Chapter 28: Reunion of Old Friends
A Xue had a dream, in which she was sitting on a boat with Liang Xiao, singing and fishing, picking lotus flowers. When she woke up, she thought dazedly for a while, then suddenly heard the sound of wind outside, and thought: "Is it still snowing?"
She lifted the quilt, walked out of the courtyard, and saw the red sun hanging high in the sky, with the auspicious snow clearing. Liang Xiao was galloping horizontally in the snowy ground, advancing and retreating like a flash of lightning, his palms waving and making strange whistling sounds. What's strange is that his hands and feet were dancing wildly, but the ice and snow around him didn't stir up even a little bit, as if he had stored all his energy inside his body without leaking out a single thread.
His movements became faster and faster, Ah Xue could still see clearly at first, but soon he saw him create two shadows, and then another flash created four shadowy figures. The more people changed, the more they appeared, until later, in the snow light reflection, it seemed like seven or eight Liang Xiaos were running around on the scene. Ah Xue looked dizzy and exclaimed: "Brother, stop running, my eyes are all blurry!" Suddenly, she heard Liang Xiao shout loudly, his two palms came out together, "Ka La", a pine tree as thick as a hug was broken into two pieces, the treetop fell to the ground with a loud noise, stirring up snow everywhere.
Ah Xue brushed away the fine snow in front of her eyes, and saw Liang Xiao standing still in the snow, his eyes gazing up at the sky with a thoughtful expression. She rushed over to him, and saw that the big tree had been cut off cleanly, as if it had been chopped down by a knife or an axe. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "Brother, you're so amazing!"
Liang Xiao fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said: "Yes, just now I reached the 'Nine Nine Return to Origin Step', and the Three Talents Return to Origin Palm can be considered as having made great progress." Ah Xue smiled and said: "Congratulations, brother." Liang Xiao looked at her with a hint of tenderness in his eyes, and gently asked: "Are your injuries better? It's windy outside, don't catch a chill." Ah Xue saw the warmth in his eyebrows and couldn't help but blush, her heart racing wildly. She hastily lowered her head and said: "Brother must be hungry, I'll go cook dinner." Then she ran back to the pavilion like flying.
Liang Xiao looked at her demeanor and couldn't help but feel puzzled. He sat down cross-legged, picked up a broken branch, and drew the Nine Palaces diagram on the snow, thinking: "The Book of Changes considers nine to be the ultimate number, and when it reaches 'nine returns to one', it seems to have reached the limit of this palm technique. Strange, why do I always feel a little regretful? Am I being overly cautious?"
He pondered for a moment, then thought: "Nine is the supreme, but it's just an ancient view. Can't we go further beyond 99?" As soon as he touched on numerology, Liang Xiao's thoughts became quick-witted and endless, and he tried to deduce it immediately. Unexpectedly, after half an hour of deduction, he actually deduced the number "ten ten" with a hundred digits. These hundred digits, whether horizontal, vertical or diagonal, add up to 505 when added in tens. Liang Xiao was shocked when he reached this point, and then felt confused again.
At this time, Ah Xue called him to eat, and Liang Xiao temporarily put it down. After finishing the meal, he went back to the snowy ground to rehearse. Ah Xue watched from the side for a long time, completely not understanding, feeling very bored, melting the ice and snow, letting Liang Xiao take off his clothes, and washing himself.
Liang Xiao thought for half a day and came up with an unusual "Four-Four Diagram". According to the meaning of the Nine Palaces, the Four-Four Diagram can only have one row, one column, or diagonal numbers that add up to the same sum. However, Liang Xiao's diagram was different - no matter whether it was horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, any four numbers added up to 34, which was completely opposite to the meaning of the Nine Palaces. Liang Xiao called it the "Omnipotent Diagram", and later he also came up with five-five and six-six diagrams that were also "omnipotent". At this point, Liang Xiao had broken free from the constraints of the Nine Palace Diagrams and was truly all-powerful.
(Note: The clever numerical collection known as the Nine Palace Diagram is now called a "magic square" in modern mathematics, following the Arabic mathematical terminology. In ancient China, it was called the "Heavenly Horizontal-Vertical Diagram". The greatest achievement in this area was made by Yang Hui of the Song Dynasty, who developed the "Hundred Sons Diagram", but did not depart from the Nine Palace Diagram pattern. Overall, the development of magic squares reached its peak with Arabic mathematicians, and Liang Xiao's "Omnipotent Diagram" is now known as a "4th-order fully symmetric shape", which was also developed by an Arab mathematician of the same era.)
Liang Xiao sighed in his heart, "There are people outside of people, and there is heaven beyond the sky. Is this not also the case with numerology? The way of numerology is endless, could it be said that this is also what is meant by 'the way has no bounds'? He thought back to what Jiu Ru had said on the outskirts of Suzhou that day, and muttered to himself, "The old monk once said that there was a circle that bound me, if I understood what it was, I could ride the thunder to heaven; if not, even if I practiced for a lifetime, I would be unable to advance in the way, and would only be circling within the circle. Could this circle be the Nine Palaces Diagram? Hmm, no, the Stone Array martial arts encompass numerology, but it's not all about the Nine Palaces. Moreover, the old monk's martial arts are more powerful than mine, when it comes to calculations, he can't even compare to me, and he certainly wouldn't know about this 'all-powerful diagram'."
Ah Xue saw him suddenly worried, suddenly happy, suddenly silent, and suddenly murmuring to himself. She couldn't help but ask: "Brother, what are you thinking?" Liang Xiao bitterly smiled and said: "It's a very profound principle, I don't understand it either." Ah Xue laughed and said: "If brother doesn't understand, Ah Xue understands even less!"
Liang Xiao looked at her and smiled, "Ah Xue, how about I teach you some martial arts?" Ah Xue happily replied, "Great!" Liang Xiao said, "My most powerful martial arts all rely on mathematics. If you want to learn my skills, you must first learn arithmetic." Ah Xue nodded and said, "You teach me, I'll learn."
Liang Xiao used a willow branch to make several counting rods, starting from the most basic "addition and subtraction of five" and taught her. After finishing, he gave out ten questions for Ah Xue to calculate. Ah Xue calculated four times in a row, all of which were incorrect. Liang Xiao patiently explained again twice, but she still couldn't solve them. Liang Xiao slightly got angry and asked: "Did you listen to me?" Ah Xue looked at his expression, felt anxious in her heart, and nodded desperately: "I listened, it's just... I don't quite understand."
Liang Xiao's expression was suspicious, and he looked her up and down before repeating himself. Afraid she still didn't understand, he asked again, "Did you get it this time?" Ah Xue shook her head in confusion. Liang Xiao furrowed his brow and said, "How can you be so stupid?" Ah Xue's eyes reddened at these words, and she lowered her head to say, "I... I was born stupid!" Liang Xiao realized he had spoken too harshly and comforted her with a few words before patiently continuing to explain. After a long time, Ah Xue finally began to understand a bit, getting two out of ten questions correct but eight wrong.
Liang Xiao held the calculation draft, gloomily silent. Ah Xue lowered her head, her heart racing, when suddenly Liang Xiao let out a breath and said: "Alright, come here, I'll tell you where you went wrong." Ah Xue's heart sank to the ground as she slowly approached him to listen to his explanation.
Two people, one teaching and one learning, had been struggling for three days. On this day, they were discussing the simple calculation method, and Liang Xiao repeated it seven or eight times. Ah Xue finished calculating and handed over her draft, Liang Xiao took a look and found that she got every single question wrong. He couldn't bear it anymore, stood up wanting to scold her severely, but seeing Ah Xue's timid appearance, he felt it was hard to speak out, so he just threw the draft away and stormed out of the door.
Ah Xue picked up the manuscript and followed him out, but Liang Xiao's figure was already gone. She felt sad and bitter in her heart, turned back to the study, and burst into tears on the desk. After crying, she picked up the manuscript and continued to calculate. She was naturally dull, but her temperament was persistent. Although she made mistakes repeatedly, she also calculated repeatedly.
When it was time for dinner, Liang Xiao finally returned, his expression seemingly calm, but Ah Xue noticed the disappointment in his heart. She quietly arranged the dishes and handed him the manuscript with a hint of trepidation. Liang Xiao took a look and saw that he had gotten two out of nine questions correct, which was a small improvement. He remained silent for a moment before speaking up after eating a couple of mouthfuls of rice: "Ah Xue, if your math skills were half as good as your cooking, that would be great!"
He saw Ah Xue's stunned expression and said, "What are you spacing out for? Eat your meal!" Ah Xue happily asked, "I... I was right?" Liang Xiao couldn't bear to disappoint her, so he forced a smile and said, "You were right."
Ah Xue was overjoyed for no reason, sat down, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and ate with great relish. Liang Xiao saw her appearance and thought to himself: "The way of learning is unpredictable, with her talent, she doesn't suit this path. Mother often says: 'Cows and sheep can't eat meat, eagles won't eat grass'. I forced her to learn, asking for trouble." He understood this point, no longer forcing Ah Xue to study arithmetic, and instead taught her the Black Water martial arts.
Ah Xue saw that she didn't learn arithmetic, and was very puzzled in her heart. However, she was naturally kind and content with whatever came her way. Learning arithmetic was a hundred times more difficult for her than learning martial arts. Rather than learning arithmetic, she would rather learn martial arts. Her martial arts skills already had a foundation, and learning them didn't make Liang Xiao very angry.
After a few days, the food in the observatory was exhausted, and the two went down the mountain to buy some. On the way up the mountain path, Liang Xiao remembered something and said: "The Huan Yuan sword is still stuck in the stone wall of the Duizhen Pavilion. When we go down the mountain later, remember to find an iron hammer and chisel to get it out." Ah Xue asked strangely: "Can't you pull it out?" Liang Xiao said: "I've tried several times, but I couldn't pull it out. These days have been too eventful, and I actually forgot about it."
Ah Xue laughed and said, "The big tree was also broken by brother, can't even pull out the sword?" Liang Xiao heard her say this, secretly moved: "My martial arts have made great progress, it's good to try again." Thinking of this, he climbed up to the opposite pavilion, walked to the stone wall, grasped the hilt, and with a burst of energy, "hum", the Xuan Yuan sword was exposed halfway. Liang Xiao was both surprised and delighted, and with another effort, the Xuan Yuan sword came out of the stone wall, its body shining quietly, like a pool of autumn water.
He silently examined the sword and thought that having a sword without a scabbard is not a long-term plan, so this time when he went down the mountain, besides buying grain, it would be just right to buy a scabbard for his sword.
The two of them were in high spirits, walking shoulder to shoulder down the mountain. When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, Liang Xiao found a blacksmith's shop and had him make a scabbard for his sword after measuring its length. Just as he was speaking, there were sudden shouts and yells. Turning around to look, four young men rushed through the market, carrying poles and driving people away with them. Anyone who tried to block their way would be chased away by the poles, causing the crowd to scatter in fear. Ah Xue watched this with indignation and said: "Brother, these people are really hateful!"
Liang Xiao Ding looked at them with a fixed gaze, walked out of the blacksmith's shop and blocked the four people, laughing: "You four, what bad things are you going to do again?"
The four were the same group of young rascals who had stolen the white donkey "Fast Snow" that day. Seeing Liang Xiao, they looked frightened, and the round-faced youth raised his stick and shouted: "We won't bother you, and you don't need to interfere with us!"
Four people helped Liang Xiao in distress, and Liang Xiao was grateful. He looked at them and said: "Are you going to find someone to fight?"
The four of them were stunned, and the pale-faced young man stuttered: "How did you know?" Liang Xiao thought to himself: "I'm the ancestor of fighting, with this formation of yours, can't I see through it?" After thinking for a moment, he asked: "Is the opponent formidable?"
The four of them exchanged a glance, silent and expressionless, with a hint of gloom on their faces. Liang Xiao's eyes lit up as he smiled and said, "This is going to be interesting! Ah Xue, want to go check out the commotion?" Ah Xue replied, "Sure, we don't have anything else to do anyway!"
The round-faced young man looked hesitant and said, "It's okay to go take a look, but don't get too close. If you get hurt, don't blame us for not warning you!"
Liang Xiao's interest was piqued, and he laughed: "Good, I'd like to see who has such great abilities!" The four men heard this and their faces turned black, seeming to waver. But with the arrow already on the bowstring, they couldn't not shoot; hesitating for a moment, they again picked up their clubs and led the way out of town.
Liang Xiao followed on one side, asking the four people their names. The round-faced youth was called Yang Xiaoque, the eight-character-browed youth was called Li Ting'er, and another dark-skinned, fine-eyed youth was called Wang Ke. When asked, the pale-faced youth said: "My name is Zhao Sandog, you can call me Sandog'er." Liang Xiao also smiled and said: "I'm Liang Xiao, this is my sister Ah Xue, thanks to your help last time." Li Ting'er blushed and said: "Unfortunately, the enemy was cunning and almost ruined everything." Liang Xiao smiled and said: "Regardless of success or failure, you four risked your lives to save us, I, Liang Xiao, will never forget it in my lifetime." The four people heard this and burst out laughing.
Then asked who the opponent was. Zhao San Gou said, "We're going to fight Chi Mao Hu." Ah Xue was surprised and said, "Going hunting?" The four young men all burst out laughing. Li Ting Er said, "Miss doesn't know, that's not a real tiger, it's a person. He's a Mongolian, named Tu Tu Ha, with a head of red hair, even more ferocious than a tiger!" Liang Xiao asked, "Why do you want to fight him?"
Li Ting'er spoke fluently and clearly: "This Tuhutuha is not a local, his father was a soldier from the Qinchai army. He had bad luck during battles and spent half his life as a soldier without any promotions. Later in his old age, he retired from the military, married a blonde woman, and came to the Central Plains to do business. The old man was honest by nature, but encountered some treacherous Han merchants who cheated him repeatedly, causing him to lose all his savings. He became ill with anger and passed away, leaving behind the blonde woman and Tuhutuha. When the old man died, Tuhutuha was only six years old. This kid had incredible strength since he was young, at ten years old, while herding horses on the mountain, he encountered two hungry wolves and strangled one with his bare hands, carrying it back on his shoulders. At twelve years old, he could flip over a half-grown cow with just one hand." Liang Xiao's expression changed as he said: "This is indeed divine strength."
"Ah, yes! His father was bullied by the Han people, and Tuhatai hated the Han people from a young age. He never got along with us. After his father died, he left behind several fine horses, which were very fast. His mother and he relied on these horses to make a living. Later, when the big horse gave birth to a small one, the Han children in the village were very envious and secretly went to ride it. As a result, they were beaten by him until they were half dead. He was a Mongolian, born superior to the Han people, and no one dared to speak out against him. The adults didn't dare say anything, but the children had already clashed with him. His strength was great, and he was skilled in martial arts from a young age, so no one could beat him. If one person couldn't beat him, then two people would fight, if not two, then four. Later, all the children from the surrounding villages who were good at fighting had fought with him, and everyone was beaten badly. However, they didn't give up, once wasn't enough, twice wasn't enough, three times... Tuhatai was thirteen years old that year when we finally managed to knock him down. That time almost killed him. But after more than ten days of effort, he recovered as before and came looking for trouble again. This time it didn't work out, and more than twenty Han young men were knocked down by him in one breath." He glanced at Wang Ke, "That time Wang Ke's leg was broken by him, and he lay in bed for over two months."
Wang Ke was furious when he mentioned his past misdeeds, saying: "Damn it, why do you remember this and nothing else?" Zhao San Gou sneered: "What's there to be angry about? Not only you, but even Shi Fu Tong, the head of the Xihua Garden, broke his leg. Shi Fu Tong saw that he was talented and asked him to go to Xihua Garden as a gardener, but he refused and scolded Shi Fu Tong as a Han dog. Shi Fu Tong couldn't save face, and the two men fought. At that time, Tuhana was only 16 years old, and he picked up Shi Fu Tong and threw him away. He was a Mongolian, and Shi Fu Tong was beaten, but he couldn't do anything about it."
Liang Xiao said with a sigh, "He's one against all of you, and yet he doesn't ask for help?" The four men's faces turned bright red as they lowered their heads in shame. Li Ting'er said, "It's embarrassing, the Mongolian barbarians around here are all acquainted with Tuo Tuo Ha, but he never asks for help. We go with ten people, and he goes alone; we go with twenty people, and he still goes alone; we go with thirty or forty, and he remains alone. Moreover, he never uses knives, guns, arrows, or spears, just bare fists. This time, we intentionally provoked him, stealing his horse on purpose. Tuo Tuo Ha was furious, so everyone agreed to meet at Li Zi Slope for a showdown."
Liang Xiao thought to himself, "This Tuhai is a good fellow. These young men are taking advantage of their numbers to bully him; it would be unmanly to win and shameful to lose!" He walked south for two miles, when suddenly he saw in front of him a grassy slope where thirty or so people were scattered about, shouting and cheering. On the slope there were still four sturdy young men, two holding legs and two holding waist, who were wrestling with a tall and robust young man.
That man was over seven feet tall, with a sheepskin cloak torn to shreds in the fight, his red-brown hair disheveled on his shoulders, thick eyebrows and whiskers, a pair of tiger-like eyes shining brightly, several bloodstains on his face, probably scratched during the fight. He bowed down to tie up the horse, and with a swift motion, he didn't throw off the four people, but instead, his eyes widened in surprise, let out a loud roar, and with one hand each, lifted two young men who were hugging him around the waist high into the air. The two men flew out over ten feet away, landing on their faces without getting up. The red-haired man's arms hovered in mid-air for a moment before slamming the two young men together, causing them to cry out and faint. The red-haired man threw the men to the ground and shouted in Mongolian, "Do you surrender?" His voice was like a donkey's bray, awe-inspiring and intimidating. Liang Xiao nodded secretly: "Is this Tuhulao? He indeed has some presence!"
Li Ting'er and the other three arrived a step late, their companions had all been knocked down. In shock and anger, they rushed forward. They lived among Mongolians and understood some Mongolian phrases. Yang Xiaoque said loudly: "Tutaha, we haven't fought yet, so we haven't lost yet." Tutaha saw them and frowned: "You're late? Alright, let's go up together!" A young man on the ground shouted: "Yang Xiaoque, it's over... these barbarians are getting fiercer... Ahh..."
The four of them exchanged a glance, their faces filled with fear, but as the situation had reached a critical point, they did not dare to retreat. They simultaneously brandished their clubs and surrounded Tuhatah. Tuhatah swept his gaze over the four of them, sneered, and shifted his eyes to Liang Xiao at the foot of the mountain slope, shouting: "Are you new here? Come on up too!"
Liang Xiao smiled and said in Mongolian, "I won't fight you, you can't beat me." Tuhai raised an eyebrow and sneered, "You speak good Mongolian, are you a Mongol too? You don't dare come? Is your courage smaller than these little chickens?" As he spoke, he swept his hand across Yang Xiaoyu and the others. The four of them felt humiliated and their faces seemed to be on fire, gripping their clubs even tighter.
Liang Xiao was also taken aback, and laughed: "You're challenging me?" Tuhata said coldly: "You say I'm not a match for you, I don't believe it!" Liang Xiao nodded: "If we must fight, let's do it one on one!" Tuhata furrowed his brow, shook his head and said: "No way, my hands are too heavy, one on one, might just take your life!"
Liang Xiao laughed and said, "Beat me to death, I'm just unlucky!" Tuhata frowned slightly, revealing a hint of surprise. Zhao Sandog hastily called out, "Brother Liang, don't be stubborn!"
Liang Xiao waved his hand and smiled, "Tutuha, what are you best at?" Tutuha was taken aback, saying, "What do you mean by that?" Liang Xiao said, "Compared to fighting with fists and feet, I can defeat you like an eagle catching a sheep. What else can you do besides fighting with fists and feet?" Tutuha angrily said, "You're all talk. I want to fight with fists and feet, come on if you dare." He took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with ferocity.
Liang Xiao smiled and said, "Alright, Tuhai, I'll let you hit me three times. If you can move me, then we'll have a contest of fists." Tuhai was born with divine strength, able to split tigers and leopards, and knock out buffalo with one punch. He didn't expect Liang Xiao to look down on him like this, and his heart felt an inexplicable shock and anger. But seeing that Liang Xiao wasn't much shorter than himself, and in terms of physique, wasn't as robust as he was, Tuhai thought that even if he had a strong body, it didn't necessarily mean he had divine strength. After a brief moment of hesitation, he shook his head and said, "Don't try to brag and intimidate people, you're just a small kid like a whip, I'll hit you three times and ten times would be no problem."
Liang Xiao saw that he had a grand and generous demeanor, so he secretly agreed with him. Smiling, he said: "Even if you break it, I won't blame you. I'll take a step back, and consider myself defeated." Tu Tu Ha was furious, staring at him with wide eyes. Liang Xiao's expression remained calm and composed, his gaze cold and steady as he met Tu Tu Ha's stare without flinching. He also glanced at Ah Xue beside him, who had a faint smile on her face, seemingly unafraid.
Tǔ Tǔ Hā isn't a fool, put away your disdainful thoughts, and think: "I'll lightly punch him to try." Then say: "Alright, if you're afraid just say so, I'll withdraw my fist."
Liang Xiao smiled and said, "You come." Tuhai's face sank, he walked down the mountain slope, and with one punch, he struck Liang Xiao's shoulder. This punch, although held back, still had a force of 60-70 kilograms. Unexpectedly, when it hit its mark, it was like striking an iron plate - Liang Xiao didn't move at all. Tuhai felt pain and withdrew his hand, shouting: "You have such hard bones!"
Liang Xiao smiled slightly and said, "Aren't you called 'Red-Haired Tiger'? Where's the ferocity of a tiger? You're as gentle as a rabbit." In Mongolian, these words were extremely insulting.
Tutuha furrowed his brow, not saying a word, and with a deep breath, he used ninety percent of his strength to strike towards Liang Xiao's left chest. The four onlookers saw this and couldn't help but shout in unison, gripping their clubs tightly, waiting for Liang Xiao to die before fighting Tutuha to the death.
Liang Xiao saw his fist coming, smiled and didn't move, waiting until the fist's energy reached him. His body slightly leaned back, and his foot "sunk" into the ground three inches. Tu Da only felt a void under his fist, as if he had hit empty air. His whole body's blood and energy surged forward, it was truly unbearable.
This move "Li Di Sheng Gen" is the Black Water Sect's untransmitted secret, back in the "Qun Ying Alliance", Xiao Qian's resistance to Ji Luo Hong's Lie Tian Jue used this move. The key lies in the brief moment of leaning back, the internal force suddenly changes, leading the opponent's strength to their heels. As for how deep into the ground it goes, it depends entirely on the size of the opponent's strength. This is actually a top-notch martial art, without extremely high internal force, one cannot control it, otherwise, they will end up hurting themselves. Liang Xiao also only dared to use this mysterious skill because his internal skills have improved recently.
Tutaha's fists flew out extremely quickly, one fist hadn't even been withdrawn before the second was already striking out. Before they had even hit their mark, Liang Xiao suddenly shifted from leaning back to leaning forward. It was like a tree rooted in the earth - with just one push of the hand, it would first lean back, and then as soon as you let go, it would suddenly spring back up. Because Tutaha's fist strength was so great, the force of the rebound was also extremely astonishing.
Liang Xiao was not a dead wood, but a living person. As his body rebounded in an instant, it brought with it the residual force of Tu Tuo Ha's attack, not to mention his own internal energy. The two forces combined, and the momentum was great and powerful. Amidst the crowd's cries of surprise, Tu Tuo Ha flew out more than six feet away and landed heavily on the ground. His muscles and bones were strong, and after a slight struggle, he jumped up again. He only felt his arm numb with pain, his chest churning with blood and energy, and his eyes staring at Liang Xiao in great surprise. How could he have known that Liang Xiao had shown mercy, for back then, Ji Luo Hong had suffered the rebound of Xue Qian Yue's attack and had been crippled on the spot, her tendons snapped and her bones broken, her five internal organs ruptured.
Yang Xiaoque and the other three were shocked and delighted, shouting "good" in unison. The other Han youths also struggled to their feet, cheering loudly. Liang Xiao had taken those two punches, his chest feeling slightly numb, thinking: "This man's brute strength is quite astonishing." He spat out a mouthful of air, laughing: "Tutuha, do you admit defeat?"
Tutaha smiled knowingly when he met a superior, but he had lost his father since childhood and had to support his family independently. His character was tempered strong and resilient. He raised an eyebrow and shouted loudly: "Good fellow, do you dare to compete with me in wrestling?" Liang Xiao laughed and said: "You've made such a fuss all this time, is this what you're good at? Alright, let's wrestle." Tutaha took a deep breath, tore off his leather jacket, bared his upper body, struck a pose, slightly bent his knees, and spread his arms apart.
Liang Xiao also took off his robe and threw it to Ah Xue. Li Ting'er stepped forward and whispered, "Brother Liang be careful, this person has never lost a fall."
Liang Xiao smiled and neither confirmed nor denied. A master's duel doesn't allow others to get close, in that sense, wrestling is a very inferior technique. Liang Xiao competing with Tuhai, taking the lower stance, was quite against his nature. But once he said it, he naturally had to follow through. He hadn't practiced wrestling before, but he had heard his mother explain it in detail, and with his mastery of martial arts, he could understand its intricacies.
He made a false move, his foot slightly moved, revealing an opening. Tu Tu Ha saw it and pounced forward, coming to grab his waist.
Liang Xiao took a step back, grabbed Tuhai's arm and hooked his left leg. In an instant, the two men's four arms and legs were entangled together. Wrestling was originally a Mongolian fighting technique derived from cattle and sheep butting heads and tigers and leopards pouncing on each other, later incorporating movements of slaughtering cows and sheep. The two men's limbs were intertwined, spinning and running quickly, one "twisting the cow's horns" and the other "riding the camel", constantly kicking to disrupt the opponent's lower body. The young spectators all cheered at the clever moves.
Liang Xiao's actual strength was inferior to Tu Tu Ha, his martial skills were more than ten times higher than his, and he deeply understood the method of borrowing power to dissipate momentum. Even if he didn't use his martial arts, he could still throw him down. However, he rather liked Tu Tu Ha's temperament and didn't want to use brute force to knock this person down.
Another two rounds, Liang Xiao suddenly grasped Tuo Tuo Ha's arm and took a step to the left. This step was extremely mysterious, precisely the "Nine Nine Return to Origin Step". As it was borrowing force to launch, Tuo Tuo Ha was pulled by him and almost fell over, unable to help but take a step forward. Before he could steady himself, Liang Xiao turned around and took another step. Tuo Tuo Ha couldn't stand firm and had no choice but to take a big stride, sweeping at Liang Xiao's lower body with his foot. Who would have thought that his foot would find nothing but air, and Liang Xiao's figure would be nowhere to be seen? Tuo Tuo Ha twisted his waist and swung his arm, wanting to shake off the hands holding him, but unexpectedly, wherever he twisted his waist, he was led by his opponent in that direction. After a moment of confusion, Liang Xiao pulled him backward; when he wanted to charge forward, Liang Xiao dragged him forward again; when he went left, Liang Xiao was on his left; when he went right, Liang Xiao was on his right. Always anticipating the enemy's moves and taking the lead by one step, he led Tuo Tuo Ha into motion. Tuo Tuo Ha followed Liang Xiao for over a dozen steps, his footsteps gradually becoming more and more disordered.
Wrestling is the most important lower body skill, but Tuo Tuo Ha's feet were a mess, and his whole body was full of openings. Liang Xiao didn't take advantage of this to throw him down, instead he smiled slightly and led him in the "Returning to the Origin" step, walking up and down. The faster they walked, the more Tuo Tuo Ha spun around, and after a while, Liang Xiao's figure changed three times, six times, coming and going, making everyone's eyes dizzy. Tuo Tuo Ha was like an ox with its nose pierced, following Liang Xiao as he turned east and west, not stopping for a moment.
After a while, Liang Xiao suddenly let go and stood aside with his hands in his sleeves. Tuhatah was finally free, but he spun around like a madman on the spot. He knew very well in his heart that he wanted to steady himself, but the force that made him spin was the sum of all the strength he had struggled with before, which Liang Xiao had borrowed from him using "Guiyuan Step" and returned to him intact. Even if Tuhatah's strength was ten times stronger, he could not resist this combined force.
The crowd was at a loss, when suddenly Tootaha's legs got entangled and he fell to the ground, still spinning around like a top. The Han boy was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing loudly.
Tu Tu Ha was easily overpowered, his feet and hands tied up, but he felt dizzy and his chest was tight. He calmed himself down, took a deep breath, and suddenly jumped up, shouting loudly: "I may not be as good as you in martial arts, but I won't admit defeat!" The young men were furious, one of them jeering: "Tu Tu Ha, your pants are gone, and you still don't admit defeat?" Another one taunted: "This guy's magic is too strong, Tu Tu Ha, you're like a moth flying into the fire, asking for your own destruction, get out of here, you stinky egg!" They all chimed in, ridiculing him mercilessly. Tu Tu Ha's face turned red and green, his eyes wide with anger but speechless. But Liang Xiao saw his own reflection in Tu Tu Ha, waved his hand and laughed: "Shut up, all of you!"
The crowd fell silent. Liang Xiao said, "What else do you want to compare? Tuhata, choose whatever you like. Even if it's cooking or sewing, I'll accompany you to the end." The crowd burst out laughing when they heard him say this. If someone else had said that, Tuhata would have definitely taken it as an insult, but hearing Liang Xiao say it, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "I'm not good at these things, I won't be able to compare with you. Wait for me a moment, I'll be right back." Liang Xiao nodded and said, "Alright!"
Tutuha galloped away to the north. The crowd was abuzz with speculation about what he was going to do. Before long, the sound of horse hooves came from the north, and two riders appeared on the horizon. The crowd gazed intently as Tutuha rode a large brown horse, carrying a bow and arrow, followed by a Mongolian youth with a shaved head and a pale complexion, also carrying a bow and arrow, riding a white horse. The Han youths jeered: "Tutuha, you're shameless! Are you going to get help?" "You can't win so you're calling for Sanggetu's help? Aren't you ashamed, Tutuha?" Liang Xiao, however, had guessed something and furrowed his brow slightly.
Tutuha jumped off his horse and ignored the crowd's noise, turning to Liang Xiao and saying: "My horse was stolen by them. This horse was borrowed from Xiang Gudai, he heard about it and also wants to come see." Liang Xiao sighed: "You want to compete with me in horse riding and archery?" Tutuha nodded: "Exactly." The crowd was stunned.
Tutaha shouted, "Nangudei, give him the bow and arrow." The Mongolian youth took off his bow and arrow and handed them to Liang Xiao. Tutaha pointed to a distant weeping willow: "We'll shoot at the willow branches! Each of us shoots three arrows, whoever shoots the farthest and hits the most branches wins!" At this time, it was just early spring, the willow branches were slender and delicate, and the leaves had not yet grown, making it very difficult to hit. Liang Xiao frowned: "Alright! You go first." He had never practiced horseback archery before, relying on his keen eyesight and arm strength, thinking it wouldn't be hard to handle. So letting Tutaha shoot first was both to test himself and the other, as well as to learn from him immediately.
Tuo Tuo Ha did not decline, turned over and mounted his horse, galloping swiftly, the willow branch getting farther and farther away, gradually having a distance of three hundred paces. Everyone was shocked: "Can he shoot so far?"
Liang Xiao watched with a start. Suddenly, Tuo Tuo Ha turned around while galloping, drew his strong bow, and shot a white-feathered arrow. "Swish", the arrow flew out like lightning, cutting a thin willow tree into two segments. The force didn't stop there; the feathered arrow sank into the trunk of the tree, buzzing and vibrating ceaselessly.
The arrow flew swiftly, and before the shout of admiration had died away, a second arrow was already on its way. He had deliberately shown off his skill, and as soon as the first arrow had flown out, he nocked a third one to the bowstring. In an instant, it shot out, carrying with it the tail of the second arrow, just like a shooting star chasing after the moon, splitting the first arrow in two. The momentum didn't stop there, and together with the third arrow, they flew in unison, cutting off three willow branches at once.
At this point, the applause of Nangong Yu finally subsided. The Han youths all looked pale and thought: "He should have shot arrows earlier, we would have reported to King Yan many times ago."
Tu Tu Ha galloped back on horseback, dismounted and handed the reins to Liang Xiao, saying "You come!" The Han boys looked at Liang Xiao with eager eyes, hoping he would perform another magic trick. But unexpectedly, Liang Xiao remained silent for a while, then sighed: "I lost, I can't do this."
As soon as the words came out, everyone was shocked. Liang Xiao finished speaking and turned to leave. Tuhata handed the bow and arrow to Nanguote, stepped forward to block Liang Xiao, pressed his hands on his chest, bowed and said: "May I ask your name?" Liang Xiao saw him paying respects and replied: "My name is Liang Xiao." Tuhata was surprised and asked: "Are you a Han Chinese? It's rare for a Han Chinese to speak Mongolian so well." After a pause, he continued: "I am from the Qinchai tribe, my name is Tuhata." Liang Xiao smiled and said: "I know now."
Tuo Tuo Ha He smiled and said: "Your martial arts are very good, you're a generous person, I like you." Liang Xiao said: "Your archery skills are also impressive, are you the best among the Mongolians?" Nangulai replied: "No, the current number one divine archer is Bayan of the Balha tribe!" These few sentences were spoken in Chinese, and Liang Xiao thought to himself: "It's him, General Divine Archer, his reputation is not exaggerated." He glanced at Nangulai again: "Your Chinese is not bad!"
Tutaha laughed and said, "Among the Mongolians here, Sangge is the most learned. He can even compose songs in Han Chinese." Sangge's face showed a hint of pride as he calmly said, "Genghis Khan once said in 'Jasa', 'Ordinary people who read books will ultimately surpass those born with intelligence.' Only by understanding the knowledge of the Han people can we rule them for a long time." Tutaha listened and respectfully said, "That's well said." Liang Xiao smiled and asked, "Genghis Khan himself was illiterate and didn't read books. Why is that?" Sangge was taken aback, unsure of how to respond.
Tuo Tuo Ha said to the Han youth, "You stole my horse. Now that you've lost, shouldn't you return it to me?" The young horse thief looked embarrassed and had no choice but to lead him and Qiang Gu Dai to retrieve the horse.
Liang Xiao was just about to leave when he suddenly heard someone shouting "San Gou Er!" He turned his head and saw a middle-aged woman hurrying over, half walking and half running.
Zhao San Gou's face changed color, and he took off running. The middle-aged woman shouted: "San Gou'er! You dare to run?" Zhao San Gou stopped in his tracks at the sound of her voice. The woman rushed up to him, grabbed him by the ear, and slapped him on the body, scolding: "You wicked child! Last time you stole a donkey and were kicked half to death, today you're fighting with people again... You want to drive me to death before you're satisfied, huh?... Wicked child, beast!" She beat him while crying.
Zhang San was pinned down by her, only spinning around in place, dodging the attack but not daring to struggle. The woman beat him until she was out of breath, standing there, crying in pain.
Zhao San Dog was stunned for a while, then knelt down and cried: "Mom, don't cry, I won't dare to do it again." The woman sobbed: "You always say nice things, but you always do it again after saying it." As she spoke, she raised her palm to hit Zhao San Dog again, but suddenly her wrist was held tight and she couldn't swing it. Turning around, a young man with a sword at his waist had grasped her wrist with one hand.
The woman saw his unfamiliar face, slightly stunned, and said: "You..." Liang Xiao bitterly smiled and said: "Auntie, spare him for my sake!" The woman stared blankly at him, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, and slowly lowered her hand. Liang Xiao glanced at Zhao Sandog and sighed: "Will you keep your word? Will you really not steal or fight again?" Zhao Sandog's face was hesitant, looking at his three sworn brothers.
Liang Xiao nodded and said, "San Gou Er, I know you've repeatedly broken your promise to your mother. It's all because the four of you are friends, and when they steal and fight, you can't bear to ruin the camaraderie?" Zhao San Gou was struck by his words and silently nodded. Liang Xiao's face turned stern, and he shouted, "All four of you, kneel down for me!"
Four people were intimidated by his gaze, and they all knelt down with a thud. Liang Xiao said sternly: "I hate the most who makes my mother sad. You four kneel on the ground and swear that from now on, you are not allowed to do any more stealing, cheating, fighting or quarreling. Otherwise, I will crush you like this stone!" He lifted a large stone weighing 40-50 kilograms with his foot and slapped it out with a loud palm. The blue stone was shattered into eight pieces in mid-air, and they fell into the ground one after another.
Everyone stared in amazement. The four young men put their heads together and discussed for a while, then Yang Xiaoque said: "Brother Liang, we have an idea. If you agree, from now on we will not steal anymore; if you don't agree, your skills are superior, one palm can kill us!" Liang Xiao exclaimed and said: "Good, speak up and let me hear!"
Yang Xiaojue was about to speak but hesitated, looking back at Li Ting'er. Li Ting'er said: "We've discussed it among ourselves. Brother Liang, your martial arts skills are exceptional, we've never seen anyone like you before. So we want to ask you to be our master and teach us martial arts. In the future, we can earn a good name and let our parents live a better life, no longer struggling in poverty. If you agree, from now on we'll focus on learning martial arts and won't steal or cause trouble for the villagers again."
Liang Xiao furrowed his brow, thinking to himself: "I am not related to them, nor do I know them well. Moreover, we are of similar age; how can I be their master?" Seeing the woman's tear-stained face and her hopeful eyes, he couldn't help but soften in his heart, saying: "Forget about becoming my disciples. I plan on staying here for a few days, and when I have some free time, I can offer you some pointers on your skills."
The four of them were overjoyed and stood up, bowing repeatedly. Liang Xiao turned around and suddenly saw a middle-aged woman staring at him, dazed and seemingly enchanted. He was puzzled in his heart and hadn't spoken yet when the woman asked: "Young Master Liang?" Liang Xiao replied: "That's right, Auntie, what instructions do you have for me?"
The woman stared blankly at him, muttering: "Really looks like, really looks like!" Liang Xiao said: "Looks like what?" The woman looked him up and down again, sighing bitterly: "I may have mistaken, just now looking at you, young master, your appearance is similar to a person surnamed Liang I used to know, but now that I look closely, there are some differences."
Liang Xiao's mind was filled with doubts, and he carefully looked at the woman before asking, "Aunt Zhao, what is that acquaintance's name?" The woman replied, "His name is Liang Wenjing!" Liang Xiao was shocked and stared at her, saying, "You know my dad?"
Aunt Zhao's whole body shook, and she stretched out her hand to pull him, but as soon as she touched the back of his hand, it felt like being scalded by fire, and she hastily withdrew it, trembling with voice: "You... are you really his son?" Liang Xiao also guessed a few points, saying: "Yes, Liang Wenjing is my dad, Aunt Zhao... are you Dad's old neighbor?"
Aunt Zhao looked at Liang Xiao with a strange expression on her face, seemingly both happy and sad. After a while, she struggled to say: "You... your dad? Is he okay?" Liang Xiao smiled bitterly and said gloomily: "He passed away many years ago."
The woman's body suddenly went limp, and Liang Xiao quickly supported her. Zhao Shu regained her breath, grabbed Liang Xiao's arm, and choked out: "You...you said he passed away?" Before she could finish speaking, tears were already falling.
Liang Xiao sighed, "Yes, it's been almost seven years since he passed away. Were you close to him in the past?" A hint of desolation flashed across Zhao Shu's eyes as she murmured, "We were neighbors, grew up together." Liang Xiao hadn't expected to run into an old acquaintance here, and his heart warmed up. He helped her sit down and told her about his father's situation.
Everyone who heard this felt a pang in their hearts, and Ah Xue was also hearing about Liang Xiao's past for the first time. She thought to herself: "I'm an orphan, I've never seen my parents; Brother has parents, but they were taken away from him. This pain is even harder to bear than being an orphan." As she thought this, she grasped Liang Xiao's hand and also shed tears silently.
Aunt Zhao lowered her head, thought for a moment, and suddenly pulled Liang Xiao, saying: "Young Master, follow me!" Liang Xiao didn't understand what was going on, but followed her anyway. Ah Xue also closely followed behind them. The three of them walked for a while, and in the distance saw a bamboo forest, with a bamboo house inside, its thatch neatly tied up.
Aunt Zhao pulled open the door, lifted up the bamboo gate, and a faint scent of bamboo wafted out. Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment before following her inside. The house was four square meters in size, divided into two rooms, with beds and cabinets neatly arranged, hoes and iron plows leaning against the wall corners, and sharp-pointed yellow mud that had dried long ago. Near the window, a copper basin shone brightly, still holding a pool of clear oil. Outside the window, the bamboo forest was lush and green, casting a soft emerald glow through the window, making people's hair and eyebrows all seem to be tinged with green.
"What is this place?" Liang Xiao asked, puzzled. Zhao Aunt wiped the corner of the table with her hand, and tears welled up in her eyes as she said sorrowfully, "This was where your grandfather and father used to live."
Li Xiang was stunned. The woman gazed out the window at the bamboo forest and sighed, "That autumn, the wheat in the fields had just turned yellow. After Genghis Khan's army passed through, your father was conscripted as a laborer. The day after the army left, I came early to look for him, but he and your grandfather were nowhere to be found! Not a word was left behind, they just rushed off like that. Later, I often came to clean up, thinking that one day he would return. At that time, there had to be a place to sleep, a place to put clothes, a place to read books... Alas, your father loved reading the most, but your grandfather wouldn't let him, so he would sneak into the woods behind my house to read in secret, sometimes forgetting to eat, and it was always me who stole food from home to give to him.
She was lost in thought, and the scene seemed like it was just yesterday. A bitter smile floated up to her lips without her realizing it. She turned around and opened the cabinet, where there were still a few tattered clothes left. She gently stroked them, and after a long time, she said softly: "That year, I got married. When I had children, I couldn't come here, and these clothes were all eaten away by insects. Alas, it's helpless, after becoming a mother, there are many things to do, like farming and feeding the children. Gradually, I came less often, but for some reason, I always thought he would come back..." As she said this, suddenly a low sobbing sound was heard, and when she turned around, Liang Xiao was leaning against the bed, tears streaming down her face, and with a "thud" she knelt on the ground, tightly grasping her hem.
Aunt Zhao's heart ached, and she hastily said: "Good child, don't cry, don't cry..." She only spoke a few words before losing her voice to tears. Ah Xue was overcome with grief, kneeling and grasping Liang Xiao's clothes as she cried: "Brother...don't cry anymore...Waaah...don't cry anymore..." The woman had experienced many hardships in life, but seeing the two crying so sorrowfully, she instead suppressed her own pain, helped Ah Xue up, and asked: "Are you Wen Jing's daughter?" Ah Xue shook her head and said: "My brother and I are sworn siblings."
Liang Xiao suppressed her sorrow, wiped away her tears and stood up. She looked around, feeling as if she had entered a different world. Aunt Zhao said: "You said you wanted to stay for a few days, if you don't mind, you can come live here, this is also your home." Liang Xiao thought for a moment and said: "Alright, it's not convenient to go back and forth from the mountain temple, I'll move down the mountain to live!"
"Aunt Zhao nodded and said, 'Go see your Uncle Zhao Si.' Liang Xiao followed her to a house with a thatched roof and earth walls. A middle-aged man was weaving bamboo baskets in front of the door. The woman called out to him and told him about Liang Xiao's background. Zhao Si was overjoyed, but upon learning of Liang Wanjing's passing, he became grief-stricken. The woman asked him to keep Liang Xiao company while she went to prepare food."
Zhao Si was inarticulate, rubbing his hands and muttering to himself, not knowing how to comfort him. Liang Xiao had to make small talk: "Uncle Zhao Si is weaving a bamboo basket?" Zhao Si caught the conversation thread and hastily said: "Yes, that's right! This skill was actually taught by your grandfather." Liang Xiao smiled: "I see! My dad knows it too, but I've never learned it."
Zhao Si sighed and said, "That bamboo forest was also brought back by your grandfather from the south. At first, there were only a few stalks, but after two rains, it suddenly grew into a forest! Hmm, your grandfather loved bamboo the most, often telling Wenjing and me that being a person should be like growing bamboo - no matter how you grow, you must always be straight, and reflect on yourself section by section. Hmm, what did Wenjing say it was called? 'I... I something myself'? Ah, it's been too long, I've forgotten..."
Liang Xiao thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "I reflect on myself three times a day?" Zhao Si slapped his thigh and laughed: "Right! It's still Wén Jìng's son who has knowledge! The old man has knowledge, the son also has knowledge. Look at us, we're just a bunch of bumpkins, San Gouzi is also a bumpkin... Alas, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, mice beget mice that can dig holes..." He said with a bitter smile and scratched his head.
Liang Xiao felt displeased and said, "If San Gou'er is willing to learn, I can teach him to read." Zhao Si was shocked and hastily waved his hand, saying, "Hey, don't mention it. That rascal of a kid won't study well, he'll just hang out with his hoodlum friends... He doesn't even weave bamboo baskets or farm the land, but instead wants to be an official or a general... You say, isn't he crazy?"
Liang Xiao said, "People tend to climb high, he has great ambitions, that's good!" Zhao Si was slightly stunned, shaking his head and saying, "We just hope he lives a peaceful life." He picked up a bamboo stick and split it into several pieces.
The two sat opposite each other in silence, Liang Xiao watching him weave a bamboo basket for a while before suddenly asking: "Uncle Zhao, is there anyone else around here who knows how to weave bamboo?" Zhao shook his head and said: "No one. There's not much bamboo up north, everyone uses wood instead. I can barely sell these bamboo baskets, and on top of that, I have to pay taxes for doing business! If I make a few cents in two or three days, that's already pretty good."
Liang Xiao smiled and said, "I'll try it out, okay?" Zhao Si smiled and said, "Okay, yeah, I'll tell you how to do it." Liang Xiao smiled and said, "I've looked at it twice, roughly got it." Zhao Si was surprised and said, "Really?" Liang Xiao picked up the bamboo knife, sharpened it on a whetstone until it was even sharper, and with a few quick movements, the bamboo was split into thin strips as fine as hair. Zhao Si watched in amazement, hastily calling out, "Ah, no, too thin, too thin, it'll break!" Liang Xiao shook his head and said, "I still think it's too thick!" Zhao Si was stunned again.
Liang Xiao thought for a moment, and then picked up the bamboo threads with both hands. Dozens of extremely fine bamboo threads danced between his fingers. After weaving for a while, he took out the door, and his fingers moved faster and faster, falling into Zhao Si's eyes, as if they had grown wings and were flying all over the sky. In less than half an hour, Liang Xiao wove a bamboo basket, dense and delicate, exquisite and transparent, like an empty eggshell.
Liang Xiao tied the last knot, smiled and said: "Done!" He threw it to Ah Xue, "Give it to you!" Ah Xue held it in her hand, liked it very much, and smiled: "Brother, can this be used to hold flowers?" Liang Xiao smiled: "Why not? It's thin but still sturdy."
Zhao Si came back to his senses, pulled up Liang Xiao's hand, and touched it repeatedly. He looked at his own hand again and muttered: "There's nothing different about them, why do I feel like I'm performing magic?" Ah Xue laughed and said: "That's brother's 'Fantasy Magic Hand'." Zhao Si still didn't understand, but he was a straightforward person and didn't ask many questions. He took the bamboo basket and exclaimed in surprise: "This thing looks good, but it's not practical. However, maybe the young ladies from wealthy families would like it."
Liang Xiao said, "I think so too. If we use this bamboo forest to make even more exquisite bamboo products and sell them to wealthy families, it's not necessarily a bad business. Zhao Fourth Uncle, let's do business together." Zhao Fourth looked at the bamboo basket and shook his head, "This kind of thing, I don't know how to do." Liang Xiao smiled, "I'll make it, you just help me sell it." Zhao Fourth was stunned, his mind couldn't keep up.
The sun had already set, and Aunt Zhao called everyone to eat dinner. She killed an old hen that laid eggs and made a pot of chicken soup. Liang Xiao gathered the four young men and told them about his plan to make bamboo products, letting the four of them specialize in selling them, and dividing the silver coins they earned equally among the five families. The four men looked at the bamboo baskets Liang Xiao had woven and thought it was interesting, all praising him. After dinner, everyone discussed for another hour before happily dispersing.
The severe winter gradually passed, the snow cleared and fell again, and the fallen snow cleared again. Liang Xiao merged all his skills into bamboo art, with a clever mind and ingenious ideas, his craftsmanship gradually became divine, and the bamboo threads he used were even more delicate. The bamboo fans, baskets, flower vases, and screens he made were all exquisite and transparent, unparalleled in the world, not only did wealthy families from afar compete to buy them, but even merchants came to his door.
The original household registration was strict, and Liang Xiao was not convenient to recruit outside. He finished ten samples every day and handed them over to Li Ting'er and Zhao Sandog for processing. The four little rascals were clever and resourceful, and in the business world, they had a place to show off their skills.
Ashley is in charge of household chores, and she also works hard to practice her magic hands, hoping to learn quickly and help Liang Xiao make bamboo products. However, she is not talented and always fails to make anything decent, feeling frustrated and secretly crying several times.
Before long, it was the next spring. After two spring rains, the wheat seedlings in the field sprouted, and the bamboo shoots also emerged from the ground. On this clear morning, Liang Xiao walked out of the door and looked at the empty space on the mountain slope, where four young men were practicing their fists and feet with loud shouts.
After several months of hard work, the four people's internal skills in boxing and footwork had already reached the entry level, advancing and retreating with ease, quite in line with the principles of boxing. In their spare time from practicing martial arts on the bamboo forest, Liang Xiao also remembered his promise to Zhao Si, and brought books from Xuan Yin Guan to teach the four people to read and recognize characters. These four people were quite like Liang Xiao in his younger years, picking up a book would make them drowsy, but under Liang Xiao's gaze, they had no choice but to force themselves to focus, reading with great difficulty.
Ah Xue was burning fire by the stove, saw Liang Xiao go out, walked to his side and smiled: "Brother, I didn't expect these four little rascals to be so similar!" Liang Xiao sighed with a smile: "So-so, just like you, not fond of reading books." Ah Xue's face turned red, giggling. Liang Xiao sat down and said: "Ah Xue, I made something fun last night, give it to you to play with." Ah Xue smiled in agreement. Liang Xiao took out a bamboo bird with complex structure and many mechanisms, smiling: "Guess how to play?" Ah Xue looked at it for a moment, shook her head and said: "I can't guess."
Liang Xiao smiled, raised his hand, and the bamboo bird "popped" out of his palm, flying up into the sky with a whirring sound. Ah Xue stared in amazement, looking at the bamboo bird and exclaimed: "Brother, can you manipulate objects in mid-air?"
Liang Xiao shook his head and said, "This is not martial arts, it's mechanical skills. The ancient books say that Lu Ban created a wooden bird that flew for three days without falling to the ground. However, this bamboo bird only flew for the time it took to burn an incense stick, I don't know if it was the ancients exaggerating or my skills being too small." Ah Xue smiled and said, "Of course it's the ancients exaggerating!" Liang Xiao gave her a glance and said, "You're just saying nice things." He complained with his mouth, but in his heart he was very pleased.
Suddenly, a sharp sound was heard, and an arrow shot out, piercing the bamboo bird with a "whooshing" sound. The mechanism broke, and the bamboo bird fell to the ground. Ah Xue cried out in surprise, and Liang Xiao also felt a slight shock. Looking ahead, they saw two horsemen riding towards them. One of the riders rushed forward, not waiting for the bamboo bird to hit the ground, and caught it with his hand. Seeing that it was a fake bird, the man looked stunned for a moment, then raised his head and looked over, revealing a shock of red hair flying like a flag - it was none other than Tuhatao, the Qinchai tribesman.
Two horsemen rushed to the front of the bamboo forest. The four Yang Xiaojue people were cautious, each holding up their clubs and staring at the two knights.
Tutuha shouted loudly: "Is Liang Xiao here?" Liang Xiao walked out of the bamboo forest, smiling and saying: "Tutuha, you came and shot my bird?" Tutuha was stunned, picked up the bamboo bird, and exclaimed in surprise: "Did you make this?" Liang Xiao nodded, and called to another knight: "Nanguta, you're here too?"
Tu Tu Ha Xi Xi got off his horse, scratched his head and said: "I saw a big bird, I was going to shoot it down for wine, but unexpectedly one arrow shot out, and it turned out to be a bamboo bird!" Ah Xue quickly stepped forward, chopped **over**, looked at the bamboo bird, and her eyes were slightly red. Liang Xiao hurriedly said: "Ah Xue, this one is broken, I'll make another one for you!"
Tutaha stared at Ah Xue without blinking: "Liang Xiao, is she your wife?" Liang Xiao shook his head and said: "No, this is my sister." Tutaha laughed and said: "Your sister is really beautiful!" He spoke in Mongolian, Ah Xue didn't understand, so she looked at Liang Xiao with wide eyes. Liang Xiao smiled and said: "This is Tutaha, he's complimenting you on your beauty!" Ah Xue's cheeks turned red, she frowned, and went back into the house.
Liang Xiao Dao said, "Tutuha, what brings you here?" Tutuha replied, "I've been wanting to find you for a long time, but they wouldn't tell me!" He pointed at Yang Xiaoyue and the others. Li Ting'er hesitated and said, "They are Mongolians, we were afraid it would be disadvantageous to Big Brother Liang!" Liang Xiao smiled slightly and said, "Tutuha, what do you want from me? Are you looking for a fight again?" Tutuha waved his hands repeatedly and laughed loudly, saying, "I couldn't beat you even if I wanted to! I came to drink with you!"
Liang Xiao Xi said with a hearty smile, "You go buy wine!" Tu Tu Ha said, "No need, we brought wine!" As he spoke, he dismounted his horse and took down several large leather sacks. "These few huangdou wines are enough for seven or eight people to drink!" Kang Guo also dismounted his horse and carried down a newly slaughtered mountain goat, laughing in Chinese, "This goat is also enough for seven or eight people to eat!"
Liang Xiao laughed and said: "Tutuha, you can't speak Chinese?" Tutuha replied: "I can understand it, but I'm not good at speaking!" Liang Xiao said: "My sister doesn't understand Mongolian. When you come to my place, speak Chinese. When I go to your place, I'll speak Mongolian." Tutuha burst out laughing and said in Chinese: "Good!"
Everyone sat in a circle, drank for a while, and Liang Xiao asked: "Tutuha, you are a Qinchada person, how far is Qinchada from here?" Tutuha said: "It's very far. I was four years old when I left Qinchada and came to China at the age of six. It took me two whole years to ride a horse. I don't remember what Qinchada looks like, but I remember a big river called Yidetule (i.e., the Volga River in Russia today), where many people with different eye colors live, including those with red hair and yellow hair."
Liang Xiao listened with a sense of longing and sighed, "The world is really big." He said to Ah Xue, "After I avenge my father's death and find my mother, we'll go to Qin Chuan together to broaden our horizons." Ah Xue was overjoyed and said, "Brother, you always keep your promises!" Liang Xiao smiled and said, "Of course, I do. At that time, if you're married, bring your husband along too." Ah Xue's smile faltered, and she lowered her head to say, "I won't get married!" Liang Xiao furrowed his brow and asked, "Not getting married? Becoming an old maid?" Ah Xue remained silent.
Tu Tu Ha stared at Ah Xue and suddenly said, "Liang Xiao, I really like your sister. I haven't married yet, can you marry her to me?" He was a Mongolian, straightforward in his actions, thinking of marriage and speaking directly, without any hesitation.
Everyone was stunned. Tuhai said, "My mother often urged me to marry, but I didn't like those Mongolian women. Your sister is very good, and I liked her at first sight. If you agree, I'll use these nine Qinchuan horses as a betrothal gift." Liang Xiao said, "No need for a betrothal gift, it depends on my sister's opinion." He looked at Ah Xue, "Ah Xue, what do you say?" Ah Xue's face lost all its color, and she bit her lip, saying, "If brother wants me to marry, I'll marry." Tuhai heard this and thought the matter was settled, happily saying, "Great! I'll tell my mother, and we'll come to welcome you."
Liang Xiao looked at Ah Xue for a while, shook his head and said: "Ah Xue, if you want to get married, then get married. If not, I won't force you. I just want you to live happily." Ah Xue's face turned red, tears suddenly streaming down her face, she frantically shook her head saying: "I said I wouldn't marry, I... I'll just be an old spinster..." Suddenly she rushed into the house and burst out crying loudly.
Tutaha stared blankly, unsure of what to do. Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment before sighing and saying, "Tutaha, my sister refuses, so we have no choice but to give up!" Tutaha was taken aback and also let out a sigh, saying, "What a pity." Nanguti Qi said, "You Han people aren't supposed to follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues? If your father dies, you should obey your older brother. Liang Xiao, if you agree, then it's settled!"
Liang Xiao sneered, "Three Obediences and Four Virtues? Ha! What a load of nonsense!" Tuo Tuo Ha was even more surprised, furrowing his brow as he said, "Your temperament doesn't seem like that of a Han person, but rather like that of a Mongolian." Liang Xiao calmly replied, "My mother is Mongolian, so I'm half-Mongolian too." He raised his cup and smiled, saying, "Tuo Tuo Ha, since we can't become sworn brothers, let's just be friends instead." Tuo Tuo Ha also raised his cup and laughed, saying, "Agreed, let's be friends!" Nang Gu Dei smiled and said, "Since everyone gets along so well, why not exchange tokens of friendship and become sworn brothers?"
Liang Xiao smiled and said, "Why bother with those clichés? If it's in my heart, then I'll say it!" The two of them were filled with enthusiasm and exclaimed in unison, "Right! If it's in our hearts, then we'll say it!" For a while, the seven of them laughed loudly together, finishing off the wine in their bowls in one gulp. They continued drinking and singing, making merry for half the day before dispersing.
