65. "Punishment" (Part Two)

After Master Tong and his group finished “announcing” their “decision on punishment” to Zhao Yun, they left. Zhang Xuan tossed a remark to Zhao Yun, “I’m going to train now. You catch up with your cousin first. Come find me later, I have something to talk to you about.” With that, he and Yang Zaixing walked out of the guest room where Zhao Yun and Zhao Ding were staying. Zhao Yun nodded in response.

Zhao Ding looked at Zhao Yun and asked, “Little Yun, when did you meet them? What are these people like? Can you tell me about them?”

Zhao Yun glanced at his cousin, thought for a moment, and recounted how he had encountered Master Tong and his companions. He explained that he intended to learn martial arts from them, especially after discovering that Master Tong was a grandmaster, which made him even more determined. As for what they were like, he said they all took good care of him, and he enjoyed their company. Sometimes he couldn’t quite understand what they were talking about, but overall, there was no barrier between them; everyone was honest and straightforward. Zhao Yun shared his thoughts with Zhao Ding.

After listening, Zhao Ding smiled, sensing that Zhao Yun was one step closer to his own aspirations. “Little Yun, what do you think of Zhang Xuan?”

“Brother Xuan? He’s a good man, but his mind is full of all kinds of strange ideas. He often says things we don’t understand, but even if the meaning isn’t clear, in the context it somehow makes sense. Or after he explains it, you realize there’s truth in it. He also has many unusual training methods—like running, standing, push-ups, and sit-ups. I’d never seen these before. At first, I thought Master Tong taught them, but it turns out all these methods are Zhang Xuan’s own. I’m using them for training now. Whether they work, I’m not sure yet, but Master Tong has set a goal for me: if I can keep up with Zhang Xuan using these methods, Master Tong will officially take me as his disciple. So I’ll keep at it. I think tomorrow’s extra training will probably just increase the number of repetitions.”

“Wait, I know what running and standing are, but what are ‘push-ups’ and ‘sit-ups’?”

“Cousin, I’ll show you a few, then you can try them yourself. They’re very simple—you can do them lying on your bed, or if you don’t mind getting dirty, just on the floor. Very convenient.” With that, Zhao Yun lay down on the bed in the guest room and demonstrated a few push-ups and sit-ups for Zhao Ding. Afterwards, he promoted these exercises to Zhao Ding’s guards as well. Zhao Ding watched Zhao Yun, saw how easy they seemed, and tried a few himself, but after several repetitions his arms went numb and he couldn’t go on, collapsing onto the bed.

Zhao Yun looked at Zhao Ding sprawled on the bed in such a sorry state, and couldn’t help but recall when he first tried these two exercises. He’d felt exactly the same—thinking they were easy, boasting he could do a hundred. But after twenty or thirty push-ups, his arms gave out, and with all his strength, at number thirty-six, his body crashed down for an intimate encounter with the floor. He could still vaguely remember Big Brother Yang Zaixing saying, “Weren’t you going to do a hundred?” At that moment, he’d really wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

After chatting some more about Zhao Ding’s own experiences, Zhao Yun headed to the training courtyard to find Zhang Xuan. At this moment, Zhang Xuan was standing upright in the courtyard like a pine tree, while Yang Zaixing, Yang Hu, and Yuwen Chengdu were sparring nearby.

“Brother Xuan, I know I was wrong. I’ll never leave without saying goodbye again.”

Zhang Xuan glanced back at Zhao Yun and motioned for him to stand beside him. Zhao Yun jogged over and took his place at Zhang Xuan’s side. Yang Zaixing and Yuwen Chengdu stopped sparring and whispered to each other. Master Tong and Uncle Yang also noticed this scene, but had no idea what Zhang Xuan intended, nor what he and Zhao Yun were saying. In fact, Zhang Xuan simply stood there; after Zhao Yun joined him, they just stood in silence. After a quarter of an hour, Master Tong signaled Yang Zaixing to go over and ask about Zhang Xuan and Zhao Yun. Yang Zaixing scratched his head and reported that the two were simply standing there, not saying a word. Master Tong couldn’t figure out Zhang Xuan’s intentions, so he left it be and headed to the back courtyard. After all, Zhang Xuan wouldn’t harm Zhao Yun.

By now, Zhao Yun’s legs were trembling uncontrollably, but seeing Zhang Xuan’s resolute posture, he grit his teeth and kept standing.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Zhao Yun finally couldn’t take it anymore—he collapsed onto the ground. Yang Zaixing and Yuwen Chengdu hurried over to help him up. Zhang Xuan looked at Zhao Yun and signaled for him to go rest, telling him to come find him later. Yang Zaixing and Yuwen Chengdu helped Zhao Yun back to his room and prepared hot water for him.

Later, Zhang Xuan came to Zhao Yun’s room. Seeing him, Zhao Yun said, “Brother Xuan, I know I was wrong. I’ll never leave without saying goodbye again.”

Zhang Xuan walked over to Zhao Yun. “You stood for a long time this afternoon. That’s progress. Tomorrow’s extra training is cancelled for now; focus on recovery.”

“Brother Xuan, I’m fine. I can keep going.”

“No need to push yourself. Rest when you need to. Resting now is for better training later. Have a good rest. When you feel ready for extra training, you can add it.”

Zhao Yun wanted to say more, but Zhang Xuan continued, “It’s not what you think—it’s what I think. When you feel you’re ready for extra training, then you can add it. Rest well.”