Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 5: Sitting inappropriately
Although Chen Bai thought Wei Xiaobao's self-proclaimed name was a little strange, seeing how young he was and how serious he looked, he didn't think much of it and replied with a bow, "I've heard a lot about you. My last name is Chen, and my given name is Bai."

Wei Xiaobao followed suit and bowed, mockingly thinking, "Why not choose a name like 'failure'? How can we win a battle if we choose one?"

The word "bai" also means victory and relief. As for what the meaning of Chen Bai's name is, it is really impossible to find out, and Wei Xiaobao is even less confused.

But Wei Xiaobao suddenly discovered that Chen Bai did not report the words as he expected.

A courtesy name, also known as a courtesy name, is a name related to one's given name, and is generally only given to people of high status. Wei Xiaobao's nonsense actually made Chen Bai look at him with a higher regard.

Chen Bai asked, "Since Brother Badao comes from a wealthy family, why did he join the Yellow Turban Army?"

Chen Bai said this while gesturing and leading Wei Xiaobao out of the training ground.

Wei Xiaobao smiled inwardly, "You just said you'd heard a lot about me, and now you're saying I come from a wealthy family. It seems this flattery has existed since ancient times. But I came from the most prestigious Lichunyuan in Yangzhou, so I'm indeed considered wealthy." He still needed to think about how to respond to Chen Bai's words. Just then, Wei Xiaobao glanced at Shuang'er following behind him and said, "Our Hu family was originally a family of scholars in Huzhou. My father was very knowledgeable. After he went blind, he wrote a book full of insults against the Manchus, or rather, the imperial court. Later, our family was persecuted by the imperial court, and only I and this old slave escaped."

Shuang'er heard Wei Xiaobao's nonsense and how he actually pinned the Zhuang family's affairs on her. It was a sad thing that the Zhuang family was harmed by the literary inquisition, but in the current situation she could only let him do what he wanted.

When Chen Bai heard this and saw a middle-aged man with a full beard beside him, he began to believe his words. He remembered that Wei Xiaobao's speech and behavior did not seem like that of a scholar, and he also thought that many of the candidates for the imperial examination were illiterate. They must be spoiled young men who had been idle since childhood, so he didn't think it was a big deal.

Chen Bai asked some more questions about family matters, but they were nothing more than some polite words, which Wei Xiaobao evaded one by one.

As they were talking, the three of them had already left the parade ground and arrived at the prefectural governor's residence.

Chen Bai's men had already prepared a banquet in the inner courtyard and were waiting for Chen Bai and the other two to take their seats.

Chen Bai took the upper seat and invited Wei Xiaobao to take his seat. Wei Xiaobao didn't know the etiquette and gestured for Shuang'er to sit opposite him.

Seeing that Wei Xiaobao attached so much importance to his servants, and that Shuang'er never left Wei Xiaobao's side, Chen Bai, who also wanted to win over Wei Xiaobao, decided to keep his servants to avoid making him unhappy.

Wei Xiaobao saw a large piece of cooked meat on the table in front of him, and a bowl of turbid liquid with a faint smell of alcohol next to it. Thinking that the prefect of the Han Dynasty only ate these things, a look of contempt appeared on his face.

Chen Bai did not notice the change in Wei Xiaobao's expression and was just busy inviting him to take a seat.

Only then did Wei Xiaobao notice that the table in front of him was much lower than any other tables he had seen before, and there was no chair nearby. Just as he was wondering about this, he saw Chen Bai had already sat down.

Wei Xiaobao had grown up in the Lichun Courtyard and had been accustomed to squatting on the floor to eat. Seeing Chen Bai sit down, he didn't think much of it, assuming that people in the Han Dynasty also sat cross-legged, so he sat down with his legs apart. Although Han Dynasty clothing had changed significantly, with open-crotch trousers no longer the norm, the kneeling position was still the norm. It was just that Chen Bai's lower body was obscured by the table, so Wei Xiaobao couldn't see it and thought he was simply sitting on the floor.

Chen Bai sat in the upper seat, but he could clearly see Wei Xiaobao's sitting posture, and he felt a little unhappy: "How could a scholar like him treat me like this!"

Wei Xiaobao's stomach was already rumbling with hunger after all this trouble. Without waiting for Chen Bai to speak, he reached out to pry the large piece of meat apart, but after a long time of pulling, he couldn't move it. Suddenly, he remembered the dagger in his arms, reached out and took it out, unsheathed it, and with one hand pulled at a corner of the meat, with the other hand gently swung, a small piece of cooked meat was easily cut off.

Chen Bai looked at the neat cut on the piece of meat in surprise, and then looked at the dagger in Wei Xiaobao's hand. Although it was extremely sharp, it did not flash a cold light like ordinary weapons.

Chen Bai said, "Brother Badao, the dagger in your hand is so sharp, could you lend it to me for a look?"

Wei Xiaobao was not on guard to begin with, and with Shuang'er present he didn't have to worry about Chen Bai doing anything bad to him. He stood up, walked over, handed the dagger to Chen Bai, and then sat back down.

As soon as he picked up the blade, Chen Bai felt that its weight was far beyond his imagination, indicating that this dagger was made of extraordinary materials. Chen Bai examined the dagger in his hand, then took out the long sword from his waist and used the dagger to cut the blade of the long sword.

With a swish, the sword broke, and with another clang, the broken sword fell to the ground.

Chen Bai exclaimed in amazement, "What a great sword! What a great sword!"

By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, forging technology had advanced significantly. Legendary weapons like the Double-edged Sword, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the Zhangba Snake Spear, and the Fangtian Painted Halberd were all forged from steel forged through hundreds of tempers. However, crafting such weapons was beyond the reach of ordinary families. Even for a Yellow Turban general like Chen Bai, a peasant from a different background, possessing such a weapon was exceedingly difficult. Seeing Wei Xiaobao's dagger, he was filled with envy.

It’s just that Wei Xiaobao’s dagger is too short and not very useful in fighting. Otherwise, if he had obtained such a magical weapon, I’m afraid Chen Bai would not be willing to return it to Wei Xiaobao.

Chen Bai gently stroked the blade of the dagger, walked over to Wei Xiaobao, handed it back to him, and said, "Brother Badao, you are very knowledgeable and have such a treasure with you. With a young hero like you joining our Yellow Turban Army, there is no need to worry about not achieving great things. I have one more thing, I wonder if you can agree to it."

Wei Xiaobao stood up and wiped the grease from his hands on his lapel. He took the dagger and said, "Okay, okay." But he thought to himself, "As long as it doesn't require me to give you the dagger, I can agree to anything."

Chen Bai said, "We hit it off right away. I want to become sworn brothers and support each other in these troubled times. I'm just worried that you might look down on my background."

Wei Xiaobao had originally planned to use Chen Bai to find Zhang Jue, and sworn brotherhood was as easy for him as having a meal. When he heard Chen Bai's words, he pretended to be surprised and said, "I, I, sworn brotherhood with you? How can I be worthy of you?"

Seeing that he was trying to refuse, Chen Bai remembered how he had just sat and thought that he really looked down on him. He regretted being anxious for a moment and making himself embarrassed.

(End of this chapter)