Chapter Forty-Four: Brothers in Apprenticeship

Grandpa Tong and his senior brother Li Yan stood quietly in the corner, their presence unnoticed until now. Grandpa Tong glanced at Li Yan and said, "Senior brother, I truly admire your discernment. You’ve accepted an excellent disciple."

Li Yan nodded, "Yes, that boy is a rough gem. With proper polishing, he’ll make something of himself. The ones you’ve encountered aren’t bad either. The one sparring earlier, that was Yang Zaixing, wasn’t it? He’s a promising lad. Are all these children your disciples? You have quite the eye, just like me."

Grandpa Tong shook his head. "None of them are my disciples. I only offer occasional guidance; most of the time, they train on their own, fumbling about. Especially that little Xuan—he’s the one you met earlier. As for Yang Zaixing, he’s been practicing martial arts since childhood, has a solid foundation, and is good material. But now, I’m rather interested in that young Zhao Yun. Still observing him; once my assessment is complete, if nothing unexpected happens, he’ll likely become my disciple."

"Actually, both Yang Zaixing and the little Xuan you mentioned are excellent choices. Have you considered taking them on? If not, I might just poach them myself. It’s not easy to find good disciples! After all these years, you and I have only taken a handful." Li Yan looked thoughtfully at Yang Zaixing and little Xuan.

"You might consider little Xuan. Aside from his mischievous nature, he’s quite decent. As for Yang Zaixing, he uses a spear, same as I do, so I’ll handle his instruction. But he’s so young, and his family’s suffered misfortune..."

"Hmm? What happened to Yang Zaixing’s family?"

"When I first met him, some people were pursuing them, and it was just by chance that little Xuan happened upon the scene and managed to save them once. They had nowhere else to go, and somehow little Xuan and Yang Zaixing became sworn brothers and started traveling together. As for what happened to Yang Zaixing’s family, I can only guess; I haven’t asked for details." Grandpa Tong recalled their first meeting—exhaustion, resentment, helplessness—these words could describe both Yang Zaixing and Yang Bo.

"It seems likely it was a struggle for power at home, or perhaps they were swallowed up by rivals, or maybe they suffered at the hands of northern raiders. Judging by the direction you came from, it must be something like that. Best not to reopen old wounds—let them be. Whatever happens, we tall ones will bear the burden." Li Yan spoke lightly, but he’d witnessed such scenes too often through the years. He once hoped to change things, but mostly found himself powerless.

"Senior brother, after some time, I plan to return to our sect for a while. Will you come with us?"

"Back to the sect? Are you planning to properly instruct this group of children? I won’t return for now. Oh, and when you do go, take Chengdu with you. Teach him as well; I may not have time to guide him soon."

"You won’t take him yourself?" Grandpa Tong asked out of habit—he rarely questioned his senior brother’s decisions, a habit long ingrained. He simply listened; his brother would never harm him.

"I intend to stay here a bit longer, then seek someone out. Once I find them, I’ll come to the sect to meet you all. As for Chengdu, you teach him for now—one student or four, it makes no difference. When I arrive at the sect, I’ll review your teaching results. Don’t let me embarrass you when I come to inspect, haha..." Li Yan glanced westward, muttering, "Wait and see, I sense the odds of embarrassment are quite high."

"Senior brother, this isn’t right. You want to be a hands-off master, leaving your disciple to me. You’re certainly enjoying yourself as a master." Grandpa Tong was tempted to make a gesture at his brother, but thought better of it—his brother probably wouldn’t recognize its meaning anyway.

"What are you two whispering about? Are you plotting your next departure?" The master of the Yan family stepped forward, seeing Grandpa Tong and Li Yan murmuring in the corner. These two heroes were often absent; it was pointless to complain. Reflecting on his own past with their teacher, it seemed things were always like this.

Grandpa Tong and Li Yan were startled by the voice, turned their heads in unison, and responded together, "No, absolutely not."

"You’d better not be. Otherwise—oh, why bother, I’ve said this more than once. You two are heroes, always worrying about the country and the people, frequently sacrificing your family for the greater good..." He paused, then added, "How did I end up with two sons-in-law like you? My daughters are truly unfortunate, and so are my grandchildren. Later, come to my room; there’s something I need to discuss with you." With that, the Yan family master turned and left. As Zhang Xuan often said, words repeated too many times bring tears; enough is enough, and stopping at the right moment might yield unexpected results.

Grandpa Tong and Li Yan exchanged glances and shook their heads, feeling guilty toward this family. Li Yan spoke first, "Father-in-law is always like this. For now, let’s not worry about anything else—spend more time with the family. Who knows when we’ll next leave, or when we’ll return. Come, let’s hear what he has to say." He patted Grandpa Tong’s shoulder and walked inside, following the Yan family master. Grandpa Tong followed suit.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan was still plotting how to recruit this "celebrity" onto his "pirate ship," unaware that "King of Halberds" Li Yan had already paved the way for him.

Zhang Xuan walked over to Yang Zaixing, who was regulating his breath. "Big brother, what do you think of Yuwen Chengdu?"

Yang Zaixing looked toward Yuwen Chengdu, still standing in the center of the grounds. "After today’s bout, Yuwen’s skills are quite good. He’s young, with room to improve. At least he’s far stronger than you, coming into this halfway. As for other qualities, I can’t say yet, but he seems steady—a reliable person, not as mischievous as someone we know." He patted Zhang Xuan’s shoulder. "Xuan, I’m not trying to discourage you, but if you want to catch up, you’ll need to train hard for some time."

"We’re talking about Yuwen now, don’t drag me into it! And who’s this ‘someone’ you’re referring to? Is that a personal attack? I know my own limits well, which is why I’ve been practicing diligently lately. One day, I’ll... Big brother, don’t walk away! Listen to me, really. You’re getting arrogant these days, not even letting me finish. What do you think, little Zhao Yun? Isn’t my big brother getting puffed up lately?"