Twelve years old

  "Ninth, Ninth Miss..." Xiao Wu's mouth was agape, and it was no wonder that he had mistaken a yellow-haired little girl for the elegant and refined Ninth Miss. For Han Jiu'er had never been so gentle and courteous, nor had she ever been so charming and beautiful, just like a blushing and shy new bride, suddenly reminding Xiao Wu of the romantic dreams he had in the stone cave.

  "Please dance with me." Han Jiu'er didn't change her gentle nature, and her pretty face was flushed with a captivating red glow, as if it were reflected by the bonfire or her red clothes.

  "Little man... won't." Xiao Wu awkwardly squeezed out a sentence, in Song Ren's eyes, dancing with women for pleasure was something only done by dissolute and unscrupulous young masters.

  "Let's just be a Beijin person for tonight." Han Jiu'er couldn't see through his heart, and she scattered her messy little braids, clenched her fists, raised her right arm, swung her left arm back, and twirled around with her sleeves fluttering, just like a willow tree swaying gently.

  Xiao Wu stood foolishly in place, watching as the little girl who seemed to have transformed into a different person began to dance and sing, but it was a female Manchu folk song. Her voice was originally soft and clear, and she sang with great charm.

  "What's the song you're singing, wooden wheel?" Han Jiuer finished her song and gave him a sideways glance, finally returning to normal.

  "I don't know," Little Wu replied honestly, thinking that with her cleverness, learning the truth would be easy.

  "This is the Jurchen girl's self-singing, from family to growth, from female worker to appearance......" Han Jiuer said, suddenly stopped abruptly, her face showed shyness and embarrassment, and she spat.

  "Oh..." Xiao Wu responded with a sound, but found it strange that the little girl was so changeable, yet she didn't know that she suddenly realized this was a Jurchen woman's courtship song and couldn't bear to explain.

  Originally, when Jurchen women reached the age of hairpinning, they would sing on the road and recommend themselves for marriage. If this were to happen with Han women, it would be considered immodest and frivolous, like Wang Zhaojun's elopement or Hongniang's nighttime escape, which although are ancient tales of love, also became laughingstocks for later generations.

  "Yue Fei and Xiao Jiu, you two have a long future ahead of you, how could you neglect the Zhao family?" Suddenly appeared Zong Bi, who had been drinking half-heartedly.

  "Little devil!" Han Jiu'er had just revealed her coquettish attitude, but then thought that this was the last night of their gathering, and couldn't help but soften her tone, "Devil brother, come visit us in Central Plains someday."

  "Nature! I, Wanyan Zongbi, will definitely go to see my good brother and good sister-in-law." The surname Wanyan means "king" in Chinese. He was not speaking nonsense when he was drunk, his determination to march south into the Central Plains had never been stronger than at this moment. He took out two objects from his waist pocket, "These two things are my parting gifts."

  "What's that thing?" Han Jiu'er was quite curious. Xiao Wu looked closely, and it turned out to be the silver plaque and a feather he had seen before. On the day when Zong Bi risked his life to assassinate the Liao Emperor, he had no other objects on him except for these two things, which must have been very precious to him.

  "Do you know what the name of our tribe, Jurchen, means?" Zongbi raised an eyebrow and held up a feather solemnly. "If translated into Han language, it refers to the eagle of the East, not just any ordinary eagle, but the sea blue one, produced in the far north eastern sea, rare and unmatched, short and sturdy, soaring straight into the sky, good at striking swans. Therefore, our tribe is the Sea Blue tribe. This feather was taken from a Sea Blue bird, it's Zongbi's spiritual feather. Little Jiāo ānán, may I put this spiritual feather on your hair?"

  "Thank you!" Han Jiuer saw Zong Bi treasure such a valuable item and give it to herself, although it was of no use to her, she still showed a joyful expression, leaned forward, and let him insert it into her hairpin.

  Zong Bi saw that she didn't refuse, and his face showed joy, but he also let out a deep sigh. It turned out that according to the ancient customs of the Jurchen people, when a man had a crush on a woman, he would insert a feather into her hair, and if the woman was interested, she would accept it. Han Jiuer naturally didn't understand, and couldn't appreciate Zong Bi's good intentions.

  "This silver plaque is a token from the Emperor to the Crown Prince, seeing this plaque is like seeing me." Zong Bi's words were tinged with melancholy. "You are returning south, if you take the land route, you will have to pass through Liao territory, the road is long and treacherous. If you take the water route, you can go via Liaodong, take a boat across the sea, and arrive directly in your Shandong, which is much closer. Along the way, it's all under the control of the Great Jin dynasty, this plaque will ensure your safety on the road. General Yue Fei, please accept it."

  "It's still better for Brother Zongbi to consider everything, so we'll take the water route." Xiaowu, although appearing dull on the outside, was actually very sensitive and meticulous inside. Having spent many days with Zongbi, they had a deep affection for each other, and at the moment of parting, they couldn't help but feel sad.

  "If you're not in a hurry, you can wait for the Song Dynasty envoy to return from the Emperor's camp and travel together." Zong Bi casually said.

  "What's this all about?" The speaker was insincere, but the listener was full of intention. Xiao Wu was already filled with doubts and questions, how did another Song Dynasty envoy suddenly appear?

  "A month ago, a Song envoy came from the sea and wanted to make friends with our Great Jin and jointly attack the Liao State. You didn't know about it?" Zong Bi casually revealed the secret of the Song Dynasty's alliance with the Jin to attack the Liao State.

  The reason was that Ma Zhi, a man from Yan in the Liao State, defected to the Song Dynasty and proposed responding to the Jurchen uprising and recovering the Yan-Yun region, which was very much in line with the emperor's intentions. It so happened that last year, people such as Gao Yaoshi from Ji Zhou, Liaodong, who were fleeing war disasters, wanted to sail across the sea to escape to Korea but encountered a storm and drifted to Dengzhou, Wenden County, Shandong, which allowed the court to learn about the latest situation of the Liao-Jin War. As a result, they sent someone back to explore contact with the Jin State by sea, but when they arrived at the coast of Liaodong, they did not dare to approach due to the large number of Jurchen soldiers on the shore and returned. This autumn, while Han Xiaocong was sent as an envoy to congratulate the Liao Emperor's birthday, the court also sent a secret envoy who only brought oral messages to reach Liaodong by sea again, finally establishing contact with the Jin State, thus laying down the roots of disaster that would make the Han people suffer for thousands of years.

  "Oh? Such a state secret, how did we find out... That envoy bears great responsibility, it's not convenient for us to follow." Xiao Wu's heart was nervous and worried, vaguely feeling that the imperial court's move had both advantages and disadvantages, but couldn't figure out whether the benefits outweighed the drawbacks or vice versa.

  "Since our two families are close and the three of us get along so well, why don't we become sworn siblings?" Han Jiuer suddenly proposed.

  "This is wonderful!" Zong Bi was overjoyed, and his relationship with Han Jiu'er became increasingly closer.

  "You two are noble men, I'm just a humble villager, how dare I climb high?" Xiao Wu was startled and repeatedly pushed back, first because he and Han Jiu'er were in a master-apprentice relationship and couldn't overstep the bounds of propriety, secondly because the distinction between Chinese and barbarians ran deep in the hearts of the Song people, and having him become sworn brothers with a Tartar seemed unseemly.

  "Chou Yuewu, you and I are a lonely man and woman, traveling together on the same road. We must avoid rumors and gossip. What's our relationship? Do you want to be called husband and wife?" Han Jiu'er leaned against the small stall, speaking without reserve.

  "What's the meaning of this?" Xiao Wu didn't think of this and hurriedly explained.

  "What's the use of talking so much? When the time comes, you and I will be brother and sister, and there won't be any suspicion." The little girl linked one ring after another, leaving Xiao Wu speechless.

  Without any dissent, Han Jiu'er and Zong Bi began to argue over the ritual of becoming sworn brothers. It turned out that the Han people's ritual was quite simple, they could do it anytime and anywhere, just by pinching some dirt as incense and bowing to the sky. However, the Jurchen tribe's ritual was much more grandiose, called "drinking the same life wine", which meant cutting their wrists and dripping blood into a cup of wine, then drinking it together. This ritual originated from the ancient times. In the Jurchen army, there was even a cruel military law called "same fate squad", where if one person died in battle, the other nine would also be killed; if ten people died, the next ten would also die; and if a hundred people died, the next hundred would also die. Therefore, once the Jurchen soldiers stepped onto the battlefield, they dared not to fight with all their might.

  How could Han Jiu'er bear to hurt her own delicate skin, let alone the saying among Han people that "the body and skin are given by one's parents"? In the end, she won the argument, and the three of them knelt down together under the starry sky, each reciting their own words.

  "Two men of the same mind, their power can break through metal; words spoken in harmony, fragrance like orchids. The Emperor is above, and the Earth is below. I, Yue Fei, and Han Jiu'er, Wanyan Zongbi, do not seek to be born on the same year, month, day, but only to die on the same year, month, day..."

  "I, Wanyan Zongbi, point to the sky with my hand and draw a line on the ground with my foot. I swear to be sworn brothers with Yue Fei and Han Jiu'er, living together in the same river, dying together in the same grave..."

  After the ceremony, they stood up and told their birth dates. Xiao Wu was 16 years old this year, belonging to the sheep zodiac, while Han Jiu's five-year-old son, who had a nominal age of "big" (belonging to the pig zodiac), asked about Zong Bi's age. He scratched his head, calculated for half a day, and said: "I've seen the grass turn green about 16 times."

  Originally, the Jurchen people did not know astronomy and calendar methods, they could only use "how many degrees of green grass" to determine the years. Calculating this way, Zongbi and Xiao Wu were born in the same year. According to legend, Xiao Wu was born on February 15th, so he should be older by a few months, but Zongbi relied on his drinking habits and insisted on being the elder, while Xiao Wu did not argue with him.

  "Second Brother, Little Sister has paid her respects." Han Jiuer curtsied deeply.

  "Second brother, third sister, everyone is polite!" Zong Bi laughed loudly with joy.

  "Big brother!" Xiao Wu also shouted with a fist bump, thinking that since they were separated by vast distances, he would consider him as many fellow villagers.

  Due to the vicissitudes of life, Xiaowu and Zongbi, although their encounter was brief, left an indelible mark in each other's hearts. However, at a time when one dynasty rose while another fell, their sworn brotherhood was destined to be a fleeting youthful bond, also becoming the first tentative exploration of their respective nations' styles. When the wheel of history rolled forward, their future reunion would take place in a manner that neither could have anticipated.

  "Brother, come into the carriage and talk to little sister!" Han Jiuer lifted the curtain and shouted in dissatisfaction. Last night's oath not only eliminated her identity difference with Xiao Wu, but also gave her another reason to order him around.

  "Sister... Ninth Miss, spare my life." Xiao Wu, who was riding on the horse, was confused by his complicated relationship with Han Jiuer and couldn't even call out "sister". He awkwardly glanced at the light cavalry guards on both sides, who were trying to stifle their smiles.

  At that time, the remaining snow on the southern official road was faintly visible. Although the sun was shining brightly, there was not a hint of warmth. The white air exhaled from his mouth dispersed in the wind. Xiao Wu wore a left-shoulder leather cloak, a wolf hat on his head, deer gloves on his hands, and leather boots on his feet, dressed no differently than the Jurchen people.

  Han Jiuer sat in a small, high-wheeled carriage with a red axle, its canopy and curtains adorned with flowing silk tassels, and a grid-patterned curtain hanging down from the front. The carriage was pulled by two large deer that had been trained to run side by side, and it was escorted by a team of ten Jurchen women, making Han Jiuer look even more noble.

  Thus, they traveled southward, relying on the prince's token bestowed by Zongbi, passing through states and cities without any obstruction. Along the way, what they saw was no different from the Liao border, except that they occasionally encountered large groups of Jurchen iron cavalry galloping by, displaying the military prowess of a newly risen nation.

  After four or five days of walking, I finally arrived at the seaside, where I saw the white waves rolling in and the vast expanse of the sea and sky merging into one line. For Han people living inland, unless they are officials or merchants, it is difficult to see the great ocean even once in a lifetime.

  Han Jiuer got out of the small car, disregarding the salty sea wind, and stepped onto the yellow sandy beach with a joyful leap. Xiao Wu also couldn't hide the excitement on his face, that kind of heroic spirit of standing by the sea and dominating the world, playing with the waves and washing away the vast sky, was indeed the longing of every young man.

  The team of guards had dispersed, and soon they brought over a tall and thin man with a dark red face wearing Hu attire. He was a boatman who made a living by the sea. Facing the ferocious Jurchen soldiers, the boatman didn't know what to do and kept saying "Sir" in a humble tone.

  Xiao Wu realized that the man was a Han Chinese, and couldn't bear to see his compatriot being bullied. He rarely got to show off his authority, so he shouted at the crowd of attendants to retreat, and then spoke in a friendly tone: "Boatman, my brother and sister want to cross the sea to Dengzhou in Shandong, is there enough space on this boat?"

  The boat owner saw that Xiao Wu looked like a young girl, and he was even more surprised to hear him speak in the original Mandarin dialect. He was taken aback, but when he saw Xiao Wu take out a large silver ingot worth five taels, he didn't hesitate any longer and nodded repeatedly: "Alright, alright! Young master, when do you want to board the ship?"

  "Cast off!" The boatman shouted, raised the bamboo pole, pushed the boat away from the reef, and set sail.

  Xiao Wu and Han Jiu'er stood at the stern of the boat, bidding farewell to the diligent guards in the Jurchen language. Before departing, Zong Bi presented a large package of gold and silver. Although Xiao Wu came from a poor background, he remembered the ancient teachings of Mencius: "Wealth and honor cannot corrupt, poverty and lowliness cannot move, military power cannot bend - this is what it means to be a great man." He only took enough silver for expenses on the road, distributing the rest among the guards, making each of the Jurchen children overjoyed.

  At noon, the sky was blue and the sea was blue, seagulls were flying with them, waves were splashing on the bow. Han Jiu'er, who was taking a boat for the first time, pulled Xiao Wu to stay on the deck, admiring the magnificent seascape.

  This is a small sand boat, named for its flat bottom that can be moored on shallow sandy beaches, not afraid of running aground. It has a square head and tail, with the front and back raised to prevent big waves. The ship's side is equipped with low railings, the deck is spacious, and there are two masts in the middle. It is used for transporting goods and passengers near the coast. There are only two people on board, the husband and wife who own the boat, one steering and the other cooking.

  The boatman and his wife saw that the two siblings were obviously Han people, but they wore Jurchen clothes, spoke Jurchen language, and commanded Jurchen soldiers. They didn't know their true origin, so they dared not to ask more questions, and just carefully served them. The small sand-boat with its double sails billowing in the wind, sailed swiftly, breaking through the waves, and soon was far away from the shore.

  "Brother, brother, look quickly!" Han Jiu'er discovered something strange in the sea and excitedly pointed to the bow, wanting Xiao Wu to take a look.

  "What's that weird thing?" Little Wu poked his head out, and saw the sea water becoming bluer. A semi-transparent pinkish-white rounded mass was floating beside the boat, like a ball yet not a ball, like a flower yet not a flower.

  "Little official, this is the sea wasp flower, which can sting people and is very dangerous. If you encounter it while swimming in the sea, you will either die or be injured. But if it's made into wasp skin and wasp silk, and eaten with vinegar, it's extremely delicious." The boat owner saw that they were not surprised, and realized that the two siblings must be from inland, so they didn't know about seafood.

  "This is the real deal, isn't it?!" Han Jiu'er was amazed. She had grown up in a wealthy family and had naturally eaten this before, but today she finally saw its true form. "Hmm, brother, what's wrong with you?"

  But then Xiao Wu's eyebrows and eyes scrunched up, her expression miserable. Suddenly she opened her mouth and spat out a bunch of white foamy liquid, pouring it into the sea. Han Jiu'er saw this and couldn't help but vomit as well, offering all the food they had eaten that morning to the Dragon King.

  "Master and mistress, please go into the cabin to rest. The boat is rocking in the wind, it's strange if you don't get seasick." The boatwoman hurried over to greet them.

  After the novelty wore off, Xiao Wu and Han Jiu'er, who were also prone to seasickness, didn't leave their cabins again. They sailed on the sea for two or three days. Fortunately, the weather was good, and they didn't encounter any big waves; otherwise, these two wouldn't have been able to hold on anymore.

  Dizzy and confused, Han Jiu'er couldn't help but scold: "It's all the fault of that little devil... saying something about taking a water route... Xiang Yuewu, why did you listen to him, you have no sense of your own... Boatwoman, how can you just do as you please, eating from your own home and then wanting to vomit..."

  Xiao Wu couldn't help but laugh and feel nauseous at the same time, never thought that his iron-like body would also suffer from seasickness, it seems that he won't be able to fight on water in the future.

  At last, when they finally saw the shore near, Xiao Wu and Han Jiu'er struggled to get out of the cabin, but in the faint morning light, a black coastline was already in sight, and with a long sigh of relief, they reached the other side.

  The small boat rushed directly to a shallow beach, dropped the iron anchor, and suddenly became much more stable. Han Jiu'er regained his spirits and, instead of being anxious to get off the boat, called out to the boatman, whispered a few words in his ear, and the boatman responded with a "yes" before lowering the plank and getting off the boat, heading towards the shore where there were houses.

  Xiao Wu saw the boat girl pouring all the precious fresh water from the sea into a large pot to boil, guessing that Xiao Nizi was going to wash up, so he wanted to avoid her and went down to the shore to exercise his limbs.

  Returning to the Song territory, stepping on the soft sandy beach, Xiao Wu had never felt such a sense of solidity before. Turning his head to look around, except for a few small boats fishing with nets, he couldn't see any other signs of human presence. The shore was lined with withered and barren grass, giving off a chill that made one's skin crawl, already showing the signs of winter. Counting on his fingers, it had been over two months since he left home, and he wondered how worried his family must be about him.

  Thinking of this trip, not only did I gain a lot of experience, but also went through actual combat and opened up new skills. It was indeed an extraordinary encounter that brought great benefits. The only thing left behind was the daily habit of practicing martial arts at home. Xiao Wu then concentrated his mind, took a deep breath, and performed a set of white boxing techniques taught by his master.

  As he fought, Xiao Wu's mind naturally recalled his battles with Guo Yishen, where he used cleverness to defeat strength; the scene of retreating from the stone cave, where he used advancing as retreating; and the scene of killing Hui Sangzi, where he used strength to strike strength. These three battles should have a great epiphany for his own Bai Daquan fist technique.

  Among the most ferocious enemies, none is more formidable than that madman... The small five spirits flash and appear, its advances and retreats are poisonous, ruthless and swift. Isn't this the best embodiment of White Ape's boxing? When it raises its arms and stands upright, it sinks its shoulders and contains its chest, brewing internal energy; when it stiffens its neck and raises its head, it retracts its jaw and hides its throat, blending hardness and softness; when it lowers its palms to protect its heart, it guards the sea of qi, ready for both offense and defense.

  Xiao Wu thought this way, his hands and feet also followed suit, the movement was quite clumsy, but swift as lightning, sending and receiving like an arrow, as if a fierce bear roaring in the mountains... This is the origin of the famous Yue-style scattered hand.

  Just as Xiao Wu was concentrating on practicing his fist, the boat owner returned to the boat with a bundle. In an instant, a grey-clothed youth with tied hair and wrapped head walked out of the cabin, patted Xiao Wu's chest and shouted loudly: "Brother, I'm ready!"

  Han Jiuer changed her mind again and decided to disguise herself as a man, but she gave up on her original plan of traveling with her brother. She thought it through carefully and realized that as a Song Dynasty woman, going out in public would be inconvenient, as they had to avoid showing their feet or teeth when smiling, so it would be better to pretend to be brothers for convenience while traveling.

  Although Xiao Wu felt reasonable, he also felt that this little girl was too unpredictable and difficult to deal with. He changed into a linen robe and hat, restoring his Song Dynasty attire. The clothes were bought by the boatman from a civilian's house earlier, although they were coarse and old, they had been washed and were still clean.

  Bidding farewell to the boatman and his wife, Xiao Wu packed up their luggage and tied it to the iron spear, and together with Han Jiu'er walked to the coastal town. Upon inquiry, they found that it was indeed within the borders of Dengzhou, still five or six days' journey from Xiangzhou. They then bought two mules as mounts. Han Jiu'er could already ride a horse by herself, so riding a mule was no problem. The two set off on the official road, heading west.

  After leaving Huanglong House, this is the real lonely man and woman traveling together. By nightfall, they checked into an inn, and the real trouble came. The "two brothers" naturally shared a room, although they had enough silver to afford it, but as commoners, they couldn't stay in the upper house that only allowed scholars and officials.

  After dinner in the main hall, the shopkeeper led the two brothers into a side room. Xiaowu looked at the relatively clean interior, which only had a wooden bed with a canopy and two thin quilts, and wondered how they would sleep tonight. On a cold winter night, it was impossible to sleep on the floor, and besides, the quilts were too thin to keep warm unless they used two layers. But that would mean sharing a bed, which wasn't proper for brothers-in-law!