Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 16 Corner Fighting (Please continue reading)

However, he only glanced at it before looking away. The small mountain village was indeed different from other villages. For example, every young man in the village was skilled in martial arts and combat techniques, and people were frequently coming and going from the old man's house.

He had witnessed everything over the past few days, and when he thought of Tong Yuan on the mountain, he roughly understood. With a martial arts master of considerable prestige in charge, the unique features of the small mountain village compared to other villages could be explained.

He looked at Zhao Yun: "Now that we've come down the mountain, why don't you practice with me a little longer tonight?"

Anyway, the farmland will produce in another forty or fifty minutes, so there's nothing else to do.

"Sister Cui, steam some flatbread and eggs, steam a lot, so we can all eat together."

After calling Zhao Yun over, Zhang Xianchao said a few words to Zhou Cui. There was still some food left from the Guo family's gift last time, and with the produce from his farm and livestock, eight eggs a day were enough to feed the whole family. Once the chicks hatched in the next few days had grown up, fifty-four eggs a day would be even more plentiful.

"Yes, Master." Upon hearing Zhang Xian's instructions, Zhou Cui quickly put down the needlework she was doing and ran into the kitchen.

Over the course of the week, the mother and daughter, who were originally very thin, have gained some color and Zhou Cui, who used to look like an old woman, looks much younger.

Therefore, she was extremely respectful to Zhang Xian. Rural women don't have many thoughts; they only know that even if it's not for their own sake, they have to consider their daughter's life. To meet a master like Zhang Xian is a good thing that one might not encounter in several lifetimes.

Zhao Yun chuckled to himself. He had personally witnessed what the mother and daughter had been like a few days ago, and he was even more pleased with his brother Xian's character.

"Brother Xian, what do you want to practice tonight?"

Zhao Yun asked as he lit two lanterns with an oil lamp and hung them from the eaves.

"It's too dangerous to fight at night, so let's practice hand-to-hand combat instead."

"Sure, I'm coming right away." Zhao Yun readily agreed. He was also very skilled in hand-to-hand combat and wrestling, which was the main part of his martial arts training. In the early days of his training, he practiced this every day except for stance training.

Master often said that he was a rare martial arts prodigy, but since Brother Xian came, the words Master used to praise him have changed.

I have to say, my brother Xian's learning ability is just too extraordinary!

As dusk settled, the two lanterns under the eaves swayed gently in the evening breeze.

Finding a patch of soft, yellow earth, Zhang Xian removed some of his clothes, leaving only a thermal undershirt. Beneath the undershirt, the bulging muscles in his chest and abdomen exuded a powerful beauty—the result of the combined effects of [Strength 8] and [Physique 8].

Zhao Yun felt relaxed as he stepped onto the yellow earth. He didn't remove much of his clothing, and his eyes shone with complete self-confidence.

He stretched his limbs and got into a fighting stance: "Brother Xian, 'Tiger Pounces on the Ravine' is here!" Before he finished speaking, the young man's body shot out like a bowstring, his hands aimed straight at Zhang Xian's waist and abdomen.

Zhang Xian instinctively took a half step back, but suddenly felt a tightness around his waist. Zhao Yun had used the momentum to twist his clothes around his wrist and then twisted his heel against Zhang Xian's ankle—it was the "entanglement" style in wrestling.

Just as he was about to fall backward, Zhang Xian remained calm. He memorized the key points of his lower body that Tong Yuan had taught him, and used his waist and abdomen to exert force like the roots of an old tree, managing to stop himself from falling at the last moment.

"Impressive, Brother Xian!" Zhao Yun's eyes lit up, and his right hand suddenly changed its move, using the twisting force of the clothes to leap up and flip onto Zhang Xian's shoulder.

Zhang Xian felt dizzy and confused. When he tried to break free, he saw that the boy's legs were already wrapped around his neck, and he was hanging in mid-air like a monkey hanging from a tree.

Zhang Xianfu had a sudden inspiration, so he simply leaned back and used Zhao Yun's strength to smash Zhao Yun into the ground.

The young Taoist priest refused, so he simply loosened his grip on Zhang Xian's legs, kicked off Zhang Xian's shoulders, twisted his body, and quickly dodged away, leaving Zhang Xian lying straight on the ground.

"So you can still run away in the face of battle, huh?" Zhang Xian gritted his teeth at Zhao Yun as he got up. The latter laughed loudly, "Hahaha, Brother Xian chose this move himself, so of course he has to bear the consequences. I don't want to be hit like that."

"Brother Xian, you have enough strength, but you lack experience. Let me show you some moves!"

"Then come again!"

The two men moved back and forth across the loess soil, stirring up dust and smoke, which drew frequent glances from Li Zhen, who was sifting wheat and separating chaff in the yard.

"Master, dinner is ready!"

From afar came Zhou Cui's voice calling them to eat, and the aroma of freshly baked wheat cakes mingled with the smoke from the cooking fire. Only then did the two stop fighting. After nearly an hour of wrestling, they were almost covered in mud.

As the one being fed the challenge, Zhang Xian's entire face was covered in sweat.

However, the gains were not small. After they stopped wrestling, Zhang Xian heard several notifications of experience gain.

Strength experience +7, Physique experience +12, Combat experience +15.

The joy of reaping rewards for one's efforts is comparable to the most addictive vices, and this is the main motivation that has enabled me to persevere.

After washing themselves with water, Zhang Xian and Zhao Yun each changed into new clothes.

The new clothes were robes sewn by Zhou Cui and Zhao's mother using cloth given by the Guo family. Not only him, but Zhao Yun, Zhao Feng, Zhao's mother, Zhou Cui, Li Zhen, and Xiahou Lan all had one. However, due to the limited production capacity, only two or three people could wear the new clothes now.

The fragrant wheat pancakes steamed with heat, and in the earthenware bowl, eight peeled, white and tender eggs made one's mouth water.

It was Zhang Xian who made it possible; otherwise, such a lavish meal would probably only be something Zhao Feng and his group could afford during holidays.

"Master." Li Zhen carefully placed an egg into Zhang Xian's bowl with his hands, but the aroma of the pancake made him swallow hard.

Everyone stared at Zhang Xian, as if no one else would touch their chopsticks unless he did.

Shaking his head helplessly, he took a bite of the flatbread and said, "Let's eat."

The others then began to eat.

This change was caused by bringing back a large amount of supplies from the Guo residence that day. Zhao Yun's elder brother, Zhao Feng, was an honest and simple man who was not good at speaking. He was not very noticeable on ordinary days. If you put him in a crowd, apart from his fairly handsome face, he had no other distinguishing features.

Since Zhao Yun is currently often cultivating on the mountain and doesn't return often, Zhang Xian has unknowingly become the backbone of the Zhao family.

Zhao's mother was quite insightful. When Zhao's father was still alive, Zhao Yun's family was considered well-off, as evidenced by the fact that both Zhao Yun and Zhao Feng had courtesy names.

As for the changes in the family, Zhao's mother felt more gratitude than opinions. Firstly, Zhang Xian had saved the Zhao family's life. If it weren't for Zhang Xian helping Zhao Feng down the mountain that day, she would probably have had to bury her son.

After Zhang Xian arrived, the family's situation did indeed continue to improve. The eldest son was no longer as tense as before, constantly struggling to make ends meet for the family, and the younger son became more cheerful. With all these changes, Zhao's mother truly began to regard Zhang Xian as her own nephew.

Since we're all family, what difference does it make who's in charge?
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(End of this chapter)