Chapter 58: He Yan, the Arena Champion
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The new recruits below raised their heads to look at He Yan.
The brief exchange just now was too fast for them to determine who had the upper hand, but now they didn’t need anyone to explain. He Yan had pushed Jiang Jiao to the edge of the arena and nearly off it. Jiang Jiao had lost.
This young man had won once again.
“He Yan is amazing, huh,” Xiao Mai murmured. “He’s getting stronger and stronger.”
Hong Shan scratched his head. “This kid, he never told us he could do this.”
“He’s not practicing for the first time,” Shitou said quietly. “That’s why the other person couldn’t beat him.”
“But that doesn’t make sense,” Hong Shan wondered. “He’s the young master of a fallen aristocratic family. Do ordinary households train in archery and martial arts at home?”
Whispers and discussions among the new recruits filled the air below. He Yan didn’t miss it. This was a perfect opportunity. She placed her long spear on the ground and took two steps forward, saying, “Brothers, today I’ve won again.”
She said this with an air of self-satisfaction, even slightly exaggerated, making it a bit dazzling.
“What is this kid trying to do?” Du Mao asked.
No one knew what He Yan was up to.
With a smile, He Yan continued, “I believe in the future, some of you might want to challenge me. Don’t worry, I won’t refuse a challenge. However, we’ll only have one match per day.”
Instructor Liang’s mouth twitched. “This guy acts as if he’s running his own arena.”
He Yan didn’t seem to care about the onlookers’ reactions. She continued, “Whip, knife, spear, swordsmanship, horseback archery—anything you find in the military camp, you can challenge me in. Rest assured, if you win, I won’t take your rations. Whoever wants to challenge, come forward.”
Though aware of this young man’s extraordinary skills, his attitude seemed a bit overbearing.
“He’s so arrogant. Who acts like this?”
“He’s not being modest at all. He only won in archery and spear so far. He’s underestimating his opponents.”
“Can’t they find anyone better in the vast Liangzhou Garrison? Tens of thousands of soldiers, and they can’t find anyone to beat him?”
He Yan smiled lightly, thinking to herself, there are indeed capable fighters among them, but the most skilled young master isn’t even interested in sparring with her.
She said, “A gentleman’s word is as good as his bond. Today, all the training instructors are here. If I win, it’ll be considered a friendly bout. If I lose, my brothers can make requests. However,” she seemed a little embarrassed, “that should be impossible.”
As soon as she spoke, a wave of discontent erupted among the new recruits.
“Is he looking down on us?”
“He thinks we’re useless in the Liangzhou Guard. Just because there’s a difference between us doesn’t mean he’s skilled at everything. Does he think he’s General Fengyun?”
“Let it go, let it go. Let’s wait a few more days and see if he gets his comeuppance!”
He Yan put on an arrogant posture on the stage, then casually walked down. Before leaving, she seemed to remember something and turned to Jiang Jiao, who was standing aside with an uncertain expression. “Actually, you handle the long spear quite well.”
Jiang Jiao was taken aback, looking at her, not understanding her intention.
“But you’ve met me, I’m the best.” She laughed heartily and walked off the stage, no longer looking at Jiang Jiao’s expression.
On the other side, Du Mao’s face grew as heavy as water. He Yan’s competition with Jiang Jiao hadn’t been a big deal at first, but He Yan’s recent victory over Jiang Jiao had been too impressive. If Jiang Jiao suffered a heavy blow from this, he might not recover, and that was not something Du Mao wanted to witness. He patted Liang Ping on the shoulder before making his way over to Jiang Jiao. He intended to offer some words of consolation to the new recruit, who had been thrown into the deep end but was now standing on the sidelines of the arena, under the horse’s hooves.
…
In a building adjacent to the training ground.
“Uncle, Big Brother He has won again!” Cheng Lisu jumped up, pointing in He Yan’s direction. He looked as though he was the one who had just won the match, and he couldn’t stop praising, “He’s really amazing. No one can defeat him!”
Xiao Jue glanced at him and didn’t bother to respond. He turned and walked out.
Cheng Lisu suddenly remembered something and quickly ran to Xiao Jue, bouncing around him. “Uncle, look at him! First in archery, first in spear techniques, and now he’ll be first in whip and knife techniques too. He’ll be the first in everything. He’s the first in Liangzhou Garrison… except for you, of course?”
“Let him achieve that first,” Xiao Jue responded nonchalantly to Cheng Lisu’s enthusiasm.
“He’s already achieved two first places now! Getting other first places is just a matter of time. And two first places are already incredible, right? Uncle, look at him. How often do we encounter such exceptional talent in the world? Isn’t he worth recruiting into your Nine Banner Battalion? Uncle, please, just take a look at him!”
Xiao Jue halted his steps, fixing his gaze on Cheng Lisu.
Cheng Lisu felt a flicker of joy, thinking he might have convinced Xiao Jue. However, the next moment, Xiao Jue stared into his eyes, his voice calm as he spoke, “You’ve been mentioning He Yan a lot lately, and you’ve brought up the Nine Banner Battalion twice. You never used to pay attention to the Nine Banner Battalion’s affairs,” he said lightly. “Cheng Lisu, are you trying to arrange for He Yan to join the Nine Banner Battalion?”
Cheng Lisu’s heart skipped a beat. He realized he was in trouble. His uncle was incredibly sharp, detecting a hint of suspicion even with such a small clue. He stammered, “N-no, that’s not it. I just… wanted you to pay more attention to my big brother.”
“Are you implying that I’m a fool, or are you the clever one here?” Xiao Jue’s gaze met Cheng Lisu’s for a moment before Cheng Lisu lowered his head in resignation. “I’m the fool…”
“How do you know about the Nine Banner Battalion?” Xiao Jue asked.
The handsome and elegant young man’s gaze was calm, showing no sign of anger. Nonetheless, Cheng Lisu felt a chill run down his spine. He answered truthfully, “I used to live next door to you, and I overheard Chief Instructor Shen talking to you. I learned that the Nine Banner Battalion plans to recruit new members from within Liangzhou Garrison. That’s why…”
Xiao Jue chuckled lightly, a trace of mockery in his tone. “So, you couldn’t wait to use that information to please your ‘big brother’?”
“It’s not like that! I’m genuinely thinking of your best interests, Uncle,” Cheng Lisu hastily denied. “I have a lot of free time, so I’ve been wandering around, observing the new recruits in Liangzhou Garrison. Among them, only Big Brother He has the potential to meet the Nine Banner Battalion’s standards. The others can’t even match up to my Big Brother He. How can they hope to enter your elite cavalry unit? I’m sincere about this!”
After a moment of silence, Xiao Jue asked, “What did he say?”
“Huh?” Cheng Lisu was momentarily confused. Then he realized that by “he,” Xiao Jue was referring to He Yan. He hurriedly said, “After I discussed this matter with Big Brother He, he seemed quite pleased. Moreover, he said he needs to join the Nine Banner Battalion.”
“He said ‘needs’?” Xiao Jue echoed slowly.
Cheng Lisu instinctively shrank back, feeling an inexplicable chill. He nodded hesitantly, asking, “Is there something wrong with that?”
Xiao Jue chuckled softly, a glint of emotion appearing in his clear eyes. After a moment, he collected his expression, his voice turning mild. “This person has quite the audacity and ambition.”
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