The Innocent Heart - Chapter 31

“Are you convinced or not?” Guan Yueyao stood at the finish line, smiling as he looked at the soldiers who were panting heavily and gritting their teeth while trying hard to sprint toward the finish line.

In this short while, the ten soldiers had gradually arrived at the finish line one after another. Their faces looked somewhat dishevelled, forming a stark contrast with the relaxed Guan Yueyao.

Before the soldiers who had participated in the running could catch their breath and speak, several mocking voices rose from the surrounding crowd: “Boss Cao, you’re no good! How could you lose to such a little kid!”

The jeering voices echoed through the barracks again, clearly indicating that the soldiers were not yet convinced by Guan Yueyao just because of the footrace.

Guan Yueyao was not angry. He crossed his arms, raised his eyebrows toward the direction of the voice, and asked loudly: “Who said that just now? Since you feel unconvinced, why don’t you compete with me as well.”

His face was youthful, but his tone was bold, and unconvinced looks gradually reappeared on the faces of the surrounding men.

“This afternoon, anyone who is unconvinced is welcome to compete with me. After today, you won’t have this opportunity again.” He reiterated.

“Make way, make way.” As soon as his words fell, a tall, burly man pushed aside the soldiers blocking his way and walked to the center of the field.

“I am not convinced! I want to challenge you to a saber duel!” The big man was extremely tall. As he spoke, looking down at Guan Yueyao, Guan Yueyao felt his entire body was completely submerged in the shadow cast by the man’s physique.

“Zhang Huchen, you are bullying the small with your size. An ordinary person, who could withstand one of your chops? Especially Langzhong Guan’s small frame?” Someone in the crowd jeered mockingly.

Subsequently, the surrounding soldiers all let out low sounds of malicious disapproval.

Guan Yueyao frowned. His competitive spirit was once again ignited by the crowd’s lack of confidence.

“Fine, a duel it is. But my equipment must be superior to yours; winning would be unfair. Let’s use wooden swords,” Guan Yueyao, drawing on his experience of subduing delinquent youths in Japan, proposed the fairest possible conditions for the match. This would completely block any excuses the opponent might use after losing, ensuring he was truly convinced.

Perhaps intending to give Guan Yueyao a show of force, the burly man named Zhang Huchen did not refuse the proposal. Soon, surrounded by the crowd, the two arrived in the center of the training ground. The crowd dispersed, leaving a large open space for the two.

At this moment, Wei Qing finally could not hold back any longer. He lifted the tent curtain and walked to the edge of the training ground.

In the center of the training ground, the two men each held a wooden sword and sat in a sword-holding posture, watching each other intently.

In the modern era, Guan Yueyao already possessed rich combat experience. He could easily judge from the opponent’s movements that Zhang Huchen possessed immense strength but was far less agile and flexible than himself.

In an instant, Guan Yueyao had made his decision. As Guo Chun shouted “Begin!,” he was the first to swing his saber and charge towards Zhang Huchen. Facing an opponent of such great strength, Guan Yueyao temporarily abandoned all single-handed saber stances in his forms, gripping the hilt tightly with both hands and rushing forward at an extremely fast speed.

In terms of height, Guan Yueyao was at an absolute disadvantage, so just as he was about to get close to Zhang Huchen, he swiftly swung the long wooden saber upward in a lifting motion.

Zhang Huchen indeed fell for the bait, raising his wooden sword to chop downward, intending to block Guan Yueyao’s offensive. Seeing his opponent fall for the feint, Guan Yueyao hooked the corner of his mouth, retracted the saber, and dodged sideways.

Zhang Huchen’s chop missed, and he turned to find Guan Yueyao’s figure again, but just as Guan Yueyao had judged, his body’s agility was far inferior. Before he could even turn fully, Guan Yueyao had circled to his flank. Seizing the right moment, he gripped the wooden sword with both hands and brought it down heavily onto the wooden sword in Zhang Huchen’s hand.

Guan Yueyao had used this move before when sparring with Wei Qing. Zhang Huchen’s palm tingled, but he gritted his teeth and managed to hold the wooden sword tightly. He swung his sword, trying to create distance between himself and Guan Yueyao, but Guan Yueyao’s speed was faster. The alternating lifting strikes followed like a whirlwind, so fast that it was overwhelming. Zhang Huchen’s prideful strength was completely useless at this moment; he could only passively swing his wooden sword to block these fierce attacks, retreating step by step under Guan Yueyao’s offense.

Off the field, the watching soldiers seemed to forget to breathe. No one cheered, no one spoke; they simply watched as Zhang Huchen was driven into a desperate situation step by step by Guan Yueyao, who was far shorter than himself.

Finally, on one side of the training ground, Zhang Huchen had nowhere left to retreat. He allowed Guan Yueyao’s wooden sword to stop half an inch from his neck.

“Are you convinced or not?” Guan Yueyao held this position and asked again.

“I submit, I submit,” Zhang Huchen finally recovered himself at this point. He dropped the wooden sword in his hand and clasped his hands in a respectful bow toward Guan Yueyao.

Guan Yueyao’s desire to win was satisfied once more. He smiled with satisfaction and returned the bow to Zhang Huchen.

“A worthy match.”

Saying this, he did not look at his defeated opponent again, re-sheathed his saber, and returned to the center of the training ground.

“Is there anyone else who is unconvinced? Step forward!” Amidst the loud cheers of the surrounding soldiers, Guan Yueyao shouted again.

Afterward, several soldiers who looked quite vigorous and brave stepped forward, eager to spar with Guan Yueyao. However, they were all eventually defeated by Guan Yueyao’s wooden saber, one after another.

After several rounds of competition, the sun was gradually setting in the west.

“Is there anyone else?” After sending off the challengers, Guan Yueyao asked again.

But this time, in the training ground filled with four hundred soldiers, no one responded. Guan Yueyao stood in the center of the field with his saber on his shoulder. After waiting for a while, he heard someone in the crowd shout in a rough voice: “I, Zhang Huchen, willingly admit defeat! I beg Langzhong Guan to teach me the saber techniques!”

Following this shout, similar voices began to arise from all over the training ground, eventually converging into a unified slogan that echoed in the air above the field. Only then did Guan Yueyao let out a deep sigh of relief in his heart. He had really done it!

Huo Qubing, on the Wei side, diligently practiced the tasks assigned by Guan Yueyao while anxiously awaiting the return of his uncle and his friend. It was nearly midnight when he finally saw the tired-looking Guan Yueyao and the concerned Wei Qing walking into the courtyard side-by-side.

“Why so late? Ah Yao, what’s wrong with you?!” Huo Qubing rushed up, looking at Guan Yueyao’s slightly pale face. The words of complaint that reached his lips were swallowed back down.

“It’s nothing. It’s just that I haven’t had such a long session of sparring with people for a long time. My arms are a bit sore now, but a good massage tonight will fix it.” Guan Yueyao smiled dismissively. This condition was not uncommon during his years of rigorous training. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have achieved such exquisite saber skills at such a young age.

However, Huo Qubing was somewhat puzzled by his friend’s mention of “long sparring sessions.” He had been by Liu Che’s side since he was small and was very familiar with military matters. But when did soldiers’ training ever require sparring with officers?

Wei Qing noticed his nephew’s confusion. He smiled as he ushered the two youths into the house, explaining to Huo Qubing along the way.

“Yueyao is new to the army and young, so naturally, he provoked resistance from the unruly elements in the camp. Fortunately, Yueyao managed to completely quell those doubts with his skill.”

Wei Qing’s brief, understated words allowed Huo Qubing to sense the difficulty Guan Yueyao experienced that afternoon. Before Guan Yueyao could speak himself, Huo Qubing called for a servant: “Quickly prepare hot water for Ah Yao to bathe.”

“Haha, don’t be so nervous. I also haven’t had such a long sparring session in a while; it was truly exhilarating!” Guan Yueyao sat down on the mat without any decorum.

But neither of the two men in the room blamed him for his impropriety—neither Wei Qing, who had witnessed everything firsthand, nor Huo Qubing, who could empathize. Both felt that Guan Yueyao, who had won the soldiers’ respect with just a wooden saber, was someone worthy of their admiration.

“Brother Wei, how are the soldiers usually trained in the army? I am a bit uncertain. Is it okay to train the soldiers the way I devised training plans for myself and Qubing?”

Although Guan Yueyao wasn’t very familiar with standard military training, he instinctively felt that training soldiers according to an athlete’s standards might not be appropriate. The skills emphasized were different, meaning the training methods would be vastly different. He tried to recall the content of the summer military training he participated in during his martial arts school days: besides the indispensable standing at attention and marching, there were also things like learning military self-defense boxing, thirty-kilometer forced marches, and even emergency assembly drills late at night.

Guan Yueyao was deep in thought when suddenly Huo Qubing shouted.

“How can you call my uncle ‘Brother’!” As soon as she finished speaking, Huo Qubing revolted. Guan Yueyao’s form of address sounded like he was trying to take advantage of him!

Guan Yueyao was startled by Huo Qubing’s question but quickly realized the issue.

“Why not? I don’t mind having such an older nephew,” Guan Yueyao laughed heartily, only to see Huo Qubing aggressively pounce toward him.

“No! You must call Uncle just like I do!” Huo Qubing insisted hurriedly.

“Alright, alright, Qubing, stop teasing Yueyao. He is tired today,” Wei Qing said, smiling as he watched the two boys squabble, trying to mediate.

But thinking again, Guan Yueyao’s way of addressing him was indeed an issue. Calling him ‘Adult’ was too distant, and calling him ‘Big Brother’ was, as Qubing pointed out, a disruption of seniority.

“Very well, Yueyao, you may call me ‘Uncle-in-Law’ (Shishu),” Wei Qing thought for a moment and said with a smile.

“Okay,” Guan Yueyao did not refuse and replied obediently.