Chapter 54: Carrying Water (Second Update)

  Hmmm...

  Nothing much to say, just a small request for recommendations, clicks and collections!

  ————————

  Guanying is actually a very straightforward person!

  But that doesn't mean he's a reckless and unscrupulous person. Sometimes, it really is as the poem says: "Not knowing the true face of Lushan, only because one is in the midst of this mountain." At the time, the wine was taking effect, coupled with his father being ill, his mood wasn't good, so he naturally had a biased view of Liu Quansheng. When others instigated him, he fell for it. But after sobering up, he began to regret it in his heart.

  After returning with his father, he asked around again.

  After learning that Liu Jian was indeed wronged, Guan Yu felt somewhat uneasy when he saw Liu Jian again.

  Sitting in the hall, his whole body felt uncomfortable, as if there were fleas jumping around, constantly twisting his body. Moreover, with Wang Ji sitting beside him, he felt even more uneasy.

  At this time, Wang Xin rushed into the hall.

  "Mother, the master asks you to go to the backyard and talk."

  Wang Ji nodded slightly and smiled: "Guan brothers, go with the letter. I still have some things to do, so I won't accompany you to talk."

  "Oh, big sister, wait, wait!"

  Like fleeing from disaster, he followed Wang Xin out of the hall.

  A beauty is only good if she has the fortune to enjoy it. Wang Ji had experienced many things in her life, and her experiences were very rich. Her eyes seemed to be able to see through people's thoughts at once. Sitting next to her, Guan Yu always felt uncomfortable, now he can finally relax.

  The Liu family's backyard is connected to the Xianshi family's house through a vacant lot.

  A row of bamboo stakes wrapped in coarse cloth, uneven in height, scattered and arranged with a sense of rhythm.

  Liu Jianzheng wore a blindfold and weaved through the bamboo stakes. His eyes were covered with a cloth strip, but he was not affected at all.

  Steps nimble and quick, like dancing between the pillars.

  Fists and feet, elbows and arms, knees and shoulders collided, occasionally emitting a dull thud, beating the thick bamboo stake that was as wide as a bowl mouth to sway constantly.

  "What kind of fist technique is this?"

  The infant looked at it with wide eyes and an open mouth. The move was simple, but the force was great and the momentum was heavy, extremely lethal.

  Wang Xin rubbed his head and said in a low voice, "I don't know, the master only taught me to practice my skills, didn't say anything else. The master will be done soon, you wait here for a moment. I still have things to do, if I can't finish them, there won't be any dinner to eat later."

  After finishing speaking, he pulled off his clothes and stood bare-chested like Liu Quan.

  Although it is said that the body has not yet developed, the sturdy and robust muscles have already taken shape.

  In the corner of the courtyard, two stalks of bamboo were placed. One was about 1 zhang 4 chi (about 3 meters) long and as thick as a bucket. Judging from the age of this bamboo, it must be at least a hundred years old; the other one was only 8 chi long and thinner by two circles.

  Wang Xian was beside a water vat, scooping up a ladle of water and wetting his upper body.

  Then he walked over, picked up the eight-foot-long bamboo, and headed towards the muddy swamp behind. Guan Yu was left alone here, feeling very bored, so he followed Wang Xin together, walking while curiously looking at the thing in Wang Xin's hand.

  "What is this thing used for?"

  "Fetch water!"

  Wang Xinhuan replied in a loud voice.

  "Can I take a look?"

  "Of course... but don't mess it up."

  Wang Xin said, handing the bamboo to Guan Yin. It felt heavy in her hand, but not as heavy as she had imagined.

  It's likely that the middle of this bamboo has been hollowed out already.

  Curious, he followed Wang Xin to a clear stream and saw Wang Xin grab the rope tied to the bamboo, and with a splash, he threw himself into the water. A moment later, with one arm exerting force, he let out a loud shout, lifted the bamboo from the water, and as his body spun around, droplets of water flew everywhere.

  Wang Xin held his breath, constantly rotating the bamboo, while his feet moved swiftly, jumping in an eerie rhythm as he ran towards home. Behind him, Guan Yu closely followed, involuntarily swallowing a mouthful of saliva. The bamboo was filled with water, but none flowed out... What kind of skill is this? After filling the bamboo with water, it weighed at least 200-300 kilograms.

  The infant can also lift it up by himself.

  But if you run like Wang Xin and don't spill water inside, it's impossible.

  A bamboo tube of water, just barely enough to cover the bottom of the bucket. Wang Xin panted and carried a bundle of bamboo, turning his head and running towards the creek.

  Such a way of practicing, Guan Yu had never seen it before.

  When he returned to the martial arts arena, Liu Kan had already finished his practice and wiped off his sweat. He was wearing a black long gown with a cloak on his body.

  "Brother Guan, it seems like you'll have to put up with me staying here for a while."

  Liu Kan smiled and said: "The outhouse in the front yard is ready, if there's anything, just tell Wang Ji."

  Just as they were talking, Wang Ji suddenly ran over with a mysterious smile on her face.

  "Ah-gan brothers, the old lady is calling you over... Hehe, Ah-jia has arrived!"

  Liu Kan's face suddenly contorted, and he inhaled a mouthful of cold air. With a helpless bitter smile, "Then I'll have to trouble Sister to arrange something for Brother Guan."

  "Who is Ah-jia?"

  Guan Yu was two years older than Liu Bei and was only eighteen years old.

  "You don't have to ask, after living here for a while, you'll naturally know."

  "Is... this how you fetch water every day?"

  Guān yīng pointed at Wáng Xìn who was rushing over and softly asked Wáng Jī.

  "Oh, Xin and Ah Guan brothers take turns being in charge of one day each, but Xin's water bucket is small, while Ah Guan brother uses a much larger water bucket."

  "Does Liu also fetch water like this?"

  Wang Ji nodded and pointed to the thick bamboo standing upright in that corner, "The small credit one, Ah Kan brothers used that one.

  Hmm, Brother Ah Kuan said when he first taught us Qigong that this was called "Water Carrying Exercise", which can increase one's energy.

  But the strength of his faith didn't seem to have increased much, and his appetite was even bigger than before, which even forced the master to prepare food for him personally.

  "Is Liu also going down to the kitchen?"

  It's hard for Junzi to imagine that Liu Gong, who has the status of a "scholar", would personally go down to the kitchen.

  Wang Ji gazed benevolently at Wang Xin, who had just finished pouring water and was now sprinting away with a bamboo pole. "Brother Ah Kan is very good to Xin, saying that he can't affect Xin's development. So everything Xin eats is personally prescribed by Brother Ah Kan, and he even cooks it himself."

  At first, the old lady was also unwilling.

  But later on, I found that Ah Kan's craftsmanship... haha, neither I nor the old lady could compare to him, so we just let him be."

  She gazed at Wang Xin's receding back with a complex look in her eyes.

  What is Liu Jian doing this for?

  Unconsciously, Guan Yu became more and more curious about Liu Bei. He walked over to pick up the thick bamboo stick, but jumped down suddenly.

  This single bamboo, its weight is almost over 200 jin, if you add water to it, it would be at least 400-500 jin. Using this thing... he shivered and let out a cold sweat. On that day, he lost to Liu Quan, and he still wasn't convinced.

  Thought Liu Kan was a sneak attack success, but in a real fight, he may not be able to win over himself.

  Now, Guan Yu knew that Liu Bei had held back that day. Judging from this strength alone, he himself was probably no match for Liu Bei.

  Lü Jia came, on one hand to report, on the other hand to ask Liu Quan for horses.

  Lü Wēng found out the reason for the matter and immediately brought Lü Ze over, locking him in a room and giving him a good scolding.

  The next day, they found an excuse and sent Lü Ze away.

  Lü Weng now also understood that what Liu Jiao and Lü Ji said were not just empty threats.

  That guy is really different now, if he gets angry, the Lü family can't afford Liu Jian's anger. It's very uncomfortable in my heart, but I have to admit this reality. Let Lü Ze go out and do something, so that he won't cause trouble at home.

  However, Lü Ji still severely reported Liu Yan's fault, causing Liu Yan to be scolded by the old lady.

  Watching Lü Jiàn making faces behind Old Lady's back, Liu Jian couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, yet he could only obediently go over to apologize to her.

  That's how this matter is settled!

  Originally, Liu Kan thought so. After solving Lv Ze's problem, the next thing to do is to find an opportunity to clean up Yong Chi.

  A centipede dies but does not stiffen.

  If you forgive him, he will have no chance.

  Liu Jian thinks that since you want to take down someone, you must be firm and cannot show any mercy. One strike must kill, and this person must never be able to turn over again.

  But this requires an opportunity...

  But things don't seem to be that simple.

  The problem lies with that little horse. According to Lü Cuì, this horse is a friend of Lü Wēng's, brought back from the western regions as a descendant of the heavenly horses, and also Lü Cuì's 15th birthday gift. Lü Cuì originally wanted to lead the horse away, but unexpectedly, the little horse completely ignored her. No matter how Lü Cuì called out or coaxed it, the little horse lowered its eyelids, pretending not to recognize Lü Cuì.

  Lü Cu was so angry that she cried again and had no solution at all.

  Later, Liu Jian was still under the threat of the old lady, and after a good deal of persuasion and coaxing, he promised many compensations, which finally made Lü Ji smile through tears.

  Thus, Guan Yu lived in Liu Bei's household until early autumn.

  The First Emperor finally issued an order to conquer Baiyue, and the commander was the former governor of Suiyang County, Tri?u ?à.

  Tu Wei was appointed as the national general and led an army of 300,000 to conquer. Zhao Tuo was appointed as the deputy general and led an army of 30,000 to set out first.

  At the same time, 200,000 convicts were mobilized to transport supplies and provisions.

  Shan Shi and his three companions had not returned yet. On Liu Quan's side, he attempted to brew liquor but ultimately failed to succeed.

  The conquest of Baiyue, those indigenous peoples were actually not dangerous.

  The 300,000-strong Qin army, which had been seasoned in battle and had long been on the battlefield, could absolutely solve the fight as easily as crushing dry weeds. However, the problem was that this war was not something that could be solved by simple fighting alone. The environment of Baiyue, the climate of Baiyue, and so on, were all unpredictable problems.

  The water and soil are not suitable, this is the first problem Qin army has to face.

  Liu Jian saw no progress with the medicine and wine, so he wrote a letter asking someone to deliver it to Zhao Tuo.

  The method is simple, just bring some soil from your hometown. If you really have a large area of water and soil that don't match, take the soil and water with you.

  This is a folk remedy known by Liu Jian in his previous life.

  When he studied abroad, his mother had prepared a bottle for him, which was filled with the soil of their hometown. Was it psychological or really effective? Liu Jian didn't know. However, at that time, he indeed had some trouble adapting to the local water and soil, but after drinking water mixed with the soil from his hometown, he did recover somewhat. Now, since there's no other way, they can only use this method.

  As for whether Zhao Tuo did so and whether it was useful?

  Liu Quan couldn't help but feel... As several experiments failed, Liu Quan also felt somewhat disheartened.

  On this day, Liu Quan was at home thinking about a solution when Wang Ji rushed into the room and said: "The county magistrate has summoned you!"