Chapter 2

In the fifth year of the Shu Jianxing era, on a clear day, in the Yangping Mountains of Hanzhong.

The spring breeze had unknowingly crossed the Daba Mountains, turning the rolling hills green. Golden rape flowers dotted the mountainside, like bright and dazzling flowers embroidered on a green Shu brocade.

In the sea of rape flowers on the hillside, two boys were running. The one in front was about twelve or thirteen years old, and the one behind was about seventeen or eighteen. They looked somewhat alike, but the one in front was sturdy like a little tiger, running with a fierce wind, as if he had boundless energy. He ran lightly through the fields, occasionally looking back at the panting boy behind him, laughing triumphantly from time to time.

"Brother, hurry up!" He turned back, pulling the boy who was about to collapse on the ground, his mouth open so wide that you could almost see his back molars. "Brother, are you tired? Why don't we rest for a while?"

"No... no," the older boy, drenched in sweat, his face flushed, panted heavily, his feet so heavy that he could hardly lift them. If not for someone supporting him, he would have fallen into the fields by the roadside. However, even though he was extremely tired, he refused to give up. Pushing away his brother's support, he gritted his teeth and said, "I will rest only when I reach the top of that hill. Even if I have to crawl... I will... do it myself."

"Hehe, Brother, I didn't expect that after being sick, you would be like a different person. If you had been this hardworking before, you would definitely be stronger than Elder Brother now."

"Hehe..." The boy laughed with some self-satisfaction, but his breath was uneven, making his laughter sound hoarse. He swung his arms forcefully and ran forward. The sturdy, tiger-like boy rubbed his head and followed lightly.

They were brothers. The older one was named Wei Ba, the second son of Wei Yan, the Shu Han's Northern Pacification General and Governor of Hanzhong. The younger one was named Wei Wu, Wei Ba's younger brother from the same mother. Although Wei Ba was the elder brother and had a very domineering name, his body was very weak. Compared to his younger brother Wei Wu, he was much thinner, except for being slightly taller. From the foot of the hill to this point, it was only a few hundred steps, but he was already out of breath and almost collapsed on the ground.

In the past, he would have definitely lain on the ground and refused to get up, or, more likely, he would have considered not even coming up the hill, let alone running up it. Running to the halfway point in one breath was the result of his recent persistent exercise.

Wei Wu, looking at Wei Ba, who was moving no faster than a snail, shook his head, feeling both puzzled and happy. Their father, Wei Yan, was a military general who had earned his position as the Northern Pacification General through his martial prowess. From the moment they were born, they aimed to become mighty generals like their father. He and his elder brother, Wei Feng, had inherited their father's martial prowess and had trained to become skilled warriors. Only Wei Ba, the second brother, had been a sickly child, often in a state of illness, unable to even walk a few steps without difficulty, and thus was the least favored by their father. He had been seriously ill a few days ago, nearly losing his life. After recovering, he probably realized how weak his body was and how difficult it would be to survive until his coming-of-age ceremony, so he decided to start exercising.

This change was very satisfying to Wei Wu. Although it was unlikely that Wei Ba would become a mighty general, as long as he was no longer so weak that he could be blown away by the wind, it would be a very good thing.

Wei Wu took a few steps to catch up with Wei Ba, walking side by side with him. He turned his head to look at Wei Ba's face, which was red as if it would bleed, and listened to his heavy breathing, like a windbox. He said with some concern, "Brother, if you're tired, rest for a while. Don't catch a cold."

Wei Ba turned his head to look at Wei Wu. From his brother's eyes, he saw genuine concern, which warmed his heart. He then turned his head away, feeling a bit guilty. He dared not look into Wei Wu's eyes for fear of revealing his secret, because he was no longer the original Wei Ba.

Or rather, his body was still the original Wei Ba, but his soul came from 1,800 years in the future. He was an ordinary person, having attended an ordinary university, majored in an ordinary mechanical engineering program, and even a very obscure agricultural machinery program. After graduation, he couldn't find a job. He was also ordinary in appearance, neither tall nor handsome, and certainly not rich. He had no house or car, and his luck was poor. He had been on eighteen blind dates, and finally met a girl who was willing to talk to him, but then he woke up from a dream to find himself in the Three Kingdoms era, parasitizing the body of a similarly unloved young boy.

At first, he felt very wronged, thinking that the heavens were too biased, even in his rebirth, not letting him have a better life. The Wei family seemed powerful now, with Wei Yan, as the Northern Pacification General and Governor of Hanzhong, being one of the few mighty generals in Shu Han, where only Zhao Yun remained of the Five Tiger Generals. In Hanzhong, he was the undisputed local tyrant. However, as someone from a thousand years in the future, he knew that the Wei family's glory would not last. During Zhuge Liang's northern expeditions, Wei Yan, despite being a mighty general, was just a spare part, never given a chance to lead independently. Even more tragically, after Zhuge Liang's death at Wuzhangyuan, he lost even that chance. Because of a power struggle with Yang Yi, he was beheaded by Ma Dai, becoming a typical example of a traitor.

Calculating it, this rebirth had only added a few years to his life, at the cost of a very tragic death. Anyone in his position would have to give the heavens the middle finger.

While lying in bed, recalling his mediocre and ordinary life, Wei Ba began to lament why he was so unfortunate, why others could rise to prominence, while he could only accept mediocrity. After countless self-justifications, he came to the opposite conclusion.

I haven't achieved more than others because I have never worked harder than them. In high school, while other students were studying hard, I was just getting by, so they went to prestigious universities with popular majors, while I could only attend an ordinary university with a common major. In college, while other students were actively developing their skills for the future, I was aimlessly playing, so they got many certificates and good jobs, while I only had a graduation certificate, not even a bachelor's degree, and of course, couldn't find a good job. When I finally got a job, while others were working overtime to gain experience, I was content with just showing up on time, so when there were opportunities for promotion, they never came to me.

Realizing this, Wei Ba was stunned for a long time. His original resentment gradually turned into deep self-reproach. It turned out that although fate was unpredictable, waiting for a windfall was a ridiculous idea. Instead of cursing the heavens for their unfairness, he should start taking action, using his own efforts to change his fate. After all, he had professional skills that surpassed this era, and the knowledge and perspective accumulated over a thousand years of human history. Even if nothing else, he knew more about the future course of history.

The next day, he got out of bed and started exercising, taking the first step to change his fate. After all, in any era, a healthy body is the capital of revolution.

People are often giants in words but dwarfs in action. In his previous life, Wei Ba had also resolved to exercise, but he usually gave up after two days. In this life, he faced the same challenge, but with a fundamental change in his mindset, he broke his previous record. Today was the fifth day.

If it were the past, he would definitely be lying on the ground and never come back the next day. But now, to change his fate, he couldn't give up. As he told Wei Wu, even if he had to crawl, he would crawl to the top of the hill.

He might not be able to defeat others, even his younger brother, who could beat him with one hand, but he could defeat himself. As the book said, only those who can defeat themselves are the strongest. To become a strong person, he had to first defeat his own laziness and weakness, to seize the throat of fate.

"Phew... phew..." Wei Ba looked at the distant hill, which seemed impossible to reach. His throat was burning and stinging, his heart pounding fiercely in his thin chest, making one worry that it might stop at any moment. His legs felt like they were filled with lead, and each step required the last bit of his strength.

"Brother, let me help you," Wei Wu blinked, unable to bear it, and said.

"No... no need," Wei Ba shook his head with great effort. He was so weak that even shaking his head was difficult, and his already scattered steps became even more scattered. He was grateful for his brother's kindness, but he knew that if he couldn't run up the hill on his own and accepted Wei Wu's help, he would need more help from Wei Wu the next day.

Suppressing the increasingly strong urge to give up, Wei Ba mustered his last bit of courage and continued running.

The hilltop, two hundred steps away, seemed so distant, as if it would never be reached. When Wei Ba finally reached his destination, he felt a wave of relief, and his legs gave out, collapsing on the ground. He didn't even have the strength to turn over. Sweat poured out of his body, soaking his clothes, and a small, unknown insect crawled onto his hand, but he couldn't even brush it off. If an insect flew into his wide-open mouth, he probably wouldn't even care.

So tired, so incredibly tired. Changing his body was so difficult, let alone changing his fate. Wei Ba panted heavily, mocking himself. Some people say that if life could be relived, at least half of them could become great. I have been reborn, but becoming great still seems out of reach.

"Brother, not bad, not bad," Wei Wu caught up, exaggeratingly raising his thumb. "You've improved today compared to yesterday."

Wei Ba's face twitched, and he laughed. Although Wei Wu's encouragement seemed clumsy, he still enjoyed the feeling. In his previous life, he was an only child and had never experienced the feeling of having a brother. In this life, he had an elder brother and several younger siblings, and he felt that the heavens were somewhat fair, giving him a bit of a reward.

"Wait and see, I will be stronger than you one day."

Wei Wu stood with his hands on his hips, standing in the wind, looking like a great man pointing to the mountains and rivers. Hearing Wei Ba's words, he winked and laughed, clearly just out of love for his brother, not wanting to discourage him. Wei Ba's breathing steadied, and he rolled over, lying on his back on the grass, looking at the clear blue sky and white clouds, feeling the unspoiled nature, and suddenly laughed.

"Wu, do you know how awesome your name is?"

Wei Wu sat next to Wei Ba, took a leather water bag from his waist, and handed it to Wei Ba, pushing him. "Have some water. Brother, you're joking again. I don't even have a courtesy name yet, what's so awesome about it? Even my name isn't as domineering as yours. How about we switch names?"

Wei Ba chuckled. "You don't understand. My name 'Ba' sounds domineering, but your name 'Wu' is a very awesome word. Think about it, which emperors were called 'Wu'? There was Emperor Wu of Han, and Emperor Wu of Wei. Which of them wasn't the greatest of their time?"

Wei Wu scratched his head. "Emperor Wu of Han was indeed a great man, but who is Emperor Wu of Wei?"

Wei Ba rolled his eyes. Wei Wu was very strong and skilled in martial arts, but he refused to read, not even knowing about Emperor Wu of Wei.

"Do you know Cao Cao?"

"Of course, that old villain," Wei Wu said disdainfully. "Hey, is he Emperor Wu of Wei?"

"Of course. Cao Pi is Emperor Wen of Wei, and his son Cao Rui is still alive, so he can't be called Emperor Wu yet."

"I don't agree. Cao Cao, that old villain, isn't a great man," Wei Wu pouted, disdainfully. "The great man I admire most is Lord Guan, but he doesn't even have a posthumous title."

"Guan Yu?"

"Of course. When it comes to Guan Yu, Wei Wu's eyes lit up. He pushed Wei Ba. "Brother, don't you want to become a mighty general like Lord Guan?"

"No! I don't want to end up like him, with my head separated from my body," Wei Ba shrugged, took a sip of water to moisten his parched throat, and said earnestly, "Wu, brute strength is no good. If you want to be a general, you have to be a wise general. Don't think that just having good martial skills will make you a famous general. Such people are at best fighting generals and can never become famous generals. They will never have a good end, not just Guan Yu, but also Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and especially Ma Chao. He was skilled in martial arts, but in the end, he was beaten like a stray dog, unable to return home, and died in a foreign land. As a general, you should be like Cao Cao. If not, at least be like General Zhao Yun..."

"Who would have thought that the son of the Northern Pacification General would look down on Lord Guan and Lord Zhang, and admire the rebel Cao Cao the most," a cold voice came from nearby, interrupting Wei Ba's ideological education of his brother.