Chapter 15

For a moment, Liang Xiao suddenly felt enlightened, and couldn't help but want to curse.

As far as he knew, there were no large family graveyards on the west slope of Jin Kui Mountain, only a patch of unclaimed graves, commonly known as a pauper's cemetery. Most of the graves there had no tombstones; a wooden stake was considered good, and many didn't even have that. Over time, it was impossible to know who was buried there.

Such graves were not even visited by mischievous boys like Liang Xiao and Tu Niu'er, because there was nothing valuable to be found.

The grave the prisoner had visited was one of these unclaimed graves. Liang Xiao remembered it because it was relatively large, looking like a communal burial site. The prisoner came to mourn—could it be his family grave?

Could the Huan Sheng he was looking for also be buried here? Liang Xiao thought maliciously. After discovering the suspicious stone, he had not continued searching for this Huan Sheng, and the prisoner, Huan Jun, had not asked about it again. Liang Xiao suspected that this Huan Sheng was likely dead long ago.

He thought this because the figure beside Huan Jun looked very much like the village head of Shi Li. The bowed legs were particularly noticeable. In Jiangdu, where horses were scarce, people with bowed legs were not common, especially at that age.

"This guy is dangerous," Liang Xiao began to worry. "Getting involved with people buried in a pauper's cemetery, is it wise?"

"Ao Xiao, what's wrong with you? Are you scared?" Tu Niu'er pulled a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, his face showing a mix of recklessness and contempt.

"You pig brain, you don't understand a thing," Liang Xiao scolded in a low voice. "Did you see those bowed legs? He's clearly the village head of Shi Li. They clearly know each other but deliberately made us look for Huan Sheng. Something's fishy. Shouldn't we keep our distance from such dangerous people?"

"Keep our distance?" Tu Niu'er's eyes widened. "Ao Xiao, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

"Can't you understand such a simple principle? You deserve to be scolded by your sister for being stupid."

"No," Tu Niu'er became agitated and tried to stand up. Liang Xiao grabbed him and pushed him back into the grass. "Keep it down. With your quick temper, do you want to be a spy?"

Tu Niu'er struggled, but at Liang Xiao's words, he immediately calmed down. He gently pushed Liang Xiao's hand away, lifted his head from the grass, spat out the mud in his mouth, and argued, "Ao Xiao, I think you're wrong. If you think they're not good people, you should report them. You won't be implicated and might even get a reward. If you sympathize with them, you should get closer. Why keep your distance? It's not easy to meet such skilled people, especially that village head. That kick... damn his ancestors, my butt still hurts when I think about it."

Liang Xiao was speechless. He felt Tu Niu'er was wrong but couldn't refute him. Logically, with someone like Huan Jun, one should either report them or get closer, not both. Not reporting and not getting closer made him seem... cowardly.

Am I a coward? Liang Xiao asked himself. He always thought he was brave, even a bit of a radical, but now, being contradicted by the reckless Tu Niu'er, he realized he wasn't as righteous as he thought. When faced with a situation, his first reaction was to hide. What else could that be but cowardice?

Liang Xiao's face felt hot, embarrassed.

Damn, am I just a big talker, all talk and no action?

No! Liang Xiao suddenly shivered, realizing the problem. Although he had become Liang Xiao, his thinking was still that of a 21st-century citizen. His so-called radicalism was just posting online; in real life, he had never encountered such a situation.

But Tu Niu'er was different. He was a true Han person. For him, acting on impulse wasn't just talk but a natural reaction. Facing someone like Huan Jun, one either reported them or admired them; there was no middle ground.

"Niuer, you... are right," Liang Xiao scratched his head, a strange emotion surging within him, his temples throbbing.

"That's better," Tu Niu'er smirked, got up, and crept away.

"Niuer, where are you going?" Liang Xiao called out in a low voice.

"That old guy kicked me last time, and I haven't avenged it. I'm going to beat him up and reclaim my dignity." With that, Tu Niu'er ran off. They had played in this area since childhood and knew the terrain well. Liang Xiao realized he was setting up an ambush.

Liang Xiao's heart raced. Tu Niu'er was strong and ruthless; he wondered if the village head would fall for it. What if he killed someone? Liang Xiao was worried and looked around, but after a while, he realized what he was doing and was startled.

"Looking for a place to bury someone?" a voice suddenly came from behind.

Liang Xiao was startled, jumped back, and assumed a defensive stance.

"Have you learned hand-to-hand combat?" Huan Jun looked at Liang Xiao in surprise. "Whose martial arts are these?"

Liang Xiao realized he had just turned into Huang Fei Hong. He chuckled, retracted his stance, and looked around but saw neither Tu Niu'er nor the village head. "Huan Jun, why are you here?"

"To mourn my family." Huan Jun looked around and then at the big tree. "What, are you planning to duel Hu Lai in the tree?"

Liang Xiao was startled. This guy, though one-eyed, had a sharp eye. How did he know?

"What do you think, Huan Jun?"

"If it's a one-on-one fight, it's not bad," Huan Jun leaned on his cane and walked around the tree. "But if the other side doesn't play fair and ganks you, you won't be able to escape. You'll get beaten up and might even be buried in a random grave."

Liang Xiao was shocked, realizing Huan Jun wasn't just talking. Fighting in the tree gave him an advantage, but if Hu Lai got angry and ganked him, he would be a target, with no place to run.

"In military strategy, this is called a 'dead ground,'" Huan Jun said calmly. "But dead ground doesn't mean certain death. There are many examples of turning a dead ground into a living one. In the past, the Overlord broke the pots and sank the boats, defeating the Qin army of 400,000 at the Battle of Julu. In the Battle of Jingxing, Han Xin set up an array with his back to the water and defeated the Zhao army, all examples of turning a dead ground into a living one."

Liang Xiao grinned. I just want to fight, do you have to be so serious and give me a military strategy lesson? He was about to speak when he heard Tu Niu'er's pig-like scream from a distance.

"Ao Xiao, save me—"

Liang Xiao was shocked and glared at Huan Jun. "Huan Jun, did you say all this just to hold me back?"

Huan Jun smiled. "The boy is slow, but not stupid."

---

---

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends