Chapter 6

"Really, I won the fight!" Zhao Jin hurriedly argued. Although it was a small matter, he was very dissatisfied that no one believed him despite his clear actions.

Seeing that his nephew did not seem to be lying, a smile appeared on Zhao Zhenxing's face. He patted Zhao Jin's forehead and asked gently, "Tell Uncle, how did you win?"

What was there to say about a fight between children? This was Zhao Jin's first reaction. However, he soon noticed that his uncle Zhao Zhenxing was very serious. Feeling curious, Zhao Jin still recounted the entire process.

Zhao Zhenxing listened very carefully. By the end, a look of understanding appeared on his face. He smiled and said, "The Chen family's single saber follows the route of Qi Jiguang's army. Chen Sheng should have started practicing from the age of five. To be defeated by you, one reason is that he lacks experience, and the other is that you rushed to his side for close combat, making it difficult for him to use his short stick. I think the next time you fight, you won't have such an advantage."

Even with Zhao Jin's level of historical knowledge, he had heard of Qi Jiguang's army, which was a famous military force in the Ming Dynasty. However, Qi Jiguang had no connection with Xuzhou City, so he didn't understand how the Chen family had any connection to him.

Zhao Zhenxing continued with a smile, "Chen Sheng's grandfather was a bodyguard for General Qi. Through this relationship, he obtained the position of inspector in Xuzhou. Their saber techniques are from the battlefield and are very practical."

At this point, Zhao Zhenxing shook his head and said to himself, "Why am I saying so much? You wouldn't understand anyway."

After a self-deprecating remark, Zhao Zhenxing asked Zhao Jin, "Xiao Jin, why did you come to see Uncle? Are you afraid of being scolded by your parents for fighting? Don't worry, Uncle will plead for you!"

Zhao Jin indeed didn't understand terms like "Qi Jiguang's bodyguard" and "inspector of Xuzhou," but he could see that his uncle Zhao Zhenxing was in a good mood. This was the best time to make a request.

Zhao Jin looked up at his uncle, trying to appear as serious as possible, and said, "Second Uncle, I want to learn martial arts!"

Children are still children. Even when they try to look serious, they appear cute to adults. Uncle Zhao Zhenxing couldn't help but laugh. Just as he was about to tease him, he realized what Zhao Jin had said and was taken aback. He asked, "Xiao Jin, you want to learn martial arts?"

Zhao Jin nodded vigorously. He knew that adults wouldn't take a child's request seriously, but at lunch, Zhao Zhenxing had sincerely suggested to his parents that he should learn martial arts. In his memory, Uncle Zhao Zhenxing had mentioned this more than once, but his parents had always disagreed. The former Zhao Jin was afraid of hard work and suffering, so he had never done it.

Zhao Zhenxing stared at Zhao Jin for a while. He found his nephew's expression very serious. Zhao Zhenxing's expression became more solemn, and he asked earnestly, "Xiao Jin, you were unwilling to practice martial arts before. Why do you want to learn now? Why?"

"I want to win fights!" Zhao Jin said loudly. He reacted quickly, and this reason was more acceptable. He couldn't say things like "I need to be strong, and the paths of studying and business are hard for me."

Uncle Zhao Zhenxing nodded slowly. The feeling of winning a fight is incomparable. His nephew used to be timid, but this time he won by chance, which might have sparked his interest in martial arts. A smile appeared on Zhao Zhenxing's face. He had always wanted his only nephew to learn martial arts but had never succeeded. His brother and sister-in-law were concerned about the child, and Zhao Jin himself was timid. Zhao Zhenxing had always been anxious about this.

He had traveled widely and had a broad perspective, more so than his brother and sister-in-law who had never left Xuzhou. He knew that as a male, one must have martial skills and the ability to protect oneself. Zhao Jin was not particularly smart and struggled in private school. His only path was to learn martial arts, but no one would listen, and the older the child, the harder it was to learn. Zhao Zhenxing had always been worried about this, but he never expected Zhao Jin to bring it up himself today.

The smile on Zhao Zhenxing's face grew wider. He patted Zhao Jin's thin shoulder and said, "As long as you follow Uncle and learn well, you will definitely win. But talking to Uncle won't do; your parents must agree. I'll go talk to them tonight. When they ask if you want to learn martial arts, what will you say, Xiao Jin?"

Zhao Jin understood this routine and immediately answered loudly, "I'll say I want to!"

Zhao Zhenxing smiled and nodded, then looked Zhao Jin up and down and said, "First, let's go to Uncle's room. I'll clean the dirt off you. Otherwise, you'll get scolded again when you go home!"

Zhao Jin felt relieved. His goal of learning martial arts was achieved. At lunch, his father Zhao Zhentang had said, "You have good martial skills," which he remembered clearly. To learn martial arts, one must find someone with real skills and who will teach earnestly. His steady Uncle Zhao Zhenxing was the best choice.

The former Zhao Jin was timid and had never dared to enter his uncle's room, even though he had called him to eat many times. The current Zhao Jin didn't care and followed Zhao Zhenxing to the side courtyard.

The place was not large. There was a kang (a heated bed) in the room, covered with a wolf skin rug. The window paper was yellowed but had no holes, making it very warm. Zhao Zhenxing asked Zhao Jin to sit for a moment while he fetched water.

Zhao Jin looked around. A few things caught his attention. A spear hung from the ceiling, about nine feet long. A bow was placed on a wooden box by the kang, with the bowstring removed. Two arrows were casually placed there. On the wall, instead of New Year paintings, two knives were hung.

These two knives were out of place in the room. One was over a foot long with a curved blade and a black leather scabbard. The scabbard had a circular emblem with a horizontal bar above and three black dots arranged in a triangle below, with a black symbol on a golden background. The black leather and golden emblem were faded, and the blade was old. The other knife was not as elaborate, without a scabbard, and the blade was covered with a bag. It was about four feet long, with a thick back and a square tip. The wooden handle was wrapped with cloth, which had some dark purple stains, looking like old blood.

The spear and bow were in the Han style, which the former Zhao Jin had seen many times in various settings. However, the short knife was clearly a Japanese tanto, a type of wakizashi, and the thick-backed, square-tipped knife was one he had seen in museums and folk villages, used by the Miao and Yao ethnic groups in the southwest.

How did his uncle have a Japanese tanto and a Yao knife? In this era, many people never left their hometowns, let alone have items from different regions. How did these knives, separated by thousands of miles, end up here? Could it be from pirates, but how did he get the Yao knife?

While he was thinking, Zhao Zhenxing walked in with a basin of water. The advantage of being a child is that one can ask questions without being blamed. Zhao Jin pointed to the two knives on the wall and asked curiously, "Uncle, what are these?"

Zhao Zhenxing glanced at them and said calmly, "The one with the black scabbard is a Japanese tanto, carried by military officers or servants. The other is a Yao knife, used by the guards of the chieftains in Guizhou."

"Uncle, how did you get these knives? Did you buy them?" Zhao Jin asked innocently, though a child would likely ask where Guizhou and Japan were and what a chieftain was, not this.

However, Zhao Jin's question clearly stirred Zhao Zhenxing's thoughts. He was about to pat the dust off Zhao Jin but stiffened at the question. Finally, he sighed and said solemnly, "They were war trophies from battles long ago."

War trophies? A single trophy might be understandable, but a Japanese tanto and a Yao knife wouldn't be found on the same battlefield. His uncle not only had good martial skills but also many stories.

Noticing that Zhao Zhenxing's mood had turned somber, Zhao Jin wisely did not ask further.

After cleaning the dust off Zhao Jin, Zhao Zhenxing began to wipe his clothes. His movements were very meticulous. Zhao Jin, who had never experienced such care from an elder in this life, became very quiet. However, he also noticed that Zhao Zhenxing's body was in poor condition. The simple act of wiping clothes seemed to cause him pain, making him clench his teeth.

Once everything was cleaned up, Zhao Zhenxing smiled again and said to Zhao Jin, "Xiao Jin, go home first and tell your mother that Uncle will come for dinner tonight."

Zhao Jin quickly agreed. Zhao Zhenxing added with a smile, "Don't mention learning martial arts yet. Wait until Uncle comes over."

Zhao Jin understood this approach and nodded vigorously in agreement.