Translator: DragonRider
The speaker was a young man around twenty years old, who seemed full of youthful vigor and dash. The most obtrusive characteristic of him was his upright hair bun, which differentiated him from all others. As he saw that Wang Dashan and his men seemed to have been surprised by his question, a somewhat smug expression appeared on his face.
“I once went to a border city in the north-west and had the good fortune to see the Marshal’s soldiers drill a formation similar to this one.”
This reply made the others even more surprised. ‘This guy saw the North-western Army drilling a formation?’
Even Xie Shi couldn’t help but start pondering. Of course the drill ground of the North-western Army was not open to the public. Only those who entered the station would have a chance to see soldiers practicing a formation. ‘Did this young man by any chance enter the station?’
Wang Dashan inquired of the man, “What is your name, bro?”
“Wu Feng,” the young man replied.
“Were you serious when you said that you once saw the North-western Army practicing a formation? To my knowledge, the station of the North-western Army is heavily guarded, and no common people can get inside without permission,” observed Wang Dashan in a fairly serious tone of voice.
Wu Feng responded, “Of course we’d been granted entry before going in. Two years ago, when some of my elder sect-brothers and I traveled to Shengzhou, we happened to discover some people from the Wan Kingdom sneaking across the border into our country. We stalked them and foun–found that they intended to…” Wu Feng gave a cough and then continued, “Anyway, they harbored evil intentions. We went to the station of the North-western Army, had an audience with the Marshal and reported it to him. That was the only occasion when I had the good fortune to enter the station of the North-western Army.”
Wang Dashan flicked a glance at Qiu Bing, who took the hint, gave a bob of his head and left.
Seeing Wang Dashan suddenly have one of his man leave, Wu Feng was confused at first and then queried anxiously, “Hey, surely you don’t suspect that I’m lying, do you?”
Wang Dashan gave a smile. “Don’t worry, bro. We just want to verify your story. After all, the relationship between our young master and the Marshal is rather special, which is why we are obliged to pay some extra attention to those who approach Ling family and the Marshal. Rest assured, he’s just going out to verify your version of events. We mean nothing else.”
Wu Feng slightly flushed. He didn’t contradict Wang Dashan but still gave him a dirty look.
“Wu Feng, did you really get in there?” someone beside him also asked in a low voice.
“Of course I entered that place. Why would I lie to you about it?” answered Wu Feng, but in fact he was somewhat worried. He was telling the truth. What concerned him was that the Marshal would be disturbed by such a petty matter of his. ‘What should I do if the Marshal happens to have forgotten this thing?
The Marshal is such a busy man. Besides, it wasn’t the Marshal himself that we reported to on that day…’
Wu Feng’s worry partially showed on his face, which brought suspicion to the eyes of others.
Wang Dashan and his men all stopped training and looked in this direction.
Originally, Qiu Bing, after leaving the guards’ yard, had meant to go to the Green Bamboo Mansion, but unexpectedly, he chanced upon Xie Shi midway between the two places. He hurriedly greeted him. “Guard Xie!”
Xie Shi had been specially waiting for him at this place, because after hearing Wu Feng’s story, he had recalled that there had indeed been such an occurrence.
“You are going to your young master’s place?” queried Xie Shi in a seemingly casual tone of voice.
Qiu Bing explained, “Actually it’s an audience with the Marshal that I seek. Ah, maybe Guard Xie knows about it.”
“Oh? What is it?” Xie Shi looked at him.
Qiu Bing told him what it was about.
Xie Shi nodded, “There does seem to be such a thing in my memory. Take me there. I’ll talk to him.”
Qiu Bing led Xie Shi to the guards’ yard. None of those newly recruited security guards had seen Yuwen Tong. When they saw Qiu Bing bringing a strong man, who had a dignified look on his face and was of commanding presence, to the guards’ yard, all of them fell anxious and doubtful, wondering, ‘Is this man by any chance Marshal Yuwen?’
Thinking of this possibility, they got excited and intended to walk up to the man to pay their respect.
Fortunately, their expression brought Xie Shi to an instant realization that they had mistaken him for somebody else. He informed them, “I’m a bodyguard of the Marshal. You are Wu Feng, I suppose? Is Wu Daolin your elder sect-brother?”
All those men went somewhat disappointed in the knowledge that the man was not the Marshal but the Marshal’s bodyguard, but when they heard the man ask Wu Feng a question, they quieted down again.
Pleasantly surprised, Wu Feng stepped forward. “You know my elder sect-brother?”
Xie Shi gave a bland smile. “Back then when you and your elder sect-brothers came to the station, I was in a tent right beside the one you were in.”
This reply instantly dissolved Wu Feng’s worry. He nodded repeated. “Yeah, yeah. That’s us!”
Xie Shi’s eyes briefly appraised Wu Feng. All of a sudden, his figure seemed have instantly disappeared into thin air, and the next moment, he materialized before Wu Feng and launched an attack on him.
Wu Feng was startled, but surprisingly, he quickly reacted and exchanged a few moves with Xie Shi.
When the moods of others were still alternating between anxiety and doubt, Xie Shi had already separated from Wu Feng and returned to his original position in the blink of an eye.
“People of the Wu Stockaded Village excel at fist techniques. Your fist technique is pretty good.”
After hearing Xie Shi’s compliment, Wu Feng, who had been in shock, replied in delight and embarrassment, “Mine is just average. My elder sect-brother is the one who is a real master.”
“But the Wu Stockaded Village is in Cangzhou. How did you come to be in Tanyang and enter Ling family to be a security guard?” Xie Shi inquired in puzzlement.
A faint flush spread over the cheeks of Wu Feng. “It was after hearing about the Marshal’s presence in Tanyang that I specially came to this city. Since the Marshal is engaged to Childe Ling, I decided to work as a security guard in Ling family.”
Other security guards remained silent.
Xie Shi gave a soft cough and observed, “But if you work as a security guard, you’re not going to the capital city with the Marshal but staying in Ling family. Ling family needs the kind of security guards who sign up because they are ready for long-term service, not the kind who do it out of momentary curiosity.”
Wu Feng hastily replied, “I know. Please don’t misunderstand me. I had been informed of this before I was recruited, so I’m not doing this out of momentary curiosity. Besides, I had already promised Ling family that I’d stay here for a full year.”
Xie Shi gave a bob of his head, feeling relieved in the knowledge that the man knew what he was doing.
“My elder sect-brother had me come out to travel for experience and toughen myself, and he didn’t say anything about what I should or should not do. I made the decision to become a security guard of Ling family and protect Ling family for a year of my own accord. Childe Ling is engaged to the Marshal, so I’ll do whatever I can to keep Ling family safe!” added Wu Feng.
Other security guards remained silent.
They were not very happy to hear this. ‘This guy sounded as if he were capable of keeping Ling family safe all by himself.’
What Xie Shi was worried about was that this man might be erratic, but from the vantage point of the present, Wu Feng seemed to have made up his mind, so Xie Shi made no further remarks about this matter.
“In a few days, I’ll start training you in martial arts and formations, including the formation that Wang Dashan and his men were practicing just now. Though today is not the day for the training to officially begin, let’s just take this as an opportunity to get to know each other ahead of schedule. My surname is Xie.”
‘It’ll be none other than a bodyguard of the Marshal’s who’s going to train us?’ all the twenty-four newcomers were secretly surprised and delighted to hear this.
Wu Feng, in particular, was overjoyed. ‘This alone will make it all worthwhile!’
“Nice to meet you, Guard Xie!” All others paid their respect to Xie Shi.
Xie Shi inclined his head, talked with them for a short while and then left.
After Xie Shi walked out of the yard, Wang Dashan and his men looked in the direction of Wu Feng and others and then withdrew their gaze.
‘All that fuss over Guard Xie! Wouldn’t you be scared shitless if we tell you that we once fought the Marshal?’
Qiu Bing and some others despised Wu Feng and other newcomers when they saw their pleasantly surprised faces.
‘You got so excited at the prospect of Guard Xie training you. Wouldn’t you be scared to death in the knowledge that Marshal Yuwen himself once taught us fundamentals of formations?’ thought Yang Liuzi and some others.
Most importantly, Wang Dashan and some others could faintly see themselves in these newcomers…
Thinking of their running with rocks on their heads in this yard on that day, all others looked at Wang Dashan and Liu Yi.
Liu Yi was rather composed. “There’s no hurry.”
‘Let them have their moment of joy and excitement,’ he thought.
…
On the other side of the residence, Xie Shi had just left the guards’ yard when he saw Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong.
“Marshal, Childe Ling.” Xie Shi was not surprised to see them. Clearly, he had sensed their arrival beforehand.
“About that incident Wu Feng mentioned, how did it end?” Ling Zhang asked Yuwen Tong curiously.
“Those people were spies of the Wan Kingdom. My men stalked them, found the locations where other spies were hiding and eventually eliminated all spies planted in Shengzhou and Cangzhou by the Wan Kingdom,” responded Yuwen Tong.
Ling Zhang relaxed safe in the knowledge that no loose ends had been left behind.
As regards Wu Feng’s reason for becoming a security guard of Ling family, Ling Zhang was rather undisturbed by it. Since he was going to depart for the capital city from Ling family, he didn’t have the time to handle this matter, but he believed that his uncle will deal with it. Otherwise he wouldn’t have hired this man to be a new security guard.
“Let’s go.” Ling Zhang turned around and left first.
Yuwen Tong caught up with him.
Xie Shi followed in their wake.
Only two days away from the scheduled departure, Ling Zhang decided to spend these two days with his family at home.
In the afternoon, he played chess with his grandfather. At night, he had a couple of games of chess with his uncle, going over the situation in Tanyang once again in passing.
Ling Zhang had already informed Ling Zhaowen of He Xiao, and Ling Zhaowen had made adequate preparations.
Had the emperor approved it, Tao Feng would also have to wait for a couple of years to get the transfer he wanted, and nobody knew what might happen before that.
With luck, Ling Zhaowen might get a promotion. If not, the new governor would be someone from another city. Either way, it was something that wouldn’t happen until a couple of years later, and by that time, Ling family would definitely have gained a strong and firm position in Tanyang.
“I’ve consulted with your grandfather about whether we could promote a couple of talents in the collateral branches of our family,” said Ling Zhaowen.
Ling Zhang thought for a while and nodded. “It sounds like a good idea. We are not a large family after all, and we will indeed be in need of more manpower as our family flourishes.”
Ling Zhaowen gave a smile. Clearly he shared his opinion.
But thinking of this, he also felt somewhat regretful. The only disadvantage of the future marriage between his nephew and Yuwen Tong would be that they couldn’t have children.
He actually wanted to say something to his nephew, but then it occurred to him that his nephew had not married Yuwen Tong yet, and it was too early to talk about this issue, so instead of making any further remarks, he just mulled over these things in his mind for a while.
Ling Zhang was unaware that his uncle had already considered the issue of children for him. His attention was still concentrated on the game of chess.
At night, Ling Maomao once again went to Ling Zhang’s bedroom to sleep with his elder brother. This time the boy was not as naughty as the night before. Ling Zhang just checked Ling Maomao’s homework and then the two brothers lay down on the bed talking aimlessly. Ling Maomao was asking questions most of the time, to which Ling Zhang gave the answers.
Slowly, while chatting, both of them drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning, Fu Caiwei prepared Ling Zhang’s favorite foods, a tableful of them.
In normal times, Ling family were never so extravagant with food, but since Ling Zhang was about to depart from home, nobody laid any criticism on it. Instead, they kept asking Ling Zhang to eat more.
Ling Zhang repeatedly responded “Okay” to his family while eating. This was the last day that he would be at home before departure.
For the rest of this day, Fu Caiwei had been bustling around all along, frequently asking Ling Zhang whether he had packed this thing or that thing. There had not been a single moment when she sat down to rest. She just kept checking his baggage again and again.
Ling Zhang patiently walked around with her without showing any signs of impatience.
