"...Even if he poisoned Black Whirlwind Li Kui with his own hands, how could Protector of Justice Song Jiang possibly meet a good end? Though the imperial court granted him a title, treacherous villains continued to persecute him. Of all the men in this grand, stirring legend of heroes, only River-Churning Dragon Li Jun and a dozen or so others escaped. All the rest died horribly!" Du Yu finished the story with spit flying, then looked out the window. Day had already broken.
"That truly was... utterly brilliant, stirring to the very soul..." Zhang Jian couldn't help murmuring. He had thought it would be a little story that could be explained in a few words, yet the man before him had filled it with dramatic rises and falls, twists and turns. Every character in the story seemed made of flesh and blood, their feelings and their resentment conveyed in full.
"So you understand now, right?" Du Yu felt parched, but when he looked for something to drink, he found only that jug of yellow rice wine and gave up. "Joining the army might look like a good way out, but to the imperial court, you're the greatest source of instability. And you need to think about this too: will your brothers support your decision?"
"Zhang Zhen... no, sir!" Zhang Jian stood and bowed to Du Yu. "To have spent this entire night talking with you is a blessing earned over three lifetimes!"
"Huh?" Du Yu hurriedly helped Zhang Jian straighten up. "Boss, what are you doing? You're treating me like an outsider."
"Tonight's story gave me tremendous insight. I almost threw away my brothers' lives."
"It wouldn't necessarily come to that..." Du Yu said. "I was just giving you an example, not saying our brothers would meet the same end."