Chapter 16

Tuniu was beaten to a pulp. One side of his face was swollen, round and puffy like a pig's bladder, with a deformed footprint on it. His left eye was swollen to a slit, his mouth was bleeding, and he was speaking with a lisp. Only one of his front teeth remained, and his body was covered in mud mixed with grass juice. His clothes were torn open in a large gash.

Seeing Tuniu in this state, Liang Xiao was taken aback. How could he have lost so badly in such a short time? Tuniu wasn't a pushover; this guy had incredible strength and had knocked out countless opponents with his turtle fist technique. What happened today?

"Ao Xiao, stop looking," Tuniu said, tears welling up in his eyes. "I met a real expert today."

Liang Xiao turned his gaze to the real expert. Lisheng stood with his hands behind his back, his face calm and composed, not a single hair out of place. Seeing Liang Xiao looking at him, he smiled. "He's not bad, and the ambush location was well chosen, but the commotion was too loud, making it hard to go unnoticed."

"Do you really need to be so brutal?"

"I didn't go easy on him, or he wouldn't be standing now," Lisheng paused and added, "Your little tricks didn't scare me. I have no reason to take your lives."

Liang Xiao felt a chill run down his spine. Good grief, this guy is a real killer, talking about murder so casually.

Lisheng ignored him and turned to bow to Huan Jun. Huan Jun, leaning on a cane, slowly moved forward, with Lisheng following closely behind. After walking a dozen steps, Huan Jun suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Liang Xiao, an archer needs a strong bodyguard. This kid is a good candidate. With a bit of training, he can be worth ten men."

Liang Xiao was taken aback and hadn't even reacted when Tuniu scrambled forward, fell to the ground in front of Lisheng, and started kowtowing repeatedly. Lisheng ignored him, and Huan Jun didn't look at him either, his single eye fixed on Liang Xiao.

Liang Xiao sighed helplessly. They're ganging up on me, trying to win me over indirectly by using Tuniu as a breakthrough. Tuniu, you idiot, you didn't even ask who this expert is before bowing down. You're really a pig of a teammate.

Liang Xiao walked over, looked at Tuniu, who was kowtowing like a worm, and then at Huan Jun, who was smiling. He blinked in a dazed manner. "He's already fifteen, can he still be trained?"

"He has good potential, there's still hope," Huan Jun said, looking at Tuniu approvingly, as if inspecting a fine horse. "But if we wait a few more years, his bones will be fully formed, and it will be too late."

Hearing this, Tuniu kowtowed even harder, banging his head on the ground, determined to die if he couldn't become a disciple. Liang Xiao felt a pang of discomfort. This guy is really a pain! He sighed inwardly and bowed to Huan Jun. "Then please, Huan Jun, guide him."

"Aren't you afraid we'll drag you down?" Huan Jun said with a half-smile. "We're not exactly good people, we're quite dangerous. You should probably keep your distance."

Liang Xiao turned to where he had been hiding, feeling shocked. "You... heard that?"

Huan Jun didn't speak, but Lisheng snorted. "If I couldn't hear that close, I wouldn't be a sound archer."

A sound archer? Liang Xiao turned to Huan Jun, his lips moving but no words coming out. He had heard Huan Jun mention sound archers before but didn't know what it meant. Now, hearing Lisheng's explanation, he had a rough idea. They could hear from such a distance, even if they weren't deliberately speaking softly. Huan Jun's hearing was truly exceptional.

...

In the midst of the desolate graves, Tuniu bowed to Lisheng—Zhongli Qi—and formally became his disciple.

After agreeing on the time for training, Huan Jun, accompanied by Zhongli Qi, slowly walked away. Despite his broken leg, he held his back straight, his head held high, like a victorious general. Zhongli Qi followed closely behind, like a loyal guard, never leaving his side, ready to die for him.

"Ouch—" Tuniu, touching his forehead, which was a mix of blood and mud, said happily, "Ao Xiao, thank you. This beating wasn't in vain. I've found such an awesome master, and he didn't even ask for any fees. Ha, I've really hit the jackpot."

"You're an idiot," Liang Xiao glared at him. "When someone is overly friendly, it's usually up to no good. I have a bad feeling about them. Niu'er, do you want to think it over again?"

"Think over what?" Tuniu glared back, a bit agitated. "I don't want to be like my father, a farmer all my life. A man must achieve wealth and honor or die trying. For people like us, without family background, not taking risks means no hope. Ao Xiao, don't hesitate. Let's train together and join the army. Like the High Ancestor Emperor, we'll wield our swords and carve out our own wealth."

Liang Xiao sighed inwardly. Although Tuniu's words were incoherent, they made sense. For people like them, if they didn't take risks, they would never have a chance to succeed, even if they wanted to be farmers. The Tu family had been selling their land bit by bit.

Wealth comes with risk. This saying was more a reflection of helplessness than bravery. There were no other choices. Tuniu was like this, and so was Liang Xiao. Knowing that these two were up to no good, he had no choice but to accept it.

"Alright, let's train together and join the army," Liang Xiao gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

...

Gulang City was in sight, and Huan Jun stopped.

"Go back first."

"Understood." Zhongli Qi bowed and turned to leave.

"Take care of the match tomorrow."

Zhongli Qi paused and smiled. "Is the general worried?"

"If it were a one-on-one fight, I wouldn't be concerned. But a tiger can't fight a pack of wolves. The Hu family is wealthy, and their followers might include wandering knights. Liang Xiao's archery skills are still rough. If there's a conflict and he meets a skilled opponent, he might not be able to protect himself. Help me keep an eye on him, don't let anyone hurt him."

Zhongli Qi frowned. "General, I don't understand why you are so concerned about this young man. From what I see, he seems hesitant and may not be fully committed to you. What if in the future..."

"I have my reasons," Huan Jun glanced at Zhongli Qi, paused, and continued, "Fear before action and careful planning lead to success. Only such people are true warriors and have the potential to become great generals. To achieve great wealth, we need such people."

Zhongli Qi smiled. "If that's true, then I'm relieved."

"Good, for now, I'll leave this to you. I have to go out for a while, no more than ten days, no less than a hundred. By then, Liang Xiao will have a solid foundation, and I can teach him archery."

"General, rest assured. In a hundred days, I will present you with two raw gems that have been polished."

"Be gentle," Huan Jun glanced at Zhongli Qi. "We're not in the army now, and we don't have many people to work with. Haste makes waste. Fine jade requires careful polishing, and good material needs patient training. If you rush and ruin them, I won't forgive you."

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