Chapter 23: Zhao Family Village, Ma Chao Visits Tong Yuan

  The next day, Ma Chao and Cui An bid farewell to Old Man Zhao and prepared to enter the mountains. Before leaving, he wanted to give some property to Old Man Zhao, but was refused by the old man, who also scolded Ma Chao for a while. Having no choice, Ma Chao could only leave like this, and he and Cui An headed towards the mountains.

  Ma Chao only knew that Zhao Yun and the others were in the mountains, but he wasn't sure exactly where. They had to enter the mountains and search slowly. After searching around the foot of the mountain without finding them, they climbed up further, but there was no one at the waist of the mountain either. It seemed like they could only be at the top of the mountain. Fortunately, this mountain wasn't too high, or else Ma Chao would really have been exhausted.

  They arrived at the top of the mountain, and indeed there were people living here. The three small cottages were the best proof. Ma Chao and the other two came to the front of the house and saw a little girl doing chores. He walked over and asked: "Little girl, do you know if Zhao Yun lives here?"

  The little girl looked up at Ma Chao and said with some vigilance: "What are you looking for my second brother?"

  She was indeed Zhao Yu, but did he look like a bad guy? Ma Chao was puzzled for a moment.

  "We've come here to visit Master Tong and also want to make friends with Zhao Yun!"

  "They will be back soon, you wait for a while."

  "Okay, thank you. Little girl, your name is Zhao Yu, right?"

  "I'm Zhao Yu, but I'm not little anymore! I'm already five years old!" Zhao Yu retorted.

  Ma Chao laughed and said, "Five years old is not small, whether it's age or anything else, anyway they are all very young."

  "Hey, what are you laughing at?" Ma Chao heard this and stopped smiling and daydreaming.

  "There's nothing wrong with what Miss Zhao said, Miss Zhao is no longer a young girl." Ma Chao had no choice but to compromise.

  This time Zhao Yu smiled complacently and stuck out his tongue at Ma Chao, finally putting on an air of "I won't bother with you".

  Ma Chao thought that the little girl was indeed lovely, so he didn't say anything more to Zhao Yu and waited with Cui An for Zhao Yun's return.

  "When is your second brother coming back?"

  "I don't know, sometimes I come back early, sometimes I come back late."

  Ma Chao stopped asking after hearing that. After almost an hour, "Miss Zhao Yu, you should know where your second brother and the others are, right?"

  Zhao Yu heard this and blinked her big eyes, "Let me think about it carefully."

  This, Ma Chao understood at a glance, Zhao Yu must have known where they were, but deliberately didn't tell him, letting him and Cui An wait foolishly here. Is this really a five-year-old little girl? She's small but has a big mind!

  Ma Chao had no choice but to salute Zhao Yu, "Miss Zhao Yu, Sister Zhao Yu, look at us standing here for so long, won't you tell me where your second brother is? You're so lovely and kind-hearted, can you bear to let us wait like this?"

  Zhao Yu smiled at Ma Chao and then told him the place where Zhao Yun often went. Ma Chao was extremely grateful, but what he really thought in his heart was unknown to anyone.

  Zhaoyun and Tongyuan often practiced martial arts in a forest. With Zhao Yu's guidance, they easily found the forest.

  Ma Chao and his men had just approached the forest when someone asked, "Who goes there?" Before the words were out of his mouth, the man was already standing before them.

  Ma Chao hastily clasped his fists, "Junior Fēng Mǎ Chāo, Ma Mèngqǐ has seen Senior Tóng Qiān!" Beside him, Cuī ān also paid respects to Tóng Yuān, whose name he had long heard from his teacher, a person whom even his teacher looked up to.

  The young man looked at the two people in front of him, one was around ten years old and the other was over twenty. The ten-year-old had a knife with him and a bundle on his back, while the twenty-year-old also had a bundle on his back and held a halberd in his hand. This halberd looked so familiar, could it be...

  Tong Yuan pushed aside Ma Chao and asked Cui An: "Who is your teacher?"

  Chui An muttered and stuttered, unable to respond. To be honest, Chui An really didn't know, his teacher had never mentioned it before. Chui An wasn't one who hadn't asked, but his teacher said, "Who am I? I am myself, as for names and such, I've long forgotten."

  His teacher is a very low-key person, maybe someone knows that there is such a person in Bianzhou, but no one knows what this person's name is.

  Tong Yuan burst out laughing at the sight of Cui An like that. "Don't even mention you, he himself has forgotten! Of course I don't know either!"

  Choi Ahn felt deflated after hearing this, and he thought that Tong Yuan would know, but it turned out that even Tong Yuan didn't know. Tong Yuan asked Choi Ahn again about his teacher's current situation, and upon hearing from Choi Ahn that his teacher had passed away many years ago, Tong Yuan also couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, I didn't think that old ghost was already gone!"

  Lao Gui was a nickname given to Cui An by Tong Yuan. Although they weren't particularly close, they knew each other and had even sparred together a long time ago, with Tong Yuan barely winning by half a move. At their level of martial arts, half a move was enough to be fatal, but neither of them ever mentioned it again. Similarly, at their level, winning or losing was no longer important, and neither of them would bring it up in conversation.

  Tong Yuan patted Cui An's shoulder, "Since the old ghost has passed on the halberd to you, it means you are his proud disciple. Kid, work hard and don't disappoint your teacher's expectations!" Cui An was not very good at speaking, and his reaction to Tong Yuan's words was also a bit slow. It wasn't until Ma Chao patted him on the back that he finally understood.

  He bowed his fist and saluted: "Thank you, Brother Tong!" Tong Yuan smiled slightly, he had noticed that Cui An was sometimes slow to react to what others said, and wouldn't bother to hold it against him. Seeing Ma Chao's actions reminded him of the young man standing beside him who had been ignored. Every guest is a welcome one, yet he still hadn't spoken to him.

  "Hey kid, are you good with a knife?" Tong Yuan was a rather casual person, and he directly addressed Ma Chao as "kid".

  "Little boy, I use a knife on horseback, and a gun on foot!" Ma Chao replied with neither arrogance nor humility.

  "Oh? Someone I knew before also used a knife on foot and a gun on horseback. Don't know if you have any relation with him?"

  Ma Chao raised an eyebrow, "I don't know who the senior is referring to?"

  "This man's name is Nan Hua!" Tong Yuan said, looking at Ma Chao.

  Nan Hua, too familiar, how could he not know? So Ma Chao told him what he had learned from Nan Hua's book, but he didn't mention the part about astrology and divination. You can't just talk about that kind of thing with someone you've just met for the first time, let alone a stranger.

  Tong Yuan listened to Ma Chao's words, and his heart was slightly shocked. That old man from Nan Hua would never casually pass on what he had learned to others. It seemed that the young man in front of him must have something extraordinary about him.

  "I didn't expect to meet old friends today, and it's two of them at that! This is indeed fate!" Tong Yuan said with a heart full of joy. Although Cui An's teacher Lao Gui was no longer around, Nan Hua had already ascended to the Heavenly Dao, but seeing Ma Chao and Cui An brought back memories of their battles from long ago.

  At that time, Tong Yuan and Nan Hua also crossed swords, with neither gaining the upper hand. They both admired each other's martial arts skills, but they both had their own things to attend to and didn't have much further interaction. Now, Nan Hua has already entered the Heavenly Way, so it can be said that he is one step ahead of Tong Yuan. Why is this? Because Tong Yuan himself was also a person who wholeheartedly pursued the Heavenly Way. Ten years ago, he sensed that someone had reached that level, but didn't know who it was. Now, after hearing Ma Chao's words, he naturally thought of Nan Hua.

  However, he had no jealousy in his heart, only happiness for the old friends. Although Lao Gui was gone, looking at Cui An should be his successor. Nan Hua had already entered the Heavenly Way, and he gave the book to Ma Chao, so Ma Chao was naturally his successor. Looking at Ma Chao like this, it's not much different either.

  If he hadn't met Zhao Yun, Tong Yuan might still have worried about passing on his legacy, but after meeting Zhao Yun and taking him as a disciple, he never worried about anything again. Tong Yuan had already made Zhao Yun his successor, the old ghost had Cui An, Nanhua also had Ma Chao, and he himself had Zhao Yun, absolutely not inferior to them.

  Tong Yuan spent his life pursuing the Way of Heaven. Although he looked like a man in his forties or fifties, he was actually over a hundred years old. Apart from pursuing the elusive Way of Heaven, his greatest wish was for his martial arts to be passed down. Unfortunately, fate did not cooperate, and when he met his eldest disciple Zhang Xiu, Tong Yuan secretly lamented that it was too late. Zhang Xiu had exceptional talent and a great foundation, but unfortunately, by the time Tong Yuan met him, Zhang Xiu was already very old, far beyond the optimal age in Tong Yuan's opinion. As a result, Zhang Xiu's achievements were limited.

  Later, he met his second disciple Zhang Ren. Zhang Ren was also talented and had a good foundation, and his age was just right. As long as he truly worked hard and studied diligently, he would definitely be able to continue his legacy. Unfortunately, another unfortunate thing happened to Tong Yuan, and Zhang Ren was even more unfortunate. Because Zhang Ren's ambition was not in this area, no matter how high his martial arts skills were, even if he could defeat ten thousand enemies, it was not what he wanted. The Overlord Xiang Yu, who had the strength to lift a tripod, fought on the battlefield and had no equal, but ultimately still lost to Liu Bang's hands. Therefore, Zhang Ren pursued being like Han Xin, able to command the three armies, with martial arts only serving as an auxiliary function.

  So Zhang Ren used such an attitude to learn martial arts, he would not have too much achievement. For Zhang Ren, Tong Yuan could only sigh that people have different ambitions and cannot be forced. His own eldest disciple and second disciple could not inherit his mantle, so Tong Yuan pinned his hopes on the closed-door disciples. He decided to take one more disciple and then stop accepting new ones, and for the closed-door disciples, whether it was Zhang Xiang or Zhang Ren, he would do his best to teach him well, as for the issue of passing on his legacy, he didn't think much about it at that time. It can only be said that one should look to heaven's will and follow nature.

  As a result, he met Zhao Yun with such an attitude. When he met Zhao Yun, Zhao Yun was eight years old. No matter what age eight is for practicing martial arts in other people's eyes, in Tong Yuan's eyes, eight is the most suitable age, and it's not too late at all. He also sighed that the will of heaven is hard to predict, when you don't have too much hope, it actually happened. Zhao Yun was neither Zhang Xiang nor Zhang Ren, but Zhao Yun himself, a diligent and hardworking, intelligent and studious, gun-loving child.

  Tong Yuan firmly believed that Zhao Yun was the disciple who would inherit his mantle. Thinking of Zhao Yun, he felt a sense of comfort in his heart. Tong Yuan called out to the forest, "Yun'er, don't rush to practice for now, come and pay your respects to your two senior brothers!"

  Tong Yuan thinks that Lao Gui and Nan Hua are both capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with himself, so their successors, who are naturally his own juniors, Zhao Yun must call him Shixiong.

  Before long, a young man came from the depths of the forest, looking like he was about ten years old. He would definitely be a handsome guy when he grew up, and could rival Ma Chao. Although Zhao Yun didn't understand why his teacher had told him to stop practicing his spear technique to meet two unfamiliar brothers, he still followed Tong Yuan's words and bowed his fist to Ma Chao and Cui An, "Zhao Yun has met the two brothers!"

  Tong Yuan smiled slightly beside him, apparently he was very satisfied with Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun had no arrogant air about him, but he did have an arrogant bone, such a good seedling was rarely seen among his peers, except for a few exceptional aristocratic sons, and even fewer from humble families.

  The sons of aristocratic families often have a proud air, which Tong Yuan dislikes. Other poor family sons also do not impress him enough to accept them as his disciples, Zhao Yun is the only one, absolutely unique.

  Ma Chao and Cui An hastily bowed their fists in return, and Tong Yuan only then pointed at Zhao Yun and said: "This is my young disciple Zhao Yun. Meng Qi, Fu Da, you brothers should be more intimate with each other from now on!" After finishing speaking, Tong Yuan burst out laughing, and Ma Chao and Cui An hastily assented.

  This remark is exactly what Ma Chao wants to hear, now that there is this relationship, tying Zhao Yun and himself together will have a greater opportunity. In his previous life when Ma Chao watched the Three Kingdoms, he most admired Zhao Yun, now thinking that in the future he can fight side by side with Zhao Zilong, his heart is truly excited. But this emotion can only be placed in his heart and cannot be expressed.

  "Cloud, today your two senior brothers have come here, shouldn't you ask them for advice and see how your level has improved over the past few months?" Tong Yuan said this without any other meaning, he just wanted Zhao Yun and the others to exchange skills.

  First, let Zhao Yun understand that "there is always someone above you, and there is always a higher sky", no one is invincible. Second, it's to test the results of his own learning, to see where he is lacking. Finally, it's for Ma Chao and Cui An, Tong Yuan wants to see what kind of skills they have, but that's not the purpose, his intention is that since they have met by chance, it would be impolite not to give them some pointers, so Tong Yuan intentionally gives them a few hints.

  Chui An and Zhao Yun didn't quite understand Tong Yuan's intention, one was slow to react and the other was young and inexperienced. But Ma Chao understood, he was grateful to Tong Yuan in his heart, after all his martial arts skills were self-taught from books. Later, Chui An explained some more to him, but how could Chui An compare to Tong Yuan?

  If Tong Yuan could give himself some advice, he would definitely benefit greatly from it.