Chapter 47

Shugang is actually just a small hill. Liang Xiao spent two days bustling about, almost trampling every corner, but found no suitable terrain.

Liang Xiao was very frustrated, scratching his head so hard that dandruff flew like willow catkins. Usually, he wouldn't feel itchy even if he didn't wash his hair for months, but now he suddenly started paying attention to personal hygiene. The more he scratched, the itchier it got, and the itchier it got, the more he scratched. Finally, with no other choice, Liang Xiao took Tuniu to the canal to wash his head, and to clear his mind.

After washing their heads, the two of them, with wet hair, sat in the reed beds by the shore, chatting idly.

"Niuer, have you noticed that there are more people around these past two days?"

"Ah, really?" Tuniu looked bewildered. "I haven't noticed."

Liang Xiao sighed, feeling deep sympathy for Zhongli Qi. Tuniu was like a stubborn knot, no matter how much you beat him, he wouldn't understand. These past two days, people had been coming one after another to watch the trials, but Tuniu hadn't noticed at all, and it was unclear what his big cow eyes were looking at.

"Hey, who's that?" Tuniu saw something, sprang up, pushed aside the reeds, and looked into the distance. He turned his head and waved vigorously at Liang Xiao, his face full of excitement. "Xiao, Xiao, come quickly, come quickly, there's something to see."

Liang Xiao followed, crouched behind Tuniu, and immediately became excited as well.

In the dense reed beds, a young woman was squatting by the water, apparently just finished bathing. She was wearing only a single layer of cloth, which was half-wet and clung to her body, revealing her delicate curves, her slim waist, and her pear-shaped buttocks. Her long, black, shiny hair was half-draped over her shoulders, exposing her long, white neck. The contrast of black and white was like jade, smooth and clean.

She was twisting her body, wringing out her wet hair, like a swan turning to preen its feathers. Though her clothes were simple, she exuded youthful charm.

"Whose daughter is this, I've never seen her before."

"From Gao Yang Li in the west of the city." Tuniu's eyes were fixed, as if he wanted to swallow the woman whole. "I've seen her bathe before, just like this. Look at her waist, so elastic, you can tell it's very soft. Look at her hips, you can tell she can bear children."

"Pervert!" Liang Xiao glared at Tuniu with disdain, nudging him with his shoulder. "Move, I can't see."

Tuniu didn't argue, but moved aside with a happy smile. They had done this kind of thing many times before, often together. "Xiao, didn't you always say that young girls are prettier than older ones? Why are you suddenly changing your mind?"

"Did I say that?" Liang Xiao responded casually. "What's her name?"

"Seems to be surnamed Li, called Qing, a very strange name." Tuniu scratched his head. "Not like the girls from ordinary families."

As they were chatting, the woman seemed to hear something, turned her head, and saw the two disheveled boys in the reeds staring at her. She was so frightened that she leaped up, and the reeds shook wildly as she disappeared.

"Look, look." Tuniu was very disappointed, complaining, "Just look, why ask questions? Now she's scared away, and there's nothing to see."

Liang Xiao didn't say anything, but his eyes had a strange glint. He got up and ran to a higher place, searching the wild grass for any signs of someone passing by.

The woman's leap seemed familiar to him.

Tuniu ran over, saw Liang Xiao craning his neck, and laughed. "Do you really like to watch? In a few days, I'll let my sister wash for you to see. Though she's not as good as this woman, she's still worth looking at."

Liang Xiao didn't speak, but kicked Tuniu down directly.

...

Liang Xiao circled around Shugang, confirming that his judgment was correct. There were indeed more people on Shugang. Many of them, like him, were there to watch the trials, but they weren't interested in setting up camps and wanted to see the final hunt, so they came later.

The originally quiet Shugang became lively, like a collective outing for the city's young people. Liang Xiao's plan was completely foiled.

Liang Xiao was a bit depressed, especially when he saw Huan Yuan's teasing eyes. Because of his unfamiliarity with the trial process, he had worked hard for two days in vain.

Seeing Liang Xiao in a bad mood, Huan Yuan comforted him. "The situation on the battlefield changes in an instant. No one can plan without making mistakes, and no one can always have the upper hand. It's rare to be humble in victory, but it's even more valuable to be resilient in defeat."

Liang Xiao nodded, looking at the increasing number of tents on the hill and his own extremely simple shelter, feeling indignant.

This was clearly an unfair competition.

If he couldn't win by force, he had to win by wit. Liang Xiao propped his chin in his hand and started thinking. Huan Yuan, seeing him deep in thought, didn't say much and just stared into space.

Liang Xiao thought for a long time, until night fell and campfires were lit on the hillside. The loud laughter and the smell of meat and wine from Hu Lai and his group drifted over with the wind. He suddenly stood up and stretched.

"Niuer, let's go see Hu Lai."

Tuniu was roasting wild game, sucking the oil off his fingers, and asked, "What, are you going to use force in the end?"

"Yes, I want to see if you've improved after all the beatings from Uncle Zhongli, and if you can defeat Hu Lai."

"Defeat Hu Lai?" Tuniu rolled his eyes, not understanding Liang Xiao's words for a moment.

"Yes, he can challenge us, and we can challenge him. If he comes to us, we can go to him."

"Great!" Tuniu was delighted, handed the half-cooked wild game to Zhongli Qi, and sprang up, striding forward with confidence. Liang Xiao glanced at Huan Yuan, who smiled slightly but said nothing. Liang Xiao took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and walked with Tuniu toward Hu Lai's tent.

Zhongli Qi, flipping the wild game, said, "General, what does he plan to do, have Niuer injure Hu Lai?"

Huan Yuan said calmly, "It won't be that simple. Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought about it for so long."

...

Hu Lai was drinking and laughing with a group of young men. Seeing Liang Xiao and Tuniu approach, he was somewhat surprised.

These past few days, although they hadn't had direct contact, their hidden competition had been intense. He had sent assassins to follow Liang Xiao, and Liang Xiao had been roaming the mountain, preparing to dig a pit for him. At this critical moment, why was Liang Xiao coming to him? To seek peace?

Hu Lai laughed. If Liang Xiao was really coming to seek peace, it would be like offering him a dish to go with his wine, and he would definitely accept it. He wouldn't miss the chance to humiliate Liang Xiao.

"The reclusive scholar Liang, who refuses to come out of seclusion, comes uninvited. What brings you here?" Hu Lai said with a smile. "I haven't prepared a place for you. Why don't you eat with my servants?"

The young men laughed knowingly, loudly, as if afraid Hu Lai wouldn't hear their laughter.

Liang Xiao smiled slightly. "Nothing much, Niuer has a master now and has learned a few moves. He wants to spar with you to see if he's improved."

Hu Lai's face immediately darkened, turning to Tuniu. "You're challenging me?"

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