Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
After completing his morning regime early the next morning, Yan Liqiang didn’t go to the archery range like he usually did. Instead, he changed into a fresh set of clothes. After quickly tidying himself up, he went to the mountain behind the archery range alone.
The mountain behind Deer Villa’s archery range was a restricted area. Apart from a few specific servants in Deer Villa, ordinary people were prohibited from freely entering the area. The reason was none other than the few special figures who lived on that mountain.
Those figures were highly-skilled individuals who lived in seclusion in Deer Villa. Even Eunuch Liu had to show them courtesy, reason being the fact that these people had guided the Emperor when he practiced archery in Deer Villa in the past. Hence, they could pretty much be considered His Majesty’s mentors.
Yan Liqiang had no clue as to why these people lived in seclusion on the rear mountain. He wasn’t informed of their names either. Yan Liqiang didn’t even know how many people were living in seclusion on the mountain beyond the archery range. The only thing he knew was the fact that he seemed to be extremely lucky!
Granted with the chance of learning from these people was an opportunity that couldn’t necessarily be bought with money. After meeting Eunuch Liu yesterday, he was given two bronze paizas. He was told that if he went to the mountain beyond the archery range with those in his hands, he’d be able to learn from those who lived in seclusion there.
The bronze paizas Eunuch Liu gave to Yan Liqiang looked extremely ordinary. Both of them were only half the size of a palm, marked with the vestiges of time. One of them had a warbow engraving and the Chinese character ‘Ji’, while the other had a spear engraving and the Chinese character ‘Li’. Eunuch Li explained to Yan Liqiang that the former would allow him to study the art of archery from an old man surnamed Ji on the mountain, while the latter would allow him to study the spear technique from an old man surnamed Li. Yan Liqiang was also told that the two old men would impart knowledge to him at the sight of those bronze paizas. As to whether he could grasp those skills, that would largely depend on his capability and comprehension.
Yan Liqiang also inquired Eunuch Liu about the reason behind offering him such precious opportunities. The response he got was because Eunuch Liu felt that Yan Liqiang had the potential, so he wanted to help him succeed by giving him these opportunities.
Eunuch Liu’s answer sounded perfectly reasonable to Yan Liqiang. He also regarded the two bronze paizas given to him by Eunuch Liu as certain privileges of the person in charge of Deer Villa, so he didn’t delve too deeply into it either.
Therefore, Yan Liqiang went to the mountain behind the archery range in the morning, carrying the bronze paiza with the character ‘Li’ on it with him. He was quite curious to find out what he could learn.
Eunuch Liu described the mountain terrain to Yan Liqiang yesterday. Although it was a secluded place, there was still a gravel road that led to many areas. After leaving his residence, Yan Liqiang followed the gravel road for about ten minutes before he found himself in a secluded spot behind the archery range.
There was a waterfall about one or two meters wide, formed by the water from the mountain stream which drizzled along the precipitous cliff on both sides. The waterfall wasn’t that tall; it was only about thirty meters high. The water current wasn’t that rapid either and it certainly lacked the grandeur akin to that of ten thousand galloping horses. It cascaded down like a watery fabric from afar instead. When the mountain breeze blew, the water beads from the waterfall drizzled down like misty rain.
The waterfall swished down from above, forming a turquoise pool at the bottom. Next to the pool was a thatched cottage.
The thatched cottage was quite shabby. The wall on one side seemed like it was about to collapse and was supported by a few wooden sticks. There was also a small vegetable plot in the yard of the thatched cottage which seemed to be fenced. However, it looked as though the vegetable plot had been abandoned. The bitter cauliflower had grown about a meter tall, along with a bunch of green foxtails, mixed in with other plants like chives and leek. Two broken hoes and damaged wooden buckets were left among the weeds. A stray kitty had even made a home in one of the damaged wooden buckets.
If this scenery was seen outside of Deer Villa, Yan Liqiang would most likely have thought that a beggar lived here instead of some hermit.
Yan Liqiang approached the cottage and looked at the surroundings. Thinking that this was probably the place as it matched Eunuch Liu’s description, he cleared his throat. When he was about to say something, a rough and impatient voice rang out from the inside of the thatched cottage. “If you don’t have any business here then scram! Don’t disturb my sleep…!”
Yan Liqiang looked at the sun that had already risen high above the roof of the thatched cottage, but didn’t comment any further. Following Eunuch Liu’s instructions, he took out the unremarkable bronze paiza instead and spoke loudly toward the thatched cottage. “I carry a bronze paiza with me! Please bestow your arts upon me, Elder Li!”
Upon finishing his sentence, Yan Liqiang stood outside the fence and waited in silence.
Five minutes later, the door of the run-down thatched cottage was pushed open from the inside with a creak. An old man dressed in tattered clothes held together by a straw rope on his waist emerged. His messy gray hair sat on top of his head like a bird’s nest. The old man strode directly to Yan Liqiang and snatched the bronze paiza from his hand without a word. After identifying it carefully, he stashed the paiza into his chest. His shiny eyes sized up Yan Liqiang through the gaps of his messy gray hair. “So, you want to learn spear techniques?”
“Yes!”
“What is your name?”
“Yan Liqiang!”
“You are from the Yan Clan?” The old man seemed slightly baffled.
“Yes!”
“Very well. Let me tell you the rules of studying spear techniques under me. I will only be responsible for teaching and I will only say it once. It is up to you whether you can grasp, apply, and comprehend it. If you can’t grasp it, then you should just scram early!” the old man explained to Yan Liqiang fiercely.
“Understood!” Yan Liqiang nodded calmly.
“If you wish to learn from me, you will have to complete your basic spear technique first and attain the third level. Have you passed your basic spear technique yet? If you haven’t, then go do that…”
“I have completed my basic spear technique…” Yan Liqiang replied with composure.
“You did?” The old man took a serious glance at Yan Liqiang. He then pointed to a gigantic millstone at the edge of a pine forest several hundred meters away. “Do you see that hill over there? Come find me again by the time you roll that millstone from the foot of the mountain up to the top without relying on any tools but your hands. If you are unlucky enough to accidentally get crushed by that millstone to death, then that’s your problem…” The old man looked away from Yan Liqiang and yawned after saying all that. He then returned to his thatched cottage without saying anything else.
Yan Liqiang looked at the millstone in the distance, then walked over to it without saying anything.
The millstone was surrounded by weeds and there was a layer of moss at the bottom. The ground beneath the millstone had sunk about half a foot deep from its weight. It would seem as though this millstone had been abandoned for a very long period of time. In front of it was a slope that stretched five to six hundred meters. The slope was quite rocky and there was a gully. Not even an inch of the area was flat. Looking at the hill, Yan Liqiang was reminded of those precipitous hills he had conquered with a bunch of other fellow off-road lovers in his previous life. This hill could greatly challenge the performance of a four-wheel drive. Yet, that old man surnamed Li wanted him to roll this huge millstone from the foot of the hill up to the top with just his hands.
Yan Liqiang tried pushing the huge millstone to gauge its weight and discovered that it weighed a little more than two tonnes, just about the same weight as a Jeep Wrangler. What a coincidence.
It was simply impossible for an ordinary person to push such a huge millstone from the foot of the hill to the top. Even it was on flat ground, it would still be extremely difficult for a person to push this huge and rough millstone over a few hundred meters if he wasn’t Hercules, let alone pushing this up a craggy slope. One might not even achieve the strength required to do so even if he trained for a lifetime.
Shifting his gaze to the top of the hill then back at this huge millstone in front of him, Yan Liqiang’s face broke into a smile…
