Chapter 93

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Chapter 93: Discussion

Yu Lun’s words were quite rude but not without reason. Li Jinfeng, seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s flushed face, felt rather sympathetic. Although a country boy like Zhang Xiaohua might lack some worldly knowledge, he had just helped chase away a thief and had shown a certain dignified demeanor along the way. This left a good impression on Li Jinfeng, so he continued: “Brother Yu, you are mistaken. Xiaohua’s desire to learn martial arts is commendable. If someone like him with his kind heart can practice martial arts, he will definitely be able to help many people in need when encountering injustice.”

Yu Lun, seeing Li Jinfeng defending Zhang Xiaohua, didn’t stop and continued: “Brother Li, you study literature and may not understand the difficulties of learning martial arts. The path of martial arts requires both wealth and talent. Without these, one cannot succeed. Having half-baked skills can be worse than not learning at all. If he gets into trouble and tries to intervene, he might lose his life in vain. Don’t you agree, Brother Shangguan?”

Shangguan Yun didn’t say much or even look at Zhang Xiaohua, merely nodding in agreement.

Li Jinfeng, curious about the topic, stopped focusing on Zhang Xiaohua’s situation and asked Shangguan Yun with interest: “Brother Shangguan, why is that? I’m very curious, could you explain it to me?”

Shangguan Yun furrowed his brows and said: “Brother Li, to put it simply, those who study literature only need a few copper coins to buy books, and they can find a teacher almost anywhere to teach them to read and write. Martial arts, however, are different. Take my case, for instance. I’ve loved martial arts since I was young, and my family’s financial situation was decent. My father hired martial arts masters to teach me and spent a lot on rare medicinal herbs for my baths and injuries. Martial arts masters are scarce, and those with real skills are even rarer. I’ve changed several masters before finally finding one with true talent. However, that master is old and has now retired to his hometown. My father didn’t want me to continue learning martial arts, believing that a strong physique for self-protection was enough. So, I secretly ran away to join the Lotus Escort Agency to continue my training. Even with my martial arts foundation since childhood, I had to pay a significant amount of money to get in. How could someone like Zhang Xiaohua hope to learn martial arts?”

After speaking, Shangguan Yun shook his head and smiled gently. It wasn’t a mocking smile, but rather a gentle one, as if he were discussing the ambitions of a servant on his estate.

It was a comment from the top to the bottom, a genuine disdain from the heart, like dismissing a speck of dust with a wave of the hand.

Not only did Yu Lun sense this, he smiled knowingly and he also looked down at Zhang Xiaohua.

Li Jinfeng noticed this too. He understood that Shangguan Yun came from a wealthy family and that Zhang Xiaohua’s status was akin to a household servant in Shangguan Yun’s eyes. Considering how much Shangguan Yun had already said, it was quite decent of him. If it were another spoiled rich kid, they might have been outright rude. Shangguan Yun’s behavior, in itself, showed that he didn’t harbor any real malice toward Zhang Xiaohua, but was simply acting out of habit. However, this made Li Jinfeng reflect on himself. He realized the gap between him and Shangguan Yun. He had come to Pingyang City as a poor scholar and had made Shangguan Yun’s acquaintance by chance, he felt that Shangguan Yun was a good person and had the intention of making friends with him. Now looking at Shangguan Yun’s attitude, he wondered, did his desire for friendship have an element of currying favor?

Zhang Xiaohua naturally felt embarrassed after hearing those words, but this wasn’t the first time he’d been openly belittled. He reminded himself that he had already taken the first step on the path of martial arts. As long as he persevered, he would achieve something. Instantly, he felt his heart lighten as if the whole world had expanded. With a gracious smile, he said: “Young Master Shangguan is absolutely right. Every word is heartfelt. However, there are many paths to practice martial arts, it’s not necessary to follow the same road.”

Shangguan Yun, who hadn’t initially paid much attention to Zhang Xiaohua, was surprised to see that Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed by his words. Instead, it seemed as if Zhang Xiaohua had grown up all of a sudden. Shangguan Yun couldn’t help but look at the modestly dressed servant standing by the room’s edge, neither arrogant nor humble. He said: “Oh? There are other paths? Then tell me, what are they?.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and continued: “Isn’t my second brother, Zhang Xiaohu, working as a porter at the Lotus Escort Agency? Isn’t he learning martial arts?”

Yu Lun and Li Jinfeng, who had been listening attentively, were taken aback. Upon hearing the term “porter”, Yu Lun couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “A porter, hahaha! A mere porter dares to compare himself with us martial arts students from the martial arts hall. This is laughable to the point of bursting my sides.”

Shangguan Yun also felt like laughing but suddenly furrowed his brows. “Zhang Xiaohu, Zhang Xiaohu, why does that name sound so familiar?”

Yu Lun stopped laughing and said: “What’s so familiar about a porter named Zhang Xiaohu? Haha, eh~ Zhang Xiaohu, it does sound familiar. Didn’t I’ve heard someone mention that name before?”

Suddenly, Shangguan Yun slapped his chair and said: “I remember now, a while ago, Fourth Master Wen from the martial arts hall mentioned a Zhang Xiaohu. He’s supposedly a martial arts genius, a newly recruited porter. He even said he wanted him to come to our martial arts hall to train.”

At that moment, a loud voice came from outside the door: “What genius? He’s just a peasant. With just a few days of martial arts training and dares to call himself a genius. If I get a chance, I’ll teach him a lesson and show him what a real genius is.”

This remark was extremely arrogant.

Zhang Xiaohua turned to look towards the door, eager to see what this person was like.

Li Jinfeng felt the same. A person who could say such things must have some capital to back it up. Scholars are often described as elegant and refined, but what about those martial artists? Would they be burly, muscular men with bushy eyebrows?

Li Jinfeng was very curious.

As soon as Yu Lun heard this, he immediately ran to the door with a big smile on his face.

Shangguan Yun frowned but also stood up, although he did not take a step forward.

The door was not closed, so by the time Yu Lun reached it, the person had already entered.

A man with a graceful demeanor as jade walked into the room. He held a folding fan similar to Li Jinfeng’s but did not open it, just playing with it occasionally. He was also dressed in white, very elegantly, and had many small accessories on him. What they were exactly, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t tell, but he felt they looked cumbersome. How could someone dressed like this do any hard work in the field?

The man was quite handsome, but his eyebrows were too sharply arched, giving off an air of arrogance. However, with his well-defined features, he looked like a young hero in his prime, full of vigor.

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but look back at Li Jinfeng, thinking: “Is this guy also a martial artist? Why does he look more like a scholar than Big Brother Li?”

Yu Lun was quick, immediately bowing and saying: “Young Master Yu has arrived, what a rare guest! It’s been a while.”

Young Master Yu gave a slight smile and waved his hand, saying, “Brother Yu, you’re too polite. I happened to have some free time today and came to see Brother Shangguan. Hmm? And who might this be?”

Clearly seeing Li Jinfeng in the room, Yu Lun smiled and introduced him: “This is Young Master Li Jinfeng from Liusha Academy, a scholar we met last month when Young Master Shangguan and I first arrived in Pingyang City.”

Upon hearing that Li Jinfeng was a scholar, Yu Deyi cupped his hands in greeting and said: “I am Yu Deyi, pleased to meet you, Young Master Li.”

Li Jinfeng saw Yu Deyi salute and quickly returned the gesture, saying: “The pleasure is mine, the pleasure is mine.”

Yu Lun took the opportunity to add, “Young Master Yu came here from Yu City to learn martial arts. The Yu family is a prominent and influential family in Yu City.”

Yu Deyi raised his index finger to his lips and said: “Shh~ Low-key, low-key.”

He then completely ignored the blue-clad, hat-wearing Zhang Xiaohua and walked over to Shangguan Yun, cupping his hands in salute: “Brother Shangguan, it’s been a few days, and you still look as spirited as ever.”

Shangguan Yun smiled and returned the gesture, saying: “Brother Yu, you seem even more vigorous than before. I can’t compare. Brother Yu, please have a seat.”

Yu Deyi didn’t stand on ceremony and promptly sat down in the chair Yu Lun had been sitting in. Shangguan Yun also took a seat.

The guest room in Yu Lun and Shangguan Yun’s quarters was divided into two sections, an inner room for resting and an outer room for receiving guests. The outer room only had two chairs and a square table. When Li Jinfeng first came in, he was too busy talking to look for a seat. Now, with Shangguan Yun and Yu Deyi seated in the only two chairs, the remaining three people in the room had nowhere to sit. Yu Lun patted his head, quickly walked into the inner room, brought out two chairs, placed them below, and invited Li Jinfeng to sit down.

Li Jinfeng looked at the only remaining chair, feeling embarrassed to take it. It didn’t matter if the others ignored Zhang Xiaohua but he brought Zhang Xiaohua here. Although he was dressed as a servant, wasn’t actually his follower. Yu Deyi probably misunderstood the situation. Li Jinfeng couldn’t explain it clearly without making Zhang Xiaohua feel awkward. However, he knew that Shangguan Yun’s quarters had only four chairs, so it wasn’t Yu Lun making things difficult for Zhang Xiaohua. What should he do?

While he was hesitating, Zhang Xiaohua walked up behind Li Jinfeng, patted his shoulder, nodded towards the chair with his chin, and then walked over to stand behind it, hands behind his back.

Li Jinfeng understood, smiled, nodded, and took a seat.

Their actions caught the attention of the other three. Shangguan Yun knew there were only four chairs in the room and it was normal that there was no seat for Zhang Xiaohua, so he didn’t care. However, Yu Deyi was puzzled by the servant’s behavior, what did he mean?

Nevertheless, it was not his concern, so he cleared his throat and asked: “Just now, at the door, I heard you mention a porter who is currently gaining fame, what is his name? Can you tell me more about him? I don’t recall hearing this name before I left. How come it has become so popular in the martial arts hall in just a few days?”

Yu Lun glanced at Zhang Xiaohua and said: “Young Master Yu, his name is Zhang Xiaohu. It’s a simple story. Zhang Xiaohu came to Pingyang City with us and even shared the same carriage on the way here. However, he didn’t come to the escort agency on the same day as we did. We, like Young Master Yu, entered the martial arts hall, while Zhang Xiaohu initially enrolled but lacked the money for the tuition. So, he signed up as a porter instead. It is said that during the evaluation, Sixth Master Li from the escort agency observed him. According to the porters and those who were outside the martial arts hall, Zhang Xiaohu had never practiced martial arts before. However, someone demonstrated a set of Six Harmonies Fist in front of him, and Zhang Xiaohu managed to replicate it perfectly after just one look. Sixth Master Li was astonished and praised him as a genius.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Deyi shook his head disdainfully and said: “Although the Six Harmonies Fist is quite complex and managing to perform it perfectly after just one viewing is indeed difficult when I started learning martial arts as a child, wasn’t every form of fist technique mastered after just one try? I remember a distant younger cousin of mine who also began learning martial arts with the Six Harmonies Fist. Although he didn’t master it perfectly on the first try, he got most of it. Zhang Xiaohu’s talent is commendable, but calling him a genius seems like a bit of an exaggeration.”

Zhang Xiaohua, upon hearing this, felt unhappy. While Yu Lun’s praise for his brother Zhang Xiaohu might have been exaggerated, he naturally liked hearing good things about his brother. Now Yu Deyi refused, and he knew what he said made sense, but he just felt that he was a little jealous, and he didn’t agree with him.

Shangguan Yun picked up from where Yu Lun left off and said: “Brother Yu, you make a valid point. I wasn’t present during that event, but I also found it peculiar when I heard about it. After all, it’s just an ordinary porter. There’s nothing remarkable about that. However, there’s one thing Brother Yu might not be aware of.”

Yu Deyi, slightly taken aback, said: “Please enlighten me, Brother Shangguan.”

Shangguan Yun continued: “When Zhang Xiaohu joined the escort agency and became a porter, I hadn’t yet entered the martial arts hall, but Brother Yu was already in the martial arts hall at that time. Why didn’t you hear about this incident? Moreover, before Brother Yu returned to Yu City, you were at the escort agency with Zhang Xiaohu. How come you hadn’t heard of this?”

Yu Deyi responded dismissively, “He’s just a lowly porter. How would I know about him? We don’t practice martial arts together. Should I have gone out of my way to check on the servants’ training?”

Shangguan Yun laughed and said: “Brother Yu, you have a point. Actually, Zhang Xiaohu’s fame didn’t spread during your time at the escort agency. It only became known recently.”

At this point, Shangguan Yun glanced at Zhang Xiaohua and continued: “According to some of our brothers in the martial arts hall, ever since Zhang Xiaohu became a porter, he has been practicing Six Harmonies Fist diligently. Despite various attempts by Sixth Master Li to persuade him to learn other techniques, Zhang Xiaohu insisted on perfecting this one. Sixth Master Li initially thought Zhang Xiaohu was joking when he claimed that he could still make progress with each practice session of the Six Harmonies Fist. Zhang Xiaohu even told Master Li that he would only consider learning new techniques when he no longer felt any improvement with the Six Harmonies Fist. After about ten days of this, Sixth Master Li grew frustrated and issued an ultimatum, Zhang Xiaohu had a few more days to comply, or he wouldn’t be allowed to train other martial arts any further. But as the days passed, Zhang Xiaohu continued with his routine, unfazed. Sixth Master Li didn’t want to pay attention to him anymore, but thinking that Zhang Xiaohu was a good seed despite his late start in martial arts, he might become a reserve force for the escort agency in the future, so he decided to give him one last chance. He brought in a skilled guard and told Zhang Xiaohu that if he could defeat this guard, he could train however he wished. Otherwise, he would have to follow his instructions. Brother Yu, can you guess the outcome?”

Yu Deyi smacked his forehead and said: “Brother Shangguan, aren’t you underestimating my intelligence? If Zhang Xiaohu had lost, why would we still be discussing him here?”

Shangguan Yun laughed and said: “Haha, indeed, even Sixth Master Li probably didn’t expect Zhang Xiaohu to win. Think about it, although the bodyguards at Lotus Escort Agency, are not battle-hardened veterans, which one has not been practicing martial arts for years, if not decades? Five or six years are the least and most of them have been practicing for more than ten years. How could Zhang Xiaohu, with just a month’s training, possibly be their match?”

Seeing Shangguan Yun getting a bit tired, Yu Lun quickly chimed in: “We weren’t there to witness the fight ourselves, but we’ve heard from others. Initially, Zhang Xiaohu was no match for the bodyguard. However, he persisted with the Six Harmonies Fist, and as the fight went on, he became more adept. In the end, he managed to fight the bodyguard to a draw. The bodyguard tried several fist techniques to no avail and grew impatient. Eventually, Zhang Xiaohu landed a punch squarely on the bodyguard’s chest, forcing him to admit defeat.”

“Hey~ This Zhang Xiaohu is quite intriguing. Could he actually be a genius?” Yu Deyi’s interest was piqued. “However, defeating someone who has practiced martial arts for years with just a month’s worth of training sounds too far-fetched. What’s the real reason behind this?”

At this moment, a young voice chimed in: “There is nothing special, only that the hand is well-practiced.”

[TL_Note: This phrase is a well-known saying attributed to the Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. This saying emphasizes that proficiency and skill come from practice and familiarity, rather than any inherent talent or secret technique.]

Everyone turned to see Zhang Xiaohua, beaming with confidence.

Since Shangguan Yun mentioned that his second brother Zhang Xiaohu had focused solely on practicing one set of Six Harmonies Fist since joining the escort agency, Zhang Xiaohua felt a string in his heart being plucked. It reminded him of the moment earlier that morning when Li Jinfeng’s words had struck a chord with him, what belonged to others might not suit you, but what suited you was truly yours. Reflecting on his second brother’s training method, he suddenly realized his own path to mastering martial arts. In that instant, everything became clear, and a bright path lay ahead of him. So when Yu Deyi questioned the reason behind Zhang Xiaohu’s success, he felt a bit itchy in his heart and couldn’t resist quoting a phrase from Mr. Liu.

Yu Deyi furrowed his brow and huffed: “Young Master Li, your servant is quite rude. Didn’t you teach him any manners at home?”

Li Jinfeng blushed, wasn’t this obviously saying he was uneducated? He quickly stood up and explained: “Brother Yu, there’s a misunderstanding. This person is not my servant. He works at Huanxi Villa. In fact, he is a friend that I, Brother Shangguan and Brother Yu Lun know.”

“Friend?” Yu Deyi looked at Zhang Xiaohua, dressed in a plain servant’s outfit, feeling a bit displeased. He glanced at Shangguan Yun, who also frowned, silently criticizing Li Jinfeng for not knowing how to speak. It was naturally embarrassing to be friends with a servant, besides, he never regarded Zhang Xiaohua as a friend. Yu Lun, noticing the tension, quickly said: “Brother Yu, we met him while traveling to Pingyang City in the same carriage, that’s how we got acquainted.”

Yu Deyi nodded arrogantly and withdrew his gaze. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he asked: “How many of you were in the same carriage? So, he came with Zhang Xiaohu as well?”

Yu Lun, smiling, replied: “There were five of us in the carriage, including him. Moreover, he is the younger brother of Zhang Xiaohu, the person we’ve been discussing. His name is Zhang Xiaohua.”