Oath of the Peach Garden, Auspicious Omens Descend

At the end of the Eastern Han, numerous warlords rose up, foreshadowing a chaotic era.

But this had nothing to do with Mordred and Angron; they were just two bystanders. Angron couldn't even understand the local dialect clearly, and neither could Mordred.

Don't think that you can adapt instantly if you travel back to ancient times. The language alone is quite difficult to overcome. There are all kinds of regional accents that are incredibly chaotic. It is very likely that you will not be able to understand each other at all if you leave a county.

Fortunately, Mordred wasn't an ordinary dog, and Angron wasn't an ordinary cat. Although they had lost ninety-nine percent of their skills, they still had brains and quickly learned the local dialect. Their only unpleasant thing was the strange looks they received.

In that extremely distant and primitive era, some wolves and dogs, as good friends of humans, were domesticated into dogs. So it's reasonable for Mordred to appear on the street, but his appearance is a bit illogical, and he's also wearing a red scarf.

In this era where yellow, black, Little White are everywhere, Mordred's appearance is... well, it's like Space Squats who has infiltrated the Empire. The common people have never seen a dog with such short legs, not to mention its orange and white markings, its fat and round body, and its big tail wagging around.

Angron is even stranger. Mordred is easy to spot as a dog, but Angron is an Ultimate Cat.

Although there were cats in the late Eastern Han, they were leopard cats, which were exclusively for the nobility. Domestic cats in the true sense were introduced during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

So when Angron appeared in the bustling city riding Mordred, he instantly attracted a lot of attention. Some unlucky kids even went up to tug at them, only to get a good beating from their parents.

This wasn't out of fear of being bitten, but rather out of fear of offending a powerful family. After all, although the breed was somewhat unusual, both had soft fur and excellent appearance, making them unlikely to inspire any ill intentions. They were clearly pets kept by a noble family.

Looking around at the dusty, mud-brick houses built from earth, stone, and wood, and the emaciated Civilians dressed in coarse linen, Angron was actually a little disappointed. This was completely different from what he had imagined.

Angron thought to himself: Wasn't it said that everyone lived in peace and prosperity Old Terra Era, and that the natural environment was beautiful? Why is it that here it's all gray, and there are so few trees? And it's not winter.

"Second Brother."

"Shut up! How can you talk like that? If someone hears us, we'll be mistaken for monsters. Let's play it safe and find a strong backer first. Those three who were fighting earlier were pretty good."

Especially that bearded guy, he's quite wealthy. If I'm not mistaken, we two brothers are about to witness history. I wonder who the three sworn brothers of the Peach Garden Oath worshipped? Guan Yu, perhaps?

Without hesitation, Mordred took advantage of her size and followed the three men, picking up unwanted copper coins and snacks along the way. She was even fed a flatbread because of her excellent appearance.

The flatbread was good; apart from lacking salt and oil, it tasted quite good, though a bit dry. And because the three men's features were so distinctive, combined with what he'd seen and heard along the way, Mordred could confirm that they were in Zhuo County, and that the three in front were Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

Contrary to stereotypes, Liu Bei did have rather large ears and long arms, but he wasn't short; he was a good 1.8 meters tall, clearly a skilled basketball player.

Moreover, Liu Bei was not the gang leader in official history; he was just a leisurely young man with a bit of the air of a corporate slave, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and he looked a bit older than his age.

Zhang Fei wasn't that dark-skinned either; his beard was indeed quite large, but his clothing was extraordinary, clearly indicating he came from a wealthy family. As for Guan Yu, needless to say, his face wasn't the bright red one depicted in operas; it was just a healthy, rosy complexion, but he was tall and extremely robust.

The three walked along, stopping frequently, while Mordred and Angron followed furtively behind them. Little did they know that their unique appearance had already alerted the other side.

Upon arriving at the mansion, Mordred was still hesitating whether to sneak in through the dog hole when three large hands descended from the sky, grabbed him and Angron, and carried them into the mansion, tucking them under their waists.

"It's quite strange that these two animals aren't afraid of people."

"It must have been a pet kept by some wealthy family. I saw it at my teacher's house during my studies; perhaps it got lost."

O

Zhang Fei remained silent, unlike the other two who pointed and whispered at Angron. Instead, he was quite interested in Mordred, who was slick and round like a piglet; he really liked dogs.

A dog this plump, simmered with seasonings over low heat, would surely taste incredibly delicious; it's just a pity this dog isn't edible.

With so many people around, it would be troublesome if they were found. But before they were found, they could have some fun playing with these two little trinkets.

Three idle young men from the Eastern Han Dynasty, who were playing with cats and dogs, naturally got together and drank heartily, and Zhang Fei, being quite wealthy, provided plenty of wine.

After introducing themselves and sharing their innermost thoughts, the three men found each other increasingly agreeable, a true case of heroes appreciating heroes, and under the influence of alcohol, they began something that boys often do when they gather together—discussing national affairs.

He had all the skills he possessed, yet he was destined to wander the world with no way to serve his country. He vowed to kill all the evil spirits in the world and restore peace to the land. But then the conversation turned to the people suffering and treacherous officials in power. He said that if he were in charge of governing, things would be very different. He suggested that they join the army to serve their country and fight for a bright future with swords and spears.

Then Liu Bei began to sigh and lament, saying that there was a man who was originally a member of the Han imperial family, and began to chant with great effort.

Meanwhile, the dog and cat, who were observing from the sidelines, watched and ate under the small table. However, the more Angron looked at him, the more familiar he seemed. "Second Brother, why do I feel like I've heard this person say somewhere before? Father used to say the same thing when he was fooling us, even the tone is the same. Are you sure he's not Father's alternate account?"

Mordred, who was devouring a roast chicken, shrugged and said that heroes are as numerous as Yellow Skins crossing a river. If the weasel had such abilities, it wouldn't have ended up being abandoned by everyone. This was a genuine expression of emotion, while the Yellow Skins was just causing trouble for all living beings.

"Angron, you should learn from this. If you master the succubus physique of the Liu family, it will be far more useful than Guilliman's Ambition. You could be the next Warmaster."

Forget it then. Angron knows that War Master is not a good title. Since the founding of the Empire, no one who has served as a War Master has had a good ending.

The Second Brother Death and Dao Dissipation Warmaster; Horus became Warmaster but was reduced to a pulp and left on the list of sinners, forever infamous; Zhuang Sen became Warmaster but Caliban was destroyed after only a few years; and Ferrus became a war division commander but didn't even leave behind his head.

Guilliman served Warmaster for a few years. Before that, the Lord Regent for almost 2000 years was fine, but as soon as he became Warmaster, he was executed. Let whoever wants the position take it; it's none of his business in Angron.

While the dog and cat brothers were showing off their food, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei also reached a climax. After Liu Bei's heartfelt words, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both became his fans.

Zhang Fei: "With three people of one mind, even barren land can turn into gold. With you leading the way, we're sure to succeed!"

This sentence seemed to have drained Zhang Fei of all his literary talent, leaving him only able to repeat "Me too" over and over.

Guan Yu said he would obey orders without any second thoughts, and Zhang Fei said he felt the same way. Guan Yu said he would accompany him for life and follow him through thick and thin, and Zhang Fei said he felt the same way. Even when Guan Yu recognized his elder brother, Zhang Fei said he felt the same way and called him elder brother, only he became the third brother.

The three of them thoroughly enjoyed the dinner, and even though the alcohol was low in alcohol content, they got completely drunk, and some even experienced hallucinations after drinking too much.

"Big brother, Second Brother, look at this dog! It can drink alcohol and even use chopsticks! Look, it's smiling at me!"

"Third brother, you're drunk. How could a dog possibly know how to use chopsticks?"

Am I really drunk?

You're drunk!

A month later, as the sun rose higher, the three men, who had been sleeping side by side, awoke from their slumber and decided to take this opportunity to become sworn brothers.

It should be noted that due to the current era, the value of such sworn brothers is still very high. They are not the kind of brothers who only drink and eat, but who wear mourning clothes and pray to the heavens and earth to choose an auspicious day to offer sacrifices of grains when an elder in the family dies.

There happened to be Peach Garden nearby, so the three of them immediately set off together, also bringing along a cat and a dog that were curled up sleeping on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Brother, why did we bring these two animals? They've eaten so much of my meat and drunk so much of my wine these past few days. They even kick me, steal my blankets, and sleep on my bed at night. And this dog, it can swallow a piglet in three bites."

Having been educated, Guan Yu didn't need Liu Bei to explain. Guan Yu said, "Third brother, you may not know this, but when Emperor Gaozu raised his army in the countryside, he had a divine dog by his side who helped him by driving a whirlwind. The dog saved him from danger many times, which enabled our Han Dynasty to rise and contend for the Central Plains."

"Look how intelligent these two are. The more they eat, the more it proves their extraordinary nature. Didn't you notice that this dog even gives money when it eats? It's perfect for the three of us to witness this, hoping for good fortune."

"But I lost that money."

"Third brother, don't talk nonsense. How could a dog steal money? Perhaps you just left it somewhere else."

In this era, some legends about mountain spirits and monsters were quite popular, especially in Zhuo Commandery, which was close to the Hu people. Those savages also believed in the Eternal Blue Sky, saying that after a warrior died, a white horse would guide him to the Eternal Blue Sky.

As the saying goes, it's better to believe it exists than not to believe it doesn't; believing a little won't hurt. So the three brothers, who had gotten together, placed Mordred and Angron on either side of the card table. After all, they couldn't exactly worship Guan Yu, could they?

But what was said in jest was heard with interest by Mordred and Angron. It seemed they had overheard something interesting: a divine dog helping them and even controlling a strong wind—this couldn't be an ordinary dog; it must be Russ.

"The plan has changed. It would be too troublesome for just the two of us to search. It would be better to use these three to increase our strength and find that good-for-nothing Russ."

What did my Second Brother say?

"What do you mean, how should I say it? Just watch my performance. Since they want good omens, then we'll give them good omens. Do you remember how Old Man Huang fooled the Mechanicus?"

"What if they don't believe us after we start this charade again?"

"What do you mean 'again'? We're doing this in accordance with destiny! Let me tell you something, and if you just say it, not a single person from any of the Dragon Kingdoms will doubt it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a fierce wind suddenly swept through the once peaceful and fragrant Peach Garden, accompanied by flashes of Emerald Lightning as thin as hair. Angron began his performance, exerting some kind of mental pressure on the three of them.

Peach blossoms drifted down in the wind, then rose upwards with the air currents. Amidst the rain of petals and flashes of lightning, Mordred and Angron stood upright, speaking in human language, "I am the Venerable One Devouring Abyss Boundless Blessing from the Abyss, the Immortal Elder of the Five Elements, who universally saves all living beings and governs the Great Dao of Yin and Yang, merit and demerit."

"The loyalty and righteousness of the three of you have moved Heaven and Earth, and thus we two have been ordered to come and assist you in relieving the calamity of this chaotic world and the hardships of the people."

By the mandate of Heaven, may your lives be long and prosperous! You three are the great heroes who will save the world! Get up now!