Chapter 8

Ma Chao really didn't want to leave, but he had to. When Yan Zhong left without looking back, it meant that Ma Chao had completed his apprenticeship, and Yan Zhong would no longer interfere. However, from now on, if Ma Chao gained a good reputation outside, Yan Zhong would also be honored as his teacher; similarly, if Ma Chao did something bad and became notorious, Yan Zhong would lose face, and people would think that the teacher had not taught his disciple well.

Ma Chao thought to himself, "I will never bring shame to my teacher." Despite Yan Zhong's seemingly indifferent attitude, Ma Chao knew deep down that his teacher was just as reluctant to see him go.

During the five years of study, Yan Zhong had been wholeheartedly devoted to Ma Chao. Yan Zhong had no children, so he treated Ma Chao like his own. Although Yan Zhong was stern and rarely smiled, it was necessary for him to maintain a strict image to ensure that Ma Chao would not slack off. Despite his stern exterior, Yan Zhong cared deeply for Ma Chao, and Ma Chao understood this.

Ma Chao returned to his room to pack his things and prepare to go home. Not to his hometown in Fufeng, but to Longxi where Ma Teng now lived. After packing, he took one last look at the room and then left.

He didn't have much to pack, just one box. Ma Chao hired a cart to leave the place where he had stayed for over five years. Although his daily life was monotonous, filled with studies and martial arts training, he had grown to like it there. It was where he had studied under Yan Zhong for five years, and where he had met Jia Xu, who was not yet thirty, and the straightforward Dong Zhuo at a noodle shop. These five years had been very fruitful.

Ma Chao didn't know, and wouldn't know, that as he left in the cart, Yan Zhong appeared at the gate of his residence.

Watching the cart depart, Yan Zhong muttered to himself, "You're gone, and that's for the best. From now on, you must walk your own path. Your teacher is getting old, and the future belongs to you!" With that, he turned and entered the courtyard.

In the courtyard, the steward Yan Rang approached Yan Zhong, "Sir, why must you do this?"

Yan Zhong shook his head, "A man should have lofty ambitions. I don't want Chao to be overly influenced by me. I promised my friend Zishuo (Ma Teng's father) that if he had a grandson, he would be my disciple. Now, that promise is fulfilled."

It turned out that over ten years ago, Ma Teng's father had asked Yan Zhong to take his grandson as a disciple if he had one. As a close friend, Yan Zhong agreed. So, before Ma Chao, Yan Zhong had never taken any disciples, waiting for Ma Chao. Initially, taking Ma Chao was to fulfill a promise, but when he taught Ma Chao, he realized that Ma Chao was a fine student, capable of inheriting his knowledge. Thus, he focused solely on teaching Ma Chao until he completed his apprenticeship.

Even Ma Teng didn't know about this; only Ma Teng's father, Ma Ping, and Yan Zhong knew. Yan Zhong never told Ma Chao.

Not long after leaving Long County, Ma Chao returned to Longxi. Stepping on the land, he felt nothing. Although HanYang and Longxi were adjacent, during his five years of study, he only returned during the New Year, and he had no sense of belonging to Longxi. He had lived in his hometown, Fufeng Maoling, until he was five, then went to HanYang for studies, and had spent very little time in Longxi, so he felt nothing.

Upon returning home, he entered the courtyard and met his mother, Lady Liu.

"Chao, you're back! Come here and let me have a good look at you!"

Actually, Lady Liu and Ma Chao had only been apart for three months, but a parent's love for their child never diminishes.

"Yes, Mother, I'm back," Ma Chao quickly ran to Lady Liu.

"It's only been a few months, but you seem to have lost weight," Lady Liu said, touching Ma Chao's face.

Is that so? Ma Chao himself hadn't noticed.

"I eat more now than before, and I don't feel any thinner," Ma Chao said, puzzled.

"You're always focused on your studies and martial arts, how would you notice these things?" Lady Liu smiled.

"Mother, I brought gifts for Xiu, Tie, and Yunlu. Do you know where they are?"

During the five years of Ma Chao's studies, his family had two more children: a younger brother born in the third year of Xiping, named Tie, meaning "as strong as iron," and a younger sister born in the fifth year of Xiping, named Yunlu, meaning "a thousand-mile horse." This year, Ma Xiu was seven, Ma Tie was four, and Ma Yunlu was just two. Whenever Ma Chao returned, he always brought gifts for his younger siblings, and this time was no exception.

"Xiu is playing with Tie, and Yunlu is still napping," Lady Liu replied.

"Alright, I'll give the gifts to Mother for now, and you can give them to them when they return."

"Fine. Chao, you said at the New Year that you were about to complete your apprenticeship. Has that happened?"

"Yes, Mother. My teacher said I can now leave and travel to study further."

"That's great. You can finally stay at home for a while. Before he left, your father told me to write to him when you return, and he will come back."

Ma Teng had not been home for a long time. He was now a military officer, a Jun Sima. Last year, some Qiang tribes rebelled, and the court recruited soldiers in Longxi. Ma Teng joined and, starting as a common soldier, rose through the ranks due to his military achievements, eventually becoming a Jun Sima.

However, Ma Teng was not in Longxi now, so Lady Liu would have to write to him. Fortunately, the rebellion had been quelled, and Ma Teng would take leave to return home upon receiving the letter.

"Oh, I see. Mother, if there's nothing else, I'll go to my room."

"Go ahead, Chao. Your room is always clean, as I have it cleaned regularly."

So, Ma Chao returned to his room. He gave the gifts for his siblings to Lady Liu and moved the rest of his belongings, which were in the box given by Ma Teng, back to his room.

He opened the box and took out the items. There weren't many new things, just a Snow-Drinking Saber and a map of the Eastern Han, which Yan Zhong had given him. Ma Chao treasured the map. Although it wasn't very valuable, it was made by Yan Zhong and was a gift from his teacher, so he kept it carefully.

Looking at the short spear, Ma Chao smiled. The short spear was no longer suitable for him. He had grown much taller since he was five, so he would have to switch to a regular long spear.

"Brother, your mission is complete," Ma Chao said to the short spear, then put it away.

After organizing the items in the box, Ma Chao looked at the box. He thought about moving it to Ma Teng's room, but since Ma Teng wasn't home, he decided to wait until he returned.

However, Ma Chao went to Ma Teng's weapon rack and took a long spear back. He practiced the Heaven and Earth Boundless Spear technique, feeling very satisfied. Holding the long spear, Ma Chao stood there, lost in thought.

"Big Brother, you're so cool!" Two children appeared beside him, clapping their hands.

Ma Chao suddenly snapped back to reality and saw his two younger brothers, Ma Xiu and Ma Tie. They had just finished playing and passed by his courtyard, seeing their big brother practicing with the spear. The two boys thought their big brother was amazing and came to praise him.

But Ma Chao wasn't thinking about that. He was actually feeling guilty. He had been so focused that he didn't even notice the two children, even though they were his younger brothers. What if they had been enemies? He had to be more careful in the future.

Ma Chao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Xiu, Tie, you're here. I brought you some gifts. Go to Mother to get them."

"Great, thank you, Big Brother! You're the best!" Ma Xiu, the older one, said. "Thank you, Big Brother!" Ma Tie also said happily, and the two ran off.

Watching them go, Ma Chao sighed. When was the last time he felt like that? It must have been a long time ago, probably in his previous life. Now, Ma Chao, who was ten years old in appearance but had the experience of over thirty years, felt a sense of distance from his younger self.

Two days later, Ma Teng returned home. After dinner, he called Ma Chao to his study.

Ma Teng's current study was almost the same as the original one. In fact, the house in Longxi was built to resemble the one in Fufeng Maoling.

Sometimes, Ma Chao thought that his father must be a nostalgic person. Why else would he build the house this way? Moving from Fufeng to Longxi was supposed to be for his studies, but wouldn't it have been more convenient to go to HanYang?

But Ma Teng wanted to return here. He had lived here for eighteen or nineteen years, and he was just reaching his thirties. So, Ma Chao understood.

Knowing his father wanted to see him, Ma Chao brought the prepared box and entered the study.

Inside, he saw Ma Teng, who immediately noticed the box.

"You brought this," Ma Teng pointed to the box and asked.

"Yes, I came to return your treasure," Ma Chao said with a smile, emphasizing the word "treasure."

Ma Teng looked at the box and slowly said, "This is not just my treasure, but the treasure of our family!"

Ma Chao was surprised. "What? What?? The family's treasure???" He perked up, not wanting to miss a word.

Ma Teng continued, "I was going to tell you this today. Since you brought the box, I'll tell you directly. Chao, listen carefully."

"Yes, Father, please speak," Ma Chao said respectfully.

Ma Teng then recounted everything his father had said on his deathbed, word for word, and said, "This is the ancient silk book from your box."

He handed the silk book to Ma Chao, who took it and examined it.

"These are the hammer techniques and military strategies of our ancestor, a total of six books," Ma Teng said, handing over six books.

"Chao, you might be wondering why there are six books instead of six bamboo scrolls. The bamboo scrolls are our ancestor's relics and cannot be given to others. These six books are exact copies made by your father. They are the same as the bamboo scrolls but can be read or given to others."

Ma Chao thought, "That makes sense." He didn't really want to give the original away either. Ma Yuan's things should stay in the family, and even if he gave copies, the content would be the same. He agreed with Ma Teng's approach.

"As for the hammer, Chao, you know I don't use it and have no interest in it. You don't use it either, and it seems you have no interest in it. Even if your two younger brothers were interested, they lack the natural strength, so we must find a worthy successor.

However, the Drum Beating Golden Hammer will not be given away. It is a symbol of our ancestor, and people always think of his hammer when they talk about him. As descendants of the Ma family, we cannot give this symbol to others! Do you understand? Besides, our ancestor wrote that his hammer techniques can be used with any hammer, so..."

"Father, no need to say more. As a descendant, I should preserve our ancestor's relics. Moreover, I believe that while there might be someone in the world who can learn our ancestor's hammer techniques, no one is worthy of using his hammer! Throughout history, only our ancestor was worthy!" Ma Chao said firmly.

"Good, then it's settled. You can find someone to pass on the copied hammer techniques, but the hammer will remain in the hands of the Ma family!"

Ma Teng then took out a black object, and Ma Chao's eyes lit up. It was a piece of meteoric iron, a valuable material.

"Chao, this is the meteoric iron left by our ancestor. I am giving it to you today. If you can forge it into a weapon, do so. If not, don't force it!"

"Yes, thank you, Father!" Ma Chao placed the 120-pound meteoric iron aside.

Ma Teng continued, "The last thing left by our ancestor is this." He took off a piece of armor, and Ma Chao recognized it immediately.

"Father, you can't..."

"Chao," Ma Teng waved his hand, "the honor and future of our family now rest on you, not me. You must wear this armor!"

Ma Chao was deeply moved. This was not just a piece of armor but a symbol of his father's trust. He thought for a moment and said, "I will wear the armor, but not now. My body is still growing, and it would be too big for me. I'll wait until I'm older."

Ma Teng smiled, understanding Ma Chao's meaning. "Alright, but don't refuse when I ask you to wear it next time!"

"Yes, Father!"

"Chao, I know you are about to leave home to travel and study. You may not return for a long time. Although people usually receive their courtesy names after coming of age, our family doesn't have such strict rules. Your courtesy name was already given by your grandfather."

Ma Teng looked at Ma Chao with hope and said, "Your courtesy name is Mengqi. From today, you are Ma Chao, Ma Mengqi!"

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