Volume 1: Kyoto Winds and Clouds Chapter 39: Mastering Skills, Descending the Mountain

  Tong Yuan coldly looked at the two children and said: "Give me a reason to take you in!"

  "...The two children hesitated for a moment, and the slightly older one stood up and said: "We want to become stronger, we don't want to be bullied by others anymore, we want to protect our village from being harassed by bandits!"

  "Are you going to protect your village?" Tong Yuan asked: "If your village is preserved, what are you going to do next?"

  "Huh?" The two children looked at each other in dismay. Many people had died in their village due to the bandit raids, and they wanted to gain power to protect it. Now someone was asking them what they would do after protecting the village. It was like a person who had been starving for a long time finally saw the hope of eating a full meal, but just as he picked up his bowl, someone asked him what he wanted to do after eating. Although it sounded absurd, the two children knew that Tong Yuan must have had a purpose in asking this question.

  "I'm going to kill all the robbers in the world!" A younger child said viciously, "These damned robbers only know how to rob, they all deserve to die!"

  The older child hesitated and said: "Sorry, I don't know."

  Actually, Tong Yuan's question was unanswerable for the two children. He asked just to see their nature. After glancing at the two children, Tong Yuan decided to be even more ruthless and asked a question that could almost make them turn against each other: "I can only take one apprentice, which of you will stay?"

  "Only...only leaving one..." The two children felt a little desolate, who wouldn't want to keep them all.

  "I'm leaving!"

  "I'm staying!"

  Two different voices sounded, the older one chose to leave, while the younger one chose to stay. If it were someone else, they would naturally keep the smaller one behind, but Tong Yuan smiled and pointed at the child who had chosen to leave, saying: "You can stay..."

  "Why?" The young child said discontentedly: "I chose to stay, but he chose to leave. Why can he stay and I have to leave..."

  Tong Yuan didn't answer the child's question, but instead asked: "What is your relationship?"

  The young child stared blankly and said: "We are brothers who grew up playing together in the same village since we were kids, he is half a year older than me!"

  "Ah! To give up a heaven-sent opportunity for the sake of brotherhood, such a noble-minded person, how could I miss it? Only someone like this is worthy to be my disciple!" Tong Yuan smiled and asked: "Do you understand?"

  The young child's face turned pale as he realized that it was his own selfishness that had caused him to miss this opportunity. If he had chosen to leave like the older children, he would have been able to stay!

  "Sir, let Lan Di stay!" The older child also understood that the choice was just a test, so he knelt down to beg of Tong Yuan.

  "Master! I think both of them are not bad, you can take them in!" Liu Zhang stepped forward and said: "Young children are young and their temperament is inevitably unstable. Since we've kept the older brother, why don't you reluctantly accept the younger one as a nominal disciple? If his temperament is really unbearable, it won't cause too much trouble. If he's just young and impulsive, isn't that just another loving disciple for Master? As the saying goes: 'Birds of a feather flock together, people gather with similar kinds.' With a famous master like you, plus so many noble and virtuous geniuses here, even someone who is guilty of ten evils can be reformed, let alone a young boy?"

  "Alright! Since that's the case, I'll give you this face! These two kids, I'll take them in for now!" Tong Yuan turned his head to say to the two children: "You two are also considered people with strong wills. Although you're young and have some flaws, your senior brother spoke up for you, so I'll take you two in temporarily. However, if I find out that you use what I teach you for evil purposes, don't blame me for cleaning house!"

  "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Senior Brother!" The two children knocked their heads on the ground nine times to Tong Yuan, then three times to Liu Zhang.

  Liu Zhang hastily retreated and helped them up, saying: "We are sworn brothers, from now on we are one family, why must it be like this?"

  "Zhang Er doesn't need to say more, these three heads, they're not losing out!" Tong Yuan pointed at Liu Zhang and Zhang Ren, smiling at the two children: "These two are your senior brothers Zhang Ren and Liu Zhang, don't you introduce yourselves?"

  The older child hastily made a bow and said: "I am Zhao Yun, from Zhao Family Village. I have met both of you, elder brothers!"

  Then, the young child also paid his respects and said: "Your junior Xia Houlan has seen both of you, senior brothers. Thank you for speaking up on my behalf!"

  "Second Brother?" Liu Zhang hastily said: "I am Third Brother, your Second Brother is named Zhang Huo, and he is now in Xiliang!"

  As for the three words "Second Master", Liu Zhang had a strong aversion to them from the bottom of his heart. The main reason was that in later generations, "Second Master" referred to Zhu Bajie. Before crossing over, Liu Zhang would often scold those stupid brothers by saying: "You're really clever, and you can rival Second Master!" Therefore, Liu Zhang unscrupulously gave the nickname "Second Master" to Zhang Xiu.

  With the addition of Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan, this dilapidated mountain has come to life. Every morning, six children of similar age practice martial arts at the summit, learn military tactics on flat ground in the afternoon, and chat and rest together at night. Originally, Tong Yuan had planned to give each of them a room, but Liu Zhang proposed the idea of a large dormitory, which was met with approval from the group of youngsters. Living in the large dormitory, Liu Zhang somehow felt like he was back in his student days.

  Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, five years have passed. During these five years, Liu Zhang and six others formed a deep friendship. Under Tong Yuan's guidance, Liu Zhang not only learned the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix spear technique but also gained a comprehensive understanding of Tai Chi Fist. In his past life, Liu Zhang had merely regarded Tai Chi Fist as a health-promoting martial art, and even though it contained many techniques for actual combat, he hadn't taken them seriously. However, through Tong Yuan's explanations, Liu Zhang finally understood why Tai Chi Fist was an internal martial art. Because it not only strengthened the body but also changed its constitution, Liu Zhang even felt as if a flow of inner energy had been generated within his body.

  Tong Yuan was quite good to Liu Zhang, this apprentice. To change his physique, Tong Yuan searched everywhere for spiritual medicine. Whatever thousand-year-old ginseng or hundred-year-old He Shou Wu, Tong Yuan got a lot of high-grade medicinal materials for Liu Zhang to soak in. However, Liu Zhang didn't care. In those years, he had extorted many good things from Liu Hong to treat Huang Xue's illness.

  Liu Zhang had a spiritual medicine to soak his body, and the other few kids also got a lot of benefits. Especially Zhang Ren, originally he used the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear and people felt that his strength was insufficient, but now he can actually fight Zhao Yun to a draw. Of course, this is because Zhao Yun didn't use his killing move, otherwise ten Zhang Rens wouldn't be enough for Zhao Yun to kill.

  On this day, Tong Yuan summoned Liu Zhang and others to the front of the court and said: "You have been on the mountain for more than five years! Go back!"

  "Where did Master ask us to go back?" Liu Zhang and others were somewhat stunned.

  "Where did you come from, go back where you came from!" Tong Yuan laughed and said: "It's been five years, I've taught you everything I can teach! Martial arts are for going to battle and killing enemies, if you keep practicing in isolation, you won't be able to improve much. Why not go down the mountain to gain experience? As a teacher, I should also go find my own path!"

  "Master!" Liu Zhang and Zhang Ren led the way, kneeling in front of Tong Yuan: "The great kindness you have shown us, we have not yet repaid. How can you leave like this? Is it that Master is angry with us? If we have done something wrong, please punish us."

  "You are all the pride of your master, it's just that your master really has nothing to teach you!" Tong Yuan also felt a little reluctant to part with Liu Zhang and the others. But if the young eagles stayed under the old eagle's wings forever, they would never be able to soar! Tong Yuan smiled and said: "There is no banquet in the world that does not disperse, when you make a name for yourselves on the battlefield, your master will naturally know. You must maintain your master's reputation, take loving and protecting the people as your own duty, go!"

  "Master!" Liu Zhang's eyes turned red! He looked at Tong Yuan's slightly graying temples, his eye sockets were not only moist, and Zhang Ren was an orphan raised by Tong Yuan, he couldn't bear to part with him, and had already choked back tears.

  "Don't be such a girl!" Tóng Yuān turned around and said: "If you want to cry, roll far away! The master has said it before, boys shed blood but not tears. Since you don't want to leave, then the master will leave!"

  Tong Yuan returned to the room, wrapped his large gun in cloth, and carried the collected items with the gun on his shoulder, then went down the mountain. Liu Zhang and others watched Tong Yuan's departing figure, and couldn't help but feel a little stunned.

  "Master is gone!" Zhang Ren slumped and sat on the ground.

  "What shall we do?" Xia Houlan was somewhat at a loss.

  "Master wants us to love the people and protect them, I naturally follow Master's orders!" Liu Zhang stood up and said: "I won't let Master down! I'll go back to Ju County immediately to mobilize troops and first kill those damned Wuhuan people!"

  "I'll go with you!" Zhang Ren, who was lying on the ground, suddenly jumped up and said: "Master wants me to follow you, I naturally have to obey. Zhang Ren pays his respects to Master!"

  "Big Brother!" Liu Zhang supported Zhang Ren and said: "You are my elder brother, how can you be like this?"

  "Orders from one's master cannot be disobeyed!" Zhang Ren smiled and said, "Master has another task for me to do. If you bring disaster to the country and its people, I will have to eliminate you!"

  Liu Zhang burst out laughing and said, "Master is worrying too much, would I bring disaster to the country and its people? Eldest Brother, watch me, I will be the first person to save our nation!"

  "I'm waiting with bated breath!" Zhang Ren smiled slightly and stood behind Liu Zhang.

  "Zi Long, Lan Di!" Liu Zhang turned around and asked Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan: "Why don't we work together as sworn brothers?"

  "Then..." Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan hesitated for a moment, before Zhao Yun said: "I still have an elder brother and younger sister in Zhao Family Village, I can't go to Youzhou for the time being!"

  "It's easy, just bring your brothers and sisters to Youzhou!" Liu Zhang smiled: "Even if you want to move Zhaojia Village to Youzhou, it's just a matter of making a phone call!"

  "Then let's go back to Zhaojia Village first, and then find you in Youzhou!" Liu Zhang's words made Xiahou Lan's eyes shine brightly. He knew that Liu Zhang was a noble son, but he didn't know Liu Zhang's identity. Because Liu Zhang had never revealed his own identity, and only one person, Zhang Ren, knew it.

  "Why bother with such trouble!" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "We'll go to Zhaojia Village together to pick people up, then we'll head to Youzhou together! Zilong is our sworn brother, his older brother is our older brother, his younger sister is our younger sister. If we don't unite, won't Master be disappointed?"