Lu Lingqi and the others disguised themselves as refugees and headed north. To avoid being questioned by soldiers along the way, they stuck to secluded paths. It took them more than twenty days to reach the area near Xiaopei.
In the past, they could have made the trip in a single day on horseback. Now, relying on their own two legs, it had taken so long. Lu Lingqi couldn't help lamenting how difficult the road ahead would be.
When they reached the outskirts of Gan Family Village, they saw not a soul in the fields. The bitter wind still howled; it was the coldest time of the year.
Lu Lingqi had come in a fit of anger, but as soon as she reached the gate of Lan Tian's courtyard, she heard weeping from within.
Lu Lingqi and Gao Shun were both startled. What was going on? Why was Lan Tian crying?
They went to the doorway and looked inside. A coffin stood in the center of the main hall. Cooked meat, fruits, wine, and other offerings had been placed before it, with an incense burner among them. Lan Tian and Gan Qian were dressed in mourning clothes, weeping before the coffin.
Hearing someone behind her, Gan Qian thought another villager had come, so she turned around first.
When she saw Lu Lingqi and Gao Shun, Gan Qian was surprised, delighted, and heartbroken all at once. With tears in her eyes, she said to Lan Tian, "Little Brother, look who's here!"
Lan Tian turned and saw Lu Lingqi, her anger turned to sorrow. The young man and woman said nothing. After gazing at each other for a long while, Lu Lingqi led Gao Shun and the others to kneel at the doorway.
Lan Tian and Gan Qian were both weeping. It was all too clear who lay in the coffin.
Who could have imagined that the old farmer, who had seemed in such good spirits, would suddenly pass away? Lu Lingqi felt that life was truly unpredictable. She remembered that she had never properly mourned her father, and grief surged through her. She burst into loud sobs.
"Didn't your father summon a physician? How did he pass away after only a few months?" Seeing how grief-stricken Lu Lingqi was, Gao Shun asked Gan Qian about what had happened at home.
Gan Qian wiped away her tears and explained, "Father had already started to recover, but just before the New Year, his condition suddenly worsened again. In the end, he held on until three days ago, when he left us."
"My condolences," Gao Shun said, lowering his head.
"I heard General Lu also..." Gan Qian trailed off.
At the mention of Lu Bu, the men behind Gao Shun couldn't help shedding tears. Lu Lingqi wept even harder, and the little anger she had felt gradually faded away in her tears.
Once everyone had calmed down, Gan Qian asked how they had escaped with their lives. Lu Lingqi told her about hiding in the Sanctuary.
Gan Qian sighed. "I never thought Little Brother's Sanctuary would save you, but, just as Xuande said, it couldn't shield you from every blade and sword."
Grieving, Lu Lingqi turned to Lan Tian and demanded, "If you knew my father was in danger, why didn't you find a way to save him? Could it be that you have no feelings for me at all?"
Lan Tian shook his head with a bitter smile. "There was almost no one who could have saved General Lu. Even if he had hidden in the Sanctuary with you, Cao Cao would have dug three feet into the ground to find him. Then you and General Gao wouldn't have escaped either."
"But you could at least have let him flee! If we'd secretly escaped Xiapi ahead of time, couldn't we still have lived?" Lu Lingqi pressed him.
"Flee? Where could you have him go? General Lu had tens of thousands of soldiers behind him. Could he become a bandit like Yang Feng? I think General Lu would rather die with his head held high than live a useless life in hiding. From the moment he joined forces with Yuan Shu, there was no place left in the world for him," Lan Tian sighed.
Lu Lingqi knew Lan Tian was right. The last trace of resentment in her heart began to fade. It made no sense to blame Lan Tian for her father's death. In the end, it was Cao the Rebel who had killed him.
Lan Tian was especially glad to see Gao Shun. He had thought this stubborn fellow might follow Lu Bu in death, but now that fate had changed, perhaps he could make a name for himself.
Lu Lingqi wept as she embraced Gan Qian. The two daughters who had lost their fathers were now of one heart.
Seeing them, Lan Tian led Gao Shun and the others out of the mourning hall. Men could grieve, but they couldn't grieve for long, because they still had to hold up the sky for the women.
Gan Ji and Lu Bu were dead, but Gan Qian and Lu Lingqi were still alive. Lan Tian couldn't go on grieving forever.
Lan Tian took Gao Shun by the hand and asked, "Are these eighteen men all that remain of the general's troops?"
"Eighteen men are more than enough to protect our lord," Gao Shun said confidently.
"Our lord?" Lan Tian asked, puzzled.
"We and the others have already acknowledged the Young Lady as our lord. From this day onward, we'll brave fire and water for her without hesitation," Gao Shun declared boldly.
Lan Tian nodded. "General Gao, you truly are a loyal and righteous man. Do you have any plans?"
"Of course we want to avenge our former lord. That's why we came here to ask for your advice, sir," Gao Shun said, clasping his fist.
Lan Tian shook his head. "Even if you had eighteen thousand men instead of eighteen, you might not be able to kill Cao Cao. Don't act rashly. This matter needs careful planning."
Lan Tian worried that they might attempt some desperate act, sneaking into Xudu to assassinate Cao Cao. Xu Chu guarded Cao Cao, and that plan would be very hard to pull off.
"Your adoptive father has passed away, sir. What do you plan to do from now on?" Gao Shun asked in return.
"I plan to help my brother-in-law," Lan Tian said firmly.
At the mention of Liu Bei, Gao Shun fell silent.
"Then how do you plan to settle our lord?" Gao Shun's meaning was clear. The Young Lady and you are bound up in countless ways. She has come all the way to your door and wept before your adoptive father's coffin. You can't just turn your back on her.
Lan Tian was quick-witted and immediately understood what Gao Shun meant. He considered it for a moment, then said, "Xu Province is now weak in manpower and resources; it is no place to build a foundation. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will surely fight a great battle in the north. For now, only Jing Province is relatively peaceful. I intend to persuade my brother-in-law to go there. You can go ahead of us."
"Jing Province? To seek refuge with Liu Biao? When will you go, sir?" Gao Shun pressed him.
Lan Tian calculated that Liu Bei would still have to come and take Xu Province, and persuading him to make a strategic retreat would take time. So he gave a cautious answer. "It may take a year at the earliest, or two or three years at the latest."
"Still that long? Jing Province is vast. Where should we wait for you?" Gao Shun continued.
"Xinye County, in Nanyang Commandery, in northern Jing Province," Lan Tian said with certainty.
"Very well. I'll persuade our lord to go ahead," Gao Shun said. Seeing how certain Lan Tian was, he felt there must be a deeper purpose behind the arrangement. With a man of such talent helping Liu Bei, perhaps he really would soar into the sky—and might even have a chance to avenge Cao the Rebel.
Lu Lingqi and the others stayed for half a month. They helped the siblings bury Gan Ji, then headed for Jing Province as Lan Tian had advised.
Before they parted, Lan Tian gave Lu Lingqi a finely crafted jade bracelet as a token of their betrothal.
The bracelet had originally been a gift from Liu Bei to Gan Qian, who had later given it to Lan Tian. Now that Lu Lingqi's father was no longer alive, Gan Qian felt there was nothing standing in the way of the two young people. She just couldn't understand why Lan Tian wanted her to go far away to Jing Province.
In the days that followed, the people of Gan Family Village began spring planting. Lan Tian guided them in their work while waiting for Liu Bei to return.
Liu Bei was in Xudu at the time. Cao Cao had recommended him for the title of General of the Left—the post Lu Bu had once held. The two rode in the same carriage and sat at the same table, appearing to be close friends.
The more warmly Cao Cao treated him, the more anxious Liu Bei became.
A hidden dragon could not stay trapped in the pond of Xudu for the rest of his life. Then, one day, General of Chariots and Cavalry Dong Cheng came calling.
At last!
Before you continue