The Innocent Heart - Chapter 28

Wei Qing only felt a gust of strong wind sweep past, a silver flash before his eyes; it turned out that Guan Yueyao had already adopted a stance.

But this time, he did not perform a complete saber form. Instead, he gripped the saber with both hands and repeatedly practiced several basic moves.

Pointing Saber, Left/Right Pointing Saber, Left/Right Lifting Saber, Single-Handed Lifting Saber, Hanging Saber, Waist Chopping Saber, Upper Bow Saber, Oblique Stance Saber. As he practiced each move, the three onlookers, hearing the sharp whistling sound produced by the saber cutting the air, all showed expressions of longing.

However, Guan Yueyao’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

“The handle of this saber is too slippery, and the weight is still a bit heavy. If it could be woven using the method for braiding umbrella cords, I believe the grip would be more secure,” Guan Yueyao said, raising the saber before him and gently caressing the blade with great care.

The now-sharpened edge faintly emitted a chilling, piercing glint: “But this is truly a fine saber.”

Because of his dedication to saber practice, Guan Yueyao was also someone who appreciated blades. But in the modern era, constrained by economics, and given that much of the traditional Chinese forging craft had long been lost, most blades ordinary people could buy on the market were cut and polished from finished steel. The precious saber in Guan Yueyao’s hand now, however, had been made using the more traditional folding and forging technique.

Guan Yueyao had only seen a long saber made with this technique once before. It was a forging process that required consuming vast amounts of time and manpower, but it also severely tested the skill of the bladesmith.

Upon hearing Guan Yueyao’s words, Liu Che finally breathed a sigh of relief. If the form had no major issues, then he could order the Shangfang Bureau (Imperial Armory) to forge several more. If such a saber technique could be verified in actual combat, he planned to put it into large-scale production for the military arsenal, making it a standard weapon for the Han Army. Incidentally, he would also get one for himself; watching Guan Yueyao practice the saber these past few days had made Liu Che feel quite eager to try it himself. After all, this saber technique was truly magnificent!

“Ah Yao, you lost the bet! We had an agreement; you must teach me the saber practice, no taking it back!” At this moment, Huo Qubing’s triumphant voice reached the ears of the two youths. They couldn’t help but look over.

Guan Yueyao had carefully placed the saber back into its sheath and reluctantly handed it over to Wang He, who was standing by in attendance.

“No need. You rendered meritorious service by presenting the saber; this saber is bestowed upon you,” Liu Che waved his hand generously and said with a smile.

“Thank Your Majesty!” This was perhaps the first time Guan Yueyao had kowtowed in genuine gratitude to Liu Che without any awkwardness. His tone conveyed excitement, which made Liu Che secretly amused by the youth’s sincere thanks. This child was truly interesting; it was merely a steel saber, not a high official post or fertile land, yet it was worth such profound gratitude from him. However, such a pure and straightforward person was quite rare around Liu Che. Apart from Qubing, perhaps only Guan Yueyao was such a person. Liu Che smiled, thinking it was no wonder these two boys became friends, looking upon Huo Qubing as he accepted the saber from Guan Yueyao’s hand with an envious expression.

“What name do you plan to give this saber?” Huo Qubing asked expectantly, looking at the reflection of himself and Guan Yueyao vaguely imprinted on the blade.

“My command of the written word is not good; I truly cannot think of any great name…” Guan Yueyao scratched his head, looking quite troubled.

“How about ‘Sky Splitter’ (Lietian)?” Huo Qubing seemed to have been waiting for this opening; upon hearing his reply, he immediately interjected.

“Lietian? That name is cool! I think it’s great! Then if you get a saber too, what will you call yours? ‘Earth Splitter’ (Liedi)?” Guan Yueyao also became enthusiastic and suggested proudly.

But upon hearing her words, his friend looked troubled.

Just then, with a “Pfft,” the two adults who had been eavesdropping for a long time were finally tickled into laughter by the two children’s silly conversation.

“Alright, alright. Yueyao’s saber being called Lietian is excellent. As for Qubing’s Liedi, I will order the Shangfang Bureau to forge it as soon as possible,” Liu Che promised with a teasing tone. Saying this, he glanced at Huo Qubing, whose face darkened. After a long moment, and prompted by his uncle, he reluctantly offered his thanks.

“I originally intended for my saber to be called ‘Mountain Divider’…” If one listened closely, he could still be heard muttering to himself quietly.

Teasing these two children was truly entertaining, Liu Che thought, unable to contain his amusement at the reactions of everyone in the hall. From that point on, he became increasingly fond of teasing Huo and Guan.

After this saber test, Liu Che assigned Guan Yueyao the designation of being highly proficient in martial arts but lacking much academic learning. Of course, this matched the traits of most military officers at the time, so Liu Che did not take this “minor” flaw too seriously. Composing poetry was the task of civil officials. To become a general capable of leading troops into battle, merely needing basic literacy and familiarity with military strategy was sufficient. With this in mind, Liu Che increased the intensity of his urging the two youths to study military strategy diligently in the Weiyang Palace.

Guan Yueyao felt as if he had returned to his elementary school days at the martial arts academy: the time when he studied limited cultural lessons while undergoing martial arts training. The only difference was that now, he was both the student and the coach.

In the afternoon, as per routine, “Dean of Students Teacher Liu” would release the two youths, who had finished their midday meal in the palace, back to the Wei residence. By this time, Wei Qing was often not yet back, either inspecting troops or seemingly plotting something with Liu Che in the palace. As for the other adult in the house, Huo Qubing’s mother, Wei Shao’er, she was nestled in her own courtyard with Steward Chen, completely preoccupied and not paying much attention to what the two youths were doing at home.

Lacking restraint from older family members, coupled with the wealthy life brought by the Emperor’s favor, Guan Yueyao felt this was the most comfortable period he had experienced so far: unrestrained and free. However, Guan Yueyao was not actually a child who liked to indulge himself. The decadence during his time in Japan was largely a rebellious act of giving up after being disappointed with reality. But now it was different; here, someone valued him, someone cherished him, someone understood him. Guan Yueyao had found his place in this strange time and did not want to fall into old habits again; he even developed the desire to repay kindness manifold.

After getting along for these past days, he understood clearly that whether it was Liu Che as the Emperor, Wei Qing, or Huo Qubing, the three of them shared a common goal—they intended to pacify the Xiongnu in the north. Guan Yueyao wanted to contribute his strength to their dream.

Guan Yueyao’s thoughts at this time were still very simple: whoever was kind to him, he would repay them twofold. But people like Liu Che, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing were already standing at the apex of this era. After careful consideration, Guan Yueyao felt that the only thing he could do was try his best to help realize their dreams.

Having made his resolution, he began to work twice as hard, not just in teaching Huo Qubing his saber techniques or in practicing his own. Even in Teacher Liu’s daily morning tactics class, he became much more diligent. He put away his lackadaisical demeanor, and his rapid improvement surprised both Liu Che and Wei Qing.

Under his strict training, Huo Qubing made significant progress in both saber techniques and physical fitness. With a companion to spur him forward, the two youths, while secretly competing, also supported each other, advancing toward the same goal.

Due to the efforts of the two, an unexpected result emerged in Chang’an City. As Huo Qubing began to focus seriously on studying military law and saber techniques, Chen Zhi and his clique, having lost their target for trouble, quieted down considerably. The city of Chang’an, as a result, became a bit more prosperous. Street vendors no longer had to worry about having their stalls overturned by those few pampered youths, losing a day’s income.

“Yueyao, Qing has a favor to ask.”

That evening, Wei Qing, following the habit of recent days, was having dinner with the two youths.

Guan Yueyao was burying his head in his food when he suddenly heard Wei Qing say solemnly from across the table.

“Ah?” As soon as the words were spoken, Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing both stopped eating and looked at Wei Qing with slight confusion. What kind of matter would require such a solemn request?

“I wish to ask you to teach me your training methods and saber techniques,” Wei Qing said.

It is said that a nephew resembles his maternal uncle; indeed, Wei Qing possessed a pair of beautiful eyes very similar to Huo Qubing’s. However, the gazes in these two similar eyes held distinctly opposite expressions. In Huo Qubing’s eyes, there seemed to burn an eternally blazing, passionate flame, like the scorching sun illuminating the earth in midsummer. But in Wei Qing’s eyes, there always seemed to be a gentle smile, like the warm, mild sunlight that makes one drowsy in the middle of winter.

Under such a gaze, Guan Yueyao felt his heartbeat skip an involuntary beat.

“Lord… Lord Wei also wants to learn?” He didn’t know why, but he inexplicably became nervous, hesitating, as if fearing that a moment of carelessness might incur Wei Qing’s dislike.

“I know this request is somewhat presumptuous and abrupt, but it is truly my uninvited plea. I hope you will grant it,” Wei Qing said, actually standing up and cupping his hands in a bow toward Guan Yueyao.

“There is no need to be so polite, so polite! There’s nothing to it; I’m just summarizing my previous training methods. I will certainly tell you what you need,” Guan Yueyao waved his hands, hurriedly dodging, unwilling to accept Wei Qing’s bow. Although he didn’t know why Wei Qing suddenly wanted to learn, the Wei family had shown him immense kindness in saving him; how could Guan Yueyao hide his knowledge? Without the slightest hesitation, he readily agreed.

“Uncle, is His Majesty planning for you to organize a special army to strike the Xiongnu soundly during the next campaign beyond the passes!” Huo Qubing had picked up on some hidden information from the dialogue between the two and looked at Wei Qing with eager anticipation.

“Stop trying to guess the Sage’s intentions!” Wei Qing turned and glared at his grinning nephew, but the look was not severe and did not serve as a warning at all. On the contrary, Huo Qubing became even more certain of his conjecture from his uncle’s reaction. His heart grew more anxious, wishing desperately that he were grown up in the next moment, old enough to fight alongside his uncle and Ah Yao on the battlefield and earn military merit.