Little William stopped singing and asked, “You saw it? What color was the dragon?”

　　There really is a dragon? Big Charles blurted out, “Azure!”

　　Little William laughed, “Only those unafraid of death or gravely wounded and near death can see this dragon. A person full of resentment will only see a black dragon, while a loyal and righteous person sees an azure dragon. You must be the one-in-a-thousand talent that Lame Old Man sent for!”

　　Damn! This Lame Old Man, this woodcutter really does have a hidden storyline!

　　One in a thousand! I’m saved! I knew I wouldn’t be a background character forever!

　　Big Charles, excited and overjoyed, feigned modesty: “I’m just here to pass on a message from Lame Old Man, asking you… asking William Bro to pick ten jin of mushrooms to take home for the festival!”

　　Little William just laughed, “You still want to die? Can you still see the dragon?”

　　Big Charles snapped back to his senses—sure enough, he couldn’t see the dragon anymore! Was it because he no longer wanted to die?

　　Big Charles grew a bit anxious: “William Bro, what’s going on?”

　　Little William began packing up baskets and odds and ends: “It means you’re just one-in-a-thousand, not yet one-in-ten-thousand talent, but that’s already quite rare. Ten jin of mushrooms is a big basket. Let’s go deep into the mountains to pick them and talk as we walk.”

　　Big Charles let out a huge sigh of relief: “Alright, I’ll still ask William Bro for some guidance.”

　　Little William said solemnly, “What is a one-in-a-thousand talent? First, not afraid of hardship; second, not afraid of death; third, values loyalty and righteousness! Anyone afraid of hardship is definitely afraid of death, and anyone afraid of death definitely doesn’t value loyalty and righteousness! Don’t be fooled by those so-called chivalrous ruffians in taverns and gambling dens who claim to be fearless and loyal—they’re just loafers who bully the weak and fear the strong, pretending to be brave and righteous. When faced with real threats or temptations, they immediately chicken out and betray others. Lame Old Man has been observing you all for half a year. You’re all able to endure hardship, but today is probably the day you stand out!”

　　Big Charles’s brow twitched wildly: “Because I’m the only one who didn’t join the gang?”

　　Little William asked with a smile, “Why didn’t you join?”

　　Big Charles finally let out a breath of pent-up frustration: “Because it’s too harmful! If everyone in Yongchang starts doing this, who will still want to farm and produce?”

　　Little William praised, “Good, that’s righteousness, that’s the mark of a loyal and righteous person!”

　　Honestly, I did hesitate and regret it! In the end, isn’t this one-in-a-thousand just the basic (extravagant) requirement modern companies have for employees?

　　Big Charles felt quite embarrassed: “William Bro, you flatter me. I’m really not that capable.”

　　Little William laughed, “As long as you have this one-in-a-thousand quality, all other skills can be trained and developed!”

　　At this, Little William raised his tattoo: “Do you know the origin of this Azure Dragon Saber?”

　　He really dares to call it the Azure Dragon Saber?

　　Big Charles was a bit unsure: “Is it related to Guan Yu?”

　　Little William asked solemnly, “What’s your view on Lord Guan’s carelessness in losing Jingzhou?”

　　Big Charles was shocked! Is this triggering the ‘historical event’ mode? Although Big Charles often bragged about the Three Kingdoms with William Bolton and other players, this was the first time discussing it with these ‘locals’! But how could a Guan Yu-related storyline be triggered in this remote corner of Yongchang?

　　Wait, I remember!

　　According to folk legend, when Guan Yu refused to marry his daughter to Sun Quan with the words, “How could a tiger’s daughter marry a dog’s son?” and lost Jingzhou, his daughter escaped back to Xichuan under the protection of her guards, then married Li Hui’s son Li Yi and guarded Nanzhong until her death. Could it be that this is about to trigger the story of Guan Yu’s third daughter? Are Little William and Lame Old Man connected to her?

　　If so, this is a key test question. I can’t just copy the standard answer and say Guan Yu was arrogant and careless, right?

Chapter 3: Secret Realm, Guan Yinping

　　When it comes to the loss of Jingzhou due to carelessness, it’s basically a criticism session for Guan Yu’s shortcomings. Even decades later, Liu Shan still felt unsatisfied and posthumously gave Guan Yu the demoted title of “Zhuangmou Marquis.” As a Three Kingdoms enthusiast, Big Charles knew the general situation of this battle—the fatal problem was, of course, with Liu Bei’s brother-in-law, Mi Fang.

　　In ancient times, besieging a city was so difficult that even with ten times the troops, you might not succeed. Yet Mi Fang simply surrendered the city—how could you fight after that? The standard answer is, of course, to blame Mi Fang!

　　But the Mi family of Xuzhou had followed Liu Bei through thick and thin, giving up all their wealth when he was at his lowest. Who would have thought they’d betray Shu Han at its peak? This betrayal became Guan Yu’s fault for being arrogant and harsh—even such a long-serving subordinate turned traitor, so the blame came back to Guan Yu and couldn’t be shaken off!

　　Blame Liu Bei? Sure! When Liu Bei entered Sichuan, he spent a year attacking the small county of Luo City, defended by Liu Zhang’s son Liu Xun, and still couldn’t take it, even losing Pang Tong! He had to transfer Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Zhuge Liang from Jingzhou to reinforce him, greatly weakening Jingzhou’s defenses. It wasn’t that Liu Xun was so formidable, but that he was so scared he could only cower, and somehow managed to cower effectively! Also, Liu Bei never gave Lady Mi a posthumous title, which probably messed with his brother-in-law’s mindset.

　　But who dares to blame the leader? In the end, even if there were a course called “Blame-Shifting 101,” it would be hard to solve this problem.

　　Little William was getting impatient: “What’s wrong? Afraid to say the wrong thing and offend someone? Is that loyalty and righteousness?”