The cover of The Deer and the Cauldron: The Best Under Heaven, Starting in Yangzhou, is edged with the sharpness of someone rising from the streets and the bold spirit of the martial world.
The backdrop is Yangzhou's bustling harbor. The sunset's golden-red light spreads across the river, where several black-canopied boats lie at anchor on the shimmering water, their masts crisscrossing the sky. The taverns and teahouses along the banks are alive with voices, their banners snapping in the evening breeze. One can almost hear a storyteller holding forth and drinkers chattering, filling the scene with the warmth and vitality of everyday life.
At the center of the image, Wei Xiaobao wears a fitted outfit that looks sharper than the clothes of an ordinary street lad. A dark blue tunic is layered beneath a well-worn, brown cloak, with a dagger and money pouch at his waist. He strides lightly across the harbor's stone paving. His face wears his usual clever smile, but his eyes are keener and more resolute than before, as if he is setting out from the familiar land of Yangzhou toward a wider world. A bundle is slung across his shoulder, seemingly containing the essentials for his adventures, as well as the beginning of the legend he is about to write.
The warm gold of the sunset mingles with the river's glittering reflections. The harbor's slate gray, the tavern banners' vivid red, and the subdued tones of Wei Xiaobao's clothes complement one another. The scene retains the everyday character of Yangzhou while revealing the ambition and sharp spirit of one destined to be the best under heaven, filling the whole image with dramatic tension.
