Chapter 53: Call Boss to hear
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In the training ground, He Yan had already strung her bow slowly.
With her eyes covered, she couldn’t see anything. Unable to see her prey, she could only “listen” to it.
But having nothing was actually better than being blind. For without sight, one could hear everything in the world even more clearly.
During the time when she was blind, she had experienced moments of despair. A blind person faced many inconveniences in the world, even taking care of oneself became a challenge. But she had always been determined, compensating for her ordinary aptitude with diligence. However, in an instant, the disaster befell her, wiping away all her efforts, turning even her “ordinary” aptitude into mere illusion.
She remembered feeling frustrated and despondent then. Someone had said to her, “If you’re truly determined to be strong, being blind doesn’t matter. Even if you’re blind, you can still be the most unique among the blind.”
It wasn’t exactly a comforting statement, but for some reason, it had stuck in her mind. She practiced doing things without relying on her eyes, and often thought about being “the most unique among the blind.”
She wasn’t sure if she truly was the “most” unique, but she was different from the usual blind person. She could take care of herself, even taking care of others. She practiced swordsmanship behind her maidservants’ backs, threw dice, played pranks, and secretly carried a slingshot used by children. She even sneaked out to hunt birds.
Being blind, compared to other blind people, she wasn’t living a bad life.
Everything she could do when she was blind, she could still do now, even without relying on her eyes. She was just temporarily returning to that period of time.
The sound of a drum in the woods startled countless birds into the sky, and the outline of the birds was reflected against the blue sky. With a gentle smile, the young girl raised her bow, aimed at the sky, and released an arrow. The arrow followed the trajectory of the birds and soared into the clouds!
A bird chirped in alarm as the arrow struck it, plummeting rapidly to the ground. The green feathered arrow was adorned with a yellow cloth strip tied around the young girl’s eyes, creating a brilliant contrast.
He Yan reached out and removed the blindfold from her eyes. She didn’t even look at where the arrow had landed on the ground, as if she had already known that it would hit its target. She handed the cloth strip to Wang Ba and said with a smile, “Your turn.”
Silence fell over the surroundings. Wang Ba didn’t reach out to take the blindfold from her.
He Yan remained motionless for a while, then Wang Ba drooped his head wearily. He didn’t look at He Yan, he just muttered under his breath, “No need, I won’t be able to do it. You’re amazing, I’m no match for you.”
His words were part frustration and part admiration. He was frustrated that he had lost to He Yan, losing face in front of everyone. But he was also admitting that he couldn’t do what He Yan had just done – shooting blindfolded. Even if he started learning now, there was no guarantee he would do better than He Yan.
One has to admit one’s shortcomings.
The new recruits finally snapped out of their stupor. Instead of cheering and applauding, they began to wail in despair. One voice lamented, “My dry bread, I lost it! How miserable!”
Another voice joined in, “I’m even worse off. I bet ten pieces and lost it all!”
Soon, the sounds of lamentation echoed through the entire training ground. Despite having Xiao Mai and the other two backing He Yan’s dry biscuits, the gains and losses offset each other, leaving them with nothing.
Just then, a delighted voice broke through the commotion, “Ah! I won! I bet ten pieces of dried meat. Haha, I knew it, I, Cheng Lisu, have always had a good eye for judging people!”
He Yan was about to leave, but upon hearing that voice, she froze and turned to look at Cheng Lisu. She hadn’t expected that the one who bet ten pieces of dried meat was none other than Cheng Lisu. But after a moment’s thought, if it weren’t Cheng Lisu, who else in Liangzhou Garrison would have such deep pockets? Xiao Jue? That would be quite unlikely.
In a flash, Cheng Lisu darted over to He Yan’s side, looking at her with shining eyes. He said, “Uh, Brother He Yan, thanks to you, I finally won for once. You don’t know, in the capital, I’m no good at anything. I’m not skilled in literature or martial arts, and I even lose money every time I go to the gambling house. Today is the first time I’ve won. Brother He Yan, I must become sworn brothers with you. Today is our day of brotherhood, and I want to invite you for a drink!”
Cough, cough, Liang Ping pressed his fist against his lips and said, “Drinking alcohol is not allowed in the camp.”
“Then I’ll invite you for tea!” Cheng Lisu held He Yan’s hand, his gaze towards her like he had found a long-lost relative, radiating genuine warmth.
“That’s not necessary.” He Yan withdrew her hand and handed him the blindfold, saying, “I almost forgot about this. Thank you for your hair band, Young Master Cheng.”
“Between you and me, there’s no need for thanks,” Cheng Lisu said with a cheerful smile. He then remembered something and suddenly turned to Wang Ba, saying, “Hey, you there, did you forget something?”
“What?” He Yan was puzzled.
“Did you forget your bet?” Cheng Lisu urged, “You made a bet with him. If you lost, you would become a support soldier, and if he lost, he would have to call you ‘Boss’. He lost now, so he has to fulfill the bet!”
Wang Ba froze completely.
People around them began to jeer and laugh. Liang Ping turned away, no longer willing to be involved in what was to come next. Xiao Mai and Hong Shan leaned against each other, watching the scene unfold. He Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Ba.
Step by step, Wang Ba walked up to He Yan. He was much taller than her, making her seem exceptionally petite in front of him. His face turned bright red, and even the old scar on his face, which had been pale, now reddened as if it might start bleeding.
He Yan noticed his tightly clenched fists and sighed inwardly. It seemed like being the leader meant that he had to prioritize his pride? Asking him to call her “Boss” was probably even more embarrassing for him than being killed by her. He Yan was about to speak up and tell him to forget about it, but Wang Ba already muttered under his breath, “…Boss.”
He Yan: “…”
She looked up at Wang Ba, who thought she was about to reprimand him. Annoyed and embarrassed, he retorted, “I already said it! If you didn’t hear it, that’s your problem. I won’t say it again!”
“I heard you,” He Yan said with a smile. “I’m just surprised that you actually did it.”
“A true man keeps his word and doesn’t go back on it. I’m not someone who speaks without honor!” Wang Ba huffed, “You got lucky this time. Don’t you dare provoke me in the future!” With those words, he seemed to feel extremely embarrassed and didn’t want to stay any longer. He turned around and quickly left.
After contemplating for a moment, He Yan thought, this Wang Ba really did have a certain level of backbone. He could bend and adapt when necessary.
“Brother He Yan, you’re truly amazing!” Cheng Lisu approached again. “To celebrate, come on, let’s have tea!”
Before He Yan could refuse, she was pulled away by this cheerful young man.
…
“Young Master Cheng took He Yan away.” On the pavillion, Shen Han asked, “Commander, should we go and bring him back?”
“No need,” Xiao Jue said, glancing back at him. He then turned and walked away. Shen Han quickly followed, pondering something and sneaking a glance at Xiao Jue. He silently calculated something in his mind.
The General said that He Yan was the obstinate and unruly one, and he hadn’t believed it at first. Now it seemed to be true. Despite He Yan’s small and thin frame, he had managed to make a bandit leader like Wang Ba call him “Boss”. He wasn’t easy to deal with, was he? At this rate, he might even surpass the Commander in terms of rank.
But as Shen Han cast another look at Xiao Jue’s indifferent face, he thought to himself, perhaps the Commander didn’t look up to this kid after all.
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