Chapter One: Perplexity

  Lying in his own bed, Gao Huaiyuan was still pondering the strange old man's affairs. Judging from the old man's skills today, he must be a master, but it's unclear why this old man chose him as his apprentice. Gao Huaiyuan couldn't quite figure out this matter.

  But as for the road ahead, Gao Huaiyuan has been considering it these days. He has thought about business, reading books, and practicing martial arts. The first to be eliminated is reading books. Once war breaks out in the future, bookworms will be useless, and he is already 12 or 13 years old. Even if he wants to achieve something in reading, it's probably very difficult. This is more like a million people competing for a single wooden bridge, and being able to become an official among many bookworms is probably a rare occurrence.

  Gao Huaiyuan wasn't arrogant enough to think he had a natural talent for this, and as long as he studied hard, he would definitely be able to pass the imperial examination with flying colors. As for the intrigue and backstabbing in official circles, Gao Huaiyuan simply didn't have any interest in it.

  Doing business? Although the Southern Song Dynasty is quite lenient towards doing business, the status of merchants is not high either. Moreover, he is now penniless, and even if he had such an idea, it would be like a clever woman trying to cook without rice. Not to mention that in this environment of the Gao family, even if he had the ability, he wouldn't have the opportunity.

  After some thought, Gao Huaiyuan felt that learning martial arts at this time was also a good thing. At least by practicing martial arts, he would have some self-defense skills in the future when the world was in chaos. Currently, he didn't think he had the ability to stop the progress of history with his own strength. The Mongolian army swept across Asia and Europe, unless he became the emperor of Southern Song, wanting to change this historical process was probably a foolish dream.

  Gao Huaiyan slowly fell into a dreamland with such a mood, and before the sky was bright, he woke up. After simple cleaning, he put on a more fitting outfit, without disturbing Liu Er who was still sleeping soundly in the next room, slipped out of the back door, woke up the sleepy gatekeeper, and went out of the Gao Mansion's south gate.

  The old man told him to meet at the fifth watch and go five miles outside the city to find him in the forest. He was also very curious about the old man's background, and since he had nothing better to do, learning some martial arts skills didn't seem like a bad idea either.

  When he arrived at the South Gate, it was still dark, and the city gate had just opened. The carts that collected night soil began to enter the city, going from door to door to collect the waste buckets, which were the best fertilizer for farmers in this era. The gatekeepers, who were yawning, looked at Gao Huaiyuan with a puzzled expression, wondering what this young man was doing leaving the city so early, but they didn't bother to ask and let him pass through.

  According to the old man, Gao Huaiyuan walked all the way to five miles outside the south of the city and saw a large forest from afar. He strolled over, but after wandering around the forest until dawn, he still couldn't find the old man.

  "Damn it! I've been stood up! If only I had known, I wouldn't have fallen for that old man's trick!" Gao Huaiyuan grumbled to himself as he turned around to head back into the city.

  At this time, a voice came out from the woods: "You lazy worm, I told you to come here at dawn, but you're late and yet you blame me, isn't that absurd!" As he spoke, the old man from yesterday floated out of the woods and stood in front of Gao Huaiyuan.

  "Nonsense! I arrived a long time ago, but couldn't find you. How can you blame me?" Gao Huaiyuan said with great displeasure.

  The old man's hand moved as fast as lightning, and he tapped his forehead with his finger. Gao Huaiyuan had clearly seen him make a move, but still managed to dodge in time. However, he was still hit solidly, and his heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself that the old man was indeed formidable, and he couldn't see how he had been hit. So, rubbing his sore forehead, he didn't dare to retort again.

  "I said you're late, and you still dare to talk back! Are you looking for a beating? However, today is the first day, so I won't bother with you. If you want to learn martial arts, come running tomorrow, but if you're even a little late, I'll give you a good thrashing! Now tell me why you want to learn martial arts!" The old man scolded Gao Hua Yuan with an unreasonable expression, then asked him.

  Gao Hua thought for a moment, then replied: "It's not that I want to learn martial arts, it's you who wants to take me as your apprentice. I see that you're old, and out of respect for the elderly, I'll satisfy you, so you won't be disappointed!"

  "Ouch!" As soon as the words fell, Gao Huaiyuan covered his head and shouted again. It turned out that he was hit by the old man once more, and his head hurt to death.

  "I originally thought you were a decent guy, but I didn't expect you to be so glib and disrespectful. If you want to fight, just say so, I'll satisfy you!" The old man seemed not to have moved at all, with his hands still clasped behind his back.

  Gao Huaiyuan rubbed his head discontentedly: "How can you just fight like that? I've only just recovered, and now you're going to knock me silly again. Be careful or you'll have to take responsibility for me for the rest of my life! You ask me why I want to learn martial arts, well, I'll tell you. The reason is simple: in case there's chaos in the world one day, I'll have some ability to protect myself!"

  The old man stared at Gao Huaiyuan's eyes and asked, "Don't you think that practicing martial arts is just for self-protection? Haven't you ever thought of mastering a skill to serve the country?"

  In response to the old man's inquiry, Gao Huaiyuan snorted in disdain. For some reason, after getting to know this old man, he felt an inexplicable sense of closeness and trust, so he didn't hide anything from him either. He began to speak: "Serve the country? Why? The Song Dynasty has always emphasized literature over martial arts, and military generals can only be bullied by civil officials. How many famous Song Dynasty generals have had a good ending? Let's not mention those in the past, just take Yue Fei as an example. He dedicated himself to the country, but what was his outcome? Wasn't he killed by... I won't say it, you already know who did it! And now? How many people in the Song Dynasty are thinking about working hard to restore the Han people's territory? It's just a temporary comfort, living in hiding and stealing life! Whoever dares to shout about reclaiming the Central Plains will definitely not end up well! I just want to learn some skills to have some self-protection in the chaotic world. I never thought of being a pawn for anyone! If you're not satisfied, I'll leave right now!"

  Gao Huaiyuan bluntly told the old man what was on his mind, and even he himself found it strange that he would say such things to an elder. If someone else had said this, it would be considered utterly disrespectful.

  The old man was clearly shocked after hearing Gao Huaiyuan's words, and looked at him for half a day as if he had seen a monster. After a long time, he said, "Are you really the stupid little boy from the Gao family in the past?"

  Gao Huaiyuan listened and knew that the old man had already inquired about his identity, so he nodded and said: "Not bad, genuine!"

  The old man shook his head and laughed: "Can't see it! Really can't see it! Didn't expect you to have such insight at a young age! It's indeed rare! You're really a little monster, I like it! Hehe"

  Gao Huaiyuan glanced at the old man and smiled, showing his teeth: "If I'm a little monster, then you're an old monster. Otherwise, you wouldn't have found me! Hehe!" Talking to this old man made Gao Huaiyuan feel very relaxed. This old man didn't seem like an ordinary person from this era, he looked quite unusual.

  "Ah! You're hitting me again!" Gao Huaiyuan's head was hit once more, but he had no chance to dodge, so he could only cry out in discontent.

  "How dare you! One day as a teacher, lifelong as a father, I won't let you be so rude and impudent! This is a small lesson for you! I don't care why you want to learn martial arts anymore, you're my disciple now, hurry up and pay your respects!" The old man scolded him.

  Gao Huaiyuan was really not used to kneeling down and paying respects, but thinking about it, when in Rome do as the Romans do, this was the etiquette of ancient times. Moreover, this old man seemed all right, so kneeling down for him wouldn't be a problem. Therefore, he didn't dare to talk back anymore, lest he get scolded again, and honestly knelt down, kowtowing several times to the old man. The old man was satisfied with a slight nod, and Gao Huaiyuan stood up only then.

  "Now that I've become your disciple, Master, you can tell me what your identity is, right?" Gao Hua Yuan was a bit confused after becoming a disciple and still hadn't figured out what his master did or what he was called.

  "Don't ask me about this, I'll naturally tell you when the time comes. You come and tell me, how do you know that the world will definitely be in great chaos in the future?" The old man turned around, found a place to sit down, and asked Gao Huaiyuan.

  Gao Huaiyuan looked around and found a clean place to sit in front of the old man, answering nonchalantly: "This matter is obvious, I've heard people talking about Northern affairs these days, the rise of the Mongols has become an irreversible trend. Genghis Khan will not be satisfied with just unifying the grasslands, his ambition can already be seen. They first attacked Western Xia and then targeted the Jin Dynasty. If one day Western Xia and the Jin Dynasty are destroyed, what awaits the Song Dynasty is the iron hooves of the Mongol army! None of the three countries - the Song, Jin, and Western Xia - have realized this point, they're still fighting fiercely, I'm afraid if it continues like this, Western Xia and the Jin Dynasty will be finished soon! The good days of the Song Dynasty are also numbered! That's why I want to learn some skills quickly, so that when the time comes, I'll have some self-defense power!"

  The old man looked at Gao Huaiyuan, and also looked like he was looking at a monster. He stared for half a moment before asking seriously: "Tell me honestly, were these words told to you by your father, or has someone else said them to you?"

  Gao Huaiyuan rolled his eyes in dissatisfaction and replied, "Do you think my old man is that kind of person? Can he see through this situation? Do I need others to tell me about such a simple matter? Even an idiot can see it!"

  The old man was speechless, and after a moment of contemplation, he let out a deep sigh and said: "I didn't think I'd lived so long, but my eyesight is still not as sharp as yours, you little fool! Thinking carefully, it's indeed possible! However, your words are only for me to hear, if others heard them, who knows, they might think you're crazy again! The Mongols are indeed formidable and extremely ruthless, everything is possible according to what you said! Hearing your words today, I feel like I've been awakened from a dream! The Song Dynasty is in danger!"