Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

Xi Zhicai’s words were flawless as he engaged in casual conversation while analyzing Zhuge Liang’s spiritual talent. He was more interested in the young Zhuge Liang than Zhuge Jin. Meanwhile, Cai Yan genuinely believed that Xi Zhicai had been sent by Cao Cao to find her, so she let her guard down quickly. The two soon became acquainted, and Xi Zhicai easily extracted Cai Yan’s identity.

”Miss Cai, I must confess, I still don’t know how you came to be in Taishan. I recall my lord mentioning that you were supposed to be married into the Wei family,” Xi Zhicai said awkwardly. After all, he had just claimed that his lord was missing Cai Yan, only to find out that she was already promised to someone else. Flirting with a married woman…

”My father passed away due to Dong Zhuo’s tyranny, and I observed mourning for three years, so I never joined the Wei family. However, Zhongdao has since passed, so it seems I won’t be able to marry into the Wei family after all,” Cai Yan said with a faint expression of sorrow.

”Fortunately, before my father died, he had many friends who took care of me. When Uncle Li left Chang’an, he brought me to Taishan and arranged for me to manage the library here. So, I’ve been well taken care of. But how has my senior brother been?” Cai Yan asked, her mood lifting slightly as she thought of Li You, who had discreetly handled all her needs.

Xi Zhicai had no reason to doubt that someone had taken care of Cai Yan. After all, Cai Yong, being a respected scholar, had many friends. It wasn’t surprising that some of them were capable of assisting her.

He also noted Cai Yan’s positive feelings toward Cao Cao. Throughout their conversation, her responses to anything related to Cao Cao were clear and consistent, leaving no doubt in Xi Zhicai’s mind.

Although their conversation was brief, Cai Yan quickly grasped the essence of what Xi Zhicai was saying about Cao Cao’s situation. Xi Zhicai couldn’t help but admire her keen intellect. Many of her thoughts sparked new ideas for him, leaving him impressed with her insight. Her extensive reading of Chen Xi’s revolutionary books had clearly influenced her thinking.

Xi Zhicai couldn’t help but feel that if Cai Yan had been born a man, she could have been a renowned statesman. However, as a woman, her fate was different. Still, given her relationship with Cao Cao, Xi Zhicai couldn’t help but consider the possibility of arranging a union between them. She seemed like the perfect match—elegant, talented, and with a history with his lord.

Yet, Xi Zhicai hesitated due to her reputation as a widow and the unfortunate events in her past. After much contemplation, he decided to report this encounter to Cao Cao and let his lord decide. Cai Yan was talented but carried an air of misfortune. It wasn’t his place to make the final decision.

As Xi Zhicai prepared to leave, Cai Yan didn’t try to stop him. As a widow, she had always maintained her dignity and purity. She never allowed any man, other than elders, to be alone with her. If her sister hadn’t been present, she wouldn’t have let Xi Zhicai into her home, even if he was a subordinate of Cao Cao.After Xi Zhicai left, Cai Yan’s younger sister, who had been following her, giggled. ”Sister, it seems Brother Cao still has feelings for you.”

Before she could finish, Cai Yan flicked her on the forehead, causing her younger sister to tear up slightly. ”Hmph, I told you before that Wei Zhongdao was unreliable, but Father insisted on marrying you to that sickly man. Now look at you, stuck in this situation. It’s just ridiculous.”

Cai Yan glanced at her muttering sister and said nothing. She couldn’t help but think back to the days when her father, Cai Yong, was still alive. If only she had resisted more, perhaps even taken inspiration from Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun’s love story, things might not have turned out like this. Every time she thought about it, she envied her younger sister.

After all, Cai Yan’s younger sister had eloped with Yang Zhi, even before she was of age. Cai Yong, unable to bear the shame, had no choice but to send her off with a dowry. Now, she had settled down and even given birth to a brilliant son, Yang Hu. However, history didn’t record much about her due to her scandalous past.

Back then, Cai Yong had planned to marry his younger daughter to one of his five disciples. But Cai Yan’s sister found none of them appealing—Wang Can was too mature, Gu Yong too dull, Ruan Yu too conservative, Lu Cui too rigid, and as for Cao Cao, she had no interest in being her sister’s replacement. So, she packed her bags and left, quickly getting together with Yang Zhi, much to Cai Yong’s fury. That was why she was married off so young, before she even turned fifteen.

Meanwhile, Xi Zhicai arrived at the last location of spiritual energy he had detected, only to find himself standing in front of the residence of General Liu Bei. Seeing the large characters for ”General of the East,” Xi Zhicai immediately realized whose house this was.

Xi Zhicai resigned himself to his fate. He had already come this far, so he decided to proceed. Stepping forward, he was quickly stopped by the guards at the gate. With a bow, he addressed them, ”Please inform General Liu that Xi Zhicai, a subordinate of Cao Mengde, has come to visit.”

The two guards were momentarily surprised before they returned his bow. ”Sir, please wait a moment. I will inform our lord.”

Soon, one of the guards returned and respectfully invited Xi Zhicai inside.

As Xi Zhicai entered, he was immediately confronted by a massive figure standing in the middle of the path. He stopped in his tracks, confused. Turning around, he glanced at Dian Wei, noticing that the two looked remarkably similar—equally large and equally rugged.

”Are you sure they aren’t brothers?” Xi Zhicai mused to himself.