The twilight of Xinye City, wrapped in the cold of late autumn, slowly shrouded the courtyard. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei returned with tired steps; the horses' hooves struck a dull echo on the bluestone slabs, and the stirred-up dust was soon scattered by the evening wind. As soon as they entered the mansion, Liu Bei dismissed the servants who came to attend to them, walked alone to the study, his back exuding unspeakable melancholy.
Inside the study, the candle flame was as small as a bean, casting flickering light and shadow on the map on the table. Liu Bei unfastened the sword at his waist, casually placed it beside the table, and stared at the location of Wolong Mountain marked on the map. Turbid tears slid down his cheeks without warning. Nearly fifty years old, he had marched south and north, wandering in exile since he raised his troops during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He campaigned against Dong Zhuo, fought Lü Bu, and resisted Cao Cao. Although he had gathered a group of followers with his reputation for benevolence and virtue, he had never been able to establish a stable foundation. He had sought Zhuge Kongming twice, each time going through life-and-death calamities—the green dragon in Yunmeng Marsh, the Suanni on Wolong Mountain, every time it was extremely dangerous. Yet in the end, he had not even seen Zhuge Liang's face. The long-cherished wish of restoring the Han Dynasty was like a star in the sky, seemingly within reach, but actually far away. Thinking of this, he couldn't help covering his face with his sleeve, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"Elder Brother, the night is cold and dewy; you should add a coat." Guan Yu pushed the door open and entered, holding a thick cotton robe in his hand. Seeing Liu Bei weeping, his phoenix eyes frowned slightly, his tone full of concern. He gently draped the cotton robe over Liu Bei's shoulders and said in a deep voice: "Elder Brother has always had lofty aspirations; how can you be depressed by such trivial setbacks? In the past, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang was still trapped in Hanzhong at the age of forty, but he was able to endure humiliation and eventually turned the tide to seize the world; King Zhuang of Chu lay dormant for three years, then shocked the world with a single cry, and finally aspired to dominate the Central Plains. Elder Brother's benevolence and virtue are known to the world; fierce generals like Guan, Zhang, and Zhao follow you to the death. As long as you persist, why worry about not being able to invite Mr. Kongming and achieve great things?"
Liu Bei wiped away his tears, his voice hoarse: "Second Brother, I am not afraid of hardships and dangers. But time waits for no one. I am nearly fifty and have achieved nothing in my career. I have dragged you and Third Brother to live under others' roofs, and I can't even invite a strategist who can plan strategies. I really live up to everyone's expectations." He paused, his gaze falling on the map, full of unwillingness. "I have sought him twice, each time narrowly escaping death, but I have not even met Mr. Kongming. Could it be that heaven's will is such that I, Liu Bei, can never restore the Han Dynasty?"
"Elder Brother, you are mistaken!" Guan Yu's tone was firm. "Man proposes, heaven disposes. Mr. Kongming is a peerless talent who has lived in seclusion on Wolong Mountain for many years, so he is naturally not easy to invite. Elder Brother has personally visited twice, and your sincerity is sufficient, but the time is not yet ripe. Moreover, Third Brother obtained the Suanni Divine Fangs this time, and I have the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. Our martial power is no longer what it used to be. When we visit again next time, we will surely turn misfortunes into blessings. As long as Elder Brother does not forget his original intention, one day he will move Mr. Kongming."
Looking at Guan Yu's sincere eyes, the depression in Liu Bei's heart gradually dissipated. He nodded and sighed: "What Second Brother said is extremely true. I was too obsessed with temporary gains and losses. The road to restoring the Han Dynasty is inherently full of thorns; how can I give up easily because of such setbacks?"
In stark contrast to Liu Bei's depression, after returning to his residence, Zhang Fei could no longer contain his ecstasy. He carefully held the divine fangs in his hands. These two fangs were about seven inches long, entirely dark golden in color, covered with fine scale patterns, faintly glowing with orange ethereal light. They felt heavy and hard in his hands, as if he were holding two pieces of black iron condensed with thousands of years of spiritual energy. He sometimes held the divine fangs under the lamp to examine them carefully, sometimes stroked the patterns on them with his fingers, his face full of complacency and excitement, and he kept muttering: "What a treasure! This is no worse than Second Brother's dragon horn! Old Qin will definitely forge a peerless divine weapon for me!"
He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. As soon as dawn broke, Zhang Fei put on his clothes, got up, and kicked open Guan Yu's door with one foot. "Second Brother! Quickly tell me, where does Old Qin Jishi from Zitong Mountain live? I'm going to forge a spear!" He tightly clutched the divine fangs in his hand, his eyes shining like burning charcoal, his tone full of eagerness.
Guan Yu was practicing his sword in the courtyard. The Green Dragon Crescent Blade drew a blue-golden arc in the morning light. Hearing this, he put away his sword and stood, shaking his head helplessly: "Third Brother, your temperament is still so impetuous. Old Qin lives deep in Zitong Mountain. Go a hundred miles west along the city, and after entering the mountain, you can find him by following the sound of iron forging. But the sky is overcast today, and there may be heavy snow. The mountain road is difficult to travel; why are you in such a hurry?"
"What's heavy snow!" Zhang Fei waved his hand, his face full of disdain. "For this divine weapon, not to mention heavy snow, even if it's raining knives, it won't stop me! Second Brother, quickly show me the way; I'm leaving now!"
Seeing his firm attitude, Guan Yu had to tell him the detailed address of Qin Jishi. After taking his leave of Second Brother, Zhang Fei turned around and rushed out of the courtyard, grabbed his black steed, held the divine fangs, and galloped out of Xinye City.
Sure enough, halfway through the journey, snowflakes began to fall from the sky. At first, they were just scattered snowflakes, but gradually they turned into goose-feather snow, flying all over the sky, dyeing the world white. The towering outline of Zitong Mountain loomed in the wind and snow. The mountain road was rugged and steep, and the snow covered the horse's hooves. Every step was extremely difficult. The cold wind howled across his cheeks, like a knife cutting, but Zhang Fei's heart was full of expectations for the divine weapon, and he did not feel cold or tired at all. He urged his horse forward, and the black steed walked through the snow, splashing snow mist all over the sky. From a distance, it was like a black lightning bolt shuttling through the white world.
In the evening, Zhang Fei finally arrived at the depths of Zitong Mountain. From a distance, he heard the sound of "ding ding dang dang" iron forging, which was particularly clear in the silent snowy night. Following the sound, a simple wooden house was located in the mountain col. The blazing fire in the furnace reddened the surrounding snow, like a red cloud burning in the snow. Various ores and tools were piled around the wooden house, all covered with thick snow. Only an open space in front of the door was cleared of snow, revealing the hard bluestone.
"Old Qin! Old Qin!" Zhang Fei reined in his horse, shouted loudly, jumped off his horse, and strode towards the wooden house through the snow. The thick snow reached his calves, making a "creak creak" sound.
Inside the wooden house, an old man was swinging a hammer to forge iron with his upper body bare. His bronze-colored skin was covered with fine sweat beads and faint burn scars. Hearing the shout, he put down his hammer and stuck his head out. Seeing Zhang Fei covered in wind and snow, like a snowman, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, then cupped his hands and said: "General Zhang? In such heavy snow, why did you come to my humble abode in person?"
"Old Qin, I'm here to ask you to forge a divine weapon!" Zhang Fei quickly walked into the wooden house, shook off the snow on his body, took out the two Suanni Divine Fangs from his arms, and carefully handed them over. "Look at this treasure!"
Qin Jishi took the divine fangs and was immediately shocked by the orange ethereal light flowing on them and the majestic aura. He held the divine fangs close to the stove fire, carefully examined the scale patterns on them, and gently stroked them with his fingertips, his eyes full of amazement: "This... this is the Suanni Divine Fangs! General Zhang actually obtained such an ancient divine object!"
"Heh heh, I pulled this out of the Suanni's mouth with my own hands!" Zhang Fei patted his chest proudly, and vividly told the story of encountering the Suanni on Wolong Mountain, the fierce battle on the suspension bridge, and risking his life to break off the divine fangs. His words were full of pride, deliberately omitting the embarrassment of his fear of heights at that time, and only focusing on exaggerating his bravery.
Qin Jishi nodded repeatedly as he listened, praising: "General Zhang is unparalleled in courage, truly a fierce general of the current age! This Suanni is one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon, an ancient divine beast that rules over weapons. Its fangs gather the essence and blood of the divine beast and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, indestructible and extremely sharp. It is the top material for forging weapons. Legend has it that weapons forged from Suanni Divine Fangs can enhance the user's vigorous aura, deter demons from all directions, and stimulate the phantom of the divine beast when encountering enemies, with infinite power. They are truly divine gifts!"
"That's great!" Zhang Fei was overjoyed and quickly said: "Old Qin, I am best at using a spear on weekdays. Use these divine fangs to forge a peerless Zhangba Divine Spear for me!"
Qin Jishi pondered for a moment and nodded: "What General Zhang said is extremely true. These Suanni Divine Fangs are yang attribute, containing vigorous aura, which complements the style of the Zhangba Divine Spear. I plan to use the two divine fangs as the spear tip, divided into main and secondary double blades, supplemented by rare ores such as Western Regions Black Iron, Deep Sea Cold Copper, and Kunlun Red Gold to forge the spear shaft, enhancing its toughness and lethality. The spear shaft will be carved with Suanni coiling mountain patterns, connected with the aura of the divine fangs to form resonance; the end of the spear will be inlaid with a water-avoiding pearl, which can prevent water and ward off evil spirits, and can be used normally even in rivers, lakes and seas. After forging, the spear needs to be placed in a deep pool in the mountain and soaked for seven days and seven nights to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the pool water, so as to completely awaken the power of the divine fangs and make it a real peerless divine weapon."
"Good! Good! Just do as Old Qin said!" Zhang Fei was so excited that he couldn't wait to get the divine weapon immediately. He couldn't help rubbing his hands and said: "Old Qin, forge it as soon as possible. I'll come to pick it up in ten days!"
Qin Jishi shook his head and smiled: "General Zhang, forging a divine weapon is no trivial matter. It requires careful and slow work, and no impatience is allowed. Just smelting the divine fangs and ores will take seven days and seven nights without sleep. Adding shaping, tempering, and carving patterns will take at least half a month. After that, it needs to be placed in the deep pool to nourish the essence. The total time is twenty days. Come to pick up the spear in twenty days, General, and I will definitely give you a surprise."
Although Zhang Fei was extremely anxious, he also knew that forging a divine weapon could not be rushed. He had to suppress his eagerness and nodded in agreement: "Good! I'll wait ten more days! Old Qin, you must forge it with care and make sure to forge a spear that can sweep the world!"
"Don't worry, General!" Qin Jishi said solemnly: "Being able to forge such a divine weapon is the luck of my life. I will definitely live up to the general's trust and the spirit of the divine fangs!"
Zhang Fei urged him repeatedly, then reluctantly left the wooden house and set off on his way back in the snowstorm. Along the way, his mind was constantly filled with the appearance of the divine weapon. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and even the snow under his horse's hooves seemed to become much lighter.
Time passed in a flash, but for Zhang Fei, it felt like three to five years. During these twenty days, he practiced in the courtyard every day. The old spear in his hand was already wielded with great momentum, but he thought about the upcoming divine weapon all the time. Early in the morning on the appointed day, as soon as dawn broke, he couldn't wait to mount his black steed and gallop towards Zitong Mountain.
At this time, the heavy snow on Zitong Mountain had long stopped. The sun broke through the clouds and shone on the white snow, reflecting dazzling light. The air in the mountain was fresh and cold, with the smell of pine needles and soil. The deep pool was located in the depths of the mountain col, surrounded by towering ancient trees, with crystal clear icicles hanging on the branches, like jade trees and qiongzhi. The pool water was deep green and calm, reflecting the surrounding mountains and trees. Occasionally, a few silver-scaled fish jumped out of the water, stirring up ripples, which soon returned to calm. The bluestone beside the pool was covered with a thin layer of frost flowers, making a creaking sound when stepped on.
As soon as Zhang Fei walked to the pool, he was too shocked to speak by the scene in front of him. On a huge bluestone beside the pool, a Zhangba Divine Spear stood proudly, entirely dark golden in color, flowing with warm yet sharp luster in the sun. The spear tip was made of two Suanni Divine Fangs, divided into main and secondary double blades. The main blade was extremely sharp, shining with cold light, as if it could pierce the sky. The secondary blade was slightly curved, with an arc, which could cut and stab; the scale patterns on the divine fangs were perfectly connected with the Suanni patterns carved on the spear shaft, extending from the end of the spear to the spear tip. The orange ethereal light faintly flowed in the patterns, as if a Suanni was swimming on the spear shaft, lifelike.
The spear shaft was forged from black iron and cold copper, uniform in thickness, hard and heavy yet not lacking in toughness. The surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the pool water and the sky light. The end of the spear was inlaid with a large water-avoiding pearl, pale blue in color, emitting a soft light, absorbing the surrounding water vapor into a thin water film, making the entire spear more agile. The spear exuded a majestic momentum, both with the dignity of a divine beast and the murderous aura of a divine weapon, making people shudder at the sight.
"Hahaha! This is the divine weapon worthy of me, Zhang Fei!" Zhang Fei was overjoyed, jumped onto the bluestone in one leap, and tightly held the spear shaft with both hands. It felt warm in his hands. A majestic spiritual energy poured into his body along his palms, instantly merging with his own internal energy. His meridians were unobstructed, and the hidden injuries left from fighting the Suanni earlier were instantly healed. He only felt his blood boiling all over, and power kept coming from the spear shaft, as if he had endless strength.
Zhang Fei raised the Zhangba Divine Spear, shouted loudly, and practiced beside the pool. His spear technique was vigorous and sharp, as powerful as thunder. Every time he stabbed, it was accompanied by majestic Suanni aura and spear energy, rolling up snow and fallen leaves all over the sky. The spear shaft passed through the air, making a sharp whistling sound, like the roar of a Suanni, deafening. With his movements, the pool water also became restless, ripples appearing on the surface. Countless water droplets were rolled up by the spear energy, condensing into a water curtain in the air.
Sometimes he galloped on his horse, holding the spear straight to stab. The orange light energy condensed at the spear tip formed a cold star, stabbing straight into the sky, as if to pierce the sky; sometimes he rotated on the spot, sweeping thousands of troops. The spear was like a strong wind sweeping fallen leaves, sweeping all the surrounding snow and dead branches, forming a huge circle; sometimes he jumped up, stabbing down from the air. The spear, with immense power, slammed into the ground. With a loud "boom", the ground cracked a deep gully, and the pool water was shaken to splash several feet high.
When he practiced to the point of great excitement, Zhang Fei shouted loudly, held the spear shaft tightly with both hands, poured all his internal energy and Suanni aura into it, and suddenly stabbed at the pool water. A roar as if from ancient times came from the spear shaft. A huge orange spear energy burst out from the spear tip, turning into a Suanni phantom, majestic and powerful, roaring towards the pool water. The Suanni phantom hit the pool surface, exploding instantly. A huge water column soared into the sky, forming a waterfall, then slowly fell, splashing countless water droplets.
Zhang Fei put away his spear and stood, sweating profusely, his clothes soaked, but his face was ruddy, his eyes bright, and his heart was full of joy and excitement. He could clearly feel that the power of this Zhangba Divine Spear was far beyond his previous weapons. It was not only extremely sharp, but also could connect with his mind. With a thought, the spear could feel his intention, as if it had become a part of his body.
"Great! It's really great!" Zhang Fei laughed loudly, his voice resounding through the entire valley. He stroked the Zhangba Divine Spear affectionately, jumped on his horse, took his leave of Qin Jishi, and couldn't wait to gallop back to Xinye City. He wanted to quickly return to Elder Brother and Second Brother to show them his new divine weapon, and even more to urge them to set off as soon as possible to visit Zhuge Kongming on Wolong Mountain for the third time.
When he returned to Xinye City, it was already evening. Zhang Fei held the Zhangba Divine Spear and rushed to the mansion excitedly. As soon as he walked into the backyard, he smelled a strong aroma of wine. He saw Liu Bei and Guan Yu sitting around the stove, with a pot of wine warming on the stove. The stove fire was blazing, casting a ruddy glow on their faces. In the courtyard, several plum trees had quietly bloomed, and the faint fragrance floated, interweaving with the aroma of wine, warm and cozy.
"Brothers! I'm back!" Zhang Fei shouted loudly, striding over. The Zhangba Divine Spear in his hand shone with dark golden light in the twilight.
Liu Bei and Guan Yu looked up when they heard the voice. When they saw the spear in Zhang Fei's hand, a trace of surprise and admiration flashed in their eyes. "Third Brother, is this the divine weapon forged by Old Qin? It really has an extraordinary momentum!" Liu Bei stood up with a smile. The depression in his eyes had long disappeared, replaced by expectations for the future.
Guan Yu also nodded in praise: "Third Brother, this spear contains the power of the Suanni, vigorous and overbearing, which complements your temperament. With this spear in hand, Third Brother's martial power will definitely reach a higher level."
"Of course!" Zhang Fei proudly raised the Zhangba Divine Spear in his hand. "This spear is called the 'Zhangba Divine Spear', extremely sharp and infinitely powerful! When I practiced in Zitong Mountain just now, with one stab, the boulder cracked a big gap!" As he spoke, he couldn't help but want to practice again in the courtyard to show off his new weapon. The spear tip raised slightly, bringing up a sharp wind.
"Third Brother, don't be in a hurry." Liu Bei smiled and pressed his arm. "Your Second Brother and I are discussing the third visit to Mr. Kongming. Now that both you and Second Brother have divine weapons in hand, our strength has greatly increased. This is the perfect time to visit Wolong again."
When Zhang Fei heard this, he became even more excited and quickly said: "Great! Elder Brother, I was just thinking about trying the power of this new spear! Let's set off tomorrow. This time, we will definitely get through all the dangers on Wolong Mountain, meet Mr. Kongming, and let him see my divine weapon!" As he spoke, he couldn't help waving the spear again in his hand, his eyes full of eagerness and expectation, as if he couldn't wait to set off immediately.
Looking at Zhang Fei's eager appearance and Guan Yu's firm eyes, Liu Bei's heart was full of pride. He nodded and said: "Good! Since Third Brother is so eager, let's set off tomorrow! This trip to Wolong Mountain, no matter what difficulties we encounter, the three of us brothers will work together to invite Mr. Kongming out of the mountain and strive for the great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty together!"
Guan Yu also cupped his hands and said: "What Elder Brother said is extremely true. With my Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Third Brother's Zhangba Divine Spear to help, we will surely turn misfortunes into blessings and live up to this trip."
When Zhang Fei heard this, he was even more excited. He couldn't help raising the spear and waving a spear flower in the courtyard. The spear energy whistled, rolling up the fallen leaves on the ground, scaring the surrounding servants to dodge one after another. His heart was full of longing, thinking that he would set off again tomorrow, sweep all obstacles with the divine spear in his hand, invite Zhuge Kongming as soon as possible, and assist Elder Brother in achieving earth-shaking achievements.
By the stove, the three raised their cups and drank together. The warm wine flowed down their throats, and warmth filled their whole bodies. The night outside the window gradually deepened, with stars twinkling, but the flame in their hearts burned more and more intensely because of the upcoming third visit. The dangers of Wolong Mountain could not stop their sincerity in seeking talented people; the thorns on the road ahead could not wear away their ambition to restore the Han Dynasty. Tomorrow, they would set off again, advancing bravely towards Wolong Mountain.