts skills exceptional, and his strategic thinking extraordinary - truly a man of both literary and military talent. And at such a young age, he had already become the governor of Beidi; to give this up would be a real shame.

  When Cai Yong was hesitant, Lü Bu said: "Today's request is indeed abrupt, Master Cai doesn't need to answer immediately, you can consider it. Master Cai is a great master of his generation, I wouldn't dare make things difficult for him, even if he refuses, it's alright."

  Cai Yong listened and in his heart had even more admiration for Lü Bu, but he still couldn't easily give his daughter to him. The two of them were at a loss for words for the time being, so Lü Bu stood up and bid farewell.

  Seeking gold medals, seeking collection, seeking likes, seeking comments, seeking red envelopes, seeking gifts, all kinds of seeking, whatever you want, just throw it over!