Chapter Ten: Mutual Exchange of Skills

  Ao Lie rode the Night Snow Dragon Colt again to the outskirts of Zhengyang Valley.

  As soon as he entered the valley, Ao Lie shouted loudly: "Big brother, big brother, little brother is here." Lü Bu's figure appeared from afar and beckoned to Ao Lie. Ao Lie urged his horse to gallop to Lü Bu's side, dismounted after flipping over, took out the Jiutian Tianlong Jue he had drawn yesterday from the cloth bag on the horseback, and handed it to Lü Bu.

  Lü Bu took it and asked: "What is this?" Ao Lie smiled and said: "Big brother isn't trying to learn my hidden strength? You'll understand once you've seen these few pictures."

  Lü Bu curiously took over the silk cloth, opened it and watched it seriously. After a stick of incense, Lü Bu exclaimed in surprise: "I didn't expect that there would be such a wonderful technique in the world, which combines physical exercise, power operation, changes in moves and internal energy as one, making my brother's eyes suddenly open, and many unsolved mysteries of martial arts before are also suddenly clear."

  Ao Lie laughed and said: "Big brother, according to this Nine Changes Tianlong Jue cultivation method, it won't take a few years to achieve great success. At that time, although the world is vast, it will be up to big brother to gallop freely." He paused for a moment, then continued: "Yesterday, I received a poem from big brother, today I return a poem to big brother." After finishing speaking, he turned around and took out another piece of silk cloth from the bundle on his horse's back, opened it, and handed it over to Lü Bu.

  "In the Qin dynasty, the moon was bright; in the Han dynasty, the passes were strong. The long expedition of a myriad miles has not yet returned, but if the Flying General is at Dragon City, he will not allow the barbarian horses to cross the Yin Mountains." Lü Bu read it out word by word. He turned his head to look at Ao Lie: "Second brother, good words! Good poem! However, I really don't deserve your praise, and how can I dare compare myself to the Flying General Li Guang who defeated the Xiongnu in the past?"

  Ao Lie said: "Big brother's martial arts are unparalleled, he will surely achieve great things in the future, why be so hard on yourself?"

  Lü Bu burst out laughing and said with a heroic air: "Alright, I'll take this little poem from my brother. One day, I will use the halberd in my hand to create a world of my own, and when that day comes, we brothers will share the good fortune together."

  Ao Lie smiled and nodded, then said: "Big brother might as well start cultivating now. If there's anything unclear, little brother can also help big brother resolve the doubts."

  Lü Bu nodded in agreement, then put down the long spear behind his back and began to practice according to Ao Lie's Nine Changes Tianlong Jue.

  Half a day's time passed quickly. Lü Bu occasionally asked Ao Lie some detailed questions about his cultivation, and Ao Lie naturally explained them in great detail. In addition, Lü Bu's physical quality and comprehension were both top-notch, which made his cultivation progress very fast. In just half a day, he had already mastered the first transformation of the Nine Changes Heavenly Dragon Technique to 70-80%.

  At noon, the two brothers sat opposite each other, with a pile of bonfire in between, where a whole roe deer was being roasted. Ao Lie held a wooden stick with the roe deer strung on it, flipping it back and forth, occasionally sprinkling some salt, spices and the like onto the deer.

  When the rabbit meat had turned a tempting golden yellow, Lü Bu stopped turning it and quickly brushed a thin layer of oil on the rabbit's surface. He then picked up the wooden stick again and turned it several times before saying to Lü Bu: "Brother, it's ready to eat."

  Lü Bu smiled and said, "I didn't expect that my second brother is not only well-versed in both literature and martial arts, but also has a good handwriting. Even this cooking skill is so refined." Ao Lie's mind moved slightly, thinking: Why not take the opportunity to guide his elder brother to change his temper and personality before they part ways? Otherwise, after they separate, with his elder brother's proud personality, who knows how much he will suffer?

  Thinking of this, Cao Cao said: "Brother, you are right. As the saying goes, 'food is heaven for the people', can cooking be a small way? What is the root cause of the Yellow Turban Rebellion? Why did Zhang Jiao rebel and have millions of followers? If everyone could live in peace and prosperity, with every household having surplus grain, who would dare to risk their lives and rebel?"

  Lü Bu was taken aback by the words, lowered his head and pondered for a long time, before sighing and saying: "Second brother is right, I was wrong."

  Seeing Lü Bu's agreement with his words, Ao Lie didn't say much more. Lü Bu was a clever person, not at all like the foolish and impulsive man described in history books; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to master such extraordinary martial arts skills, nor would he have become a warlord.

  Tore off a roasted rabbit leg and handed it to Lü Bu, saying: "Big brother, try some, how's the taste?" Lü Bu took the rabbit leg and gnawed on it, chewing while praising: "Crispy outside and tender inside, very delicious." Ao Lie was delighted and laughed, then tore off a piece of roasted meat for himself and started devouring it.

  Lü Bu glanced at the wine jar beside him and asked with a smile: "Can there be good food without wine? Younger brother, won't you drink a jar with me?" Ao Lie heard this and almost choked on the roasted meat he had just eaten. After much effort, he finally swallowed it down and hastily said: "Big brother, please drink by yourself, I dare not drink again. The taste of intoxication is really too unbearable."

  Lü Bu looked at áo Liè's awkward appearance, burst out laughing, and didn't force him anymore. He poured himself a tank of wine and drank heavily.

  After lunch, Lü Bu led Guan Yu to a flat open space in the valley and said seriously: "Second brother, when we fought the other day, I saw that your spear technique was extremely versatile, but there is one flaw."

  Ao Lie's heart was greatly astonished. His own shooting technique was the ultimate skill of Taiji Gun from Mount Wudang in his past life, how could it possibly have any flaws? Even if there were flaws, they shouldn't be easily discovered by people of this era, right? He hastily asked: "What flaw is that? I hope big brother won't mind teaching me."

  Lü Bu continued: "Second brother's spear technique follows the path of using softness to overcome stiffness, suitable for solo battles but not for charging into an army. Cutting off heads is like taking things out of a sack, but in the midst of a million soldiers, it's difficult to do so. Moreover, I observe that second brother has innate divine strength, yet the spear technique you've learned slightly contradicts your own characteristics and can't fully bring out your advantages."

  After listening to Lü Bu's words, áo Liè fell into deep thought. Indeed, in his past life, he was a practitioner of ancient martial arts, and the martial skills he learned were limited to one-on-one duels, at most fighting against dozens of people. In the peaceful era of his past life, this wasn't a problem, but in this chaotic era, it seemed a bit inadequate. Another point Lü Bu made was also correct: áo Liè had undergone some kind of transformation due to the changes in the dimensional space when he crossed over into the Eastern Han dynasty. Since his rebirth, he had become incredibly powerful, with boundless strength, and this clashed with the principles of Taiji's softness overcoming hardness.

  Having understood everything, Ao Lie raised his head and looked at Lü Bu, saying sincerely: "Thank you, big brother, for reminding me. I understand now." Lü Bu nodded and asked again: "What did you think of the spear technique I used when we fought each other the other day?" Ao Lie praised: "As swift as a strong wind, as powerful as thunder. It's the most superior spear technique."

  Lü Bu slowly raised his head, gazing at the blue sky, as if reminiscing or recalling something, and said in a low voice: "Ten years ago, I was wandering on the grasslands. At that time, I was only ten years old, and I traveled with a pack of wolves. By chance, I killed people for the first time, killing many...". As he spoke, Lü Bu's tone gradually became more excited, continuing: "They were a group of Xiongnu people, riding fine horses, each horse carrying three to five human heads - the heads of my Han compatriots. They used their sabers to slaughter the wolf pack that was traveling with me, leaving none alive. At that time, I felt extreme sorrow and anger, snatching a saber and killing those Xiongnu people along with their horses."

  "Good kill! If he's not of our kind, his heart must be different. If it were my younger brother, I'd kill him just the same!" Ao Lie applauded and cheered.

  Lü Bu shook his head and continued, "After killing all those Xiongnu people, I found two things among the loot they had plundered." As he spoke, Lü Bu reached back to touch the flat of his halberd. "One is my current weapon, this halberd, which can be called a divine instrument, an excellent tool for battle. In all these years, if not for the help of this divine halberd, I would have died who knows how many times." Patting the shaft of the halberd, Lü Bu's eyes showed a kind of inexplicable fervor.

  He paused for a moment, then Lü Bu continued: "The second thing is the treasure that has benefited me for my whole life. At that time, I found a book on the corpse of the Xiongnu people, which recorded the eighteen moves of Chu Bawang Xiang Yu, called 'Turning Hand Eighteen Cuts'. I really don't know where those Xiongnu people got this treasure."

  "What? The Flip Hand Eighteen Cuts?" Ao Lie asked in surprise. In his previous life, when Ao Lie was at Wudang Mountain, he had determined through various materials that the reliance of Xiang Yu, the King of Western Chu, who had dominated the world, was his own creation - the Flip Hand Eighteen Cuts. The Flip Hand Eighteen Cuts were divided into two techniques: Single-handed Eighteen Cuts and Double-handed Eighteen Cuts. When executed, they were boundless in power, which allowed Xiang Yu to create the reputation of the King of Western Chu.

  Seeing Awu's astonished expression, Lü Bu smiled and said: "What, did you also hear about the Flip Hand Eighteen Cuts?" Awu replied as if counting his family treasures: "Of course I've heard of it. The King of Chu, Xiang Yu, once wielded the Broken Array Halberd, unleashing the Flip Hand Eighteen Cuts in the Battle of Julu, beheading eighteen generals from the Qin state, shaking the heavens and earth. From then on, people called Xiang Yu the Hegemon."

  Lü Bu nodded and said, "That's right. I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable." His tone changed, Lü Bu said, "I intend to teach you the 'Overturning Heaven and Earth' eighteen strikes to make up for your shortcomings in spear techniques, what do you think?"

  Ao Lie hesitated for a moment, then laughed brightly and said: "The elder brother's gift, the younger brother dare not decline."

  "Good, it should be like this. This is the kind of brother I, Lü Bu, acknowledge. Being wishy-washy is meaningless."

  At this time, Lü Bu began to teach Ao Lie the moves and usage of the Overturning Heaven and Earth Eighteen Strikes. As Ao Lie learned, he used his past life's insight to examine the techniques passed down by Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. Through mutual verification, Ao Lie surprisingly found some minor flaws. Afterwards, Ao Lie and Lü Bu mutually explored and perfected these flaws together, causing the power of the Overturning Heaven and Earth Eighteen Strikes to rise to a higher level.

  Lü Bu was deeply moved and repeatedly praised Ao Lie's talent as being against the heavens. In this way, the two brothers spent a day transmitting their martial arts to each other and practicing together, unknowingly passing the time. The setting sun fell weakly in the western mountains, leaving only a faint afterglow that illuminated the shadows of the two tireless figures in the valley.