Chapter 9

On the way, to guard against any unexpected incidents, Afei's left hand tightly gripped the old bow, while a quail feather arrow was hidden in the bundle, with just a bit of the feather showing. With a slight bend of his right hand, he could draw it out. His self-taught archery skills were certainly not impressive, but in terms of rapid shooting (though using a weak bow and with no guarantee of accuracy), he had勉强reached the level of a second-rate expert.

So, he had a chance to draw the arrow, half-draw the bow, and give the leading charging dog a fierce shot right in the face. But just as his right hand touched the feather, he suddenly hesitated—“These are the Shi family's dogs, not stray dogs. If I hurt them, this powerful family could easily kill me on the spot for a dog...”

Just this hesitation was enough for the charging dog to pounce on his chest, knocking him backward. He immediately felt a slight sting and intense warmth and moisture on his neck, and soon the same sensation spread to his shoulders, arms, thighs, and buttocks...

“Damn, they're going to tear me apart!” He was filled with boundless fear but his whole body was stiff, not daring to move.

Not long after, a rough voice like a thunderclap sounded in his ear: “Where did you come from, little thief, daring to scout our manor?!”

“I'm not a thief!” Afei hurriedly shouted, “I'm here to find Young Master Shi, and I have a token from him in my bundle!”

“Token?” The voice barked a few times, and the warmth all over his body instantly disappeared, leaving only the moisture and stinging. Afei struggled to get up, but a glance revealed a cold, gleaming ring-headed broadsword lying in front of him, less than two centimeters from his neck...

He could only lie on the ground and fumble, finally pulling out the bamboo slip given to him by Young Master Shi, holding it with both hands and offering it to the man. At this moment, he had a chance to observe the man, who was tall and burly, with a black face like charcoal, eyes round like copper bells, and a beard that stood up like needles—“Damn, this guy could play the role of Zhang San with perfect image!”

The man held the broadsword in his right hand, took the bamboo slip with his left, and under the dim sunset, examined it carefully for a long time. “That...” Afei boldly reminded him, “You’re holding it upside down...”

“So what if I’m holding it upside down?!” The man glared with his huge copper bell eyes, “I can’t read anyway!”

—Damn, you’re still making excuses for not being able to read? You stared at it for so long...

Later, he learned that this man had a rather obscure surname, Lun, and a single name that was incredibly frustrating, “Jia”... He was a loyal slave of the Shi family for generations.

Lun threw a hemp rope, instructing Afei to tie his hands behind his back, wrapping them several times. Then, with the broadsword in hand, he led Afei, under the watchful eyes of two rows of fierce dogs, into the Shi family manor.

Afei was forced to spend the night curled up in the woodshed because, it was said, Lun’s master and young master were having dinner, and after dinner, they had to settle accounts, and after settling accounts, they had to bathe, and after bathing, they had to sleep, so they had no time to deal with him today.

It wasn’t until the next day, nearly noon, that Afei, hungry and with wet legs from being tied up, finally met Shi Xun. At that moment, he mobilized all his acting talent from two lifetimes, kneeling before Shi Xun, bowing his head like a pestle, and sobbing as he recounted how his family had been destroyed, and he no longer sought the 150 coins, only wishing to sell himself into slavery to the Shi family to eke out a living.

Shi Xun pinched his nose and waved his hand: “First, take him down and give him a good wash, change his clothes, and then bring him to see me.”

So, Afei was surrounded by Lun and several other men surnamed Lun, stripped naked, and doused with several buckets of cold water, scrubbed thoroughly with a brush used for horses and donkeys. After the washing, a few large, rough hemp clothes were thrown onto his face, and the terrified Afei finally released his hands from covering his anus...

Shi Xun “summoned” Afei in the vast threshing field. The first thing he said was: “What books did you read in your dream?”

Afei, who had anticipated being asked such questions, had already prepared his answers. He immediately knelt down and replied: “There was the Analects, Sun Wu, Mencius, and the Book of Songs. I can only remember a few passages. The old man sighed and said, ‘Your talent is insufficient, and you are of no use. I will let you go. If you encounter a noble person in the future, serve them well.’ Then I woke up, and I forgot most of what I remembered...”

Much later, Afei, who had thoroughly won Shi Xun’s trust, realized how clever and valuable his response had been. It turned out that while he was being beaten and scrubbed by several men, Shi Xun had reported the matter to his father, Shi Yi. After a moment of thought, Shi Yi replied, “This boy has had an extraordinary encounter and will surely become a great man in the future. Unfortunately, he is a barbarian, and all the barbarians who have troubled China have such divine legends. It’s better to kill him.”

Shi Xun intervened, saying, “Dreams are illusions. Let me thoroughly question him first to determine the truth before you kill him.”

Fortunately, Afei had already thought through the dangers during his journey. The big lie he had fabricated was out of necessity, and since he had time, he needed to fill in all the details to avoid any unexpected issues. So he first said he hadn’t learned much, then fabricated the “encountering a noble person” and “serving them well” to try to put the “noble person” hat on Shi Xun. In the few days of contact in the county, he had already seen that Young Master Shi Xun was highly self-regarding and ambitious, and would likely enjoy this grand hat.

Sure enough, when Shi Xun heard his words, he immediately dismissed the idea of killing him. But Shi Xun still had doubts and asked, “Do you remember anything? Recite it for me—let’s start with the Analects.”

Afei recited without hesitation: “To study and regularly practice what is learned, is this not a pleasure? To have friends come from afar, is this not a joy? To be patient and kind when others do not understand, is this not the mark of a gentleman?”

“Just the beginning?”

“Um, and... ‘If I examine myself and find I am in the right, I will face a multitude of enemies without fear...’”

“What about Sun Wu?”

“Sun Tzu said: War is a matter of deception... No, it should be: War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death, a road to survival or ruin, and must be thoroughly examined...”

“You only remember the beginning! What about Mencius?”

“Mencius met Duke Hui of Liang. The duke said, ‘Old man, you have come from afar, surely you have something to benefit my country...’”

“What about the Book of Songs?”

“Guan guan the turtledove, on the riverbank, the graceful lady, the gentleman’s ideal mate...”

“How many characters do you recognize?”

“Not having reviewed for years, I can only remember about twenty or thirty.”

Shi Xun threw him a branch: “Write them for me to see.”

Afei made a great show of deep thought, then picked up the branch with the gesture of holding a pencil and wrote a “one” on the ground. After some thought, he added a horizontal stroke above the “one,” then another below, and finally added a “person” after the “three”—“I might recognize them if I see them, but I can’t remember them if I don’t...”

Shi Xun couldn’t help but laugh, patting his shoulder: “Alright, from now on, you will follow me.”

Thus, after signing the indenture and pressing his fingerprint, Afei became Shi Xun’s man. From then on, no matter whether Shi Xun wanted him to go east or west, to live or die, or even to offer his anus, theoretically, he had no right to refuse—fortunately, at this stage, Shi Xun’s sexual orientation was still normal.

Afei thus remained as a slave in the Shi family. It should be acknowledged that although he had no personal freedom and had to be on alert 24 hours a day, waiting for his master’s orders and doing his best to complete them, his master had not yet given him any orders beyond his capabilities or moral底线. Compared to the life in the poor valley, his life was much more fulfilling. Although the house was simple, it had four walls, and the food, though coarse, was enough to keep him half full.

Especially, Shi Xun often took him and the Lun family men out to hunt in the nearby mountains and forests, giving him the opportunity to pick up a few bones the young master hadn’t finished gnawing or to scoop a bowl of the young master’s leftover meat broth to warm himself. To assist the young master in hunting, Afei finally had a decent hunting bow—made of orange wood, with cow horns on the inside, cow tendons on the outside, coated with lacquer, and strung with deer tendons. He also frequently received arrows with copper tips, reed shafts, and wild duck feathers.

Because he was young and weak, Afei’s bow had a draw weight of less than half a stone. The bows used by the Lun family were much stronger, and according to their boasts, they were nearly three stones—Afei couldn’t even draw them, so he had no way to test them and had to let the Lun family talk.

However, after multiple hunting trips with Shi Xun and being allowed to practice archery in the courtyard during his free time, Afei’s accuracy improved significantly. He could hit a fixed target the size of a water jar at thirty steps with nine out of ten shots, a slow-moving target with five out of ten shots, and a fast-moving target with one out of ten shots. Instantaneous targets, of course, were impossible to hit...

In addition, Afei practiced martial arts with the Lun family men in his free time. It must be admitted that although his body had grown up in hunger, his bones were quite tough. With sufficient carbohydrates, his strength quickly increased. Combined with his understanding and insight from another life, in just half a year, he had learned the eighteen martial arts, each—loosely.

Loosely learning the martial arts was normal because the Lun family men relied entirely on their strength and fierce moves. If they were to be truly tested in martial arts, they probably wouldn’t be as good as the street performers in Cangzhou, let alone the weakest ones. But Afei, following them, could at least wield various infantry weapons, long and short, bladed and pointed, and could easily defeat one or two injured soldiers. According to the Lun family, if he practiced for a few more years and reached adulthood, he could serve as a soldier in the front lines.

Thus, in the Shi family manor, Afei finally lived to the age of sixteen—by the Chinese age system, he was actually fifteen.

———————————I am a serious dividing line——————————

Up to this chapter, it can be said that the opening has ended, and the groundwork has been laid. The subsequent plot will flow like a river, pouring out for a thousand miles. So... please favorite and recommend!

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