Chapter 6: Diaochan the Handmaiden

"Wait a moment."

With a bandage wrapped around his neck, Wang Ling stood blocking the doorway, clutching a long sword. "I wish to accompany you, my benefactor, and go slay the Hu barbarians!"

"Oh?" Su Yao was caught off guard. He hadn't expected that he would gain something where he least expected it; he hadn't even intended to recruit anyone, yet a volunteer had come forward on his own.

"Xiao Ling?!" Unlike Su Yao's surprise, Wang Chen was utterly shocked. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"The Hu killed dozens of our kin. Can you truly just let such a deep blood feud go, brother?"

"..."

In Bingzhou, which family hadn't lost people to the ravages of war over these years? If everyone sought revenge one by one, would there be any end to the killing? The most sensible thing to do now was to reinforce the fences and fortify the manor.

Wang Chen glanced at their grandfather, only to see the old patriarch stroking his beard, lost in deep thought.

"He is volunteering of his own accord. You can't blame me for taking him, can you?" Su Yao asked.

The old village head remained silent for a moment before saying, "Xiao Ling is not skilled in martial arts, nor is he versed in military strategy. I fear he will only be a burden to you, benefactor."

"I may not be skilled in martial arts or military strategy, but I can learn!" Wang Ling interjected. "Besides, I have a decent understanding of the local terrain. If you are willing to grant me this chance to avenge my family, I am willing to serve you as a loyal dog or horse!"

"Have you ever killed a man?" Su Yao asked.

"...No," Wang Ling replied.

"Can you shoot a bow?"

"I have some slight proficiency."

"Can you ride a horse?"

"Yes."

"Can you read, write, and handle accounts?"

"Yes."

"That will do."

Su Yao smiled. He had thought he was picking up a generic soldier to fill the ranks, but it turned out to be a teammate with specialized skills. "Don't worry, old village head. I’ll handle the cutting and killing; I wouldn't have the heart to waste such a technical talent."

With that, Su Yao beckoned to Wang Ling and ran toward the outside without looking back, calling out as he went:

"From now on, you are responsible for guiding and logistics. All the baggage and spoils of war will be handed over to you."

"Understood!"

Su Yao’s brisk, decisive manner caught Wang Ling off guard. He touched his neck, waved to his family, and hurriedly chased after him.

The two arrived outside the manor and vaulted onto their horses.

"Benefactor! Young Master Ling!"

The two turned back to see little Hong’er at the gate, clutching a long sword to her small frame, panting as she leaned against the doorframe for support.

"Hong’er!" Wang Ling hurriedly dismounted to steady the girl.

"The master of the house says... this is your father’s sword. Since you have resolved to go to the front lines to slay the Hu, he asks you to take this blade. He hopes you will not tarnish the family name or bring shame upon your father."

A flicker of intense emotion flashed in Wang Ling’s eyes as he took the sword. "Wang Ling understands!"

After his father died protecting his uncle, Wang Yun, when he was a child, this sword had been put away by his grandfather. He never expected it to be given to him now; looking at the blade, it was clear it had been meticulously maintained all these years.

"Thank you for bringing the sword, Hong’er."

"It is nothing. It is what I should do."

Hong’er blushed and avoided Wang Ling’s gaze, walking instead to the front of Su Yao’s horse. She tilted her head up; the sunlight behind the young man made it difficult for her to keep her eyes open.

"You... you are so tall..."

"Perhaps it is you who are too short."

"I am not..."

Hong’er stood just over six feet tall, while Su Yao was over eight. Even standing face-to-face, she looked like a delicate, miniature clay figurine; with Su Yao sitting high on his horse and the glare of the sun, she couldn't see him clearly even as she stretched her neck.

"Is something the matter?"

"No..."

"We’re off."

Su Yao called out to the dazed Wang Ling, and the two turned their horses.

"Benefactor!"

Su Yao turned back. The bashful, hesitant look on this little girl NPC left him feeling quite puzzled.

"My name is Ren Hongchang. I wonder... what is your name, benefactor?"

Though he didn't understand the significance of this scene, Su Yao reported his name in stride.

"Radiant and brilliant... that is a fine name, benefactor."

Su Yao felt baffled, once again cursing the developers in his heart for not including a "skip scene" button.

Hong’er waited for a long time, then suddenly bowed deeply to express her gratitude for his life-saving grace. Without waiting for a reply, she dropped a wish for their victory and success before turning and running away, head buried, in a flurry of movement.

"Ren Hongchang?" Su Yao muttered. "Who is that?"

"Just a maidservant in our house," Wang Ling said, withdrawing his gaze. "Benefactor, let us go."

"Right, let's go start the killing!"

The girl’s inexplicable appearance to steal the spotlight did catch Su Yao’s attention, but that was all.

It was a pity. If he were a hardcore fan of the lore or deeply knowledgeable about the anecdotes and fanfiction of the Three Kingdoms, he would surely have smiled with a knowing nod upon hearing that name.

There was no other reason: this girl, Ren Hongchang, appeared in almost every story of the Three Kingdoms, but she had a much more famous name:

Diaochan.

Indeed, she was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China, renowned for a face that could make the moon hide in shame. She was also, without exception, the most important female character driving the plot in the early Three Kingdoms period.

If time proceeded as it should, Hong’er, still a little girl now, would soon become the adopted daughter and songstress of Minister Wang Yun. Two years later, when Dong Zhuo entered the capital and wreaked havoc upon the world, she would bravely sacrifice herself for the sake of the nation, becoming the linchpin in Wang Yun's "Chain Strategy" to sow discord between Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu.

Afterward, Diaochan would use her beauty, courage, and wit to maneuver between the two most powerful and fiercest men in the world. Ultimately, she would use Lu Bu’s hand to eliminate the villain Dong Zhuo, ending his tyranny and dark rule—the most glorious moment of her life.

However, the glory was short-lived. Once she became Lu Bu’s woman, the beauty’s fate turned tragic.

Despite being the strongest warrior under heaven, Lu Bu could not find a place to settle down in the chaos of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, let alone protect his own woman.

In the end, Lu Bu drifted from place to place with his generals and his women, eventually meeting his demise at the White Gate Tower in Xiapi. He became one of the first "top seeds" to be eliminated from the race for hegemony, and his entire household, including Diaochan, was taken in by Cao Cao and moved to Xuchang, never to be heard from again.

It was precisely this contrast between her legendary, tragic life and her status as a peerless beauty that made interfering with Diaochan’s fate or "claiming" her a favorite pastime for players in almost every Three Kingdoms game.

You could say, if you play a Three Kingdoms game and don't recruit Diaochan once, are you even a man?

Su Yao was, of course, no exception to this sentiment, but unfortunately—

At this moment, Su Yao merely blinked. As a "pseudo-lore" player, he neither knew who Ren Hongchang was, nor did he recognize the identity of Wang Ling by his side.

Yes, Wang Ling was not just a mere background extra in the history of the Three Kingdoms.

But unfortunately, Wang Ling’s career started too late. Amidst the gathering of heroes in the well-known early and middle Three Kingdoms period, he spent most of his time silently "farming" and training, making him not nearly as household a name.

This nephew of Wang Yun would not step onto the stage as a regional commander until he was nearly 50, after Cao Pi founded the Wei Dynasty. He became a great general of Wei, rising to the rank of Grand Commandant, only to be captured and forced to commit suicide in his struggle against Sima Yi.

Yet, at this moment, he was just a hot-blooded young man with many worries and burdens on his mind.

"May I ask, benefactor, where do you plan to go to slay the Hu next?"