Chapter 1

"Alright, move up two feet, do you see that small tree scar? Aim for that scar."

Zhou Ping sat on a large rock, holding a wine gourd the size of a fist in his left hand, and pointed to a tree a hundred paces away with his right hand.

The tree was as thick as a water bucket, and on its trunk, a circle with a diameter of only half a foot was painted in red. The circle was almost filled with arrows.

Standing beside him was a man, holding a bow and arrow, aiming at the tree.

"Master, that tree scar is only as big as a copper coin..."

Zhang Wu, who had just shot an arrow into the circle, now hesitated to release the string.

"Move back ten steps."

Zhou Ping lifted the wine gourd, took a small sip, and then said to Zhang Wu in a calm voice.

"Ah?!"

"Move back."

"Okay."

Zhang Wu had no choice but to slowly move back ten steps, raise his bow and arrow, and aim at the tree. He took a long time before releasing the arrow.

"Shoot."

Seeing that Zhang Wu was still holding the bow, Zhou Ping loudly ordered.

Whoosh...

With the sound of the arrow leaving the string, Zhou Ping looked up... it missed, the arrow hit next to the small tree scar, about an inch away from the edge.

"Very good, shoot again."

Zhou Ping's expression remained unchanged, showing neither joy nor anger.

Zhang Wu, who had been feeling a bit uneasy, now felt more at ease after hearing Zhou Ping's words. He quickly drew an arrow from the quiver on his right waist, aimed slightly, and released the string.

He missed again, but this time the arrow was only half an inch away from the edge of the tree scar.

Zhou Ping turned his head, looked back at Zhou Family Village, and muttered to himself, "Liu Bei has been in office for more than a month, he should come soon!"

"What did Master say?"

Zhang Wu, hearing the voice, lowered his bow and asked.

"Shoot your arrow."

"Okay."

Zhang Wu quickly raised his bow and shot again, but still missed, still by half an inch.

Zhou Ping lifted the wine gourd again, took a small sip, and couldn't help but think of the past.

He had always been quite fond of the history of the Three Kingdoms. He accidentally found a good novel about the Three Kingdoms and ended up reading it for two consecutive nights. Then, he mysteriously found himself transported to the end of the Han Dynasty, becoming Zhou Ping, the young master of Zhou Family Village in Feng County.

As expected, this Zhou Ping's parents were both deceased. Fortunately, he had an older brother, Zhou Qi, who was five years older, and a sister-in-law with two nephews.

Their family owned over five thousand acres of land, making them a moderately wealthy household. They were considered respectable figures in Feng County, but compared to the powerful families of the time, they were like a small fish in a big pond.

Zhou Ping had been in this world for more than two years. It was February of the third year of Chuping (192 AD). Like many others, after accepting the reality of his situation, he began to consider his future.

Although he was the son of a landlord, his family's wealth was not substantial. He was only eighteen years old at the time, had no reputation, and lacked martial skills. Moreover, he did not have the typical "system" that many people who traveled through time possessed.

Under such conditions, it was unrealistic to aspire to conquer and unify the world or to become a regional lord.

After careful consideration for a few days, Zhou Ping decided that since he could not be a lord, he might as well be a wise minister like Zhang Liang or Zhuge Liang, assisting a wise ruler.

However, with so many regional lords to choose from, selecting the right one to serve was a problem.

Yuan Shu was extravagant and dissolute, and had lost the people's support.

Lü Bu was fickle and opportunistic, driven solely by profit.

Gongsun Zan was cruel and ruthless, showing no concern for the people.

Liu Biao was outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious, and although he had plans, he could not put them into action.

The Sun family...

Clearly, none of these were wise rulers.

Yuan Shao was quite renowned and had gathered many talented people under his command. However, because he had too many talented people, if Zhou Ping joined him, he would likely end up sitting on the bench, just like Guo Jia, and not be given important roles.

Cao Cao, although ambitious and strategic, also had many talented people under his command. If Zhou Ping joined him, it would be equally difficult to gain significant roles. Moreover, Cao Cao's willingness to massacre civilians was a deal-breaker for Zhou Ping.

As for Liu Bei, some people called him a hypocrite, but Zhou Ping did not agree.

Liu Bei came from a humble background and understood the suffering of the people. He always kept the people in mind and acted in their best interests, embodying righteousness and unwavering determination. His spirit of perseverance and resilience was truly admirable and worthy of respect.

Moreover, choosing to serve Yuan Shao or Cao Cao would be like being a concubine, while serving Liu Bei would be like being a wife, because Liu Bei currently had no strategists by his side.

Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.

Zhou Ping quickly made up his mind to serve Liu Bei, helping him to unify the world and save the people, making his journey through time worthwhile.

However, he did not want to approach Liu Bei like Xu Shu did. Instead, he wanted to wait at home for Liu Bei to come and invite him, which would gain him more trust and favor.

For this reason, over the past two years, Zhou Ping had been working hard to build his reputation in Yuzhou, especially in Feng County and Pei County, hoping to become well-known so that when Liu Bei became the governor of Yuzhou and stationed in Xiaopei, he would hear of Zhou Ping and personally invite him.

It was now August of the first year of Xingping (194 AD). Due to Lü Bu's attack on Yanzhou, Cao Cao had retreated from Xuzhou in early June. Later, Tao Qian recommended Liu Bei as the governor of Yuzhou, and he stationed in Xiaopei.

Xiaopei was the same as Pei County. To distinguish between the larger Pei Commandery (or State) and the smaller Pei County, people referred to Pei County as Xiaopei.

Liu Bei had been in office for more than a month and should have heard of Zhou Ping's reputation by now and come to visit.

If he did not come soon, Zhou Ping might have to take the initiative to meet him, which would significantly reduce his value.

Zhou Ping shook his head silently, took another sip from the wine gourd, and saw his older brother, Zhou Qi, coming out of the back gate of the village and walking towards him.

"Brother, I heard you called the matchmaker again. Are you trying to find me a wife again?"

As his brother approached, Zhou Ping smiled and asked.

"Wen'an, you are already twenty years old. Don't you want to get married?"

After approaching, his brother first glanced at the arrows on the distant tree, then turned to Zhou Ping and asked.

"I'm only twenty, no rush."

Zhou Ping still smiled, thinking to himself: In the era before he traveled through time, twenty-year-olds were still in school or just starting their careers. In this era, people believed in establishing a family before pursuing a career, but in his previous era, the order was reversed. One had to establish a career first to buy a house, and without a house, one could not start a family.

"I didn't push you in the past two years, but now that you have reached the age of majority, you must get married this year."

His brother's tone suggested that he was determined to make Zhou Ping marry this year.

"Brother, now that I have reached the age of majority, my affairs should be decided by me."

"No, with both parents gone, the older brother is like a father. I can make decisions for you."

"Then tell me, which girl have you chosen this time? You know, I won't marry anyone who isn't beautiful."

Zhou Ping was thinking about beauties like Zhen Mi and the two Qiao sisters.

"Don't worry, I know you want a beautiful woman. This time, I didn't consider family status. The girl is from Pei County, her name is Gan Qian, she is eighteen years old, and comes from a poor family. I've heard that she is very beautiful, gentle, and well-mannered, and will surely meet your standards."

His brother, Zhou Qi, smiled, confident that this time, the chosen girl, Gan Qian, would satisfy his picky younger brother.

"Who did you say? Gan Qian from Pei County?"

Zhou Ping, who had just taken a sip of wine, suddenly spat it out, almost spraying his brother.

He could hardly believe that his brother had chosen this "Lady Gan" for him.

"Do you know her?"

His brother quickly stepped back, surprised by his reaction.

"No, no, I don't know her." Zhou Ping quickly shook his head, wiped his mouth, and asked, "Did the Gan family agree?"

"The matchmaker just went to propose today. With our family's status and your good looks and intelligence, the Gan family would surely agree."

His brother's face was full of confidence.

"Haha, I doubt it. I don't manage household affairs and just wander around. The Gan family might not agree to marry their daughter to a rogue like me."

Zhou Ping laughed again.

"Are you planning to run away from home to avoid marriage again?" His brother, seeing his carefree expression, feared that his younger brother might try the same trick again. "You don't know, this girl from the Gan family, though from a poor family, is extremely beautiful, with a gentle and soft nature. I've heard that a fortune-teller in her village said she would become very noble and reach a high position..."

Before his brother could finish, a servant named A Shui ran over, shouting, "Master, Young Master, Governor of Yuzhou, Liu Bei, is here to visit and wants to see Young Master."