[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

That shouldn't be the case! According to the plan, you should have mastered the stability and control of snipers in one fell swoop, and then amazed everyone!

The shop owner, seeing this, stepped over and wrapped his arm around Keegan's hand from behind, placing his palm against the back of Keegan's hand and gently adjusting the pressure.

"Pull your thumb inward, as if you're holding a cloud."

You're watching Keegan being held in the arms of a grown man, wanting to laugh but not daring to, and you still have to translate for him.

But things got much worse; because Keegan wasn’t used to such close contact, the clay figure eventually became a twisted mud cake.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

You couldn't help but laugh out loud, then thanked the boss and said you already knew how to do it before sending Keegan away.

Half an hour later, you slowly remove your hands, and a cone-shaped clay cup is born.

You hold up your two mud-covered hands and look excitedly at Keegan.

"Keegan, I did it!"

Keegan smiled and wiped the mud off your nose and cheeks with a tissue.

"Great! Can you teach me later?"

Feeling a surge of accomplishment as you accept the task, you immediately nod proudly.

"Then you'd better study hard and not act like you just now!"

Keegan smiled and agreed, and then he was indeed very attentive when you were teaching him, watching you intently with a smile on his face.

More than an hour later, you took the cups you made and fired to pay the bill.

After the cashier packs your food, she'll hand you a wet wipe.

"Miss, you have a lot of mud on your face, please wipe it off."

You're wondering, didn't Keegan clean it up for you?

Then, you take the mirror from the younger sister and see yourself with several mud streaks on your face.

Then it suddenly dawned on you that Keegan hadn't washed his hands when he wiped your face!

So his hands were covered in wet, sticky mud, just like yours!

You glared at Keegan, and finally couldn't resist giving him two hard punches!

What a perverse sense of humor!

Bonus Chapter: Keegan x You 3

"Although Jiujiang is not as famous as Jingdezhen, it is still a popular tourist city. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but it has also been the birthplace of many famous ancient poets."

You are showing Keegan around the poetry museum, pointing to a framed poem on the wall.

"I built my hut in the midst of human habitation, yet there is no noise of carriages and horses. You ask me how this can be? When the heart is far away, the place naturally becomes secluded. I pick chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, and leisurely gaze at the Southern Mountain. The mountain air is beautiful at sunset, and the birds fly back together. There is true meaning in this, but I have forgotten the words to express it."

"This was created 1,600 years ago by a poet named Tao Yuanming..."

You introduce him to Tao Yuanming's background and the meaning of this poem.

Then you visited many poems, such as Li Bai's "Looking at the Waterfall at Mount Lu", Bai Juyi's "The Song of the Pipa", and Su Shi's "Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple".

But Keegan's favorite poem is surprisingly Chairman Mao's "Seven-Character Quatrain: Climbing Mount Lu".

A mountain stands tall beside the great river, leaping up four hundred turns of lush greenery.

With a detached eye, I survey the world from afar; with a warm wind, rain falls across the rivers and skies.

Clouds stretch across the nine tributaries, the Yellow Crane Tower floats above; waves surge down the three Wu regions, white smoke rises.

Where has Tao Yuanming gone? Can one still till the fields in Peach Blossom Spring?

This poem appears to describe mountain climbing and scenery, but it ends with a nostalgic reflection on Tao Yuanming.

You initially thought it was because Keegan was more easily moved by modern writing, but his answer surprised you.

"What I like about it is not the content itself, but the vision it conveys."

You're curious.

"Oh? What did you see?"

Keegan pointed to the phrase "looking at the world with a cold eye" and said:

"There is no ocean view from this city, so the ocean here may not refer to the ocean. Considering the word 'world,' the ocean here should refer to a country on the other side of the ocean."

"At that time, which country would have put him on guard?"

You smiled at him with satisfaction: "Keegan, you always have a very sharp mind."

This poem has indeed been interpreted as reflecting Chairman Mao's insight into the world situation and his yearning for an ideal life.

"Approach the situation of the countries across the ocean and the world with a calm and objective perspective. Kid, you once had a very excellent and great leader."

Keegan slowly moved his fingers away from the wall of poems, his gaze filled with a melancholy sigh.

You nodded in agreement: "Yes, he led us through a very difficult period, and we will never forget it."

After leaving the museum, you strolled along the pedestrian street and into the shopping mall, where you witnessed an interesting scene.

In the plaza at the entrance of the shopping mall, several young men and women dressed in Hanfu were brandishing long knives.

In front of them, a middle-aged man was holding a gimbal and taking pictures.

Several young men and women twirled and rose into a pose, the hems of their Hanfu suddenly billowing up with their movements, flowing gracefully like swirling clouds.

But they were no mere showmen; their downward posture and the way they gripped the knife were both very steady and powerful.

With a flick of their wrists, the blades slashed diagonally along their waists, followed by slashes, parries, cuts, and thrusts. Their movements were fluid and seamless, each move as steady as a mountain yet as graceful as flowing water.

After a neat display, it was time for the two girls to fight each other. The girls, like Pozhu, would launch the first attack, and the boys would immediately parry with their swords, their arms stretched into a clean arc, the blade level with their eyes, the cold light reflecting off their calm brows and eyes.

The next second, the boy's center of gravity suddenly shifted, and as his body flipped, he swiftly flicked the knife upwards, lifting the girl's long knife into the air!

The sound of the blade cutting through the air was clearly audible, as if even the air itself had been sliced ​​open with a cold, white line.

But the next second, the girl skillfully and accurately grabbed the hilt of the falling longsword and then drew a powerful and impressive sword flower!

It's very visually appealing!

You can't help but join the onlookers in applauding, giving these young men and women their approval.

Then you hear them explaining to everyone that the swords they're holding are Tang swords, not Japanese swords.

Then I started explaining the history of the Tang sword to you.

It seems that a few cultural inheritors are conducting cultural popularization, after all, the theft and robbery of culture has caused many people to forget the past prosperity.

But seeing the curiosity in Keegan's eyes, you feel this is a good opportunity.

So you pulled Keegan forward and said you wanted to learn how to use the Tang sword and fully experience its charm.

The group of men and women noticed that there was a foreigner among them, so they hesitated and looked to the side.

The point of focus was the middle-aged man who had just been taking pictures.

After receiving the man's nod of approval, the young men handed each of you a Tang sword and taught you the basics of using it.

Having served in the military, both you and Keegan have experience using weapons, so you quickly got the hang of it and were able to execute smooth movements.

The young men and women were filled with surprise, as if it was the first time they had seen someone get the hang of it so quickly.

The middle-aged man was more experienced and quickly asked you about your background. You told him the truth, but you concealed the specific information and only said that you were soldiers.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man could barely contain his excitement and immediately asked if you wanted to learn how to use the Tang sword from him.

And so you all followed the man and began training in Tang swordsmanship.

The man's name is Li Zhi. He is not from Jiangxi. He came here for the sake of inheriting the Tang sword and to continue the culture of the Tang sword.

Because of your basic physical fitness and experience with weapons and combat, you learned the basics in a relatively short time.

Since you are not disciples of a man, he did not impart all his knowledge to you. The rest you will have to rely on your own diligent practice and exploration.

So you and Keegan decided to leave, since you both still had jobs and couldn't stay here indefinitely.

But just as you were about to say goodbye, news brought your departure plans to a temporary halt.

Bonus Chapter: Keegan x You 4

Li Zhi had two apprentices, a boy and a girl, who became his disciples together when they were young, and their relationship evolved from childhood sweethearts to being deeply in love.

They finally got their marriage certificate today, on the girl's 20th birthday, and are preparing for their wedding.

The wedding preparations started months ago, and you and Keegan just happened to be there by chance.

Since you've spent some time together and have developed some friendship, you've decided to attend the wedding banquet before leaving.

I also joined the groomsmen and bridesmaids to show Keegan the local wedding culture.

The wedding day was lively. Li Zhi and his apprentices got up early to prepare, and you and Keegan also helped with the setup.

The groom's house was decorated with festive red decorations everywhere, with double happiness stickers everywhere, and a red carpet on the ground that stretched from the doorway all the way to the main road outside.

Around noon, a cheerful sound of music drifted from afar.

As you stand at the door and look out, a procession dressed in red is steadily approaching. The groom, wearing a turban and hat, sits on a black horse, while behind him are several fellow apprentices carrying a sedan chair with an open roof. Inside, the bride's face is obscured by a red veil, but her wedding dress is gorgeous and stunning.

When the procession reached one end of the red carpet, you immediately lit the fuses of the firecrackers on the ground.

After a series of loud crashes, the groom dismounted amidst a commotion, walked to the sedan chair, carried the bride on his back, and then stepped onto the red carpet towards the door of the house!

The altar was already set up in the hall, and three sticks of incense were burning brightly in the gilded incense burner, emitting wisps of smoke.

After the newlyweds paid their respects to the two sets of parents and Li Zhi, they were immediately escorted into the bridal chamber.

Since outsiders are not allowed to be present at the later stages, you were invited to eat and drink.

Only after the ceremony inside was over did the groom bring out the bride, who had already removed her heavy costumes and was dressed simply, to toast the guests.

The banquet lasted until it was almost dark, and Keegan, who doesn't usually drink much, was a bit tipsy from the strong liquor, so you all chose to walk back to sober up.

The night was a bit chilly as autumn had arrived, but thankfully there was no wind, and since the Hanfu you were wearing as groomsmen and bridesmaids were quite thick, you didn't feel cold.

There is neither the sweltering heat of midsummer nor the biting cold of winter, only the unique tranquility and desolation of an autumn night, making people unconsciously slow their pace and want to blend into this quiet and slightly lonely night.