The summer days at Liangzhou Garrison were long and grueling, filled with rigorous training that was both monotonous and exhausting. Yet somehow the days passed one by one. After Minor Heat came Major Heat, and soon after Major Heat would come the Beginning of Autumn.
Training under the scorching sun quickly built exceptional endurance and determination in Liangzhou Garrison’s recruits. Besides archery and morning weighted runs, each month included training in whip-blade, formation marching, battle formations, spear techniques, sword skills, and mounted archery. Mounted archery practice was limited due to the garrison’s restricted number of horses.
“Brother He, your flatbread,” Little Mai handed the dried ration to He Yan.
The round flatbread had been toasted over charcoal, making it crispy and savory. Taking a bite, even the crumbs were still warm. He Yan chewed a couple of mouthfuls of bread, took a big gulp of water, and felt his empty stomach immediately satisfied with indescribable comfort.
Hong Shan stared at He Yan curiously: “He, something’s not right. You say you eat the same as us, and sometimes even get extra food, but why are you still so thin and… small?” He swallowed back the word “short.”
He Yan: “…”
How could this be her fault?
Her sworn brother, that “useless young master” Cheng Lisu, would occasionally sneak her some food every few days – sometimes a handful of pine nuts, sometimes some dried meat, and once even a bowl of soup that he claimed to have pilfered from his uncle.
Whenever he gave her food, Cheng Lisu would be particularly nervous, saying “Quick, quick, eat it here, don’t let my uncle see.” It was like a clandestine prison visit. Sometimes He Yan didn’t want to eat it – what was the point? But then she’d think, why refuse food? Besides, the food Cheng Lisu brought was quite delicious.
Even with these extra meals, He Yan hadn’t managed to look any more robust. Instead, with daily training and constant sweating, she’d lost weight over these months, looking even more pitiful.
However, this pitiful-looking recruit had recently amazed everyone at the garrison with archery skills, earning respect from even the scarred veteran of mountain bandit origin, and causing numerous recruits to lose their bread rations. He Yan had become somewhat famous now.
Since then, no one had challenged He Yan to competitions, and she was happy to have the peace. She was still considering how to catch Xiao Jue’s attention and thereby achieve her goal of entering the Nine Banners Camp through indirect means.
Today’s training was spear techniques. The practice spears in the training ground were made of dense wood, with sturdy shafts and short, sharp tips.
The instructor demonstrated flourishing spear techniques on the platform, while the recruits below imitated him, showing some improvement after practice. He Yan wasn’t particularly skilled with the spear, as she was more accustomed to the sword. Now that she had become Young Lady He, her small stature made handling the spear even more awkward, always felt restricted in her movements.
After Instructor Liang finished demonstrating a set of spear techniques, he let the recruits practice on their own while he came down to inspect. When he reached He Yan, he couldn’t help but give her a few extra glances.
After all, He Yan’s previous archery display was impossible to forget. This recruit deserved special attention. However, over these days, Instructor Liang had noticed that while He Yan was decent at whip-blade, formations, spear, and sword techniques, she hadn’t shown anything particularly remarkable. The only other surprising skill was her mounted archery, but without any competitions lately, they’d only seen glimpses of it.
She trained diligently every day, including archery and weighted runs, never slacking off. Yet Instructor Liang still had a feeling that this youth was holding something back, that what she showed daily was merely a fraction of her capabilities.
He walked over to where Instructor Du Mao was standing. Instructor Du was also inspecting the troops, with several other instructors gathered around him, pointing at a recruit and discussing something.
As Liang Ping approached, he heard their discussion.
“As expected of someone from a martial arts family – look at those spear techniques, impressive!”
“I’m telling you, he’s even more skilled than old Du here. I’ve never seen this spear technique before!”
“The lad’s quite young too, probably only seventeen or eighteen. Must have been training since childhood.”
Liang Ping asked: “Who are you talking about?”
“That one, under Instructor Du’s command, leftmost in the front row, the tall one – see him?”
Liang Ping looked in the direction indicated and saw a young man in military dress practicing with the spear. This youth had thick eyebrows and large eyes, with regular features, showing natural determination in his expression, though with a hint of arrogance. His footwork was steady, and his spear techniques were dazzling – yet not just for show. Liang Ping could sense that every move in his spear dance carried killing intent.
“Excellent!” Liang Ping couldn’t help but praise.
“Indeed impressive,” Du Mao said proudly. “I’ve tested him several times, he has real skill. His name is Jiang Jiao, his father runs a martial arts school in the capital.”
“Then why did he join the army?” Liang Ping was surprised. While the young master of a martial arts school couldn’t be called wealthy or noble, it was still enough to live comfortably by common standards.
“He has great ambitions – don’t you understand a man’s aspirations?” Du Mao said. “This is the kind of man I admire!”
Someone interjected: “I wonder how this Jiang Jiao compares to Liang’s He Yan?”
At these words, everyone fell silent for a moment. Du Mao looked thoughtfully at Liang Ping, who instinctively replied: “He Yan has a natural talent in archery, but his spear techniques are ordinary – no match for Jiang Jiao.”
Joking aside, how could He Yan, with such a small and frail build, compete with Jiang Jiao, who was tall and robust? Moreover, spear combat was different from archery. In archery, the targets were straw men, birds, or beasts. Spear combat involves confrontation between two people, with a real risk of injury and bloodshed. Jiang Jiao had grown up in a martial arts family, training since childhood – how could He Yan be his match? If He Yan got seriously injured by Jiang Jiao, where would he find another archer of such skill?
“Old Liang, you shouldn’t say that,” Du Mao hadn’t given up after hearing his words, and put an arm around Liang Ping’s shoulders. “Remember when your He Yan used to fall behind in runs but eventually ran with ease? When he couldn’t even draw a bow but later could shoot blindfolded? You say he’s not capable now, but in ten days he might prove you wrong. As an instructor, you shouldn’t be overprotective of recruits – after all, they’ll all face the battlefield someday.”
The others chimed in: “Right, right, Old Du speaks true! Old Liang, you can’t be overprotective.”
What nonsense! Liang Ping thought angrily. They were just stirring up trouble, with ill intentions.
“Instructor Liang, I’d like to compete with He Yan.”
Liang Ping turned around. That young man Jiang Jiao had somehow already put down his spear and walked up behind him, apparently having overheard the instructors’ discussion, and made this abrupt request.
Liang Ping didn’t answer, still considering how to refuse.
“May I?” Jiang Jiao asked again, seemingly oblivious to his hesitation.