Chapter 3

As the young woman in white emerged from behind the hill, her appearance was strikingly beautiful, and indeed a feast for the eyes. However, Wei Ba, looking at the young woman in white whose face was still tender but whose eyes revealed a sense of沧桑 (world-weariness), felt no joy. He shivered, instinctively sat up, and his sore muscles tensed, ready to flee. It was as if he was facing not a beautiful young woman but a young and beautiful female leopard.

In that moment, Wei Ba truly felt fear. If he hadn't been nearly exhausted from running, he might have already bolted.

This was purely an instinct, an instinct in the face of danger. The young woman was like a drawn sword, exuding a killing aura, her eyes sharp like blades, piercing into one's heart. Coupled with the tense, fierce-looking attendants behind her, Wei Ba, who had been determined to overcome his fate, suddenly reverted to his former self, a mere passerby, and his mind was filled with only the thought of escape.

Not only him, but even Wei Wu, who always boasted of his bravery, naturally reacted with caution. He looked at the young woman in white with vigilance, his left hand reaching for his back and his right hand for his left waist, a result of years of practicing with a saber. Unfortunately, he wasn't carrying a saber now. Feeling his empty hands, Wei Wu was somewhat flustered, but seeing Wei Ba, whose face was paler than the woman's white clothes, he gritted his teeth and, mustering his courage, shouted, "Who are you? This is Hanzhong, and we are from the Northern Pacification General's residence."

The young woman in white glanced at them and snorted disdainfully.

Feeling the young woman's contemptuous look, Wei Ba suddenly felt both angry and ashamed. A man who had lived two lives, a true man, was actually scared by a woman, which was indeed embarrassing. As Wei Wu said, this was Hanzhong, and the Wei family were the true local tyrants. Since she dared to reveal herself and knew he was the son of the Northern Pacification General, she was clearly not a wandering bandit but an official. If she was an official, why should he be afraid?

Wei Ba suddenly realized that he, who had once despised others for relying on their fathers, now had a strong father to rely on, and... it felt really good.

Wei Ba gently pushed Wei Wu aside, stepped forward, and stood in front of him, forcing a smile and trying to appear calm. To show his fearlessness, he whistled.

It was clear, loud, and frivolous.

The young woman in white, who had initially looked disdainful, was somewhat surprised when Wei Ba approached. Her cold gaze softened with a hint of surprise. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Wei Ba's extremely disrespectful whistle and immediately became furious. Her face, which had just relaxed a little, turned cold again.

"So, you're a lecherous man," the young woman sneered. "The Northern Pacification General truly knows how to raise his children."

Wei Wu was furious, stepping out from behind Wei Ba, pointing at the young woman, and shouting, "You brat, don't you dare slander my father!"

"I'm just speaking the truth," the young woman shot a glance at Wei Wu, her gaze returning to Wei Ba's face. "Besides, if you want to talk about slander, you slandered my father first. I'm just repaying you in kind."

Wei Ba's brows furrowed, and a light bulb went off in his head. He suddenly understood who this young woman was and felt a sense of relief, his smile growing wider.

"Miss, aren't you being a bit too harsh?"

The young woman raised an eyebrow. "What, do you think 'stray dog' is a compliment?"

Wei Ba smiled. "It's certainly not a compliment, but it's not slander either. In the past, Confucius was also called a 'stray dog.' By comparing your father to Confucius, am I slandering him?"

"Confucius?" The young woman's eyebrows lifted slightly, her sharp gaze wavering. Without hesitation, Wei Ba continued, "Miss, if you don't believe me and think I'm talking nonsense, you can check the books. If you can't find it, come to the Northern Pacification General's residence, and I'll be happy to explain it to you."

The young woman's face turned red, and she bit her lip, then sneered, "So, your Wei family is also a 'stray dog.' After all, Nanyang is now in the hands of Cao Wei, and you also have no home to return to."

Wei Ba remained calm, sighing lightly. "Precisely because of that, we must cherish time and strive to reclaim our homeland and return with honor, rather than engage in verbal sparring. Miss, I have things to do and can't sit and discuss with you. If you're interested, I'll be waiting for you at the Northern Pacification General's residence."

The young woman, embarrassed and angry by his double entendre, huffed and turned to leave, accompanied by her fierce attendants, descending the hill. A few warhorses were parked in the distance. The young woman mounted one, gave a light command, and the horse reared up, neighing, and galloped away.

Wei Ba watched the woman disappear behind the hill and whistled again. Women of this era, though not bound by the later three obediences and four virtues, were still very rare to see riding horses, much like the women in the future who rode Harleys in tight leather outfits, strutting down the streets.

"Wow, what a fine horse," Wei Wu said, his mouth watering, which made Wei Ba inwardly criticize him. This kid was still immature, only interested in the horse, not the person. He only saw the horse as good but didn't see the person on the horse as even better.

"Brother, who is she? Why was she so aggressive just now, but left after a few words?"

"She's just feeling guilty, what else could she do?" Wei Ba glanced at Wei Wu, feeling a sense of dignity as a brother. These days, the kid had helped him a lot with running, but he had also mocked him a lot. If not for his determination to overcome himself, he would have been crushed by the kid's sarcastic remarks.

"Guilty? Why would she feel guilty?" Wei Wu was still confused, his big eyes blinking cutely at Wei Ba.

"As a descendant of the Fufeng Ma family, not knowing the origin of 'stray dog' is quite embarrassing, isn't it?"

"The Fufeng Ma family?" Wei Wu was stunned for a moment, still not quite understanding. "You mean, she's also surnamed Ma?"

Wei Ba was speechless, tapping Wei Wu on the back of the head. "Duh, she came to pay respects to Ma Chao, and those Qiang attendants behind her respect her so much. If she's not from the Ma family, who else could she be?"

"Oh—" Wei Wu finally understood, drawing out the word. "No wonder she said you insulted her father. So, she's Ma Chao's daughter. What's the story behind 'stray dog,' and how does it relate to Confucius?"

Wei Ba was a bit nervous. Although he had read a lot of miscellaneous books, he hadn't read many ancient texts. He knew this story because a scholar had used the phrase, causing a significant stir. He later found the book and read it, gaining a basic understanding of the Confucian classic, the Analects, which was the only Confucian classic he had read in full. He had confidently said he would be waiting for her because he guessed she was from the Ma family. The Fufeng Ma family had produced the great scholar Ma Rong, who was the teacher of scholars like Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan. Liu Bei and Gong Sun Zan were his grand-disciples. It was embarrassing for someone from the Ma family not to know this story. She probably wouldn't ask him face-to-face but would look it up or ask someone else. If he had to explain, he wouldn't be able to do so convincingly.

"This is a complex issue," Wei Ba dodged, changing the subject. Turning a corner, he looked at the lonely tomb of Ma Chao in the distance and felt a sense of melancholy. Ma Chao died in Chengdu but was buried in Yangping Pass, probably because it was the closest to Liangzhou, and he had lived in Hanzhong for a while. Who would have thought that one of the Five Tiger Generals, Ma Chao, would have such a lonely afterlife? Thinking of Ma Chao, he also thought of Ma Dai, feeling uneasy. According to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ma Dai later beheaded his father, Wei Yan, plunging the Wei family into an abyss. Although he knew the story was mostly fictional, the idea of a mole was too far-fetched, but when it came to his own interests, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

It seemed he needed to remind his father, Wei Yan, to stay away from people surnamed Ma. The Ma family, starting with Ma Teng, were true rebels. Although Ma Dai was not as capable as Ma Chao, his skills as a mole were probably unmatched by Ma Chao.

"Ah, Brother, tell me, tell me," Wei Wu tugged at Wei Ba's sleeve, acting like a spoiled child. His strength was great, and Wei Ba couldn't pull away, stumbling as he was dragged. He had to say, "Let go, let go, I'll tell you if you let go."

"Okay, okay, tell me quickly." Wei Wu laughed, letting go of Wei Ba and smoothing out his clothes. Wei Ba cleared his throat, putting on an air of erudition, and began to explain the origin of the story. Wei Wu listened with great interest, clapping and laughing. "I get it, so even Confucius, whom scholars revere, was once called a dog. This is great. Next time I see a scholar I don't like, I'll call him a dog. If he doesn't like it, I'll tell him to look it up and improve his knowledge."

Wei Ba rolled his eyes, turning away, pretending to admire the scenery. Wei Wu, unaware, was happily thinking about which scholar to call a dog, admiringly saying to Wei Ba, "Brother, I've found that you're not completely useless. At least among us brothers, you have some knowledge."

"Hey, are you praising me or insulting me?" Wei Ba, feeling both angry and embarrassed, reached out to pinch Wei Wu's ear. "Brat, don't you know that brothers should be friendly and that the eldest brother is like a father?"

"Hehe!" Wei Wu wasn't afraid, jumping back and laughing. "You're not the eldest brother, why should I be afraid of you? Besides, Father is still alive, so it's not your turn to discipline me. Are you cursing Father? Ha, you're in trouble. I'll tell Father, and you're in trouble."

Wei Ba, realizing his mistake, awkwardly patted his forehead. "Ah, I'm a bit dizzy, a bit dizzy, I'm about to fall, about to fall."

"Hehe, you're faking it, I don't believe you." Wei Wu laughed, his stomach hurting from laughter. "I'll go tell Father, and he'll definitely beat you until your butt is bruised." —— New book uploaded, data is very important, please click, recommend, and collect! Another update today.

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