Chapter Ten: The Young King of Begging, Peng

  Yue Fei shot nine arrows in a row, each hitting the bullseye. The audience and the martial arts children couldn't help but cheer. Li Chun saw Yue Fei's archery skills and also cheered loudly. Zhou Tong sat in the teahouse, hearing the drumming and cheering sounds, knowing that Yue Fei was testing his arrows, feeling extremely pleased in his heart.

  "This young man, Yue Fei, is quite impressive in appearance and speech. Although he's still just a young boy, he has already acquired such skills. It seems that his master must be an extraordinary person, I should find an opportunity to meet them." County Magistrate Li muttered to himself, the teacher standing beside him guessed what was on his mind and whispered something in his ear.

  "It turned out that Yue Fei was actually Zhou Tong's proud disciple, the legendary figure who seized the 8-foot-long spear from the old snake demon at the age of 13 in Liangquan Cave. Indeed, heroes emerge in their youth." Li Chun couldn't help but admire.

  "Look at Yue Fei's age and Miss's age, they are about the same. This young Yue Fei has such talent at a young age, his future is bound to be limitless. If Miss can marry him, sir, who knows, you may also rise to prominence in the future." The teacher said from the side.

  Magistrate Li heard the tutor's words and thought they made sense: "Yue Fei is a talented and handsome young man, my daughter will surely like him. For her happiness, let me first make some discreet inquiries and then discuss it with his teacher." Magistrate Li thought to himself.

  "Gentlemen, young heroes who have come to participate in the martial arts competition and fellow villagers who have come to watch, please quiet down. Today's trial has come to an end, and the final champion is the young hero Yue Fei from Qilin Village. Has anyone heard of Yue Fei's master? He is the renowned Shaanxi hero Zhou Tong, who was once the number one teacher in the imperial court and the instructor of the 800,000-strong Imperial Guard, Lin Chong and Lu Junyi. Truly, a great master produces outstanding students. Although Yue Fei is young, his skills are impressive. Has anyone heard of the old snake demon from Lishui Cave? He's extremely formidable, but Yue Fei was able to snatch the 8-foot-long spear from him." County Magistrate Li spoke with authority, and the crowd in the arena erupted into another round of applause, cheers, and gasps of amazement.

  "What's so great about that? If I had a teacher like Zhou Tong to instruct me, perhaps I would be even more formidable." Amidst the applause, a shabbily dressed young man suddenly walked onto the martial arts hall and loudly declared to the surrounding audience.

  "Who is this little beggar? Why are you speaking such arrogant words? Do you also have some skills?" Magistrate Li asked, puzzled, looking at the tattered beggar standing in front of him.

  "In the lower village of Peng, I live in Wangjiazhuang, Tunen County. From a young age, I liked to practice martial arts, but due to my family's poverty, I couldn't afford a teacher, so I had to practice on my own. Two years ago, both my parents passed away, leaving me alone and struggling to make ends meet. Today, while begging for food on the street, I saw a huge crowd of people gathered here, making it very lively. Out of curiosity, I walked over to take a look and found out that it was a martial arts competition. After watching these martial artists compete with their bows and arrows, I realized they were all useless, except for the last few who showed some real talent. Although I, Wang Ziyu, don't know how to shoot a bow and arrow, nor do I have any arrows to shoot, I can still win using just small stones." As he spoke, Wang Ziyu took out several goose egg-sized stones from his pocket and threw them one by one at the big drum. The sound of "Boom! Boom! Boom!" echoed through the air as each stone hit the drum with precision, striking the center of the target without fail.

  Yue Fei carefully sized up the strange young man who was about the same age, height and appearance as himself from the side, feeling a sense of familiarity and a special closeness.

  The county magistrate was delighted to see that a little beggar actually had such skills.

  "It's a pity that this young man, Wang Ziyun, is not from our county. If he were, I would invite Master Zhou to instruct him carefully, and he will surely become a great talent in the future. Don't look at his shabby clothes; if he dresses properly, he will be quite impressive. The children of poor families mature early, so who knows, maybe he is already a grown-up child. Why not take both him and Yue Fei under my wing? I'll recruit Yue Fei as my son-in-law, and this young Wang Ziyun, having lost his parents at such a young age, is indeed pitiful. I'll adopt him as my own son; it's a win-win situation. As long as I treat them with kindness and cultivate their talents, they will surely become great generals in the future. And when that time comes, I can also rise through the ranks." County Magistrate Li thought to himself, a self-satisfied smile spreading across his face.

  "The young hero is indeed no ordinary person. If the young hero doesn't mind, please follow me to my humble abode for a chat." County Magistrate Li said with a slight smile to Wang Zi Peng.

  The teacher nodded in agreement and chimed in, "Little hero, our county magistrate is a modern-day Bo Le, he values talent and doesn't care about your background. Now that you've met him, aren't you going to thank him? Hurry up! If you want to make something of yourself, you have to rely on the big trees."

  Although Wang Zipei was a bit puzzled, after listening to the county magistrate's words, he seemed to understand some truth. He followed Li County Magistrate to the county government without saying another word.

  Magistrate Li brought Wang Ziyu into the inner hall and asked tentatively, "Does the young hero have any brothers or sisters, uncles, aunts, or other relatives at home?"

  "My parents are dead, and I have no relatives left at home. I'm all alone, drifting in a strange land, using the sky as my roof and the earth as my bed, and eating grass roots and tree bark for food. There's nothing I can do, it's just fate." Wang Ziyu said with a calm smile.

  "How did this little hero learn his skills? It's truly a hundred shots and a hundred hits." County Magistrate Li asked, puzzled.

  "When I was a kid, I often threw stones by the river and slowly learned to aim at a target. The more I practiced, the more skilled I became. So when I saw this competition today, my heart itched and I couldn't help but show off." Wang Zipeng said with an embarrassed smile.

  "The young hero is indeed extraordinary. If the young hero is willing, Li has an impolite request..." The county magistrate stopped here and cut off his words.

  "Mr. Li, please go ahead and speak your mind, no need to hesitate." Wang Zipeng spoke quickly.

  "Alright! I'll be frank then. I see that you're poor but have great ambitions, and with proper nurturing, you will surely achieve great things in the future. I, as an official, feel like I've known you for a long time, and I want to take you in as my adopted son - what do you think?"

  Wang Zi Peng was shocked after hearing this.

  "Your Excellency is the county master, a great tree, while I, Wang Ziyu, am just a small grass by the roadside. How can a small grass climb a great tree? Moreover, I'm used to being idle and have no family education, it would be a shame for the county master to take me as an adopted son, please reconsider."

  "Are kings, princes, and generals born with a special kind? As long as you have determination, even small grass can become life-saving straw. In the past, when Ma Liang led his troops back to the capital, the spoils of war he presented were actually a cartload of grass. At that time, Ma Liang was leading the three armies on an expedition and was blocked by the enemy from getting supplies, with no food or ammunition left, thinking they would all die. It was the grass roots around the camp that saved the lives of the soldiers, allowing them to win the battle. You see, this small grass has a great effect! Young heroes are young and promising, and will surely become great in the future, only needing to be polished. Our county magistrate thinks you're talented, showing you favor and kindness, you shouldn't refuse, but should be grateful instead." said the teacher.

  Wang Zipeng listened silently without saying a word.