My brothers are all warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men; I'll roam freely in the Thr

When the army reached the border between Ji and Yan provinces, it was already the eighth day since they set out.

The procession of seven thousand people stretched out in a long line, with banners obscuring the sun and billowing dust.

Ji Xuanyuan sat in a specially made carriage—this carriage was specially modified by Ji Xuanyuan. The carriage was spacious, with thick cotton mattresses and excellent shock absorption.

The carriage curtain was lifted slightly, and Ji Xuanyuan looked out the window.

Along the official road, the wheat fields stretched between green and yellow, a scene that should have been a bountiful harvest. However, due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, many fields were left barren. Occasionally, refugees, supporting the elderly and carrying children, would stagger along, and would avoid the large army in fear.

"Stop," Ji Xuanyuan said softly.

The guards driving the carriage reined in the horses. The large convoy behind them also slowly came to a stop.

Guan Yu rode up from the front of the procession and leaned out of the carriage window: "Brother, what are your orders?"

"Yun Chang, pass down the order that the army rests here for half a day. After that, you and Yi De will lead the main force ahead and proceed according to the original plan. Remember, you must not get involved in the Qingzhou battle before I arrive."

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes narrowed: "Brother, aren't you traveling with the army?"

"I'm going to Yanzhou to find a few people." Ji Xuanyuan lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, and Guan Yu immediately dismounted and stepped forward to help him.

After he stopped, he looked at the outline of Chenliu County in the distance with a deep gaze. "You go first, I will follow shortly."

"This..." Guan Yu frowned.

"My brother can't be left unguarded. Let me stay, or perhaps Zilong..."

"I have my own considerations," Ji Xuanyuan waved his hand.

"Jing Si and Zi Long, take fifty riders and follow me. You go first. Remember my words—the enemy outnumbers us. This battle requires strategy, not brute force. Before I arrive, even if Qingzhou City is about to fall, you must not launch an attack without authorization."

He spoke solemnly, and Guan Yu, knowing his elder brother always planned carefully before acting, clasped his hands and said, "Yun Chang will remember this!"

Zhang Fei rushed over upon hearing the news. Hearing that his elder brother wanted to stay, he cried out anxiously, "How can that be! Brother, you only have fifty men with you. What if you run into the Yellow Turbans..."

"Ji and Yan provinces are located in the heart of the Central Plains, and the Yellow Turban Army has not yet been able to invade them."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Ji Xuanyuan said with a slight smile.

Zhang Fei was about to say something more when Guan Yu stopped him, saying, "Yide, listen to your elder brother."

The army set off again, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei leading the main force to continue eastward.

Only Ji Xuanyuan, Li Cunxiao, Zhao Yun, and fifty carefully selected cavalrymen remained on the spot.

These cavalrymen were all veterans of the Battle of Zhuojun, and had seen bloodshed.

Watching the army depart into the distance and the dust settle, Ji Xuanyuan finally withdrew his gaze.

"Brother, who are we looking for?" Li Cunxiao carried the Yuwang Spear on his shoulder. The spear was twelve feet long, with a spearhead like a mountain-splitting axe, and the black shaft gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Zhao Yun stood beside his horse, holding a bright silver spear, his white robe fluttering slightly in the wind, his handsome face filled with curiosity.

Ji Xuanyuan did not answer immediately, but instead summoned two quick-witted guards: "Go into the city and inquire whether there is a man named Dian Wei in Chenliu County. He should be a local, about nine feet tall, broad-shouldered and burly, skilled in using double halberds. If anyone knows his whereabouts, there will be a great reward."

"Yes, sir!" The guard obeyed and left.

Li Cunxiao suddenly asked, "Dian Wei? Brother, is this guy very powerful?"

Ji Xuanyuan leaned against an old locust tree, and Zhao Yun put a cloak on him.

He coughed a few times before slowly saying, "This man's courage is comparable to that of the ancient evil Lai."

"Evil Lai?"

"Which fierce warrior during the reign of King Zhou of Shang was strong enough to fight a tiger?" Zhao Yun asked.

"That's right." Ji Xuanyuan nodded.

Upon hearing this, both Li Cunxiao and Zhao Yun's expressions changed.

Li Cunxiao, his competitive spirit ignited, slammed his Yuwang Spear on the ground, the butt of the spear burying three inches into the earth: "Brother, is what you say true? Then I'll have to see him for myself!"

Ji Xuanyuan saw the expressions on their faces and chuckled inwardly, but said seriously, "Jingsi, I know you are incredibly brave, but my brother will have a use for Dian Wei."

He paused, as if recalling: "This man once avenged a friend by rushing into the enemy's banquet with a knife, killing dozens of people and leaving the whole county in shock. He also once chased a tiger across a ravine and strangled the tiger to death... These stories may be exaggerated, but his bravery is evident."

Li Cunxiao's eyes lit up: "Chasing a tiger across a stream? That's great! My second brother and I used to chase tigers and leopards all the time, didn't we? Eldest brother, this guy's just my type!"

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment and said, "Such a valiant warrior, why is he so unknown?"

"It's just that the time isn't right yet," Ji Xuanyuan said calmly.

"Besides...this person has committed a crime and should be hiding now."

Just then, the personal guard who had been sent earlier returned on horseback, dismounted, and reported: "General! We have found out! There is indeed a man named Dian Wei in Chenliu County. He is from Jiwu County. It is said that last year, to avenge a friend, he killed the entire family of Li Yong, a wealthy man in this county. When the government pursued him, he fled into the mountains and his whereabouts are still unknown."

"As expected." Ji Xuanyuan nodded.

"Do you know which mountain he fled to?"

"The people say it should be Mangdang Mountain, about a hundred miles to the northwest. The mountain stretches for a hundred miles, with dense forests and grass, making it easy to hide a person or two."

"Mount Mangdang..." Ji Xuanyuan looked to the northwest and saw rolling mountains shrouded in clouds and mist.

He stood up, his steps unsteady, but his eyes were firm: "Give the order, everyone follow me into the mountains."

"Brother, your health... Why don't you go into the city first? The Prefect of Chenliu will surely welcome you if he knows you're here," Zhao Yun said worriedly.

"It's alright," Ji Xuanyuan waved his hand.

"Prepare the horses, Jingsi and Zilong, muster fifty riders, we're going into the mountains to search for someone."

He paused, then looked at the fifty cavalrymen, his expression solemn: "Listen up, everyone. The person I'm looking for is in these Mangdang Mountains. His name is Dian Wei, he's about nine feet tall, broad-shouldered and burly, and skilled in wielding double halberds. Once you find him, report to me immediately..."

He emphasized, "Remember, never get into a conflict with Dian Wei! He's a fierce yet roguish man, capable of chasing tigers all over the mountains, and dealing with you would be child's play for him! If you clash with him, I don't need to tell you what will happen... This time next year, I, Ji Wenlie, will personally offer you incense!"

The cavalrymen looked at each other, both surprised and suspicious. They were all valiant soldiers who had seen bloodshed and were capable of taking on ten men at once in the Battle of Zhuojun. Now, hearing the general describe Dian Wei as so terrifying, they couldn't help but feel unconvinced.

But military orders are absolute, and everyone responded in unison, "We will obey the general's orders!"

Li Cunxiao, however, was itching to try his luck and moved closer to Ji Xuanyuan: "Brother, is Dian Wei really as powerful as you say? I want to have a match with him!"

He was a straightforward and competitive person by nature. Hearing his elder brother praise Dian Wei like this, his competitive spirit was already burning fiercely. The Yuwang Spear on his shoulder seemed to sense its master's fighting spirit, and it gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Ji Xuanyuan glanced at him, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

He wasn't afraid that Li Cunxiao couldn't beat Dian Wei—on the contrary, he was afraid that Li Cunxiao would cripple Dian Wei.

My eighth brother is exceptionally gifted. He could break a large rock at the age of four and tear apart a tiger at the age of ten. He wields the 152-pound Yu King Spear as easily as a lamp wick. In his previous life, he was the "Li" in the saying "No king surpasses Xiang Yu, no general surpasses Li Shimin." Legend has it that he was also the reincarnation of the Iron Stone Star Lord from heaven...

If they really fought, even four or five Dian Weis wouldn't be a match for Li Cunxiao.

Moreover, Li Cunxiao has always been impulsive and reckless, never knowing his own strength. When he and his brothers sparred as children, he was the one who was most likely to lose control of his strength, and once he almost broke Lü Bu's arm.

"This Dian Wei is indeed formidable." Ji Xuanyuan carefully considered his words.

"In terms of foot combat alone, Zilong might not be his match, but he's far inferior in mounted combat—this man grew up in poverty and has hardly ever ridden a horse...cough cough..."

He started coughing again, and Zhao Yun quickly handed him a water pouch.

After taking a sip of water, Ji Xuanyuan continued, "But don't go up and fight him. This guy is someone I hired as a bodyguard—I'm weak and need a personal protector. If you hurt him, who will protect me?"

That's half true and half false.

Dian Wei was indeed brave and loyal, making him the perfect bodyguard.

But Ji Xuanyuan's deeper consideration was that if such a fierce general, who would go down in history, was not subdued in advance, he would surely become an ally of others in the future.

Cao Cao was able to escape death in the Battle of Wancheng only because he had Dian Wei. How could he let such a valiant general be wasted again in this life?

When Li Cunxiao heard his elder brother say he needed to hire bodyguards, he reluctantly said, "Then...then I won't fight him. But elder brother, you have to let me spar with him, just enough to make him pay!"

"We'll see when the time comes," Ji Xuanyuan said noncommittally.

Zhao Yun listened from the side. Although he believed Ji Xuanyuan's words and thought that Dian Wei was indeed very strong, his competitive spirit as a military general was also ignited.

His grip on the gun tightened, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

Since he came out of the mountains, he had first killed Cheng Yuanzhi and then been entrusted with the important task of vanguard by his elder brother. He was at the peak of his ambition. Now that he heard his elder brother say that someone could defeat him in foot combat, how could he accept it?

He gripped the gleaming silver spear tightly, its tassel fluttering in the wind.

He studied under Tong Yuan for three years, practicing diligently day and night, and had mastered the essence of the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear.

His victory over Cheng Yuanzhi in the Battle of Zhuojun greatly boosted his confidence. Now, hearing from his elder brother that someone could match him in foot combat, how could he not be curious?

He couldn't wait to see who this Dian Wei was.

"Let's go." Ji Xuanyuan mounted his horse.

Fifty riders escorted Ji Xuanyuan as they headed northwest towards Mangdang Mountain.

Mount Mangdang is not an isolated peak, but a continuous mountain range with towering ancient trees and entwined vines. It is home to many ferocious beasts, and ordinary people dare not venture deep into it. Only a fierce man like Dian Wei would choose to hide here.

Half an hour after entering the mountains, the road became increasingly difficult to travel.

The cavalrymen had no choice but to dismount and proceed.

"Brother, this isn't a solution." Zhao Yun looked around and saw only endless mountains and forests.

"Within a radius of a hundred miles around Mount Mangdang, hiding a person is like finding a needle in a haystack."

Ji Xuanyuan leaned against a tree, panting. His face grew paler and paler. The mountain was cool, and although he was wearing a fox fur coat, he still felt the chill seeping into his body.

"Since Dian Wei is hiding in the mountains, he still needs to eat and drink," he said slowly.

"Send men to inquire among the nearby hunters and mountain dwellers to see if anyone has recently seen the strangely shaped giant coming and going. Also... keep an eye out for traces of wild animals in the mountains."

"A wild beast?" Li Cunxiao asked, puzzled.

"Dian Wei must frequently roam where wild beasts roam," Ji Xuanyuan explained.

"If tigers and leopards disappear from any mountain forest, or if there are signs of wild beasts being strangled by hand... that is a clue."

Upon hearing this, the cavalrymen felt even greater awe for Dian Wei—what a ferocious man he was, capable of scaring tigers and leopards into hiding.

The fifty men were divided into ten teams of five and dispersed into the mountains and forests to search. Ji Xuanyuan, Li Cunxiao, Zhao Yun, and ten personal guards remained in place to wait.

As the sun sets, dappled sunlight filters through the mountains and forests.

An hour later, cavalrymen began to report:

"Reporting to the General! Bear tracks have been found in the eastern valley, but no bear has been seen. However, there are several enormous footprints, resembling human feet, but much larger than a normal person's!"

"Report! There are signs of a fire by the stream on the west side; someone must have been camping there within the last three days!"

"Report! A dead tiger has been found at the foot of the cliff to the north. Its neck is broken, as if it was strangled by a great force! There are signs of a struggle nearby!"

Ji Xuanyuan's spirits lifted: "Where is the dead tiger? Take me to see it!"

The group rushed to the northern cliff.

A striped tiger lay dead on the ground, its eyes wide open in terror. There were obvious bruises and strangulation marks on its neck, and its neck bones were broken.

Li Cunxiao squatted down to examine it and laughed, "It really was strangled with bare hands; the strength was quite impressive."

Zhao Yun stroked the broken bone on the tiger's neck, his expression grave: "The bone is shattered to dust... This man's strength is truly terrifying."

Ji Xuanyuan looked around. There was a shallow cave at the foot of the cliff. At the entrance of the cave was a simple hut made of tree branches. Inside the hut, the floor was covered with animal hides, and the ashes in the stone stove were still warm.

"He's nearby," Ji Xuanyuan said confidently.