Di Lu was Liu Bei's horse, acquired while he was staying with Liu Biao in Jingzhou. Upon receiving the horse, Liu Biao was informed of a curse on it, claiming it would one day bring misfortune to its rider. At Cai Mao's recommendation, Liu Biao gifted the horse to Liu Bei. When Liu Bei later heard of the curse, he responded that he could never pass such a horse to an enemy just to bring them bad luck.

Later, during a banquet with ill intent from Cai Mao, Liu Bei was forced to flee alone on Di Lu. Cai Mao pursued him with a score of men. Eventually, Liu Bei found himself driven into a river, with the horse seemingly trapped. Just as the men prepared to fire their bows, Di Lu made a miraculous leap to the cliff on the other side, saving Liu Bei.

The curse finally took effect many years later during Liu Bei's campaign in Yizhou. When Pang Tong's horse was spooked by a bird, Liu Bei lent him his prized steed, Di Lu. Unfortunately, as Pang Tong rode the horse through a valley, he was mistaken for Liu Bei and became the focus of an ambush. Archers targeted the man on the white horse, and Pang Tong tragically met his end in the Valley of the Fallen Phoenix, ambushed by Zhang Ren's forces.