Xiao Feng and Yelu Ji become sworn brothers after a confrontation that turns on Xiao Feng’s refusal to make a defeated opponent either a captive or a corpse. Their bond, sealed by a ceremony with three arrows, joins two Khitan men across differences in rank and circumstance; it also becomes a personal stake in the political upheaval that follows. For Xiao Feng, the encounter offers a rare friendship at a time when his life in the Central Plains has been broken apart, while Yelu Ji’s invitation to return to Liao cannot persuade him to abandon his independent life among the Jurchen.

The Duel and the Decision to Spare

Yelu Ji first appears as the red-robed commander of Khitan forces pursuing Jurchen hunters. In the clash, Xiao Feng tries to avoid killing his own people even as he helps the Jurchen withdraw. Later, with Yelu Ji in his power, Xiao Feng refuses to accept the captive’s proposed ransom as the measure of their encounter. When Yelu Ji will not disclose his official position, Xiao Feng challenges him; but rather than execute him or take him back as a valuable prisoner, he rides away with him and offers him weapons for a renewed fight.

The challenge proves to be a test of conduct as much as strength. Xiao Feng is the more powerful fighter, but he recognizes Yelu Ji’s willingness to face death without surrendering his dignity. He declares that he respects brave men and will treat Yelu Ji as a friend, then releases him to return home safely. Yelu Ji initially offers to increase the ransom tenfold, misunderstanding the gesture as a transaction. Xiao Feng rejects the offer: friendship, rather than material wealth, is the point of the release.

The Brotherhood Ceremony

Yelu Ji responds by dismounting, laying down his weapons, and bowing in gratitude. Xiao Feng kneels and returns the salute, insisting that he does not accept a friend’s worship. Yelu Ji then asks to become his sworn brother. Xiao Feng agrees and gives his age as thirty-one; Yelu Ji says he is thirteen years older, establishing himself as the elder brother.

Their pledge is made with a compact, distinctive rite: each inserts three arrows into the ground, sets fire to their feathered ends as incense, and together they bow eight times to Heaven. The ceremony transforms an encounter between adversaries into a chosen kinship. Its reciprocity matters: Xiao Feng does not simply pardon a defeated man, but meets Yelu Ji’s gratitude with the same courtesy and accepts the relationship Yelu Ji proposes.

Shared Khitan Identity, Different Allegiances

Yelu Ji remarks that Xiao Feng’s surname may resemble those of the Khitan people. Xiao Feng answers by disclosing that he is Khitan and opens his robe to show the green wolf-head tattoo on his chest. The revelation gives the new brotherhood an ethnic connection, but it does not erase the differences in their lives. Yelu Ji welcomes Xiao Feng as a descendant of an earlier generation of their people and invites him to return with him to the Liao capital, where they could share its wealth.

Xiao Feng declines. He says that a rich life does not suit him and that he is content to hunt and drink with the Jurchen. He has also been separated from A'Zi for some time and is concerned about her injuries, so he urges Yelu Ji to return promptly to his family and subordinates. The brothers part after exchanging courtesies, with the bond affirmed but their immediate paths still distinct: Yelu Ji returns toward Liao, while Xiao Feng remains with the Jurchen.

The Bond in the Liao Succession Crisis

When Xiao Feng returns, Yelu Ji’s conduct has left a clear impression on the Jurchen leader AguDa. AguDa had feared that the red-robed commander might have tricked Xiao Feng, and had brought men to assist him. After Xiao Feng explains that he released Yelu Ji, AguDa admires his generosity and his preference for personal ties over material gain. The episode thus establishes the brotherhood not only as a private pledge, but also as a visible expression of Xiao Feng’s character to those around him.

Yelu Ji’s family later stands at the center of a threat to Liao’s ruler, YeLu HongJi. His father, YeLu ZhongYuan, is the emperor’s uncle and the empire’s supreme military commander; Yelu Ji’s brother, YeLu NieLuGu, holds the title of Prince of Chu and commands the Southern Chancellery. The succession background makes the danger more than a dispute between individuals: after YeLu LongXu had designated his elder son YeLu ZongZhen to succeed him, their mother favored YeLu ZhongYuan, but ZhongYuan supported his brother instead. YeLu ZongZhen later made ZhongYuan next in succession, yet the throne passed to YeLu HongJi after ZongZhen’s death. HongJi in turn elevated his uncle and empowered his cousin, leaving the family’s claims and military offices intertwined.

When a scout reports that YeLu NieLuGu has proclaimed his father emperor and branded YeLu HongJi a false ruler, the old succession history acquires immediate force. The rebellion threatens Xiao Feng’s sworn brother through the authority of Yelu Ji’s father and brother, and makes Xiao Feng’s promise of friendship consequential beyond the moment in which it was made. The account presents their brotherhood as a personal bond formed across a battlefield, now set within a political conflict in which kinship, loyalty, and imperial succession overlap.