Chapter 77: An Uncommon Family, Part 3 of 3

On the first page, the crowd was asking for three hundred thousand and tossing around recommendations.

To many of the onlookers among the rank-and-file soldiers, Cao Peng’s shove and pat looked utterly ordinary.

Most assumed that a child was still a child, with little strength to speak of. But where some saw nothing, others caught the hidden artistry.

Among them, Dian Wei was unquestionably the finest. His eyes brightened at once.

“Old Wang, what sort of martial skill is A-Fu practicing?”

Wang Meng gave a wry smile. “That, I truly do not know.”

He had never gone to train with Cao Peng, so of course he knew nothing of the details.

“Hutou has always been practicing with him, and later Da Xiong joined in as well. If you want to know, why not call them over and ask?”

As he spoke, Wang Meng waved Wang Mai and Deng Fan over.

Dian Wei asked again, “Who is A-Fu’s master?”

Cao Ji replied, “A-Fu has no master. Years ago, there was a wandering sage in our area who taught him to read and write. At first we did not pay it much mind, but later A-Fu said that man taught him many arts, including this martial skill.”

When a lie is told ten times, twenty times, even a hundred times, it becomes the truth.

Cao Ji had never doubted Cao Peng to begin with, and now that he spoke these lies, they sounded especially convincing.

Dian Wei could not help exclaiming, “A-Fu truly is blessed!”

Most who have practiced tai chi know that its foundation lies in refining the frames. Once the frames are smooth, one practices pushing hands; once pushing hands are fluid, one moves on to standing meditation. When standing meditation has substance, one begins to cultivate internal refinement; when that refinement is complete, one goes on to train the spirit...

If an utter novice were to try to learn the frames and pushing hands, one or two years would hardly be enough.

But Cao Peng was different. In his former life, he had already smoothed the frames and worked the pushing hands into effortless flow.

Now, in a different body, he was picking it up again. There might be some difficulty at first, but it would not be long before he found that sense of natural ease. After all, he had once gone through considerable hardship to attain it. As for standing meditation, though, he had only just begun, and would need to train slowly.

Xiahou Lan finally calmed down.

The face that had been twisted by anger gradually smoothed out.

In his mind echoed the words his teacher had spoken when he sent him down the mountain: You are diligent and hardworking, and that could make up for some lack of talent. But your heart is always restless. If you cannot settle that heart, you will never achieve greatness in your practice.

At the time, Xiahou Lan had not taken it to heart.

Years flashed by in an instant, and only now did he begin to understand.

He drew back his steps, took a deep breath, and let out a low tiger’s roar from his throat. His arms spread wide as he set the frame for a tiger pounce.

Beast-imitating boxing.

A spark flashed in Dian Wei’s eyes. He nodded, then shook his head.

Nearby, Wang Mai and Deng Fan were still mimicking Cao Peng’s earlier movements, savoring the subtle mystery within them. Hearing Dian Wei’s sigh, they could not help looking up.

“If Xiahou had started like this from the beginning, he might have beaten A-Fu in a single exchange.”

“And now?”

Cao Ji asked anxiously.

Dian Wei shook his head. “Too late... his muscles and bones are already injured; he cannot fight anymore.”

With that, Dian Wei turned and left.

Muscles and bones injured? Since when?

Wang Mai and Deng Fan exchanged glances, both baffled. Could it really have happened in that seemingly soft, powerless shove and pat from Cao Peng just now?

That night, Xiahou Lan sat alone in his small tent, staring blankly.

He had once been full of promise, attaining the rank of company commander in his early twenties and commanding five hundred men under him. This time, returning with Dian Wei, he should have been rewarded. Yet who knew what had possessed him earlier, to wager against Cao Peng in front of so many people.

And then, he lost...

Xiahou Lan could welsh on the bet, but after that, he would never be able to remain in the Cao camp.

In these unsettled times, with ritual and order in ruin, people valued faith and promise even more. Once trust was lost, who would still look up to him?

But to become a servant to a child—that was a humiliation Xiahou Lan could not bear.

Anyone who practiced martial arts carried a certain pride in their bones. At times, that pride could lift a person to great heights; at others, it could ruin an entire future. Xiahou Lan now truly felt that his prospects were nothing more than a table set with tragedy.

He let out a faint sigh. This tragedy was of his own making.

His arm had gone down quite a bit in swelling, though it was still reddish. The stabbing pain in the shoulder and arm had also eased considerably, at least no longer as fierce as before.

The tent flap lifted, and a giant of a man, broad and lion-like, stepped inside.

“Commandant Dian!”

Dian Wei glanced at Xiahou Lan, motioning for him to sit. Then he walked over, examined the injury, and nodded lightly.

“It is not too serious. A-Fu held back. Otherwise the bones in your shoulder and arm would be ruined for good.”

“Ah!”

As he spoke, Dian Wei took out a salve from his robe and applied it to Xiahou Lan’s injury.

“Xiahou, what do you intend to do? If you do not wish to go, I can plead with A-Fu on your behalf.”

For all the time Xiahou Lan had known Dian Wei, he had never spoken to him with such gentleness. For a moment, Xiahou Lan was overwhelmed, unsure how to respond. When Dian Wei said those words, a thought stirred in him. If Dian Wei intervened, Cao Peng would certainly cancel the wager, and then he would not need to serve as a slave...

The thought flashed through his mind, then vanished.

“Commandant Dian, Xiahou accepts the bet and accepts defeat. There is nothing to regret.”

A smile appeared on Dian Wei’s dark face.

Though, when he smiled, he looked even uglier than when he did not...

“Good. If you accept it, then all is well.”

He patted Xiahou Lan lightly on the shoulder. “A-Fu’s family is not as simple as it looks. Your ambition is too great, too many things weigh on you; going out to temper yourself may not be a bad choice. I rather think that after you go, you may achieve even more.”

With that, Dian Wei stood up.

Xiahou Lan had not yet reacted. He stared at Dian Wei blankly, not quite understanding what he meant.

Cao Peng’s family was not simple?

If anyone else had said that, Xiahou Lan would have spat in their face.

But since Dian Wei said it, he could not help thinking it over carefully. Cao Peng’s family really did not seem exceptional at all. Cao Peng was just a child, Cao Ji was plainly a rough man, and Madam Zhang and Cao Nan were nothing special either. As for Deng Ji? Perhaps the most distinctive thing about him was that he was missing an arm. What could be so unusual about such a family? Xiahou Lan even felt that the Wang father and son had a more interesting story than the Cao family.

Dian Wei reached the entrance of the small tent, then suddenly stopped.

“I did not come to say all this. It was A-Fu who worried you might not be able to take it, and asked me to come see you.”

Dian Wei turned back, fixing Xiahou Lan with a stare. “If you had refused just now, I would have broken your arm and made you a cripple for life... Xiahou, I am a man of little skill, but I will never misjudge a person. A-Fu’s family will absolutely prove extraordinary in the future. I think you will never regret it.”

Xiahou Lan gave a shiver.

It was not because of Dian Wei’s murderous words, but because Cao Peng had actually sensed that his mind was in turmoil...

Lifting his head, Xiahou Lan gave a bitter smile. “I have not yet thought about what comes later. But please rest assured, Commandant, Xiahou Lan is not the sort to welsh on a debt.”

Dian Wei smiled.

The next day, Cao Peng helped Madam Zhang into the carriage.

Turning his head, he saw Xiahou Lan standing nearby in gray garments.

The silver spear was no longer in his hands, nor was there any sign of the white battle robe and armor. He wore coarse gray clothing, a short cross-collared tunic, and a black cloth wrapped around his head...

He looked every inch the servant.

Yet Xiahou Lan himself seemed remarkably calm.

Seeing Cao Peng, he even clasped his hands and bowed respectfully. “This humble one, Xiahou Lan, greets Young Master.”

Cao Peng was momentarily stunned, then suddenly smiled.

“Xiahou, you will be in charge of this carriage.”

“I will obey Young Master’s orders.”

Cao Peng nodded and turned away, mounting a horse not far off.

Xiahou Lan remained composed, paying no mind to the people around him pointing and whispering. Sitting up on the driver’s seat, he lifted the whip and called out, “Move out, let us go!”

The horse pulling the carriage let out a long, spirited neigh.

The whip curled through the air in a graceful flourish, cracking sharply.

A-Fu, Commandant Dian said you are very unusual, so I will watch carefully and see just how unusual you really are.