The Grand Pontiff of the Three Kingdoms
He was a management graduate of the twenty-first century, returning from overseas studies, only to be swept by fate into the merchant household of the late Eastern Han. He struggled against destiny, achieving renown in his youth, his name echoing across the four corners of the world. He authored the Han Dynasty’s version of "The Wealth of Nations," becoming the founding father of modern economics in the second century. He established the Holy Mother Church, gathering millions of followers and rising as a formidable lord. He welcomed wise men from all quarters—Guo Jia, Xu Shu, Mao Jie, Xi Zhicai, Xun Yu, Xun You, Cheng Yu, Jia Xu, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong... The heroes of the realm assembled under his banner; elite generals such as Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, Wei Yan, Yu Jin, Xu Huang... all obeyed his command. Following in the footsteps of Guan Zhong, he brought the smoke-free battles of commerce into the struggles of warlords. He marched east and west, pacifying the Central Plains, his cavalry trampling the northern wilds, advancing south into Yangzhou, pressing west into the Jian Pavilion, unifying the world and claiming the imperial throne. He vanquished Goguryeo and the Three Han, conquered the vast deserts, invaded India, shattered Kucha, besieged Parthia, and fractured Rome—scattering the seeds of Chinese civilization everywhere. He was the great god-king, the illustrious pontiff whose fame resounded throughout the world.
The Grand Pontiff of the Three Kingdoms
My Comrades of the Sky Group
Some say that heaven, in its mysterious wisdom, will arrange for our destined companions to appear at our side, awaiting our acquaintance, our understanding, our affection, and perhaps even our love.
I once believed this with unwavering devotion. In the innocence of childhood and the vibrant bloom of youth, whether in classrooms or beside the lake, I entwined my fate with those inseparable classmates and childhood friends. We were thus bound together, growing from spiritual naivety to physical adulthood, and became lifelong companions.
Until one day... I grew up. My body shot up several inches after adolescence, and my eyes, after double eyelid surgery, widened half an inch beyond those of my childhood. Yet, this physical broadening of vision did not help me find the bonds heaven had sown among humankind. On the contrary, they grew ever more distant.
The city that nurtured me expanded day by day, but in its ever-changing splendor, it became ever more unfamiliar. The population swelled, but those with whom I could form true connections grew ever fewer.
I left home early for work and returned late. At dusk, standing before my building, I looked up in astonishment, realizing that after months of living there, I did not even know what color it was under daylight. Sharing an elevator with an older man and alighting on the same floor, I discovered he was my neighbor.
So, I ceased to believe in destiny. It is the castle in the sky of fairy tales, the mirage of reality—beautiful, yet insubstantial.
From then
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