Chapter 21: The Gate of Honour Stands Erect

  Fang Yi'ai had an extra shadow following him from then on, and no matter where he went, Ling'er would follow. Fang Yi'ai scratched his head and sighed, "Ling'er, I've already said that the 'Song of the Frontier' was plagiarized, you don't have to take it seriously."

  "Hum, Fang Jun, you're talking nonsense. If it was written by someone else, wouldn't I have heard of it? Let me tell you, I'm Cheng Ling'er, a person who keeps her word. You can't get rid of me that easily. If you dare to try, just wait and see my father break your legs!" Cheng Ling'er didn't listen to Fang Yi'ai's words at all. Come to think of it, if someone else had written "Saiwai Qu", it should have been widely circulated by now.

  Fang Yi Ai couldn't help but sweat profusely as he thought about that old witch. After taking the dolls, Fang Yi Ai returned to the Fang residence, and this time Cheng Ling'er didn't follow him. As soon as he got home, Fang Yi Ai rushed back to his small courtyard like he was escaping for his life. Ling Long saw the two dolls in Fang Yi Ai's arms and laughed happily: "Hey, Second Young Master, how did you get these two dolls? They're really good, even I kind of like them."

  Fang Yi'ai smiled and said, "I knew you'd like it, don't worry, when I ordered them, I asked the boss to make two, one is for you." Linglong was delighted and snatched a plush toy, running towards her room. Fang Yi'ai was speechless, it seemed that even the quietest girls liked plush toys, the charm of giant pandas was indeed endless.

  After Ling'er's excitement had passed, Fang Yi'ao furrowed her brow and said: "Ling'er, you go play now, I'll go find Father, there are some things I need to ask him."

  Linglong thought that Fang Yiai had something important to discuss, so she nodded in agreement. After Fang Yiai left, she found her father and poured out her grievances, saying: "Father, what's going on here? Why did the old witch's daughter come looking for me? Now I'm stuck with her like a piece of dog skin plaster - no matter how hard I try to shake her off, I just can't get rid of her."

  Fang Xuanling, who was writing something, heard this and was so frightened that his hand shook and the brush fell to the ground. He didn't even care about the brush anymore. Fang Xuanling asked incredulously: "Jun'er, did the old demon's daughter really come looking for you?"

  "Father, not only did he find me, but now he's relying on me too." Fang Yu'ai said weakly. Fang Xuanling was stunned, and after thinking for a long time, he said angrily: "Jun'er, don't bother with that old demon, if his daughter is willing to follow you, let her follow you, just ignore her and she'll lose interest in you eventually. Anyway, we can't marry the old demon's daughter, that Cheng Ling'er is notorious for being shrewish, our Fang Manor can't handle her. As long as the old demon doesn't mind his daughter becoming a concubine, let him continue to make trouble."

  The Fang family can only do this, Cheng Ling'er is not someone to be trifled with, and even if you could beat her, what would be the point? As soon as you lay a hand on Cheng Ling'er, that old demon will surely come knocking on your door. It's not just the Fang family, even the imperial palace wouldn't be safe from her wrath.

  Fang Xuanling also felt a bit helpless, how did he end up offending the old demon? With others, Fang Xuanling still had some tricks up his sleeve, and if all else failed, he could always ask His Majesty to intervene. But with the old demon, it was like trying to get oil and salt into a stone. Looking at Fang Yiai's sour face, Fang Xuanling suddenly remembered something and smiled: "Jun'er, get ready, let's go out for a trip."

  "Father, it's almost time for lunch, where are you going now?" Fang Yiai didn't understand what the old man was up to, it was almost dinner time and he was still running outside.

  "Foolish kid, don't you want to learn martial arts anymore?" Fang Xuanling said with a smile. As soon as Fang Yiai heard this, he was overjoyed and jumped up excitedly, "Father, oh, I'm so thrilled! Let's go, I'll go get the horse for you right now!" With that, Fang Yiai ran out, and seeing his son's ecstatic expression, Fang Xuanling was also greatly relieved.

  Under the leadership of Old Master, Fang Ya came to Beidajie and soon saw a magnificent mansion with two large stone lions standing in front of the gate. Next to them was a rack holding twelve long spears. Fang Xuanling stopped his horse and smiled: "We've arrived, Jun Er, can you guess who your father has found as your master?"

  "Father, I think it should be General Qin Qiong Qin Shubao," said Fang Yilove calmly. Fang Xuanling dismounted and stroked his beard, asking: "Why are you so sure?"

  "Because of his meritorious service, he was honored as the General of the Upper Pillar Country, and in the Great Tang, there is only one person who has achieved this." Fang Yiai said with great confidence. If it's said that among the founding generals of the Great Tang, who is the most heroic, it must be Qin Qiong without a doubt. If it's said who is the most skilled in using troops, it must be Li Jing. One is brave and fierce, the other is wise and intelligent, so Li Shimin was invincible in battle. Unfortunately, Li Jing's prestige was too high, and Qin Qiong was covered in scars, these two people lived as hermits after the establishment of the Great Tang.

  After entering the Qin manor, Fang Xuanling led Fang Yiai to the living room and saw a middle-aged man with a dignified face sitting in the center of the room. He was over six feet tall and around 40 years old. Although his body was weakened by pain, his eyes still shot out a chilling glint. Fang Xuanling bowed his hands and smiled at Qin Qiong: "Uncle Bao, this is my second son Fang Jun Fang Yiai. Now you can do as you think, and in the end, whether or not you will accept him as your apprentice, I, Fang Jue, will never have a second word."

  "Xuan Ling, I should grant you this condition since you saved my life. However, one must know that learning martial arts requires innate talent. If he doesn't have the talent and we force him to practice, it's harming him." Qin Yong sighed and coughed.

  "Uncle Bao, no need to say so much, I know your character, don't you think? It's precisely because I understand you that I came to find you." Fang Xuanling was very much in agreement with Qin Qiong's words. If Fang Yilove really didn't have any talent, Fang Xuanling would absolutely not let him continue learning martial arts, even if he threw a tantrum. Rather than letting him hate himself, he couldn't let him go to the battlefield and lose his life.

  "Jun'er, can you see that big stone in the courtyard? Go try to move it and see if you can lift it!" Qin Qiong ordered, facing Fang Yilove.

  Fang Yu Ai walked towards the stone pedestal, which looked like it weighed over 300 catties. Although he knew Fang Yu Ai was born with divine strength, wasn't this a bit too heavy? But thinking of his dreams, Fang Yu Ai gritted his teeth and hugged the stone pedestal, using all his might to shout: "Rise!" Suddenly, Fang Yu Ai actually lifted the stone pedestal, shocking Qin Qiong and the servants of the Qin Manor. Qin Qiong's serious face also broke into a smile as he said to Fang Xuanling, who was beaming with pride: "Brother Xuanling, you have a good son! I'm afraid our Great Tang will have another tiger general!"

  "Haha, then I'll have to trouble Uncle Bao to teach him from now on." Fang Xuanling understood that Qin Qiong had already accepted Fang Yiai as his disciple, so the things he was worried about no longer existed. He believed that with Qin Qiong's careful guidance, he would definitely grow up quickly. Qin Qiong stood up with a cane and laughed loudly: "Brother Xuanling, you don't have to thank me, it's also a fortunate thing for someone to inherit my legacy."

  "Jun Er, put down the stone, I, Qin Qiong, acknowledge you as my apprentice!" Qin Qiong regained his usual cheerful personality and burst out laughing loudly. Upon hearing Qin Qiong's words, Fang Yi'ai threw down the stone pedestal and ran to Qin Qiong's front, kneeling down excitedly and saying: "Apprentice Fang Yi'ai, greetings Master!"

  "Hehe, alright, Jun'er, get up quickly from now on you are my disciple, Qin Chong. Those conventional rules for acknowledging a master can be dispensed with; as long as you acknowledge me as your master in your heart, that's enough." Qin Chong was an uninhibited person, his whole life unrestrained, living by the maxim "men should delight in benevolence and revenge, roaming freely on the battlefield".

  "Brother Xuansheng, don't go back today. I've already prepared wine and dishes. Let's just the three of us have a hearty drink." Qin Qiong said with a big laugh. Fang Xuanling nodded in agreement without refusing, "Uncle Baoxian, even if you try to drive me away today, I won't leave, haha."

  Fang Yiai met Jia Shi, the wife of Qin Qiong, in the room. Jia Shi also liked Fang Yiai very much, and it was unclear whether it was because Qin Qiong's lifelong slaughter was too heavy, resulting in a lifetime without children. So Jia Shi treated Fang Yiai extremely well, simply treating him like her own son. Fang Yiai was also a sentimental person, and when others were good to him, he would also be good to them.

  Qin Qiong was drinking happily, cup after cup. Fang Yiai worried about Qin Qiong's body and supported his arm, saying: "Master, it's enough to drink with gusto, why drink so much? Besides, your body has always had problems, drinking too much is not good."

  Qin Qiong also knew that Fang Yiai was doing this for his own good, and patted Fang Yiai's shoulder with a smile: "Jun Er, it doesn't matter, I haven't been so happy in a long time."

  "Uncle Bao, let's stop here for today. Jun'er is right, there's plenty of time in the future, why drink to excess all at once?" Fang Xuanling put down his wine cup and smiled, Qin Qiong hesitated for a moment before smiling and saying: "Xuanling brother, you're right, Uncle Bao has entered the game, why drink to excess all at once? Alright, let's stop here for today. Jun'er, remember, tomorrow at noon you must come to the Qin manor, don't be late, or your master won't be polite."

  "Master, rest assured that the apprentice will arrive on time." Fang Yiai said after finishing and left Qin's house with her father. Thinking of Qin Chong's bright smile, Fang Yiai felt uncomfortable in her heart. According to historical development, Qin Chong only had two years left. Fang Yiai did not want Qin Chong to die. She thought that Qin Chong should not die from illness, he could die on the battlefield or choose to die of old age, but he couldn't die from illness because he was a hero, a man comparable to Guan Gong!