Han Ji

After settling in, Liu Bei did not rest immediately. Instead, he took Liu Deran for a walk around the post station to familiarize himself with the surroundings and asked the post station official about the road ahead.

"Fifty li ahead, there's a mountain road that's not safe. I heard a caravan was robbed last month," the innkeeper said, yawning. "Gentlemen, it would be best if you set off early tomorrow and passed through there before noon."

Back in his room, Liu Deran asked nervously, "Xuande, look..."

"It's alright. We'll set off early tomorrow as the steward suggested." Liu Bei's expression remained unchanged. "We have official documents, and we're not wealthy merchants. Ordinary thieves probably won't bother with us. Tell Liu Ping to be on his guard tonight."

At night, Liu Bei lay on his hard bed, listening to the howling wind outside the window, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

The feeling of being away from home truly welled up in his heart at this moment. Unfamiliar surroundings, an unknown road ahead. But he felt no fear, only an unprecedented clarity and calmness.

He knew that from the moment he stepped out of Zhuojun, he was no longer the Liu Xuande who needed the protection of his uncle and the help of his friends. He had to face everything alone.

Before dawn the next day, the four of them packed up and continued their journey.

Sure enough, the atmosphere changed noticeably as they approached the mountainous area. The official road was almost deserted, and even the birdsong had thinned considerably. Liu An increased the carriage's speed, while Liu Ping placed his hand on the hilt of the short sword at his waist.

Liu Bei sat in the carriage, his hand resting on the short sword that Qian Zhao had given him. He closed his eyes and concentrated, but listened carefully to the sounds outside.

Inside the train carriage, Liu Deran's palms were sweating with nervousness.

Fortunately, they escaped unharmed. Perhaps it was because they set off early, or perhaps it was because the small caravan didn't seem to have much to offer, but the anticipated trouble did not occur until the carriages left the mountains and re-entered the plains.

Liu Deran breathed a long sigh of relief.

Liu Bei also relaxed his grip on the knife, but his eyes remained wary.

On the rest of their journey, they encountered sudden rainstorms, their wheels getting stuck in mud, and it took all four of them to push them out. They also encountered local tax collectors who wanted to collect more "tolls," but Liu Bei politely but firmly used official documents and Lu Zhi's name to deflect their demands. They even met a group of unfriendly wandering knights at a post station. Liu Ping showed off his stance, and the other party hesitated and didn't dare to make a move.

With each hurdle overcome, Liu Deran's admiration for his cousin grew. He discovered that Liu Bei was extremely calm and observant, capable of both forbearance and using his power to intimidate others, and he handled situations with exceptional finesse.

"Xuande, did you learn these things from books too?" After getting rid of some trouble, Liu Deran couldn't help but ask.

Looking at the dust rising ahead on the official road, Liu Bei said calmly, "Some of it is, and some... it's what life teaches us."

He added in his mind: There are also some things that were subtly ingrained in him from the information explosion era of his previous life.

The journey was tiring, but it broadened his horizons. Liu Bei carefully observed the people, geography, and checkpoints along the way, gradually sketching out a map of this era in his mind.

We're getting closer and closer to Luoyang.

After more than a month of bumpy travel, the carriage finally entered the territory of Sili.

The official road was noticeably wider and smoother, bustling with carriages, horses, and pedestrians, including many luxurious carriages and dashing riders in fine clothes. The villages and towns along the road were also more densely packed and prosperous.

"This is indeed the capital region..." Liu Deran sighed as he looked out the window.

Liu Bei nodded silently. The people here, though their faces also bore the marks of labor, seemed to be in better spirits than those he had seen along the way. At least, he rarely saw those pale and starving people.

But a discordant scene was also observed: the vast manor houses, with their walls standing side by side, enclosed an endless expanse of land, forming a stark contrast with the scattered, barren farmlands on the outskirts. Occasionally, a grand procession of wealthy and powerful families would pass by, surrounded by a retinue of servants and guards with sharp eyes, causing ordinary travelers to give way.

A rigid hierarchy and numerous powerful clans were the unseen abscesses on the body of the Eastern Han Empire.

The closer I got to Luoyang, the more profound this feeling became.

At noon that day, the carriage stopped at a roadside teahouse for a rest.

At a nearby table sat several men who looked like merchants, talking loudly.

"Have you heard? They're going to erect a stone tablet at the Imperial Academy in Luoyang, saying they'll carve all the scriptures on it."

"I've heard that too. The imperial court has summoned the best engravers in the country, and it took them half a year just to select the right stone."

"Engraving scriptures? That'll probably take several more years. Be careful on your way south; things have gotten chaotic in Yizhou. The barbarians killed an official, and the court is mobilizing troops."

"It's not just in the south; all the way from Qingzhou, there are people fleeing the plague everywhere. So many people have died..."

"Stop talking! These are things we shouldn't be discussing. Drink some water."

The group exchanged glances, then shut their mouths and buried their heads in their water.

Liu Bei and Liu Deran exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

It seems that the Han Dynasty is still not at peace.

Liu Bei remained silent, slowly sipping his coarse tea. He knew this was not the worst of it. A much bigger storm was yet to come.

After traveling for several more days, as the carriage climbed a high slope, Liu An excitedly shouted from outside, "My lords! Look! Luoyang!"

Liu Bei and Liu Deran both leaned out of the carriage window at the same time.

In the distance, at the edge of the horizon, the outline of a colossal city appears in a magnificent yet serene gray-black under the spring sunlight.

It lay there silently, like a colossal beast crouching on the earth. The city walls meandered like mountain ridges, and the watchtowers soared like a forest. Even from a considerable distance, its imposing grandeur was already palpable!

That is Luoyang.

The capital of the Han Empire, the center of the world, the hub of power and wealth, a stage where countless ambitions and dreams intertwine.

We arrived near Luoyang. We didn't stop, but rested for the night at an inn outside the city.

The next morning, the carriage changed course, not heading towards the majestic capital, but instead taking a side road southeast.

"Lu Shi's school is located on Mount Goushi," Liu Bei explained to Liu Deran, who seemed slightly puzzled. "It's not within Luoyang city."

Liu Deran suddenly realized.

More than an hour later, the carriage climbed a high slope, and Liu An excitedly shouted from outside, "My two young masters! Look! Goushi Mountain!"

Liu Bei and Liu Deran both leaned out of the carriage window at the same time.

In the distance, a gently sloping, lush mountain range came into view. Halfway up the mountain, a cluster of gray-tiled buildings could be vaguely seen, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere. It seemed like a completely different world from the bustling Luoyang I had heard about on the way.

That is where Lu Zhi's school building is located.

A place where great scholars from all over the world impart their knowledge and resolve doubts.

Looking at the houses built against the mountain, Liu Bei's heartbeat calmed down. This would be his future home for studying.

Unlike Liu Deran's curious gaze, Liu Bei's eyes were calm and scrutinizing.

Here, he will systematically learn the classics and wisdom of this era.

Here, he will avoid the extravagance and turmoil of Luoyang's early days and focus on accumulating experience.

Here, he needs to grow faster to prepare for the coming chaos that will sweep the world.

"Xuande, we've arrived!" Liu Deran said excitedly as he looked at the school building.

"Yes, we've arrived." Liu Bei withdrew his gaze, sat up straight, and said, "Let's go, Brother Deran. Let's become your disciples."

The carriage descended the high slope and traveled steadily along the mountain road toward the gray-tiled buildings.

The wheels rolled over the mountain road, making a rhythmic sound.

When young Liu Bei went to Luoyang to study, he did not go straight to the bustling capital, but first entered the quiet school at the foot of Mount Goushi.