Chapter 36: Holding On Tightly

  Min An hid in the bamboo house and didn't dare to come out. He sat on the couch with a worried face, looking at the general. The general kept flapping its wings in the bamboo basket, stirring up a gust of wind. Min An reached out to touch its back feathers, trying to calm it down, but it took advantage of the opportunity to peck at Min An's head.

  Afterwards, Min An covered his nose and looked at the general with grievances: "Can't you be more gentle? You've attracted your master to come in again, and I'll be punished for another round."

  A man and a bird faced each other for half a morning, the maid brought food, placed the treasure tower lunch box on the windowsill, smiled and said: "This is the young master's ordered lunch, all aspects think to give the little husband a supplement, eat it while it's hot."

  Min An walked over to take a look, and the food box was filled with three layers of soup, dishes, and pastries, all prepared according to his usual taste. In addition to the nourishing stomach soup, duck meat porridge, millet congee, and other dishes that were cooked just right, there was also a bowl of warm longan red date tea at the bottom. He smelled the sweet and greasy aroma, couldn't help but sniff it, and said: "Is this for nourishing blood?"

  The maid nodded with a smile. Min An also didn't mind the order of eating, took over the tea cup and drank it all in one gulp, and then wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

  The maid giggled and said, "Young master has a nosebleed again. If someone who doesn't know the situation takes a glance, they'd think that the nourishing tea is taking effect, and in just a moment, it's made young master's spleen healthy and his blood rise!"

  "General, you're bullying me again and ruining my face in front of this beautiful young lady..." He said that because earlier when he was being trained by Li Peinan, he had unknowingly bled from his nose and dripped it onto Li Peinan's sleeve. Fortunately, the young master didn't change color or storm off, but instead finished teaching him three sword moves before letting him escape into the house.

  After lunch, Min An rushed to the study room and reported, and indeed saw Li Peinan had changed into a new set of clothes. His snow-white robe was spotless, without any dust or ash marks. He sat there, his snowy clothes shining brightly, like a piece of jade refined from an icy spring, not giving Min An any impression of being a warm and gentle gentleman. Seeing the communication soldier from the sentry post reporting messages from various places, Min An hastily retreated a few steps and stood by the door.

  Li Peinan was busy with his work and then looked up: "How's your body?"

  Min hesitated and didn't dare to respond rashly. If he said there was no big deal, he feared that in the afternoon he would have to intensify his training, and his back injury and headache would both flare up; if he deceived the young master and got caught, he would inevitably receive another round of even more severe punishment. Since he couldn't gloss over it, he could only try to ingratiate himself carefully, hoping that the young master's mood was better, so good that he wouldn't think about punishing him again.

  Min Ankang said: "It's almost fine now, just a backache, and I often can't straighten my waist. Just now, I ate the tonic food given by the young master, and it's not bad, this injury has improved by more than half." He raised his head and smiled ingratiatingly, but Li Peinan was unmoved, flipping over a page of the gazette left by the communication soldier, and the order was also issued: "Then continue training."

  Min An immediately looked gloomy and stood there, saying nothing.

  Li Peinan carefully read the situation of the Western Frontier War on the newspaper, looked up and saw Min An standing at the door without moving, knowing what he was thinking, but deliberately not mentioning it. He put down the book to get tea, still not saying a word.

  Min An waited until this break, hesitated for a moment, and said: "The three sword moves taught by the young master this morning have elegant names, beautiful postures, and strong strength. However, it's not very suitable for me to play with my slender figure. How about, how about withdrawing from now on? The young master can teach me some simple and agile martial arts, I can learn quickly, and use them more conveniently."

  "Master those three moves before talking about others."

  Min An nervously asked: "I beg your pardon, young master, but why is this?"

  "It will come in handy later."

  Min An thought to himself, when exactly was it afterwards? He stole a glance at Li Peinan and saw that his expression was cold and indifferent, so he didn't dare continue asking.

  This time, Min An didn't ask, and Li Peinan replied readily: "You will represent me in battle."

  Min An raised his head in surprise: "Go to war? Are we going to fight? Where are we going? Is it the Western Frontier? That place is too far away, and the barbarians are too powerful. Young Master, you're sending me to the battlefield, which is equivalent to throwing me into a pack of wolves for them to bite..."

  Li Peinan raised his hand to stop Min An from continuing to shout: "It's not that serious, the place of response is in Changping Prefecture, it's a long-standing rule of the palace. You represent me in battle, you must defeat all the other teams, after succeeding, I will grant you one request, and you can ask for any reward."

  The last sentence made Min An's heart and soul stir. He licked his lips, tasting a bit of bitterness, but didn't mind, and continued to ask: "Could it be the Biennial Lu Jia Conference?"

  "Yes."

  Min An felt relieved after hearing that. The history of the Lu Jiao Conference, held in Hua Chao, was long-standing, and participants were all young people from prominent families, including princes, palace relatives, and officials' sons. They gathered together to compete in three events: martial arts, horse riding, and archery, vying for the imperial court's rewards. Many talented young men wanted to take this opportunity to show off their skills, attract the attention of the beautiful women on the scene, and make a name for themselves among their peers. Li Pei Nan had fought in the Western Frontier for many years, killing countless barbarians, and his reputation was already renowned within and outside Hua Chao. He wouldn't bother with these small gatherings. The talented young men selected by the nobles and aristocratic families were no different from spoiled brats in his eyes, not worthy of his attention. The reason he wanted Min An to participate on his behalf, attaching great importance to this year's competition, was that he had been intentionally training Min An's abilities, so that Min An could play a role in the upcoming Western Frontier war.

  Behind this main purpose, Li Peinan would naturally not make it clear to Min An. The reason is that Min An dislikes fighting and killing, likes to play freely, and does not prompt him to consciously learn various skills, and the bitterness of training he will inevitably not be able to bear.

  Li Peinan made up his mind and wouldn't change it. He saw Min An smiling with her head tilted, even more so he didn't mention the subsequent disposal and proposal. He waited for a moment, Min An was still happy and didn't intend to turn around and practice swordsmanship, so he spoke out: "Nosebleed."

  Min An woke up and covered her nose with her sleeve, looking down at the clean floor tiles. Fortunately, she didn't find any dirty marks.

  Li Peinan ordered: "Go wash up."

  Min An delayed for a short while before slowly walking into the bamboo fence yard. Li Peinan was wearing a snow-white robe, his demeanor cold and clear, his face also pale, but without any signs of anger. Min An endured for long enough, grasping a wooden sword and scraping along as he walked to Li Peinan's side, bowing his head in respect and saying: "Young Master, please spare my life."

  Li Peinan showed no mercy, and the bamboo sword still carried five-tenths of his strength as it quickly stabbed towards Min'an's wrist. Min'an hastily dodged, but was hit on the forehead by the curved bamboo sword. He threw the wooden sword to the ground and said with a huff: "I can't beat you, and I don't have any martial arts skills to speak of, it's not worth it! You're too fast, I couldn't even see your movements, if we keep fighting like this, it's just bullying!" As soon as he finished speaking, he regretted it. How could he address the young master of his own household, who was also a prince, in such an informal manner?

  Li Peinan said coldly: "Then what do you want?"

  Min An bit her lip and said in a low voice: "Forget about learning these three sword techniques, let's learn some simple hand-to-hand combat skills instead."

  "In this world of mine, there has never been anything 'convenient'."

  Min An hung his head and didn't utter a word.

  Li Peinan picked up the wooden sword from the ground and it flew straight towards Min An's forehead. Min An didn't dodge, and was hit again, not daring to get angry or speak. The white cloth hat fell to the ground, and a head of black hair blew down, covering his slightly delicate eyebrows.

  Li Peinan couldn't bear to see Min An standing there like a wooden stake, not moving or speaking. He unconsciously slowed down his tone: "Come over here."

  Min An took three or four steps forward, stopped, and after the hair in front of his eyes was blown away by the wind, he saw Li Peinan's cold face. He reluctantly took another step closer, but refused to move any further. Since Min An didn't want to come over, Li Peinan had no choice but to walk over himself, handing him a bamboo sword and grasping the back of his hand.

  "With a flick of his wrist to the right, Elbow force, send out the sword move." Li Peinan guided Min An's movements bit by bit.

  A warm and gentle breath immediately enveloped Min An's upper body, accompanied by a faint scent of white sandalwood, forcing him to turn his head, unable to avoid the strong and powerful palm control behind him. Li Peinan breathed softly, with a thin layer of calluses on his fingertips, but his palms were smooth and supple, allowing Min An to feel every detail as he held his hand. Min An shrugged slightly, but couldn't pull away even half an inch, and a hint of panic arose in his heart. He thought to himself, I'm a man, the young master is also a man, being held like this by him isn't quite right, is it? If others saw this, wouldn't they say that I'm the young master's plaything? Moreover, even if I were a woman, being held so close by the young master of the main house would be a bad influence, and rumors would spread, making it difficult for him to marry in the future. Would his wife punish me severely after entering the household? What about Xiaoxue? He had heard from Fei Yi before that she seemed to be well taken care of by both him and the young master, was she the designated daughter-in-law of the Chu Nan Wang Fu...

  Min Anhui was lost in thought, unable to clear his mind, and the two sword moves that had just passed before his eyes were wasted. His right hand, which was being held, trembled slightly on its own. Li Peinan saw this and used his left hand to pat Min's forehead, saying in a low voice, "What are you trembling for? Focus, I'm only teaching you this once."

  Min An reluctantly pulled back his spirit, practiced the sword moves several times according to the gourd painting, and had already mastered the framework of the sword moves. Li Peinan stood aside and said: "From now on, train your body and increase your internal strength." One sentence made Min An's face turn pale again, and he stood still in front of the fence with a dejected expression.

  Li Peinan walked into the pavilion and sat down. After a while, a maid brought over warm towels and cool tea. Min An stood facing the pavilion, thinking about how to avoid the upcoming physical training, lowering his head to poke at the small wildflowers in the bamboo fence with his sword. He poked one, thinking that pretending to be ill or injured wouldn't work, then poked another, thinking that maybe he should make himself look more pitiful, perhaps the young master would take pity on him.

  But Min An thought for a moment, his young master originally didn't have a compassionate heart, how could he be moved. Thinking with a worried and bitter face for a moment, still couldn't find a way to come, the scattered black hair was blown by the wind, brushing against the silk clothes gifted by the young master's mansion, making a rustling sound, suddenly reminding him that there actually was another helper here, also one who was particular about speaking, only wearing exquisitely made clothes, and rarely invited out of the second door.

  Min An rushed to the edge of the awning and before he could speak, his nose started bleeding.

  Li Peinan furrowed his brow: "Is your nose broken?"

  Min An let the nosebleed continue to flow without wiping it away: "My body is a bit weak, I couldn't withstand the physical training of the crown prince, and with just a slight movement, I would get knocked out and bleed."

  Li Peinan didn't even look at him and said lightly: "You can't escape this errand."

  Min An so walked up to Li Peinan with a long nosebleed and knelt down: "I want to transfer to the second young master's side to learn."

  Li Peinan's voice immediately turned cold: "I suppose he is easier to get along with than me?"

  Min was deeply in agreement, but her face showed a flustered expression, and she hastily said: "The young master is busy with official duties, and certainly doesn't have the spare time to instruct me. I'm not clever, and learn slowly; in front of the second young master, I can still repeat it several times. When I've learned it well, I'll present it to the young master for inspection, what do you think?"

  Li Peinan glanced at Min An indifferently for a moment, then suddenly got up and left without leaving a single word. Afterwards, he was indeed busy arranging official business from all sides, never mentioning the matter of teaching in person again.

  Min An did not breathe a sigh of relief, as Li Peinan's response came through Lei Qun: Not allowed.

  Don't follow Fei's example in learning.

  For the next two days, Min An racked his brains to think of ways to avoid Li Peinan's training. He mostly held onto the bamboo basket where the general often rested, putting on a devoted and protective look, and said to Li Qun standing outside the window: "Brother Li, go and reply to the young master, just say that I'm busy taking care of the general and can't leave."

  "Master Liang raised an eyebrow and said, 'Earlier, you said that fancy sword moves are useless on the battlefield, leaving only a pretty facade. Now, Master wants to teach you horseback riding skills. Among our 180,000 elite cavalrymen from Western Frontier, no one has ever received personal guidance from Master before. With this great opportunity right in front of you, why would you want to push it away?'"

  Min An carried a bamboo basket, slowly walking into the exercise arena specially opened in the Hangguan, put the general on the horse rack, and endured back pain to climb onto the white horse.

  Li Peinan, dressed in a neat and simple outfit, had been waiting at the school gate for some time. He called out to his attendants to pull up the reins of the horse. The reins were the simplest trap, but for Min An, they were also an insurmountable obstacle. He grasped the white horse's mane and ran in a circle, stumbling and falling seven or eight times. By the time Li Peinan couldn't bear to watch anymore and walked over to lift him up, he was still dazed and couldn't find his bearings, his whole body trembling lightly in Li Peinan's hands.

  Li Peinan put him down and said: "If you can run another lap without falling off, I'll give you five taels of silver."

  Mo Yan's eyes suddenly lit up. He was saving money to prepare for the betrothal gift, asking Xiao Zhuang Lao Ye to agree to marry him to Xiao Bao Er. For several years, his master had taken away his money and silver, even the rewards he received from private cases were not spared. Two days ago, Mo Yan had just returned to the Hangguan, when Xiao Bao Er sent a letter inviting him to meet, thinking that it was an opportunity to reveal his true feelings to Xiao Bao Er, proving that what he said last time "already having the idea of taking Bao Er as his wife" was not empty words.

  With the money as motivation, Min An bravely climbed onto the horse's back and galloped around in a circle. This time he entrusted his entire weight to the white horse, hugging its neck and holding tight to its belly as it ran, sticking to the saddle without moving at all, and indeed earned five taels of silver.

  Li Peinan nodded in agreement, saying: "It's almost there. As long as the young master can adapt to the bumps and not fall off, the barbarians on the Western Frontier battlefield will have no way with him."

  Li Peinan glanced at him for a moment and said lightly: "Once you're on the battlefield, you'll need to be more careful."

  "Of course, I will naturally not disappoint you, young master."

  "From now on, you take over his riding training."

  "Yes."

  Li Peinan entrusted the task of training Min'an in horsemanship and combat to Li Qun. Min'an was still unaware that his next destination would be a perilous place, as he was pushed onto the battlefield by the young master of his household. Li Peinan had intended to help Min'an enter officialdom and found the fastest and most convenient way for him: establishing military merit.

  Min An, as a literary official, soon went to the capital to participate in the imperial examination. The official position he was assigned was also a seventh-grade civil servant, which was far from Li Peinan's requirement of a ministerial arm. For this reason, Li Peinan trained Min An ahead of time and taught him some skills, so that he could make achievements in the future.

  Mo Yan was making excuses for his daily practice, and he had just earned five taels of silver. He stood on the white horse, looking around with a smile, his white teeth and red lips gleaming in the autumn sun that shone down on him from above. His eyebrows seemed to have been painted with ink, shining brightly. Li Peinan glanced at him and turned back to say to Li Qun: "If something urgent comes up, I won't be able to save him."

  Lui Qun obviously didn't expect that his own young master would still value this privately appointed subordinate, even to the point of giving up Xiao Xiang Gong, such a talented person. He was slightly startled, then nodded his head and responded with a "good".

  Li Peinan then said a few words that completely put Lei Qun at ease: "Min Anxin has good eyesight and will always find a way to turn danger into safety. If he only had a good face, I wouldn't need him." After saying this, he left the martial arts training ground.

  In the afternoon, Li Qun, who had taken over the training task, searched for Min An everywhere. Min An hid in Fei Yi's backyard and wouldn't come out. Li Qun couldn't do anything about it, so he let him escape from training this time. Fei Yi stayed in the study room brewing tea and organizing flower albums. Min An wandered around by himself, neither disturbing Fei Yi nor finding it too quiet.

  Fei Yi took a sip of tea, the fragrance lingering on her teeth, and in the midst of the refreshing scent that filled the room, she finished painting a rare flower pattern. Just as she was about to put down her brush and seal the ink, Min An leaned over and said: "Huh? This is a Purple Beauty Flower! I picked some last time at Huangshi Slope, but they were snatched away by the Young Master."

  The young master's hand paused on the album, and he said lightly: "I handed the flowers over to me, I made a dried flower soft pillow and sent it to Xiaoxue, you won't mind, will you?"

  Min An waved his hand: "No, no, being able to alleviate Xiao Xue's headache and fever is a big deal. Xiao Xue is so lucky to have your and Shizun's care, as an outsider looking in, I even feel a little envious, how could I possibly mind?"

  Fei Yishu's eyes sank, and she remained silent for a moment before responding, "You fell and hurt your back while picking flowers to please me. I didn't ask for your thoughts and gave the flower pillow away, which means I owe you one favor. I don't like being indebted to others, so why don't you tell me something now, and I'll do it for you."

  Min An thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up: "You go talk to the Crown Prince, exempt me from those intense riding and combat training sessions!"

  Fei Yi knew it was impossible, so she took a compromise approach: "I'll teach you how?"

  Min An was overjoyed: "Good, you're more gentle than them, shouldn't be a problem."

  In the afternoon, the autumn sun was shining brightly, and the sandy ground on the martial arts field was gleaming. The flat drum and weapon rack on the school platform were covered with a layer of hot light. Min An wiped his sweat, carefully listening to Fei Yi's horse riding explanation, softly begging Fei Yi not to loosen the reins, leading him to walk in a circle on the sand dunes at a steady pace, adapting to the terrain.

  Fei Yi was indeed a considerate person, calling over an attendant to bring over iced milk tea, letting Min An drink his fill before urging him to get on with his training. Min An curled up the corner of his mouth with his tongue, savoring the taste as he said: "Not as good as the frozen yogurt milk wine from Hua Jie, sigh, it's a bit bland." Fei Yi was impatient with his dawdling and directly wiped away the milk foam on the corner of his mouth with her sleeve, saying: "Once you've learned, I'll let you out to have fun, and you can drink any wine you want."

  Min An studied hard and practiced for a long time, and his horseback riding skills had some effect. He didn't let go of the reins, but instead used his whip to strike the horse's flank once, and the white horse raised its hooves and ran, charging straight towards the undulating hills. Min An was familiar with the terrain and wasn't afraid, but then he saw Li Peinan's dark-robed figure walking out from behind the wooden door, a cold face set against the deep color of his robes, making Min An look at him very clearly. His hand trembled slightly as he grasped the reins and pulled the white horse towards Li Peinan, almost like charging into battle, suddenly giving off an air of hostility.

  Fei Yi stood at a distance, unable to intervene in time. He had wanted to whistle and stop the white horse, but then he thought that crashing into it wouldn't be so bad after all, so he simply stood by with his arms crossed and didn't ask any questions.

  A white horse galloped in, carrying a flustered Min An. Li Peinan heard the commotion and glanced over, taking a few strides to get out of the way of the charging horse. Afterwards, he thought of something and turned back, using his sleeve to gather force and strike out with his palm, relieving the horse's momentum and allowing him to rush over and grab hold of the reins. The white horse was halted, throwing Min An off its back.

  Min An heavily fell to the ground, pressing down on his still-unhealed whip wound, and he gritted his teeth in pain. Fei Yi's face changed greatly as he swiftly rushed over, supporting Min An with his arm, and repeatedly asked: "How is it? Where are you hurt? I truly regret not hurrying over sooner." His remorse was fully expressed on his face, and Min An felt deeply moved by this, hastily scrambling to his feet, and gasping: "It's nothing, it's nothing, don't be anxious."

  Li Peinan carefully examined the white horse and made sure it was not hurt in the slightest before turning to Fei Yi and saying, "The prince's residence sent an express message, Xiaoxue's illness has relapsed, you go back and take a look."

  Fei Yi hastily let go of Min An's hand as soon as he heard the news, turned around and walked towards the door. Just two steps away, he remembered that Min An was left alone in the mansion to receive the young master's instructions, and would have to endure some hardships. He threw back a sentence: "You listen carefully to the young master's orders, don't cause any trouble, wait for my return." After finishing speaking, he didn't even turn his head, walked straight out of the door, leaving Min An staring after him with wide eyes.

  Li Peinan came to the martial arts arena just once, and that was to inform Fei Yi that he would be transferred out of the Hangguan. Because Li Qun had reported multiple times that Second Master protected Min An, allowing him to escape horseback riding training time and again, Li Peinan seized the opportunity and achieved his goal with just one sentence.

  Min An was nervous under Li Peinan's gaze, not daring to lift his head for half a day. Although he thought to himself that he hadn't done anything wrong, and considering the dangerous situation earlier, his master's son was concerned about the white horse rather than him, a living person. He should have been the one to glare at the other with anger in his eyes, silently staring at him for a while.

  After a long while, Li Peinan finally said coldly: "Now that no one is protecting you, you'd better practice obediently."

  Min Ankang nodded, and only lifted his head after Li Peinan walked out of the martial arts arena, letting out a long sigh. Without Fei's protection, he naturally had to learn horse riding and combat skills in earnest, and the injuries he suffered would be several times more severe.

  On the third day, Li Qun summoned Min An to come out of his house and practice chopping wood stakes. Fighting and killing had always been things that Min An disliked. He settled the general down, walked slowly in front of Li Qun and said: "I have a headache."

  Ligou held a military knife in his hand and demonstrated to Min'an the angle and force of chopping down, saying: "Hold with your left hand, use force with your right hand."

  Min An grabbed his hat and turned his head slightly towards Lai Qun, letting him see a large circle of bandages wrapped around it.

  Li Qun continued to explain, and Min An said: "My back hurts too."

  Just as Xiao Xiang Gong was about to untie his shirt, Li Qun hastily replied: "I know, no need to check."

  Min An took the opportunity to say: "I also broke a tooth." After speaking, he opened his mouth and pushed out a broken tooth with the tip of his tongue, showing a small black hole to Li Qun.

  Li Qun was taken aback and said: "These are all minor injuries, young master should overcome them."

  Min An continued to say stubbornly: "I have a headache."

  Lü Qun had no words to respond with.

  "My back hurts too."

  Lai Qun still had nothing to say in response.

  "I also broke my teeth."

  Lijun said finally: "Young master go rest, that side of young master, I'll cover for you."