Chapter 60

Liáng Miào seemed to have anticipated Huányuǎn’s sudden departure; she was not at all surprised.

She asked Liáng Xiào to invite Tú Huā’ér, and had Tú Huā’ér accompany her to the market to deliver the woven silk to the Dīng family’s shop. Tempted by a piece of double-sided brocade, Tú Huā’ér happily agreed. She borrowed a cart and accompanied Liáng Miào on four or five trips back and forth, without a single complaint.

It had to be said that although Tú Huā’ér was not exactly gentle, she inherited her mother Shī Áun’s capability and was a capable woman who could manage a household. Sometimes, Liáng Xiào even thought that if he could settle down as a farmer, marrying Tú Huā’ér would actually be quite nice. A woman three years older, like a golden brick in your arms.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to deliver goods to the market, Liáng Miào gradually transported the valuables from her home to the Dīng family’s place. The money she had saved over the years was less than half of what Liú Líng had given her, showing that the idea of getting rich through hard work was indeed not very reliable.

As night fell, Liáng Miào took one last look at the house she had lived in for over a decade, a hint of reluctance in her eyes. However, this sadness quickly disappeared. She took out a set of slightly old clothes and said to Tú Huā’ér, "Huā’ér, you’ve worked hard for two days and even dirtied your clothes. This set of clothes is what Auntie usually wears. If you don’t mind, you can change into them."

Liáng Miào was a respected figure in Qīngyún Village. She raised her son alone with her weaving skills and even cultivated him into a young scholar. Although she didn’t have much silk or brocade, her taste was excellent, and the clothes she made were often envied by the women in the neighborhood. Although this set of clothes was a bit old, it had no patches and was still very attractive to Tú Huā’ér. Without a word, Tú Huā’ér happily went into the room, took off her dirty clothes, and put on the new ones.

While Tú Huā’ér was admiring herself, Liáng Miào quietly handed her dirty clothes to Lǐ Róngqīng. Tú Huā’ér had originally wanted to take the old clothes with her, but she was distracted by the double-sided brocade Liáng Miào gave her. Seeing the brocade as beautiful as clouds, Tú Huā’ér was so captivated that she forgot about her old clothes.

After sending Tú Huā’ér away, Liáng Miào had Lǐ Róngqīng put on Tú Huā’ér’s old clothes and left the house. In the dim twilight, it was impossible to see faces from a distance. No one would have thought that the person accompanying Liáng Miào was not Tú Huā’ér but Lǐ Róngqīng.

Liáng Xiào did not leave. According to the plan, he was to stay at home and leave after it got dark.

Watching Liáng Miào’s calm and composed back, Liáng Xiào sighed inwardly. "My dear mother, what kind of divine being are you? You are so capable, I, as your son, feel a lot of pressure."

...

As night fell and the first watch was struck, Tú Niú’ér pushed the door open, excitedly saying, "Xiào, let’s go."

Liáng Xiào looked Tú Niú’ér up and down. "Niú’ér, why are you... fatter?"

"Not fatter, I’m wearing armor." Tú Niú’ér proudly pulled open his shirt, revealing rectangular armor plates. It looked like the common lamellar armor used by the Han army. The plates were a bit old but made of bronze, which was not cheap.

"When did you buy it?"

"I can’t afford it." Tú Niú’ér closed his shirt. "I stole it from Wáng Lǐzhèng. I’ve been eyeing this armor for years but never had the chance to get it. I just got him drunk with the wine my father prepared for the ancestral rites and stole the armor. Look, I also have a sword and a shield."

Tú Niú’ér took out the sword and shield from the large bundle and proudly showed them to Liáng Xiào. Seeing Tú Niú’ér’s smug face, Liáng Xiào was speechless. This guy’s nerves were really thick; before leaving home, he even managed to do some mischief, robbing Wáng Fèngshì.

"Alright, let’s go." Liáng Xiào threw two quivers of arrows to Tú Niú’ér and put one on his back. To practice archery, he had made 150 arrows under Huányuǎn’s guidance, each one carefully crafted by his hands. "You go openly, I’ll go in secret. First, we need to eliminate the hidden spies."

"Alright." Tú Niú’ér responded, striding out confidently. Liáng Xiào followed closely behind. At the gate, he heard Wáng Fèngshì’s loud snoring and smelled the strong smell of alcohol. It seemed Tú Niú’ér had really gone all out, getting old Wáng so drunk that he vomited.

Tú Niú’ér walked out of the gate with long strides, but Liáng Xiào remained hidden behind the gate, not moving. He held his bow in his left hand and three arrows in his right, one on the string and two between his fingers. This allowed him to save time when shooting continuously, increasing his speed. He had spent a lot of time and effort mastering this technique.

Liáng Xiào listened carefully. On the street outside, apart from Tú Niú’ér’s footsteps, there was no one else. He stuck to the wall, walked out of the gate, and quietly followed. When Tú Niú’ér passed between two walls, he saw a suspicious figure peeking out, looking around furtively.

Without hesitation, Liáng Xiào quickened his pace and approached quickly.

The man heard the footsteps, turned around, and saw Liáng Xiào running with a bow and arrow. He was startled and tried to run. Liáng Xiào suddenly stopped, drew his bow, and shot three arrows in quick succession.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" The three bamboo arrows whistled through the air.

The man dodged the first arrow but couldn’t avoid the other two. One hit his thigh, and the other hit his back. He stumbled and fell, looking back in terror.

Thirty steps away, Liáng Xiào drew his bow again and shot a steady arrow.

This arrow pierced the throat of the hidden spy. The spy, hit by the arrow, fell backward.

Liáng Xiào rushed over, cautiously approached, and confirmed that the man was dead. He then bent down, pulled a short knife from the man’s waist, picked up the spent arrow, and ran to catch up with Tú Niú’ér.

Over the past two days, he had not been idle. He had already figured out the situation around and knew that the Hú family had only arranged one hidden spy here. Clearly, the Hú family was not bold enough to openly kill in the city; this spy was just there to monitor Liáng Xiào and prevent him from escaping.

It was Liáng Xiào’s first time killing someone, and his heart was racing. However, he didn’t have time to think much. After catching up with Tú Niú’ér, the two of them ran out of the city through the west gate, turned north, and ran for three li, stopping at a crossroads outside the north gate.

Liáng Xiào pointed to a patch of wild grass. "Niú’ér, hide here. Remember, unless I give the order, even if someone steps on you, you must not move."

"Alright." Tú Niú’ér agreed, looked around, and crawled into the grass.

Liáng Xiào slung his bow over his shoulder and climbed a large tree with lush branches that shaded half the road. He hid behind a thick branch, took two deep breaths, and tried to calm his racing heart from the run. From his vantage point, he could see the battlefield clearly and also spot Tú Niú’ér hiding in the grass.

Tú Niú’ér remained motionless, like a rock. Liáng Xiào couldn’t help but admire him. Zhōnglí Qī, though brutal, was an excellent teacher. In just a few months, he had trained Tú Niú’ér so well, befitting a veteran of many battles.

Unfortunately, their teacher-student relationship was too short-lived. He wanted to sell his skills to Emperor Wu of Han, but Huányuǎn was determined to serve the fallen Wu Kingdom. They had to serve different masters, and he hoped they would never have to face each other on the battlefield, as that would be too cruel.

While thinking, Liáng Xiào drew the short knife and took out a small leather pouch, using the arrowhead to pick out some ointment and smear it on the blade.

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