Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Four: Three Sworn Brothers in the Mountains

Upon learning that Kong Sheng was a scholar from Jiangnan who had received imperial recommendation and appointment as the Magistrate of Cheng County in Suiyang, and further realizing that Kong Sheng knew Suiyang was a war-torn region yet willingly chose to abandon the comfortable life of Jiangnan to answer the nation's call, unafraid of danger and death, Lei Tingjin was filled with deep admiration.

Lei Tingjin had a straightforward and open personality. He was quite young, just a few years older than Kong Sheng and of a similar age to Mu Changfeng.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kong Sheng and Mu Changfeng learned that Lei Tingjin had been living in seclusion in these mountains under his father's orders after escorting his mother away from Yongqiu. At the time when An Lushan's rebel forces were preparing to launch a massive offensive against Yongqiu, Lei Wanchun, resolved to die a martyr for his country, ordered his third son and wife to seek refuge in seclusion so the Lei family bloodline would not be severed, while he and his other two sons remained behind to serve in the military.

The three of them sat cross-legged on the ground, conversing warmly. Deep into the night, they felt not a shred of fatigue, finding themselves remarkably compatible with one another.

In Lei Tingjin's eyes, Kong Sheng, despite being a scholar and an imperial official of higher rank than his father, completely lacked the pedantry and bureaucratic airs common among officials, which fostered a deep sense of affinity within him. Mu Changfeng was a Jianghu swordsman by nature, making communication with a martial practitioner like Lei Tingjin effortless. As for Kong Sheng, he possessed such consummate tact and social grace that interacting with him always felt like a gentle spring breeze.

Carried away by the lively discussion, Mu Changfeng patted the treasured sword at his waist and laughed heartily, "Young Master, the meeting of the two of us with Brother Lei in these mountains and our immediate rapport is truly a matter of fate. In my view, why don't the three of us follow the example of the ancient heroes and perform a sworn brotherhood right here in the mountains?"

Kong Sheng was slightly startled, a flash of light crossing his eyes.

Mu Changfeng looked at him with an eager gaze. Having traveled with Kong Sheng for a long time and accompanied him northward from Jiangnan, sharing life and death through thick and thin, they had forged a profound friendship amidst various storms and life-or-death crises. He had long desired to become sworn brothers with Kong Sheng, but considering that Kong Sheng was an official while he hailed from the martial underworld, he doubted whether Kong Sheng would truly be willing to address him as an equal brother.

Now, encountering Lei Tingjin by chance in the mountains, Mu Changfeng acted on a sudden impulse and proactively brought the matter up.

Kong Sheng's mind raced as he guessed Mu Changfeng's intention. Having spent so much time with Mu Changfeng and understanding him well, he naturally trusted him completely; however, his acquaintance with Lei Tingjin was merely a meeting by chance. Entering into a sworn brotherhood so hastily seemed somewhat... But on second thought, if he refused to agree readily, it would inevitably create a rift in Mu Changfeng's heart and damage their previously tacit and intimate relationship. Moreover, the son of Lei Wanchun could hardly be an evil person. That being the case, why not agree to the brotherhood?!

Kong Sheng laughed out loud, "Brother Mu, I share the exact same sentiment, but I wonder what Brother Lei thinks?"

Lei Tingjin burst into laughter, "I am but an unpolished man, a rough practitioner of martial arts. Since the two of you think so highly of me, how could I hesitate or refuse? Let us not delay—tonight, we shall burn incense, pay homage to the heavens, and bind ourselves as sworn brothers!"

Lei Tingjin was a man of direct and bold action. True to his word, he immediately carried a low table into the courtyard, simply arranged a platter of dried meat and a few flatbreads upon it, lit a stick of incense, and smiled at Kong Sheng and Mu Changfeng, "Gentlemen, the incense table is set. Tonight the moon is bright and the stars are sparse, let us three swear an oath to the heavens and become brothers!"

To the people of the Tang Dynasty, a sworn brotherhood was not merely a formality, but a solemn ritual. Although the ritual's offerings to the heavens were simple and crude due to limited conditions and rushed timing, in the eyes of Mu Changfeng and Lei Tingjin, it was nonetheless an extremely serious and grand affair.

The moonlight was brilliant, and the sky was studded with stars. A biting cold wind howled from the pitch-black mountain forests, turning into small whirlwinds as it reached the foot of the mountain, sweeping along the foothills to tear at the fallen yellow leaves on the ground, dancing wildly in the night sky.

With a solemn expression, Kong Sheng stepped forward to the altar first, bowed deeply, and chanted, "I, Kong Sheng of Jiangnan, together with Mu Changfeng and Lei Tingjin, though of different surnames, henceforth pledge as brothers to join forces and hearts, to rescue those in peril and aid those in distress; to serve the country above and pacify the common folk below. We ask not to be born on the same day of the same month and year, but only to die on the same day of the same month and year. May the sovereign heavens and sovereign earth bear witness to this heart; whoever betrays this righteousness and forgets this kindness shall be slain by both heaven and man!"

Kong Sheng smoothly copied the "lines" of Liu, Guan, and Zhang from the peach garden oath in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*. Although the plot and mood were different, the essence of the sworn oath remained the same.

Kong Sheng bowed to the heavens, bowed to the earth, and then stepped back.

Lei Wanchun stepped forward immediately and offered his oath in the same manner, "I, Lei Tingjin of Hebei, together with Kong Sheng and Mu Changfeng, though of different surnames, henceforth pledge as brothers to join forces and hearts, to rescue those in peril and aid those in distress; to serve the country above and pacify the common folk below. We ask not to be born on the same day of the same month and year, but only to die on the same day of the same month and year. May the sovereign heavens and sovereign earth bear witness to this heart; whoever betrays this righteousness and forgets this kindness shall be slain by both heaven and man!"

Having finished, swept by a surge of intense emotion, Lei Wanchun drew a dagger from his waist, cut his wrist, and let crimson blood drip into the bowl of wine prepared for the ritual.

Mu Changfeng also stepped forward with a solemn expression, repeated the oath, and following Lei Wanchun's example, cut his finger to let two drops of blood fall into the bowl. Kong Sheng smiled bitterly inwardly, having no choice but to step forward and follow suit, letting a few drops of his own blood mingle into the wine bowl.

Lei Wanchun laughed heartily, took two large bowls, divided the ritual wine mixed with the blood of the three men into three portions, raised one bowl first, and drained it in a single gulp, "Magnificent! Having drunk this blood wine, the three of us are brothers of life and death!"

Smiling, Mu Changfeng handed a bowl of wine to Kong Sheng. Seeing Kong Sheng finish his, Mu Changfeng drank his own as well, then laughed heartily, patted Kong Sheng on the shoulder and said, "I am twenty-six this year, so I shall be the eldest brother. Lei Tingjin is twenty-five, so he is the second brother. You are the youngest, so you shall be the third brother to the two of us! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Eldest Brother!"
"Second Brother!"
"Third Brother!"

Kong Sheng smiled and nodded, his deep gaze slowly drifting toward the pitch-black, wind-tossed mountain forest in the distance, where the piercing cries of one or two nocturnal birds occasionally swept across the canopy of the night sky.

Mu Changfeng and Lei Tingjin chatted intimately with arms linked, their hearty laughter reaching Kong Sheng's ears. At this moment, however, Kong Sheng's thoughts drifted far away on the biting cold wind.

Driven by serendipity, he had become sworn brothers with Mu Changfeng and Lei Tingjin. Perhaps this was truly the arrangement of destiny in the nether realm.

Although the story of Liu, Guan, and Zhang's peach garden brotherhood in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* was largely the author's invention, throughout the ages—especially in this magnificent Tang Dynasty that revered chivalry and righteousness—like-minded strangers forming sworn brotherhoods was a common occurrence. For Kong Sheng, as the road ahead was fraught with danger and hardship, having arms like Mu Changfeng and Lei Tingjin to assist him was undeniably a stroke of good fortune.

Lei Tingjin's clear gaze fell upon the Chasing Wind Steed, and unable to resist praising it once more, "Third Brother, this divine steed of yours is truly magnificent, worth a king's ransom and rare in this world. It is truly enviable."

No practitioner of martial arts could dislike a fine steed, just as scholars loved literary treasures and calligraphy.

Kong Sheng smiled, "This horse was a gift from Prefect Yang of Jiangnan. Its name is Chasing Wind. Our journey along this road has been exceptionally arduous, yet this horse has saved my life twice."

Mu Changfeng smiled without a word.

Immediately afterward, Lei Tingjin turned his gaze to the lengthened supreme halberd strapped behind the white steed Chasing Wind. Earlier, he had only noticed the fine horse and paid no attention to Kong Sheng's halberd. Taking a brief glance now, he asked in astonishment, "Is this Third Brother's weapon? As a scholar, does Third Brother also command martial arts and archery?"

Mu Changfeng laughed out loud, "Second Brother, you don't yet know. Our Third Brother is skilled in both pen and sword, possesses innate supernatural strength, and is extraordinarily brave and fierce. In Pengcheng, he once single-handedly resisted over a hundred Mo-dao guards of Li Chuan, the Prince of Guojie, without defeat. He rightfully bears the flattering titles of 'Little Hegemon', 'Matchless Lü Bu', and 'Enemy of Ten Thousand'."

"And this supreme halberd of Third Brother's weighs about two hundred and thirty-eight catties, something ordinary men could never wield."

Hearing this, Lei Tingjin was deeply shaken. Try as he might, he found it hard to immediately believe that the gentle and refined young scholar before him could possibly be known as the Little Hegemon, Matchless Lü Bu, and... and what was it? An enemy of ten thousand?

He strode over, grasped the supreme halberd, tested its weight, and could not help drawing a sharp breath, "Third Brother, this halberd is so heavy. Though I consider myself to have some brute strength, I still find it difficult to control... You... you are actually able to wield such a weapon?"

Kong Sheng smiled faintly, walked over, took the supreme halberd from Lei Tingjin's hand, casually held it with effortless ease, flicked his wrist to spin the halberd blade into a blooming flower, and then swung it backward over his head, whirling the heavy halberd until it generated a rushing wind.

Lei Tingjin was left staring in utter dumbfounded silence. They say hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once. Although Mu Changfeng had praised and described Kong Sheng's "supernatural bravery" in glowing terms, had he not witnessed with his own eyes Kong Sheng wielding this overweight supreme halberd as effortlessly as reaching into his pocket to take something, Lei Tingjin would have found it hard to believe.

Yet the facts lay right before his eyes, leaving Lei Tingjin no room for disbelief.

He let out a long breath, his gaze growing even clearer and brighter, "Third Brother is truly a genius blessed by heaven! Skilled in both literature and martial arts, and possessing such divine bravery—in this chaotic world, you will surely establish great merits and accomplish mighty deeds. Achieving noble titles and military commands in the future will be effortless!"

"I originally did not believe in the legendary hegemon's strength capable of uprooting mountains, thinking it was merely exaggerated hyperbole by the world. But seeing Third Brother today, I realize how ignorant and arrogant I was. I am utterly ashamed." Lei Tingjin sighed repeatedly, looking at Kong Sheng with a gaze completely different from before.

When it came to literary talent, neither Lei Tingjin nor Mu Changfeng could compare with Kong Sheng at all; they were merely people with a modest grasp of letters and a rustic background, far from being scholarly literati.

When it came to martial prowess, Mu Changfeng was a Jianghu swordsman, and charging into battle was not his forte. As the son of Lei Wanchun, Lei Tingjin possessed a profound family heritage; having immersed himself in military strategy, tactics, and hand-to-hand combat for a decade, he was certainly extraordinary. Yet when facing off in real battlefield combat, against Kong Sheng's absolute strength where "one ounce of force subdues ten thousand pounds," both men would find it difficult to match him head-on.

To speak the truth, for a fierce and rugged man like Lei Tingjin who took pride in his own strength, Kong Sheng's overwhelming superiority in physical power made it all the more natural for him to feel deep admiration and even a sense of awe.

"Second Brother flatters me. Little Brother's martial arts are actually quite mediocre, having only learned a few superficial tricks. Compared to you two elder brothers, I am far behind. Fortunately, I have a bit of raw strength, barely saving me from being a frail scholar with no strength to truss a chicken." Kong Sheng smiled modestly, "If I could only compose poetry and appreciate flowers, and yet came charging into the war-torn Henan region, wouldn't that be courting my own death?"

Lei Tingjin laughed heartily, "Third Brother speaks the truth!"

The two exchanged glances and laughed out loud.