Chapter Eighteen: Becoming an Apprentice

  In the following days, Ao Lie spent his days either sparring with Lü Bu and Zhang Liao or strolling through the market with Cai Yan and Tian Chou. It was the most leisurely and pleasant period since his rebirth. During this time, Ao Lie's feelings for Cai Yan also rapidly warmed up. Although they were still young and couldn't make overly intimate moves, their affection for each other had reached a point where every day felt like an eternity without seeing each other.

  On this day, Ao Lie and Cai Yan ran out to play by themselves, admiring the scenery on the street while chatting about intimate matters. Ao Lie suddenly turned serious, but spoke nonsense, saying: "Wife, look over there, they're selling children's clothes and hats, why don't we go buy a few to prepare for future use?" Cai Yan was taken aback at first, then blushed and scolded: "How unseemly! The engagement isn't even settled yet, and you're already thinking about buying children's clothes and hats. You, where is your dignity as a great general?"

  Ao Lie laughed a few times, continuing to tease Cai Yan: "Wife, if I were as fierce every day as I am on the battlefield, would you still dare to sleep by my side?" Cai Yan was extremely embarrassed, stomping her foot and scolding: "You, if you bully me, I won't speak to you for half a day, no, not even one day!"

  Just as the two were laughing and joking, a soldier rushed over to Ao Lie, saluting him with a fist: "Reporting to General, the Governor has returned from his expedition, and the vanguard has already entered the city." Ao Lie's expression turned serious, and he asked the soldier who had brought the news: "Was my father safe on the way?" The soldier replied: "General, don't worry, the Governor was safe all along."

  Ao Lie nodded and said to Cai Yan: "Yan'er, you go back to the mansion first, I'll go out of the city to welcome my father." Cai Yan replied softly. Ao Lie ordered the soldier: "You escort the young lady back to the mansion first." The soldier hastily nodded in agreement.

  Farewell to Cai Yan, Ao Lie rode his horse to the city gate and saw that Liu Yu's army had already arrived not far from the city gate. Ao Lie hastily dismounted and stood respectfully aside, waiting for his father. Then a soldier came forward to help Ao Lie lead the reins of Zhaoye Snow Dragon Horse, following behind Ao Lie.

  After a moment, Ao Lie saw his father's figure. At this moment, Liu Yu was wearing armor, riding on a tall horse, commanding the army to enter the city. He occasionally whispered to an old man beside him, and the two would occasionally burst out laughing. As they approached the city gate, Liu Yu immediately saw Ao Lie's figure, stopped his horse, pointed at Ao Lie with his whip, and loudly asked: "Look, who is that?" The generals following Liu Yu into the city looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Ao Lie standing with his hands hanging down, and they eagerly shouted: "General Vanguard! General Vanguard!!"

  "Liu Yu responded loudly: 'That's right! He is the vanguard general of my great army! He is the young hero who beheaded the Xiongnu Left Wise King! But what he has done is not enough, far from enough! Ao Lie, step forward!'"

  Ao Lie heard his father's summons, puffed out his chest and stood at the front of the formation, responding loudly: "General Ao Lie, reporting for duty to the Governor!" Liu Yu asked in a deep voice: "General Vanguard, what do you think it takes to be an outstanding Han general?" Ao Lie shouted without hesitation: "A general should emulate Huo Qubing and expand our Han territory!" Liu Yu nodded slightly and asked again: "Tell me, how would you go about expanding our territory?" Ao Lie replied: "One should also emulate Huo Qubing, making the Xiongnu people's livestock unable to multiply and their women lose color in their faces!"

  "Haha, great ambition, great spirit!" The old man following Liu Yu laughed loudly.

  Ao Lie turned his head to glance at the old man, and suddenly felt a bit dizzy. Wasn't this the same old man who had blocked his way on the stone bridge when he was returning from the army not long ago? How could he be with Father?

  Liu Yu raised his whip and cracked it in the air, saying proudly: "That's right! As elite soldiers of the great Han Dynasty, guarding the borders, we must resist the Xiongnu and make them unable to multiply their livestock, and their women lose their beauty!" Thousands of soldiers followed him, shouting: "Make the Xiongnu people unable to multiply their livestock, and their women lose their beauty!"

  When the shouting of the great army stopped, Liu Yu waved his hand and shouted: "Enter the city!" The people on both sides of the road, who had been watching the dialogue between Liu Yu and his son, were stirred up by the thousands of soldiers' cheers. Regardless of men, women, old or young, they all clenched their fists and shouted loudly.

  "Hurray for the Chinese army!"

  "Commander Liu is mighty! Young General is mighty!"

  "What a great Han army we have! Everyone is so lucky!"

  Amidst cheers, Liu Yu led the army into the city. On that day, a grand banquet was held in the provincial governor's mansion, where Liu Yu publicly announced rewards for his soldiers and officers. Among them, Ao Lie, Lü Bu, and Zhang Liao, who had achieved great merits, were not granted official positions by Liu Yu himself due to their exceptional contributions, so he memorialized the imperial court to request recognition of their achievements.

  At the celebration banquet, Liu Yu called Ao Lie to his side and pointed at an old man sitting next to him who had entered the city with Liu Yu. "Ao Lie, do you know who this is?" Ao Lie first nodded then shook his head and said: "I met this old gentleman on our way back from the army, but I didn't ask for his name." The old man chuckled and said: "My name is Wang Ao, and I was testing General Liu Yu by following the example of Huang Shi Gong teaching Zhang Liang. I hope you will forgive me, young general."

  What's going on? Zhang Liang? Huang Shi Gong? This is what kind of situation? Zhang Liang was a great minister of the Han Dynasty, and Ao Lie was also very familiar with Zhang Liang's apprenticeship. Before Zhang Liang joined Liu Bang, he met an old man named Huang Shi Gong on a bridge. Huang Shi Gong deliberately threw his shoes under the bridge and asked Zhang Liang to pick them up. Zhang Liang obediently helped Huang Shi Gong retrieve his shoes, but Huang Shi Gong threw them under the bridge again and asked Zhang Liang to pick them up once more. Three times in a row, Zhang Liang helped Huang Shi Gong without complaint. Finally, Huang Shi Gong accepted Zhang Liang as his apprentice and taught him the "Taigong Bingfa". With the help of the "Taigong Bingfa" he learned from Huang Shi Gong, Zhang Liang assisted Liu Bang in conquering the world, and was eventually appointed as Prime Minister by Liu Bang.

  Suddenly, Ao Lie felt a chill in his heart. Although the Great Han was declining now, not everyone dared to compare themselves to Zhang Liang's teacher Huang Shi Gong. Could it be that he had unintentionally encountered another great master? With difficulty, he turned his head to look at his father, but saw Liu Yu's face filled with unconcealed pride: "Lie Er, this is the legendary Gun God, Wang Ao Lao Zu. The other day, Wang Ao Lao Zu came to our army and said he wanted to take you as his apprentice. This is your good fortune, why don't you quickly pay respects to your master?" Gun God? In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, wasn't the Gun God Zhao Yun's teacher Tong Yuan? How did it become Wang Ao Lao Zu now?

  Ao Lie's face was shrouded in mist, and he couldn't help but ask: "May I ask if you know the Yōu state's Tóng Yuān?" Wang Ao and Liu Yu exchanged a glance, both bursting into laughter. Wang Ao chuckled and said to Ao Lie: "You little scamp, do you think my reputation as the Gun God is undeserved? Everyone in the world says that the Gun God is Yōu state's Tóng Yuān, so you're testing me with your words?" Ao Lie replied with an unchanged expression: "As the saying goes, a good bird chooses its tree to perch on, a good minister chooses his lord to serve, a teacher chooses his disciple, and a disciple also chooses his teacher." Liu Yu laughed and said to Ao Lie: "Liu Er, your thoughts are mistaken. The Gun God Tóng Yuān, who is famous throughout the land, is actually Wang Ao's junior fellow apprentice. There's something you must know: the Gun God Tóng Yuān's martial arts skills were all taught by Wang Ao. Twenty years ago, Wang Ao retreated to the mountains and forests, so his reputation isn't well-known today."

  Wang Ao stopped laughing and looked at Ao Lie seriously: "The martial arts of my junior brother Tong Yuan were taught by me on behalf of our master, but the spear techniques that we two practice are not exactly the same. Let's not talk about this for now, I'd like to ask you, are you willing to acknowledge me as your master?"

  Aol Lie thought to himself: "So this person in front of me is actually Tong Yuan's senior brother and also his substitute teacher! This is really a stroke of luck that can't be blocked even if one tries. Who would have thought that because of my own momentary kindness, I would get such an awesome master? This is like spending two dollars on lottery tickets and winning five million dollars!"

  At this moment, Ao Lie didn't hesitate and stepped forward two steps to kneel in front of Wang Ao Lao Zu. With great respect, he said: "Disciple Ao Lie pays respects to his master, please forgive the disciple for being rude earlier." Wang Ao Lao Zu was overjoyed and smiled, saying: "There's no need to apologize, I'm delighted beyond words."

  Liu Yu saw the two masters and apprentices enjoying themselves, and hastily ordered his attendant: "Quickly, bring tea, let Lie Er perform the grand ceremony of paying respects to his master." The attendant hurriedly brought over a cup of tea and handed it to Ao Lie. Ao Lie held up the teacup with both hands and respectfully presented it to Wang Ao, saying: "Please, Master, have some tea."

  Wang Ao's smile disappeared from his face, and he said seriously: "Entering my sect originally has several rules. The other day, I tested you, and I am still very satisfied with your character, but there is one thing, you must remember it in your heart, never kill each other among fellow disciples, otherwise, I will definitely abolish your martial arts skills and expel you from the sect."

  Ao Lie thought to himself, "I already knew this rule from my previous life on Wudang Mountain." He replied, "Disciple remembers Master's teachings." Wang Ao Laozu smiled again and took the teacup from Ao Lie's hand, bringing it to his lips for a sip before saying, "Get up, disciple." With one sentence, he formally accepted Ao Lie as his apprentice.

  In the following days, Ao Lie bid farewell to his comfortable life. No other reason, just because Ao Lie had a master who was very demanding. Every morning, before dawn, Wang Ao Lao Zu made Ao Lie run more than 30 miles on foot to the outskirts of a river, then let Ao Lie hold a large stone weighing dozens of kilograms and dive into the river bottom, and then float up from the river bottom, repeating this process ten times. After that, the two master and apprentice took advantage of the rising sun to climb to the highest peak in Jiuyuan County, where they practiced the art of breathing under the morning sun. Ao Lie told Wang Ao Lao Zu about his cultivation of Wuji Jiu Yang Gong, and after seeing Wuji Jiu Yang Gong, Wang Ao Lao Zu praised Ao Lie's previous master, Zi Guang San Ren, without cease. As a result, during the time when the sun first rose every day, Ao Lie was allowed to cultivate Wuji Jiu Yang Gong on his own.

  After that, Ao Lie practiced the eight trigrams dragon gun technique under Wang Ao's guidance on the mountain peak. This was the most difficult time of the day because Wang Ao adhered to the idea that a strict teacher produces superior students. Each time he taught the gun technique, it was through actual combat, and compared to Wang Ao who had been immersed in the way of guns for decades, Ao Lie's application of the gun technique was still in its juvenile stage. Although Ao Lie's concept had already reached the giant level, he would often be knocked to the ground by Wang Ao without mercy.

  As noon approached, the master and apprentice returned to the county governor's mansion. Wang Ao would personally brew a cauldron of herbal medicine and then have Ao Lie jump in naked. Afterwards, he would "mercilessly" light a fire at the bottom of the cauldron, causing the medicinal properties of the herbs to penetrate into Ao Lie's body through his pores. This process, whether it was the intense medicinal properties or the scalding temperature of the water, made Ao Lie suffer unbearably. It wasn't until he was almost cooked that Wang Ao would stop. After being steamed with herbal medicine, it was finally time for lunch. The freedom that Ao Lie had been looking forward to all morning was also ruthlessly taken away by Wang Ao. Lunch had to be eaten according to the medicinal diet prepared by Wang Ao, and while eating, he couldn't sit down but instead had to stand in a horse stance.

  After lunch, the two of them would practice breathing exercises under the scorching sun for an hour. Afterwards, Wang Jue gave Ao Lie some relatively light tasks to do, which was to study military tactics. Wang Jue explained various military tactics, methods of training soldiers, and techniques of deploying troops and breaking enemy formations from ancient times to Ao Lie in a categorized manner. Of course, during this process, Ao Lie wouldn't be sitting down listening to the lectures; instead, he would still use the horse-riding stance as a substitute. This process would last for an hour, allowing Ao Lie to expend tremendous physical energy while rapidly thinking at the same time.

  After that, Wang Ao Lao Zu specially left a period of free practice for Ao Lie. Originally, in Wang Ao Lao Zu's plan, there was no such time, but since Wang Ao Lao Zu knew that Ao Lie would merge the Taiji spear method passed down by his previous life's master, Zi Guang San Ren, and the 18 chopping methods taught by Lv Bu in this life, refine them, and finally combine the two spear methods into one, creating a new Taiji 18 Chopping Spear Method. Wang Ao Lao Zu changed his mind and left out this period of time for Ao Lie to understand the Bagua You Long spear method on his own and try to merge it with the Taiji 18 Chopping again. As Wang Ao Lao Zu said, the moves passed down by a master to his disciple are just the master's understanding, only the moves that the disciple understands himself are truly his own. This statement also made Ao Lie feel greatly surprised, isn't this the best interpretation of teaching students according to their aptitude in later generations?!

  At this time, Wang Ao was not idle either. He went to the military school to point out the martial arts of Lü Bu and Zhang Liao, making their martial arts more advanced day by day. At the same time, it also made Lü Bu and Zhang Liao more respectful of Wang Ao. Here, it is worth mentioning that for someone like Lü Bu with extraordinary talent and strong physical quality, it is probably impossible to find another person like him in the world. Therefore, Ao could not teach Zhang Liao the Nine Changes Dragon Gate Technique, so he took out a popular Eight Pieces Brocade Cultivation Method of later generations and gave it to Zhang Liao for self-practice.

  It was time for dinner, and he still tied his horse's hooves, eating the medicinal meal tailored by Wang Ao for himself. Ao Lie accepted it all with pain and joy.

  After dinner, during the twilight hours, Wang Ao Lao Zu began training Ao Lie's archery skills. Under the setting sun's afterglow, Ao Lie faced the sunset and repeatedly drew his bow, shooting out sharp arrows. If he missed a shot, he would immediately be hit by Wang Ao Lao Zu's arrowless arrow shafts. Although they had no arrowheads, being hit still hurt! As a result, Ao Lie had to shoot arrows while avoiding Wang Ao Lao Zu's incoming cold arrows. Thus, not only did Ao Lie's horseback archery skills greatly improve, but his ability to dodge hidden arrows also made significant progress.

  At night, in Ao Lie's own small courtyard, Wang Ao Lao Zu would train Ao Lie to listen and identify the location of sounds for nighttime combat skills. The two would hold bows and arrows, of course without arrowheads, or use blunt objects like stones or scabbards that couldn't cause harm to the body, and engage in mutual shooting. As a result, Wang Ao Lao Zu would at most get hit once or twice, while Ao Lie would be beaten until he was covered in bruises.

  After the night battle of distinguishing sounds, Ao Lie's suffering had not ended. Wang Ao Lao Zu would once again make Ao Lie jump into the vat and enjoy the treatment of boiling water with added herbs.

  When all this was over, it was already late at night, and Ao Lie was able to drag his tired body, like a dead dog, crawling onto the bed, unconscious in a daze, enjoying the rare three hours of rest for the day.

  PS: As per hometown customs, on the 9th day of the Lunar New Year, we celebrate the 90th birthday, so Da Kun wrote two chapters overnight and rushed to release them.