Chapter 8: Zhou Tong Presents the Bow

  Eighteen feet long spear in hand, iron bow and carved feathers under arm. Since ancient times, heroes have emerged from young men, famous teachers and high-ranking disciples have dominated the world.

  Zhou Tong bid farewell to his old friend and went down the mountain, returning to the academy. He was extremely happy in his heart. He ordered Wang Gui, Tang Huai, Zhang Xian and others to prepare bows and arrows for practice shooting, and taught gun techniques to Yue Fei.

  The four brothers practiced archery and sword fighting in the empty field every day.

  One day, Zhou Tong gathered his four brothers together and asked each of them: "Wang Gui, what kind of martial art do you want to learn?" Wang Gui replied: "I'd like to use a big knife, wield the big knife, and with a fierce wind, chop down enemies as easily as chopping vegetables. If I were to chop from morning till night, I wouldn't know how many enemies I would kill." Zhou Tong saw that Wang Gui liked using a big knife and was also a brave man, so he taught him the techniques of wielding a big knife.

  "Tang Huai, what kind of weapon do you like?" Zhou Tong asked.

  "Disciples like using guns, just like Brother Yue." Tang Huai said.

  "Alright! I'll teach you marksmanship." Zhou Dang agreed in one breath.

  "Zhang Xian, what kind of weapon do you like?" Zhou Tong asked.

  "The disciple likes to use the spear, but I want to add a hook on the head of the spear. If one spear thrust goes too far, the hook can catch it and won't let go," Zhang Xian said.

  "Alright! I'll draw a sketch of an ancient hook spear for you, take it home and ask your dad to have it made at the blacksmith's shop. Once it's done, I'll teach you the Hook Spear technique."

  As for Yue Fei, with his eight-foot-long spear in hand and the old monk's military book and gun method passed on to him, Zhou Tong taught all his lifelong skills to Yue Fei.

  From then on, he studied literature every other day and martial arts every other day.

  Zhou Tong vowed to cultivate Yue Fei into a useful talent, with abilities surpassing those of his last two disciples, Lu Junyi and Lin Chong. His first two disciples had been killed by treacherous officials, and he hoped for a brighter future for Yue Fei.

  Yue Fei was a young man with exceptional courage and natural talent, possessing boundless energy. Zhou Tong eagerly imparted his lifelong knowledge to this prodigy.

  But then one day, Zhou Dang and the three outsiders were chatting in the courtyard when suddenly a long came forward to pay his respects: "The three outsiders and Old Hero Zhou are all here, I have something to report to you: yesterday's notice said that on the 15th of this month there will be a small examination at the county school grounds. I saw that the four young heroes are all disciples of Old Hero Zhou, so their skills must be extraordinary. Therefore, I reported your names. On the 15th of this month, the four young heroes should enter the city, and I came especially to inform you, hoping you will make early preparations."

  "How did you manage to get here? Why didn't you inform us about such an important matter in advance? They are still young, how can they handle that kind of situation?" Wang Yuanwai scolded.

  "Never mind! Since the name has already been sent out, it's no use being angry. Although they are young, their martial arts skills can still be tried." Zhou Dong said.

  All the staff outside listened and had no choice but to give up, each returning home to make preparations.

  Zhou Dong walked into the academy and said to Zhang Xian, Tang Huai, and Wang Gui: "Disciples, on the 15th of this month, you will go to the county town for a small examination. You should go back and prepare well for the necessary items, and we will set out in two days."

  Zhang Xian, Tang Huai and Wang Gui left after receiving their orders, but Yue Fei was worried and unhappy.

  "Fei'er, what's wrong with you? Why don't you go back and discuss with your mother, and then come into the city to take the exam?" asked Zhou Dong.

  "Alas, my three brothers are all from wealthy families and have gone to prepare bows, horses, and clothes for the occasion. But my family is poor and has no money to buy these things. My clothes are tattered and worn out, how can I possibly attend such a grand gathering? It's better to wait until next time." Yue Fei said with a flushed face.

  Zhou Tong understood Yue Fei's thoughts and nodded, saying: "You're right, don't worry, I've already thought about these things for you. Follow me!" Zhou Tong said, taking Yue Fei to his bedroom, opening a box, and taking out a half-new half-old white robe, a large red satin piece, a large red ribbon, and placing them on the table, saying: "Son, these were all prepared by your father for you, take them back and ask your mother to alter a battle robe according to your size, make a headscarf, a shoulder pad, a pair of sleeve cuffs, and use the large red ribbon to tie around your waist. As for the horse, I'll give you my own to ride." Yue Fei was deeply grateful for his godfather's thoughtful arrangements.

  "Brother-in-law, if we enter the city to take the imperial examination and it's better than a gun, my eight-foot-long spear can show its skills. If it's an archery competition, I..." Yue Fei stopped abruptly.

  Zhou Tong understood that all three of them could afford to buy bows and arrows, but Yue Fei had no money to buy one. If he participated in the competition without a satisfactory bow, how could he compete?

  "Fei'er, I have a good bow that I was planning to give you when you grew up and could handle it. Now that you can't find a suitable bow and arrow, why don't you try this one first? This is a famous bow that has been passed down for hundreds of years, made from pure iron, but it requires at least 200 jin of strength to draw the string. I'm not sure if you can handle it or not. If you can, I'll give it to you; if not, we'll wait until you're older and stronger before giving it to you." Zhou Dang said.

  Yue Fei was overjoyed when he heard this, and he eagerly accepted the challenge. It can be said that a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger.

  "Uncle Gan, where is the Iron Bow? Don't hesitate to bring it out and let me take a look." Yue Fei asked impatiently.

  Zhou Tong saw Yue Fei's eager look and had no choice but to take out the iron bow hanging behind the tent and hand it over to Yue Fei.

  Yue Fei took over the iron bow, looked at it carefully, weighed the weight of the iron bow, and then tried to pull it.

  "Fei'er, this iron bow is no ordinary bow. Without innate divine power, it cannot be drawn. In the past, when Emperor Taizu founded the country, he obtained this iron bow. At that time, only two people in the imperial court could draw this bow: Yang Jiyuan and Huyan General. Later, after the Yang and Hu families were killed by treacherous officials, this bow was collected by General Zongze. General Zongze had a deep friendship with me, so he gave it to me as a gift. Now that I am old and cannot draw the bow anymore, I have decided to give it to you as a special gift from father to son." Zhou Dang said with emotion.

  Yue Fei was deeply moved, and with a thud, he knelt down and kowtowed to Zhou Tong: "Uncle's great kindness and virtue, Yue Fei will never forget. If Uncle needs anything from his son, his son will not hesitate and will definitely get it done for Uncle."

  "Fei Er, get up and talk. Father is getting old now and can't always be by your side. A man's ambition is to strive for honor and serve the country. Father believes you will not disappoint him. Father has a wish, hoping you can help him fulfill it in the future."

  "Father-in-law, what is your heart's desire? Just say it and I will definitely help you achieve it," said Yue Fei.

  "After I'm gone for a hundred years, I hope you can bury my remains next to the Li Spring Cave on Li Spring Mountain. I want to change the feng shui there again," said Zhou Tong.

  Yue Fei listened and was deeply moved, he readily agreed to Zhou Tong's request.

  "Fei'er, what do you think of this iron bow? Can you draw it for your father to see?" asked Zhou Tong.

  Yue Fei nodded, stood up straight, gathered his strength, and pulled the bowstring three times with force. All that could be heard were three "whooshing" sounds. Zhou Tong saw this and smiled, nodding his head repeatedly.