Chapter 36

The morning light filtered through the door crack, illuminating Liang Xiao's smooth and taut skin, lingering there.

Liang Xiao stood bare-chested, wearing only a large pair of Han-style underpants—legendary ox-nose pants, but without any innerwear. The rough hemp fabric rubbed directly against his skin, giving a rather hard sensation. Especially in the early morning, when the yang energy was abundant, it felt quite uncomfortable.

Every day, he would rise at the cock's crow and practice drawing the bow for an hour in the darkness. This had become his daily routine. Huan Jun said that although Liang Xiao's foundation was just beginning to form and was not yet solid, he still needed more practice to avoid becoming rusty. After holding the bow, he might move differently due to the different sensations, so he needed to pay constant attention.

The reason for using a particularly soft bamboo bow for practice was to prevent the use of brute force due to the bow being too hard. So far, Liang Xiao had not yet truly entered the stage of archery practice; he was only practicing the movements. He needed to make the correct movements instinctive to achieve success. At that point, he would no longer need to pay attention to whether his movements were up to standard, and he could act freely without breaking the rules.

These were Huan Jun's exact words. From the golden phrases that Huan Jun casually uttered, Liang Xiao was certain that he was far more than just a simple warrior.

Liang Xiao opened the door, picked up the broom, and began to sweep the courtyard. He carefully cleaned both the front and back courtyards, sprinkled water, and then carried his toiletries to the front of the western room, bowed, and knocked on the door.

"Master, are you up?"

"Come in." Huan Jun's voice came from inside the room.

Liang Xiao pushed open the door and saw Huan Jun sitting on the bed, facing east. As soon as the door opened, the golden sunlight shone on his face. Liang Xiao was surprised: "Master, you got up early?"

"Old age makes it hard to sleep, so I just sat for a while."

Liang Xiao glanced at Huan Jun's temples, which were already half-gray. He still didn't know how old Huan Jun was. From his physique, he looked like he was in his early forties, but from his face, he looked nearly sixty.

"When you draw the bow, adjust your breathing, but don't force it. Whether it's a thirty-pound bamboo bow or a three-stone strong bow, you should move naturally, using intention rather than force, to achieve mastery."

Liang Xiao nodded, then looked at Huan Jun in surprise. He lived in the eastern room of the back courtyard, while Huan Jun lived in the western room of the front courtyard, separated by two walls and about ten steps away. Could Huan Jun really hear his breathing?

Huan Jun laughed: "A sound archer has better hearing than eyesight."

Liang Xiao became excited: "Then... when will I have such good hearing?"

"When the heat in your arms flows along the outer side and reaches your ears, your hearing will improve. The longer you practice, the better your hearing will be."

"What is the best level of hearing?"

"The best hearers can hear the buzzing of mosquitoes and flies within a hundred paces. However, like the archer who can hit a willow leaf from a hundred paces, such hearing requires years of hard practice and natural talent, not everyone can achieve it. In my prime, I could only hear up to fifty or sixty paces."

Liang Xiao stuck out his tongue. Even fifty or sixty paces was quite impressive, considering the sound of a mosquito's wings. If it were human footsteps, wouldn't they be impossible to escape within a hundred paces? No wonder they were called sound archers, able to shoot by sound and hit by sound, they were the snipers of ancient times.

"How do you train your eyesight?"

"Training eyesight is different and I'm not quite sure about it."

The two talked for a while. Liang Xiao helped Huan Jun with his morning routine, had breakfast with him, and listened to some stories before practicing in the courtyard. Huan Jun half-closed the door and sat in the western room, doing something unknown. After finishing breakfast, Liang Miao went to the western room in the back courtyard to start her daily work.

The three of them each did their own thing, not interfering with each other, and the small courtyard was peaceful and harmonious until a half-grown boy with two buns on his head broke the silence.

"Ao Xiao, Ao Xiao, you have a distinguished guest again."

Liang Xiao put down the bamboo bow and glanced at the western room. The door, which had been half-closed, was now open. Liang Xiao smiled inwardly and felt relieved. Huan Jun's hearing was several times better than his; he probably heard the guest as soon as they entered the gate of Qingyunli and then closed the door.

Closing the door meant not seeing the guest, which meant refusing them. It seemed that Huan Jun, like himself, had no interest in the Prince of Huainan's household.

However, Liang Xiao could not simply refuse to see the guest. He first went to the back courtyard to inform his mother. He was not yet an adult and could not receive guests, but his mother, though a woman, could be the head of the household in the Han dynasty and could receive guests like a male head of the household.

More importantly, his mother was better at these things than he was.

When his mother was seated in the hall, the carriage outside stopped, and Hu Lai, dressed in brocade, knocked on the door.

The Liang family was not a large household, so there was no distinction between a main gate and a side gate. There were only two courtyards, and the guests standing outside could already be seen from the hall. Neighbors would usually enter directly, and Hu Lai's knocking was a matter of etiquette.

Liang Xiao hurriedly went to greet him, smiling and bowing. "How are you, Hu Jun? You look even darker."

Hu Lai raised his head, showing his large nostrils. "Traveling and visiting friends with Liu Jun, exposed to the wind and sun, how could I not be dark? Unlike you, who stays at home every day, I wonder what fine work you're doing."

Liang Xiao smiled slightly. Hu Lai's words were loaded with both pride in traveling with Liu Ling and disdain for Liang Xiao's reclusiveness. Hu Lai had suffered a loss at the Liang family's last time and then traveled with Liu Ling. However, he did not give up and, taking advantage of Liang Xiao's absence, had local youths invite him to archery ceremonies to embarrass him, but Liang Xiao always refused.

Under normal circumstances, this would be seen as Liang Xiao's inner fear, but with the spread of his words, "Those who aim at swans do not care about pheasants," everyone in Guangling knew about it. Liang Xiao's refusal took on a sense of pride and disdain. Moreover, his refusal of the Prince of Huainan's invitation made the people of Jiangdu admire his backbone and respect for his country, praising him highly.

Realizing that his plan had backfired and made Liang Xiao even more famous, Hu Lai was even more depressed, and he clashed with Liang Xiao as soon as they met.

Liang Xiao just smiled, a gentle, tolerant, and dismissive smile.

The more he smiled, the more depressed Hu Lai became. Feng Ji, seeing this from a distance, coughed. Hu Lai sighed, suppressing his anger, and said, "Liu Jun of Huainan is here to visit Huan Jun. Please inform him."

"Oh—" Liang Xiao exaggeratedly nodded, closed the door, and turned to go inside.

This was a custom of large households; ordinary people usually did not close their doors. But Liang Xiao closing the door was not impolite. Huan Jun had not agreed to see them, so the door should not be opened.

As soon as the door closed, Hu Lai, who had one foot inside, was startled and jumped back like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on, nearly colliding with Liu Ling's carriage. Feng Ji timely supported Hu Lai and gently patted him, signaling him not to fall for Liang Xiao's trick and lose his composure.

Hu Lai's breathing was heavy, and he gritted his teeth.

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