News of a fortuitous encounter

Another day passed, and Lü Yinglong appointed Meng Yuan chief military adviser, placing him above all the other military counselors and strategists.

Meng Yuan declined repeatedly and accepted only a military counselor's post, a position on the commander's staff that allowed him to advise on military affairs-in other words, a field adviser.

Three days later, Lü Yinglong mobilized his entire army and, just as Meng Yuan had proposed, marched southwest.

Before setting out, Lü Yinglong had intended to sweep through Huai'an Prefecture and plunder it, but Meng Yuan repeatedly dissuaded him and even persuaded him to leave some grain for the local people.

"If you wish to accomplish great things, my lord, you must not drain the pond to catch the fish. Instead, you should leave more of a good name behind." Meng Yuan counseled him, and Madam Chen joined in.

Thus, the army bypassed fortified cities and avoided government troops along the way. Three months later, it reached Jing City.

After storming Jing City, they marched south to seize Jianmen Pass and entered Shu.

Lü Yinglong spent another half a year subduing Shu.

With that, half of the strategy Meng Yuan had first presented in the command tent had been realized: hold Shu alone, secure Jianmen Pass, and defend Jing City, the important stronghold outside the pass. Once upheaval struck the realm, they could march forth in force to contend for it.

Only a short year had passed since Meng Yuan offered his plan.

Over that year, Meng Yuan had truly learned a great deal, from marching and deploying troops to governing local territories.

By now, however, Meng Yuan had begun to regret joining Lü Yinglong.

After a year together, Meng Yuan had gotten to the bottom of Lü Yinglong's character. His martial valor was unmatched: he could shatter a fierce tiger's skull with one punch and leap thirty to fifty feet high. He led the charge in every battle and was a martial arts master accomplished in both internal and external training.

But he had far too many shortcomings. He had little strategic talent, could not make decisions, lacked guile, and lusted after wine and women.

For instance, as soon as they captured Jing City, he asked Meng Yuan to find him prostitutes, specifically demanding wanton ones.

Meng Yuan did not know what counted as wanton either, so he found a few and tried them out, then sent over those who cried out the loudest. Sure enough, Lü Yinglong was delighted and praised Meng Yuan for knowing how to get things done.

Meng Yuan also finally learned that Lü Yinglong had actually married into his wife's family. Half the credit for his ability to gather so many soldiers belonged to his own martial valor, and the other half belonged to Madam Chen.

Even the policies of enforcing military discipline and sparing the common people had been laid down by Madam Chen.

Madam Chen came from a distinguished background, practiced internal martial arts, and was also an accomplished physician.

Meng Yuan noticed that Lü Yinglong and Madam Chen complemented each other somewhat: one supplied money and manpower, while the other could fight.

After they occupied Shu, for example, those assigned to govern its various regions were all Madam Chen's clansmen. Among the army's officers, thirty percent were Lü Yinglong's fellow townsmen, while fully half belonged to the Chen family.

Whenever Lü Yinglong encountered something he could not decide, he would also seek Madam Chen's opinion.

Meng Yuan even suspected that Madam Chen had urged Lü Yinglong to contend for supremacy. Had Madam Chen been a man, or had there been anyone outstanding among the Chen clansmen, she might not have been willing to make a life with Lü Yinglong at all.

All one could say was that Lü Yinglong was exceptionally fortunate: he had a capable wife and was willing to listen to her.

But could a man like a god of war, however few opinions he had of his own, still heed a woman's words once his power grew greater?

More importantly, Lü Yinglong had no sons, only a few adopted boys from his own clan. Who knew which of the couple had the problem?

That evening, after attending the victory banquet, Meng Yuan returned to the residence allotted to him and found Old Yang waiting with a woman.

"Madam Chen arranged this. She sent her to serve you. Said she was some high official's daughter." Old Yang sighed with feeling. "Yuan, you've really risen in the world. Never mind how you used to sneak around with other men's women, but you mustn't do that anymore."

"My family's tradition is farming, not bedding other men's women!" Meng Yuan stepped forward and lifted the woman's chin. Her looks fell slightly short of Madam Chen's; youth was all she had over her.

He briefly asked her name and background, learned that she knew no martial arts, then took her into the bedroom with an arm around her and played the bridegroom for a night.

But she was, after all, inexperienced. In mature charm, she could not compare to Pan; in wantonness, she fell short of Widow Cao; in allure, she was no match for Madam Chen.

All she had going for her was her tender youth.

Meng Yuan rose the next morning feeling refreshed, then took Yang Dayong through a sword routine.

Back when he was trying to learn martial arts, Meng Yuan had even sold his body. Since joining the army, however, he had learned quite a few fist and sword routines from the many officers who practiced martial arts.

As for the internal martial arts he had once sought in vain, Meng Yuan had acquired those too. Madam Chen had taught him the Everlasting Spring Skill, saying it was passed down in her family and was exceptionally gentle and easy to learn.

But Meng Yuan's aptitude was truly ordinary, and he was nearly thirty. His progress in the Everlasting Spring Skill was mediocre, his internal power exceedingly weak. He could not even hope to glimpse Lü Yinglong's back and could only treat it as a means of strengthening his body.

Moreover, after experiencing battle, Meng Yuan had learned that even martial arts experts were not impervious to blades and spears. At most, they could fight a hundred men; in the end, they could hardly withstand an army's formations.

Even a supreme expert like Lü Yinglong was covered in old wounds.

Of course, Meng Yuan still cherished hopes for martial arts. The thought of soaring to and fro and taking heads amid laughter and conversation was simply too enticing.

But whatever else might be said, these troubled times truly offered men like Meng Yuan a chance to ascend to the heavens!

After having breakfast with his new woman, Meng Yuan had her grind ink and was just about to write his campaign journal when someone arrived from the commander's residence, saying that Lü Yinglong and his wife were hosting a private dinner that evening and inviting Meng Yuan to attend.

Toward evening, Meng Yuan arrived at the commander's residence with his page, Yang Dayong. Sure enough, no one else was there, only Lü Yinglong and Madam Chen.

"Come over, Scholar Meng!" Meng Yuan had earned the nickname "Scholar" because he loved reading. In high spirits, Lü Yinglong teased him as well.

Once they were seated, Lü Yinglong personally poured Meng Yuan wine, while Madam Chen placed food in his bowl.

Both were very satisfied with Meng Yuan. After a year together on campaign, the couple understood him better and knew that he came from a poor family and was self-taught.

He knew nothing of practical administration, could neither govern nor pacify the people, and had few ideas to offer when two armies faced each other, but his grasp of broad strategy was exceptionally sound.

He was also eager to learn. Whenever he had nothing to do, he either read or sought martial instruction from the officers. He even asked Lü Yinglong about marching and deploying troops and requested several medical books from Madam Chen.

On the march, he inquired into local geography and customs, sought martial arts manuals to purchase, and sampled local delicacies.

Of course, he was not without flaws. When he first entered the army, someone had said he had once bedded his sister-in-law.

Lü Yinglong and his wife did not much care, but they still secretly sent someone to investigate. Only then did they learn that the accusation about his sister-in-law was slander, though his reputation was indeed rather poor: he liked dallying with widows.

But there were no widows in the army, so Lü Yinglong naturally had nothing to fear.

Better still, the man had no foundation of his own, no clansmen or allies, and was not particularly skilled in martial arts.

They could employ such a man with complete peace of mind. Lü Yinglong and his wife did not even know what rewards to give him, so they could only bestow silver, beautiful women, and grand residences.

"You look positively radiant, sir. Clearly, your new woman has served you well." Lü Yinglong was in high spirits. "I noticed long ago that you had no one to attend you, but on campaign, it was difficult to make an exception. Now we've finally made it up to you."

Madam Chen smiled faintly, looking just as though she were attending a family dinner. "I have a younger cousin, just sixteen, with a gentle disposition. If you're interested, sir, you might meet her."

Meng Yuan saw it clearly: Lü Yinglong's expression turned rather unpleasant.

It seemed that, though Lü Yinglong was a brute, he was no fool. He was plainly worried about the Chen clan growing too powerful.

Yet as a lord, he let his feelings show far too readily and had no means of counterbalancing the Chens at all. Meng Yuan felt that without Madam Chen, even if Lü Yinglong's martial prowess reached divine heights, he would be fit for no more than leading the vanguard.

"I have no taste for new brides." Meng Yuan declined with a smile.

"..." Hearing that outrageous remark, Madam Chen thought, No wonder you have a history of sneaking around with widows. So you don't like untouched maidens and only have eyes for other men's wives? Can't you have a taste for something better?

"You're a man who follows his heart, sir!" Lü Yinglong raised his cup and laughed through a few more remarks before turning to business. "A year ago, you offered me the strategy that made today's success possible. May I ask what our next step should be?"

Meng Yuan drank a cup and said, "Nurture the troops and the people, let them rest and recover, and gather our strength until the time comes. Once those outside are exhausted and upheaval strikes the realm, we can march forth in force to contend for it!"

Lü Yinglong and Chen exchanged a glance and slowly nodded. Clearly, they had been thinking the same thing.

After that, the three chatted idly. Lü Yinglong was especially animated, and after drinking too much, he even began recounting his exploits from his days roaming the martial world.

Meng Yuan knew how to oblige him and immediately offered praise. "Your martial valor is unmatched, my lord, but where did you learn your skills? What internal art do you practice?"

"I started late. I only began training at sixteen. Later, I won my father-in-law's favor and learned my wife's hereditary Pure Yang Dragon-Controlling Art," Lü Yinglong said with a smug smile.

The Pure Yang Dragon-Controlling Art? Wasn't the Chen family's hereditary art the Everlasting Spring Skill? Did they have many hereditary arts?

"So you truly are a heaven-born genius, my lord. Unlike me-my aptitude is too poor. I've set my heart on martial arts, yet I simply cannot master them." Meng Yuan was deeply envious. He had personally seen Lü Yinglong punch through solid rock and leap fifty feet high. However serious his injuries, he could be as lively as a dragon or tiger the next day. One could imagine how profound his internal power was.

"When it comes to martial arts, my aptitude is indeed rather good. My father-in-law also praised my unmatched valor." Perhaps because he had laid the foundation for dominion, Lü Yinglong had actually grown conceited. Looking pleased with himself, he said, "But I owe my present level of power to a fortuitous encounter."

Meng Yuan immediately paid close attention.

During his previous eight years of travel and his year in the army, Meng Yuan had not only studied geography and local ways, but also constantly inquired about strange happenings in the martial world.

There was, for instance, a boy who had accidentally swallowed a strange toad and become immune to every poison; a young man who had discovered an unparalleled sword art left by a master of an earlier generation in a cave; and a young couple who had cooked a meal for a beggar and been taught a fierce palm technique and an extraordinary staff technique.

Meng Yuan had committed all such tales to memory, intending to claim those opportunities in his next life. Most, however, were too vague and elusive for him to substitute the plum tree for the peach and take someone else's place.

"So not only are you exceptionally gifted, my lord, but Heaven favors you as well!" Meng Yuan praised him sincerely, then asked, "What sort of fortuitous encounter was it?"

"Eight years ago." Lü Yinglong gave Chen a smug look, then lowered his voice. "I was wandering in some mountains when I strayed into a place and saw a great serpent coiled there, guarding a purple fruit. I killed the serpent by force, then swallowed that purple fruit-and gained several decades' worth of internal power!"

What? Eight years ago? I was twenty then, Lü Yinglong was twenty-eight, and Madam Chen was twenty-three...

Some mountains? Eight years ago, Lü Yinglong should have been living with Madam Chen's family as a married-in son-in-law. They had been married for two years then, and her father and elder brother seemed to have died that same year.

Meng Yuan could not tell whether Lü Yinglong's story was true, but he committed it to memory anyway, planning to search for it in his next life. Perhaps he could get there first and seize another man's fortune!

With that thought, Meng Yuan immediately rose and bowed to Lü Yinglong. "Before entering your service last year, I saw purple Qi swirling above your camp. To think this was what it foretold! My lord, Heaven's will is with us!"

"Oh? What did this purple Qi look like? Is purple Qi a sign of Heaven's will?" Lü Yinglong actually grew solemn, looking utterly convinced.

Madam Chen's expression remained cool throughout. She said nothing, a faint trace of scorn at the corners of her mouth. Who knew what she was thinking?