Chapter 16: Cai Qing: What Are You Doing Here? Is This Really My Brother?

"Oh, this..."

Even a high monk of profound attainment like Elder Zhiming was stunned when Cai Fu produced the Divine Liquan Spear.

He had calculated the origin of this spear with absolute clarity long ago. In fact, he had been waiting here specifically for Yue Fei. He had already prepared the corresponding spear techniques and military strategies, intending to bestow them upon Yue Fei the moment the young man obtained the weapon. Otherwise, why would he have traveled all the way from Mount Wutai in Shanxi to live in seclusion at Mount Liquan in Hebei? Was it truly just to drink tea brewed with Liquan spring water every day?

In the original account, Elder Zhiming would have returned to Mount Wutai after gifting the spear techniques and military manuals to Yue Fei. Clearly, this was what he had been waiting for; he simply had not disclosed it to Yue Fei because the secrets of heaven must not be leaked. Now, however, Cai Fu had intercepted the spear, leaving the old monk completely at a loss.

Yan Qing eloquently recounted the sequence of events to Elder Zhiming and Zhou Tong. Zhou Tong, along with Lu Junyi, Yue Fei, and the others present, were all astonished. Had this truly become a case of a heavenly deity descending to earth?

Unable to resist, Zhou Tong borrowed the Divine Liquan Spear from Cai Fu. As the master and his two disciples passed it around to examine it, they all sighed in admiration, "What a magnificent spear! A truly magnificent spear!"

Seeing how Yue Fei couldn't bear to put it down, Cai Fu asked with a smile, "Do you like it?"

Yue Fei blurted out uncontrollably, "I love it!"

Cai Fu chuckled. "It is yours!"

"Ah?" Yue Fei was shocked and hurriedly held the spear out with both hands to return it to Cai Fu. "No, no! I cannot accept this!"

Cai Fu blinked. "Why not?"

"This is Brother's destiny!" Though young, Yue Fei had a strong moral compass. "Brother saved our entire village; this treasure belongs to you by right! I have yet to repay the kindness of Brother's assistance; how could I dare to covet your destiny? It would not be right! It would not be right!"

Standing to the side, Zhou Tong stroked his beard and nodded in silent approval; he was very satisfied with his foster son's conduct. Elder Zhiming rubbed his prayer beads so vigorously that sparks seemed to fly, but since the secrets of heaven must not be revealed, he could only chant, "Amitabha."

"It matters not!" Cai Fu had already thought it through on his way back. Even if he kept this stroke of luck for himself, he might not necessarily grow to the level of a Yue Fei. But if Yue Fei obtained it, his future was predictable.

Without fail, Yue Fei would grow into a legendary military genius. Therefore, rather than intercepting his destiny, it was better to gift it to him and bring him into his own fold. When he eventually rose in rebellion, Yue Fei would have matured enough to help him conquer the world—wouldn't that be wonderful?

He was definitely going to rebel! It was already 1119 AD, and as everyone knew, the "Humiliation of Jingkang" would take place in 1127 AD. It would be one thing if Cai Fu hadn't transmigrated, but since he had, he certainly wouldn't allow the "Humiliation of Jingkang" to happen. Counting it up, he had only eight years, so he had to grow ferociously during this time. Eight years later, even if he hadn't conquered the entire Song Empire, he would at least hold his own territory and defend against the Jin invaders. With these eight years, Yue Fei would grow into his right-hand man, and they would surely ensure that the Jin invaders would never return home.

"You all know that I specialize in the saber; although this spear is fine, it is of no use to me," Cai Fu said, pressing the Divine Liquan Spear back into Yue Fei's hands. "I felt a connection with my little brother the moment we met, and we have fought side by side, facing life and death together! As the saying goes, a sharp sword is for the hero, and fine rouge is for the beauty. Little brother, I give this spear to you. I hope you will never forget how we walked this path together! Mencius said, 'The people are the most important, the state comes next, and the ruler is the least.' No matter who oppresses the people—be they foreign barbarians or a dim-witted monarch—little brother, please use this spear to strike them down!"

Yue Fei, currently in a phase of reshaping his worldview, felt his blood boil with passion at Cai Fu's words. His face flushed bright red as he took the spear with both hands, feeling as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

Zhou Tong was also moved to a fever pitch. It suddenly occurred to him that Cai Fu was the noble person Elder Zhiming had spoken of—a person of immeasurable worth. Inspired, Zhou Tong urged Yue Fei, "My child, Brother Cai is a man of both wisdom and courage, a hero of justice! You share this bond, and Brother Cai is the sworn brother of your senior fellow apprentice—why don't you also swear brotherhood with him? Wouldn't it be wonderful to support each other and achieve great things together in the future?"

Perfect! Cai Fu cheered for Zhou Tong in his heart. Sure enough, Yue Fei listened to advice and knelt down, wishing to honor Cai Fu as his elder brother.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Elder Zhiming exhaled a long breath. Though the process had been a bit winding, it had finally returned to the right track. "Congratulations to you both on becoming sworn brothers!" Elder Zhiming added, pretending to join in the fun. "I have a volume of military manuals, which contains techniques for the spear and the secrets of troop deployment; let me present it to you as a congratulatory gift!"

Good heavens! The corner of Cai Fu's mouth twitched imperceptibly. *So, you weren't going to bring it out unless the spear ended up in Yue Fei's hands, were you?*

But it didn't matter. Since Elder Zhiming called it a gift, if he wanted to read it, could Yue Fei possibly refuse to let him?

Thus, under the auspices of Zhou Tong and Elder Zhiming, Cai Fu, Lu Junyi, and Yue Fei were formally sworn as brothers. They beheaded a rooster, burned yellow paper, drank blood-wine, paid respects to Lord Guan, and stood in a triangular formation.

Yue Fei: "Eldest Brother! Second Brother!"
Lu Junyi: "Eldest Brother! Third Brother!"
Cai Fu: "Second Brother! Third Brother!"

Zhou Tong stroked his beard happily and exchanged a smile with Elder Zhiming—at last, everyone was satisfied.

Meanwhile, around Elder Zhiming's thatched hut, the villagers of Qilin Village were busy building new shelters. After all, with dozens of families, they couldn't all squeeze into the monk's few huts. Because the two villagers who had witnessed Cai Fu's divine display of subduing the demon had returned and were loudly promoting the event, the other villagers had stopped their work to crowd around and listen to the marvels.

"Little San and I went to fetch water, and we saw a reflection in the pool. We looked up, and guess what? A huge golden snake!"

"Nonsense! That wasn't a golden snake; it was clearly a golden dragon!" Little San gestured dramatically with his arms. "That golden dragon's head was huge—good heavens, bigger than a millstone! Its eyes shot out golden light, and its mouth spewed poisonous mist! We fought with all our might, but we were no match for it! Luckily, the Northern Saber King and his family arrived. The golden dragon pounced on them! But the Northern Saber King didn't even use his blade; he just grabbed the dragon by its tail and slammed it against a rock! *Boom! Boom! Boom!* He slammed the dragon until it was dizzy, and it started speaking like a human, begging, 'Grandfather, spare my life!' The Northern Saber King said, 'I can spare you, but I happen to need a spear. Transform into a spear and join me in conquering the world!' Once the golden dragon heard that, how could it dare to bargain? It quickly kowtowed to the Northern Saber King and turned into a golden spear..."

A villager realized, "No wonder I saw the Northern Saber King carrying a golden spear when he came back! So, it was transformed from a golden dragon!"

Another villager chimed in, "In ancient times, Liu Ji slew a snake; today, Cai Fu has subdued a dragon! The Northern Saber King is truly a divine man!"

*My god, is it really that magical?* Cai Qing sat among the crowd, eating his snack, shocked to find the story was about his own brother. His mouth hung open in disbelief: *Where did I end up? Is this really my brother?*