Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

That said, the golden mace is ultimately a short weapon, and Jia Cong still needs to choose a suitable long weapon as his primary option.

Sun Tai hesitated at this moment, carefully examining Jia Cong's bones and arm span before frowning again.

"Third Master is tall and has long arms, so this long weapon needs to be lightweight..."

Jia Cong also tentatively spoke up.

"What does Master Sun think of the three-pointed double-edged sword?"

Sun Tai chuckled slightly.

"Third Master, have you been reading too many storybooks? How can you take the tricks on the stage seriously?"

Jia Cong was somewhat disappointed; he had originally planned to show off his power like Erlang Shen Yang Jian.

The master and apprentice discussed for half a day, but Sun Tai made the final decision.

"Since you, Third Master, are so exceptionally talented, why not give the spear a try? But as the old saying goes, 'A month with a staff, a year with a knife, a lifetime with a spear,' so Third Master should be prepared for the long haul..."

Jia Cong sighed, resigning himself to his fate for the time being.

"Master Sun is right, so the disciple practiced with the spear, but the style of the spear..."

Sun Tai probably knew that young people were concerned with their image and liked flashy or fictional characters, so he laughed heartily as well.

"Since it's a weapon that one will practice for a lifetime, it should be decided by Third Master."

Jia Cong breathed a sigh of relief, picked up a wooden stick from the yard, and gestured with it on the ground.

"Master Sun, what do you think of Zhao Zilong's Dragon Gallant Silver Spear?"

"No problem, it will be according to Third Master's preferences. I know the imperial blacksmith shop, and I will definitely forge a suitable weapon for you!"

Having understood Sun Tai's situation, Jia Cong disregarded the financial pain and instructed Li Rong to take out a full sixty taels of silver and give it to him. Since he was going to practice for a lifetime, he should at least get a top-of-the-line weapon.

At that time, the cost of a standard military spear was about two to three taels of silver, and the cost of a finely forged spear used by a military officer was about twenty taels of silver. But Jia Cong was different. He wanted to recreate Zhao Zilong's Dragon Gallant Silver Spear. Not only did the spearhead and butt have to be made of refined steel, but they also had to be plated with a layer of pure silver.

Sun Tai was a straightforward person; he accepted the silver with a fist and palm salute.

"Third Master, please rest assured, my family will definitely send it to you within half a month!"

Having chosen his weapon, Sun Tai could now proceed with the next stage of instruction. Now that Jia Cong had broken through to the third level of martial arts, ordinary fist and foot techniques were no longer sufficient for him.

For three consecutive days, Sun Tai also took out his own bow and arrows and began to teach Jia Cong the skills of riding and archery.

After dinner, Jia Cong took stock of his personal savings. He had a little over two hundred taels left, which seemed a bit insufficient to buy a top-of-the-line warhorse.

He had no choice but to swallow his pride and go to Jia Lian's room again. After knocking on the door, Jia Lian was there, and Wang Xifeng greeted him with a smile.

"What brings you here today, Brother Cong? Come in quickly, have you had dinner yet?"

"Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. I've already eaten. I apologize for disturbing you and my brother with your meal..."

Jia Lian also stood up.

"What kind of talk is this? We are brothers, what business does my third brother have with us?"

Jia Cong took the tea the maid had poured for him, took a sip, and then awkwardly began to speak.

"My second brother and sister-in-law know that I'm spending a lot of money learning martial arts these days, but Master Sun says I should start learning horseback riding and archery, but what about the horses..."

Wang Xifeng slapped her forehead, glanced at Jia Lian beside her, and then smiled affectionately to herself.

"Look at my memory! Brother Cong's martial arts training was personally instructed by our ancestor, so how could I dare to neglect it? We don't have any good horses in the manor. So, I'll have fifty taels of public funds used to buy them, and I'll also give you an extra twenty taels as a token of our friendship, how about that?"

Jia Cong cursed Wang Xifeng for being stingy and Jia Lian for pretending to be stupid. A warhorse of ordinary nobles would cost about eighty to one hundred taels of silver, but this was the Rongguo Mansion. Could Jia Cong use such a horse?

He could only force a smile and continue dawdling.

"I am grateful for my sister-in-law's consideration, but Master Sun seems very strict. Yesterday he specifically instructed me that the horse used for riding and archery is very important. Ordinary stamina cannot support the force of drawing a bow, and it may even injure your body. He also said that if we cannot find a strong and good horse, it is better not to learn riding and archery yet, so as to avoid any mistakes."

He paused, stealing a glance at Wang Xifeng's expression. Seeing that the smile on her lips had faded slightly, but she still maintained an affectionate demeanor, he added in a softer voice:

"I know the household is short of funds, but since the old master has already mentioned the matter of practicing martial arts, if it is delayed because of a horse, I am not afraid of being scolded by the old master when he asks about it. I am just afraid that my second brother and sister-in-law will be accused of not taking it seriously, which would not be good."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng covered her lips with her handkerchief and chuckled softly, but her eyes glanced at Jia Lian, her tone half teasing and half serious.

"You little rascal, you're good at using the old mansion to intimidate people. Your second brother knows best the difficulties in the household. It looks glamorous on the outside, but inside, money flows like water. Where do we not need to fill the gaps? Fifty taels from the public funds, plus my twenty taels from my private savings, that's seventy taels of silver. That's more than enough for even the best horses ridden by the sons of noble families. Do you expect to find a dragon steed from the Imperial Stables?"

After saying that, she gave Ping'er a wink, as if to tell someone to fetch the silver, but she wouldn't budge an inch.

Seeing this, Jia Cong could only look at Jia Lian again, his eyes filled with a pleading expression.

"Second brother, I don't dare to dream of a dragon steed. But Master Sun said that we should at least find a strong horse that is over eight feet tall, with steady gait and a spirited temperament, and that can help us practice riding and archery. Such a horse would cost at least a hundred taels outside, and seventy taels... I'm afraid it will be hard to find one that suits our needs."

Jia Lian sat to the side, stroking his teacup in his hand, remaining mostly silent as he recalled the secret he had discussed with Jia Cong at the end of the year.

He first waved to Wang Xifeng, then said to Jia Cong, "That's enough. Since the old lady has given her approval, let's not delay over this little matter."

As he spoke, he got up and went into the inner room. A moment later, he came out with a sum of fifty taels of silver. "This is from my personal savings. You can keep it."

Jia Cong held the silver note, feeling a sense of relief. He was about to thank her when he saw Wang Xifeng, who seemed to have noticed him beforehand, raise an eyebrow and look over. However, she wasn't angry; she just smiled and spat at Jia Cong.

"You're quite generous, always siding with outsiders! Fine, fine, considering the deep brotherhood between you, I can't be stingy, lest people say I'm mistreating my brother. I'll add another thirty taels to the twenty taels, and the fifty taels from the public treasury will remain the same, making a total of one hundred and fifty taels. That should be enough for you to find a top-quality warhorse, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong was overjoyed and quickly stood up and bowed, "Thank you, sister-in-law! Thank you, second brother! I will definitely practice martial arts diligently and never let down the old matriarch's care!"

Wang Xifeng waved her hand, her face returning to its usual warm expression, "No need for thanks, we're all family!"

Jia Lian chuckled from the side, "Just go and find a good horse. If you can't find one that suits your taste, come and tell me. We have some old acquaintances in the manor, so a horse is no problem for us."

After extracting 150 taels of silver from Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng, Jia Cong happily chatted and laughed with them for a while before returning to his own courtyard to start making calculations.

With a base price of 150 taels, and an additional 100 or 200 taels added by myself, I can find a top-quality steed. I even dare to ask the price of famous horses from the Western Regions or Mongolia!