Chapter 149: Chapter 146: Left and Right Aids Join Xuande Chapter 149: Chapter 146: Left and Right Aids Join Xuande Liu Bei had just been visited by Right Assistant Zhang Fei, and soon after, Left Assistant Guan Yu arrived. However, Ancestor Chen Tuan sensed something amiss and swooped down, striking this Guan Yu and then capturing him to bring him up to the heavens.

Chen Tuan said, “This man is not Guan Yu, but merely a White Tiger Demon with a Signboard who had just become a Demon Immortal! He possesses a Buddhist Magical Treasure, which is why none of you could recognize him.”

No sooner had Chen Tuan waved his hand than the man known as the White Tiger Demon with a Signboard began to convulse. He opened his mouth and expelled a golden Sharira, which Chen Tuan caught in his hand, and said lightly, “I wonder which high monk left this Sharira after his nirvana; it’s very precious indeed. The Buddhist sect is truly generous to part with such a thing.”

Sharira is the essence of a person’s spirit, formed by studying Buddhist or Daoist scriptures, which strengthens their spirit and coalesces into something that can preserve the flesh from decay. Even some old scholars can preserve their flesh undecayed because they have touched the essence of their studies and almost comprehended the Heavenly Dao. If they advanced further, they might become Human Sages. However, this step is a chasm, and countless people are stuck at this barrier.

For instance, the Legalist Shang Yang, who had thoroughly studied Legalism but fell just short of the last step and was torn apart by chariots; and Dong Zhongshu, who almost reached the learned state between heaven and human but missed that step and thus turned into dust; and Su Qin of the School of Diplomacy, who deeply inherited the teachings of Ghost Valley but also fell short. As for those in the Buddhist sect, these monks who read only Buddhist Scriptures without cultivating Divine Skills, if they could break through this step, they might instantly attain Supreme Right Enlightenment, or so-called instant Buddhahood.

This Sharira was, therefore, from a high monk of the Buddhist sect nearing instant Buddhahood; had it not been for Chen Tuan, others present might have truly been deceived.

Daoist Equal to Heaven asked curiously, “Chen Tuan, how did you know this person was not Guan Yu?”

Chen Tuan immediately took out a Bagua mirror from his bosom and said, “This is an artifact from Ancient Times, which I happened to procure. It can see through everything.”

Daoist Equal to Heaven was slightly startled—could this be something left by Fuxi? However, this Bagua mirror was slightly damaged, with markings all over it. Even a master of the Dao of Immortals was unable to repair it, which was rather perplexing.

“Hmph!” Chen Tuan flipped the Bagua mirror and sharply exclaimed. The light from the mirror fell on the red-faced man, immediately revealing his true form.

This was a white tiger, ten feet tall, but now it meekly crouched in the clouds like a domestic cat, daring not to move. It seemed to have a trace of the bloodline of the Four Symbols’ White Tiger, but obviously, it was very diluted; otherwise, its cultivation wouldn’t be so limited.

Great Emperor Zhenwu had become an immortal by relying on the Xuanwu bloodline and was revered as a protector of the Dragon Clan. His strength was formidable, perhaps unmatched among the great emperors of the Heavenly Court.

However, Daoist Equal to Heaven laughed and said, “The Buddhist sect is quite calculating, using a tiger demon who had just achieved the Dao of Immortals, and knows nothing, to impersonate Guan Yu.”

Lu Dongbin rebuked, “You demon, impersonating someone else, what wickedness were you planning to commit?”

The tiger demon’s eyes whirled, and Chen Tuan scoffed, “If you dare to lie, this poor Taoist will send you to the Western Heaven to meet Tathagata with a single palm strike!”

Hearing this, the tiger demon trembled all over, clearly terrified. Chen Tuan’s earlier display had already intimidated him, and now being threatened by Chen Tuan again, he dared not think of any more lies; he kept kowtowing to the venerable Taoists, begging for mercy and claiming that being a demon was not easy, he had an eighty-year-old mother above and a child still nursing below. His words made all four laugh and shake their heads.

“Stop spouting nonsense here! Speak quickly!” Yang Jian glared sternly and shouted angrily.

The tiger demon dared not delay any longer and spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube. He had been commanded by a high monk of the Buddhist sect to impersonate Guan Yu, waiting for an opportunity to devour Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. When asked who the old monk was, the tiger demon replied that he did not know, as the monk had not disclosed his name, and he had just achieved the Dao of Immortals. The old monk had offered some advantages, and he thought it was merely about killing two mortals, so he agreed.

“So, he was just a pawn after all,” Daoist Equal to Heaven mused.

“Yes, venerable Daoist! I’m just a mere pawn, unaware that these two mortals were protected by four venerable Daoists. Otherwise, even if rewarded a hundredfold, I wouldn’t dare to target these two mortal masters!” the tiger demon said with a pained expression, kowtowing repeatedly and pounding the ground like pounding garlic.

The tiger demon had only recently achieved the Dao of Immortals, but he was perceptive; any of these four could cause him an irreversible disaster. He dared not harbor any other intentions, only wishing to preserve his life.

Daoist Equal to Heaven said, “Death can be avoided, but punishment is inevitable. For now, you shall follow us. If we encounter that old monk, you will point him out.”

The tiger demon, having spared his life, let out a long sigh of relief and replied, “Thank you, four venerable Daoists. I will obediently listen and serve the four of you well.”

Daoist Equal to Heaven then asked, “The man the old monk had you impersonate, has he already been harmed?”

The tiger demon replied, “No, no! He was only bewildered by a strange wind I conjured, then I stole his cart and impersonated him. I didn’t harm his life.”

Even if the tiger demon truly intended to harm Guan Yu, the great emperors in the heavens would have noticed from the celestial signs. If there were murderous intentions, a bolt of Heavenly Thunder would immediately strike down, reducing him to ashes in an instant.

Now, both Buddhism and Daoism were proceeding cautiously, not allowing any mishaps in their ranks. The chaotic era of the Three Kingdoms had not yet begun, but several cannon fodders had already appeared, probably targeted for assassination by the Daoist sect, though likely without success.

The conflicts between Buddhism and Daoism never ceased, and the pawns caught in the middle became cannon fodder; one wrong move, and they would turn to ashes.

However, this Tiger Demon was rather lucky. Had it met someone else, it might have been killed instantly.

All four of them couldn’t help but feel the danger internally. If the Tiger Demon had truly mingled with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei and disrupted the sworn brotherhood, not to mention there’s always room for oversight, they might have ended up as food in the Tiger Demon’s mouth without even realizing it.

Presently, a red-faced Great Han came below, looking exactly like the Tiger Demon. Arriving in front of the tavern, he saw his cart and couldn’t help but rejoice, cursing, “I don’t know which bird stole my cart here! If I find him, I’ll teach him a lesson.”

This man was the real Guan Yu, who had merely been knocked out by the strange wind used by the Tiger Demon and arrived at the tavern after a delay.

Guan Yu entered the tavern, shouted, “Bartender, serve the wine quickly, I have to join the army in the city!”

The bartender promptly responded. Liu Bei and Zhang Fei had just had a few drinks, and turning their heads to look, they saw a man with an imposing look, his face like a heavy jujube, his fine beard under the chin adding to his majestic appearance, and they couldn’t help but be amazed, “Could this person also be my Left and Right Aids? His appearance is somewhat strange; it’s better to kill mistakenly than to miss out, especially now that we are about to take action, having one more person is always better.”

Liu Bei then said, “I heard just now that the hero is going to join the army, may I ask where the hero hails from?”

Guan Yu looked and saw the man in front of him with kind eyes and the visage of a great sage, while the man behind had a swallow’s chin and tiger’s whiskers, looking extremely formidable. He instantly grew solemn and said, “My name is Guan Yu, styled Yun Chang, and I am from Hedong. Due to the local gentry’s oppressive ways, which I could not stand, I took action and killed them, and have been wandering for about six or seven years now. Recently, I heard that the Yellow Turban rebels are going to disrupt our national destiny, and that there are people recruiting soldiers here, so I came to volunteer.”

Liu Bei asked, “May I know what skills the hero possesses? What weapon do you use?”

Guan Yu sighed, “I originally wielded a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, but couldn’t dare to carry such a conspicuous weapon when I fled in a hurry, and so left it at home. As for my skills, they are quite decent!”

Liu Bei then said, “Zhang Yide and I are planning to take action; may I know if the hero would like to join us?”

Guan Yu then asked, “May I ask who you are?”

Liu Bei sighed, “I am a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan, a relative of the Han Dynasty. My name is Liu Bei, styled Xuande. Unfortunately, my family has fallen on hard times, and now that I’ve heard about the rebels wreaking havoc on our family and national destiny, I intend to raise troops to restore order.”

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu grew deeply respectful. In this era, being a royal relative represented the highest status. Liu Bei, by lineage, was actually a royal brother of the current emperor, and only during Emperor Xian of Han’s time was addressed as a royal uncle.

“It turns out you are a relative of the Han Dynasty; please accept my bow!” Guan Yu bowed.

Liu Bei helped Guan Yu up, saying, “Brother Yun Chang, are you willing to join me in our cause?”

Guan Yu hesitated for a moment. Zhang Fei cursed, “I see you are a hero too, but why do you speak and act like a tender woman? Either go or don’t go, give us a clear answer!”

Guan Yu, instead of getting angry at Zhang Fei’s rude words, laughed and said, “This brother indeed speaks like a true man; he’s right. A man should not waver. I will follow Lord Xuande to accomplish great deeds and restore order to our nation!”

Liu Bei was overjoyed, “Excellent, excellent! Zhang Yide, I must trouble you.”

Zhang Fei said, “What trouble? I have a peach garden at home, the flowers are in full bloom. Since the three of us are united in our efforts, why not become brothers? Brotherhood solidifies strength, and only then can we plan great deeds.”

Liu Bei thought to himself, feeling somewhat diminished in status to become brothers with a butcher like Zhang Fei, but he remembered what Daoist Equal to Heaven had told him: not to discriminate based on appearances and statuses, rather to treat each other with the respect due to brothers and scholars. Moreover, Liu Bei had no money, and raising an army relied on Zhang Fei, so he nodded in agreement.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were overjoyed. In the current dynasty, where commoners and nobility were clearly distinguished, becoming brothers with a royal relative meant their status would naturally rise!

Zhang Fei said, “Today, both of you follow me home and stay for the day. I’ll immediately start arranging the sacrificial offerings, and after we pray to heaven and earth tomorrow, we can become brothers.”

Liu Bei and Guan Yu agreed, and they drank copiously at the tavern, drunk as they headed to Zhang Fei’s home to rest, awaiting the ceremonial brotherhood in the peach garden the next day.

To know what happens next, please wait for the next episode.

PS: The content of this volume was written according to the Romance, not historical facts, so there is no need to scrutinize it too closely. Also, this volume is not meant to primarily depict the struggle for dominance in the mortal realm, but rather to describe the hidden conflict among the masters of the Dao of Immortals. The Three Kingdoms is just the primary thread of an interwoven story. I am also not skilled at writing history, so I emphasize the main points and gloss over the lesser details.