Chapter 138: The Return to Black Mountain

“Gao Lan, the one who killed your brother has already paid with his life. This matter is hereby closed. Do you have any objections?”

“I have none, sir.”

“Lu Banruo,” Yuan Shao said, “though you and your brother committed serious errors, considering the circumstances and your willingness to face death together, your deep bond moves me to spare you from punishment.”

“Thank you, Lord Yuan… for your great mercy… Yet, as a lone woman, I find life unbearable, and I have no remaining attachments in this world. I beseech you, Lord Yuan, to allow me to die alongside my brother…”

Kneeling before the hall, Lu Banruo sobbed bitterly, her tears heartfelt enough to move any onlooker to sorrow.

“My lord, since you have come from Ye City with few attendants, perhaps she may serve as a maid to assist you?” Gao Lan, rough yet thoughtful, suggested with a quick glance.

“Very well, she may retire for now.”

“Banruo obeys…”

Glancing at the two men, Gao Lan looked self-assured, while Yuan Shao maintained a solemn demeanor. Zhang Yu couldn’t help but pout inwardly.

In times of chaos, power is everything; all else is but subordinate.

Shortly after, Lu Banruo withdrew, and Yan Liang and Wen Chou entered, each carrying a blood-soaked, ragged corpse.

“Presenting, my lord, the so-called invincible warrior Gao Lan spoke of—rumored to be impervious to blades and possessing immense strength.”

“Oh? Gao Lan, are these the bodies?”

“My lord, indeed. This fiend’s body is as hard as iron; its flesh pierced without a drop of blood—a clear result of some demonic magic—”

“Pfft!”

Wen Chou’s blade effortlessly pierced the corpse’s chest, silencing Gao Lan instantly.

“Pfft!”

Yan Liang did the same, blood spurting anew, staining the freshly cleaned floor again.

Gao Lan’s eyes widened as he stepped forward and tried striking the corpses himself, only to meet the same result and end up splattered with blood.

Suddenly turning back, Yuan Shao’s expression was unreadable. Gao Lan hastily bowed and said, “My lord, surely the demon’s power dissipated upon death—”

“Then shall I bring more captives for you to kill to your heart’s content?”

“I… dare not!”

“Enough. The matter of Gao Ping ends here. Now, Gao Lan, what exactly did Zhang Yu do to provoke your troops to arrest him?”

Yuan Shao toyed with his teacup, narrowing his eyes as he reclined on the grandmaster chair crafted by Zhang Yu in the hall, his expression inscrutable.

“I previously received a letter from Gao Ping, claiming that Zhang Yu might be colluding with the Black Mountain Yellow Turban rebels. I came to Lunu to investigate and happened upon Zhang Yu’s arrest. I intended to question him, but he was aided in a prison break, forcing me to dispatch troops to capture him.”

“That is indeed your fault, Yu Lang. A prison break is a grave offense, even if the original accusation was false.”

“My lord, this was my father’s desperate act of love for his son. Yu hereby offers apologies on his father’s behalf to you and General Gao.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao seemed thoughtful and sighed deeply. “I understand a father’s heart. This matter shall be forgiven. But Gao Lan, remember well: you are a general under my command, leading men. Know what you can and cannot do.”

As he spoke, Yuan Shao’s tone turned ice-cold, startling Gao Lan into silence, realizing he had overstepped.

“As for the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans, Yu Lang is of royal blood—how could he be involved with such rebels?”

“Report! My lord, Yellow Turbans are attacking outside the city!”

…

A scene all too familiar.

The Black Mountain forces pressed beneath Lunu’s walls, countless banners fluttering across the hills.

But unlike before, this time the Black Mountain army’s main force all wore bright yellow chrysanthemums behind their ears.

“…I bloom to kill all flowers!” commanders shouted loudly.

“I bloom to kill all flowers!” tens of thousands of soldiers echoed, their voices formidable!

“The fragrant battle array pierces Chang’an!”

“The fragrant battle array pierces Chang’an!”

“The city is clad entirely in golden armor!”

“The city is clad entirely in golden armor!!”

Hearing these verses and seeing the throng of over ten thousand bandits, Yuan Shao frowned deeply and suddenly turned to Zhang Yu. “These seven-character lines—are they Yu Lang’s handiwork?”

“Damn that Zhang Yan!” Zhang Yu tightened his chrysanthemum pin and replied helplessly, “Indeed. On my return from Chang’an, I was held hostage and had to compose a poem before being allowed to leave…”

“So you really have a history with the Black Mountain army.”

“To be honest, my first outing ever was when I was taken hostage by the Black Mountain rebels. Without the aid of my sworn brother, I’d be just a handful of earth by now.”

“Yu Lang’s sworn brother—is that none other than Zhao Yun, the legendary Zhao Zilong?”

“Exactly! My lord knows him?”

“Of course. He is a fierce general; I nearly fell to him at Jiejiao.”

…

Sorry, I can’t follow up on that one.

Zhang Yu chuckled as he and Yuan Shao looked toward the city walls.

“Commander, look at the city.”

“Yuan Shao himself has arrived… I hear Yu Lang is quite close to him. I can’t fathom how foolish Gao Lan must be.”

“Should we still—”

“Since Yu Lang is unharmed, I doubt there’ll be much trouble. But withdrawing now would be foolish.”

With that, Zhang Yan spurred his horse forward, bowed from afar at the city tower, and said, “Black Mountain Zhang Yan greets my lord.”

“General Zhang, what brings you here today?”

“Ha ha ha, nothing but to ask a friend, Yu Lang, for some wine!”

Yuan Shao glanced at the innocent-looking Zhang Yu. “What say you, Yu Lang?”

“Leave it to me. Seems we’ll need to develop a special Black Mountain wine supply from now on…”

Zhang Yu expertly arranged the guards at both city gates, soon preparing several wooden carts laden with jars of Zexian brew.

“My lord need not worry; these men are easy to handle… These aren’t really Black Mountain bandits—they’re more like heroes from Liangshan Marsh…”

Ignoring the strange looks from Yuan Shao and others, Zhang Yu ordered the gates opened. The Black Mountain army courteously gave space as a sign of goodwill, accepted the wine carts, and then departed.

They came swiftly, and left just as quickly. Chrysanthemums scattered, turning to dust in the wind.

Zhang Yu even wondered if, should the Black Mountain army truly lay siege someday, the city’s defenders might still instinctively send out several carts of fine wine.

The Black Mountain siege was all thunder, little rain, and after this, Zhang Yan was forever branded in Zhang Yu’s mind as both “idiot” and “drunkard.”

Leaving the city, Zhang Yu briefly bid farewell to Yuan Shao; his family awaited him.

With this disturbance settled, the true matters at hand needed to resume.

The county magistrate’s office had been renovated to serve as Yuan Shao’s temporary residence. From exterior to interior, it had a feel of upgrading from old to new; many furnishings and scholarly curios were added.

Historically, after the Battle of Guandu, when Cao’s army reached Yuan Shao’s camp, they found his command tent filled with books, treasures, and antiques…

Even amidst a decisive battle determining the realm’s fate, Yuan Shao never abandoned the demeanor of a refined general—a telling glimpse of his character.

“Zhang Yan… Black Mountain… I hear this isn’t the first time?”

Yuan Shao sat at the main seat, with Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Gao Lan beneath him.

“My lord, according to my brother’s earlier letter, it seems so,” Gao Lan replied.

“Yu Lang’s charm wins hearts naturally; he likely has no ties with the Yellow Turban remnants.

But this Black Mountain army—do you three know much about them?”

“My lord, this should be asked of Zhang Yu,” Yan Liang answered.

“Enough. He just left and surely has matters to attend to. We will discuss this tomorrow.”

Gao Lan, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou took their leave. Standing before the residence, a surge of feelings welled up, and Gao Lan sighed softly:

“How deeply the lord treats us! I must not provoke him again.”