Chapter 378: Zhang Xiaohua’s True Strength

“Bairen?”

Not only was Guo Sufei astonished, but everyone present furrowed their brows in confusion.

Indeed, if Guo Sufei had chosen a name like “Gousheng” or “Erlengzi”—common rustic names—no one would have found it strange. That’s how country folk name their children, after all. But “Bairen”? It had nothing to do with a childhood nickname; even names like “Yaoyao” or “Huanhuan” would have made more sense.

Seeing their reactions, Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “Mr. Liu has already explained the unusual circumstances of Jian’er’s birth. Jian’er is destined to be extraordinary. But now, this secret has already reached Granny Li. Perhaps by tomorrow, the rumors will spread throughout Guo Village. Of course, what she saw was only the tip of the iceberg. We, however, know the whole truth.”

At this point, Zhang Xiaohua stood up and bowed deeply to both Old Shopkeeper Li’s family and Liu Kai’s family. The others were even more surprised. The younger ones hurriedly returned the gesture and asked: “Xiaohua, what is the meaning of this?”

Zhang Xiaohua replied: “Granny Li only saw that Jian’er looked healthy and full, but all of you witnessed him emerge from the lotus flower. If such news were to spread, it would surely bring great disaster upon Jian’er. It might even attract the covetous eyes of certain people. Therefore, I ask you all, for the sake of Jian’er’s future, please, under no circumstances, reveal what you saw yesterday to anyone, no matter who they are.”

Zhang Xiaohua’s words were earnest, and his expression grave. Everyone felt a chill in their hearts. Though Zhang Xiaohua had not uttered any threats, the look in his eyes left no doubt—should any information leak out, he would not show leniency, even to his own kin. Especially since yesterday, when Zhang Xiaohua had used his small sword to cleave open the lotus and carry Zhang Jian out, everyone had already regarded him as someone out of the ordinary. Moreover, five years ago, he had managed to lead three people safely out of the bandit-infested West Cui Mountain. After five years of mastering martial arts, who could guess how powerful he had now become? It was only natural that both families sincerely agreed to Zhang Xiaohua’s request.

After all, isn’t Zhang Jian still one of our own?

Why make things difficult for our own people?

Seeing that everyone had solemnly agreed, only then did Zhang Xiaohua continue: “But even Granny Li’s rumors will inevitably have an impact on Jian’er. As he grows up, he’ll surely face either ridicule or encouragement from the other children. Still, from what I’ve observed, it’s unlikely Jian’er will suffer much. All the more reason, then, for him to keep a low profile and conceal his brilliance. As the saying goes, ‘The stake that sticks out gets knocked down first.’ I hope that our Jian’er will remain humble—humble, and more humble still. Only by enduring what others cannot endure can one achieve what others cannot achieve.”

“Mr. Liu, do you think what I’ve said makes sense?”

“Clap, clap, clap!” Mister Liu applauded enthusiastically. “What Xiaohua says is absolutely right. It’s exactly what I wanted to say, but I never expected Xiaohua to see things so thoroughly. Indeed, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. How true that is.”

Zhang Xiaohua replied modestly: “You flatter me, Mr. Liu. I’ve simply witnessed too many such cases in the martial world, and speak only from experience. It’s nothing worthy of praise.”

Mr. Liu laughed: “No need to be so modest, Xiaohua. I saw your potential years ago, when you came to Baligou with Xiaolong for the wedding. Now I see I wasn’t wrong. By the way, do you still remember the bow you drew in front of my house?”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded: “Of course I remember. That was my first time drawing a bow and shooting an arrow—how could I forget?”

Mr. Liu said: “That bow was no ordinary bow.”

“Hm?” Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback. “I didn’t know that. Please, enlighten me, sir.”

Mr. Liu explained: “Back then, I knew your elder brother had injured his arm, so I specifically asked someone to borrow a soft bow from the village hunters, just for the occasion. You shot those three arrows with ease, and no one thought much of it. They all knew about my arrangements. But a few days later, the hunter returned from the mountains and came to apologize, saying he’d ruined my celebration. I was puzzled until I learned that the bow had been swapped by mistake. Not only was it not a soft bow, but it was actually the hunter’s ancestral five-stone strongbow, one he hadn’t managed to draw in years.”

“Xiaohua, that’s why—I always knew you were no ordinary person. So when you wanted to go to Pingyang City to broaden your horizons, I was fully supportive.”

“Ah?” Zhang Xiaohua laughed. “So that’s how it was! No wonder after shooting those three arrows, I felt completely drained. So that was the secret behind it.”

At this moment, Li Jinfeng asked: “Xiaohua, you were only about eleven or twelve back then, right? You already had impressive strength. I seem to recall you once said you lifted a five-hundred-jin stone lock at the Lotus Escort Agency?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled: “When did I ever tell you that? I don’t remember.”

Li Jinfeng scratched his head. “Maybe it was Shangguan Yun, or perhaps Yu Lun. It’s been so long, I can’t remember clearly.”

“At the time, I was only focused on joining the Lotus Escort Agency. Who would remember how heavy that stone lock was? Five hundred jin, perhaps.”

But Li Jinfeng wouldn’t let it go. “That was five or six years ago. You’ve been training in martial arts all this time—how strong are you now? A thousand jin?”

Zhang Xiaohua was about to shake his head and deny it, but catching sight of the proud looks on his parents’ faces, as well as the astonished gaze of Old Shopkeeper Li, he immediately reconsidered. He knew that while Old Shopkeeper Li was grateful and wouldn’t reveal Jian’er’s secret, he was still an outsider and couldn’t be fully trusted. And from his parents’ words, it was clear they wanted him to stay in Guo Village from now on, never to venture far again. While that would certainly make his life easier, what about his second brother, Zhang Xiaohu? If he truly needed saving, wouldn’t staying here mean missing the crucial opportunity?

So, taking this chance to display his strength and reassure the elders might not be a bad thing. Killing two birds with one stone—this was the sort of thing Zhang Xiaohua liked best.

“A thousand jin?” Zhang Xiaohua said loudly: “That’s still a bit light.”

“What?” Li Jinfeng was stunned, and even Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Kai were left gaping in disbelief.

“Could it be fifteen hundred jin?” Liu Kai ventured a number.

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head.

“Two thousand jin?” Li Yinfeng asked in amazement.

Zhang Xiaohua still shook his head.

“Xiaohua, don’t scare us—could it be three thousand jin?” Zhang Xiaolong finally blurted out an unbelievable figure.

Indeed, what does three thousand jin even mean? None of them truly understood.

All they knew was that even carrying five jin of pork could leave one’s hand sore.

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua still shaking his head, the three elders couldn’t take it anymore and pressed on: “Five thousand jin?”

“Eight thousand jin?”

“Ten thousand jin?”

By the time Zhang Cai uttered the last number, he was already smiling—not a proud smile, but a teasing one. In his mind, his son was surely just joking.

Noticing everyone looking at him with amused expressions, Zhang Xiaohua also smiled. Truthfully, his strength was hard to describe with mere numbers. After some thought, he glanced at the longsword in the corner, stood up, fetched it, and gently placed it on the ground. “This is the weapon I use. Try it yourselves, and you’ll understand my strength.”

“Oh?” Li Jinfeng, sharp-eyed, laughed. “Isn’t this the same sword that the Sibu Xiang carried on its back yesterday? If a beast can carry it, it can’t weigh that much—maybe a hundred jin at most. That hardly matches your supposed strength.”

Zhang Xiaohua only smiled and said nothing. Li Jinfeng didn’t step forward himself—he knew his own limits. Instead, he signaled to Zhang Xiaolong to give it a try. Zhang Xiaolong found it amusing; clearly, Xiaohua was just joking. This stone-like thing, how could it be a real weapon? Even if it was heavy, it couldn’t be more than a few dozen jin—surely he could lift it.

Zhang Xiaolong stood up, walked to the longsword, bent down, and grabbed the hilt with one hand. He exerted all his strength, but it didn’t budge an inch. Frowning, he used both hands and tried again with all his might, yet it still wouldn’t move at all. Zhang Xiaolong straightened, patted his hands, and laughed: “Wow, it really is heavy! I used all my strength and couldn’t move it at all. Impressive, Xiaohua, you’re truly remarkable.”

Now, everyone was convinced the two brothers were putting on an act.

Liu Kai laughed as well: “Since Xiaohua is so strong, let me give it a try too.”

Just like Zhang Xiaolong, Liu Kai couldn’t move it at all, and stood up with a smile, praising Zhang Xiaohua.

Li Jinfeng couldn’t sit still either. He gave it a try, and just like the others, ended up offering exaggerated praise with a strange look on his face.

Now, even Li Yinfeng wanted to try.

Guo Sufei advised: “Yinfeng, don’t follow their example. Can’t you see they’re just teasing you?”

Zhang Cai also laughed: “That’s right, Yinfeng, just stay seated. If you don’t go up, let’s see who else they’ll try to trick. I certainly won’t be giving it a try.”

“Hahaha!” Mr. Liu and Old Shopkeeper Li both burst out laughing, saying at the same time: “We’ve eaten more salt than you youngsters have eaten rice—did you really think we couldn’t see through your little tricks?”

After the three elders finished laughing, the younger generation also broke into hearty laughter. They truly hadn’t expected the old men to be so youthful at heart, turning the tables on them with such a playful act.

Li Jinfeng laughed so hard that tears welled up in his eyes, and he could barely catch his breath as he said_ “Little sister, Father, we really… really couldn’t move it at all, not even a little bit.”

“What?” This time, it was the four elders who looked at each other in shock. So it hadn’t been a joke after all!

Zhang Cai couldn’t sit still any longer. After all, Mr. Liu was a frail scholar, and Old Shopkeeper Li spent his days with an abacus—only he himself still had some real strength, especially after all these years of drinking the spring water. He had always felt quite confident in his own abilities.

Zhang Cai walked over to the longsword, examined it carefully, and grabbed it with both hands. He didn’t dare use all his strength at first—if it turned out to be light, wouldn’t he risk falling over and becoming the butt of the younger generation’s jokes?

He used twenty percent of his strength—the sword didn’t budge.

He used fifty percent of his strength—the sword still didn’t move.

Finally, he summoned every ounce of strength he had, even the strength he’d had as a nursing infant—yet the sword remained utterly immovable!