Chapter 141: Warm Hospitality (Part 2)

Gongsun Xun had seen far too many song-and-dance performances to be particularly impressed — after all, he was something of a notable figure in Luoyang, and though he rarely indulged in such pleasures himself, his exposure was extensive, so he paid it little mind.

In truth, there really was nothing worth paying mind to. An old man in plain cloth and several musicians entered, bowing with clasped hands all around, then brought out qin, se, drums, and flutes. The old man led off with a solo qin piece to enliven the gathering... Well, to be perfectly honest, it was not even as pleasant to hear as Cai Yong's playing — merely a different regional style, something to listen to for the tune.

In any case, just as Gongsun Xun had expected, Lady Ding took the opportunity of the dance music being presented to excuse herself directly, even carrying off the still-swaddled Cao Ang. The two half-grown scamps Cao Ren and Cao Chun, however, remained behind. No one thought anything of it, and they simply opened the feast to the accompaniment of the qin.

Of course, to call it "opening the feast" implied a certain ceremony, but there was none to speak of. This was mainly because Cao Mengde himself was an unconstrained sort, and Gongsun Xun, for his part, found such formalities rather tiresome. With both host and guest of that disposition, and no elders present, a certain abandonment of restraint was naturally inevitable.

At first, Gongsun Xun recounted the situation in Luoyang after Cao Cao's departure without farewell, drawing exclamations of wonder from the company. But perhaps because Cao Cao, having returned home, realized he was unlikely to re-enter officialdom anytime soon, he grew somewhat impatient with this topic. In the end, no one could say exactly when it began, but the conversation turned to jokes and strange tales from various regions.

"Last year, Hua Tuo, Hua Yuanrang, returned home to offer sacrifices at his ancestral graves. Yet no sooner had he arrived than a family from Liang State invited him over." Cao De spoke earnestly to Gongsun Xun, who sat at the seat of honor alongside Cao Cao — he too had noticed the other man's particular interest in this story of Hua Tuo. "They said their master had a hard lump in his abdomen, firm as steel, unbearably painful. Hua Yuanrang did not decline and went directly. Who could have guessed that just as he arrived, the man had already died..."

"Could it have been a living corpse?" Gongsun Xun could not help asking curiously.

"Not at all." Cao De shook his head repeatedly. "The man was dead beyond any doubt. However, before he died, he left a final wish: that the hard lump in his abdomen must be cut out and shown to Hua Tuo so he could see with his own eyes what it truly was — otherwise he would never close his eyes in death! And though the man's son could not bear it, a father's command is hard to defy, so steeling his heart, he cut open his father's abdomen and removed the object within. It turned out to be something like a bronze or iron spearhead."

Gongsun Xun listened with ever-deepening fascination. By this time, the old man had finished his piece and, showing considerable tact, halted the music and withdrew to the front of the hall, merely standing there with an ingratiating smile.

"That family presented the object to Hua Tuo. Hua Yuanrang took one look at it and could not help but sigh. Then he took a medicine from his case and placed it upon the spearhead — and the bronze-iron spearhead directly dissolved into a pool of wine." At this point, Cao De's expression grew solemn. "According to Hua Yuanrang, one must never let drinking become a habit, for it will form hard masses throughout the body, and once they flare up, the pain is unbearable..."

"Nonsense!" Cao Cao, who had just finished pouring wine for Gongsun Xun, suddenly flared up. "In this life, what one wants is wine down the throat and into the gut — a thorough exhilaration! This tale is surely some fool who knows nothing of the true pleasure of wine using Hua Tuo's name to deliberately disgust men like us! Drinking may give you a headache or stomachache for a while, but who ever suffers for a lifetime?"

Cao De opened his mouth as if to speak, then thought better of it — in the end, he dared not talk back to his own elder brother and could only mumble in agreement.

Gongsun Xun, however, upon hearing this, first shook his head, then nodded, and then raised his cup again: "What Brother Mengde says is most apt. In this life, whether in triumph or disappointment, one may first seek full enjoyment. With fine wine and friends beside you, why think of tomorrow's affairs... Let us drain this cup!"

Cao Cao's expression shifted slightly at these words, but he immediately broke into a carefree laugh and raised his cup as well: "Well said! Wenqi is in his moment of triumph, and I, Cao Mengde, am in my moment of disappointment. Yet when kindred spirits meet, who cares what tomorrow brings? Drink... let all drink! Zibo, and that Han Yigong over there — all drink! Cao Ren, Cao Chun, you two may also share a cup!"

The company burst into laughter and drained their cups in one go. Even the two bear cubs Cao Ren and Cao Chun had serving maids come forward to pour them each half a cup of wine, which they then downed.

Whether it was the effect of the wine or not, after setting down his cup, Cao Ren, who was only ten, suddenly stood up and of his own accord began recounting a strange and wondrous event.

"That day, eldest brother was not in our Qiaoxian, so he didn't see it." Cao Ren gestured wildly as he spoke, practically dancing with excitement. "That yellow dragon's eyes were bigger than lanterns, and they glowed at night too. It just lay coiled in that well, letting people look at it... Then one day, a great storm arose, and when we went to look the next day, the dragon was gone. I heard my father say that when a yellow dragon meets wind and rain, it can soar straight up to the heavens!"

What Cao Ren spoke of, Gongsun Xun also knew — it was the most famous event in Qiaoxian in the preceding years. In the third month of the fifth year of the Xiping era, a yellow dragon appeared in a well in Qiaoxian, and later suddenly vanished. The matter was reported to the court by the then Chancellor of Pei State, Wang Ji, and was designated an auspicious omen marking the Son of Heaven's coming of age and assumption of personal rule.

"Pure rubbish!" Yet upon hearing this, Cao Cao, seated at the head, slammed the table and immediately rebuked him. "Cao Ren, I wasn't in Qiaoxian that day — but were you, you little brat? How come I remember that the year the yellow dragon was sighted in Qiao, both you and your father were in Luoyang? Wasn't our uncle serving as Colonel of the Chang River Encampment in Luoyang at that time? So young and already learning bad habits — how do you spin one lie after another?"

At these words, the whole hall burst into uproarious laughter. Even Han Dang, who had been listening most intently moments before, gave an embarrassed grin.

Cao Ren's face flushed bright red, and he waved his hands frantically: "Even if I didn't see it with my own eyes, all my companions say it was so — it must be true..."

"True my foot!" Cao Cao slammed the table again, showing not the slightest regard for the brat's dignity. "Let me ask you again — you yourself said that yellow dragon was inside a well at the time. How wide is a well's mouth? How then could its eyes be as big as lanterns? If the yellow dragon had ascended to the sky, eyes like lanterns might be plausible, but how could it have lantern-sized eyes while inside a well?"

The company roared with laughter again, and Cao Ren, so thoroughly skewered by his elder brother that he could not get half a word out, could only gesture helplessly in the air — which only made him more ridiculous.

Gongsun Xun too could not help shaking his head and laughing to himself... So this was the future greatest general of the Cao clan, the top-tier commander repeatedly entrusted with independent commands. Yet now he was no different from any ordinary boastful brat. Of course, that Zhang Liao who would one day rout a hundred thousand with eight thousand was probably, at this very moment, doing nothing but brawling in his village. And Cao Chun, here in this very room, who would one day lead the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, could not even boast yet — he merely laughed along foolishly with the others, which in turn drew a flurry of pummeling from his own mortified elder brother.

"However..." After his laughter subsided, Gongsun Xun could not help asking curiously, "The matter of the yellow dragon sighted in Qiao is known to all under heaven — surely it cannot be something fabricated out of thin air?"

Cao Cao picked up a cup of wine, drank it down on his own, and then raised a hand to point at Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Yuan immediately nodded and answered in earnest: "I won't hide it from Gentleman Gongsun or my elder brother — that day, I was indeed at home. So after the matter came out, I went specially to that well to see the dragon. That its eyes were big as lanterns is nonsense, but it was indeed yellow all over and appeared quite uncanny..."

"There truly was a dragon?" Cao Cao was instantly startled. "I thought it was a dragon-portent!"

"I too thought it was a dragon-portent." Lou Gui, who had been merely listening to the stories all along, suddenly spoke up as well.

A so-called dragon-portent refers to baseless rumors of auspicious dragon omens — according to the Confucian interpretation, it is a sign that the Son of Heaven cannot control the situation.

Moreover, it was natural for Cao Cao to think this way. In truth, had this dragon not appeared in Qiaoxian, Gongsun Xun himself would likely have concluded the thing was a rumor... After all, the Chancellor of Pei at the time was Wang Ji, nephew of the powerful Wang Fu. And given Wang Fu's utter lack of scruples, fabricating such a thing to fool the Son of Heaven at the moment he came of age and power was being transferred would have been entirely in character.

In fact, regarding the matter of dragon-portents, someone clear-sighted had once explained it very plainly.

For example, a similar rumor had once arisen in Ba Commandery, claiming there was a dragon in a certain deep pool. The Grand Administrator of Ba Commandery wished to report it upward, but a certain upright and honest subordinate clerk simply exposed the truth... It turned out that the weather had been scorching hot, and many people went to bathe in that pool. Seeing something in the water that made it turn murky, they joked among themselves that there was a dragon inside... In reality, not a single person had seen it with their own eyes.

But from Xiahou Yuan's half-sentence, it seemed he had seen it with his own eyes that day — which could not help but leave Cao Mengde somewhat dumbfounded. Because others might not know, but Cao Cao knew very well just how honest this brother-in-law of his truly was.

In fact, it was not only Cao Cao — Gongsun Xun's expression had long since become unreadable, and his thoughts were even more complicated... A yellow dragon sighted in Qiao — if there truly was a dragon, then surely it must be an omen for your Cao family?!

But did the Mandate of Heaven truly exist? If it did, then those petty thoughts that had stirred in him back in Luoyang upon seeing the other man's downfall — would they not be a joke?!

At this thought, Gongsun Xun's mind grew ever more clouded and uncertain.

"That creature was indeed uncanny." Xiahou Yuan had by now continued recounting what he had seen. "Its whole body was yellow mottled with black spots, and it had dragon whiskers. But it simply lay motionless at the bottom of the well, and the well water was murky. I kept watch at the well mouth for half a day, yet only caught a glimpse of a single scale and half a head. The bottom of the well was dim, and I cannot say for certain whether those were scales or not..."

"How big was it?" Cao Cao asked seriously.

"Hard to say." Xiahou Yuan gestured vaguely. "Perhaps about an arm's length?"

Cao Cao immediately raised his cup and sneered: "To think even Miaocai was fooled. I said so all along... murky well water, a yellow thing an arm's length long — who knows, maybe the well water was fouled, and an old yellow catfish surfaced from the bottom! Or perhaps it was simply a yellow water snake!"

Gongsun Xun could not help laughing aloud... The faintest shred of numinous respect he had finally managed to muster for this fellow had just been destroyed by the man's own mouth.

"That day, I too did not believe it." Xiahou Yuan said with a serious expression. "But what my elder brother does not know is that on the night the yellow dragon disappeared, a great storm arose with crashing thunder and flashing lightning. Everyone in the entire county could see a dragon hanging in the sky, lit by the flashing lightning. Even I sat up from my couch and watched the storm for half the night."

At these words, from Cao De to Cao Ren, from Han Dang to Lou Gui, most of those in the hall grew solemn.

"How do you know it was the same dragon?" Cao Cao set down his wine cup and still shook his head. "On a night of thunder and rain, it is natural for dragons to appear in the sky. That thing in the well — whatever it was — perhaps that very night the well water rose sharply and it escaped through some hidden channel. It may not necessarily have been a dragon..."

Xiahou Yuan was momentarily at a loss for words. And Gongsun Xun, recalling the natural explanations for lightning that his own mother had taught him, was likewise speechless for a moment.

"Let us set this aside for now," said Cao Cao, who seemed to have grown somewhat tipsy from drinking alone. "Where is that well located?"

"Fifteen li south of the county seat, in Zhi Village by the banks of the Guo River." Xiahou Yuan quickly answered.

"Tomorrow let us go and see it!" Cao Cao slapped the table again. "Will Wenqi come? How many days can you stay?"

"I can only stay three or four days," Gongsun Xun answered frankly. "However, I had originally intended to make a trip to the banks of the Guo River anyway — taking a look along the way would be no trouble."

Cao Cao was immediately curious: "What business do you have by the Guo River?"

"My mother was a native of Qiao in Pei State. She left her hometown... over twenty years ago, and only remembers living by the Guo River in the old days. That being the case, as her son, having come to Qiaoxian, how could I not go and pay my respects by the Guo River?" Gongsun Xun spoke with perfect forthrightness.

"Why did the young master not mention this to us before?" Even Han Dang was somewhat astonished. "I never imagined the old lady was a native of Qiaoxian."

"I too never imagined that Wenqi's maternal family were people of my hometown." Cao Cao was also momentarily moved. Not only that, but all the Qiaoxian natives in the hall suddenly felt a few degrees more kinship with him. "I wonder which family, which clan — and when did they go to Liaoxi?"

"I do not know." Gongsun Xun had long prepared an answer in his mind, and so he shook his head frankly. "My father has never once spoken of this matter. But judging from my mother's learning, she should also be of a gentry family... My personal speculation is that perhaps back then she was the daughter of a disgraced official, banished to Liaoxi, and then with her clan scattered, she married my father in Liaoxi."

"That would be perfectly reasonable." Cao Cao suddenly understood. "Only, more than twenty years have passed — the events of that time are mostly blurred. It may not be possible to inquire and find out..."

"Nor is there any need to inquire." Gongsun Xun hastily laughed it off. "My father seems to have things he wishes to keep hidden, and so he does not wish me to pursue this matter."

Hearing this, the company, though frowning, had nothing they could say.

"Then let it be." Cao Cao pondered briefly and did not press further, instead pouring himself another cup of wine. "Where were we just now?"

"We were saying that tomorrow we will take Gentleman Gongsun to see that ancient well where the yellow dragon appeared," Cao De hastily reminded him. "And along the way, pay respects by the Guo River."

"Indeed." Cao Cao contentedly downed another cup of wine, then remarked with a touch of emotion. "Actually, speaking of supernatural matters, I have witnessed one with my own eyes, and just half a month ago."

Gongsun Xun's eyes instantly widened.

"Half a month ago, the weather was turning warm." Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and spoke loftily. "I was bored at home, so I cast aside my books and went hunting in the dense forest west of the county. I went in haste, with only one horse, one blade, one bow, and one wildcat..."

Gongsun Xun gave a rare cold laugh.

"At first I found no game of consequence, only shooting two rabbits and a pheasant." Cao Cao continued. "But in the afternoon, after I tethered my horse in the woods and was napping under the shade of a tree, I suddenly felt gusts of rank wind. Then my horse neighed in terror. Startled awake, I hastily grabbed my blade and rose, only to see a tiger with slanted eyes and a white forehead pouncing out from the forest..."

Hearing this, Gongsun Xun was already expressionless; Xia Houyuan merely rubbed his knees, looking rather restless; Cao De kept his head down in silence; Lou Gui kept stroking his beard and sneering; but Han Dang and the two brats Cao Ren and Cao Chun all stared wide-eyed, clearly captivated.

"At that moment I was prepared to fight with all my might." Cao Cao rapped his wine cup repeatedly against the table and turned deliberately to speak to Gongsun Xun beside him. "Who would have thought, when that tiger let out a great roar, my legs went weak first..."

Gongsun Xun remained expressionless and silent, merely waiting for the other to continue.

"But just then," seeing that the other was not taking the bait, Cao Mengde could only forge ahead brazenly, "the wildcat I had with me... that is, the cat given by Wenqi, suddenly darted forward and leaped onto that tiger's head..."

"And then the great slant-eyed, white-foreheaded tiger dared not move a muscle, letting you escape?" Gongsun Xun sneered in retort.

"No, no!" Cao Cao hastily shook his head. "How could I flee at a time like that? I immediately seized my blade and hacked that tiger to death right there in the forest..."

"Where is the tiger to be seen?" Gongsun Xun spread his hands and asked bluntly.

"Bring it in, bring it in!" The well-prepared Cao Mengde threw down his wine cup and waved his hands, shouting repeatedly. And indeed, a tiger skin was carried in by several servants.

Cao De still kept his head down in silence, Xia Houyuan turned away wordlessly, and then the brothers Cao Ren and Cao Chun immediately jumped up excitedly and ran into the hall to touch the dead tiger... while Gongsun Xun sneered once more and gestured with his chin toward Han Dang.

Han Yigong, receiving his lord's signal, immediately stepped forward to feel the tiger's head and examined it carefully... However, upon this inspection, he could not help but be greatly disappointed.

"Yigong, how many years has this tiger been dead?" Lou Gui, seeing this, could not help but clap his hands and ask with a laugh, then turned to explain to Cao De beside him. "Furs are hard currency in the northern frontier. Yigong is from Liaoxi; even if not proficient, he should know a thing or two about inspecting furs..."

Cao De was utterly mortified.

And sure enough, Han Dang shook his head repeatedly, then bowed to Gongsun Xun and said, "To be honest with you, Young Lord, this tiger has likely been dead for three to five years..."

Gongsun Xun threw his head back and roared with laughter. Cao De and Xia Houyuan both blushed deeply. Only Cao Mengde, exposed on the spot, forced himself to remain composed, utterly unflustered.

But that brat Cao Ren was amusing. He pointed a finger straight at his elder brother and said indignantly, "Elder Brother says I boast and lie, so why do you boast and lie yourself?"

"I may boast, but what business is it of yours?!" At this, Cao Cao finally lost his temper in embarrassment and rage. "A child drinks two ounces of wine and forgets all respect for his elders — get out of my sight at once!"

"I'll go tell Sister-in-law about this!" Leaving these words behind, Cao Ren, not angry at all, simply dusted off his backside and left.

This left Cao Mengde fuming with smoke pouring from his seven orifices.

"Enough!" Gongsun Xun was speechless at the sight. "Brother Mengde, you need not pretend any longer. Just how unwilling are you to return my cat, that you would fabricate such an absurd tale? Did I not say that this cat is my wife's beloved? You have only taken it away for a few months — could you truly be so attached? Once I reunite with my wife, I will send you a similar one in return!"

Cao Mengde was also deeply embarrassed: "To be honest with Wenqi... never mind. Tomorrow on the way to the Guo River, I will explain it to you naturally."

Gongsun Xun sensed something was amiss, so he pressed no further. But regardless, after this commotion, the banquet atmosphere had ultimately grown somewhat awkward, and the people seated below were all subordinates or younger brothers of the two seated above, making it difficult for them to interject.

"Young Masters, Young Lords." Just then, the old man playing the zither, with great tact, stepped forward smiling and bowed. "This old man has a request. Might I ask if you gentlemen would grant it?"

Among those seated below, Lou Gui reacted fastest: "Old man, you came here having been paid, yet so far you have only played a single zither piece — you've already gotten off lightly. How can you still have a request?"

"To be honest with you, Young Master," the old man hastily said with an ingratiating smile, "what I request is precisely to offer a performance of song and dance... Our Bian family are originally music masters from Langya, musicians for generations, and we do have some prized skills kept in reserve. What I originally intended to present today was a solo dance."

"Then bring it forth at once..." Cao Cao also caught on and urged repeatedly. "What further request is there?"

"To be honest with you, Young Master, I come from humble origins and have never seen such a supernatural object," the old man hastily bowed and pleaded. "I beg to use this tiger skin as a stage, and let my daughter offer a dance upon it. What do you gentlemen think?"

Gongsun Xun suddenly understood as well, and then hastily clapped his hands and laughed heartily: "I was just about to ask to behold your daughter's grace and dancing!"

———————I am the dividing line of a gaping bloody maw———————

"Cao Cao often went hunting and once encountered a tiger. The tiger roared and lunged fiercely; all those around him broke into cold sweat from terror, and Cao himself was powerless to act. At that moment, he suddenly saw a creature emerge from the forest, like a wildcat, which leaped onto the yoke of Cao's chariot. As the tiger approached, this beast jumped onto its head, and the tiger immediately crouched down, not daring to rise. Thereupon he killed it and obtained one tiger skin. This beast returned. Before reaching within thirty li of the city, all the chickens and dogs along the road crouched low, and none crowed or barked." — *In Search of the Supernatural*

PS: Went to have my teeth formally extracted this evening — two teeth... Halfway through, it was a bloody mess, and then the doctor said, "Don't open your eyes, it's making me shudder just looking at it..." I was under anesthetic at the time, completely unmoved inside, and even wanted to laugh... but now I just want to cry.

Also, new book group 684558115 — everyone please join.

One more remark: the classical text above is genuine classical text, originally from the *Bowu Zhi*. According to that record, Cao Mengde really was saved by a cat ancestor... The original text said it was a lion, and the location was beyond the frontier. I hesitated, changed the lion to a tiger, and changed the *Bowu Zhi* to *In Search of the Supernatural*. In truth, the inspiration for Cao Cao stealing the cat comes from here... A flying cat pouncing on your face — are you scared or not?!

The matter concerning Hua Tuo is recorded in the book *Zhi Guai*.

Everyone can delve deeper into these matters.

(End of Chapter)